Onwards and upwards for Chinese companies in 2013 “Fortune Global 500”. - There has been a sharp increase in the number of Chinese companies in the 2013 edition of the “Fortune Global 500” list, published every year by the US economic magazine Fortune. This lists the 500 most powerful companies in the world on the basis of their annual turnover. There were only 29 Chinese companies on the list in 2008, but now they make up a fifth of all companies in the list, 95 of the total of 500. 31 new companies are also included in the list, 18 of which from China. These companies are mainly involved in the oil and financial fields. US companies are, however, losing ground. In 2008, just before the Lehman Brothers collapse, US companies accounted for 153 companies on the list, whereas in 2013 there were just 132. Nevertheless, the US has still managed to maintain its global domination in this field. The Dutch company, Royal Dutch Shell, stays top of the list with an annual turnover of $481.7 billion, with the US groups Wal-Mart Stores and Exxon Mobil swapping positions in second and third place. Wal-Mart (turnover of $469.2 billion) is now in second place, with Exxon Mobil ($449.9 billion) in third. Three Chinese companies make the Top 10: Sinopec, is in fourth place with a turnover of $428.2 billion, China National Petroleum, in fifth with $408.6 billion and State Grid Corp of China, is in seventh place with $298.4 billion. The United Kingdom, Germany and France are also included in the Top 10, with BP (sixth place; UK; $388.3 billion), Volkswagen (ninth; Germany; $247.6 billion) and Total Corporate (tenth place; France; $234.3 billion). The banking sector continues its downward plunge: UBS has fallen from 31st position five years ago to its current position in 263rd place, Royal Bank of Scotland has fallen from its 36th position ranking to 211th place, Deutsche Bank from 26th position to 130th, HSBC from 20th to 60th place. To a lesser extent, ING has also fallen, from 7th to 33rd position. The oil groups, however, still have a significant presence on the list. Joining the US groups, we now have groups from Latin America and China (Petrobras from Brazil, Pemex from Mexico and PDVSA from Venezuela). The car industry has recovered well, with good performances by Toyota and Volkswagen, although General Motors has only managed to keep its place in the list thanks to a government bailout. The retail sector is also doing well, particularly discount brands that have benefited from the crisis. The telecommunications sector is also well represented thanks to the massive rise in mobile telephone use. Apple has achieved a particularly enviable performance and has risen from 337th place in 2008 to 19th position this year. (IL/transl.fl)