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China

- Submarine inventor thinks deep

- China, Central Asia further cooperation urged

- Top court focuses on monopolies

- Opposition hails China's role in Syria

- Leaders say greater understanding needed

- China's positive role 'welcomed'

- Philippines warned over island dispute

- Govt, media team to fight fakes

- Rescued panda regains health

- China to start issuing e-passports

- Price of some high-speed train tickets to be cut

- Strict rules target antibiotics abuse

- Tunnel fire in Taiwan kills two

- No 'human flesh capsules' found

- A bigger picture for Guangzhou's Nansha

- Innovation to boost shipbuilder's fleet

- Rising GDP leads to boom in yachting

- Christie’s HK to offer ‘Martian Pink’

- China, Singapore step up anti-crimes cooperation

- Minister hopes to see sound Sino-US military ties

- China to timely expand 4G trial scale

- Tap water might dirtier than imagined

- New platform gives iron ore traders muscle

- Defense minister hopes to see sound Sino-US ties

- Dialogue with China fruitful: US official

- Cyber attacks affect 'both nations'

- Top court gets tougher on market monopolies

- China moves to stop SOE executives overspending

- Second quarter real estate crash unlikely

- Wen congratulates Medvedev on becoming Russian PM

- China aims to double textile output in a decade

- China starts building power plant in Singapore

- Chinese marine to train with Thai forces

- Residential property market slumps

- Teens kidnapped, forced to work

- Expert:‘Dead baby’ pills likely placenta

- Electricity price to rise soon for top users

- New leaders, common goals

- 16 detained over illegal human organ trade

- China to implement strictest water measures

- Preserving the secret language of women

- China, AL pledge further strategic cooperation

- China finds no 'human flesh capsules': official

- Tickets discounts on high-speed train available

- SOE managers curbed on purchases

- China renews free eye surgery in Myanmar

- China finds EU, Japan dumping steel tubes

- Chinese company revives plans for Iceland resort

- Night life for migrant workers

- E-passports to be introduced from May 15

- Vehicle fumes pump up Shanghai pollution

- Richest Chinese to get richer: research

- Slide: Training for mining emergency

- AL chief calls for closer Arab-China ties

- Front Pages, May 8

- Substandard imported goods seized

- Study blamed for 90% shortsighted 17-year-olds

- Water usage to be monitored better

- China should account for 15% of global trade

- China prepared for escalation of island dispute

- Third representation over island dispute

- Investigative reporters to be protected

- A dream of making independent films

- Ministry calls for smoking cessation hotline

- France and China to strengthen ties

- Tanker leakage prevented from polluting river

- Beijing opera shines in Turkey

- Hollande meets Chinese ambassador

- Sharing and caring

- Help for boy who wasn't taught to speak

- Act of bravery spurs act of kindness

- Students prep on amino acid drips

- Falling housing prices spark protests

- Giant panda in the wild recovering

- Lhasa monks get free eyesight checkup

- Burial laws spark violent protest

- Absentee workers getting paid

- Chongqing cracks down on duty crime

- Publicly funded banquets on menu

- Apple offers settlement in trademark case

- Foreign wines gaining ground

- Boy finds voice in music

- Donations pour in for ill toddler's care

- Police thwart organ-selling gang

- Web of opportunity

- All NGOs to get equal status

- China, US vow cooperation on cyber security

- Student's food safety website fuels his fame

- Experts expect closer China-Russia ties

- China to boost sewage treatment industry

- China issues policies to raise wellbeing of working women

- Chinese defense minister meets 'Flying Tigers'

- Hu's speech on CYLC's 90th anniversary published

- Hu reaches out as Hollande wins

- 'New' name for island sparks fury

- Sales of China's top 100 chain stores hit $238b

- Excessive bacteria in food sicken 56 in NW China

- AL chief calls for closer Arab-China ties

- China to have its first subway fire brigade

- No date for furniture trade-in policy

- Hiker saved after fall from Great Wall

- Sembcorp buys wind power holdings

- Hu congratulates Putin on presidential term

- China's 1st deep-water rig to drill in S China Sea

- Lenovo looks for momentum out of mobile device sales

- Ancient Buddhist temple found in Taklimakan Desert

- $12.6b in public donations in 2011: minister

- Mine accident kills 4 in North China

- Hu congratulates Putin on third presidential term

- Hu congratulates Putin on presidential term

- Sexy '2012' at water park

- China congratulates French president-elect

- Toxic vegetables expose loopholes

- Toxic vegetables expose hidden practices

- Forum addresses animation education challenges

- Animation charm shown on UK Day

- Half of families have boomerang children

- A glance at Int'l Cartoon Animation Festival

- Students 'drugged' in class ahead of gaokao

- Dead bird H5N1 positive in Hong Kong

- 473 Chongqing officials prosecuted

- Bus fire in Taiwan kills three, injures 21

- Lucrative jade business off-limits to officials

- China, C Asian countries hold cooperation forum

- IPad trademark dispute sees progress

- Five students drown in Yangtze

- Little Red's interrogation

- Front Pages, May 7

- 3 trapped in south China mine collapse

- Night-flying training in Chengdu

- Night-flying training in Chengdu

- Reality lesson for graduation photo

- Weekly Photos: April 30- May 6

- Traffic resumes six days after Tibet landslides

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Preserving the secret language of women

Updated: 2012-05-08 18:14

(chinadaily.com.cn)

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Night life for migrant workers

Updated: 2012-05-08 16:23

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Night life in cities generally include drinking, nightclubs, discos, bars, live music, theaters and shows, but for the large group of migrant workers in China, who live isolated lives in their makeshift sheds on construction sites, night life carries a less glamorous meaning, with less activity.

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Vehicle fumes pump up Shanghai pollution

Updated: 2012-05-08 16:01

By Shi Yingying (China Daily Shanghai Bureau)

Shanghai's vehicle exhaust contributed to at least 25 percent of PM2.5 - the fine particulate matter 2.5 microns or less in diameter - in the city's atmosphere. Bad driving habits such as rapid acceleration and deceleration, especially by diesel vehicle drivers, leads to worse air pollution, a senior environmental official said on Tuesday.

"Our previous research indicates that in some of the central business district, automobile exhaust fumes contributed to 50 to 60 percent of the PM2.5 source. This figure even reached 70 percent at times," said Zhang Quan, director of the Shanghai Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.

Shanghai plans to implement a harsher vehicle emission regulation starting next year in an effort to curb the city's air pollution. The move was part of a collection of air control measures rolled out by Shanghai Municipal Environment Protection Bureau.

The city established its first air monitoring station to measure PM2.5 ten years ago and currently has 24 of them. It wants to become the first in the country to announce PM2.5 data publicly. PM2.5 is not included in the normal air quality monitoring system in China yet. Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng said earlier that releasing PM2.5 data would objectively reflect the true situation of the city's air pollution.

Zhang Quan added that in order to reflect the city's overall air quality, the upcoming PM2.5 monitoring stations "wouldn't be put at spots with relatively high or low measurements such as parks or industrial factories".

In the meantime, testing services for indoor air pollutants will be available free for Shanghai residents to help them circumvent health hazards and promote green living concepts. Such a service, provided by Shanghai Environmental Protection Industry Association, includes the measurement of PM2.5 as an indicator of the city's air quality standard.

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A dream of making independent films

Updated: 2012-05-08 13:09

(chinadaily.com.cn)

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Beijing opera shines in Turkey

Updated: 2012-05-08 09:45

(chinadaily.com.cn)

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Sexy '2012' at water park

Updated: 2012-05-07 17:04

(chinadaily.com.cn)

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Night-flying training in Chengdu

Updated: 2012-05-07 11:11

(chinadaily.com.cn)

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Reality lesson for graduation photo

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:54

(chinadaily.com.cn)

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Weekly Photos: April 30- May 6

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:20

(chinadaily.com.cn)

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Business

- Discount offered for luxury seats on high-speed trains

- China finds no 'human flesh capsules', promises further probe

- Hong Kong stocks close 0.25% lower

- China to expand high-end equipment sector

- Real estate developers struggle in sea of red ink

- Firms benefit from iron ore trading platform

- China finds EU, Japan dumping steel tubes

- Home appliance sales in countryside decline

- ChiNext Index closes down -- May 8

- China stock index futures close lower -- May 8

- Anti-dumping tariffs on seamless tubes

- Discount offered for luxury seats on high-speed trains

- Chinese company revives plans for Iceland resort

- Chinese stocks close lower Tuesday

- Chinese visitors main hope for NZ tourism

- Toyota says China sales in April up 68%

- Iron ore spot trading platform opens

- Pact between Pepsi and China Unicom

- Food safety website fuels student's fame

- 15% of world trade Chinese: commerce minister

- CNR inks deal for Indian joint venture

- GEA linking up with China Triumph

- April CPI down to 3.3%: Analysts

- Baosteel reports 1.5b yuan profit in Q1

- China issues policies to raise wellbeing of working women

- $100m Sinohydro project in Angola

- BJEG again ups stake in Sinopec target, China Gas

- 1,500 tons of tungsten for Sandvik

- BMW's sales up 31% in April

- Copyright debate is good for law

- Relax high-tech restrictions

- Ministers to talk about free trade

- Mainland buys more HK gold

- Contracts, rules of T-bond futures trading under study

- Businesses unite to cope with trade frictions

- Share increased in gas company

- China to import additional corn

- Publicly funded banquets on menu

- RMB forwards hit 3-week low

- Demand for temps up, study indicates

- Cross-Straits trade down 6.7% in first quarter

- Charity fair to open

- Weak world economy weighs on steel export orders

- Falling home prices spark protests by homeowners

- FAW hopes to rev up its Hongqi brand

- Foreign wines gaining ground

- Real estate developers struggle in sea of red ink

- Air conditioner sales cool down

- China's first deep-water rig to drill in South China Sea

- Sales of China's top 100 chain stores hit 1.65t yuan

- China's 1st deep-water rig to drill in South Sea

- GE to buy 15% stake in China's XD Electric

- Wired into an online world of opportunity

- Beijing rejects 14,000 home buyers in tightening

- China's online third-party payment booms in Q1

- Attracting and retaining the very best staff

- Banks dominate profits of A-share listed financial firms

- Beijing may host OTC market

- Public donations in China hit $12.6b in 2011

- Sino-German Job Fair in Beijing brings young talents and employers together

- China to expand high-end equipment manufacturing sector

- Chinese stocks close mixed on Monday

- Toxic vegetables expose industry loopholes

- Auto Special: Audi shows top tech at Beijing gala

- ChiNext Index closes up -- May 7

- Luxury cruise boosts Three Gorges tourism

- Hushen 300 Index closes up -- May 7

- China stock index futures close higher -- May 7

- Chinese firms tap into global electric vehicle market

- Luxury cruise boosts Three Gorges tourism

- Coda-Great Wall electric car deal

- New luxury Hongqi sedan to hit market in Oct

- Germany's Bosch Group fires up for further growth

- Subsidy program fails to spur home appliance sales

- Losses at more dealers as market tightens

- Profit tumble for domestic automakers

- New luxury Hongqi sedan to hit market in Oct

- Xinjiang's jade business off-limits to officials

- PBOC restarts bill repurchase, RRR cut likely

- iPad trademark dispute sees progress

- Sembcorp acquires power assets in China for $85.5m

- Colombian president hopes to bolster ties with China

- Global economy looking to China to lift growth

- River pollution 'under control' in Shaanxi

- Losses at more dealers as market tightens

- Li highlights ties during Europe visit

- Doctor-patient relations

- Germany's Bosch Group fires up for further growth

- Railway passengers hit 606m in first 4 months

- Malaysia to set up Sino-Malysia industrial park

- Canton fair closes with drop in export transactions

- China stock index futures open lower Monday

- ChiNext Index opens lower Monday

- Profit tumble for domestic automakers

- China's yuan retreats to 6.2858 against USD Monday

- Forerunners show newcomers the way to market

- The top 10 firms looking to list

- Gang had new take on gutter oil, police say

- China's cleaning supply industry surges in 2011

- Tobacco award bid shelved amid controversy

- China launches new mapping satellite

- Outsourced workers call for change

- Investors press their case as paper hits market

- China to boost construction of green buildings

- Greeks bearing financial gifts

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Discount offered for luxury seats on high-speed trains

Updated: 2012-05-08 15:57

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Due to low occupancy rates, the Shanghai Railway Bureau will offer discounts for business class and priority seats on high-speed Shanghai-Nanjing and Shanghai-Hangzhou routes from May 18.

A total of 116 trains are included in the discount campaign.

The biggest discount for business class seats comes to 30 percent, while discounts for priority seats reach 10 percent.

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China finds no 'human flesh capsules', promises further probe

Updated: 2012-05-08 17:29

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - China's health authorities said Tuesday that medications made of human remains were not found in the country, but they will further investigate the matter.

Deng Haihua, spokesman with the Ministry of Health, made the remarks in response to media reports that so-called "health capsules" made with aborted fetuses were smuggled into the Republic of Korea from China.

Health departments launched investigations into similar media reports last August and found no proof, Deng said at a press conference here.

Health departments will work with police, customs agencies and commerce authorities to investigate the claims made by Korean media and inform the press as soon as there are results, he said.

Deng insisted that China has strict rules on the disposal of the remains of dead infants, aborted fetuses and placentas, which are categorized as human remains and banned from being disposed of as medical waste.

Medical institutions and their staff are forbidden to trade human remains, including placentas, he added.

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Hong Kong stocks close 0.25% lower

Updated: 2012-05-08 17:28

(Xinhua)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong stocks fell 51.90 points, or 0.25 percent, at 20,484.75 on Tuesday.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index traded between 20,399.38 and 20, 647.38. Turnover totaled HK$45.02 billion ($4.78 billion).

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China to expand high-end equipment sector

Updated: 2012-05-08 09:40

By Wei Tian (China Daily)

China is looking to triple the sales revenue of its high-end equipment manufacturing industry to 6 trillion yuan ($951 billion) by 2015, according to the sector's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) published on Monday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Sales of high-end equipment will account for 15 percent of the overall revenue of the equipment manufacturing industry in three years, compared with 8 percent in 2010, and will also have a larger share of the global market, according to the plan on the ministry's website.

The proportion of revenue is expected to further expand to 25 percent by 2020, when high-end equipment manufacturing becomes a pillar industry of the world's second-largest economy.

In 2010, the sales income of high-end equipment in China was 1.6 trillion yuan.

The boom in the sector was attributed to China's fast-growing industrial economy, which has had the top position worldwide since 2009, according to the plan.

"China's equipment manufacturing industry is big, but not yet strong," said Ren Hongbin, chairman of Sinomach, the country's largest machinery maker.

According to Ren, China's mechanical industry, the main part of the equipment manufacturing industry, is the world's largest, having a main business income of 16.48 trillion yuan in 2011. But the country still faced a total trade deficit of more than $100 billion with Japan and Germany.

"It reflected the huge gap between China and the worlds' leading high-end equipment manufacturers," Ren was quoted by ce.cn, an economic news website, as saying.

The high-end equipment manufacturing industry was named as one of seven "strategic emerging industries" by the country's 12th Five-Year Plan.

The industry mainly includes aviation equipment, satellite and applications, railway transportation equipment, marine engineering equipment, and smart manufacturing equipment.

Aircraft manufacturing will be one of the key growth areas, as the plan vowed to introduce a new regional-aircraft research project, while seeking annual sales of 100 planes in the next three years by accelerating the innovation and promotion of existing models such as the ARJ-21 and MA 60.

Meanwhile, China will continue to invest in high-speed railway innovation and the exploration of global markets to establish its railway transport industry as the world leader.

China's equipment manufacturing industry has been growing at more than 25 percent annually over the past decade. A report by China International Capital Corp said this growth rate will be sustained despite an economic slowdown.

"The key drivers of the development, which are industrialization and urbanization, have not changed," the report said.

CICC's estimate was proved by KHL Group's latest ranking of world's largest construction equipment manufacturers, in which China's Sany Group and Zoomlion Co Ltd are the sixth- and seventh-largest by revenue.

However, it will not be easy for Chinese equipment manufacturers to cash in on the huge demand in the domestic market, Cai Weici, vice-president of the China Machinery Industry Federation, said earlier.

"Foreign high-end equipment providers usually charge high prices for their products, which we cannot make, and cut the price immediately after our products make progress to stifle Chinese brands in the cradle," Cai said.

weitian@chinadaily.com.cn

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Real estate developers struggle in sea of red ink

Updated: 2012-05-08 10:23

By Wu Yiyao in Shanghai (China Daily)

More than 60 percent of property companies see lower profits or losses

Listed property developers' first-quarter reports have been coming in, and they're full of gloom: More than 60 percent of those whose shares trade on the A-share market reported lower profits or losses.

According to an index tracking 149 A-share developers, compiled by Shenyin & Wanguo Securities Co, their sales edged up just 0.18 percent to an aggregate 71.7 billion yuan ($11.4 billion), while their earnings fell 3.13 percent to 9.4 billion yuan.

Among the total, 41 property companies reported first-quarter losses.

Huge inventories have deepened developers' woes, said Xue Jianxiong, an analyst from China Real Estate Information Corp.

By March 31, inventories stood at 1.37 trillion yuan, up 34.3 percent year-on-year.

The Rating agency Standard and Poor's Financial services LLC said in a report at the end of April that the refinancing clock is ticking for the nation's 80,000-plus property developers amid weak sales, even including the industry's biggest players.

The 30 publicly rated developers have more than 100 billion yuan in total debt maturing this year, the report said.

The report said that default risks have increased this year, with several developers in a "weak" liquidity position.

Many developers are cutting prices on new projects to spur sales and raise cash, especially in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.

In Shanghai, for example, some developers have offered discounts of up to 40 percent, even for prestigious waterfront and central business district locations, according Anjuke.com, an online house-trading site.

Housing prices in suburban Shanghai have been dropping since late 2011, and discounts are widespread in the most expensive downtown areas.

Price cuts in Shanghai are inevitable because developers need cash, Xue said.

"This is the hardest time for the industry since I entered this sector five years ago, because we hardly saw any sales in the past three months," said Lin Jiantao, a property agent in Changning district, Shanghai.

Lin said prospective buyers show little interest in finalizing deals now, and many plan to wait for further price declines.

A survey by the People's Bank of China, the central bank, in late March, bore out Lin's comment.

Among some 20,000 respondents in 50 cities across the nation, only 14.1 percent said they intended to buy properties in the coming three months, the lowest figure since 1999.

Less than 10 percent of the polled residents in Beijing and Shanghai said they would invest in real estate in the next quarter.

wuyiyao@chinadaily.com.cn

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Firms benefit from iron ore trading platform

Updated: 2012-05-08 16:52

By Du Juan (chinadaily.com.cn)

The first iron ore spot trading platform started trading on Tuesday and companies including steel producers and miners are showing their support for the platform, which can save trading costs in the long term.

Angang Steel will put up to 30 percent of the company's iron ore trading on the platform, said Li Daguang, vice-general manager of Angang Group International Trade Corporation.

However, some foreign miners are taking a wait-and-see attitude.

"It is still too early to predict how much iron ore we will put into the platform for trading," said Luiz Meriz, president of Vale Minerals China. "However, it has created a new way to look at the iron ore prices, which is the key point of the platform and we are very happy to see that."

He said Vale is still selling iron ore to Chinese clients mainly via long-term agreements, but the platform will bring opportunities for Vale to meet new small-scale Chinese steel producers and establish cooperation.

"We believe the new system will bring more transparency because the prices are not created by the platform, but reflect real transactions," he said.

The platform is expected to reach trading volumes of 50 million tons to 100 million tons by the end of this year, which would account for about seven percent to 14 percent of China's annual imports of iron ore, according to Xu Xu, chairman of China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals and Chemicals Importers and Exporters.

"The trading based on long-term agreements between iron ore sellers and steelmakers is becoming outdated and many traders see ore at spot prices," he said. "So, we need to follow the trend."

He said the opening of the platform will have a positive impact on traders because it can prevent speculation.

In order to create a fair and transparent spot iron ore trading environment and help the country to gain more power over the iron ore pricing, the China Beijing International Mining Exchange launched the online platform together with the China Iron and Steel Association and the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals and Chemicals Importers and Exporters in January, and has started test runs since then.

According to the China Iron and Steel Association, China imported 686 million tons of iron ore in 2011, up 10.9 percent year-on-year.

The domestic steel industry had a tough year because of rising costs and falling demand. Total crude steel production in China last year was 680 million tons, up 8.6 percent.

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China finds EU, Japan dumping steel tubes

Updated: 2012-05-08 16:44

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Tuesday it has found that the European Union (EU) and Japan have been dumping certain high-performance stainless steel seamless tubes into the Chinese market.

Investigations showed the dumping has "substantially harmed" Chinese producers, and importers of those products will have to pay anti-dumping deposits to China's customs authorities starting from Wednesday, the MOC said in a preliminary ruling released on its website.

The deposits will be charged in accordance with the dumping margins of different producers, at rates ranging from 9.7 percent to 39.2 percent of the customs value of the imported goods, according to the ruling.

Interested parties can submit their comments and evidence to the ministry within 20 days after the release of the ruling, the MOC said.

China launched anti-dumping probes into certain high-performance stainless steel seamless tubes made in the EU and Japan in September last year.

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Home appliance sales in countryside decline

Updated: 2012-05-08 16:42

By Bao Chang (chinadaily.com.cn)

In the first four months of the year, 23.34 million home appliances were sold in rural areas in China, down 16.4 percent year-on-year, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday.

Those goods had a total value of 61.68 billion yuan ($9.8 billlion), a number down by 6.7 percent year-on-year, the ministry reported.

The sale of home appliances in rural areas showed marked acceleration in April, when 5.35 million of the products were sold, up 135.1 percent year-on-year. They had a value of 14.32 billion yuan, up 141.9 percent from the same period a year ago.

Looked at by category, color TVs and refrigerators were the best-selling appliances. More than 10 billion yuan of the products were sold by the end of April, accounting for 56 percent of the value of all home appliances sold in the countryside.

The ministry said the government's stimulus policies helped to boost sales in April.

To spur China's domestic consumption, the government introduced a series of policies meant to encourage the purchase of home appliances. One important step toward that end has been subsidizing purchases of such products in rural areas.

From the start of the subsidies in 2009 to April, China had subsidized the sale of 241 million home appliance units valued at 567.49 billion yuan, according to ministry data.

The subsidy program will come to an end in January. Without the policy in place, sales of household appliances are certain to slow down, industry insiders say.

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ChiNext Index closes down -- May 8

Updated: 2012-05-08 16:31

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, shed 1.32 points, or 0.18 percent, to close at 731.72 points on Tuesday.

The index, together with the Shenzhen Component Index and the Shenzhen SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) Board Index, makes up the three core indices reflecting the performance of China's stocks listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

The ChiNext Board, which started trading on October 30, 2009, mainly lists high-tech companies and those with high growth potential.

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China stock index futures close lower -- May 8

Updated: 2012-05-08 16:24

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - China's stock index futures closed lower Tuesday, with the contract for May, the most actively traded, down 0.33 percent from the previous trading day to 2,702.2 points.

The June contract lost 0.41 percent to 2,708.8 points. The September contract shedded 0.52 percent to 2,733.8 points, while the December contract was down 0.55 percent to finish at 2,767.4 points.

The stock-index contracts, agreements to buy or sell the Hushen 300 Index at a preset value on an agreed date, are designed to allow investors to bet on and profit from both gains and declines in the market.

The index futures was launched at the China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX) and started trading from April 16, 2010. The CFFEX has set the base value for all the four contracts at 3,399 points.

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Anti-dumping tariffs on seamless tubes

Updated: 2012-05-08 16:05

By Bao Chang (chinadaily.com.cn)

The Ministry of Commerce decided to levy anti-dumping tariffs on certain high-performance stainless steel seamless tubes imported from the European Union and Japan that are harming Chinese producers, according to a statement on the ministry's website on Tuesday.

The decision, following a market investigation launched in September, will be effective from Wednesday. Importers of certain high-performance stainless steel seamless tubes are being asked to pay duties from 9.7 percent to 39.2 percent of the tubes' value.

The ministry said certain high-performance stainless steel seamless tubes from the EU and Japan are sold at an unfairly low price, resulting in industrial damage to Chinese manufacturers.

China is the world's largest steel consumer and producer. The United States has set duties on Chinese steel products, including pipes, steel wheels and wire.

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Discount offered for luxury seats on high-speed trains

Updated: 2012-05-08 15:57

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Due to low occupancy rates, the Shanghai Railway Bureau will offer discounts for business class and priority seats on high-speed Shanghai-Nanjing and Shanghai-Hangzhou routes from May 18.

A total of 116 trains are included in the discount campaign.

The biggest discount for business class seats comes to 30 percent, while discounts for priority seats reach 10 percent.

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Chinese company revives plans for Iceland resort

Updated: 2012-05-08 15:46

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - A Chinese real estate company has revived its ambitious plan to open an idyllic ranch in Iceland since Reykjavik has given the company the green light to rent, but not purchase, land there.

The Beijing Zhongkun Investment Group met with controversy last year when it sought to buy a piece of land covering 30,639 hectares on the north shore of Iceland but was rejected by Iceland's Ministry of the Interior, which cited legal restrictions on foreign entities buying land in Iceland.

"We have been notified that the Icelandic government has approved a new proposal to develop the resort on a land lease," Yao Chen, a company spokeswoman, said Tuesday. "But as the negotiation for a contract is still on, no more details are available at this moment."

Yao said the company welcomed Reykjavik's decision and is working to secure a long-term lease, hopefully one good for 99 years, for the same patch of land it originally intended to buy.

"We need about 10 or maybe 20 years to develop the resort well, so a short-term land lease may not fit," Yao said.

She said the company's chairman Huang Nubo chose to develop a resort in Iceland because he considers Northern Europe an ideal region for tourism as it is free of conflicts and over-investment.

Huang also has a personal connection with Iceland, Yao added. The real estate tycoon once shared a room with an Icelandic student when they were both studying at Peking University in their 20s.

The two were on good terms, and Huang even received a sweater hand-knitted and sent by his roommate's mother, Yao said. Huang was very much impressed by Iceland's breathtaking landscape during his first visit there and set up a $1 million fund for Iceland-China poetry exchanges.

Huang had originally planned to invest $200 million in the Iceland resort, including $8 million for the land purchase. Yao said leasing the land will help the company cut costs.

Zhongkun is also developing a sprawling eco-resort in a forest-covered county in southwest China's Yunnan province, estimated to involve a whopping 50 billion yuan ($8 billion), local media reported earlier. But sources said the amount will not come solely from Zhongkun.

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Chinese stocks close lower Tuesday

Updated: 2012-05-08 15:41

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - Chinese shares closed lower Tuesday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 3.06 points, or 0.12 percent, to 2,448.88.

The Shenzhen Component Index fell 0.83 percent, or 88.21 points, to close at 10,524.68.

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Chinese visitors main hope for NZ tourism

Updated: 2012-05-08 15:39

(Xinhua)

WELLINGTON - New Zealand's tourism industry had "a tough 12 months" in the year to the end of March, with the rise in spending by Chinese visitors the brightest spot in the gloom, the Ministry of Economic Development announced Tuesday.

The one-off influx in overseas visitors for the Rugby World Cup, played in September and October last year, probably saved many in the industry, according to the ministry's International Visitors Survey.

The survey, based on interviews with 5,200 foreign tourists leaving from New Zealand airports, found that the Korean and Japanese markets each recorded a decline in visitor spending, estimated to be at least 25 percent from the year ending in March 2011.

Tourism research and evaluation manager Peter Ellis said the drop was largely due to the impact of the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, which left 185 people dead, but also reflected challenges for those markets over a number of years.

"The survey also highlighted the continuing decline of the UK market due to economic reasons and changed travel patterns," Ellis said in a statement.

Overall, international visitors spent 5.6 billion NZ dollars ($4.44 billion) in New Zealand in the year to March, excluding international airfares.

Total spending by visitors remained flat despite international visitor arrivals rising by 4 percent in the same period, said the statement.

The average expenditure by each individual visitor was 2,360 NZ dollars, the lowest since the year ending in March 1998 (2,274 NZ dollars), down from 2,430 NZ dollars in the year to March 2011. Spending peaked at 3,256 NZ dollars in the year to March 2002.

Visitors coming for the 2011 Rugby World Cup spent 390 million NZ dollars in total, of which around 280 million NZ dollars was estimated to be a net addition to tourism exports.

"This was a significant counter to the decreased total expenditure from other markets," Ellis said.

"However, today's figures continue the significant decline in real tourist expenditure of the past seven years. This is mostly because of the increasing proportion of visitors who are relatively low-spending Australian residents, particularly those coming to New Zealand to visit friends and relatives," he said.

"The continued rise in total spend by Chinese tourists is the main positive note from this survey."

Beautiful scenery, family and people were the most commonly reported highlights of tourists' visits, according to the survey.

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Toyota says China sales in April up 68%

Updated: 2012-05-08 14:44

(Agencies)

China sales by Japan's Toyota Motor Corp and its two local joint-venture partners rose 68 percent in April from a year earlier to about 81,700 vehicles, according to a company spokesman.

For the first four months of the year, the Japanese automaker sold a total of about 293,200 vehicles, a 14.3 percent increase from the same period last year, said the spokesman, Takanori Yokoi.

Yokoi said the large year-on-year jump in April sales was due chiefly to the fact that sales during April last year were comparatively low because of the massive earthquake on March 11. The earthquake and tsunami paralyzed production of key components and affected Toyota's vehicle production around the world, including China.

Still, Toyota's sales momentum was "fairly strong" so far this year, said Yokoi. Because the company's sales performance was so bad last year due to the impact from the earthquake Toyota "should be able to post double-digit sales growth at least for the next several months," the Beijing-based spokesman said.

"If things go as normally as we expect, we should be able to meet our sales goal" of selling one million cars this year, said Yokoi.

Toyota's China sales last year totaled about 883,400 vehicles, a 4.4 percent increase from 2010, reflecting in part the general slowdown of automobile sales in China last year.

After rapid growth in 2009 and 2010, China's auto market as a whole slowed considerably last year as sales of smaller-engine cars and commercial vehicles stalled after the government ended some incentives for car buyers.

Various industry forecasts point to overall vehicle sales this year growing about 5-10 percent from 2011.

Toyota would have to grow sales by about 13 percent this year to meet its goal of selling one million vehicles.

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Iron ore spot trading platform opens

Updated: 2012-05-08 14:31

By Du Juan (chinadaily.com.cn)

China's first iron ore spot trading platform opened the market officially on Tuesday and had its first transaction of 165,000 tons several minutes after its opening in the morning.

The opening of the platform will not only help China to ensure a supply of the resources but also help create good order in the international iron ore market, said Su Bo, vice-minister of industry and information technology.

"The platform will have a positive impact on stabilizing iron ore prices, which is significant to the global spot trading market" he said.

As the biggest iron ore importer in the world, China accounts for about 60 percent of global trade in it. However, the country has weak influence over pricing, which creates problems for domestic steel mills and iron ore traders.

In order to create a fair and transparent spot iron ore trading environment and help the country to gain more power over iron ore pricing, the China Beijing International Mining Exchange launched the online platform together with the China Iron and Steel Association and the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals and Chemicals Importers and Exporters in January and has been testing it since then.

"The widely used Platts iron ore index is regarded with some skepticism as to its transparency and fairness by steel companies and iron ore traders from China, Japan and South Korea," said Wang Xiaoqi, vice-chairman of CISA.

He said the new platform will not allow financial organizations and banks to participate to avoid the speculation and will not trade iron ore derivatives either.

According to Wang, the platform has 152 companies as its members so far, 132 domestic and 30 foreign.

dujuan@chinadaily.com.cn

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Pact between Pepsi and China Unicom

Updated: 2012-05-08 14:13

(China Daily)

China Unicom's Shanghai branch and Pepsi Co (China) recently signed an agreement to work together on mobile Internet applications for young consumers.

They plan to organize competitions for youth who want to start their own businesses, as well cooperate in cross-promotional efforts and sharing design concepts.

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Food safety website fuels student's fame

Updated: 2012-05-08 14:07

(Xinhua)

SHANGHAI - Driven by a sense of social responsibility, Wu Heng created a website to track China's food safety problems, a move that has propelled him to Internet stardom as people from across the country have found their way to the site.

Wu, 26, is a graduate student majoring in history at Shanghai's Fudan University. In June 2011, Wu and 34 volunteers launched Zhichuchuangwai (www.zccw.info), which translates to "throw it out the window."

The website, which has recorded over 190,000 hits since being launched, has a database containing about 3,000 news articles on food safety and a map pinpointing the locations of China's food safety incidents.

In recent years, food safety has become a growing concern in China, as various deadly scandals such as toxic milk, tainted pork and dyed buns have been exposed by the country's media, sparking widespread fear.

A recent headline-grabbing case revolves around some vendors in eastern Shandong province spraying a formaldehyde solution on cabbage to keep the produce fresh during shipment.

On the homepage of the website, the food safety map, which was drawn by Wu himself, reveals the results of an investigation into China's food safety situation from 2004 to 2011. It shows that the number of provinces and regions with serious food safety problems has grown from four in 2004 to 11 in 2011.

"Once I was like a frog in warm water who did not care much about repeated food safety scandals, believing that the tainted food was an issue far away from my own life," Wu said, stressing that establishing the website had not been planned.

Wu recalled that in April 2011, after reading a news article about pork presented as beef after being manipulated with carcinogenic additives, he, who is especially fond of eating beef, suddenly realized, "You should never be indifferent about the misery of others, for maybe you are the next one who will suffer."

Wu decided to create a specialized website to expose food safety scandals in order to better inform people about the food safety situation and heighten public awareness about food safety supervision.

Wu said "throw it out the window" should be the attitude people take when dealing with food safety problems.

The website has gained increasing popularity among China's Internet users, and it even crashed on May 3 due to an overload of traffic, forcing Wu to register a new domain name.

Meanwhile, the municipal government of Shanghai also recently initiated some new measures to better regulate food safety.

On March 29, Shanghai opened a food safety complaint hotline to offer consultations and receive complaints and reports about food safety problems in the city.

Officials with the Shanghai Food Safety Commission said that in order to encourage consumers to aid the government in overseeing food safety, the city has decided that tip-offs on food safety problems can be rewarded with as much as 200,000 yuan ($31,747.25).

In the southern metropolis of Guangzhou, a food safety recall system has been established, and consumers can obtain all the detailed information concerning the food production process by using products' batch numbers.

The system has been applied to a few kinds of food products, including milk powder for infants.

"The world is imperfect, but it's worthwhile for us to struggle to make it better," Wu Heng said.

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15% of world trade Chinese: commerce minister

Updated: 2012-05-08 13:53

(Xinhua)

NANJING - As the second-largest economy, and with a fifth of the world's population, China should account for 15 percent of global trade volume, Minister of Commerce Chen Deming has said.

"China's population accounts for 19 percent of the global population while its current trade volume is only 10.4 percent of that of the world, so it will be totally fine for China's trade to be 15 percent of the world's," Chen said at an economic meeting held in east China's Jiangsu province on Monday.

China's trade in 2012 is more balanced than in 2011, with trade surplus accounting for a mere 2.8 percent of the national gross domestic product in the first few months of the year, according to Chen.

The commerce minister said that, given the current economic difficulties worldwide, global economic development is on a slow track and economic recovery is in a turbulent and uncertain period, so China's stable growth will be a positive contribution to the world.

He is also positive about a soft landing for the Chinese economy. "For China's economy to change from a relatively fast development speed to a comparatively slower and more stable speed is highly possible," Chen said.

In the next decade, China will continue to open up, so as to promote development, reform and innovation and put economic growth in terms of domestic consumption and export on an equal footing, Chen told attendees of the meeting.

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CNR inks deal for Indian joint venture

Updated: 2012-05-08 13:52

(China Daily)

A subsidiary of China CNR Corp, the country's second-biggest train maker, has signed a letter of intent with Pioneer Fil-Med Ltd of Delhi to establish a joint venture in India.

The deal follows CNR's agreement with Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Co earlier this year.

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GEA linking up with China Triumph

Updated: 2012-05-08 13:51

(China Daily)

China Triumph International Engineering Co recently established long-term exclusive cooperation in Yancheng, Jiangsu province with German chemical giant GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft.

The move is expected to make both more competitive in the cement industry and pave the way for their joint exploration of Chinese and world markets.

GEA reported revenues of 5.4 billion euros ($7 billion) in 2011.

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April CPI down to 3.3%: Analysts

Updated: 2012-05-08 13:31

By Wei Tian (chinadaily.com.cn)

The inflation rate in April may fall back slightly from a rebound in the previous month because of retreating food prices. A moderate fluctuation in the curve indicates the Chinese economy is stabilizing, analysts suggested.

A report by the Bank of Communications projected that the growth of the consumer price index, a key gauge of inflation, will decline to 3.3 percent year-on-year in April, compared with 3.6 percent in the previous month.

The official figure by the National Bureau of Statistics will be published later in the week.

The inflationary pressure will continue easing in the second and third quarter of the year but will pick up in the last three months. The year-round CPI growth will slow to 3.3 percent from 5.4 percent in 2011, according to the report.

The country's goal this year is to bring down the inflation rate to within 4 percent, according to the central government's 2012 work report.

Forecasts on the April CPI figure made by most other institutions also fall within 3.3 percent to 3.4 percent and all cited retreating food prices as the main reason for their predictions.

Data from the Ministry of Commerce showed that the price of primary products continued to decline in the first three weeks of April, with vegetables and meat products leading the downward tendency.

Overall food prices in April have declined 1.8 percent from March figures, according to the ministry.

The CPI growth curve will represent a "mini-snake" shape at a low level in the first four months in 2012, a situation viewed by analysts as evidence that the world's second largest economy is stabilizing but is still struggling amid weak demand in investment and consumption.

Wang Tao, chief economist with UBS AG, said as inflation continues to ease, monetary and fiscal policies will be "moderately easing" and an increase in credit support will push up economic growth in the second quarter.

weitian@chinadaily.com.cn

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Baosteel reports 1.5b yuan profit in Q1

Updated: 2012-05-08 13:17

(China Daily)

Baoshan Iron & Steel Co Ltd generated 1.5 billion yuan ($241 million) in profit in the first quarter of the year, a year-on-year increase of 470 million yuan.

An announcement on the company's website said it expects net profit in the first half of the year to surge 80 to 100 percent from the same period last year.

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China issues policies to raise wellbeing of working women

Updated: 2012-05-08 11:20

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - A new regulation, made public Monday, provides employed Chinese women with better welfare policies, including extended maternity leave and higher workplace protection.

According to the regulation adopted by the State Council in April, maternity leave has been extended from 90 days to 98 days, which is in line with the 14-week minimum standard set by the International Labour Organization.

The regulation more clearly specifies leave granted to women who have miscarriages. According to it, a female employee will get 15 days of leave if their miscarriage occurs within the first four months of pregnancy and 42 days of leave if it happens later.

Under the regulation, female employees should be paid either by the maternity insurance programs they have joined or by employers during their maternity leave.

The regulation also expands the categories of jobs that pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers are banned from working for, while removing restrictions on what jobs married women at the childbearing age should take.

It also imposes clear penalties on the offenders, ranging from 1,000 to 300,000 yuan ($159 to $47,619). And it stipulates that those employers who seriously violate the rules should be suspended from operation.

According to the government, China is estimated to currently have 102 million women in full-time employment.

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$100m Sinohydro project in Angola

Updated: 2012-05-08 11:16

(China Daily)

Sinohydro Group Ltd began work on a $100 million water supply project in Luanda, the capital of Angola, on April 25.

The company will lay a supply network for five of nine districts in the capital city.

The 27-month project will provide drinking water for more than 1 million people when finished.

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BJEG again ups stake in Sinopec target, China Gas

Updated: 2012-05-08 11:15

(Agencies)

HONG KONG - Beijing Enterprises Group (BJEG) again increased its stake in China Gas Holdings Ltd, a takeover target of Sinopec, raising the prospect of a bidding war between the two State-controlled companies.

BJEG, the State parent of utility Beijing Enterprises Holding Ltd, snapped up HK$663 million ($85.4 million) of shares in China Gas on Monday, raising its holding to 12.65 percent, according to the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong. That followed its purchase of a 5.4 percent stake from Oman Oil last week that took its share to nearly 9 percent.

BJEG, engaged in gas distribution, water, infrastructure, toll road operation and beer production, has not made public its motive behind the acquisitions. Jimmy Tam, executive director of Beijing Enterprises Holding, on Friday described the stake purchase from Oman Oil as "a valued investment."

China Gas late last year received an unsolicited $2.2 billion takeover offer from Sinopec and ENN Energy Holdings. The utility rejected the offer, saying it failed to reflect the true value of the company.

Chinese companies rarely make unsolicited offers and it is even rarer to see two State-owned entities vying for the same asset. A source with direct knowledge of BJEG's China Gas transactions said the possibility of the Beijing-based company entering a bidding war could not be ruled out.

"We can advance further or retreat from here. But one thing is very clear: the price we paid for the stake is higher than the offer of Sinopec and ENN," the source said, declining to be identified because the information was confidential.

Shares in China Gas rose 4.1 percent on Monday to close at HK$4.06 after climbing to HK$4.11, the highest level in more than a year, beating a broader market that fell 2.61 percent. Volume reached 249 million shares.

Shares of Beijing Enterprises, whose natural gas distribution business is currently limited to Beijing, closed 1.76 percent lower at HK$44.70.

The battle for China Gas has intensified in the past few months, with several key shareholders, including South Korea's SK Holdings, having increased their stakes in the takeover target through secondary market purchases.

A successful takeover by Sinopec and ENN would create a large natural gas distribution group in China's rapidly growing gas market, analysts say.

Higher offer

BJEG paid HK$4.10 each for 161.8 million shares on Friday, representing a 17 percent premium to the HK$3.50 a share offered by Sinopec and ENN, according to the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong. The consortium is still awaiting Chinese regulatory approvals to launch a formal bid for China Gas.

Eric Leung, joint managing director of China Gas, said it was not immediately known who sold the latest batch of shares.

Sinopec and ENN will have to raise their offer if they still want to acquire China Gas, analysts say.

"We expect the original offer price from Sinopec-ENN to be adjusted upwards as shareholders will now use the HK$4.10 per share transaction price as a reference point," said Mike Yip of CIMB.

UBS analyst Stephen Oldfield said in a note to clients: "This adds to our conviction that any ENN/Sinopec offer price would need to increase substantially to succeed."

Any further increase in the offer from Sinopec and ENN would stretch ENN's finances, analysts say.

Officials at Sinopec and ENN were not immediately available for comment.

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1,500 tons of tungsten for Sandvik

Updated: 2012-05-08 11:13

(China Daily)

The nation's largest metals trader China Minmetals Corp inked a $180 million agreement late last month to provide 1,500 tons of tungsten to Swedish engineering and materials firm Sandvik AB over the next three years.

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BMW's sales up 31% in April

Updated: 2012-05-08 11:08

(China Daily)

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG sold 27,197 BMW and Mini vehicles in China in April, a number up 31 percent from a year ago, Linda Croissant, company spokeswoman, said on Monday by phone.

In the first four months of 2012, the Munich-based automaker delivered 107,211 automobiles in China, a number up 35 percent year-on-year.

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Copyright debate is good for law

Updated: 2012-05-08 11:08

By Wang Yiqing (China Daily)

The National Copyright Administration released for comment a draft Copyright Law on its official website on March 31. It provoked an immediate and heated response, especially from the music industry which has shown unprecedented unity and publicly submitted suggestions to the legislature in the name of the China Audio-Video Association Recording Works Council and the China Musicians Association Pop Music Society.

Composers, songwriters and Record Companies are strongly opposed to the draft amendments as they believe it will undermine their rights if passed.

Article 46 of the draft stipulates that three months after a recording is released it can be used to make new recordings by non-copyright owners as long as they apply to the copyright authorities, pay remuneration to the owners and clearly state the copyright owner.

The draft deletes the proviso in the existing law that: "No such work may be used where the copyright owner declares that use is not permitted."

"If the provisions are passed, that will undermine the enthusiasm of music writers and even China's music industry," Song Ke, chief executive officer of Taihe Rye, a record company based in Beijing, was quoted as saying in China Youth Daily.

Industry insiders are also concerned that the provisions will make record companies less willing to invest in recording and promotion.

"Once the law takes effect, no company will want to invest in music recordings, which will destroy the fragile domestic music industry," Zhou Yaping, CEO of New Run Entertainment and executive vice-president of the Recording Works Council, told the media at a news conference.

Record companies will not be able to recover the costs of producing recordings and promoting singers within three months, Zhou said.

To safeguard their interests, music industry practitioners suggest extending the time limit and preserving the original proviso.

Statistics provided by Lu Jian, president of Ocean Butterflies International and secretary-general of the Recording Works Council, show that the music industry's revenues from recordings decreased sharply in 2011 to about 100 million yuan ($15.9 million), down from 2 billion yuan a decade before. Currently no domestic music company is listed and no domestic record company has more than 100 employees.

However, the National Copyright Administration says the revised law aims to regulate the rights of the copyright holders and facilitate the proper use of copyrighted works.

"We take this provision very seriously, and will seek a solution that can best balance various rights and claims," Yan Xiaohong, deputy director of the National Copyright Administration, said at a news conference.

Wang Ziqiang, director of the legal affairs department of the National Copyright Administration stresses that "making a sound recording based on the original one is a process of recreation that adds value to the former, which is different from a photocopy".

Li Mingde, a researcher at the Intellectual Property Rights Center with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, has pointed out that the Copyright Law is not merely to protect copyright owners, but also to balance their interests with the interests of communicators, users and the public.

Each side can find related copyright regulations from other countries to support their argument, and the international agreement governing copyright, the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, permits member countries to independently decide whether to adopt the statutory license or not depending on their domestic situations.

But protecting the rights of copyright owners is the precondition for guaranteeing the interests of communicators, users and the public. Without the copyright owners' creation, there's no musical works at all. If musicians lose their enthusiasm to create music, what is there to communicate and enjoy? Thus the opinions of composers and songwriters and record companies should be seriously considered, because they not only reflect their own interests, but also the public's interests.

However, no matter what the final outcome is, the controversy surrounding the draft is a good thing because public discussion and positive interaction among different interest groups is the indispensable procedure of lawmaking. It's the right of different groups to openly express their opinions and try to safeguard their interests under the framework of the law. Although no law can satisfy everyone, the legislature must truly try and balance the various interests, because a good law must be the one that sticks to the principle of justice and fairness.

The author is a writer with China Daily.

wangyiqing@chinadaily.com.cn

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Relax high-tech restrictions

Updated: 2012-05-08 11:06

By Zhang Monan (China Daily)

Outdated US ban on exports to China hurts both countries and should be changed as soon as possible

Despite the progress made in relations at the just-concluded fourth round of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue, there has been little indication that the United States intends to relax its restrictions on high-tech exports to China.

After the eruption of the global financial crisis, the US government made some changes to its decades-long export restriction system in a bid to boost its slowed exports. In 2009, the US Department of Commerce published an amendment draft on the policies of US exports to 64 countries or regions. But it excluded China, one of the largest trading partners of the US.

Unfortunately, the US has still not changed its biased approach toward technological exports to China.

Ending the restrictions and allowing unimpeded technology transfer to China would not only resolve the Sino-US trade imbalance, it would also lay the foundation for a new type of relationship between the two powers based on strategic mutual trust and economic reciprocity.

The US' high-tech restrictions are a double-edged sword. With numerous restrictive measures in place, the US has succeeded in preventing the export of some military technologies to China, but these restrictions have also hampered the export of its civilian technologies to China and seriously affected the otherwise booming high-tech cooperation between their enterprises, a leading contributor to widening trade deficit on the US side.

Statistics from China's Ministry of Commerce indicate that the value of China's high-tech imports increased from 56 billion yuan ($8.88 billion) in 2001 to 463 billion yuan in 2011, with an annual per capita growth rate of 23.5 percent. However, the proportion of high-tech imports from the US kept declining during the same period, from 16.7 percent in 2001 to 6.3 percent in 2011.

According to estimates, the year-on-year growth rate of China's high-tech imports will range from 20 percent to 40 percent over the next 10 years. That means that the US' high-tech export to China will reach $60 billion if it suspends its export restrictions and manages to maintain a 18.3 percent share of China's high-tech imports.

By imposing strict restrictions on high-tech exports to China, the US has not only contravened the world's principles on the spreading of technologies, it is also shackling its own technological development.

The US will need to accelerate its technological transfers and input more into the research and development of new technologies if it wants to maintain its leading status in the world's high-tech fields.

The US' restrictions on high-tech exports to China originated during the Cold War and various circles in the US realize that they are now a handicap to the US' efforts to re-industrialize.

Despite its long dominant status at the world's high-end manufacturing chain, the US has encountered numerous obstacles in its efforts to return to real economic development. Instead of simply recapturing its lost low-end manufacturing it is promoting re-industrialization through new technologies and high-tech exports.

China is one of the US' top trading partners and its enormous market will play an important role in helping the Obama administration attain its ambitious goal of doubling exports to $3 trillion by 2015 from the $1.5 trillion of 2009.

China and the US are complementary in industrial development. With traditional manufacturing and processing industries still dominating its economy, China still needs to import technologies to promote its industrial structural adjustment, improve its production efficiency and quality.

The US' matured industrial technologies are expected to play a big role in China's ongoing efforts to accelerate the transformation of its economic development mode, optimize its economic structure and promote a balanced and coordinated economic development among its different regions.

But in addition to high-tech imports, China should also try to sharpen its self-innovation capabilities in a bid to pursue sustainable development of its fast-growing economy.

The author is an economics researcher with the State Information Center.

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Ministers to talk about free trade

Updated: 2012-05-08 11:03

(China Daily)

Trade ministers from China, South Korea and Japan will meet in Beijing on Friday, the South Korean foreign ministry said on Monday. Chen Deming, from China; Bark Tae-ho, from South Korea; and Yukio Edano, from Japan, will discuss a possible free trade accord, the ministry said.

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Mainland buys more HK gold

Updated: 2012-05-08 11:03

(China Daily)

The mainland's gold imports from Hong Kong climbed 59 percent in March, according to export data from the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong government.

The mainland bought 62,913 kilograms (62.91 tons) from Hong Kong, up from 39,668 kilograms in February and 9,166 kilograms in March last year, data showed.

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Contracts, rules of T-bond futures trading under study

Updated: 2012-05-08 11:00

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - China's securities regulator said Monday that it is studying the contracts, rules and risk control measures of treasury bond (T-bond) futures that are expected to be resumed soon.

The government will implement strict regulations to control investment risks of T-bond futures trading, said an official with the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC).

While gathering advice from investors, simulation trading will be used to test and improve related rules and systems, said the official.

The time is right for the country to restart T-bond futures trading, as the scale of T-bonds is growing steadily and laws and regulations on futures are more mature, he said.

By the end of 2011, the value of T-bonds in circulation reached 6.4 trillion yuan ($1.02 trillion), 64 times that in 1995, when China suspended T-bond futures trading over a scandal of illegal and excessive speculation of a three-year-term T-bond.

The CSRC and departments involved will make good preparations for the reopening of the trade, the official said, but declined to give a timetable.

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Businesses unite to cope with trade frictions

Updated: 2012-05-08 10:59

(Xinhua)

Beijing - More than a decade after China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) exposed its businesses to unprecedented trade frictions, the once-disoriented companies are learning to cope with the disputes with concerted efforts and new tactics.

Zhu Gongshan, president of Golden Concord Holdings Limited, a leading enterprise in the photovoltaic (PV) industry, said his company now holds regular teleconferences with other prominent PV makers, including Suntech and CanadianSolar, to discuss measures to counter US government anti-dumping and anti-subsidy probes that have hampered the Chinese companies' export chances.

"We are not doing this for a pure coalition, but to join efforts to actively respond to the practices of trade protectionism by some countries," Zhu told Xinhua.

China-made solar panels have been accused of being underpriced because of government subsidies, while Chinese manufacturers maintain the accusations are the outcome of trade protectionism aimed at shielding local businesses.

After a preliminary investigation, the US Department of Commerce announced in March that it planned to impose tariffs of 2.9 percent to 4.73 percent on Chinese solar panel imports. It will decide in mid-May whether it considers Chinese companies to be dumping solar panels below cost.

Instead of simply waiting for the results, with fingers crossed like many businesses used to do, the industry is now moving actively to respond to investigations and learn to use international rules to claim their due rights.

"To ease the impacts of the probe on the Chinese makers, these enterprises are actively lobbying the US government, members of its Congress, trade associations and international trade arbitrary bodies to gain their support," according to Zhu, who believes China should turn to laws and regulations in such trade disputes.

The change in the companies' tactics comes as China, with its blistering growth, a large trade surplus and low-cost goods, has become a major target of rising trade protectionism in recent years.

Vice Commerce Minister Zhong Shan noted earlier this year that China will face intensifying practices of trade protectionism during the 2011-2015 period in light of the complicated external environment.

Facing China's competitive edge in price, the US government, which vowed to boost its manufacturing sector, will undoubtedly resort to trade barriers to lessen the impact of China-made goods on its local enterprises, analysts have warned.

According to Zhong, as of the end of March, China saw eight cases of trade disputes this year and they involved a total of $2.28 billion, an increase of 80 percent year-on-year. As such, for the 17th consecutive year, it faces more trade disputes than any other country.

Mei Xinyu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said Chinese enterprises should boldly go abroad and follow internationally accepted measures, such as lobbying, to make their voices heard in the ruling process.

In the rare earth industry -- another sector that has come under vehement attacks from abroad -- an association was recently created to spur healthy development and coordinate efforts to cope with international trade frictions.

In the latest dispute, the European Union, the United States and Japan last month formally asked the WTO to settle a dispute with China over restrictions placed on exports of raw materials including rare earth elements.

Gan Yong, president of the association, said the body will help enhance international communications and "properly" handle the trade disputes according to international standards and WTO rules.

"A majority of China's medium- and small-sized enterprises have limited resources to diffuse risks and still need the backup of government departments and associations," Mei said, adding business people should familiarize themselves with legal knowledge overseas and use it when disputes arise.

While pooling efforts to jointly face trade disputes, Chinese businesses are also making production improvements to meet the international standards and adapt to market requirements, which Zhu described as an essential factor in the handling of disputes.

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Share increased in gas company

Updated: 2012-05-08 10:57

(China Daily)

Beijing Enterprises Group Co Ltd raised its stake in China Gas Holdings Ltd, the target of a $2-billion bid by ENN Energy Holdings Ltd and China Petroleum & Chemical Corp, after buying shares in the company for the second time in five days.

Beijing Enterprises, the parent of a natural gas supplier in the Chinese capital, bought 161.8 million shares of China Gas Holdings at HK$4.10 (50 US cents) each, according to a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Monday.

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China to import additional corn

Updated: 2012-05-08 10:57

(China Daily)

China, the second-largest consumer of corn after the United States, may import as much as 35 percent more of the crop as a rapid increase in the demand for meat leads to more grain being used to feed chickens and pigs, the United Nations said.

As much as 5 million metric tons of corn may be brought into the country in the year beginning July 1, up from 3.7 million tons a year earlier, said Hiroyuki Konuma, assistant director-general at the UN Food & Agriculture Organization.

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Publicly funded banquets on menu

Updated: 2012-05-08 10:48

By Cao Yin (China Daily)

Society believes regulations could reduce waste of funds by officials at pricey meals

The issue of whether laws can restrain or regulate banquets that are paid for with public money is still a hot topic among experts, two months after the two sessions ended.

During the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in March, the Jiu San Society, one of eight non-Communist parties in China, proposed a bill to use laws to solve the problem of publicly funded banquets.

Feng Pei'en, vice-president of the society, said in the proposal that government officials should not use public funds to enjoy banquets, so laws to regulate the situation should be made urgently.

"Like corruption, using public funds to eat or drink has become a very serious social problem, but it is rare to see and hear of any official being dismissed for this wrong deed," Feng said.

He gave the example of laws that have been taking effect to reduce drunken driving and said waste caused by banquets at public expense would also be reduced, if appropriate laws were written.

"Previously, people were only fined if they drove after drinking. But now they have to face heavier punishments, such as detention and even jail terms, because the problem was regulated by laws," he said.

According to a survey by People's Daily in February, the amount of public money used for banquets totaled more than 300 billion yuan ($48 billion) in 2005, nearly 10 times the figure in 1989.

Wang Yukai, a professor with the Chinese Academy of Governance, welcomed the proposal of the Jiu San Society and said coping with this problem in legal ways would be a good choice.

"Having banquets with public funds is a serious waste. Those who spend large sums of public money at banquets deserve criminal punishment, because they have harmed society," he told China Daily in April.

There are no specific lists of dishes and their prices at banquets held by government officials and thus the total amount of expenses has not been easy to calculate, he said. "This brings opportunities for some officials to abuse public funds, and it is hard to control the situation with the current administrative regulations."

However, Zhu Lijia, another professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance, said he is pessimistic about using laws to solve the problem.

"More laws cannot solve this issue. Now, there are many regulations or rules to curb the problem, but we have not seen effective results," Zhu said. "It's not the regulations that didn't work. Instead, it's the enforcement that wasn't strictly carried out."

In practice, local governments are considering new ways to restrain banquets at public expense.

An office responsible for banning drinking among officials in Ningling county, Henan province, attracted media attention in April. Although the local government claimed the office had played an active role in punishing those who violated regulations and drank during work, the public doubted its effectiveness.

Liu Binjie, director of the General Administration of Press and Publication, said it was a great failure for the government that current regulations and rules had failed to solve the problem of banquets at public expense.

He suggested in his micro blog on April 8 that public funds should only pay the expenses of banquets related to foreign affairs.

In addition to banquets paid for with public funds, several measures have been enacted to combat government waste, including one passed in 2011 requiring ministries to disclose their expenditures on overseas trips, vehicle purchases and receptions.

caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn

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RMB forwards hit 3-week low

Updated: 2012-05-08 10:44

(China Daily)

Yuan forwards took their biggest tumble in three weeks on speculation that a worsening outlook for exports will dissuade China from allowing its currency to gain value.

The People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, lowered its daily reference rate by 0.22 percent, the most since March 12, to 6.2858 a dollar on Monday.

Export orders at China's Canton Fair dropped 2.3 percent from a year ago, the first decline since 2009, the newspaper China Securities Journal reported on Monday.

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Demand for temps up, study indicates

Updated: 2012-05-08 10:43

By Qiu Quanlin in Guangzhou (China Daily)

Despite an increase in the demand for temporary workers, the number of such people who are taking up positions in manufacturing decreased greatly in the second half of last year, a recent analysis report said.

Industrial insiders blamed the drop on small and medium-sized enterprises' slower productivity, which itself resulted from rising labor and production costs, a rising yuan and tightened credit policies.

The number of temporary workers who have manufacturing jobs in 15 large Chinese cities decreased by about 40 percent in the second half of last year, the report said.

The report was published by Economic Information, a publication affiliated with the Xinhua News Agency, and the Seebon Human Resources Co, one of the leading labor outsourcing companies in Guangdong province, a manufacturing hub in South China.

The analysis was conducted using information mined from Seebon's human resource database, which takes into account 22 provinces, four autonomous regions and four municipalities in China, as well as from government statistics.

The report looked at the manufacturing, financing, retail, wholesale, shipping and storing and postal industries. It did not, though, take small cities into account, largely because few temporary workers take jobs in such places.

In contrast to manufacturing, both demand and pay for temporary workers increased in the financial, retail, wholesale and shipping and storage industries last year.

"The industrial restructuring taking place in coastal regions has helped boost the demand for qualified workers in the financing, retail, wholesale and shipping and storage sectors," said Feng Shengping, director of the Guangdong Situation Research Center.

Meanwhile, a labor shortage, found mostly in coastal provinces like Guangdong and Zhejiang, has helped increase workers' salaries, Feng said.

In the report, Liu Yajuan, a doctorate candidate with the University of Science and Technology Beijing, predicted the demand for temporary workers will continue to increase in the years ahead in large second-tier cities, such as Wuxi, Wuhan, Shenyang, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Changsha, as will their pay.

"There will be more job opportunities in these cities thanks to strong industrial and economic development," Liu said.

But labor shortages will remain common in some big coastal cities, such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen, since an increasing number of companies have moved their manufacturing businesses to places inland, she said.

qiuquanlin@chinadaily.com.cn

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Cross-Straits trade down 6.7% in first quarter

Updated: 2012-05-08 10:43

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - Trade between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan in first three months totaled $35.12 billion, down 6.7 percent from the same period last year, according to latest figures from the Ministry of Commerce.

The volume accounted for around 4.1 percent of the mainland's external trade for the same period.

The Chinese mainland's exports to Taiwan from January to March were worth $7.37 billion, down 8.6 percent year-on-year, while its imports from the island stood at $27.75 billion, a 6.1-percent decrease year-on-year.

Cross-Straits trade in March was worth $13.82 billion, up 20.6 percent from the previous month.

During the first quarter, the Chinese mainland approved 510 investment projects from Taiwanese businessmen, down 11.92 percent year-on-year, and reported an actual use of $750 million in Taiwanese investments year-on-year.

As of end of March 2012, the Chinese mainland had approved 86,282 investment projects from Taiwanese businessmen, and reported an actual use of $54.95 billion in Taiwanese investments, which accounted for 4.6 percent of the total investments the mainland attracted from outside.

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Charity fair to open

Updated: 2012-05-08 10:37

By Zheng Jinran (China Daily)

The first national charity fair, which will be held in July in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, will provide a platform for social organizations to exchange experience in running charities.

At the fair, major domestic social organizations, experts and governments will exchange opinions on philosophy and raise public awareness about their activities.

"Shenzhen, as a city of migrants and first of the special economic zones, has conducted registration system reform for eight years, making it rich in experience to exchange with others," Xu Qin, mayor of Shenzhen, said at a news conference on Monday in Beijing.

More than 350,000 volunteers have registered in the city, home to more than 4,800 registered social organizations. Many of these organizations engage in education or social surveys.

As a pilot city where a social organization can register without finding a sponsoring administrative department, Shenzhen has a lower threshold.

"But we will highlight the social organizations' transparency and make their conduct fair," Xu said.

The city has become well known for its support of social organizations after it gave legal status to One Foundation, which encountered trouble in other cities in 2010 because it existed in a gray area.

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Weak world economy weighs on steel export orders

Updated: 2012-05-08 10:37

By Du Juan (China Daily)

China's overseas steel orders slumped in April, and the situation will worsen further this month because of the gloomy global economy, analysts said.

The export orders index for the iron and steel industry in April was 45.8, a drop of 17.4 points from March, according to the purchasing managers' index of the iron and steel industry, which was released by the Lange Steel Information Research Center on Monday.

"Steel producers and traders suffered from the reduction of overseas orders in April," said Zhang Lin, senior analyst at the research center.

"The reduction means that China will export less steel in May, and the number of domestic orders has also dropped."

Steel exports in March reached 5.03 million metric tons, up 48 percent month-on-month, according to customs data. But that pace won't continue in May.

On the domestic front, the markets for coal, nonferrous metals and cement have been recovering in recent months, so the steel industry will have its boom season in the second and third quarters - provided that incentive policies are carried out and the economy doesn't weaken, Lange said.

"If the European debt crisis doesn't get worse, China's exports will see growth, especially in the field of mechanical and electronic products, which will promote the growth of steel exports indirectly," said Chen Kexin, senior industrial analyst.

However, he said, if the European debt crisis worsens, it will depress China's exports, which will influence the prices of steel and iron ore.

Meanwhile, the domestic steel industry faces a simultaneous increase in output and inventories, which may depress prices.

Crude steel output in March was 61.58 million tons, up 3.9 percent month-on-month.

According to the China Iron and Steel Association, the daily output of crude steel in early and middle April was about 2 million tons, which is relatively high.

Figures show that by the end of April, inventories among large steel makers in 29 cities had risen 1.71 million tons year-on-year, which indicates that the oversupply situation persists in China.

Chen said if crude steel output remains high, the domestic market will be very volatile.

Property prices play a role, too, and many analysts believed that housing prices are set for a further decline of 10 percent or more amid government curbs on the sector.

Chen said if that happens, the "collapse" of the real estate industry will influence many important industries including metals, cement, electronic appliances and logistics.

"The possibility has affected the confidence of steel traders, investors and buyers," he said.

"Thus, many of them are delaying purchases".

dujuan@chinadaily.com.cn

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Falling home prices spark protests by homeowners

Updated: 2012-05-08 10:32

By Xie Yu in Shanghai (China Daily)

More homeowners in East China's Zhejiang province are protesting, as developers slash home prices without compensating earlier buyers.

Discounts offered to attract new buyers already set off protests at three property companies in Hangzhou last week. Homeowners gathered in the sales offices, holding up signs and funeral wreaths from May 3 to 5 asking for compensation.

There have been nearly 20 similar protests in Hangzhou this year, local media reported on Monday.

The Beijing Times said the three developers slashed their prices from 2,000 yuan to 4,000 yuan ($320 to $640) a square meter.

"I bought my apartment for 12,600 yuan per square meter in August, but it is 8,800 yuan per square meter now. I lost more than 200,000 yuan in less than half a year. How can I accept that?" a homeowner named Liu said at a protest last week in Hangzhou, according to the newspaper.

None of the three property companies could be reached for comment on Monday.

Last week in the Zhenhai district of Ningbo, also in Zhejiang, about 400 home-owners broke into the sales office of a property company named Baoyi Real Assets and smashed it up. Angry buyers even wanted to block the expressway to draw the attention of the local government, but were persuaded to give up by the police.

"The price cut was a result of the central government's policy. We understand the earlier buyers, but we can't do anything," said a worker from Baoyi's sales office who declined to give her name.

"It is a mega trend that the housing price is going down. No one guarantees that the property will appreciate. It's so normal the price goes down, like stocks," she said.

"You are an adult, and you should be responsible for your own decision. Why didn't you stand up when housing prices went up?" a netizen named Xiao Bai said.

Qiu Shi, a lawyer at He and Partners Law Firm in Nanjing, said there are differences of opinion in legal circles.

Most say that both the buyers and the developers should stick to their contracts. As long as the contracts are legal, there is no reason for the buyers to ask for refund or compensation if price goes down, he said.

"However, some lawyers point out that housing is different from general goods as they usually cost a family's life savings. More consideration or flexibility should be given in handling such disputes, to preserve social order," he said.

Tension between homeowners and developers keeps building up as the nation tightens control over the property industry. Several protests by homeowners erupted in big cities including Shanghai last year, when property prices began to cool down. Events in Hangzhou and Ningbo suggest the trend is continuing and that metropolitan real estate markets are still subject to bubbles.

A report from the China Index Academy in April showed that the average home price in 100 cities dropped for the first time on both a monthly and yearly basis since China initiated its new round of housing market control measures in April 2010. The measures include tighter lending policies, higher down payments, bans on third-home purchases, property tax trials and a greater supply of low-income housing.

Meanwhile, home prices dropped 2.6 percent year-on-year to 15,391 yuan a square meter in 10 major Chinese cities - Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Tianjin, Nanjing and Chongqing.

xieyu@chinadaily.com.cn

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FAW hopes to rev up its Hongqi brand

Updated: 2012-05-08 10:29

By Li Fangfang (China Daily)

China's First Automobile Works Group Corp is going to revive its legendary brand Hongqi, or Red Flag - which in 1958 was China's first domestically produced car - by launching its luxury model H7 in October, said FAW Chairman Xu Jianyi.

"The Hongqi H7 will hit the market soon. It is still in the testing period," Xu was quoted as saying on Monday by Xinhua News Agency.

The new model will be Hongqi's first hybrid sedan with core technologies developed by the company itself, said Xinhua. The outer design of the H7 is in line with Hongqi's tradition of being elegant, grandiose and superior, FAW officials were quoted as saying.

According to the company's development strategy for the Hongqi brand, the H-series sedan will target China's booming high-end vehicle market, competing with German luxury brands Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

Xu Xianping, general manager of the company, said during the recent Beijing auto show that other than the sedan, the State-owned enterprise will develop four other vehicle types for the Hongqi brand, including two sport utility vehicles, a multi-purpose vehicle for business use and a mid-size limousine coach for ceremonies and parades.

The company said that it has already invested 5.2 billion yuan ($825 million) in research and development of the Hongqi brand. And it will plunge a further 10.5 billion yuan into enhancing the R&D capabilities of the Hongqi and expand its product portfolio, during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15).

Born in 1958 as China's prime protocol car, Hongqi has been used by top national leaders like Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping at major celebrations, as well as to transport important foreign guests including then US President Richard Nixon during his ice-breaking visit to China in 1972.

However, the brand lost its shine when production was halted in the 1980s due to high fuel consumption and costs.

FAW tried to revive it in 1990s by resuming production using foreign technologies and rolled out new models over the past decade, but failed with quite low sales.

Statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers show that, although FAW has made a limited number of Hongqi cars for officials, no vehicles for private use have been sold since last August.

Although FAW has only started that Hongqi-branded cars meet all regulations required for official use, in response to Chinese media reports that China will start using Hongqi sedans again as limousines for officials at the level of minister and above, analysts said this suggests that FAW is reviving the brand in order to cash in on the golden opportunity offered by its official use.

In February, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology included three Shanghai-brand car models in its new vehicle product list. The manufacturer, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp, said that it has included Shanghai-branded models in its product plans for passenger vehicles, a clear indication of the revival of its Shanghai brand.

However, it did not outline a definite production timetable or other detailed information.

lifangfang@chinadaily.com.cn

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Foreign wines gaining ground

Updated: 2012-05-08 10:28

(China Daily)

While sales of some well-known Chinese liquors have fallen lately, the demand for foreign brands continues to grow at a rapid pace.

China's market for imported alcohol is expected to experience explosive growth, according to the projections of local liquor sellers and wine experts.

Tong Ye, a manager of Vats Liquor Store, one of the largest liquor stores in Beijing, expects a 30-percent rise in sales of foreign wines from last year.

2011 sales totaled around 2 billion yuan ($320 million) for the store, which sells expensive foreign wines and top-end baijiu, a Chinese liquor, as well as domestic wines.

Because the serving of luxury baijiu at State functions has come under public scrutiny, Tong expects sales of Moutai and Wuliangye, two of the most sought-after white spirits, could drop by 10 to 20 percent in sales this year at her store.

Wines sales could conceivably shoot up by 40 to 50 percent this year, predicted Lu Jiang, a Bordeaux Wine Council certified trainer and wine consultant.

Tong said more middle-class Chinese are choosing wine over baijiu because they are beginning to realize wine is better for health.

Dong Hongxia, a senior customer manager of Golden Chateau, a wholesale wine importer in Beijing, said now corporate or institutional purchases of imported wines account for only 2 to 3 percent of the company's total sales. People buy wines mainly for weddings, gifts and other social activities, Dong said.

Statistics from China Customs show that in 2011, Beijing imported nearly $93.6 million worth of wine, almost double the figure of the previous year.

The total sales of foreign wines in Beijing were estimated to be between 300 million yuan and 350 million yuan last year, according to the China Industrial Competitive Intelligence Network under the Ministry of Commerce.

While growth in foreign wines far outstrips that of local brands, the total Chinese and foreign wine market in Beijing is valued at about 1 billion yuan and is expanding at an annual rate of 15 percent, according to the China Industrial Competitive Intelligence Network.

As one of the largest wine markets in the country, Beijing boasts an aggregate yearly sales volume of 39 million liters, or more than 50 million bottles of wine.

While sales continue to rise, the price per bottle has dropped due to lower tariffs on wine imports, more choices and greater price sensitivity in the market, Lu said.

Chinese wine sellers have begun to impose markups on imported wines due to booming domestic demand. A bottle of wine that sells for 2 to 3 euros ($2.61 to $3.91) in France could be 300 yuan in China.

In addition to upscale brands from premium French chateaus, such as Chateau Lafite and other well-known luxury wines, French brand Castel and Australia's Jacob's Creek are also becoming more popular among Chinese consumers and fetching 100 yuan to 800 yuan per bottle.

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Real estate developers struggle in sea of red ink

Updated: 2012-05-08 10:23

By Wu Yiyao in Shanghai (China Daily)

More than 60 percent of property companies see lower profits or losses

Listed property developers' first-quarter reports have been coming in, and they're full of gloom: More than 60 percent of those whose shares trade on the A-share market reported lower profits or losses.

According to an index tracking 149 A-share developers, compiled by Shenyin & Wanguo Securities Co, their sales edged up just 0.18 percent to an aggregate 71.7 billion yuan ($11.4 billion), while their earnings fell 3.13 percent to 9.4 billion yuan.

Among the total, 41 property companies reported first-quarter losses.

Huge inventories have deepened developers' woes, said Xue Jianxiong, an analyst from China Real Estate Information Corp.

By March 31, inventories stood at 1.37 trillion yuan, up 34.3 percent year-on-year.

The Rating agency Standard and Poor's Financial services LLC said in a report at the end of April that the refinancing clock is ticking for the nation's 80,000-plus property developers amid weak sales, even including the industry's biggest players.

The 30 publicly rated developers have more than 100 billion yuan in total debt maturing this year, the report said.

The report said that default risks have increased this year, with several developers in a "weak" liquidity position.

Many developers are cutting prices on new projects to spur sales and raise cash, especially in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.

In Shanghai, for example, some developers have offered discounts of up to 40 percent, even for prestigious waterfront and central business district locations, according Anjuke.com, an online house-trading site.

Housing prices in suburban Shanghai have been dropping since late 2011, and discounts are widespread in the most expensive downtown areas.

Price cuts in Shanghai are inevitable because developers need cash, Xue said.

"This is the hardest time for the industry since I entered this sector five years ago, because we hardly saw any sales in the past three months," said Lin Jiantao, a property agent in Changning district, Shanghai.

Lin said prospective buyers show little interest in finalizing deals now, and many plan to wait for further price declines.

A survey by the People's Bank of China, the central bank, in late March, bore out Lin's comment.

Among some 20,000 respondents in 50 cities across the nation, only 14.1 percent said they intended to buy properties in the coming three months, the lowest figure since 1999.

Less than 10 percent of the polled residents in Beijing and Shanghai said they would invest in real estate in the next quarter.

wuyiyao@chinadaily.com.cn

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Air conditioner sales cool down

Updated: 2012-05-08 10:15

By Li Woke (China Daily)

End of supportive subsidies blamed as profits hit by rises in raw material, labor costs

When 35-year-old Yuan Bao stepped into a Dazhong Electronics store in the Changping district of Beijing, he found he was the only customer in the three-floor home appliance outlet.

"I was really surprised because the only people in the store were salespersons," said Yuan. The public servant said he wanted to buy two air conditioners after redecorating his old apartment but found it hard to find a salesperson to talk to. "It's weird that no one seems to be buying air conditioners at present," he said.

"There are almost no customers from Monday to Friday," said a saleswoman at the Panasonic air conditioner counter. "Right now, it is the off-season for air conditioners. Our business usually gets better in summer."

It's not only down to the off-season reason. The saleswoman said the slowdown of air conditioner sales is also because Chinese government's consumer subsidy programs have ended, "Most customers have delayed their purchases while they wait for the new subsidy programs," she said.

To promote China's domestic consumption and energy efficiency, China's government introduced three different policies to stimulate the purchase of energy-saving home appliances. They are named Government Subsidy to Energy-Saving Household Appliance, Household Appliance Trade-in and Home Appliance Subsidy Program for Rural Areas.

Hundreds of household appliance manufacturers benefited from these policies from 2009 to 2011, with the air-conditioning market gaining momentum alongside the markets for other household appliances.

According to iSuppli, a US technology value chain research and advisory service, manufacturers shipped approximately 50.1 million air conditioners to the domestic market in 2010, up 61 percent from 31.1 million units in 2009. This marked the first time the local air conditioner market exceeded the 50 million mark.

However, by June 2011, Government Subsidy to Energy-Saving Household Appliance came to an end. Household Appliance Trade-in finished at the end of 2011. It is expected that Home Appliance Subsidy Program for Rural Areas will be closed down by the end of 2012. Without the assistance of policies, it is clear that sales in the household appliances market will decline, especially those of Chinese room air conditioners, according to Frost & Sullivan, a US business research and consulting firm.

In addition to the withdrawal of government policies, there are multiple negative factors that will affect sales in the sector, such as a decline in exports, an increase in the cost of raw materials and an inventory backlog, Frost & Sullivan said.

In 2011 the appreciation of the yuan, the slump in the global financial market, rising raw material prices, the doubling of labor costs and an increase in transportation costs hit sales of Chinese room air conditioners indirectly. The rise in raw material and labor costs especially affected profits.

During the three-year bull market, thanks to policy support, most room air conditioner manufacturers expanded production capacity blindly. The latest statistics show that the inventory backlog was more than 20 million units by the end of 2011. China's three biggest room air conditioner manufacturers by sales, Midea, Haier and Gree, were affected by a huge inventory backlog in 2011. As a result, the cash flows of many manufacturers became weak. To solve the problem of liquidity, most manufacturers began to lay off workers. Midea had laid off 50 percent of its sales staff nationally by the end of 2011.

"The slowdown in the home appliance industry presents a very good opportunity for domestic appliance makers to upgrade their products with technological innovation, improved product efficiency, energy saving and the overall comfort of use," said Wang Lei, deputy secretary-general of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association.

By contrast with the sluggish room air conditioner market, the heating ventilation air conditioner market, an important part of the overall air conditioner market, will boom, Frost & Sullivan said.

China now has the largest heating ventilation air conditioner market in the world. It is also the largest manufacturer of such products. The top three Chinese manufacturers, Haier, Midea and Gree, can supply 50 percent of the world's demand for heating ventilation air conditioner products, Frost & Sullivan said.

Heating ventilation air conditioners are sold in the commercial and industrial fields. Their use has been expanded to be applied in the metro and high-speed railway industries. In 2011, China's heating ventilation air conditioner market was driven by a boom in China's commercial property, energy-saving policies from the 12th Five-year Plan (2011-2015) and in areas such as high-end real estate. It is estimated that China's heating ventilation air conditioner market was 50 billion yuan ($7.94 billion) in 2011, up 20 percent compared with the figure for 2010. It is predicted that the total market size will be 110.7 billion yuan in 2015, with a compound annual growth rate of 20 percent, according to Frost & Sullivan.

liwoke@chinadaily.com.cn

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China's first deep-water rig to drill in South China Sea

Updated: 2012-05-08 10:12

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - The first deep-water drilling rig developed in China will be put into service in the South China Sea on Wednesday, the country's largest offshore oil producer said Monday.

The sixth-generation semi-submersible CNOOC 981 will begin operations in a sea area 320 kilometers southeast of Hong Kong at a water depth of 1,500 meters, China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) said in a press release.

It will be the first independent deep-water oil drilling by a Chinese company, marking "a substantial step" made by the country's deep-sea oil industry, CNOOC said.

About 70 percent of oil and gas reserves in the resource-rich South China Sea is contained in 1.54 million square km of deep-water regions, or sea areas with depths of over 300 meters.

However, most of China's current offshore oil exploration is conducted less than 300 meters below the surface.

The South China Sea is estimated to have 23 billion to 30 billion tons of oil and 16 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, accounting for one-third of China's total oil and gas resources.

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Sales of China's top 100 chain stores hit 1.65t yuan

Updated: 2012-05-08 09:59

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - Sales of the top 100 chain stores in China totaled 1.65 trillion yuan ($238.63 billion) last year, according to data released by an industry association on Monday.

China Chain Store and Franchise Association said at a press conference that the figure was revised from more than 2 trillion yuan previously after the association adjusted its statistical caliber to ensure accuracy.

Shanghai Bailian Group ranked first in the list, with its sales volume hitting 118.21 billion yuan, followed by Suning Appliance and Gome, with each registering sales of 110 billion yuan, the association said.

Overseas chain stores Carrefour and Wal-mart saw their sales reach 45.2 billion yuan and 43 billion yuan, ranking the seventh and the ninth, respectively, it said.

Guo Geping, chairwomen of the association, said some companies even saw negative growth in the first quarter.

Guo said the retail sector has to cope with a changing domestic consumer group, which is younger and richer than that of the past.

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China's 1st deep-water rig to drill in South Sea

Updated: 2012-05-07 19:39

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - The first deep-water drilling rig developed in China will be put into service in the South China Sea on Wednesday, the country's largest offshore oil producer said Monday.

The sixth-generation semi-submersible CNOOC 981 will begin operations in a sea area 320 kilometers southeast of Hong Kong at a water depth of 1,500 meters, China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) said in a press release.

It will be the first independent deep-water oil drilling by a Chinese company, marking "a substantial step" made by the country's deep-sea oil industry, CNOOC said.

About 70 percent of oil and gas reserves in the resource-rich South China Sea is contained in 1.54 million square km of deep-water regions, or sea areas with depths of over 300 meters.

However, most of China's current offshore oil exploration is conducted less than 300 meters below the surface.

The South China Sea is estimated to have 23 billion to 30 billion tons of oil and 16 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, accounting for one-third of China's total oil and gas resources.

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GE to buy 15% stake in China's XD Electric

Updated: 2012-05-08 09:53

(Agencies)

General Electric Co said it will buy a 15 percent equity stake in China XD Electric Group for about $535 million and will partner with XD to provide technology to build and upgrade electrical systems.

GE, which is expanding in China as the growing middle class requires more electricity, said the companies will deliver electric transmission and distribution (T&D) and grid automation solutions to customers globally.

The joint venture gives GE access to "primary" equipment such as large transformers and breakers that modify and switch power within the grid, Bob Gilligan, president and chief executive officer of GE's digital energy business, said in an interview.

XD Electric in China, one of the fastest growing T&D markets in the world, has developed technology used on a large scale for a competitive portfolio of products, he said.

"GE is continuing to look for alternative ways to grow and expand its business," said Gilligan. "This investment helps us better serve energy-intensive industries like utilities, like mining, like steel."

GE, the largest US conglomerate, will also appoint a representative to XD's board of directors.

XD Electric, traded on the Shanghai stock exchange, manufactures electricity transmission and distribution equipment. It exports products to more than 40 countries and regions throughout Europe, the United States, Asia and Africa.

GE shares were off 0.3 percent at $19.29 on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday morning, near the top of the past year's range between $14.03 and $20.42.

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Wired into an online world of opportunity

Updated: 2012-05-08 09:47

By Shen Jingting and Chen Limin (China Daily)

Internet gives companies a web of possibilities, report Shen Jingting in New Delhi and Chen Limin in Beijing.

Overseas expansion and global-player status may no longer be a pipedream for China's Internet companies as several have already taken steps abroad and a small number have tasted a modicum of initial success.

On a sunny day in New Delhi, Duan Wei, a manager at the Chinese mobile browser manufacturer UC Mobile, rose early in preparation for an important conference at one of the city's most luxurious hotels.

The meeting had been arranged to announce encouraging news: The Beijing-based company was planning to take its most audacious step overseas by setting up an Indian subsidiary in New Delhi.

UC Mobile will invest at least $5 million in India this year, according to CEO Yu Yongfu. The company aims to become the number one player in India's mobile Internet browser market by 2015, with a user base of 100 million. It currently holds market share of 20 percent in India, second only to Norway's Opera Software.

The announcement was a reward for Duan and his teammates, who had been working in India for nearly two years. Born in the central province of Hunan in 1984, Duan has had a bittersweet experience in India. He found the country's working environment harsh because of poor infrastructure and constantly battled feelings of loneliness.

On nights when he was unable to sleep, Duan sought solace in xiangsheng, which translates as cross talk, a popular type of comedic dialogue. He said he listened to the audio downloads so often that he almost became a master of the art form. However, his enthusiasm for his job remains undimmed. "Although life is tough, I am determined to stay, because the time (for UC Mobile's expansion) is ripe. This is the chance of a lifetime."

Duan and his team achieved unexpected success over a very short period. They introduced the UC browser to India in 2010 and by the end of last year the number of registered users had risen to 20 million. More than 500 local companies have forged partnerships with UC Mobile, including the media giant Network 18 and the instant messaging provider RockeTalk.

"I would say that the progress UC Mobile has achieved in India is amazing," said Yu, who was initially encouraged by a number of striking similarities between user behavior in India and China in terms of handset operating systems, applications and networks.

Those similarities prompted Yu to dip a toe into the water. That early foray gradually became a serious business and he decided to set up a subsidiary in the country. "I firmly believe that it's time for Chinese Internet companies to expand overseas. UC Mobile has demonstrated that Chinese enterprises have the ability to achieve global success, similar to that of giants such as Facebook and Google," he said.

Competition at home

One of the reasons UC Mobile is pushing to expand overseas is the intense competition in its home market. Last year, the number of registered websites in China declined by 29 percent to 2.3 million from 3.23 million in 2009, according to the China Internet Network Information Center.

Small Internet start-ups are highly vulnerable to the rapidly changing environment in China. Richard Ji, managing director at Morgan Stanley Asia, pointed out that the average life span for Chinese Internet companies is three to five years, much shorter than in many other countries.

One solution to this limited life span is for Internet companies to explore opportunities abroad instead of fighting in the fiercely competitive home market, especially as the country's Internet giants, such as Tencent and Alibaba, have not yet made major moves overseas, leaving some openings for Chinese start-ups.

UC Mobile also plans to enter the North American market in the first half of this year, by setting up an office in California's Silicon Valley and launching localized products. However, it's just one of a number of Chinese Internet companies that have jumped on the bandwagon to snap up business opportunities overseas.

NetQin Mobile, a mobile security company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, said overseas business currently accounts for almost 45 percent of its total revenue. That figure is likely to rise to more than 50 percent by the end of the year, according to Henry Lin, the chairman and CEO.

The US has become the company's fastest-growing overseas market since it hired its first local employee in 2009. More than 5 million people use its products in the US, ranking NetQin among the top five providers in the market, according to statistics. "We expect to gain the top spot in the US smartphone security market in less than three years," Lin told China Daily in an exclusive interview in September.

Meanwhile, Hainan Tianya Online Network Tech Co, the operator of one of China's best-known online forums, Tianya.cn, set up two overseas branches last year, one in Silicon Valley and the other in Singapore, to attract users and advertising clients from Southeast Asia and North America. Twenty percent of Tianya's traffic originated overseas last year, according to CEO Xing Ming.

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Beijing rejects 14,000 home buyers in tightening

Updated: 2012-05-08 09:25

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - Authorities in Beijing rejected the applications of more than 14,000 families who hoped to buy apartments last year amid the city's efforts to tighten the property market in order to curb out-of-control housing prices, local officials said Monday.

Officials with the city's housing and urban-rural construction committee said "speculative demands" in the property market have been squeezed out, as more than 90 percent of approved home buyers in the city are first-time buyers.

Last February, Beijing banned locally-registered families from buying a third apartment and non-locally-registered families from buying a second apartment in a bid to stifle "speculative demands" that economists feared would result in dangerous "bubbles" in the property market as prices soared to unreasonable highs.

The property sector has cooled since the purchasing limit, as well as higher lending rates, higher down payment requirements for second homes and a ban on mortgage loans on third homes, took effect.

Beijing will continue the market tightening efforts this year to strictly scrutinize the qualifications of aspiring home buyers, officials said.

The Chinese capital is at the forefront of the country's property market regulation. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in March that the government will not weaken it efforts to regulate housing prices, which he then considered still "far from falling to a reasonable level."

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China's online third-party payment booms in Q1

Updated: 2012-05-08 09:17

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - China's online third-party payment market reached 758.3 billion yuan ($120.49 billion) in the first quarter of 2012, a major tech and Internet information provider said Monday.

The figure represents a 90.9 percent year-on-year increase, and 2.7 percent increase compared to the last quarter of 2011, according to the results of a seasonal survey of China's online third-party payment market conducted by Analysys International.

The quarter-on-quarter decline in the industry's growth rate was due to the holiday season and the overdrawn consuming ability in the previous year-end sales promotion, said Zhang Meng, an analyst with the firm.

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Attracting and retaining the very best staff

Updated: 2012-05-08 09:20

(China Daily)

Editor's note: This is the final part of a two-piece series about the importance of human resources in a company. It continues by introducing the role the management team should play.

A company's culture is often driven by its management. HR practitioners are realizing executive leadership is key to creating effective organizations with dynamic human capital.

Even in developed countries many managers are surprisingly still lacking in leadership qualities. Employees are often marginalized and being micro-managed by their supervisors. Recurring issues such as superiors playing favorites, bosses humiliating subordinates in front of other people, managers interfering with their personal time outside the office and setting impossible deadlines are common gripes in exit interviews.

The latest word in management from the experts is the concept of servant leadership. It explains how many managers today are struggling with the realization that they are there to serve and not to be served. These managers have worked very hard to move up the hierarchy and, in the process, the power, money and recognition that come with the promotion moved them away from the people that have contributed to their success. Their ego gets in the way and they begin to think that leadership is all about them.

To be an organization recognized by the industry as the provider of choice, employer of choice and investment of choice, a company's HR staff has the responsibility of ensuring its managers are equipped with strong people management skills and trained in leadership skills so that they can build a culture of inspiring, motivating and encouraging their people to bring out the best in them.

The increasing competition for talent has spurred a new generation of compensation, benefits, privileges and rewards programs to attract and retain people. Salaries have a very short shelf life and, given the long hours people now work, modern perks that are offered as part of non-salary packages are perceived as highly attractive and, sometimes, even more crucial than the take-home pay itself.

The organization that topped the 100 Best Companies to Work For list offers an on-site pool, 11 gourmet restaurants, pool table and climbing wall, plus unlimited sick leave, five weeks of paid time off after a year on the job, tuition reimbursement and classes in estate planning and foreign languages.

A true people organization seeks to reward its employees in ways that are meaningful to them and empower them to be their best by offering a work environment and benefits that recognize the needs, interests and values of their people. Such human-focus initiatives just might be what a company needs to gain an edge over another in the competition for the best talent in the market.

(Contact gaoyuan@chinadaily.com.cn for career ideas and advice.)

Advice given by Richard Ni, associate director of consumer sales and marketing and HR division at Robert Walters China.

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Banks dominate profits of A-share listed financial firms

Updated: 2012-05-08 09:15

By Shi Jing in Shanghai (China Daily)

Just 16 banks contributed almost 93 percent of the first-quarter profits of the 50 A-share listed financial service companies tracked by Shenyin & Wanguo Securities Research Co Ltd, the broker said in a study of their financial statements.

The banks reported net profit of about 274.8 billion yuan ($41.5 billion), up about 19.7 percent year-on-year.

The remaining 34 insurance and securities companies reported a mere 21.05 billion yuan in aggregate net profit, down 22.6 percent year-on-year.

The five major State-owned commercial banks - Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd, Bank of China Ltd, Agricultural Bank of China Ltd, China Construction Bank Ltd and Bank of Communication Co Ltd- alone contributed about 80 percent of the 16 banks' net profits, the report said.

All 16 banks saw profits rise, with gains of more than 50 percent for Industrial Bank Co Ltd and China Minsheng Banking Corp Ltd.

Apart from Bank of Ningbo, with 26.8 percent growth, the remaining 10 joint-equity banks and city commercial banks saw growth exceeding 30 percent.

However, growth this year for the industry fell below the average of 29 percent last year. China Construction Bank saw the biggest growth slowdown, dropping from 34.2 percent to 9.2 percent.

"State-owned commercial banks are mostly targeting larger, lower-risk customers.

"Meanwhile, small and medium-sized joint-equity banks have been lending more to smaller companies, which means larger risks. But we have seen that these smaller banks have made a good profit out of this, accounting for Minsheng's recent success," said Jin Lin, a banking analyst at Orient Securities Co Ltd.

"Securities companies and insurance companies are not doing as well as banks," Jin said.

Insurers' performances are highly related to inflation rates, Jin added. When inflation is high, trading volumes fall, as do securities companies' profits.

However, "when the deposit rate is high, some insurance products will be replaced by high interest-rate bank products. Therefore, insurance companies' profits have not been as satisfactory recently," he said.

Interest and commissions are the major sources of banks' income. The net interest income of the five State-owned commercial banks rose 2.4 percent quarter-on-quarter, with growth of 4.8 percent for joint-equity banks and 3.2 percent for city commercial banks.

As China's economic growth slows and smaller companies struggle, "commercial banks are still making good profits", said Zhang Shuguang, director of Beijing-based Unirule Institute of Economics. That isn't because of an efficient and competitive system but because of high charges and wide interest margins.

"The current one-year deposit rate is 3.5 percent while the loan rate is 6.56 percent, (a gap) rarely seen elsewhere in the world. It means that the Chinese banks can live on the interest differential and make good money," said Zhang.

According to the China Banking Regulatory Commission, the net interest margin of Chinese commercial banks was 2.7 percent in 2011.

Interest income generated 80.7 percent of all income for banks on average, reaching as high as 90.5 percent for Shanghai Pudong Development Bank.

The five State-owned banks made net interest income of 1.305 trillion yuan last year.

This situation has driven calls for market-based reform of interest rates, with experts saying that banks relying heavily on interest margins are most prone to encounter difficulties.

"Once interest rates are marketized, some banks will see their operation range narrow. They may be forced to seek a merger or even withdraw from the market," said Ba Shusong, an economist with the Development Research Center of the State Council.

shijing@chinadaily.com.cn

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Beijing may host OTC market

Updated: 2012-05-08 09:11

By Chen Jia (China Daily)

'Third board' to help cash-strapped smaller companies raise funds

China will allow small and medium-sized non-public companies to have their securities traded on a national over-the-counter market, with individuals allowed to invest, an official with the country's top securities regulator said on Monday.

For the nationwide OTC market, to be known as the "third board", the State Council will set up a uniform exchange platform as it aims to help cash-strapped businesses raise funds.

Yao Gang, vice-chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, said at a meeting that there may be no specific profitability requirement for the OTC market, but companies should meet other requirements such as "regular and continuing operations".

Yao said that requirements for individual investors "will be relatively stricter" as OTC market investments carry higher risks than those involving listed companies. The requirements will involve investment experience and assets, but the specifics are still being studied, the CSRC said.

Many analysts said it is likely that the new exchange will launch in Beijing to balance China's "financial geography" between the north and south.

The national OTC market will be an expansion of Beijing's Zhongguancun pilot program, which started in 2006 as a trading platform for about 100 non-public, high-technology companies.

During the past year, transactions for the Zhongguancun program totaled less than 600 million yuan ($95.3 million), the regulator said. According to the CSRC, so far only 1.71 billion yuan has been raised via this platform.

It is time to promote a nationwide, uniformly regulated OTC market, which is an important component in a mature multi-level capital market that will serve the development of the industrial economy, said Chen Gongyan, chairman of the Securities Association of China.

"The OTC trading service business may become the next growth point of securities companies and (lead) financial sector innovation in the direction of international standards," Chen said.

So far, 115 companies have traded unlisted shares on the pilot "third board". Five have gone on to issue shares on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

"After transactions in the national OTC market, companies may develop and reach the standards for going public, and the relevant regulatory policies are under discussion," the CSRC vice-chairman said.

Securities companies are waiting for official details about the OTC market framework, and competition in this new business segment will be fierce, said a manager at Western Securities Co Ltd.

chenjia1@chinadaily.com.cn

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Public donations in China hit $12.6b in 2011

Updated: 2012-05-07 17:40

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - No less than 80 billion yuan ($12.6 billion) in public donations were made in China last year, Minister of Civil Affairs Li Liguo said Monday, citing a preliminary tally.

Although Li did not give an exact date for when the final numbers will be released, the estimate still surprised many who thought China's charity sector had sustained irrevocable damage after the sector's credibility was tarnished by embezzlement scandals that surfaced last year.

The most famous case revolved around a young woman calling herself "Guo Meimei". She claimed to work for an organization under the Red Cross Society of China and posted photos of her lavish lifestyle on the Internet, prompting speculation that she had embezzled money to fund her extravagances. The Red Cross Society of China has denied employing her.

Li said the assessment of China's philanthropic development should not be affected by a certain charity or the misconduct of an individual, which he said will not be tolerated.

China received public donations worth 100 billion yuan in 2008, after the country's southwestern regions suffered from a massive earthquake. In 2009, the figure fell to 54 billion yuan, but in 2010 it topped 100 billion yuan again, partly because of the Yushu earthquake in Northwest China's Qinghai province.

Li has promised further efforts to promote information transparency among China's charity sector.

Philanthropy in China has made great progress in recent years, said Li, noting that the number of non-governmental organizations established in China has hit 457,500, and most of them are involved in public service.

However, the minister said that modern philanthropy in China is still in a preliminary stage and problems exist in internal management, supervision and policy-making.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs will further relax restrictions on registering eligible social organizations and accelerate the formation of relevant regulations to ensure the healthy development of China's charity sector, Li said.

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Sino-German Job Fair in Beijing brings young talents and employers together

Updated: 2012-05-07 17:13

(chinadaily.com.cn)

German companies focus their recruitment activities at upcoming Sino-German Jobfair in Beijing. The 5th Sino-German Job Fair will be held on May 13th 2012 at the Swissôtel BEIJING Hong Kong Macau Center and will feature famous German companies like BMW Group, VW Group, Siemens China, Bosch Rexroth and Lufthansa. Young talents will have the chance there to get in touch with top employers from various industries. It is a good opportunity for candidates to get first hand information about prospective employment in German companies and for companies to meet potential new employees on the spot. In addition to the fair itself the organizer hosts an Application Training Workshop on May 12th with tips on resume writing and interview processes on another hand. The Job Fair is expected to attract more than 30 companies and more than 500 candidates.

Attending companies will post their current job openings on the http://china.ahk.de/jobfair-beijing in advance to the event. Interested job seekers can upload their personal CV, browse through posted job offers and apply for interviews online.

About the German Chamber of Commerce

The German Chamber of Commerce in China is the representative body for German companies located in China. Separated into the three chapters, Beijing, Shanghai and South & Southwest China the Chamber of Commerce in China manages a body of over 1,900 members and thereby is one of the largest foreign chambers in China. It was founded on November 5th 1999. The German Chamber closely cooperates with the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce which represents German business on behalf of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Service Provider German Industry and Commerce which supports Sino-German companies with comprehensive services.

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China to expand high-end equipment manufacturing sector

Updated: 2012-05-07 17:05

By Wei Tian (chinadaily.com.cn)

China is looking to expand the sales revenue of its high-end equipment manufacturing sector to six trillion yuan ($951 billion) by 2015, according to the industry’s 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) published on Monday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Sales of high-end equipment will account for 15 percent of the overall revenue of equipment manufacturing industry, and help generate 28 percent of industrial added value, together with a larger share of the global market, according to the plan on the ministry’s website.

By 2020, the proportion of revenue will expand to 25 percent, while the industrial added value part will grow another two percentage points, which will make high-end equipment manufacturing a pillar industry of the world’s second-largest economy.

High-end equipment mainly refers to aviation equipment, satellite and applications, railway transportation equipment, marine engineering equipment, and intelligent manufacturing equipment.

In 2010, the sales income of high-end equipment in China was 1.6 trillion yuan, which accounted for 8 percent of the total revenue of the equipment manufacturing industry.

The boom in the sector was attributed to China’s fast-growing industrial economy, which had the top position worldwide for two years in a row since 2009, according to the ministry.

Aircraft manufacturing will be one of the key growth areas, as the plan vowed to launch a new regional aircraft research project, while seeking an annual sales volume of 100 planes in the next three years by accelerating the innovation and promotion of existing models such as ARJ-21 and MA 60.

Meanwhile, China will continue its investment in high-speed railway innovation and the exploration of global markets, in order to establish its railway transportation industry as the world leader.

Supportive policies such as tax cuts on imports of raw materials and vital spare parts will be issued, and more financial resources will be directed to high-end equipment manufacturers to facilitate their development, according to the plan.

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Chinese stocks close mixed on Monday

Updated: 2012-05-07 17:04

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - Chinese shares closed mixed on Monday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index ending flat at 2,451.95.

The Shenzhen Component Index climbed 39.30 points, or 0.37 percent, to close at 10,612.89.

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Toxic vegetables expose industry loopholes

Updated: 2012-05-07 16:43

(Xinhua)

JINAN - Reports of formaldehyde-tainted Chinese cabbage in East China's Shandong province, the country's largest vegetable production base, have exposed some clandestine market practices and triggered a new wave of food safety concerns.

Reports of the toxic vegetables appeared on the web over the weekend, alleging that vegetable dealers in Qingzhou were seen spraying a formaldehyde solution on Chinese cabbage to keep the produce fresh during long rides to faraway markets.

The reports sparked public anger and prolonged the seemingly unending discussion on what, if anything, is safe to eat.

In their many visits to croplands and wholesale centers, Xinhua reporters found that using a formaldehyde solution has been a popular, unspoken method for keeping vegetables fresh for at least three years and was not limited to Qingzhou.

Qingzhou is a leading Chinese cabbage production base, and vegetables grown there are mainly sold to areas in northern China and neighboring provinces on the country's east coast.

Many local farmers have turned a blind eye to the dealers' practice of treating the cabbage with a formaldehyde solution.

"It's a common practice to keep the cabbages fresh," says Yin Lihua, a cabbage farmer in Qingzhou's Dongxia township. "Otherwise, the vegetables stacked tightly in their trucks would rot in two to three days."

Yin expects huge financial gains from his 1,300 square meters of land that promises to yield at least 15,000 kilograms of cabbage.

"Cabbages sell well this year, about 1.4 yuan （22 cents） per kilo," he says.

Last year, the sale price was only 0.1 yuan per kg.

Trucks lined up near Yin's greenhouse early Monday, waiting to carry the cabbage to faraway cities for sale. Most of the trucks had license plates from Beijing, Henan, Hebei, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia.

Meanwhile, police in Qingzhou have opened an investigation into the allegations as the reports on toxic vegetables continue to spread.

Zhao Mingli, a vegetable dealer from northeastern Heilongjiang province, was caught by police while spraying the chemical solution.

Zhao says he uses the chemical to keep the cabbage in good condition during a 10-hour journey to Langfang, a small city on the Hebei-Beijing border. "Vegetable dealers in Langfang openly demand formaldehyde-preserved cabbages because they sell more easily."

He also says the practice is not a new one. "I just did what everyone else was doing for three or four years. Vegetable dealers in other parts of Shandong and Hebei do the same."

He said he bought the chemical at a store in Langfang. "A big bottle, about 2.5 liters of solution, sells for only 7 yuan and can keep 20 tons of vegetables fresh."

The formaldehyde solution, however, is used only on cabbage harvested in spring and summer. In winter, a traditional season for harvesting cabbage, temperatures are low enough to keep the vegetables fresh without the solution.

Zhao is among dozens of vegetable dealers apprehended by police in Dongxia township.

The dealers admitted to having sold formaldehyde-tainted vegetables to many provinces, and many said they don't mind eating the tainted cabbage themselves. "You just do away with the first layer of leaves, cut the root and rinse well," Zhao said.

The local government in Dongxia township has launched a vegetable safety overhaul involving 46 agricultural production bases, 80 dealers and 400 cabbage farmers.

It has also put up posters at roadside bulletin boards to warn people about the risks of formaldehyde. "Excess formaldehyde endangers human health," reads one. "Trucks carrying vegetables are subject to checks," reads another.

"We have told dealers to use refrigerated trucks for storage," said Liu Shengtian, deputy chief of Qingzhou's agricultural bureau.

Previous reports said the formaldehyde solution was also used on seafood and mushrooms.

Formaldehyde, used as a disinfectant and embalming fluid, was declared a known human carcinogen by the US National Toxicology Program last year. It is also a skin, eye and respiratory irritant.

It is still unclear how the toxin-using dealers should be penalized, as no such conditions exist in relevant laws and regulations, said Liu.

China's law on farm produce safety stipulates that the use of preservatives should "conform to relevant technical standards of the state," but fails to define what preservatives, or how much, are acceptable.

"It's crucial to fix these loopholes in order to better regulate market behaviors for public health considerations," said Zhao Jinshan, a Jinan-based specialist on food safety and disease control.

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Audi shows top tech at Beijing gala

Updated: 2012-05-07 16:37

By Zhuan Ti (China Daily)

Executive: Carmaker 'feels the importance of China'

The brand concept of historic German luxury carmaker Audi AG, Vorsprung durch Technick - or Progress through Technology - was again demonstrated by its product display at the 10-day Beijing Auto Show.

The carmaker brought 22 models to the motoring gala in the capital city that drew about 800,000 visitors from April 23 to May 2.

Audi's large display featured the global debut of its A6L e-tron concept, the RS Q3 concept and the Q3 jinlong yufeng. The RS5, the S8, the S7 Sportback and the A4 allroad quattro were exhibited in Asia for the first time.

The company also showcased its all-new Audi A6L, the A8L Hybrid, the flagship A8L W12, the A1 China edition and the high-performance cabriolet R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro.

"We are here with three world premieres and four Asian premieres. I think no other carmaker is showing such a strong commitment to the Chinese market," said Dominique Boesch, president of the Audi Sales Division at Sino-German joint venture FAW Volkswagen.

Advanced technology

Audi's advanced technologies in lightweight cars, connectivity and electric powertrains were well presented through the products, the company said.

The Audi A6L e-tron concept - a plug-in hybrid vehicle based on the popular A6L - can run 80 km with zero emissions solely on electricity from a single charge. It uses Audi ultra - the carmaker's proven future lightweight construction technology - to produce a sturdy yet light body.

The Audi ultra technology generally makes a car more nimble and speedy while reducing fuel consumption.

The car is tailor-built for Chinese customers. It has large rear passenger space, multiple safety and assistance systems, a navigation system that can identify Chinese handwriting and infotainment devices with localized improvements.

The Audi Q3 jinlong yufeng, -which means golden dragon riding the wind - is designed as a tribute to the Year of Dragon with exterior and interior featuring Chinese elements. It has a glaze-like yellow exterior, the traditional royal color in China, while using black, gray and yellow in the interior.

The SUV is not only strong in its inline five cylinder engine, but also powerful in innovative networking equipment using Audi connect technologies.

An example is two portable Audi-cam cameras on the trunk that can stream photos to the car through a wireless network and send them to others using an on-board Bluetooth smartphone.

Boesch said that the company will invest at least 2 billion euros ($2.6 billion) every year over the next four years in Audi ultra, e-tron and connect technologies and new models. He noted that a large portion of the investments will flow into China, the company's biggest market.

Audi is now the No 1 premium carmaker in China by sales. The country became the company's biggest market last year when deliveries surpassed 300,000 units.

Boosted by strong demand in the country, Audi had its strongest quarterly sales in its history in the first three months of this year. It sold nearly 90,000 cars in China during the period, a 41 percent increase over the first quarter last year.

Ambitious target

The company last year announced an ambitious target to sell 1 million vehicles in China from 2011 to 2013. From its strong performance to date, market observers believe the target is likely to be achieved well ahead of schedule.

Audi now produces the A4L, A6L and Q5 at its joint venture FAW Volkswagen in northeastern city of Changchun, Jilin province. Annual production capacity is about 300,000 units.

It plans to build more models at local facilities, including the Q3 SUV set to start local production next year in Changchun and the A3 scheduled to begin production at a new plant in Foshan, Guangdong province. Its annual output in China is expected to more than double to 700,000 units by 2015.

"We believe and we feel the importance of China as our second home market," Boesch said.

He added that Audi has the best system for localization of technology and components in China, which can be seen in state-of-the-art locally made models.

The all-new Audi A6L that hit the market earlier this year employs so-called micro hybrid technologies, including energy-regeneration and automatic start-stop systems.

The company said that the same devices will be used in all locally built Audi cars at the joint venture in the next two years.

Audi previously vowed to bring all of its models to China by 2015, most of them imports. It sees enormous growth potential because currently only about 20 percent of Audis sold in China are imported models.

The RS5 and the A4 allroad quattro that made their Asian debut at the Beijing auto show will both be imported to China later this year. Audi will also start imports of the Q3 to the Chinese market in the next few months.

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn

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ChiNext Index closes up -- May 7

Updated: 2012-05-07 16:27

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, rose 19.86 points, or 2.78 percent, to close at 733.04 points on Monday.

The index, together with the Shenzhen Component Index and the Shenzhen SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) Board Index, makes up the three core indices reflecting the performance of China's stocks listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

The ChiNext Board, which started trading on October 30, 2009, mainly lists high-tech companies and those with high growth potential.

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Luxury cruise boosts Three Gorges tourism

Updated: 2012-05-07 16:04

(chinadaily.com.cn)

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Hushen 300 Index closes up -- May 7

Updated: 2012-05-07 16:21

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - The Hushen 300 Index reflecting the performance of China's Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges closed at 2,717.78 points on Monday, up 1.90 points, or 0.07 percent, from the previous close.

About one fifth of the total stocks listed on the two markets are chosen as samples of the Hushen 300 Index, accounting for 60 percent of the market value in China's stock market.

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China stock index futures close higher -- May 7

Updated: 2012-05-07 16:16

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - China's stock index futures closed higher on Monday, with the contract for May, the most actively traded, inched up 0.07 percent from the previous trading day to 2,714.2 points.

The June contract rose 0.05 percent to 2,723.2 points. The September contract added 0.15 percent to 2,752.4 points, while the December contract was up 0.21 percent to finish at 2,784.6 points.

The stock-index contracts, agreements to buy or sell the Hushen 300 Index at a preset value on an agreed date, are designed to allow investors to bet on and profit from both gains and declines in the market.

The index futures was launched at the China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX) and started trading from April 16, 2010. The CFFEX has set the base value for all the four contracts at 3,399 points.

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Chinese firms tap into global electric vehicle market

Updated: 2012-05-07 16:14

(Xinhua)

LOS ANGELES -  About 30 Chinese companies showed their products at the 26th International Electric Vehicle Symposium, which opened on Sunday at Los Angeles Convention Center, with more than 200 exhibitors and thousands of attendees observing and discussing the latest trend in e-transportation industry.

The 4-day event was hosted by Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) and organized by the World Electric Vehicle Association in cooperation with the European Association for Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles and the Electric Vehicle Association of Asia Pacific.

The symposium focused on market trend, public policy, environment impact and issues related to power storage, charging infrastructure, public education, work force training and many other topics.

Ma Xiaofeng, executive director of China's Tonghe Electronics Co Ltd, told Xinhua at the company's booth that through the product demonstrations and the topics of conference, it could be obviously seen that EVs are getting closer to consumers.

"At least more charging infrastructure have been built in the world, this could be one of the evidences," said Ma.

Enterprises from Germany, Britain, Japan are also the major force of demonstrations.

The 25th International Electric Vehicle Symposium was held in November 2010 in Shenzhen, a southern Chinese city.

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Luxury cruise boosts Three Gorges tourism

Updated: 2012-05-07 16:04

(chinadaily.com.cn)

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Coda-Great Wall electric car deal

Updated: 2012-05-07 15:43

(China Daily)

Domestic automaker Great Wall Motors and US company Coda Automotive Inc signed an agreement last month to co-develop an all-electric vehicle that will hit the market in 2014.

The agreement calls for Coda to provide the electric powertrain for the vehicle, with the rest built by Great Wall. The car will be sold in North America under the Coda brand and in China with the Great Wall marque.

The US company previously developed an electric car based on the Hafei model produced by Chinese carmaker Chang'an. The car went on sale in US earlier this year.

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New luxury Hongqi sedan to hit market in Oct

Updated: 2012-05-07 15:24

(Xinhua)

CHANGCHUN - China's flagship sedan brand Hongqi, or Red Flag, is set to release its latest luxurious model, H7, to the market in October, according to the carmaker's chairman.

"The Hongqi H7 will hit the market soon. It is still in the testing period," said Xu Jianyi, chairman of the First Automobile Works (FAW) Group Corporation -- one of China's leading carmakers.

The new model is Hongqi's first hybrid sedan and its core technologies have been developed independently by the company. The outer design of the H7 is in line with Hongqi's tradition of being elegant, grandiose and superior, FAW officials said.

The Hongqi sedan, since its first appearance in 1958, has been regarded as China's prime protocol car. It was frequently used by top Chinese leaders like Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping in big state celebrations and receptions for important foreign guests including then US President Richard Nixon in his ice-breaking visit to China in 1972.

Though China's official cars today are dominated by German Audis, many analysts expect Chinese-brand sedans to take a larger market share in the future.

FAW earlier said it would invest 10.5 billion yuan ($1.67 billion) into the Hongqi brand in the five-year period to 2015.

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Germany's Bosch Group fires up for further growth

Updated: 2012-05-07 13:35

By Han Tianyang (China Daily)

German industrial giant Bosch Group reported 13 percent growth in its China sales last year as a "consequence of continuous investment and localization strategy", the company said in a recent statement.

Its sales in the country last year totaled 42.3 billion yuan as all three of its business sectors performed well.

Automotive technology, its largest business in China, generated revenues of 24.9 billion yuan last year, a 7 percent increase over 2010.

Its industrial technology operations increased sales by 28 percent to 10 billion yuan, while revenues at its consumer goods and building technology sector rose 18 percent to 7.3 billion yuan.

The robust growth came after a company-record 4.1 billion yuan investment in China last year, which "further strengthened the core business of Bosch China", the company said.

Bosch said that it will maintain yearly investment of 3 to 4 billion yuan in China until 2015.

"China's economy is expected to grow steadily and so will keep its strategic market position within the Bosch Group," said Uwe Raschke, the company's board member with responsibility for the Asia-Pacific region.

China became the third-largest market for Bosch worldwide in 2010, following only Germany and the US.

Bosch also said in the statement that its employees in China numbered about 30,200 by the end of last year, a total expected to rise to about 50,000 by 2015. Some 90 percent of all manager-level positions will be offered to Chinese employees by then, it said.

Bosch now has 13 technical centers across its three business sectors in China where some 2,700 associates work on local research and development.

Most recently it agreed to form a joint venture with domestic carmaker Chery and Australia's Atech Automotive to develop and manufacture instrument clusters and car infotainment equipment. Production will start later this year on products not only sold in China but also in other Asia-Pacific markets.

Bosch has a 60 percent stake in the partnership based in East China's Anhui province, with Chery holding 30 percent and the remaining 10 percent owned by Atech.

While continuing to enhance its business in the east of China, Bosch has been stretching into western inland regions.

Its subsidiary for packaging technology invested in a new manufacturing site in Chengdu last year, while in February its chassis control unit announced construction of a new plant in the western city.

In 2011 alone, Bosch China established more than 10 regional sales offices in the central and western cities including Changsha in Hunan and Wuhan in Hubei.

hantianyang@chinadaily.com.cn

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Subsidy program fails to spur home appliance sales

Updated: 2012-05-07 15:36

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - A nationwide subsidy program for rural consumers failed to spur home appliance sales in rural China amid the economic slowdown in the first four months of this year, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on Monday.

Home appliance sales in China's countryside fell 6.7 percent year-on-year to stand at 61.68 billion yuan ($9.8 billion) from January to April, the MOC said in a statement posted on its website.

The volume of appliances sold in the period dropped 16.7 percent to hit 23.34 million units, according to the MOC.

As of the end of April, China had subsidized 241 million units of home appliances valued at 567.49 billion yuan over the past two-and-a-half years since the subsidy program began, according to MOC data.

Initiated in 2009 to stimulate rural consumption and buoy the nation's economic growth amid the global economic downturn, the subsidy program will be effective until January 2013.

Under the program, farmers can receive subsidies equal to 13 percent of the price of the home appliances they buy.

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Losses at more dealers as market tightens

Updated: 2012-05-07 13:57

By Xu Xiao (China Daily)

Survey in 59 cities shows one-third now unprofitable

The number of profitable auto dealerships in China dropped by 18 percentage points last year, according to a recently released survey by JD Power Asia Pacific.

JD Power surveyed 1,605 dealers for 38 brands in 59 cities in China, finding that 63 percent of the dealers were profitable in 2011 compared with 81 percent a year previous. About one-fifth reported losses, more than double the number in 2010.

"These profit findings are troubling to more than just dealers," said Charles Mills, vice-president for global retail experience at JD Power and Associates.

"Brands need dealers to continue to invest to meet their market potential, and China customers increasingly expect more from dealership experiences. This puts brands with lower dealer profitability at a disadvantage relative to competitors."

The entry-level vehicle segment has been affected more than other segments due to the sluggish new vehicle sales. In the first quarter of 2012, sales of new vehicles only grew 2 percent from a year ago.

Typically, consumers trade down to smaller, cheaper and more fuel-efficient vehicles when gas prices rise, but the current China market dynamics are challenging this trend.

Luxury vehicle sales are continuing to surge, driven by consumers with deep pockets who are less price sensitive, and manufacturer-provided dealer incentives have lowered consumer transaction prices.

By contrast, entry-level vehicles are falling victim to the gas price increase as consumers exhibit a greater level of price sensitivity.

Fuel prices in China are now more than 20 percent higher than the average price in the United States.

The three entry-level vehicle segments - minicar, subcompact and compact - account for 55 to 60 percent of China's passenger vehicle sales, according to John Zeng, an analyst at LMC Automotive China.

Sales of entry-level vehicles in the first three months of 2012 declined by 5 percent from the same period last year, he noted.

Minicars led the decline with a 30 percent drop in sales compared to the same quarter in 2011. Domestic-brand car sales have been strongly impacted by the trend, which has in turn hurt dealer profitability.

On average, dealerships in China currently generate 40 percent of their profit from new vehicle sales, a proportion significantly higher than in mature markets.

As China's automotive market continues to mature, JD Power expects that dealerships will see greater profits from vehicle financing, used car sales, and services and parts - revenue streams more profitable than new vehicle sales.

xuxiao@chinadaily.com.cn

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Profit tumble for domestic automakers

Updated: 2012-05-07 14:27

By Han Tianyang (China Daily)

Three of China's top four domestic auto groups reported sharp drops in profit or a loss in the first quarter this year as sales declined amid a slowing economy.

Dongfeng Motor Corp, the second-largest carmaker in China by 2011 sales, reported a 72 percent fall in net profit to about 53 million yuan in the first quarter compared with a year earlier. Its sales in the first three months decreased 4.4 percent from the same period last year, mainly dragged down by the sluggish market for light-duty and pickup trucks, the company said.

FAW Car Co, the listed arm of FAW Group, reported a loss of 10.9 million yuan in the first quarter as year-on-year sales fell 34 percent in an increasingly competitive market.

Chang'an Automobile Group reported a nearly 80 percent decline in first-quarter net profit to 146 million yuan as sales tumbled 17 percent in the period.

Slowing growth in the overall auto market has led to intense competition and price pressure, analysts said.

The nation's auto sales in the first three months declined 3.4 percent from the same period last year to 4.8 million units, according to China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

At the same time, the average price of locally made vehicles fell 1.08 percent from a year earlier, according to the price supervision center of National Development and Reform Commission.

Shanghai-based SAIC Motor Corp was the only company among the top four that gained in both sales and profit. In the first three months, its net profit increased 6.95 percent to 5.6 billion yuan and sales increased more than 8 percent to 1.14 million vehicles.

Analysts said that the carmaker's strong performance is largely due to its two successful joint ventures.

SAIC's partnerships with General Motors and Volkswagen, the two leading foreign carmakers in China, both reported robust sales growth in the first quarter despite the cooling market.

Most other domestic automakers also saw profits slump in the first quarter.

Guangzhou Automobile Group, the sixth-largest automaker in China, reported a 37 percent decrease in first quarter net profit to 902 million yuan.

First quarter profit for Anhui-based JAC Motor declined by 69 percent to 102 million yuan while sales fell 23 percent.

Profits at BYD Co, the Shenzhen-based battery and automobile maker, tumbled nearly 90 percent in the first quarter to 27 million yuan as both its vehicle and battery businesses saw declines. Its vehicle sales dropped by 8 percent year-on-year to about 108,000 units from January to March.

Great Wall Motors, with expertise in SUVs and strong exports, was among the few domestic carmakers to report gains in the first quarter, when its net profit increased 24.9 percent to 1.09 billion yuan.

Zhang Xin, an automotive analyst at Guotai Jun'an Securities, said the silver lining in the difficult market is that the strongest will survive, which is "in line with the government's call to upgrade the industrial structure".

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New luxury Hongqi sedan to hit market in Oct

Updated: 2012-05-07 15:24

(Xinhua)

CHANGCHUN - China's flagship sedan brand Hongqi, or Red Flag, is set to release its latest luxurious model, H7, to the market in October, according to the carmaker's chairman.

"The Hongqi H7 will hit the market soon. It is still in the testing period," said Xu Jianyi, chairman of the First Automobile Works (FAW) Group Corporation -- one of China's leading carmakers.

The new model is Hongqi's first hybrid sedan and its core technologies have been developed independently by the company. The outer design of the H7 is in line with Hongqi's tradition of being elegant, grandiose and superior, FAW officials said.

The Hongqi sedan, since its first appearance in 1958, has been regarded as China's prime protocol car. It was frequently used by top Chinese leaders like Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping in big state celebrations and receptions for important foreign guests including then US President Richard Nixon in his ice-breaking visit to China in 1972.

Though China's official cars today are dominated by German Audis, many analysts expect Chinese-brand sedans to take a larger market share in the future.

FAW earlier said it would invest 10.5 billion yuan ($1.67 billion) into the Hongqi brand in the five-year period to 2015.

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Xinjiang's jade business off-limits to officials

Updated: 2012-05-07 15:21

(Xinhua)

URUMQI - Officials in a northwest China's desert oasis region have been banned from abusing their power to profit from the "jade rush", in which excessive mining has almost exhausted reserves of the precious stone.

The government of Hotan prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, has issued a circular that threatens officials with penalties including Party expulsion if caught profiting from the jade business. Under particular scrutiny will be their roles in excavation, protecting illegal jade diggers, investing in jade businesses, and bribery, local officials said on Monday.

Cash incentives ranging from 5,000 ($793) to 10,000 yuan are promised to informants in the crackdown, according to the circular.

The banks of the Yurungkax River in Hotan produce the world's finest jade - Hotan jade - and are renowned for their pure white nephrite variety of the stone.

Xinjiang produces some 250-300 tons of Hotan jade annually, 20 percent of which is pure white nephrite. A kg of the jade is usually priced over 100,000 yuan. But the prices have kept surging in recent years due to a steep decline in output.

Lured by get-rich-quick tales, jade hunters from all over the country swarm around the river during summer before it freezes over in autumn. And the rampant excavation is taking its toll on the environment.

The government has installed cameras and deployed inspectors at key road sections to keep tabs on heavy machinery in the area.

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PBOC restarts bill repurchase, RRR cut likely

Updated: 2012-05-07 14:56

(Xinhua)

China's central bank has restarted bill repurchase to inject cash to banks, reversing normal practice for this to happen ahead of holidays, a shift which has underscored tight liquidity and led to anticipation of further cuts in the reserve requirement ratio (RRR).

The People's Bank of China repurchased bills worth 65 billion yuan ($10.32 billion) through open market operation Thursday. It was the first time since 2003 that such a move has been made outside of the Spring Festival holiday and supports the central bank's previous pledge that it will scale up bill repurchase to ease liquidity.

With 52 billion yuan of purchased bills due this week, the central bank has injected 117 billion yuan, the largest weekly volume in the past 15 weeks.

Restarting bill repurchase makes sense given the current liquidity strains, bank dealers said.

China's yuan funds outstanding for foreign exchange increased 124.7 billion yuan in March, but the 289 billion yuan totalled in the first quarter of 2012 was not significant.

This means the central bank injected 289 billion yuan worth of foreign exchange to commercial banks in the first quarter to offset the same amount of foreign exchange inflow, comprised of trade surplus and overseas speculative money, as renminbi is inconvertible under the capital account.

Meanwhile, as individual bank savers lean to shift their money away from banks to other investments with higher returns, banks lack money sources.

To ease liquidity, the central bank lowered the RRR, the money that commercial banks should set aside in reserves, by 50 basis point and repurchased bills twice at the beginning of 2012. Those moves injected at least 300 billion yuan to the market. In addition, the central bank suspended the issuance of central bank bills.

Forecasting the monetary policy trend, E Yongjian, a researcher with the Bank of Communications, said open market operation is expected to be a major means under which the central bank will keep reasonable liquidity level.

Peng Wensheng, chief economist of the China International Capital Co, said with growing market demand and the yuan funds outstanding for foreign exchange slowing, monetary policy is poised to become looser, which makes the RRR cut essential. Gao Yongbiao, an analyst with Sealand Securities, predicated the RRR cut would come as early as the middle or end of this month, if April's Consumer Price Index, a main gauge of inflation, stayed high.

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iPad trademark dispute sees progress

Updated: 2012-05-07 14:52

(Xinhua)

GUANGZHOU - Pragmatic progress has been made in the dispute between Proview Technology (Shenzhen) and Apple Inc over use of the iPad trademark, according to an attorney for Proview (Shenzhen).

"We feel that the attitude of Apple Inc has changed. Although they expressed that they were willing to negotiate, they have never taken any action before. But now, they are having conversations with us, and we have begun to consult on the case," said Xie Xianghui in an interview with Xinhua on Sunday.

At a news conference in late April, Fu Shuangjian, deputy director general of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, said that, in accordance with the Chinese Trademark Law, Proview (Shenzhen) still reserves the right to use the iPad trademark in China.

Xie said the two sides have discussed a compensation package, and Apple Inc has tabled an amount it thinks appropriate. But the Proview side has not agreed on a deal, and Xie would not disclose the amount of money offered by Apple Inc.

Proview, a Shenzhen-based maker of computer screens and LED lights, has been suing Apple in court over rights to use the iPad trademark commonly associated with the California-based technology giant's popular tablet computer.

Proview claims that the Taipei subsidiary of its Hong Kong-based parent, Proview International Holdings Ltd, registered the iPad trademark in a number of countries and regions as early as 2000.

Though Apple brought the rights to use the iPad trademark from Proview Taipei in 2009, Proview (Shenzhen) says it reserves the right to use the trademark it registered on the Chinese mainland in 2001. Proview (Shenzhen) claims that it is a different entity from its Taipei brother and thus is not bound by the deal between Proview Taipei and Apple.

Apple, however, insists the 2009 purchase of the iPad trademark worldwide includes the right to use it in the Chinese mainland.

Although the dispute between the two sides is fierce, Apple's products sell like hot cakes in China. Last year, China contributed 16 percent of Apples's revenues during its fiscal quarter ending September, growing almost three times from a year earlier.

Apple unveiled its latest iPad in the United States on March 8, but it has not started selling it on the Chinese mainland market. It remains unclear whether the trademark dispute will further postpone the sale of Apple's latest tablet computer with the "iPad" name in China.

Some Apple fans have purchased new iPads from Hong Kong or abroad, even through smugglers.

"It's good for both sides to reach a settlement as soon as possible," said Xie.

The possibility that Proview will win the lawsuit is very high, but it may take years to get the compensation, said Li Xiaoning, a lawyer specializing in intellectual property rights cases.

Proview stumbled in the 2008 global financial crisis and applied for bankruptcy protection in 2009 as it owed more than $400 million to eight Chinese banks, according to media reports.

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Sembcorp acquires power assets in China for $85.5m

Updated: 2012-05-07 14:23

(Xinhua)

SINGAPORE - Sembcorp Utilities, a whollyowned subsidiary of SGX-listed Sembcorp Industries has signed a transaction with the New York-listed AES Corp to acquire part of its power asset portfolio in China for S$106.7 million ($85.5 million), according to the company's news release on Monday.

The acquisition comprises a 49 percent stake in four wind power assets owned through AES Huanghua, AES Hulunbeier Wind Power Co, AES Xinba'erhu Wind Power Co and AES Chenba'erhu Wind Power Co, as well as a 25 percent stake in a coal-fired power plant owned through AES China Corp.

They're Sembcorp's first wind power assets in China, which may strengthen the company's global energy portfolio and help them to tap into the fast-growing wind power market. After the transaction, the Sembcorp will expand its development in renewable energy sector, including wind in addition to biomass.

Tang Kin Fei, Group President and CEO of Sembcorp, said, "We are excited about the growth prospects and immense opportunities that this acquisition will bring to Sembcorp. This transaction is set to further extend Sembcorp's presence in China as an established energy and water player. With the inclusion of Inner Mongolia and Shanxi, we will have utilities operations in 11 provinces across the country."

The wind power assets comprise three wind power plants in Inner Mongolia and one wind power plant in Hebei with a total gross power capacity of 247.5 megawatts. The remaining 51 percent stakes of these Joint Ventures belong to Guohua Energy Investment Co, which is owned by Shenhua Group Corp, a state-owned mining and energy company in China and the largest coal-producing company in the world.

In addition, the coal-fired power plant locating in Shanxi has its power generation capacity of 2,100 megawatts. The Cooperative Joint Venture expires in 2016.

Sembcorp, founded in 1998 and a Singapore-based leader in providing utilities, marine and offshore engineering, has its market capitalization of S$9.3 billion. Its turnover in financial year 2011 was S$9 billion, while its net profit in 2011 was about S$809.3 million.

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Colombian president hopes to bolster ties with China

Updated: 2012-05-07 14:15

(Xinhua)

BOGOTA - Colombian President is hoping to boost economic ties with China in his upcoming visit to Colombia's second-largest trading partner beginning Tuesday.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua ahead of the May 8-12 trip, his first as president, Juan Manuel Santos said he hopes Colombia could expand cooperation with China in all fields and become an "important ally" of China.

He said he admires the economic achievements made by China since the country adopted the reform and opening-up policy in the late 1970s.

For Colombia, he said, China is a very important market that has huge consumption potential due to its big population.

Santos said he hopes his visit will help Colombia gain access to the huge Chinese market.

The Colombian president also expressed hope that his visit will attract more Chinese companies to his country once he reveals the numerous investment opportunities in Colombia.

"We have a lot of what China needs," Santos said, naming energy, food production capacity, water and tropical forests.

Meanwhile, "China has a lot of what we need," he said, citing investment capacity and technology.

"We complement each other a lot," he said.

In 2011, trade between the two countries reached $8.2 billion, making China Colombia's second-largest trading partner after the United States.

Santos also noted that the series of culture cooperative agreements signed between Colombia and China during the recent visit of Li Changchun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is another step forward in strengthening cultural exchanges between the two sides.

Also, Santos talked about Colombia's economy, describing the country's economic performance as "very good". He said inflation is at a historic low.

He said the country's economy grew by 6 percent last year, while the unemployment rate has decreased and more than 1.5 million jobs have been created since he took office in August 2010.

Santos also expressed concern over the world financial crisis that has affected Europe and the United States, pointing out that Colombia and China will benefit from a strengthened bilateral cooperation, which will help the global economic recovery.

He said he has high hopes for his upcoming visit, as "China ... is a wonderful country with a great future."

During his five-day visit, Santos will meet with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao and other top officials and business leaders.

Santos will be accompanied by several cabinet members, including Foreign Relations Minister Maria Angela Holguin. He will also visit Singapore.

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Global economy looking to China to lift growth

Updated: 2012-05-07 14:07

(Agencies)

With the United States struggling through a soft patch and Europe battling recession, China may come to the rescue by demonstrating a resilience that would provide comfort in a sea of economic uncertainty.

China, the world's second largest economy, is looking ever more vital to maintaining global economic momentum, and a raft of data to be released this week is expected to provide fresh evidence that its economy bottomed in the first quarter and is starting a gradual turn upwards.

China posted its weakest growth in nearly three years in the first quarter, with gross domestic product expanding 8.1 percent. The slowdown in growth coincided with deteriorating economies in the euro zone and the United States, China's two largest trading partners.

That combination stoked concern that China, too, could weaken, frustrating a shift away from export-driven growth toward domestic consumption, which economists view as essential to putting the global economy back on a solid growth path.

China's growth has from China is even more important after mixed data from the United States in recent weeks, highlighted by a disappointing jobs report for April. Job growth slowed to 115,000, the third straight month of deceleration.

In Europe, business activity took a turn for the worse last month and the elections in France and Greece and Spain's struggles to resolve its banking problems have driven up political uncertainty over the direction of the euro zone.

In contrast, manufacturing data for China perked up in April, suggesting China's slowdown could be easing.

Justin Lin, chief economist of the World Bank, remains confident Beijing can engineer a soft landing thanks to a high level of technology investment, which should raise labor productivity, lift incomes and shift growth toward consumption.

"I think China can maintain 8 percent growth," Lin said on Friday.

The view is widely shared by investment bank economists. "We believe China's economy is showing modest signs of recovery," said Standard Chartered in a client note.

Kenneth Rogoff, an economics professor at Harvard University, is more cautious, saying that China relies excessively on investment to drive growth.

Investment constitutes almost half of China's GDP, twice the global average, driven by huge intervention in the financial system, which lowers borrowing costs while depressing returns for savers, Rogoff said in a paper on the Project Syndicate website.

Fixed asset investment has underpinned China's economy as export growth has wilted, though government action to crimp the speculative real estate bubble is beginning to bite. As a result, April data is likely to show a further easing of activity when the numbers are published on Friday.

Analysts at Citibank estimate 20.4 percent growth over year-ago levels, below the 20.9 percent rate in the first quarter, and they say it could be the third quarter before China's economic rebound gains real traction.

Trade Data

China is expected to see a modest trade surplus of about $10 billion, according to China's commerce minister, Chen Deming.

That would be roughly double March's $5.35 billion, but down dramatically from a year ago and insufficiently strong to indicate a rebound in foreign demand for its exports is propelling China forward.

"Chen's comment indicates that exports will be weaker than normal in April, which augurs poorly for second quarter sequential growth, typically the year's fastest growth quarter," said Tim Condon, ING's head of Asia research, in a client note.

The United States releases March trade data on the same day. The US trade gap is forecast to widen to $50 billion from $46 billion as a pick-up in retail sales lifted imports and oil prices rose.

China's retail sales, due on Friday, also may have ticked higher to 15.5 percent year-on-year from March's 15.2 percent level, continuing a gentle upward trend.

"Urban and rural per capita income has been increasing faster than GDP so far in the year, which would support consumption growth in a low inflation environment," Citi said.

Consumer and producer price inflation data the same day are expected to show a further softening of price pressures, with food costs likely declining month on month to help cap the annual CPI rate at 3.4 percent, according to UBS.

This would provide further room for Beijing to support growth by lowering its reserve ratio requirements for banks, already cut by 100 basis points in recent months.

"We continue to expect two 50 basis point RRR cuts before year end including one in the second quarter to stabilize liquidity," Bank of America/Merrill Lynch said in a client note.

UBS forecasts that lending data due out this week will decline to 780 billion yuan ($124 billion) in April versus the 1.01 trillion yuan in loans extended in March, which would add to the argument for a further easing of rates.

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River pollution 'under control' in Shaanxi

Updated: 2012-05-07 14:00

By Xin Dingding in Beijing and Lu Hongyan in Xi'an (China Daily)

Toxic chemical found in 5.5-km stretch of Hanjiang

Environmental protection officials said on Sunday that the pollution caused by cinnamene that leaked into the Hanjiang River after a traffic accident early on Saturday is under control.

Pang Tao, deputy director of the provincial environmental protection department's emergency office, told China Daily that about 7 tons of the chemical leaked into the Hanjiang River, the second-largest tributary of the Yangtze River, the longest river in China.

Based on hourly testing of water samples taken from the river, the toxic chemical was found to have polluted a 5.5-km stretch of the waterway, less than expected, he said.

A tanker carrying more than 30 tons of cinnamene was en route from Northwest China's Shaanxi province to neighboring Sichuan province when it overturned on a national highway in Ningqiang county of Shaanxi province at 3 am on Saturday.

Local authorities evacuated more than 400 villagers and blocked the highway, because cinnamene is explosive.

Cinnamene is a toxic chemical used to produce synthetic rubber and plastic. It pollutes soil, water and air.

People exposed to it will feel a sting in the eyes and upper respiratory tract. They may also develop a headache or vomit.

Three cofferdams were put up by the county government to minimize pollution downstream on the Hanjiang River.

Cofferdams are temporary watertight barriers that allow an area to be pumped dry.

"The situation is under control now. With the natural evaporation of cinnamene and other measures, the stretch of polluted water will be further reduced in the coming days," he said.

"We will continue the hourly testing of water samples until no trace of the chemical is found," he said.

The highway reopened on Saturday afternoon after the damaged tanker was towed away, along with the remaining chemical.

"The villagers all returned by Saturday afternoon, after we were told by the environmental protection department that the leak's impact is limited," said Wang Xingcheng, a publicity official with the Ningqiang county government.

He denied reports that the leak had polluted the drinking water of nearly 200,000 people who live downstream from the accident.

"This section of the Hanjiang River has been rather dirty, so people have not taken drinking water from the river for a long time. Villagers' drinking water comes from the Hanjiang River's tributaries," he said.

But the government still warned people not to drink or use water from the river, "just in case", he added.

"Now the river is full of stalks and active carbon, which are used for adsorption of the chemical," he said.

Pang, who was at the scene to inspect the local government's handling of the accident, said that there was no strange odor near the river on Sunday.

But the soil at the site still smells, and professionals were treating it on Sunday afternoon, he said.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is under way.

Wang said local traffic police have not reached any final conclusion about the accident yet. But as the accident happened at 3 am, it is likely to have been a case of driver fatigue, he said.

Xinhua News Agency reported that the driver and another person in the vehicle were slightly injured.

Contact the writers at xindingding@chinadaily.com.cn and luhongyan@chinadaily.com.cn

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Losses at more dealers as market tightens

Updated: 2012-05-07 13:57

By Xu Xiao (China Daily)

Survey in 59 cities shows one-third now unprofitable

The number of profitable auto dealerships in China dropped by 18 percentage points last year, according to a recently released survey by JD Power Asia Pacific.

JD Power surveyed 1,605 dealers for 38 brands in 59 cities in China, finding that 63 percent of the dealers were profitable in 2011 compared with 81 percent a year previous. About one-fifth reported losses, more than double the number in 2010.

"These profit findings are troubling to more than just dealers," said Charles Mills, vice-president for global retail experience at JD Power and Associates.

"Brands need dealers to continue to invest to meet their market potential, and China customers increasingly expect more from dealership experiences. This puts brands with lower dealer profitability at a disadvantage relative to competitors."

The entry-level vehicle segment has been affected more than other segments due to the sluggish new vehicle sales. In the first quarter of 2012, sales of new vehicles only grew 2 percent from a year ago.

Typically, consumers trade down to smaller, cheaper and more fuel-efficient vehicles when gas prices rise, but the current China market dynamics are challenging this trend.

Luxury vehicle sales are continuing to surge, driven by consumers with deep pockets who are less price sensitive, and manufacturer-provided dealer incentives have lowered consumer transaction prices.

By contrast, entry-level vehicles are falling victim to the gas price increase as consumers exhibit a greater level of price sensitivity.

Fuel prices in China are now more than 20 percent higher than the average price in the United States.

The three entry-level vehicle segments - minicar, subcompact and compact - account for 55 to 60 percent of China's passenger vehicle sales, according to John Zeng, an analyst at LMC Automotive China.

Sales of entry-level vehicles in the first three months of 2012 declined by 5 percent from the same period last year, he noted.

Minicars led the decline with a 30 percent drop in sales compared to the same quarter in 2011. Domestic-brand car sales have been strongly impacted by the trend, which has in turn hurt dealer profitability.

On average, dealerships in China currently generate 40 percent of their profit from new vehicle sales, a proportion significantly higher than in mature markets.

As China's automotive market continues to mature, JD Power expects that dealerships will see greater profits from vehicle financing, used car sales, and services and parts - revenue streams more profitable than new vehicle sales.

xuxiao@chinadaily.com.cn

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Li highlights ties during Europe visit

Updated: 2012-05-07 13:55

By Ding Qingfen (China Daily)

Priority of trip was to boost cooperation

Vice-Premier Li Keqiang called attention to the complementary nature of relations between China and the European Union during his recent 10-day official tour of Europe.

"When made-in-China meets designed-in-Europe, and when EU technology meets Chinese markets, the outcome can be wonderful," Li said while visiting EU headquarters in Brussels, the last stop of a visit that also took him through Hungary and Russia.

The priority of Li's visit is to seek new areas for China-EU cooperation, such as urbanization and alternative energy.

During Li's visit, China and the European Union signed a series of agreements related to urbanization and energy.

Li's visit comes at a time when Europe is still struggling to solve debt problems, and many EU nations hope China can help.

"The economic recovery is not only important for the EU but also the whole world, including China," said Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo.

But China has repeatedly insisted that Europe should address existing systemic problems before it provides any aid.

During this visit, Li spent little time discussing aid to the European Union. However, he did point out that China has aided the region over the past two years by importing more goods, investing and buying bonds.

In 2011, Sino-EU trade volume hit a record high of $567 billion, a year-on-year increase of 18.4 percent, according to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce.

In an article in the Financial Times, Li said China will join other nations and institutions to explore solutions to the debt crisis.

His remarks mainly focused on the significance of two-way economic and trade cooperation during the visit, especially with regard to urbanization, new energy and energy conservation.

"Urbanization is the growth engine that has the most lasting effect on the Chinese economy," Li said.

He said urbanization has the most potential to expand China's domestic consumption, a major goal of China's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015).

During the visit, the China Investment Corporation and Belgium's Federal Holding and Investment Company signed an agreement to launch the China-Belgium Mirror Fund.

The fund provides a platform for Chinese companies to expand in all 27 member countries of the European Union.

While Li was in Budapest, China and Hungary signed a series of agreements covering agriculture, telecommunications, infrastructure and finance to help China strengthen its presence in Central and Eastern Europe.

Li also expressed concern about the European Union's ban on high-tech exports to China, saying it should loosen the restrictions as soon as possible, which could help the region resolve debt problems and create benefits for both sides.

Li's trip to Russia - the first stop of the tour - is also expected to have a long-lasting effect on bilateral ties. Li spent more time in Russia than in the other two nations.

Despite Europe's debt woes, China-Russia trade surged 42.7 percent from a year earlier to $79.25 billion in 2011, outperforming the 22.4 percent average growth of China's foreign trade during the same period, according to the General Administration of Customs.

During the China-Russia Trade and Investment Promotion Forum held in Moscow, the two nations signed 27 cooperative agreements worth $15 billion in the sectors of energy, equipment, information technology and finance.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is due to take office as president in May, and he plans to officially visit China in June.

Trade and cooperative agreements are only one part of Li's visit, and the other part is a cultural exchange between Li and the Russian people.

Li met with China-Russia friendship representatives as well as students from Moscow State University and Russian World War II veterans.

China and Russia have set up a strategic partnership in all aspects, Li said.

"I believe the cooperation between the two countries could reach a new high as there is a wide range of areas that we could jointly develop," Li said during his meeting with Putin.

Li depicted Russia and China as "good neighbors, good friends and good partners".

"In such a large-scale cooperation between the two sides, there are many issues that need our attention, but there are not substantial problems between China and Russia," Putin said.

"We have learned to treat each other as good friends when we jointly deal with the problems."

dingqingfen@chinadaily.com.cn

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Doctor-patient relations

Updated: 2012-05-07 13:46

(China Daily)

There is no excuse for anyone physically abusing doctors or disturbing the order of a hospital by kicking up a fuss. Even without the recent notice jointly issued by the ministries of health and public security, those responsible for such acts must be brought to justice.

The notice highlighted that there is urgent need to protect medical workers from being physically attacked, as an increasing number of medical workers are physically injured or even killed by patients.

However, although there is nothing wrong with the notice and the following requirement by the Ministry of Health that public security offices be established in major hospitals, these are simply expedient measures that do not get to the root cause of the worsening relations between medical workers and patients.

So while bringing those who have physically injured and killed doctors to justice, it is necessary to find out why they ended up resorting to violence.

It is not enough for the ministry to only emphasize in the notice that medical workers must improve their service and must whole-heartedly provide a service for patients.

That so many disputes have taken place and developed into physical conflicts sends the message that there must be something inherently wrong with the current system.

A thorough investigation of a dozen of the disputes that have developed into conflicts between medical workers and patients in the past year, should help the ministry identify the major deficiencies in the system that need to be addressed.

With the exception of those who have mental health problems perhaps, the initial intention of anyone visiting a doctor is not to start a fight, but to get help. If institutional guarantees are in place to protect the rights of patients, it will not be in their interests to get into conflict with a particular doctor or hospital.

There need to be enough channels for patients to lodge complaints when they are not satisfied with the service they receive. There should also be a mechanism that makes it possible for medical accidents to be investigated and disputes between doctors and patients to be arbitrated through independent mediation.

These are the concerns that the Ministry of Health must take into consideration when it makes an overall plan to improve relations between medical workers and patients.

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Germany's Bosch Group fires up for further growth

Updated: 2012-05-07 13:35

By Han Tianyang (China Daily)

German industrial giant Bosch Group reported 13 percent growth in its China sales last year as a "consequence of continuous investment and localization strategy", the company said in a recent statement.

Its sales in the country last year totaled 42.3 billion yuan as all three of its business sectors performed well.

Automotive technology, its largest business in China, generated revenues of 24.9 billion yuan last year, a 7 percent increase over 2010.

Its industrial technology operations increased sales by 28 percent to 10 billion yuan, while revenues at its consumer goods and building technology sector rose 18 percent to 7.3 billion yuan.

The robust growth came after a company-record 4.1 billion yuan investment in China last year, which "further strengthened the core business of Bosch China", the company said.

Bosch said that it will maintain yearly investment of 3 to 4 billion yuan in China until 2015.

"China's economy is expected to grow steadily and so will keep its strategic market position within the Bosch Group," said Uwe Raschke, the company's board member with responsibility for the Asia-Pacific region.

China became the third-largest market for Bosch worldwide in 2010, following only Germany and the US.

Bosch also said in the statement that its employees in China numbered about 30,200 by the end of last year, a total expected to rise to about 50,000 by 2015. Some 90 percent of all manager-level positions will be offered to Chinese employees by then, it said.

Bosch now has 13 technical centers across its three business sectors in China where some 2,700 associates work on local research and development.

Most recently it agreed to form a joint venture with domestic carmaker Chery and Australia's Atech Automotive to develop and manufacture instrument clusters and car infotainment equipment. Production will start later this year on products not only sold in China but also in other Asia-Pacific markets.

Bosch has a 60 percent stake in the partnership based in East China's Anhui province, with Chery holding 30 percent and the remaining 10 percent owned by Atech.

While continuing to enhance its business in the east of China, Bosch has been stretching into western inland regions.

Its subsidiary for packaging technology invested in a new manufacturing site in Chengdu last year, while in February its chassis control unit announced construction of a new plant in the western city.

In 2011 alone, Bosch China established more than 10 regional sales offices in the central and western cities including Changsha in Hunan and Wuhan in Hubei.

hantianyang@chinadaily.com.cn

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Railway passengers hit 606m in first 4 months

Updated: 2012-05-07 13:17

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - A total of 606.48 million people traveled via China's railways during the first four months of 2012, a year-on-year increase of 2.8 percent, the Ministry of Railways said on Sunday.

Passenger numbers increased the most in April due to rising travel demand during the Qingming Festival (April 2 to 4) and Labor Day holiday (April 28 to May 1), the ministry said.

The number of passengers traveling on trains rose 8.6 percent year-on-year in April, 7.4 percentage points higher than the growth registered in the first quarter, the ministry said.

Railways carried 1.33 billion tonnes of cargo in the first four months, up 3.8 percent from the previous year, the ministry added.

The ministry said it has increased support for the transport of important production materials and living necessities such as coal, grain, oil and chemical fertilizer.

The railways carried 785.34 million tonnes of coal, up 6.6 percent year-on-year in the first four months, while the transport of grain increased 15 percent to 35.96 million tonnes during the period, the ministry said.

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Malaysia to set up Sino-Malysia industrial park

Updated: 2012-05-07 11:23

(Xinhua)

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's northeastern port city of Kuantan has been identified as the suitable location to house a sister industrial park between China and Malaysia, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak said on Sunday.

He said the move was to reciprocate China's efforts to keep aside a land of 55 square kilometers in Qinzhou, Nanning as the Qinzhou Industrial Park, a joint venture project between China and Malaysia.

"Kuantan is seen as the closest point to the city of Nanning and with that I have requested the state government of Pahang to prepare a 1,500-acre (607.29 hectares) land for China to set up the sister industrial park here," he said.

Najib said this in his speech during a gathering in Kuantan, about 250 kilometers northeast of Kuala Lumpur, which was also attended by his wife and several other government officials and local officials.

Najib said the government was carrying out detailed studies on the implementation of the project and have had meetings with investors from China towards that.

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Canton fair closes with drop in export transactions

Updated: 2012-05-07 11:09

(Xinhua)

GUANGZHOU - The spring session of the biannual Canton Fair, or the 111th China Import and Export Fair, closed on Saturday, with export transactions decreased for the first time since 2009.

The value of export deals dropped by 2.3 percent year-on-year to $36.03 billion, or down 4.8 percent than the figure at the autumn session of the fair, said Liu Jianjun, spokesman with the fair.

This is the first volume decrease since the spring of 2009 as economic crisis hit the world from 2008, according to Liu.

Debt crisis from European Union countries and tough job market in the United States were among the factors that have caused the decrease, he said.

"Although we have seen sharp export deal increase in new markets, such as in Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa and other African countries, it cannot make up for the huge shortfall from European and American markets," said Liu.

The purchasers attending the fair reached 210,000, setting a new record since the fair's debut in 1957.

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China stock index futures open lower Monday

Updated: 2012-05-07 11:08

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - China's stock index futures opened lower on Monday, with the contract for settlement in May, the most actively traded, opening at 2,705, down 12.2 points.

The contract for settlement in June fell 9 points to open at 2,718. The contract for settlement in September opened 12.4 points lower at 2,742, while the contract for settlement in December fell 3.8 points to 2,778.8.

The stock-index contracts, agreements to buy or sell the Hushen 300 Index at a present value on an agreed date, are designed to allow investors to bet on and profit from either gains or declines in the market.

The index futures were launched at the China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX) and started trading from April 16, 2010. The CFFEX has set the base value for all the four contracts at 3,399 points.

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ChiNext Index opens lower Monday

Updated: 2012-05-07 11:03

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, opened at 710.98 points on Monday, down 2.21 points from the previous close.

The index, together with the Shenzhen Component Index and the Shenzhen SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) Board Index, makes up the three core indices reflecting the performance of China's stocks listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

The ChiNext Board, which started trading on October 30, 2009, mainly lists hi-tech companies and those with high growth potential.

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Profit tumble for domestic automakers

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:56

By Han Tianyang (China Daily)

Intense competition, price pressure as economy slows

Three of China's top four domestic auto groups reported sharp drops in profit or a loss in the first quarter this year as sales declined amid a slowing economy.

Dongfeng Motor Corp, the second-largest carmaker in China by 2011 sales, reported a 72 percent fall in net profit to about 53 million yuan in the first quarter compared with a year earlier. Its sales in the first three months decreased 4.4 percent from the same period last year, mainly dragged down by the sluggish market for light-duty and pickup trucks, the company said.

FAW Car Co, the listed arm of FAW Group, reported a loss of 10.9 million yuan in the first quarter as year-on-year sales fell 34 percent in an increasingly competitive market.

Chang'an Automobile Group reported a nearly 80 percent decline in first-quarter net profit to 146 million yuan as sales tumbled 17 percent in the period.

Slowing growth in the overall auto market has led to intense competition and price pressure, analysts said.

The nation's auto sales in the first three months declined 3.4 percent from the same period last year to 4.8 million units, according to China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

At the same time, the average price of locally made vehicles fell 1.08 percent from a year earlier, according to the price supervision center of National Development and Reform Commission.

Shanghai-based SAIC Motor Corp was the only company among the top four that gained in both sales and profit. In the first three months, its net profit increased 6.95 percent to 5.6 billion yuan and sales increased more than 8 percent to 1.14 million vehicles.

Analysts said that the carmaker's strong performance is largely due to its two successful joint ventures.

SAIC's partnerships with General Motors and Volkswagen, the two leading foreign carmakers in China, both reported robust sales growth in the first quarter despite the cooling market.

Most other domestic automakers also saw profits slump in the first quarter.

Guangzhou Automobile Group, the sixth-largest automaker in China, reported a 37 percent decrease in first quarter net profit to 902 million yuan.

First quarter profit for Anhui-based JAC Motor declined by 69 percent to 102 million yuan while sales fell 23 percent.

Profits at BYD Co, the Shenzhen-based battery and automobile maker, tumbled nearly 90 percent in the first quarter to 27 million yuan as both its vehicle and battery businesses saw declines. Its vehicle sales dropped by 8 percent year-on-year to about 108,000 units from January to March.

Great Wall Motors, with expertise in SUVs and strong exports, was among the few domestic carmakers to report gains in the first quarter, when its net profit increased 24.9 percent to 1.09 billion yuan.

Zhang Xin, an automotive analyst at Guotai Jun'an Securities, said the silver lining in the difficult market is that the strongest will survive, which is "in line with the government's call to upgrade the industrial structure".

hantianyang@chinadaily.com.cn

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China's yuan retreats to 6.2858 against USD Monday

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:55

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - The Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, lost 137 basis points to 6.2858 against the US dollar on Monday, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trading System.

In China's foreign exchange spot market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by 1 percent from the central parity rate each trading day.

The central parity rate of the yuan against the US dollar is based on a weighted average of prices before the opening of the market each business day.

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Forerunners show newcomers the way to market

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:54

By Jiang Xueqing (China Daily)

The forerunners of the current media reform began to engage with the stock market long before People.cn launched its IPO. In 2001, Beijing Media Corp was founded by Beijing Youth Daily primarily to sell advertising space and produce newspapers. Three years later, it listed in Hong Kong, with Beijing Youth Daily as its controlling shareholder, raising about HK$1.04 billion ($134 million).

At that time, the management team at Beijing Youth Daily expected the paper to experience cross-media, cross-industry and cross-regional development. To achieve that goal, they required a large amount of capital. However, at the time State-owned media in China were not allowed to list on the stock market to raise funds for development. So the team decided to solve the problem by forming a company to launch an IPO, said Zhang Yanping, chairman of Beijing Media Corp and president of Beijing Youth Daily.

As a result, Beijing Media Corp was founded. The company was only involved with the management of the paper, while the editing section was an entirely separate entity.

"This model has a disadvantage in that it causes conflict between the editing and management when their interests do not go hand in hand," said Zhang. "It raised a lot of administrative problems and affected development on both sides."

Although the model is not perfect, it set a foundation for the development of Beijing Youth Daily, which was transformed from a newspaper into a media group. Today, the media group has four daily and six weekly newspapers, six magazines, two websites and 13 subsidiaries. The business has gained tremendous benefits since listing.

For example, in 2003, Beijing Youth Daily acquired a paper and turned it into Legal Evening News, which became popular among Beijingers. During the process, the media group invested nearly 300 million yuan ($47.6 million).

"If we had not launched the IPO, it's likely that we would only be able to run Legal Evening News through funding from Beijing Youth Daily," said Zhang.

Despite its dramatic development, Beijing Media Corp's market performance has not been as impressive as some early investors had anticipated. Its shares closed at HK$5.84 on Friday, far below the issue price of HK$18.95. Compared with 2000, the corporation's total revenue dropped by 1.55 percent to 757.6 million yuan in 2011, while gross profit slipped almost 23 percent to 110.75 million.

The corporation's poor performance is in line with the decline of traditional media, according to Gao Hui, a media researcher of Guotai Junan Securities Co, and he noted that the newspaper industry in general now has a more limited ability to generate profits.

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The top 10 firms looking to list

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:51

By Jiang Xueqing (China Daily)

With the deepening of the reform of the cultural administrative system, the central government has accelerated a pilot project launched in 2009 to transform 10 major State-owned news websites into commercial enterprises.

At a meeting held by the State Council Information Office in May 2010, the executives in charge of the websites agreed to grasp the opportunity to reform their old management systems, change their way of thinking and embrace development through the integration of resources. Now the websites are making huge efforts to develop their businesses related to new media, including search engines, mobile newspapers, mobile TV, e-commerce and video games.

Here are the 10 websites selected by the government to become the first State-owned news websites to list on the stock markets.

1. People.cn Co, owned by People's Daily

2. Xinhuanet.com, owned by Xinhua News Agency

3. CCTV.com, owned by China Central Television

4. Qianglong.com in Beijing

5. Eastday.com in Shanghai (On April 28, Shanghai Orient Webcasting Co was unveiled by Eastday.com.)

6. Tianjin Enorth Netnews Co

7. Voc.com.cn (Voice of China) in Changsha, Hunan province

8. Dzwww.com in Jinan, Shandong province

9. Zjol.com.cn in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province

10. Newssc.org in Chengdu, Sichuan province

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Gang had new take on gutter oil, police say

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:41

By Xu Junqian in Shanghai (China Daily)

Couple made $1.59 million from illegal business operation

Police have rounded up a 20-member gang on suspicion of manufacturing and selling "gutter oil" in East China's Zhejiang province, prosecutors announced over the weekend.

According to a statement the Wucheng district procuratorate released on Saturday, the gang, led by Li Weijian and his wife Xu Xiaoqing, had invented a new kind of "gutter oil", illegal cooking oil. They replaced the usual ingredients, like kitchen waste, with decomposed animal fat and organs from slaughterhouses. They had been selling this as cooking oil since 2005.

Because they used animal fat and organs passed their sell-by date - purchased "for industrial use" - the underground workshop in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, evaded suspicion and made huge profits according to prosecutors.

In the first 11 months of last year, the gang pocketed 10 million yuan ($1.59 million) from the business, authorities said.

The gutter oil, made from kitchen waste, and the oil made in the underground workshop could pose a serious health risk because it contained carcinogenic and other dangerous substances, authorities said.

The workshop oil, sold for 7,600 yuan a ton, went to cooking oil reprocessing plants for "refinement" and was then sold to restaurants and food factories in major cities such as Shanghai, Chongqing, and cities in Anhui province, according to prosecutors.

The workshop was detected in October when residents reported to police they "often smelled a foul odor in the area". After a five-month investigation, police moved in and seized more than 3,200 tons of gutter oil from 13 production points in the area, including the workshop, police said.

Police started watching individual oil producers and ultimately tracked down Li's as the largest production base, Fu Xuejun, the leader of the police investigation team, was quoted by the Hangzhou-based Qianjiang Evening News as saying.

In August, the central government launched a nationwide campaign against illegal cooking oil, one of the most widespread food safety problems in China. More than 130 gutter oil cases involving more than 800 criminals were cracked in China from August to February, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

A law was introduced setting severe penalties, including capital punishment, for manufacturing and selling gutter oil. Some cities have tried to establish administrative ways of keeping gutter oil off dining tables. Shanghai, for example, is encouraging restaurants and hotels to return kitchen leftovers to formal recyclers by rewarding them.

"The policy is, the more you return, the more you will be rewarded," said Yan Zuqiang, director of Shanghai Food Safety Office.

In addition, the office is also calling for more enterprises to reuse recycled waste oils as biological diesel oil.

xujunqian@chinadaily.com.cn

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China's cleaning supply industry surges in 2011

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:35

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - China's cleaning supply industry expanded rapidly over the past year, revealing great potential for the development of other sectors, according to the organizers of an industry expo.

Business revenues for China's biggest household product suppliers amounted to 146.61 billion yuan ($23.29 billion) last year, a year-on-year increase of 26.53 percent, according to the organizing committee of the three-day China International Cleaning Industry Expo, which began on Sunday.

Companies that make cleaning products for use in public and industrial facilities saw business revenues rise 25 percent year-on-year, the committee said.

The industry's technological development has played an important role in other sectors, the committee said, citing contributions to the new material and new energy sectors.

The expo, jointly held by the China Cleaning Industry Association and the light industry sub-council under the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, is aimed at promoting the use of environmentally friendly cleaning products and boosting the development of the industry.

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Tobacco award bid shelved amid controversy

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:31

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - A Chinese tobacco research program has been left aside in an application for a top science award in the country, following extensive controversy over its studies in manufacturing low-tar, less-harm cigarettes.

China National Tobacco Co, which is affiliated to the State Tobacco Monopoly, had applied to have its research into supposedly less harmful cigarettes included on a list of initiatives up for the 2012 National Award for Science and Technology.

The application was open to appeals from March 23 to May 2.

During the past 40 days, however, Chinese health officials, scientists, non-governmental organizations, general public and the World Health Organization representative in China have voiced strong opposition to the application.

Health experts say China Tobacco's research, which focuses on "Chinese-style" cigarettes, misleads the public by claiming that the adding of Chinese herbs into cigarettes reduces their harm.

At least 33 letters of objection have been sent to the Ministry of Science and Technology, the organizer of the science reward.

The State Tobacco Monopoly then submitted an application to the ministry for quitting the reward application under the pressure.

Officials with the State Tobacco Monopoly have declined to comment, while a statement issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology on Friday only said the research program has met with opposition and the situation is "very complicated."

Meanwhile, officials with the Ministry of Health have told reporters that "the current result was the fruit of the joint efforts of everybody".

China has more than 300 million smokers, about 1.2 million people die from tobacco-related diseases every year in the country, and another 740 million are exposed to second-hand smoke, health experts say.

They add that China faces a particularly tough battle to prevent the interference in anti-smoking work of China Tobacco, with its lucrative tax contributions and status as a government agency.

Tobacco research projects have been honored seven times in the annual National Award for Science and Technology over the past decade, the Beijing News has reported.

The list of candidates for the 2012 award will be finalized late this year, and the winner announced in early 2013, after being judged by a panel of experts, according to rules of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Last month, Fu Wei, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health, told a news conference that the recognition of tobacco research would violate the spirit of the award, under which it is clearly stated that research considered should not be against the protection of public health.

"We oppose considering the research into so-called 'low-harm' cigarettes for the national science award," she said.

The attitude of the Ministry of Health is in line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which makes a stand against all forms of promotion aimed at encouraging tobacco use, Fu added.

China signed to the FCTC in 2003 and it was enacted in 2006.

Yang Gonghuan, former deputy director of the tobacco control office at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the Ministry of Science and Technology should carry out a strict supervision over the applications for the science reward.

"The ministry should stipulate clearly that such a research program should not be included in the application list for the science reward," she said.

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China launches new mapping satellite

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:27

(Xinhua)

JIUQUAN - China successfully launched its Tianhui I-02 mapping satellite from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu province at 3:10 pm Sunday.

The satellite, which was launched using a Long March 2-D carrier rocket, has entered its preset orbit. Another similar satellite, the Tianhui I, was launched into space in August 2010.

The satellite, developed and produced by a company under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), will mainly be used to conduct scientific experiments, carry out land resource surveys and map territory, according to a statement released after the launch.

Remote sensing information and test results from the satellite will boost both the country's scientific research and economic development, said the statement.

The mission marked the 161st launch for the Long March rocket family since April 24, 1970, when a Long March-1 rocket successfully sent the country's first satellite, the Dongfanghong-1, into space.

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Outsourced workers call for change

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:24

By Chen Xin (China Daily)

If you were doing the same job at the same level as another person but were paid less and enjoyed fewer social welfare benefits simply because you were an outsourced worker, how would you feel?

Li Huan (not her real name), a teacher at Shenyang Normal University in Shenyang, the capital of Northeast China's Liaoning province, is in exactly that position.

"My colleagues and I are doing the same job, but the benefits we get differ a lot. It's not fair," said Li.

She said her basic salary is the same as the regular teachers, but as an outsourced staff member, she only qualifies for the lowest level of social security benefits and her accommodation allowance is much lower than that of the regular teachers.

In China, employers and employees collectively pay into a fund that helps cover housing costs for the employees.

Li said she began working at the school in 2009, but her employment contract was signed with a local employment agency.

In others words, she is an outsourced worker from the agency.

Under Chinese Labor Contract Law, employment agencies can be established to provide workers for temporary and subsidiary positions.

Outsourced workers do not sign contracts with the companies they work for, but with employment agencies. The agency pays the workers' wages while charging the employers a commission and management fees.

Li said all the teachers and administrative staff who have been working at the school since 2008 are outsourced.

"Labor outsourcing has been widely used in teaching, research and administrative posts in universities," said Wang Xiaolong, a consultant with the Chinese Educational, Scientific, Cultural, Health and Sports Workers' Union.

"Outsourced staff always earn around half the wages of regular workers for the same job. They also enjoy fewer social security benefits and have fewer opportunities for promotion and training."

Recent research conducted by Wang's organization at more than 10 universities in northeastern Jilin province revealed that outsourced workers account for 8 to 10 percent of teachers, student advisers and administrative staff in those colleges.

"I have been outsourced for six years. I work harder than regular workers in the same job, but my benefits are much lower. I cannot see a future in the job, and I do not feel secure," said a worker at Jilin Agricultural University's human resources office, quoted in the research report.

These practices also commonly exist in other municipalities and provinces, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Zhejiang, said the report.

Universities in Beijing have more than 3,500 outsourced workers in teaching, research and administrative positions, while in Shanghai, the figure is around 2,500, according to the report.

In China, universities are public sector employers and are limited in the number of regular workers they can employ.

Wang said the reason that universities commonly turn to labor outsourcing is that an increase in student recruitment in recent years has pushed the schools to employ teachers in a more flexible way.

"Labor outsourcing usually generates lower costs, so it's quite appealing to universities that are short of funds," he said.

Wang said the practice should not be overused in universities because it leads to inequality among workers.

Zhao Wei, a labor expert at Beijing Normal University, suggested prohibiting labor outsourcing in universities because the jobs of teachers, researchers, student advisers and administrative staff are not temporary or subsidiary positions.

"The universities themselves, not employment agencies, should sign labor contracts with currently outsource workers. They should also ensure that workers doing the same job as regular employees enjoy the same wages and benefits," she said.

Zhao also suggested that the authorities improve the employment model in the public sector and ensure the legal rights of all workers.

Trade unions in universities should also play a larger role, she added.

Liu Ce in Shenyang and Luo Wangshu in Beijing contributed to this story.

chenxin1@chinadaily.com.cn

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Investors press their case as paper hits market

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:14

By Jiang Xueqing, Yang Wanli (China Daily)

People's Daily website makes headlines, Jiang Xueqing, Yang Wanli report.

For Liao Hong, who is in charge of the website of State-owned Party newspaper People's Daily, the last 10 days have been all about being in the spotlight and working under intense pressure.

As president and editor-in-chief of People.cn Co, Liao oversaw the company's IPO in Shanghai on April 27 as it became China's first major State-owned news website to list on the equity markets.

Like many other recently listed companies, People.cn received an enthusiastic welcome from investors. The company raised 1.38 billion yuan ($219 million), by selling about 69.11 million shares at 20 yuan apiece. It closed at 39.42 yuan on Friday, an increase of 97 percent from the issue price, and its market capitalization reached 10.9 billion yuan, almost twice that of The New York Times Co.

"We believe our company will develop more rapidly with the help of the capital," said Liao, during his first interview since the float, adding that the market capitalization of People.cn is almost the same as that of Sohu, one of China's three main Web portals.

A trend has developed, both in China and globally, for new media enterprises to list on the markets, according to Zhang Yanping, chairman of Beijing Media Corp and president of the Beijing Youth Daily newspaper.

"People.cn attracted investors not only because it is run by the most important Party newspaper in China, one that receives great support from the government, but also because it is able to change in accordance with the development trend of new media," said Zhang. "The company has set a good example for State-owned websites and will encourage many to follow."

In 2009, People.cn and nine other selected State-owned news websites - including Xinhua News Agency's Xinhuanet.com and CCTV.com, the Web presence of China Central Television - started a transformation from government institutions into media enterprises. The remaining nine are currently preparing to follow the IPO trail blazed by People.cn.

Reform accelerated

Some news websites at provincial and municipal level are also accelerating the process of reform. On April 28, Shanghai Orient Webcasting Co was unveiled as a new entity by Eastday.com, a news website jointly established by Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group and several other companies in 2000. Xu Shiping, president and editor-in-chief of the newly formed company said Eastday.com will be transformed into a modern cross-media group and listed company within three to five years. He plans to increase both its capital and revenue to more than 10 billion yuan.

Liu Binjie, general director of the General Administration of Press and Publication, said China has 49 listed companies in the press and publications sector, according to a report by the China News Service in February. Liu said the central government will allow large amount of private capital into the sector and support enterprises that meet the requirements for an IPO to list. To facilitate the development, the government will also introduce policies designed to encourage the participation of private capital.

A raft of IPOs will give fresh impetus to the development of the State-owned media, although it will be a gradual process, according to Chen Gang, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication at Peking University.

"As a platform of People's Daily, People.cn is likely to create a new development model by adding large amounts of capital to the existing administrative structure. That will further integrate resources based on the original website to form a communication-centered industrial platform with room for development," he said.

"If similar State-owned media do not take this road, their commercial value will remain extremely vague," he added, noting that the government is promoting reform of the cultural administrative system to promote conformity with the law of industry development and to create an environment for healthy competition and development.

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China to boost construction of green buildings

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:14

(Xinhua)

BEIJING - The Chinese government has established a goal of having green buildings account for 30 percent of new construction projects by 2020, according to an official document released Sunday.

The document, which was jointly released by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, marks the first time for China to set a goal for the development of green buildings.

The move underlines China's intent to speed up the development of energy-efficient construction following other documents published earlier this year aimed at the same goal.

According to the document, the government will speed up the sector's development by increasing policy incentives and improving industry standards, as well as promoting technological progress and the development of related industries.

The document also specifies a goal of bringing China's building energy consumption ratio closer to that of developed countries by 2020.

Different from ordinary buildings, green buildings require construction projects to save as much energy, land, water and materials as possible throughout their life cycle to protect the environment and reduce pollution, according to an evaluation standard for green buildings released by the Chinese government in 2006.

Analysts said the move indicates that the "green construction" sector will be an economic breakthrough in terms of spurring growth and play a large role in the country's energy-saving efforts.

It will leverage a green market with trillions of yuan, as developing green buildings will effectively drive the growth of new building materials, new energy and related service sectors, said Zhang Shaochun, deputy minister of the Ministry of Finance.

The property sector possesses a strong ability to boost downstream industries. It is responsible for 50 percent of the country's steel consumption and 60 percent of cement consumption, Zhang said.

China's construction sector is estimated to account for more than 30 percent of total social energy consumption by 2020, becoming a major energy user.

But energy consumption can be effectively lowered by constructing green buildings. A preliminary study showed that an amount of energy equal to 45 million tons of standard coal can be saved by building energy-efficient buildings during the 2011-15 period, according to Zhang.

"The document indicates that the country's green construction sector is moving into a fast development phase, and shows the government's resolve to speed up energy-saving and emission-reduction efforts," said Wang Youwei, deputy head of the China Association of Building Energy Efficiency.

Wang said the room for developing energy-efficient buildings is huge, as the total combined floor area of China's existing energy-efficient buildings amounts to less than 40 million square meters.

The construction of energy-efficient buildings will be subsidized according to a three-tier grading system specified in the 2006 evaluation standard, the document said.

First-tier buildings will make their builders eligible a subsidy of 80 yuan ($12) per square meter, while second-tier buildings will qualify for 45 yuan per square meter.

The document also aimed to apply green construction standards to all government-funded public welfare projects and the low-income housing projects by 2014.

The document said more of these projects will be energy-efficient, with the goal of building more than 1 billion square meters of energy-efficient floor space by 2015.

The government will take concrete measures to strengthen fiscal support and prioritize funding to encourage the construction of green buildings in those projects, Zhang said.

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Greeks bearing financial gifts

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:03

By Tania Lee (China Daily)

Video Link

Athens may be tackling a crisis but still has plenty to offer: economist

As Greeks went to the polls on Sunday debating the best way to tackle their economic crisis, politicians across the spectrum agreed that international investment will play a key role.

While images of protests in Athens against austerity have dominated TV news, measures to tackle the debt crisis have attracted far less publicity.

One of the measures, Fast Track, aims to streamline procedures for foreign companies investing in Greece. One possible investment that is sure to attract international attention, the country's public assets, have been valued at 15 billion euros ($19. 6 billion).

"We firmly believe Chinese companies might be interested in some of the privatized assets," Dimitrios Thomopoulos from the Greek Office of Economic and Commercial Affairs in Beijing, said.

Eager to reduce the nation's massive debt load, Greece's Inter-Ministerial Strategic Investments Committee approved new investments worth 5.6 billion euros on March 6 under the Fast Track program.

Five of the six approved projects (none of them directly involving Chinese companies) are investments in the energy and renewable energy sectors. The other, an investment in the gold mining sector by Thrace Gold Mines S.A., under the Canadian company Eldorado Gold, has been budgeted at 129 million euros.

In an exclusive interview with China Daily, Greek Ambassador to China Theodore Georgeakelos said there are many potential areas for Chinese firms to invest in and these have yet to be "exploited".

One of the ambassador's primary roles since coming into office has been helping to revive the Greek economy, and publicizing the investment benefits of various sectors, including research, technology, renewable energy and tourism.

"This is where we have a comparative advantage," he said.

"We have very good infrastructure, educated personnel, and legislation that is business and investment friendly. I think, like previous Chinese investment, new investments can be profitable both for the investors and the Greek economy," he added.

A China-based Greek economist expressed her optimism over the "one-stop office" aspect of the Fast Track program for investments over 2 million euros.

"This is a good time for foreign investors to consider Greece. Bureaucracy has been reduced and the investment environment and competitiveness have also improved," Pelagia Karpathiotaki, the president of the Institute of Economic and Cultural Action Greece-China, said.

At the end of 2011, China had $3.18 trillion in foreign reserves, the largest in the world. About 20 percent has been invested in euro-denominated assets.

According to Yi Gang, vice-governor of the People's Bank of China and head of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, China will continue to invest part of its foreign reserves in European bonds.

But public concern has been expressed over the strategy.

Social media and micro blogs have voiced disquiet at the idea of bailing out rich European nations rather than fixing China's widening wealth gap problem.

"The Chinese government is pursuing a determined policy of developing various parts of China," Georgeakelos said, before adding that "there is a real need to diversify Chinese investments".

Yi told reporters last month that China is eyeing industrial and strategic assets, such as renewable energy and shipping, rather than Greek government bonds that are at high risk of default.

"For China, this is a way to help Europe at this historic juncture," Georgeakelos said. "Moreover, this approach allows Chinese leaders to avoid internal criticism of bailing out rich Europe."

To be considered for Fast Track, investments have to meet certain criteria, including job creation, be innovative and environment friendly.

Some Chinese companies have already invested in Greece. The most notable is Cosco Pacific, one of the world's largest shipping container companies. In October 2009, it took over operations at Greece's main port, Piraeus. It signed a 35-year lease in June 2008 and will spend $707 million in upgrading facilities to build new piers and triple the volume of cargo. This is expected to be completed in 2014.

There are also smaller Chinese investments in the pipeline. Chinese real estate company BCEGI Group and Helios Plaza signed an agreement in 2010 for the construction of a hotel and shopping complex in Piraeus next to the port. Chinese companies have also shown interest in Germany's Hochtieff's share in Athens airport, although nothing has been finalized yet.

tanialee@chinadaily.com.cn

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World

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- Zimbabwe lauds China's unwavering support

- IAEA expert dies in Iran's car accident: media

- Arab League chief appreciates China's support

- Chinese student jailed for sitting exams for others

- TEPCO names new president

- Ukraine's Tymoshenko puts off move to hospital

- Tour to promote CAFTA soon to begin

- Putin lays wreath at Tomb of Unknown Soldier

- US envoy to Pakistan to step down

- US, India ask Pakistan to crackdown on terror

- China, Central Asia to boost relations

- Air India cancels flights over pilots strike

- London Stadium ready to welcome the world

- China medical team renews free surgery in Myanmar

- Marilyn Monroe statue disassembled

- Sole boxer to represent Kenya in London Olympics

- Japan imperial couple to visit Britain

- Syria satisfied with parliamentary elections

- Deployment of observers priority for Syria

- AL chief calls for closer Arab-China ties

- France and China to strengthen ties

- Bill Clinton says education key to development

- Facebook's Zuckerberg starts investor show in NY

- Harry draws attention to plight of wounded warriors

- Merkel rejects Hollande call to renegotiate fiscal pact

- Israel cancels early elections

- US foils plot to blow up US-bound jet

- US to approve $1b for Israel's defense system

- Hollande meets Chinese ambassador

- China, US vow cooperation on cyber security

- France's Hollande, China envoy discuss bilateral ties

- CIA thwarts new al-Qaida underwear bomb plot

- Iran to set date for launching nuclear power plant

- Greek conservatives to seek coalition partners

- Iran hopes Hollande reconsiders policies

- Putin signs decree on long-term economic policy

- French new president to take office next week

- Full sized Gundam installed in Japan

- China hopes Syria vote can advance political reforms

- Putin nominates Medvedev as PM

- Putin vows to lead Russia through new stage

- Europe forced to balance growth and austerity

- Putin sworn in for third term

- Vesak day commemorates birth of Buddha

- 18 killed in road mishap in N India

- ROK, US launch major aerial drill

- Tornado hits Japan

- US secretly released prisoners in Afghanistan

- Syria kicks off parliamentary election

- Victory in France for Socialist party

- 6 people shot during party in Ohio

- Six people shot during party in Ohio

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Sole boxer to represent Kenya in London Olympics

Updated: 2012-05-08 14:44

(Xinhua)

NAIROBI - National Olympic Committee Kenya chair, Kipchoge Keino avers supremacy wrangles in the Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) resulted in the country's only one pugilist qualifying for the London Olympics.

Commonwealth silver medallist, Ben Gicharu will be the only flag bearer for the nation after coming through as a losing finalist in the flyweight division at the Africa qualifiers that concluded in Algiers, Algeria over the weekend.

Keino added there was need to invest more in modern training techniques for the country to claim a second Olympics gold medal at the discipline following the success of the late Robert Wangila Napunyi at the 1988 Games in Seoul.

"We had plans to bring in a coach from Cuba to assist our local trainers with knowledge on the latest ways of approaching the sport but it was too expensive for us that we had to put it on hold," the national Olympics chief and IOC member disclosed.

He added that a second option to send Kenyan coaches to the island nation did not also materialize owing to lack of funds but it was still a priority for his committee for future editions of the Games.

However, he was of the view that the management tussles in the federation may have resulted to the dismal display at the qualifiers where only one of the ten pugilists sealed their London tickets.

"We need to iron out these differences that arise in our federations like those that happened during crucial qualification process in boxing when they ought to have been working as a unit," stressed Keino.

The feud centers on ABA chairman, William Kameta and his rival, Samson Mugacha of the Nairobi branch of the federation over the control of the local boxing body that intensified in the run-up to the African qualifiers that saw boxers from the capital skip Kenya 's selection events held in Nakuru in February.

Gicharu, the Kenya Police boxer, lost the qualifiers final to Botswana's Oteng Oteng 16-5 having booked his ticket by stopping Ghanaian Micah Akueteh 17-14 in the semis. It was the first meeting between the pair since the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games where the Kenyan out-scored Oteng 5-4 in the semis of the flyweight division.

Other notable performers from the country that sent five to the Beijing Games at the Algiers qualifiers were Daniel Shisia who bowed out 11-10 to Maxwell Amposah of Ghana in the heavy weight semis while Charles Okoth lost 11- 9 Morocco's Unathi Mohammed in the super heavy class at the same stage.

ABA secretary general Isaac Abote said the team did their best only losing through slim margins to their opponents with four making it through to the quarters.

"It's unfortunate that only one boxer will represent us in London down from the five in Beijing but the standards of the sport in the continent have grown and we have to match up to them going into the future," Abote said.

Algeria leads the highest number of qualifications this year with six ahead of Egypt with five while Cameron and Ghana have four each in African countries.

Kenya had entered ten pugilists at the event that involved 154 boxers from 30 countries contesting for 48 Olympics slots. The Kenyan squad is expected to arrive back in the country on Tuesday.

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Tornado hits Japan

Updated: 2012-05-07 13:58

(Agencies)

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Sports

- Countdown to London Olympics - April 19

- London Stadium ready to welcome the world

- Marbury on charity tour in SW China

- Marbury on charity tour in SW China

- Sole boxer to represent Kenya in London Olympics

- LOCOG kicks off full test of Olympic Park

- Zhang Dan/Zhang Hao part ways

- Runner-up finish puts McIlroy back at No 1

- Federer has no fear of the Blues in Madrid

- Oh baby, Conca's in more trouble

- Evergrande fully focused on mission in Thailand

- Li Na advances in Madrid Open

- O'Sullivan mulls future after fourth world win

- Djokovic has focus back after bereavement

- Serena sails through, Venus crashes out

- Kiteboarding takes wind out of surfers' sails

- Chambers confident of making London team

- Jumping for joy at Juventus

- Key players

- Gymnast Cheng eyes 3rd Olympic appearance

- Firms prepare to keep London working

- Beijing Int'l Sudoku Tournament will kick off

- Lakers go 3-1 up on Nuggets

- Beckham tops Britain's sports wealth league

- Liu Xiang: 13.09 seconds satisfactory

- Molinari gets 3rd Tour title at Spanish Open

- Fowler wins first PGA title in playoff

- African men dominant at Vancouver Marathon

- Chen Nan's wedding slam dunk

- Volleyball coach accused of abduction

- Federer fresh for clay swing after break

- Bolt speeds to year's fastest 100 metres

- Paper smuggles fake bomb into London Games park

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Countdown to London Olympics

Updated: 2012-05-08 18:11

(chinadaily.com.cn)

China Daily website provides a brief summary of the latest news related to London Olympics.

May 8

London Stadium ready to welcome the world

The Olympic stadium, the beating heart of the Games when the world's greatest athletes come to London in 82 days' time, was formally opened on Saturday by a nine-year-old girl who lives down the road. [Full story]

Chambers confident of making London team

An emotional Dwain Chambers said on Monday he had learned from a doping ban and was confident he could qualify for the London Olympics after a British ban on drug offenders was over-ruled last week.

"At this day and age, with the current crop of athletes and sprinters, you know that's (qualifying) becoming harder and harder," said the 34-year-old Londoner. [Full story]

Sole boxer to represent Kenya in London Olympics

National Olympic Committee Kenya chair, Kipchoge Keino avers supremacy wrangles in the Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) resulted in the country's only one pugilist qualifying for the London Olympics.

Commonwealth silver medallist, Ben Gicharu will be the only flag bearer for the nation after coming through as a losing finalist in the flyweight division at the Africa qualifiers that concluded in Algiers, Algeria over the weekend. [Full story]

May 7

Bolt speeds to year's fastest 100m

Jamaican Olympic champion Usain Bolt held his nerve afte

r two false starts by competitors and powered to the year's fastest 100 metres at the Jamaica International Invitational on Saturday.[Full story]

Paper smuggles fake bomb into London Games park

A newspaper embarrassed the organisers of the 2012 Olympic Games on Sunday by disclosing it had smuggled a fake bomb past two security checkpoints into the London complex housing the sporting festival's main stadiums.[Full story]

May 4

Olympic hockey surface defended after injury

London 2012 officials have defended the preparation of the Olympic hockey pitch after one of Australia's players picked up an injury on the artificial blue surface that ruled him out of the Games.[Full story]

British wrestler suspended after positive test

Britain's top Olympic hope in Greco-Roman wrestling, Ukraine-born Myroslav Dykun, has been suspended and risks missing London 2012 after failing a dope test, British Wrestling said on Thursday. [Full story]

May 3

Wang's Olympic dream at risk

Wang Yimei, a top attacker in China's national women's volleyball team, injured her right ankle during training in Ningbo, Zhengjiang province, and was transferred to Beijing for treatment on April 30, 2012. [Full story]

London Games organisers braced for biggest test yet

London 2012 organisers braced themselves for their biggest test of the Olympic Park on Wednesday while assuring spectators that airport-style security would not mean hours of queuing to get in.

Six test events are taking place at five venues over the next week with 11,000 staff, including volunteer 'Games Makers', learning the ropes and seeking to iron out any problems before the July 27 opening ceremony. [Full story]

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Marbury on charity tour in SW China

Updated: 2012-05-08 15:43

(chinadaily.com.cn)

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Marbury on charity tour in SW China

Updated: 2012-05-08 15:43

(chinadaily.com.cn)

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Sole boxer to represent Kenya in London Olympics

Updated: 2012-05-08 14:44

(Xinhua)

NAIROBI - National Olympic Committee Kenya chair, Kipchoge Keino avers supremacy wrangles in the Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) resulted in the country's only one pugilist qualifying for the London Olympics.

Commonwealth silver medallist, Ben Gicharu will be the only flag bearer for the nation after coming through as a losing finalist in the flyweight division at the Africa qualifiers that concluded in Algiers, Algeria over the weekend.

Keino added there was need to invest more in modern training techniques for the country to claim a second Olympics gold medal at the discipline following the success of the late Robert Wangila Napunyi at the 1988 Games in Seoul.

"We had plans to bring in a coach from Cuba to assist our local trainers with knowledge on the latest ways of approaching the sport but it was too expensive for us that we had to put it on hold," the national Olympics chief and IOC member disclosed.

He added that a second option to send Kenyan coaches to the island nation did not also materialize owing to lack of funds but it was still a priority for his committee for future editions of the Games.

However, he was of the view that the management tussles in the federation may have resulted to the dismal display at the qualifiers where only one of the ten pugilists sealed their London tickets.

"We need to iron out these differences that arise in our federations like those that happened during crucial qualification process in boxing when they ought to have been working as a unit," stressed Keino.

The feud centers on ABA chairman, William Kameta and his rival, Samson Mugacha of the Nairobi branch of the federation over the control of the local boxing body that intensified in the run-up to the African qualifiers that saw boxers from the capital skip Kenya 's selection events held in Nakuru in February.

Gicharu, the Kenya Police boxer, lost the qualifiers final to Botswana's Oteng Oteng 16-5 having booked his ticket by stopping Ghanaian Micah Akueteh 17-14 in the semis. It was the first meeting between the pair since the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games where the Kenyan out-scored Oteng 5-4 in the semis of the flyweight division.

Other notable performers from the country that sent five to the Beijing Games at the Algiers qualifiers were Daniel Shisia who bowed out 11-10 to Maxwell Amposah of Ghana in the heavy weight semis while Charles Okoth lost 11- 9 Morocco's Unathi Mohammed in the super heavy class at the same stage.

ABA secretary general Isaac Abote said the team did their best only losing through slim margins to their opponents with four making it through to the quarters.

"It's unfortunate that only one boxer will represent us in London down from the five in Beijing but the standards of the sport in the continent have grown and we have to match up to them going into the future," Abote said.

Algeria leads the highest number of qualifications this year with six ahead of Egypt with five while Cameron and Ghana have four each in African countries.

Kenya had entered ten pugilists at the event that involved 154 boxers from 30 countries contesting for 48 Olympics slots. The Kenyan squad is expected to arrive back in the country on Tuesday.

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LOCOG kicks off full test of Olympic Park

Updated: 2012-05-08 14:42

(Xinhua)

LONDON - The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) started its full-scale test of the Olympic Park last week as it delivers six final sporting test events as part of the London Prepares series.

During the first comprehensive operational test of the Park and general spectator areas, testing will focus on security processes, ticketing operations, mobility services and Park-wide logistics, plus venue and sport-specific testing.

The 11,000 workforce, including Games Makers, will be in operation as LOCOG deliver six major sports events in five venues over seven days - three Olympic and three Paralympic.

Over 140,000 spectators will watch 3,000 athletes take part in hockey, wheelchair tennis, water polo, athletics, boccia and Paralympic athletics.

At peak times over 60 Pedestrian Screening Areas at Stratford Gate and 15 at Greenway Gate will allow access for a minimum of 4,000 spectators to enter the Park each day, peaking at approximately 75,000 on May 5.

The Olympic Stadium will host the BUCS Outdoor Athletics Championships and the London Disability Grand Prix, supported by UK Sport, as well over 40,000 spectators on the evening of May 5 for the '2012 hours to go' event which will see the Stadium officially opened by a member of the audience.

The Riverbank Arena, Eton Manor and the Water Polo Arena will host their first sporting competitions; the International Invitational Hockey Tournament, Eton Manor Wheelchair Tennis International anda Water Polo International, where athletes will help test the field of play, equipment, results, scoring and timing systems and workforce training.

Seb Coe, LOCOG Chair said: "We are now in the final stages of the testing program. Testing the Olympic Park and its operations is a hugely important part of our plans.

"Over the last 10 months, over 250,000 spectators have watched world-class sport as part of the 'London Prepares series' test event program, and, in doing so, every one of them is helping us deliver the best possible Games this summer."

The Olympic Park is at its busiest as preparation for the Games continues. While delivering test events, work continues on temporary installation for London 2012 concessions and buildings due to be completed in early June, while sponsors complete their own installations including showcasing areas by early July.

A large amount of work by broadcasters to cable around the Park will be completed by mid July, to ensure the general public get the best quality TV coverage of the Games, and landscaping and dressing the Park with flags and banners will continue right up until Games time.

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Zhangs part ways

Updated: 2012-05-08 07:46

By Lei Lei (China Daily)

Veteran figure skating pair splits as Dan calls it a day on stellar career

China's renowned figure skating pair of Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao are gliding off in different directions.

Zhang Dan, the Turin Winter Olympic pairs silver medalist, announced her retirement from the ice on Sunday night, while her partner, Hao, has already started training with Peng Cheng in a bid for more glory at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

"We respect Zhang Dan's decision, so we approved her retirement application," said Yao Bin, head coach of China's figure skating team.

"Since Zhang Hao still wants to continue, we have found a new partner for him. The new duo has been training for more than 10 days. Although their teamwork is starting from scratch, they are making progress each day."

The Zhangs were a team for 14 years and stunned the skating world in 2006 when they recovered from a nasty fall at the Turin Winter Olympic Games to claim silver.

During the pairs free skating competition in Turin, Dan crashed into the side barrier and was left sprawled on the ice after falling during a quadruple throw, which would have made history had they landed it successfully. The pair had to interrupt its performance before Dan recovered and was able to continue. Skating to the music of The Offspring of Drag, the pair earned a standing ovation from more than 6,000 fans at the Palavela rink. Their courageous action inspired the figure skating world and they became national heroes after the competition.

After the Turin Games, the pair battled injuries and settled for silver medals at the 2008 and 2009 World Championships.

However, Dan's continued growth became a major problem for the veteran pair in recent years. At about 1.69m, she was among the tallest female skaters in pairs and it became more and more difficult for Hao to handle her. He injured a hand during a training session in 2010, which led to the pair missing the whole of the 2010-2011 season.

"If I'm too tall, it might be difficult for my partner to do the twists, lifts and throws," Dan said. "I will face more resistance in the air, so the pose won't look as good as others. It's a big obstacle to our teamwork.

"If Hao and I can't make further progress, we can't achieve more at the 2014 Winter Games. A new partner may give Hao more chance in Sochi.

"I don't have too many regrets about retiring. After all, I have gained an Olympic silver medal. I teamed up with Hao for nearly 15 years and we worked hard and gave our all in training and competitions. Although we didn't grab the opportunity to earn a gold at the worlds or Olympics, we have no regrets as we tried our best."

Dan is now planning to study at the Beijing Sport University.

"No matter what I do in the future, studying will be good for me," Dan said. "I have no plans after studying. I don't like to be bound to something, so I probably can't be a coach. But I won't ever be too far away (from skating)."

Meanwhile, Hao gave her his blessings.

"Thank you for your help, tolerance and understanding to me during out 14 years together," Hao said on his weibo account on Monday.

"All the details of our training and studying together remain fresh memories for me. We were happy when we succeeded and we encouraged each other when we lost. I will remember all your efforts. I wish you a bright future in study and daily life. I believe your perseverance will lead you to a successful future."

Hao's main priority now is to get used to his new partner and re-enter competitions. Peng, who is 16 and started pairs skating only a year ago, finished sixth with Zhang Tianci at the National Winter Games.

"We selected Peng for Hao due to her stature and abilities. Through days of training, Hao is satisfied with her," coach Yao said. "But Hao still has to control his power with his partner, so they have to get used to each other gradually."

According to Yao, the new pair is now training for the 2012-2013 season, which will start with the Grand Prix series in October. Zhang and Peng will try to qualify for the World Championships next year and then the 2014 Games.

leilei@chinadaily.com.cn

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Runner-up finish puts McIlroy back at No 1

Updated: 2012-05-08 07:46

(China Daily)

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy reclaimed golf's world No 1 ranking on Sunday despite falling to Rickie Fowler in a playoff at the US PGA Tour's Wells Fargo Championship.

McIlroy, who celebrated his 23rd birthday on Friday, regained the summit a week after he was supplanted by England's Luke Donald.

The two have exchanged the top spot for the past two months, and McIlroy needed only a top-seven finish at Quail Hollow to return to No 1.

"It's a little consolation," McIlroy said. "I would rather win the tournament, but it's good.

"You know, I want to try and play well for the next few weeks and try and solidify my spot there at No 1 and hopefully start by doing that next week and giving myself another chance to win."

McIlroy, who will defend his US Open title in June, will tee it up in the US tour's Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass on Thursday after skipping the event last year.

McIlroy, who won his first US title on the same Quail Hollow course in 2010, finished tied for second on Sunday with D.A. Points, both parring the first playoff hole as Fowler birdied for the victory.

"Overall it's been a decent week," McIlroy said. "To come back after three weeks off and get myself in the mix - I gave myself a chance to win - was nice."

McIlroy said he was delighted for Fowler, another 23-year-old who has been touted as a rising star but who had been unable to land that first US Tour win until Sunday.

"It's great to see," McIlroy said. "He probably has gone through a lot of scrutiny and a lot of pressure trying to get that first win out of the way. Hopefully that'll ease the pressure a little bit."

Agence France-Presse in Charlotte, North Carolina

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Federer has no fear of the Blues in Madrid

Updated: 2012-05-08 07:46

(China Daily)

Unorthodox courts have not fazed Swiss ace, but Nadal is not impressed by the change

Blue clay courts at the Madrid Masters hold no fears for former champion Roger Federer, with the confident Swiss insisting on Sunday he will be ready for any conditions when he begins play in the second round.

Federer, the third seed and 2009 champion, who beat Rafael Nadal to lift that title, has had two days of training on the experimental - and controversial - blue courts laid down at the Caja Magica.

Game day and practice sessions are two completely different situations, but the Swiss is not worried about what he might find in the heat of battle on the unorthodox surface.

"I've played on it for two days, but not on center court," said Federer, back on the ATP Tour after more than five weeks of holiday rest and training.

"It feels a bit different than regular clay. Maybe it's the visual aspect. It's been cool and rainy so far here. It will be interesting to see how it is in hot and nice weather.

"There is still some waiting to do and matches are quite a bit different than practices. I have to wait for my match to come around to give a proper opinion."

Federer will play against the winner from a high-voltage opening-round tie between Argentine hard-man David Nalbandian and Canadian serving sensation Milos Raonic.

The Swiss said the jury is still out on the blue-clay plan put into action by the tournament's billionaire impresario Ion Tiriac, the man who brought catwalk models onto court as ball girls in another experiment that has paid public relations dividends for the ATP-WTA Masters 1000.

World No 2 Nadal, by contrast, has been complaining for weeks about the initiative, blaming the ATP for allowing former CEO Adam Helfant to quietly approve the plan without consulting the board.

The Spaniard has been playing the tennis tradition card - usually the one dealt by Federer on most issues - by lamenting the change in color.

"This is an innovation and every innovation has a risk," Nadal said on Sunday. "The courts are there and we have to adapt to them - me also.

"This is about history. The earth is red, not blue. Tennis is not only about showbusiness. There are more things to appreciate - history and tradition.

"Some symbolic things in the world should be preserved."

Federer said judgement on the clay has yet to be made.

"Does the younger generation need blue clay in order to get excited about tennis?" asked the 30-year-old world No 3. "I don't know as I've not spoken to thousands and thousands of kids about it.

"We'll soon hear the echoes from this week from players, fans and media. A close look will be taken once this is done so that a decision can be made for the next years after this test of the blue clay."

The 16-time Grand Slam champion who won six of eight events from late 2011 through to Indian Wells in mid-March, is confident about his form heading into the pre-French Open event in Madrid.

"I feel good about my chances of playing well over the next few months," he said.

"But I'm coming back onto clay in the home of Rafa, who has been so dominant on this surface for so many years.

"I have a big task ahead of me. But my focus is to get through my tough draw and get on a roll again. I'm happy and excited to be playing again.

"I had a long time off, but I needed it because I've played so much recently. We've got a lot on our plates coming up so I want to be fresh in the mind and with the body to aim for the big goals that I have."

Agence France-Presse in Madrid

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Oh baby, Conca's in more trouble

Updated: 2012-05-08 07:46

By Qiu Quanlin in Guangzhou (China Daily)

Things seem to be going from bad to worse for Guangzhou Evergrande midfielder Dario Conca.

The Argentinean was suspended for nine matches and fined 1 million yuan ($159,000) for publicly criticizing coach Lee Jang-soo after being taken off the pitch during the club's AFC Champions League match against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at home on May 1.

If that wasn't enough, the AFC is also planning to punish Conca for taking his son onto the ground during the opening ceremony of that encounter, sources at Evergrande said.

Conca's son, Benjamin, was born on March 15 in Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong province.

According to AFC Champions League regulations, players are not allowed to take their children onto the pitch, but Conca ignored the match commissioner's warning and waved to the home crowd and kissed his son before the match.

Conca scored a penalty in the 14th minute, but Guangzhou went on to lose 3-1 against the defending K-League champion.

The AFC is yet to make a final ruling over Conca's behavior. But the Guangzhou club said the Argentine would have to pay any fine levied against him.

Sources at Evergrande also said the club had talked about possible recriminations with Conca if he took his son onto the ground.

This latest infraction follows his outburst against the club's coach on his weibo account on Thursday.

The 28-year-old, who became one of the world's highest-paid players when the Guangzhou side signed him last July, stormed off the pitch and later criticized Lee for replacing him after playing only 60 minutes of the game against Jeonbuk.

The club said Conca made improper remarks about the coach, refused to respect the authority of the head coach and had brought a bad influence on the entire team.

The club's statement urged the Argentine star to respect the coaches and team discipline. It was not the first time the attacking midfielder had been fined by the club. In January, he received a 150,000 yuan penalty for arriving late for training.

Lee said the decision to replace Conca on the field was due to the fact he was in poor physical condition after some less than inspiring performances at training.

"We decided to let him play for only 60 minutes before the game. Any decisions by the coach should be respected by the players," Lee said.

Conca later told a Brazilian newspaper the punishment was too harsh and he planned to talk with the club's managers about the suspension and fine.

Following the ban, Conca spent time with his family on Sunday night while Evergrande tackled Dalian Aerbin in the Chinese Super league; he even posted a picture of the gathering on his weibo.

"He is out of action. But he is required to join each training," Lee said of Conca's current status with the league-leading side.

qiuquanlin@chinadaily.com.cn

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Evergrande fully focused on mission in Thailand

Updated: 2012-05-08 07:46

By Qiu Quanlin in Guangzhou (China Daily)

Defending Chinese Super League champion Guangzhou Evergrande has been rocked by the internal punishment it meted out to Dario Conca after the Argentinean striker's recent outburst against head coach Lee Jang-soo.

However, the South Korean coach is more interested in winning a ticket to the next round of the AFC Champions League than anything Conca wrote on his weibo account.

"The game against Buriram United will be the last group match for us in the AFC Champions League we hope we can still play at home in the next round," Lee said.

After a 3-1 home loss to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on May 1, Guangzhou Evergrande is second in Group H with seven points, leaving the side with a tough task to advance to the knockout stage.

To prepare for the coming match, the team sent scouts to Thailand three days ago.

Meanwhile, the side was to fly to the Southeast Asian country on Tuesday, two days after its 2-1 win at home over Dalian Aerbin in the Chinese Super league.

"I will not be present for the next domestic league match. All we are concerned about now is winning our last group match in the AFC Champions League," Lee said.

The Guangzhou side will play Buriram United on May 15.

"It might be the last match for us in the AFC competition. Only through winning the game can we be sure of going through to the knockout stage," he said.

Following second-placed Guangzhou R&F's 4-2 loss to Shanghai Shenxin and Jiangsu Sainty's 3-1 loss against Guizhou Renhe over the weekend, Guangzhou Evergrande is four points clear at the top of the domestic league.

"We will send another lineup to play Dalian Shide on Friday while our major players will be going all out to prepare for the AFC Champions League match," Lee said.

During the domestic league win over Aerbin on Sunday, captain Zheng Zhi was moved to the forward line to take over Conca's role after the striker was banned for at least nine matches for offensive comments he posted on his weibo account aimed at the club's coach.

Brazilian striker Muriqui's solo effort in the 40th minute gave Guangzhou Evergrande the lead over Aerbin and Cleo added another goal, from a penalty, in the second half.

"We are experiencing a hard situation due to tight schedules in the domestic and Asian competitions. The boys are really tired. So we have to establish two lineups to play in the competitions," Lee said.

Muriqui was replaced by Wu Pingfeng after the Brazilian international suffered a left-leg muscle strain soon after his goal.

"Muriqui will be able to play in the AFC Champions League match as his injury is not serious," Lee said.

qiuquanlin@chinadaily.com.cn

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Li Na advances in Madrid Open

Updated: 2012-05-08 09:50

(Xinhua)

MADRID - China's Li Na sailed to the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open on Monday night after clinching a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 win over Silvia Soler-Espinosa.

The world number eight showed no mercy to the Spaniard, breaking her serve twice in the first set and winning six consecutive games to wrap up her win in just over an hour, a good thing given that the game had not started until 10pm local time.

"I just have to follow by, but the three matches before were so tough that I couldn't do anything, I only had to follow the schedule. I would like to say that I wasn't feeling bad, I was still happy with the way I played on court," Li Na told Xinhua.

She discussed the controversial blue beaten clay playing surface, which is being used for the first time in a major competition

"For me it is not difficult, but it is a different color, it is the first time we have played blue clay, before we always played on red clay and we are not used to it, but after you have been here for two or three days, its not that different and you get used to it. The first time I saw it, it looked like a swimming pool...I was a little bit surprised," she admitted.

Li Na's win this Monday sets up a last 16 tie against German number 12 seed, Angelique Kerber, who recently defeated her in Indian Wells.

Li Na admitted the tie game her the chance to avenge that defeat.

"I would like to say it was a good match in Indian Wells, the next round is another challenge, but right now, I don't even think about it. I will have a day off tomorrow, prepare for practice and then be ready for the next round," she concluded.

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O'Sullivan mulls future after fourth world win

Updated: 2012-05-08 09:30

(Agencies)

SHEFFIELD, England - Ronnie O'Sullivan is considering his future in the game after winning the world snooker championship for a fourth time with an 18-11 victory over Ali Carter on Monday.

O'Sullivan called on the game's governing body, World Snooker, to treat players fairly, adding that he could quit due to the pressure to compete in an increasing number of tournaments across the globe.

"I'm quite happy to move on, if I have to, because there's a lot out there for me to do," O'Sullivan told reporters.

"I know there's still a bit more in the tank for me in snooker but certain people need to start doing the right thing.

"It's up to the governing body to treat the players right and say that they don'texpect the players to travel to 28 tournaments a year.

"I'm prepared to work as hard as anyone but I just want to be treated fairly and I think the top players need to be treated fairly.

"If players don't play in the minor events, you know they're going to drop out of the top 16 and you know they're going to have to qualify for tournaments. I think there's a better way of doing it.

"I don't like feeling that you're being blackmailed or forced to play in certain events. I'm not going to hang around for another two years to wait until things become what I believe to be fair.

O'Sullivan said the ruling body had a chance to sort the situation out.

"I've made plans but I'm not making any knee-jerk reactions. I'm having four, five or six months off and then I'll assess the situation," he said.

"I've had a long time to think about everything I've done. I'm not saying I have retired but what I am saying is that my family has become the most important thing in my life."

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Djokovic has focus back after bereavement

Updated: 2012-05-08 09:58

(Agencies)

MADRID - A two-week break following the death of his grandfather has allowed Novak Djokovic to regain his focus in time to defend his Madrid Open title this week, the world number one said on Monday.

In his last competitive match, Djokovic was crushed 6-3 6-1 by Rafa Nadal in the Monte Carlo Open final, three days after receiving the news about his relative.

He then pulled out of the Serbia Open in Belgrade saying he had "no emotional energy left and needed to rest.

"I have had some time since my last tournament in Monte Carlo to regroup and prepare for what's coming up and I skipped my hometown tournament because of the circumstances I was in," Djokovic told reporters.

"I didn't find it was the right time to perform in another tournament. I just wasn't emotionally ready, so I got that extra week to rest, and to prepare, and to practise and now what happened is behind me, and I feel good."

Djokovic's defeat to Nadal in Monte Carlo was his first reverse against the Spaniard in eight meetings, a run which included beating the world number two in Madrid last year during an outstanding 2011.

The lanky Serb said the rest had also done him good as he sets out on a hectic schedule from now on, which includes a tilt at a fourth Grand Slam title in a row in the French Open at the end of the month.

"It is a very busy season now," he added. "We have Madrid, we have Rome, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the Olympic Games. It's a lot of tournaments in a short period of time."

Djokovic, like most of the competitors in Madrid, has been questioned about the controversial blue clay courts being used for the first time in a tournament.

"My opinion is that there are certain differences in the blue clay when compared to the red clay," he said, without specifying.

"We can talk about it a lot but we already have it here in front of us. The only thing that is a little disappointing from the players' point of view is that this was decided without the players' agreement.

"I'm not blaming the tournament, because they are fighting for their own interests, but I am sure the ATP could have done better job in representing the players rights.

"As I understand, we have the agreement for one year so we'll see what's going to happen at the end of the week."

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Serena sails through, Venus crashes out

Updated: 2012-05-08 09:30

(Agencies)

MADRID - Serena Williams marked her first European appearance of the season with victory on the Madrid Open's striking blue clay courts on Monday, but her sister Venus crashed out in the second round.

Holder Petra Kvitova also started well as the third seed defeated New Zealander Marina Erakovic 6-2 6-3.

Towering Czech Kvitova beat Victoria Azarenka in the final last year before going on to win the Wimbledon title.

The only seeded player to fall was number 15 Jelena Jankovic who went out to Spanish wildcard Carla Suarez 4-6 7-6 6-4 in the first round.

Serena Williams, who reached the third round the last time she played in Madrid in 2010, powered past last week's Budapest Grand Prix runner-up Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-3 6-1.

The ninth seed delivered some powerful serves, hitting 14 aces to set up a meeting with another Russian, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, in the next round.

"I was feeling good," Williams told reporters. "It's my first tournament in Europe this year and I just hope I can keep up the good form," added the American who has yet to lose in eight clay outings this season.

"I haven't noticed a difference between the blue and the red clay. I think it's the same, it's just you don't get as dirty,"  added Williams.

Venus entered Madrid on a wildcard as she started her third tournament after seven months out suffering with Sjogren's Syndrome, an auto-immune disease which causes fatigue and joint soreness.

The former world number one struggled past Romania's Simona Halep in three sets on Saturday, but crumpled against stronger opposition on Monday falling 6-4 6-1 to 12th seed Angelique Kerber of Germany.

Kerber, 24, is in the midst of her breakout season with both her career title coming in 2012.

China's Li Na, the eighth seed, joined Kerber in the last 16 with a straightforward victory over Spanish wildcard Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-3 6-1.

Czech qualifier Andrea Hlavackova and compatriot Lucie Hradecka, Italian Sara Errani, Russia's Ekaterina Makarova, and Estonia's Kaia Kanepi also made it through to the second round.

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Kiteboarding takes wind out of surfers' sails

Updated: 2012-05-08 09:17

(Agencies)

MELBOURNE - The surprise decision to chop windsurfing from the Olympic programme has prompted jeers from leading athletes, but is being hailed by kiteboarders whose discipline will be showcased for the first time at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) announced the decision to include men's and women's kiteboarding at the expense of windsurfing over the weekend, describing it as a "fantastic addition" for the 2016 Games.

"Obviously we've got quite a few young sailors in particular who have been campaigning and building a campaign particularly with 2016 in mind and I guess we've been investing via national windsurfing programmes," Peter Conde, Yachting Australia's high performance director, told Reuters on Monday.

"Clearly those sailors are pretty devastated. At least at first (glance) it looks like their dreams have been dashed by this decision.

"I guess it remains to be seen as to whether many of those athletes might want to take a fresh look and embrace kiteboarding as a new discipline. I guess we'd be encouraging them to look at it."

Windsurfing federations have vowed to pressure sailing's global governing body ISAF to re-instate the sport, with Britain's Bryony Shaw, Olympic bronze medallist at Beijing's Games, supporting an online petition.

Britain's Nick Dempsey, who came fourth at Beijing, said on his Facebook account: "That was a big decision and a very sad day for windsurfing.

"My heart goes out to all the aspiring champions and kids with dreams of windsurfing at the Olympics."

HUGE BLOW

Ben Finkelstein, coach of women's world champion Lee Korzits, voiced concerns to Reuters in a telephone interview about the cost implications of the switch.

"Professional surfers who decide to make the change will be able to use their skills to adapt but I am much more worried about all the clubs and the less expert, young surfers.

"It is a completely different discipline and if we want to nurture competitors in the new discipline it will mean changing the equipment and that will require a huge outlay."

British sailing performance director Luke Derbyshire expressed surprise at the timing of the decision.

"The decision to replace windsurfing with kiteboarding will of course be a huge blow to the windsurfing community, and we're disappointed for all those who are working at the coal face of the RYA's windsurfing programmes to deliver activity and British success on the world stage who will be affected most by this decision," he told local media.

"Kiteboarding made a solid case for its Olympic inclusion at the March trials and although a surprise that ISAF has voted it into the Olympic programme at this stage, it appears that the Council of ISAF wished to seize the opportunity, rather than wait until 2020," he said.

Yachting New Zealand chief executive Dave Abercrombie suggested there was little hope of the decision being reversed, given past experience.

"If you go to the last ISAF evaluation process when the Elliott 6 (metre) was removed and more recently the Star was removed, both of those organisations jumped up and down but nothing changed, so my gut feeling is it will probably stay as it is," he told local media, referring to the now-defunct sailing categories.

"We have no (kiteboard) racing, as such, in this country, and if we're going to get up to speed at Olympic level, we're going to have to find athletes, evaluate their ability, and get them racing offshore in competitive fleets."

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Chambers confident of making London team

Updated: 2012-05-08 09:08

(Agencies)

KINGSTON - An emotional Dwain Chambers said on Monday he had learned from a doping ban and was confident he could qualify for the London Olympics after a British ban on drug offenders was over-ruled last week.

"At this day and age, with the current crop of athletes and sprinters, you know that's (qualifying) becoming harder and harder," the 34-year-old Londoner told Reuters in an interview.

"But I'm feeling confident about that. I have a good schedule of races lined up," the 2010 world 60 metres champion said after a workout in Jamaica where he has been training with former 100 metres world record holder Asafa Powell.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled against the British Olympic Association's lifetime Olympic ban for drug cheats, clearing the way for Chambers and cyclist David Millar to be win selection to Britain's Olympic team.

"It's a good opportunity," Chambers said. "I've learned from my mistake ... but I still have to qualify."

Britain's top sprinter said he would try to make the British team in just the 100 metres at the June 22-24 selection meeting in Birmingham. He also hopes to be named to Britain's 4x100 metres relay.

"I think the 200 metres is a little too far for me at this day and age," he said with a smile. "I'm just going to concentrate purely on getting my 100 metres as efficient as possible, and I'm learning a lot working with MVP (track club) which has some of the fastest athletes in the world."

He will race against Jamaican triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt over 100 metres in Ostrava on May 25.

Chambers, fourth in the 100 at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, said he did not expect any backlash to his Olympics bid from fellow British runners.

"In time, certainly, people will get their heads around it," he said. "I have a good rapport with my team mates."

He praised his wife, four children and friends for keeping him motivated "because it was really hard".

Chambers also promised to work on changing the public's perception of him.

"I am sensitive to the fact that there are a lot of people out there who have their views about my inclusion in the Olympic Games and all I can do is try my best and mend bridges where possible," he said.

Chambers was slapped with a two-year ban in 2004 after testing positive for the designer steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG).

He has been eligibile since 2006 to compete for British teams other than the Olympics.

"All I can do is just go out there and perform to the best of my ability," Chambers said. "But ultimately I want to just concentrate on becoming an athlete again and enjoying the opportunity to represent my country."

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Jumping for joy at Juventus

Updated: 2012-05-08 07:46

(China Daily)

Youthful Conte returns the Old Lady of Turin to its former glory

Anything Massimiliano Allegri and AC Milan can do, Antonio Conte (pictured) and Juventus can do just as well, and a year younger.

A year ago, Allegri led Milan to its first Serie A title in seven years in his first season at the club, and at just 43 years of age.

One season on and Conte has matched that feat, bringing Juve a first scudetto since 2003 in his debut campaign for the Old Lady of Turin, and a year younger than Allegri.

It's a remarkable trend that has seen Italy's biggest and most prestigious clubs shuffle the old guard out the door and put their faith in young, energetic and dynamic coaches.

Inter Milan may not have won anything this season but it has gone to the extremes, hiring a coach in Andrea Stramaccioni who is younger even at 36 than some of its players.

And yet this faith in youth has born fruit with Milan and Juve picking up the title in the past two years.

Milan let Carlo Ancelotti leave for Chelsea and, while things didn't work out with Leonardo, a year later Allegri turned the promise he'd shown in two years at the Cagliari helm into concrete silverware.

Now Conte has done likewise after succeeding another elder statesman in Luigi Delneri.

Conte's achievement cannot be overstated, despite the resources at his disposal.

It is true that Juve is traditional giant, the most supported club across the country and it has spent huge amounts on trying to bring success back to a club hit hard by its involvement in the Calciopoli scandal in 2006.

Relegated for match-fixing, it saw stars such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Fabio Cannavaro and Patrick Vieira jump ship rather than spend a season in Serie B.

It spent a lot of money to rebuild having come back up at the first attempt but shelling out the euros does not guarantee success by any means.

Since coming back into the top flight, Juve went through four different coaches in four seasons before turning to its former captain and midfield general Conte.

And while there is no doubt that over the previous two seasons the Juve whole was very much worth less than the sum of its parts, recalibrating that anomaly has been to Conte's credit.

Whereas big money signings such as Diego, Amauri and Felipe Melo came and went without producing an impact to match their transfer fees and salaries, Conte has got the best out of his squad.

Juve is no less filled with Italy internationals and first choice starters from other national teams now than it was pre-Conte but the emotional coach has managed to gel them.

And that despite even more limited Serie A experience than Allegri.

The Milan coach had spent two years at Cagliari before moving to the rossoneri but Conte's only previous top-flight coaching chance was an unsuccessful 3 1/2 month spell at Atalanta.

However, he had shown in winning the Serie B title with Bari in 2009 and guiding Siena to promotion to Serie A two season later that he could build a winning side, and more importantly motivate players.

Motivation has been a crucial part of Conte's repertoire and to see him jumping up and down on the touchline, veins popping out of his neck, face crimson red and mouth open in full scream, you can see how much this job and success means to him.

Conte was exactly what Juve needed, a son of the club, whose 13 years there as a player coincided with one of the greatest periods in the team's history.

Reuters in Milan

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Key players

Updated: 2012-05-08 07:46

(China Daily)

These were the players who stood out throughout the 2011-12 season:

Andrea Pirlo (36 league games/3 goals)

A year ago, AC Milan decided the elegant midfield playmaker's best days were behind him and opted not to offer him the new contract he wanted.

He was already 32 when he joined a Juve team looking to rebuild from scratch after a second disastrous season in a row ended in a seventh-place finish and the failure to qualify for Europe.

An ageing and fragile midfielder discarded by the champions was perhaps not the obvious choice, but Pirlo has been the catalyst behind Juve's success.

He proved he has lost none of his swagger, vision or range of passing, and has been by far the stand-out performer; not just for his club, but throughout the whole league.

Pirlo has set the pace, rhythm and tempo that Juve has played at and brought teammates around him into the game and put them into dangerous positions.

Arturo Vidal (33/7)

He has formed an excellent partnership with Pirlo and also Claudio Marchisio in coach Antonio Conte's 3-man midfield.

Claudio Marchisio (36/9)

Something of an unsung hero, certainly outside of his homeland, this midfielder has made a crucial contribution to Juve's success.

Gianluigi Buffon (35/0)

The Italy goalkeeper's experience has been crucial as the team's skipper with official club captain Alessandro Del Piero usually warming the bench.

Organizing the defense in front of him, Buffon has been a point of reference and a vital cog in the best defense in the league.

(China Daily 05/08/2012 page22)

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Gymnast Cheng eyes 3rd Olympic appearance

Updated: 2012-05-08 09:05

(Xinhua)

SHANGHAI - Chinese veteran gymnast Cheng Fei will be bidding for her third Olympic appearance when the national championships, which serves as domestic trials for the London Olympics, gets underway here on Tuesday.

Cheng, 24, is the oldest active female gymnast in China and has pocketed one gold and two bronzes from two Olympic Games - 2004 in Athens and 2008 in Beijing.

According to Chinese national team leader Ye Zhennan, Cheng needs to prove she is still competent on the vault and floor, both her specialties, to earn a place in the Olympic squad.

After the National Games in 2009, Cheng decided to take a break due to her knee injuries. Just about one month ago, the five-time world champion claimed the women's vault title in her comeback debut on FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup.

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Firms prepare to keep London working

Updated: 2012-05-08 09:03

(Agencies)

LONDON - Around 100 London companies were testing plans this week to ensure that business does not grind to a halt when the British capital plays host to the world during the Olympic Games this summer.

The "Stress Test" on Tuesday and Wednesday aims to replicate arrangements for the July 27-August 12 Games when companies are being told to encourage staff to work from home or stagger starting times to ease the strain on public transport.

"On the busiest days of London 2012, there are expected to be an extra three million journeys on the public transport system," said Mark Naysmith, Games readiness director at business advisory group Deloitte.

"It is essential that companies across the city, large and small, have thought through how their business and their people will cope with this period," he added.

London's transport authorities want to cut the number of commuters using public transport by 30 percent during the Games to help ensure the city's crowded trains can cope with the influx of visitors for the Games.

That means more remote working and variations to regular shift patterns to avoid peak times for congestion.

Once the Olympics are finished, London hosts the Paralympics from August 29 to September 9 - placing a fresh strain on its ageing transport network.

Britain's economy went back into recession in the first three months of 2012 and companies need to try to wring maximum value from the sporting summer, the third times London has staged the Olympics.

A report from ratings agency Moody's last week said that hosting the Games would give its economy and companies only a short-term boost.

The high-rise Canary Wharf financial district in London Docklands, where almost 100,000 people work, is only around three miles from the main Olympic park.

Deloitte, a sponsor of the London Games, is running the tests this week in coordination with Canary Wharf Group.

Thomson Reuters is joining the test on Wednesday and is encouraging many of its more than 5,000 London-based staff to participate. The company has its main London office in Canary Wharf and a technical centre nearby.

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Beijing Int'l Sudoku Tournament will kick off

Updated: 2012-05-07 21:05

By By Luo Wangshu (chinadaily.com.cn)

Sudoku experts will gather in Beijing for the 2012 Beijing International Sudoku Tournament from May 17 to 21.

A total of 52 Sudoku contestants from 14 countries and regions in Europe, North America and Asia have registered for the tournament, including World Sudoku Championship winner Snyder Tomas from the US and Jan Mrozowski from Poland.

Fourteen Chinese contestants will join, ranging from 13 to 54 years old.

Sudoku is a popular logic and number base puzzle. The object is to fill a nine-by-nine grid with digits so that each column, each row, and each of nine three-by-three sub-grids contain all of the digits from 1 to 9.

Chen Chaoyi, a 21-year-old Sudoku fan, started doing the puzzles six years ago in high school.

"It's kind of a great sense of achievement when I solve a puzzle," said Chen. "Now I don't do it every day, but I do one or two puzzles when I want to beat my brain."

However, Chen also said that if there was a chance to watch the tournament, he wouldn't go.

"A bunch of people sitting there and using their brains, I don't see any interest to watch a contest like that. The only excitement might be someone shouts ‘Hey, I got it.' For me, it's not an audience friendly game."

Su Renxian, one of the organizers, said the tournament will interest more Beijing residents about Sudoku, and make it a popular puzzle in China.

"We are arranging for the Beijing Sudoku Union now," Zhang Zhaohui, head of the Beijing Sports Federation, said at a news conference on Monday, adding that the establishment will encourage Sudoku popularity among community sports.

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Lakers go 3-1 up on Nuggets

Updated: 2012-05-07 15:48

(Agencies)

Ramon Sessions and Steve Blake landed clutch three-pointers in the final minute to give the Los Angeles Lakers a nail-biting 92-88 road victory over the Denver Nuggets and a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Sessions landed the go-ahead score that put the Lakers on top 89-86 with 48 seconds left, then reserve Blake made a dagger three-pointer on a pass from Kobe Bryant with 18 seconds remaining to bury the Nuggets.

"I was letting (Kobe) know (I was open) throughout the game, even when I missed one, I said 'I'm going to make the next one,'" Blake told reporters after tallying eight of his 10 points in the fourth quarter.

Bryant scored 22 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists to leave the Lakers able to secure a second round spot with a win in Game Five on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Oklahoma City Thunder await the winner of the series.

Denver were coming off a 15-point home triumph over the Lakers in Game Three but they failed to recapture their fast-paced style and allowed the Lakers to slow them.

Danilo Gallinari had a team-high 20 for the Nuggets, who led for much of a tight game, but were shot down in the end.

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Beckham tops Britain's sports wealth league

Updated: 2012-05-07 15:45

(Agencies)

LONDON - Former England soccer captain David Beckham's success on the field and appeal to sponsors have made him an estimated fortune of 160 million pounds ($259 million) to put him top of the Sunday Times Sport Rich List published this weekend.

Beckham, now 37 and playing for LA Galaxy, is one of 48 soccer players past and present in the list of the 100 richest current and former sportsmen in Britain and Ireland.

London-born Beckham hopes to make the Team GB squad to play in the Olympics in his home city this summer.

The Sunday Times also ranked Beckham 10th in its list of the world's richest sports figures, a group led by golfer Tiger Woods with an estimated 538 million pounds.

Woods was followed by German Formula One driver Michael Schumacher and former basketball player Michael Jordan.

Russian Maria Sharapova was the world's richest sportswoman, worth 55 million pounds. Sharapova, like Beckham, has augmented her earnings from sport with lucrative fashion and other endorsements.

No current British or Irish swimmer, cyclist or track and field athlete made the top 100, something that might change over the course of this Olympic year. There were no past or present sportswomen among the top 100 on the British and Irish list.

Not all the figures on the list are household names.

Behind Beckham in second spot was former rugby union player Paul Caddick, who now runs a property and construction company and is chairman of rugby league club Leeds Rhinos. ($1 = 0.6189 British pounds)

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Liu Xiang: 13.09 seconds satisfactory

Updated: 2012-05-07 14:40

(Xinhua)

KAWASAKI, Japan - China's star hurdler Liu Xiang said he was content with a time of 13.09 seconds in the men's 110-meter hurdle event at the IAAF Golden Grand Prix in Kawasaki, Japan on Sunday.

"I think I have given full play to my training level and the performance is a good one," Liu told a press conference. "I am quite satisfactory with the results since there was wind and the lane was a little slippery."

It was sunny in Kawasaki until 2 pm local time but a shower of rain came just before the hurdler event. The rain abated when the men's 110m hurdle event started.

With the absence of hurdling big names including Cuba's world record holder Dayron Robles as well as David Oliver, Aries Merritt and Ryan Wilson of the United States, the 28-year-old Liu emerged as the most favored star in Kawasaki.

The time that Liu clocked Sunday is the second best in this season globally. US athlete Aries Merritt just set his personal best and the season fastest time of 13.03 seconds two days ago in Fayetteville, US.

Asked about his goal for the London Olympics this year, Liu said: "I have to do well what must be done, and I hope I will give a good performance in London."

Liu will compete next in the Samsung Diamond League Shanghai leg on May 19 as part of his build-up for the London Games.

"I will be more focused on myself," he said, hoping that Kawasaki would be a good start leading to better results.

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Molinari gets 3rd Tour title at Spanish Open

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:57

(Agencies)

Francesco Molinari conjured a scintillating final round of seven under par to capture his third European Tour title at the Spanish Open on Sunday.

The Italian Ryder Cup player was four strokes down at the start of the final play at the Reale Club de Golf de Sevilla but blew the rest of the field away, including overnight leader Simon Dyson of England, with the best round of the week to win by three strokes.

The 29-year-old's achievement was all the more impressive given that his position in the draw meant he had to deal with the driving wind and rain that lashed the course over the first two days and he finished the tournament on eight under.

Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark and Spaniards Pablo Larrazabal and Alejandro Canizares were joint second on five under, while Dyson faded to joint 12th.

"I knew I was playing well," Molinari said on the European Tour website (www.europeantour.com).

"I was also hoping the other guys would not go too far under par and everything worked out perfectly," added the Italian, whose victory lifted him back into the top 30 in the world rankings.

Despite the victory, his first in 18 months, Molinari remains outside the qualifying positions for this year's Ryder Cup.

"I just have to play the same golf a few more weeks and hopefully I will be there," he said.

"Everybody is desperate to make the team, but unfortunately for us there are only 12 spots.

"It's going to be hard - there are a lot of great players in Europe at the moment."

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Fowler wins first PGA title in playoff

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:50

(Agencies)

Rickie Fowler delivered on his vast potential by claiming his first PGA Tour win at the Wells Fargo championship with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff against Briton Rory McIlroy and fellow American D.A. Points at Quail Hollow on Sunday.

The 23-year-old Fowler finally justified his billing as one of the game's top young players when he sank a four-footer for birdie at the 18th hole to claim victory at the Charlotte, North Carolina course.

"It's a good feeling right now," Fowler told reporters after winning in his 67th professional start. "Definitely some relief, satisfaction.

"I definitely knew I was good enough, and it was just getting everything to come together and stay patient."

Despite losing out in the playoff, the finish ensured US Open champion McIlroy, who is also 23, would reclaim the number one world ranking from Luke Donald.

Fowler fired a three-under-par 69 to join McIlroy (70) and Points (71) in the sudden-death playoff after tying at 14-under-par 274 after the regulation 72 holes.

Fowler, who had made the last US Ryder Cup team despite lacking a tour victory, saw the pressure lift off his shoulders when both Points and McIlroy missed their long birdie putts and had to settle for par.

McIlroy had left himself 34 feet from the cup after his approach shot, and Points was 41 feet away.

Home-town favorite Webb Simpson, the third-round leader who lives about a mile from the course, finished one stroke out of the playoff at 275 after posting a 73 for fourth place.

Two shots further back on 277 were Briton Lee Westwood (66) and Americans Ben Curtis (67) and Ryan Moore (74).

The Wells Fargo finish could presage a dynamic rivalry between the young Fowler and McIlroy, who two years ago fired a sensational, course-record 62 to win this tournament.

"I'm looking forward to playing with Rory for a long time," said Fowler, whose colourful outfits and all-orange Sunday get-up had brought him more attention than his tour results.

"We've always had a great camaraderie, been good buddies," Fowler said about the Northern Irishman.

"I've had a lot of fun playing against him. We first played against each other at the Walker Cup in '07, and I look forward to playing against him and hopefully having plenty more tournaments like this where we're battling back and forth."

After all three players found the fairway with their playoff drives, Fowler set up victory with his brilliant approach.

All three golfers had the chance to clinch victory during the final holes.

Points had a one-shot lead going to the final hole of regulation but knocked his approach shot into a bunker and took a bogey.

McIlroy had a shot at winning in regulation but missed a 15-foot birdie putt at the last.

Fowler had the outright lead until he drove into a fairway bunker at the 16th and then hit to a greenside bunker. He two-putted from 10 feet for bogey to slide back.

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African men dominant at Vancouver Marathon

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:48

(Agencies)

VANCOUVER - African runners continued their domination of the Vancouver Marathon Sunday as Ethiopia's Gezahgn Eshetu took the main race ahead of 2011 winner Bernard Onsare, while Kenya's Kip Kangogo won the half marathon.

The victory for the 28-year-old Eshetu, who clocked a time of 2:21:25 over the city course, was the eighth consecutive year an African had won the race. Onsare, a Calgary-based Kenyan who also won the race in 2009, was 25 seconds off the pace at 2:22:15, while Ryan Day of Victoria, British Columbia, claimed the top Canadian title, a distant third at 2:29:22.

Ellie Greenwood, a transplanted Scot who lives in Vancouver, captured the women's race in 2:42:16, after overtaking three-time winner Mary Akor of the USA (2:46:01) with seven kilometers to go and pouring it on to the finish line.

Eshetu claimed his first win in only his second marathon when he broke free from Onsare in the final kilometer and sprinted to the finish line to claim the 3,000 Canadian dollars winner's purse.

"The run is not fast, it's good. It's very cold," said the Addis Ababa native in his limited English of the nine degrees Celsius weather.

"He never had this experience of the coldness (before),"  explained Onsare, who has lived in Canada for the past five years. "So he's really excited for the win. I'm really excited for him winning here, it his first time to come over here."

Onsare, who was two minutes and 21 seconds off his 2011 winning time, said he knew of Eshetu before the race but the two had never ran together previously.

"I don't win every time so I was expecting anything can happen in a marathon. Like he just won, he just left me in the last kilometers so I'm not disappointed or discouraged so it' s a nice experience at the end of the day," he said.

"Since we didn't know each other we just stay behind, nobody wanted to make a move, so we could have made it (the race) faster. I guess next year, if he (Eshetu) comes back, he knows the course and he can have that much confidence so we can just maybe make it faster."

After winning marathons in Edmonton and Calgary in 2010, Greenwood added a Vancouver title to her achievements in a race where she barely looked tired crossing the finishing line.

"I' m more of an ultra-runner, which means this is a reasonably short race for me. I tend to do sort of 50 kilometers, 50 miles, that kind of thing," said the Dundee native who has recently moved back to Vancouver after living in Alberta. "The only trouble with this is particularly towards the end, it's pushing a fast pace for what I'm used to. But it was perfect running weather so that helps you feel good at the end."

Kangogo turned it on down the stretch to take the half marathon in a time 1:04:48, 19 seconds ahead of compatriot Willy Kiptoo Kimosop.

"By 18 kilometers, Willy was trying to shake things out and I say,  'You know what? I'm going to inject some speed too,' and see who's going to take it home. So after that I just came home."

Vancouver native Natasha Wodak-Fraser won the women's half marathon in 1:15:12, just ahead of American Allison Macsas.

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Chen Nan's wedding slam dunk

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:43

(chinadaily.com.cn)

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Volleyball coach accused of abduction

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:30

(Agencies)

RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian Olympic beach volleyball coach Marcio Sicoli has been accused of child abduction by the family of his estranged wife.

US authorities have agreed to cooperate with Brazil's federal department of human rights, which has requested a search and arrest warrant for the 32-year-old, Lancenet reported.

The conflict began in January when Isabel Bierrenbach agreed to allow her three-year-old son to visit his father in California.

But Sicoli, who coaches the USA's two-time Olympic gold medalists Kerri Walsh and Misty May, has refused to let the child return to Brazil, entering in a custody battle with Californian authorities.

Bierrenbach responded by notifying Brazilian authorities and requesting the child's immediate return to Brazil.

According to Lancenet, the US government ordered the case be brought before a Californian court, adhering to the Hague Convention's child protection laws, to which Brazil and the US are signatories.

A hearing has been scheduled for June 4 after two previous sittings were postponed due to alleged health problems suffered by Sicoli's lawyer.

"The family needs to think in the best interests of the child because the legal processes are long and it's the child who will suffer the most," said Brazil's federal human rights minister Maria do Rosario in comments reproduced by UOL.

"It's not reasonable to have this dispute. Our first objective is to mediate the conflict and contribute so that the child returns to Brazil where he is a legal resident.

"The custody dispute should occur in the country where the child resides, according to the Hague Convention."

The child's maternal grandfather, Reinaldo Bierrenbach, reportedly told O Globo that Sicoli was adamant about gaining custody, having refused a proposal allowing him to stay with the child on a periodic basis.

Sicoli and Bierrenbach were married in 2005 and relocated to Los Angeles in 2007 before separating last year. The mother returned to Brazil with the child last October.

Born in Los Angeles, the child has an American and Brazilian passport.Sicoli and his lawyers could not be reached for comment by Xinhua on Sunday.

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Federer fresh for clay swing after break

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:11

(Agencies)

MADRID - In fine fettle after a month-long rest, Roger Federer is ready to get his clay season underway and continue his bid to recapture the world number one ranking from Novak Djokovic.

The 30-year-old Swiss maestro has not played since losing to Andy Roddick at the Sony Ericsson Open at the end of March. He said he needed some time away from tennis to recharge his batteries and rid himself of one or two niggling injuries.

Federer has played some of his best tennis in years in winning three titles this year, including the Indian Wells Masters event, but knows that challenging Rafa Nadal on the Spaniard's favoured clay and stealing his French Open crown in Paris starting at the end of this month will be a tall order.

"I feel good about my chances of playing well in the next few months," the world number three told a news conference at the Madrid Open on Sunday.

"But then again I am coming back on clay and Rafa has been so dominant on this surface for so many years so I know the task ahead of me," added the 16-times grand slam singles champion.

Federer said he had needed time out after an intense start to the year when he played 23 matches and lost just three, reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open before falling to Nadal. He won events in Rotterdam and Dubai to add to his success in Indian Wells.

He also had a busy end to 2011, triumphing at the World Tour finals in London in November after victories at the Paris Masters and his home event in Basel.

Big goals

The rest was vital, said Federer.

"I needed it because I did play so, so much and this break was also looking ahead to what's to come and there's a lot on my plate and want to be fresh in my mind and fit in my body for those big goals ahead," he added.

"It was more about relaxing my body because I had been playing with some niggling injuries over a few weeks, or a few months almost, and I am happy they went away.

"It was just to get away from tennis for a while really, get away from the craziness that surrounds it, the matches and the press and all that stuff.

"So that was nice to just recharge the batteries, that was the key during this break."

If Federer can leapfrog number two Nadal and topple Djokovic he would equal Pete Sampras's record of 286 weeks at the top of the rankings and the Swiss said he was in a "pretty good position" to do it over the coming months.

"All of a sudden if you do win a grand slam again you have a shot and if I do I'll probably be extremely close to world number one," he said.

"Then again - easier said than done. I know what it takes to win a grand slam. It's hard, it's always been hard.

"It's still far away for me and my focus is on my next match here on Wednesday.

"But it is a dream for me this year try to achieve that again. I'll try to chase that as hard as I can and see if it's possible. If not it's no problem and I'll just try to win tournaments which is a thrill in itself."

Federer, who has a bye into the second round, begins his Madrid Open campaign on Wednesday against the winner of the first-round match between fast-rising Canadian Milos Raonic and former world number three David Nalbandian of Argentina.

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Bolt speeds to year's fastest 100 metres

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:10

(Agencies)

KINGSTON - Jamaican Olympic champion Usain Bolt held his nerve after two false starts by competitors and powered to the year's fastest 100 metres at the Jamaica International Invitational on Saturday.

The 100 and 200 world record holder clocked a dazzling 9.82 seconds in his first individual race of 2012, exploding from the blocks to take control at 40 metres.

"It's a good start, I would say," said Bolt, who erased the previous season-leading time of 9.90 by his training partner and world champion Yohan Blake three weeks ago.

"I feel better than last year, so I'm definitely happy with myself," Bolt added.

"I don't think my execution was perfect, but I think for my first race it was good."

Michael Frater, a member of Jamaica's world record 4x100 relay team, finished a distant second in exactly 10 seconds.

Bolt was disqualified from last year's 100 final at the world championships because of a false start, but was not perturbed by the delays.

"A couple of false starts will throw you off, but I stayed focused and went out there and executed as best as possible, so I'm just happy with myself," he said.

Although pleased with the last 50 metres of the race, the lanky sprinter, who owns world records of 9.58 seconds in the 100 and 19.19 in the 200, said he must continue to work on the first phase of the shorter race.

"I always try to work on my first 40 metres because the last 40 metres is always the best part of my race," he said. "So over the season as I get more fit and get more fluent it will definitely get better."

Blake also added a season-leading performance, one of four in the meeting. The world 100 champion clocked 19.91 seconds in the 200.

"Bolt erased my world lead in the 100 so I though I would set a world lead in the 200," the Jamaican said.

Top performances of the year also came in the women's 100 and 400.

World champion Carmelita Jeter took the shorter race in 10.81 seconds, finishing ahead of Kelly-Ann Baptiste of Trinidad and Tobago, who ran 10.86. Jamaican Olympic silver medallist Kerron Stewart was third in 10.98.

"I feel good with that win," Jeter said. "I know there's some things I didn't do right and I'm sure my coach is going to get on me, but it's a long season.

"Right now I just have to stay healthy ... to stay humble, stay focused ... I can't get ahead of myself, I can't get big-headed because you never know who is going to show up."

Jamaican Novelene Williams-Mills, the 2007 world bronze medalist, held off US world indoor champion Sanya Richards-Ross in the last 50 to win the women's 400 in 49.99 seconds.

Richards-Ross, who had the previous world leader of 50.18, took second in 50.11.

Jamaican Brigitte Foster Hilton, the 2009 world champion who struggled in 2011, appeared to have regained her form in the 100 hurdles, winning in 12.51 seconds.

The time was just 0.02 behind the world leading performance of 12.49 by current world champion Sally Pearson of Australia.

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Paper smuggles fake bomb into London Games park

Updated: 2012-05-07 10:09

(Agencies)

LONDON - A newspaper embarrassed the organisers of the 2012 Olympic Games on Sunday by disclosing it had smuggled a fake bomb past two security checkpoints into the London complex housing the sporting festival's main stadiums.

The best-selling Sun newspaper conducted the stunt on Friday, at the end of a week-long pre-Olympics military exercise that saw a warship sail up the River Thames and plans announced to put missiles on rooftops near the Games venue in east London.

The government's Home Office department, responsible for domestic security, said it had asked the Games organisers to investigate the incident and report back urgently to interior minister Theresa May.

The paper said it had given the fake device - a plastic box containing wires and harmless Plasticine - to the driver of a mechanical digger working on the construction of the park, who then drove with it past security guards into the site.

The driver had contacted the paper because he was concerned that he was searched only when he arrived each morning, and was then able to leave and re-enter without further checks, it said.

"If I had terrorist connections I could be bringing in explosives, chemicals - anything at all," the paper quoted him as saying, without revealing his identity.

Video published on the paper's website showed the driver being waved past two checkpoints. He also took photos of himself with the mock explosive near the main stadium, a day before it was formally opened at a test event with a 40,000-strong crowd.

Britain is spending more than 1 billion pounds ($1.6 billion) guarding the Olympics in what will be the country's biggest peacetime security operation.

Typhoon fighter jets and Lynx helicopters will be ready to defend a 9/11-style airborne attack, while on the ground a force of 24,000 guards and soldiers will protect Olympic venues, where spectators will pass through airport-style screening gates.

As one of the biggest supporters of the US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, Britain is seen as a prime target for terrorists.

Suicide bombers killed 52 people in coordinated attacks on London's transport network the day after the capital was awarded the Games in 2005.

London Games organisers LOCOG said they would investigate the paper's allegations, adding that security would increase significantly as the July 27 opening ceremony drew closer.

"The (Olympic) Park and the Village will be searched and sealed before it is locked down for Games time," they said.

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Opinions

- From the Chinese Press

- From the Chinese Press

- Letters

- High price to pay for brazen profits

- Unprecedented endeavor

- Debt crisis test for Hollande

- An alternative approach for African media

- New leaders, common aim

- Islands not for sale

- Looking for love

- Ghost towns

- A real mess

- Manila's name game

- Law on domestic violence

- Relax high-tech restrictions

- Island belongs to China

- Copyright debate is good for law

- Boys more immature than girls

- Family planning fines

- Safety in hospitals

- China's shipyards founder as building boom ends

- A neutral US helpful to stability in S China Sea

- A green economy without poverty

- Vegan pets

- Visual illusions

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Kneeling showed compassion

Updated: 2012-05-09 08:06

(China Daily)

A chengguan, (urban-management officer), in Jinan, Shandong province, knelt to talk with a street vendor when the female vendor knelt down with her child in her arms. The officer, Yang Ke said he knelt down in order to have an "equal conversation", says an article in Legal Daily. Excerpts:

In ancient China, kneeling down was a serious matter, one knelt when begging for mercy or when showing respect to someone of a superior status.

For many vendors today, it is a common act when they make excuses to chengguan officers and beg forgiveness. However, the kneeling of Yang Ke reflected his respect for an ordinary citizen, especially a mother carrying a child in her arms.

Only if they have a sense of equality will urban management officers be considerate. By kneeling Yang showed he understood the hardships of this woman's life.

The conflicts and contradictions between chengguan officers and street vendors have existed for a long time, and sometimes seem irreconcilable, so it is unreasonable to expect every conflict between them to be solved by kneeling. We need more reasonable regulations to solve the problem.

(China Daily 05/09/2012 page9)

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Cabbages cost more than pork

Updated: 2012-05-09 08:06

(China Daily)

The price of Chinese cabbages has risen about 70 percent in just three months. And in many regions of the country, a Chinese cabbage is now more expensive than one kilogram of pork. This has resulted in many complaints.However, people should face up to the fact that the days of cheap agricultural products are gone, says an article in Xinhua Daily Telegraph. Excerpts:

Before we complain, we should think about the farmers first. Over the past years, there have been some crazy price hikes for agricultural products, such as garlic, beans, ginger and pork. But it turned out that speculators were making the gains not the farmers. Moreover, if prices fall it is the farmers that are hit.

As we are experiencing inflation nowadays, the cost of farming has increased together with electricity, water, oil and labor costs. So it is normal for the prices of agricultural products to go up. It is also unrealistic to expect to buy cabbages or pork at the prices they were years ago when our incomes were much lower. Furthermore, compared with other prices, like housing prices, traveling expenses and education fees, agricultural products are still reasonable.

Some may blame food prices for the high inflation. But in the calculation of the Consumer Price Index, food accounts for only 34 percent. Therefore, it is unfair to blame food prices for inflation.

In 2011, the average income of city residents was still three times that of farmers, so the government needs to pay attention to farmers' interests. For example, by making sure that farmers gain from price rises and by minimizing their losses when prices fall. For low-income residents who cannot afford food, the government, rather than the farmers should help them with subsidies.

(China Daily 05/09/2012 page9)

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Collective sustainability

Updated: 2012-05-09 08:06

(China Daily)

People are aware of the environmental challenge the world is facing. It is time to start doing something. Here's what I think we should and could do now, in both individual and collective ways.

First, develop public transport to reduce the use of private cars. People's choice of transport is based on convenience, so if public transport is made convenient enough, people will start to choose it more. Once more and more people start taking buses, there will be fewer cars on the roads and the buses will run faster. The government could learn from the London congestion pricing system and charge fees for drivers in inner city zones.

Second, there are buses that run completely on natural gas in other countries. Compared with buses that run on petroleum, these buses reduce air pollution and the emissions of greenhouse gases and are more sustainable. Some taxis already run on natural gas, and buses should be gradually changed, too.

Third, the concept of recycling has been advocated for years, but it still has a long way to go to be part of people's everyday life. Therefore, I suggest putting separate recycling bins in every neighborhood. Recycling can reduce the cost of producing new products and the money spent on waste treatment, as well as the amount of land needed for landfill.

China has a long way to go to make its development sustainable. However, we can achieve it as long as individuals and government work together.

Sissi Ye, via e-mail

Readers' comments are welcome. Please send your e-mail to opinion@chinadaily.com.cn or letters@chinadaily.com.cn or to the individual columnists. China Daily reserves the right to edit all letters. Thank you.

(China Daily 05/09/2012 page9)

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High price to pay for brazen profits

Updated: 2012-05-09 08:06

By Huang Xiangyang (China Daily)

A delay caused by a single person's opposition means the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will now have to pay a lot more than it expected for the construction of the cross-sea bridge linking it with Zhuhai and Macao.

Chu Yee-wah, a 66-year-old Hong Kong resident, threw a spanner in the works in 2010 by seeking a judicial review, citing flaws with the SAR government's environmental impact assessment.

By the time the Court of Appeal overturned the initial ruling in her favor nearly two years later and cleared the way for work on the project to proceed, the budget of the mammoth project had increased by an astronomical HK$8.8 billion ($1.13 billion) as a result of rising costs and the prolonged schedule.

For many on the mainland Chu's story will sound like a fairy tale as once a project is determined to start, no one can stop it or delay it. In forced demolitions across the country thugs have been called in to intimidate people and bulldozers have demolished people's homes from under them.

Among the Chinese residents who have helplessly seen their homes pulled down without adequate compensation, Wang Jinwen has captured media headlines because he is a doctorate candidate in law at Tsinghua University. He embarked on a long journey in search of justice after his ancestral home in the countryside of Shandong province was torn down one dark night in 2010.

Wang received a final document from the State Council recently declaring the project should be reviewed, overturning the ruling made by the provincial government. But it is too late, he has lost his house forever as new buildings have already been built where his home stood.

In an open letter to the local government he said: "I have studied law very hard for 10 years. I have always tried to solve my problem through legal means. I am a legal consultant to the villagers of my hometown.

"I have obtained all the evidence available and followed all the proper legal procedures. Yet I have failed to safeguard my legal rights. Do you think this is a success for China's laws and its legal system?"

Wang's misfortune is a stain on the country's collective conscience. And if this ugly trend is not tamed, what has happened to Wang could happen to any of us at any time. Recently I heard two of my relatives, one in Anhui province and the other in Yunnan province, face forced demolitions, but I was not even able to offer them even words of hope.

The current compensation regulation on land requisition, often disregarded by some officials at the grassroots level, makes farmers the biggest losers in the process of urbanization.

Money, of course, is behind the craze for property development. According to Song Xiaowu, head of the Income Distribution Research Institute affiliated to Beijing Normal University, his studies found local governments make 18 times more, and developers make 13 times more, than farmers out of land transfer deals.

That explains why many local governments are so enthusiastic about demolitions, and why there are 80,000 property developers nationwide. According to Forbes, more than half the country's wealthiest people are property developers.

With adequate profit, capital is very bold, Karl Marx noted. Now not only is it bold, it is getting increasingly brazen. Forced demolitions are the main complaint of the petitioners that come to Beijing seeking justice, and they have become a destabilizing factor threatening the harmonious society the central government has vowed to build.

Ministry of Agriculture figures suggest that about 266,000 hectares of arable land are lost every year in the country to construction and township expansion, which means an ever-growing number of farmers who have had to give up their land often unwillingly.

If this is the price we have to pay for modernization, it is a price too high to pay.

The author is a writer with China Daily. E-mail: huangxiangyang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 05/09/2012 page8)

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Unprecedented endeavor

Updated: 2012-05-09 08:06

By Tao Wenzhao (China Daily)

US and China agree they must work together to forge a new type of power relations centered on peaceful coexistence

The fourth round of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue has fully demonstrated the common interests and responsibilities that China and the United States share in meeting regional and global challenges.

The dialogue produced a wide range of positive outcomes. Among them, the two sides decided to hold the next round of sub-dialogues on policy planning, Africa, Latin America, South Asia and Central Asia on a regular basis, and they affirmed their support for establishing the China-US Maritime Safety Dialogue Mechanism and holding the first dialogue later this year.

The Strategic and Economic Dialogue has served as an important platform for China and the US to enhance communication and mutual trust in recent years. The two sides have reached common ground, and agree that they need a relationship of peaceful coexistence, benign competition and mutual benefit. This is the most profound outcome ever achieved through the platform.

In fact, the two countries began exploring such a relationship after former US president Richard Nixon visited China 40 years ago and especially after diplomatic relations were established in 1979. Despite all the ups and downs, the bilateral ties have continually moved forward.

China maintains economic growth within the existing international system and the US benefits from China's development. Relatively stable Sino-US ties are beneficial to both sides.

But despite their deepening interdependence, insufficient mutual trust as a result of the changing balance of power is still an obstacle.

The US is now facing political, economic and social problems on a scale it has never experienced and people inside and outside the country are questioning whether it is in decline. Wars in Afghanistan and in Iraq have worn down the country's resources and divided the American public. The subprime mortgage crisis in 2007 and the global financial crisis that began to take hold in 2008 exposed the deep-seated problems in the US economy. Youngsters from the middle class in the US, especially the lower middle class, feel increasingly helpless and fear for their future. They see themselves as the 99-percent group at the mercy of the 1 percent that control a large part of the country's wealth.

Meanwhile, China's dynamic growth, especially its economic surge during its first decade as member of the World Trade Organization, has resulted in it becoming the world's second largest economy, the second largest importer and biggest exporter, and the largest holder of foreign exchange reserves. China has developed too fast for itself and the rest of the world to get fully prepared for its growing clout.

Predictions that China will overtake the US as the world's largest economy within the next decade further intensify the US' concerns that China will threaten its dominance, especially in Asia.

The China threat theory, when it appeared in the 1990s, had a rather paranoid air, but nowadays with China's economic success and increasing military funds, many in the US do view China as a potential threat. Thus although China and the US share more common interests and are deepening and widening their cooperation, a "trust deficit" has arisen. The mutual trust between them still lags far behind what is required for further development of the bilateral ties. This leads many people to believe that China and the US are doomed to the historical tragedy of great power politics.

However, although the rise of powers has historically often led to conflict, international relations today are undergoing some profound changes. US Vice-President Joe Biden wrote an article for the New York Times after he visited China last year, arguing China's rise is not the US' demise. US President Barack Obama has more than once emphasized that the US welcomes a strong, prosperous and successful China and that its rise has brought with it economic benefits for American people.

China and the US have maintained decades-long mutually beneficial cooperation, and people on both sides have the wisdom necessary to shake off the shackles of great power politics of the past.

The author is a researcher with the Institute of American Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

(China Daily 05/09/2012 page8)

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Debt crisis test for Hollande

Updated: 2012-05-09 08:06

By Chen Yugang (China Daily)

After two rounds of voting in France, the socialist candidate Francois Hollande was voted in as president.

Many surveys and analysts had already forecast that Hollande would win, because after the first round of voting Nicolas Sarkozy had lost much of his support and was losing still more. Marine Le Pen, like Sarkozy a rightwing candidate, called for her supporters to cast a blank vote, while leftist leaders publicly announced their support for Hollande. Perhaps most importantly, Francois Bayrou, the centrist candidate, who won 9.13 percent of the support in the first round of the election, gave his backing to Hollande. He was the first centrist politician in France to back the left.

There are many reasons why Sarkozy was so unpopular. But the main one was his incompetence in coping with the European debt crisis. Some media outlets are already referring to Sarkozy as the 11th European leader to be laid off by the debt crisis.

The crisis has dealt a blow to Greece, Italy and the Netherlands. Some observers attribute the success of right-wing parties in recent European elections to voters' perception that they are better at crisis management. Germany, which advocates harsh austerity measures has tried to persuade Europeans to believe that Hollande will make France more gloomy and deteriorate the debt crisis.

However, is Germany's prescription the only choice?

Let's look at what Sarkozy and the European leaders did to combat crisis: When the financial crisis broke out in the United States, Europe had no stimulus plans; it said it did not need one due to its comprehensive welfare system. But the welfare system of which it was so proud soon dragged it into the crisis.

To make it worse, when the economy was no longer able to hold on, and the European governments were on the brink of bankruptcy, they cut deficits instead of stimulating their economies.

As many analysts have pointed out, cutting deficits is less favorable to those countries in crisis than it is to Germany as the helper. But Sarkozy linked himself with the plan, people even called it the "Merkozy" plan, in exchange for Germany's support for his foreign policy.

Opposition to the "Merkozy" plan had always been suppressed in the media due to the influence of its supporters; but people's dissatisfaction and doubts could never be eliminated. The election brought this to the surface and it became one of the most important cards Hollande played against Sarkozy.

The central principles of Hollande's plan are economic growth and renegotiation of the European financial agreement. No one knows, for sure, whether his plan will prove effective, but at least people are paying attention to it, the voting rate was among the highest in France for decades.

Hollande's victory has proved that people want to try the new plan after living under Sarkozy's austerity plan for years without seeing any end to it.

His victory will certainly have an influence on the future of European politics. First of all, his being elected has already reversed the trend of universal defeat for the left on the European continent; second, he might propel renegotiation of EU financial agreements.

The financial agreements have two requirements: EU countries should unite more intimately, and pursue financial budget balancing. The first is in accordance with European unification, so all Hollande needs is to propel the second, and concentrate on promoting economic growth. That's also the general trend of Europe, as Spanish media outlets recently revealed the EU is considering a huge economic growth plan.

Of course, the debt crisis is not the only reason for people choosing Hollande instead of Sarkozy. During his years in office, Sarkozy made both gains and losses in his diplomacy. He successfully mediated the conflict between Russian and Georgia, and took the lead in intervening in Libya. But he damaged Sino-European relations by meeting the Dalai Lama and threatening to boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

On May 15, Hollande will be sworn in as the new president of France. The first test of his presidency, coping with the European debt crisis, will also begin then and the world will be keeping a close eye on Europe to see what happens.

The author is a professor of European studies at Fudan university.

(China Daily 05/09/2012 page9)

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An alternative approach for African media

Updated: 2012-05-09 08:06

By Bob Wekesa (China Daily)

I recently read a New York Times opinion piece entitled "Africa's Free Press Problem" by Mohammed Keita and wondered which Africa he was writing about. Keita makes sweeping statements about the state of press freedom in Africa but ends up only citing the cases of Rwanda and Ethiopia.

The New York Times jumps to the simplistic conclusions about Africa that are typical of Western media reports, conveniently generalizing situations in one or two countries to frame a diverse, 54-nation continent with all manner of stereotypes. It is quite clear that emphasizing neo-liberal democratic ideals without considering the interests of African communities is one of the factors that fuels conflicts on the African continent. It is quite justifiable for the leaderships in countries such as Rwanda and Ethiopia to elevate unity and stability over the freedom of the oftentimes irresponsible, sensational and inflammatory press. The fact is the media could fuel a new round of warmongering leading to the kind of horrors witnessed in the 1994 Rwanda genocide. The possibility of a renewed Hutu-Tutsi war is never too far from the surface. It must be remembered that the media was used in the Rwanda to whip up deep-seated ethnic hatred, and this ethnic hatred was first planted through the divide and rule policies of Rwanda's colonizers.

When countries are faced with challenges to their very survival, a more nuanced balance between press freedom and the needs of development is necessary.

The New York Times writer shows his true colors by demonizing China's rising media presence in Africa. He ignores the fact that the Western media is a more entrenched and destabilizing presence on the continent than the Chinese media. In Kenya for instance, it is a well-known fact that pandering to narrow political interests in the aftermath of the 2007 general election by some media outlets nearly burst the seams of an otherwise tranquil nation. But more significantly, most Africans are tired of the Western media's instance on portraying Africa as a continent of disease, war and poverty and nothing else.

If indeed unfettered press freedom is the one and only ingredient for development, why then have most African countries not achieved economic prosperity over the last five decades of independence?

Keita wonders why China is being embraced on the continent. There are many reasons. Perhaps the outstanding one is the fact that China is providing a different perspective to African media and society: a new approach where governments, the media and the people consider each other partners in development. Development, after all, is an imperative that Africa sorely needs if it is finally to put an end to poverty.

The New York Times article suggests that one of the roles of the media in Africa is to mobilize funds for emergencies such as famines, and that "with civil society, the political opposition and the press severely restricted, there is hardly any domestic scrutiny over how the government uses billions of dollars of international assistance from Western governments". But one only needs to read economist and former World Bank consultant Dambisa Moyo's book, Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There is Another Way for Africa, to appreciate why and how Western aid has failed the continent and needs to be rethought. She argues that foreign aid is a cause of Africa's persistent poverty and fosters dependency and corruption, hindering economic growth in Africa.

China already offers a different approach to aid through investment in infrastructure and the real economy that aids development and raises people's standard of living.

In his conclusion, Keita, in a subtle way, seeks financial support for Africa's commercial media as well as press freedom organizations from the West to counter China's influence in Africa. This is the main thrust of his article. Well, both China and the West are engaging Africa with different models and the media sector is no exception. The Western approach to media assistance is informed by ideology. Its support is intent on changing entire social systems to fit into their Western-centric worldview. The Chinese approach is based on broader Sino-Africa relations that eschew preaching or exporting ideology to Africa, settling instead for pragmatic areas of collaboration. Africans should be allowed to choose between these two models themselves.

The writer is a Kenyan communications researcher based at the Communication University of China.

(China Daily 05/09/2012 page9)

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New leaders, common aim

Updated: 2012-05-09 08:06

(China Daily)

Beijing is looking forward to working with the new leaders of Russia and France to further advance its relations with the two countries.

President Hu Jintao sent congratulations to Vladimir Putin, who was sworn in as Russian president on Monday. On the same day, French president-elect Francois Hollande received a congratulatory message from Hu during his meeting with Chinese Ambassador to France Kong Quan.

Thanks to their common efforts, China and Russia have established a solid, in-depth and sustained relationship on the basis of mutual trust. The two countries have maintained frequent high-level visits and exchanges and Putin has met Hu and other Chinese leaders many times. He met with Vice-Premier Li Keqiang in Moscow last month.

As a neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner, China has an interest in a stable, strong and prosperous Russia. As emerging economies, China and Russia have contributed to regional and world peace and development together.

Beijing and Moscow have maintained effective coordination on international issues, ranging from efforts to end the Syrian crisis to negotiations aimed at breaking the Iranian nuclear impasse. The two share the common goal of a multipolar world and have jointly pushed for sensible global economic governance.

Their smooth communication and broad consensus on a wide range of issues will enable Beijing and Moscow to blaze a new trail for their cooperation.

We also hope to build on our long-term friendship and cooperation with France under the leadership of Hollande. Beijing values its ties with France as they form an important part of its interaction with Europe.

We did hear Hollande's less-than-friendly remarks about China before the election. Yet his latest remarks as French president-elect on ties with China have been positive. On Monday, he said France recognizes China's important influence in international politics and the global economy, and he expressed his willingness to shore up cooperation on bilateral and multilateral platforms.

The friendship and cooperation between China and France caters to the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples. It is also significant in safeguarding and promoting regional and global peace and development too.

We hope the new president bears the lessons of his predecessors in mind and keeps Sino-French relations on stable and smooth terrain.

(China Daily 05/09/2012 page8)

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Islands not for sale

Updated: 2012-05-09 08:06

(China Daily)

No matter how much money Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara raises from his compatriots, China's islands are not for sale.

Ishihara has announced he wants to buy three islands from their self-proclaimed "private owner". But as the islands don't belong to this illegitimate owner, Ishihara's move would be both illegal and impossible.

And if terra nullius justified ownership, Japan would be able to claim ownership of many islands owned by other countries around the world.

Whether from a historical or legal perspective, the Diaoyu Islands incontrovertibly belong to China.

According to international law, the sovereignty of territories belongs to those who first name and assume jurisdiction over them.

A written record of China's sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands can be traced back to the early 15th century. In 1403 the book Shun Feng Xiang Song (Voyage with Tail Wind) has a reference to the islands calling them "Diaoyutai".

Chen Kan's book, Shi Liu Qiu Lu (Record of the Imperial Envoy to Ryukyu) identified and named all the major islets of the Diaoyu Islands in 1534. These islands were used by the Chinese as navigational markers during voyages between the Chinese mainland and the Ryukyu Islands.

The map of the Asian continent drawn during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in late 18th century - the earliest and most complete map of the continent in the world at the time - unambiguously shows the islands were part of China.

In 1885 Japan admitted, after it had made a surreptitious survey of the area, the islands were already named and used by China, and belonged to China.

At the end of World War II, the United States took over the administration of the Diaoyu Islands, but it wrongfully handed them to Japan along with Okinawa in 1972 under the Japan-US Okinawa Reversion Treaty, which was signed without China's participation and never recognized by China.

Japan uses the treaty as justification for trying to grab the Diaoyu Islands, and clings to it like a dying man to a straw. But it won't help Japan seize the islands because they were not the US' to give away.

Given the enormity of the stakes involved, Ishihara is making the issue a ticking time bomb.

(China Daily 05/09/2012 page8)

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A real mess

Updated: 2012-05-08 08:00

(China Daily)

(China Daily 05/08/2012 page8)

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Manila's name game

Updated: 2012-05-08 08:00

(China Daily)

It seems Manila is once again trying to put out a fire with gasoline.

Instead of pouring oil to calm troubled waters it has raised the temperature in the South China Sea to an even higher degree by declaring that "Panatag Shoal" will now be its official name for China's Huangyan Island, which was known by several names in the Philippines.

Edwin Lacierda, the presidential spokesman, said that the name had been chosen "for brevity" in a news conference.

However, by announcing the island has this name, Manila's real intention is to try and wrangle its self-proclaimed sovereignty over Huangyan Island, which has been part of China since ancient times.

In fact, this is not the first time Manila has tried to shore up its ill-grounded territorial claims with a change of name. Last year, it tried to call the South China Sea the "West Philippine Sea", a move doomed to failure.

But its delight in playing the name game reflects the capricious and opportunist nature of the current Manila administration. In the past, the country has clearly stated that Huangyan Island in the South China Sea is not part of its territory, now it is trying to swallow its words and illegally claim the island.

The Philippines has said it will take the issue to international arbitration, but this is cloud-cuckoo land as there are no international laws or norms that will back its claims to the territories of another country.

Manila is only getting itself a bad name by playing these games.

Its behavior is simply tarnishing its image and eroding its credibility, as the principles of international relations require respect for other countries' sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The ongoing rift over the Huangyan Island, which was triggered by a Philippine warship harassing Chinese fishermen fishing in Chinese waters, is evolving into a major diplomatic storm affecting ties between Manila and Beijing.

So far, Beijing has exercised the utmost restraint and is pursuing diplomatic and peaceful means to defuse the tension.

Manila has said that it too will de-escalate the situation, but instead of matching words with deeds, it has resorted to one reckless move after another.

(China Daily 05/08/2012 page8)

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Law on domestic violence

Updated: 2012-05-08 08:00

(China Daily)

I hit you, because I love you.

It is an unacceptable truth that violence and abuse are all too common in some families.

Domestic violence can take many forms, such as physical abuse, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse and stalking. It can make life a misery for anyone as it does not discriminate by gender, age, economic or education status.

The All-China Women's Federation says it has received 40,000 to 50,000 complaints about domestic violence every year since 2004. And its survey last year found that almost one in four women in this country experienced domestic abuse.

But abusers could soon find themselves in jail as the country's legislators are putting a domestic violence law on the legislative agenda of the National People's Congress in 2012.

Any suggestion that family violence should be considered as anything other than a criminal offence is simply wrong.

The idea that violence against family members is somehow less serious than any other violent crime only serves to enable it.

Domestic violence is not something anyone likes to talk about, but that's exactly what we need to address.

Keeping domestic violence "behind closed doors" only serves to protect and shield the guilty while putting victims at greater risk and preventing them from receiving the help and support they need.

To change people's attitude about the criminality of domestic violence, we need to bring it out from behind closed doors. Society needs to acknowledge that abusers are responsible for their actions.

Tremendous efforts are needed to educate the public, and our criminal justice system should be firm with abusers.

Since 2008, local courts of the country have issued restraining orders in handling domestic violence cases, which mandate that the abusers stay away from the victim and refrain from taking certain actions. This should facilitate the introduction of further legislation.

Domestic violence affects not only family members, but also society in general, and, as such, it should and must be dealt with at both family and societal level. It needs to stop, and it needs to stop now.

(China Daily 05/08/2012 page8)

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Relax high-tech restrictions

Updated: 2012-05-08 08:00

By Zhang Monan (China Daily)

Outdated US ban on exports to China hurts both countries and should be changed as soon as possible

Despite the progress made in relations at the just-concluded fourth round of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue, there has been little indication that the United States intends to relax its restrictions on high-tech exports to China.

After the eruption of the global financial crisis, the US government made some changes to its decades-long export restriction system in a bid to boost its slowed exports. In 2009, the US Department of Commerce published an amendment draft on the policies of US exports to 64 countries or regions. But it excluded China, one of the largest trading partners of the US.

Unfortunately, the US has still not changed its biased approach toward technological exports to China.

Ending the restrictions and allowing unimpeded technology transfer to China would not only resolve the Sino-US trade imbalance, it would also lay the foundation for a new type of relationship between the two powers based on strategic mutual trust and economic reciprocity.

The US' high-tech restrictions are a double-edged sword. With numerous restrictive measures in place, the US has succeeded in preventing the export of some military technologies to China, but these restrictions have also hampered the export of its civilian technologies to China and seriously affected the otherwise booming high-tech cooperation between their enterprises, a leading contributor to widening trade deficit on the US side.

Statistics from China's Ministry of Commerce indicate that the value of China's high-tech imports increased from 56 billion yuan ($8.88 billion) in 2001 to 463 billion yuan in 2011, with an annual per capita growth rate of 23.5 percent. However, the proportion of high-tech imports from the US kept declining during the same period, from 16.7 percent in 2001 to 6.3 percent in 2011.

According to estimates, the year-on-year growth rate of China's high-tech imports will range from 20 percent to 40 percent over the next 10 years. That means that the US' high-tech export to China will reach $60 billion if it suspends its export restrictions and manages to maintain a 18.3 percent share of China's high-tech imports.

By imposing strict restrictions on high-tech exports to China, the US has not only contravened the world's principles on the spreading of technologies, it is also shackling its own technological development.

The US will need to accelerate its technological transfers and input more into the research and development of new technologies if it wants to maintain its leading status in the world's high-tech fields.

The US' restrictions on high-tech exports to China originated during the Cold War and various circles in the US realize that they are now a handicap to the US' efforts to re-industrialize.

Despite its long dominant status at the world's high-end manufacturing chain, the US has encountered numerous obstacles in its efforts to return to real economic development. Instead of simply recapturing its lost low-end manufacturing it is promoting re-industrialization through new technologies and high-tech exports.

China is one of the US' top trading partners and its enormous market will play an important role in helping the Obama administration attain its ambitious goal of doubling exports to $3 trillion by 2015 from the $1.5 trillion of 2009.

China and the US are complementary in industrial development. With traditional manufacturing and processing industries still dominating its economy, China still needs to import technologies to promote its industrial structural adjustment, improve its production efficiency and quality.

The US' matured industrial technologies are expected to play a big role in China's ongoing efforts to accelerate the transformation of its economic development mode, optimize its economic structure and promote a balanced and coordinated economic development among its different regions.

But in addition to high-tech imports, China should also try to sharpen its self-innovation capabilities in a bid to pursue sustainable development of its fast-growing economy.

The author is an economics researcher with the State Information Center.

(China Daily 05/08/2012 page8)

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Island belongs to China

Updated: 2012-05-08 08:00

By Li Jinming (China Daily)

A Philippine gunboat harassed 12 Chinese fishing boats that were taking refuge from harsh weather in a lagoon near China's Huangyan Island last month, triggering the current standoff between China and the Philippines.

The Philippines never disputed China's sovereignty over the island until 1997, and a 1978 map sanctioned by the Philippines' National Mapping and Resource Information Authority placed Huangyan Island outside the Philippines' territorial limits. However, in May 1997, the Philippine navy intercepted two vessels carrying a group of amateur radio enthusiasts from China, Japan and the United States, who had planned an expedition to Huangyan Island. Before long, a group of Philippine congressmen sailed to the island and posed for photos under a Philippine flag, and later the Philippines navy arrested 21 Chinese fishermen near the island and filed an illegal entry charge against them.

Manila bases its claim on proximity and insists that the island is within its exclusive economic zone. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea allows a coastal state to claim a 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, but the state has no right to change the ownership of territory by doing so.

China is the first country to name Huangyan Island and incorporate it into its territory and exercise jurisdiction over it. In 1935, the then Chinese government included the island with the name Scarborough Shoal as part of the Zhongsha Islands into Chinese territory. In 1947, the government announced a new list of South China Sea islands, in which Scarborough Shoal was also included and renamed as Democratic Reef, and in 1983, China released a list of some South China Sea islands and began to use Huangyan Island as the island's standard name.

While China has legal foundations for its sovereignty over Huangyan Island, the Philippines' claim that Huangyan Island is within its exclusive economic zone lacks legal basis. Back in 1997, Judge Eliodoro Ubiadas of the regional trial court of Olongapo in Zambales province dismissed the illegal entry charges filed against the Chinese fishermen, invoking a provision in the Presidential Decree No 1599, a law issued in 1978 to establish an exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. The provision stipulated that even though the Philippines' exclusive economic zone extends to a distance of 200 nautical miles beyond and from the baseline, provided that where the outer limits of the zone as thus determined overlap that of an adjacent or neighboring state, the common boundaries shall be determined by agreement with the state concerned. The judge thus ruled that the accused "were apprehended in a place over which there is yet no agreement between the Chinese and the Philippine governments" and thus there is no legal basis to conclude that "the accused entered Philippine territory illegally".

Although the bilateral agreement to resolve the issue diplomatically makes war unlikely, the Philippines continues to escalate tensions. For instance, the Philippines has declared that it will unilaterally bring the dispute to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and it has confirmed its plans to open an elementary school on Zhongye Island, which belongs to China's Nansha Islands in the South China Sea.

In this way the Philippines is attempting to turn its claimed sovereignty over Huangyan Island into reality and intensify nationalistic sentiments as a means of re-channeling dissatisfaction with domestic problems. The Philippines is also trying to play off the members of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations against China.

The ongoing standoff might leave China facing some disconcerting questions about its foreign policy and its ability to defend its interests in the South China Sea, but it also offers an opportunity for Beijing to gain the upper hand, as the ongoing crisis initiated by the Philippines serves as a good chance for China to enforce its jurisdiction over the island.

The confrontation is actually to China's advantage, as Beijing is better equipped than the Philippines, and once the Philippines withdraws its ships, China should thereafter block entry to the lagoon and better excise its jurisdiction over the island.

Last but not the least, China should send construction teams and equipment to the island and speed up the building of shelters for fishermen, lighthouses and military outposts. Once these are established, military units can be stationed on the island to further safeguard the country's sovereignty and maritime interests in the area.

The author is a professor at the Center for Southeast Asia Studies, Xiamen University.

(China Daily 05/08/2012 page9)

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Copyright debate is good for law

Updated: 2012-05-08 08:00

By Wang Yiqing (China Daily)

The National Copyright Administration released for comment a draft Copyright Law on its official website on March 31. It provoked an immediate and heated response, especially from the music industry which has shown unprecedented unity and publicly submitted suggestions to the legislature in the name of the China Audio-Video Association Recording Works Council and the China Musicians Association Pop Music Society.

Composers, songwriters and Record Companies are strongly opposed to the draft amendments as they believe it will undermine their rights if passed.

Article 46 of the draft stipulates that three months after a recording is released it can be used to make new recordings by non-copyright owners as long as they apply to the copyright authorities, pay remuneration to the owners and clearly state the copyright owner.

The draft deletes the proviso in the existing law that: "No such work may be used where the copyright owner declares that use is not permitted."

"If the provisions are passed, that will undermine the enthusiasm of music writers and even China's music industry," Song Ke, chief executive officer of Taihe Rye, a record company based in Beijing, was quoted as saying in China Youth Daily.

Industry insiders are also concerned that the provisions will make record companies less willing to invest in recording and promotion.

"Once the law takes effect, no company will want to invest in music recordings, which will destroy the fragile domestic music industry," Zhou Yaping, CEO of New Run Entertainment and executive vice-president of the Recording Works Council, told the media at a news conference.

Record companies will not be able to recover the costs of producing recordings and promoting singers within three months, Zhou said.

To safeguard their interests, music industry practitioners suggest extending the time limit and preserving the original proviso.

Statistics provided by Lu Jian, president of Ocean Butterflies International and secretary-general of the Recording Works Council, show that the music industry's revenues from recordings decreased sharply in 2011 to about 100 million yuan ($15.9 million), down from 2 billion yuan a decade before. Currently no domestic music company is listed and no domestic record company has more than 100 employees.

However, the National Copyright Administration says the revised law aims to regulate the rights of the copyright holders and facilitate the proper use of copyrighted works.

"We take this provision very seriously, and will seek a solution that can best balance various rights and claims," Yan Xiaohong, deputy director of the National Copyright Administration, said at a news conference.

Wang Ziqiang, director of the legal affairs department of the National Copyright Administration stresses that "making a sound recording based on the original one is a process of recreation that adds value to the former, which is different from a photocopy".

Li Mingde, a researcher at the Intellectual Property Rights Center with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, has pointed out that the Copyright Law is not merely to protect copyright owners, but also to balance their interests with the interests of communicators, users and the public.

Each side can find related copyright regulations from other countries to support their argument, and the international agreement governing copyright, the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, permits member countries to independently decide whether to adopt the statutory license or not depending on their domestic situations.

But protecting the rights of copyright owners is the precondition for guaranteeing the interests of communicators, users and the public. Without the copyright owners' creation, there's no musical works at all. If musicians lose their enthusiasm to create music, what is there to communicate and enjoy? Thus the opinions of composers and songwriters and record companies should be seriously considered, because they not only reflect their own interests, but also the public's interests.

However, no matter what the final outcome is, the controversy surrounding the draft is a good thing because public discussion and positive interaction among different interest groups is the indispensable procedure of lawmaking. It's the right of different groups to openly express their opinions and try to safeguard their interests under the framework of the law. Although no law can satisfy everyone, the legislature must truly try and balance the various interests, because a good law must be the one that sticks to the principle of justice and fairness.

The author is a writer with China Daily.

wangyiqing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 05/08/2012 page9)

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Boys more immature than girls

Updated: 2012-05-08 08:00

(China Daily)

Comment on "Boys only class in Shanghai stirs debate" (China Daily website, April 24)

That girls outperform boys in the primary and even middle school period is mainly because boys are more immature than girls.

I agree that these sort of schools will not solve anything if proper mental toughness is not taught to boys at a very early age.

Many girls are better at memorization than boys, but not so good at creative and practical thinking as boys. It is important that the boys realize early on the importance of diligence and setting a career goal.

In China boys catch up with and even outperform girls after they enter college. Boys just lack maturity and orderly conduct when they are kids. So it's more important to develop boys' leadership at an early age.

A reader, on China Daily website

Readers' comments are welcome. Please send your e-mail to opinion@chinadaily.com.cn or letters@chinadaily.com.cn or to the individual columnists. China Daily reserves the right to edit all letters. Thank you.

(China Daily 05/08/2012 page9)

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Family planning fines

Updated: 2012-05-08 08:00

(China Daily)

The family planning authorities have collected almost 28 billion yuan ($4.45 billion) from those who violated the family planning policy, but a large part of this sum remains unaccounted for, says an article in Beijing Youth Daily. Excerpts:

The fees charged are supposed to cover the extra social costs of more children. According to the regulations, all the money collected should be handed over to the State treasury, and all units and individuals are forbidden to retain, embezzle, or share the money. If such regulations are strictly implemented, there shouldn't be any funds unaccounted for.

A book published in 2010 shows the country's family planning authorities have huge administrative costs. By the end of 2005, there were about 50.87 million personnel working in the country's population and family planning system, 10.48 million of whom are registered within the national administrative system and paid by taxpayers' money.

Much of the unaccounted-for funds was spent on covering the great administrative costs of the huge management system. It has become an open secret that funds supposed to be turned over to the State treasury are often transferred back to family planning departments. That's why some legislators and policy advisors propose to cancel the "social cost" fees.

Worse, some counties even distribute part of the sums to administrative personnel as bonuses.

Especially after the agricultural tax was cancelled, the charging of family planning fees has become a major source of funds for some grassroots administrative departments. The problem has become a loophole in the fiscal management which deserves greater concern.

(China Daily 05/08/2012 page9)

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Safety in hospitals

Updated: 2012-05-08 08:00

(China Daily)

Conflicts between hospital employees and patients are becoming more frequent and more violent. So the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Public Security have jointly released an announcement, saying that it is illegal to attack medical staff, or to disturb the normal order in medical institutions. But erasing the root cause of the conflicts is the real issue, says an article in People's Daily. Excerpts:

In April, a male patient stabbed two doctors in Beijing and a 17-year-old man killed a doctor in Heilongjiang province. The announcement by the two ministries aims to prevent such violent incidents and protect the safety and dignity of medical staff.

In fact, the tensions between hospitals and patients have deep roots.

On the one hand, as seeing a doctor is quite expensive and difficult for citizens nowadays, it may easily lead to conflicts between patients and doctors.

On the other hand, doctors also feel wronged as they face high-pressure work and have to earn extra income from the sales of medicine.

However, no one should resort to violence to solve the problem as it is against the law and damages the doctor-patient relationship.

We should protect the safety of doctors, but also value patients' rights and interests. Disputes between medical personnel and patients occur in all countries.

Some developed countries have established mechanisms, whereby patients can seek redress by instigating lawsuits or taking their complaints to third-party arbitration.

We can learn from these initiatives. All in all, promoting structural reform can be the basic solution.

(China Daily 05/08/2012 page9)

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China's shipyards founder as building boom ends

Updated: 2012-05-07 15:38

(Agencies)

Welder Zhang fires up his blow torch and looks up at the towering, 8,800-tonnes oil tanker that is likely to be his last job at China's privately owned Qiligang Shipbuilding Co.

Barring a miracle, the 50-year-old will soon join the thousands of unemployed shipbuilders who have fallen victim to the end of China's maritime boom and the long-awaited consolidation of its more than 1,600 shipbuilding companies.

Four years into one of the worst downturns to afflict the global shipping industry, hundreds of small to mid-sized shipyards are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy as foreign orders dwindle and domestic lenders slash credit.

"The building of this ship is almost done, and we don't expect to have any new jobs soon," said Zhang, who asked to be identified by one name.

"We used to work 30 days a month, but now we work only 10 to 20 days because not many ships are being built. Many workers have moved on to other jobs."

Qiligang Shipbuilding is one of several troubled firms in the eastern coastal Zhejiang province, the world's largest manufacturing base for small to medium-sized dry docks.

According to local media, around 80 percent of shipyards in Zhejiang have either suspended production or are operating at half their capacity.

"The grass is growing high in many yards that have closed due to a lack of orders," said Zhang Shouguo, secretary general of industry group the China Shipowners' Association.

"This is just the beginning of the woes for shipbuilders and the worst has yet to come."

To survive and keep some of the sector's 400,000 workers employed, shipyards must turn to less lucrative businesses such as leasing vessels, real estate or, in the worst case, tearing apart the ships they once used to build, industry experts say.

"Shipbuilding is a very cyclical industry and those who can maintain strength, complete structural restructuring and transform will be a major force after the recovery," said Zhang Yao, spokesman for Singapore-listed Yangzijiang Shipbuilding ( YAZG.SI), one of China's largest vessel building firms.

"For others without flexibility to deal with the market changes, dormancy may be their best choice. Eventually more than 30 percent of existing shipbuilders will disappear."

His forecast is relatively optimistic compared to the view of other industry officials. The head of the government's China State Shipbuilding Corporation, Tan Zuojun, told local media in February he believed 50 percent of domestic shipyards would go bankrupt in the next two to three years.

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A neutral US helpful to stability in S China Sea

Updated: 2012-05-07 14:43

(peopledaily.com.cn)

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has recently declared that the United States would not take sides on the competing sovereignty claims to land features in the South China Sea, which had been confirmed by Philippine officials. This is a positive signal and is beneficial to the cooling of the South China Sea issue.

Recently, the sovereignty dispute over the South China Sea became serious. The related claimants should directly negotiate and reach a consensus in a peaceful manner based on the spirit of seeking truth from facts.

The Philippines constantly gave offense to the sovereignty of China and even sent warships to prevent Chinese fishermen from operating in Chinese waters. Analysts said that the reason why some countries are so unbridled may be related with the adjusted geo-strategy of the United States.

The United States had signed a Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the Philippines. The treaty is defensive rather than aggressive in nature. It is a basic fact that China owns the sovereignty of the Huangyan Island, which China had declared to the world and the international community also approved.

It also is a basic fact that the sovereignty of the Philippines does not extend to the Huangyan Island, which is accepted by the international community. The US-Philippines MDT stated that the United States only has the obligation to defend the territory of Philippines rather than Chinese land coveted by the Philippines.

The joint defense between the United States and the Philippines deserves recognition and even respect and it will be a favorable factor to stabilize the situation in the South China Sea as long as the United States insists on joint defense and opposes to joint infringement and external expansion by its ally.

However, the United States recently talks less about the historical attribution of the Huangyan Island, but more about defending the Philippines. The purposed ambiguity of the United States will connive its irresponsible ally and it will have to bear the corresponding consequences eventually.

The Philippines should take the consequences for its defiance. There is no reason that American people make sacrifices for its irresponsible ally.

The Huangyan Island belongs to China, to which Philippines had no objection. The Xisha and Nansha Islands belong to China, which South and North Vietnam had publicly acknowledged. Therefore, Vietnam today should also accept it from the International Law. If these countries have any new mindset, they can discuss with the related countries rather than plunder.

The great powers have responsibility of persuading the irresponsible countries to realize their errors and mending their ways. The neutrality of the United States deserves affirmation but we need to see not only what it will say but also what it will do.

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A green economy without poverty

Updated: 2012-05-07 13:04

By Antonio de Aguiar Patriota (chinadaily.com.cn)

In June 2012, Brazil will host the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, known as Rio+20.

The time is right: there are clear signs that the current development models must be reformulated. Countries — regardless of their wealth — face serious economic and financial crises, social inequality, hunger, unemployment, losses in biodiversity and climate change. These multiple crises point to the timely and urgent need to implement sustainable development models: national projects that take a balanced and integrated approach to economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection.

Rio+20 will be an opportunity to hold this discussion at the highest level. The Conference will be fundamentally different from its predecessor, Rio 92. The Summit held 20 years ago represented the final stages of long negotiation processes that culminated in the signing of important documents and conventions. While Rio 92 was a destination point, Rio+20 may be considered a point of departure. Rio+20 looks to the future, building a new sustainable development agenda.

One of Brazil's priorities in Rio+20 will be discussing the eradication of poverty and the strengthening of financial and technological flows in order to implement sustainable development commitments, which require significant public, private and political resources.

The Rio+20 agenda is organized around two major subjects. The first is a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication. On this, a general agreement has been emerging among the different countries on a few aspects: there is not one single model for a green economy; and one must not think about a green economy without taking into account the eradication of poverty, that is, without pursuing social inclusion goals.

Each country will create its own green economy design, based on its national realities, the resources available, and the development challenges it faces. In Brazil, for example, the green economy will be based on the widespread use of renewable energy, as well as on effectively combating deforestation and raising income levels for millions of Brazilians. The adoption of a single green economy standard for all nations could potentially create distortions, such as trade barriers, which would deepen the disparities among countries, aggravating social problems, particularly in developing countries.

The second subject is governance for sustainable development. In other words, it is necessary to adapt the framework of the UN system, so as to strengthen multilateralism, reduce the democratic deficit and provide greater integration among the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainable development.

Rio+20 may decisively contribute to tackling global warming, because sustainable development is the best answer to the challenges associated with climate change. Brazil, China and the other partners of the BASIC Group, have played a key role in the recent Durban Conference, contributing, through their leadership, to the achievement of positive results. Thanks to Durban, the conditions are now set for a constructive exchange on global warming at Rio+20, which could potentially strengthen the international system regarding climate change. This should clearly be achieved without duplicating intergovernmental negotiations, whose legitimate forum is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The world looks to Brazil, the host of Rio+20, for leadership. We will not shy away from such task, for which we have solid credentials, bearing in mind our experience in areas such as clean and renewable energies, as well as inclusive economic growth policies. Brazil has demonstrated that it is possible to grow and to include, while protecting and preserving.

As President Dilma Rousseff mentioned in January 2012, at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre: after Rio+20, we want the word "development" to always be associated to the adjective "sustainable."

The author is the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

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Table of Contents

China Daily [周三, 09 五月 2012]

China

Submarine inventor thinks deep

China, Central Asia further cooperation urged

Top court focuses on monopolies

Opposition hails China's role in Syria

Leaders say greater understanding needed

China's positive role 'welcomed'

Philippines warned over island dispute

Govt, media team to fight fakes

Rescued panda regains health

China to start issuing e-passports

Price of some high-speed train tickets to be cut

Strict rules target antibiotics abuse

Tunnel fire in Taiwan kills two

No 'human flesh capsules' found

A bigger picture for Guangzhou's Nansha

Innovation to boost shipbuilder's fleet

Rising GDP leads to boom in yachting

Christie’s HK to offer ‘Martian Pink’

China, Singapore step up anti-crimes cooperation

Minister hopes to see sound Sino-US military ties

China to timely expand 4G trial scale

Tap water might dirtier than imagined

New platform gives iron ore traders muscle

Defense minister hopes to see sound Sino-US ties

Dialogue with China fruitful: US official

Cyber attacks affect 'both nations'

Top court gets tougher on market monopolies

China moves to stop SOE executives overspending

Second quarter real estate crash unlikely

Wen congratulates Medvedev on becoming Russian PM

China aims to double textile output in a decade

China starts building power plant in Singapore

Chinese marine to train with Thai forces

Residential property market slumps

Teens kidnapped, forced to work

Expert:‘Dead baby’ pills likely placenta

Electricity price to rise soon for top users

New leaders, common goals

16 detained over illegal human organ trade

China to implement strictest water measures

Preserving the secret language of women

China, AL pledge further strategic cooperation

China finds no 'human flesh capsules': official

Tickets discounts on high-speed train available

SOE managers curbed on purchases

China renews free eye surgery in Myanmar

China finds EU, Japan dumping steel tubes

Chinese company revives plans for Iceland resort

Night life for migrant workers

E-passports to be introduced from May 15

Vehicle fumes pump up Shanghai pollution

Richest Chinese to get richer: research

Slide: Training for mining emergency

AL chief calls for closer Arab-China ties

Front Pages, May 8

Substandard imported goods seized

Study blamed for 90% shortsighted 17-year-olds

Water usage to be monitored better

China should account for 15% of global trade

China prepared for escalation of island dispute

Third representation over island dispute

Investigative reporters to be protected

A dream of making independent films

Ministry calls for smoking cessation hotline

France and China to strengthen ties

Tanker leakage prevented from polluting river

Beijing opera shines in Turkey

Hollande meets Chinese ambassador

Sharing and caring

Help for boy who wasn't taught to speak

Act of bravery spurs act of kindness

Students prep on amino acid drips

Falling housing prices spark protests

Giant panda in the wild recovering

Lhasa monks get free eyesight checkup

Burial laws spark violent protest

Absentee workers getting paid

Chongqing cracks down on duty crime

Publicly funded banquets on menu

Apple offers settlement in trademark case

Foreign wines gaining ground

Boy finds voice in music

Donations pour in for ill toddler's care

Police thwart organ-selling gang

Web of opportunity

All NGOs to get equal status

China, US vow cooperation on cyber security

Student's food safety website fuels his fame

Experts expect closer China-Russia ties

China to boost sewage treatment industry

China issues policies to raise wellbeing of working women

Chinese defense minister meets 'Flying Tigers'

Hu's speech on CYLC's 90th anniversary published

Hu reaches out as Hollande wins

'New' name for island sparks fury

Sales of China's top 100 chain stores hit $238b

Excessive bacteria in food sicken 56 in NW China

AL chief calls for closer Arab-China ties

China to have its first subway fire brigade

No date for furniture trade-in policy

Hiker saved after fall from Great Wall

Sembcorp buys wind power holdings

Hu congratulates Putin on presidential term

China's 1st deep-water rig to drill in S China Sea

Lenovo looks for momentum out of mobile device sales

Ancient Buddhist temple found in Taklimakan Desert

$12.6b in public donations in 2011: minister

Mine accident kills 4 in North China

Hu congratulates Putin on third presidential term

Hu congratulates Putin on presidential term

Sexy '2012' at water park

China congratulates French president-elect

Toxic vegetables expose loopholes

Toxic vegetables expose hidden practices

Forum addresses animation education challenges

Animation charm shown on UK Day

Half of families have boomerang children

A glance at Int'l Cartoon Animation Festival

Students 'drugged' in class ahead of <em>gaokao</em>

Dead bird H5N1 positive in Hong Kong

473 Chongqing officials prosecuted

Bus fire in Taiwan kills three, injures 21

Lucrative jade business off-limits to officials

China, C Asian countries hold cooperation forum

IPad trademark dispute sees progress

Five students drown in Yangtze

Little Red's interrogation

Front Pages, May 7

3 trapped in south China mine collapse

Night-flying training in Chengdu

Night-flying training in Chengdu

Reality lesson for graduation photo

Weekly Photos: April 30- May 6

Traffic resumes six days after Tibet landslides

Business

Discount offered for luxury seats on high-speed trains

China finds no 'human flesh capsules', promises further probe

Hong Kong stocks close 0.25% lower

China to expand high-end equipment sector

Real estate developers struggle in sea of red ink

Firms benefit from iron ore trading platform

China finds EU, Japan dumping steel tubes

Home appliance sales in countryside decline

ChiNext Index closes down -- May 8

China stock index futures close lower -- May 8

Anti-dumping tariffs on seamless tubes

Discount offered for luxury seats on high-speed trains

Chinese company revives plans for Iceland resort

Chinese stocks close lower Tuesday

Chinese visitors main hope for NZ tourism

Toyota says China sales in April up 68%

Iron ore spot trading platform opens

Pact between Pepsi and China Unicom

Food safety website fuels student's fame

15% of world trade Chinese: commerce minister

CNR inks deal for Indian joint venture

GEA linking up with China Triumph

April CPI down to 3.3%: Analysts

Baosteel reports 1.5b yuan profit in Q1

China issues policies to raise wellbeing of working women

$100m Sinohydro project in Angola

BJEG again ups stake in Sinopec target, China Gas

1,500 tons of tungsten for Sandvik

BMW's sales up 31% in April

Copyright debate is good for law

Relax high-tech restrictions

Ministers to talk about free trade

Mainland buys more HK gold

Contracts, rules of T-bond futures trading under study

Businesses unite to cope with trade frictions

Share increased in gas company

China to import additional corn

Publicly funded banquets on menu

RMB forwards hit 3-week low

Demand for temps up, study indicates

Cross-Straits trade down 6.7% in first quarter

Charity fair to open

Weak world economy weighs on steel export orders

Falling home prices spark protests by homeowners

FAW hopes to rev up its Hongqi brand

Foreign wines gaining ground

Real estate developers struggle in sea of red ink

Air conditioner sales cool down

China's first deep-water rig to drill in South China Sea

Sales of China's top 100 chain stores hit 1.65t yuan

China's 1st deep-water rig to drill in South Sea

GE to buy 15% stake in China's XD Electric

Wired into an online world of opportunity

Beijing rejects 14,000 home buyers in tightening

China's online third-party payment booms in Q1

Attracting and retaining the very best staff

Banks dominate profits of A-share listed financial firms

Beijing may host OTC market

Public donations in China hit $12.6b in 2011

Sino-German Job Fair in Beijing brings young talents and employers together

China to expand high-end equipment manufacturing sector

Chinese stocks close mixed on Monday

Toxic vegetables expose industry loopholes

Auto Special: Audi shows top tech at Beijing gala

ChiNext Index closes up -- May 7

Luxury cruise boosts Three Gorges tourism

Hushen 300 Index closes up -- May 7

China stock index futures close higher -- May 7

Chinese firms tap into global electric vehicle market

Luxury cruise boosts Three Gorges tourism

Coda-Great Wall electric car deal

New luxury Hongqi sedan to hit market in Oct

Germany's Bosch Group fires up for further growth

Subsidy program fails to spur home appliance sales

Losses at more dealers as market tightens

Profit tumble for domestic automakers

New luxury Hongqi sedan to hit market in Oct

Xinjiang's jade business off-limits to officials

PBOC restarts bill repurchase, RRR cut likely

iPad trademark dispute sees progress

Sembcorp acquires power assets in China for $85.5m

Colombian president hopes to bolster ties with China

Global economy looking to China to lift growth

River pollution 'under control' in Shaanxi

Losses at more dealers as market tightens

Li highlights ties during Europe visit

Doctor-patient relations

Germany's Bosch Group fires up for further growth

Railway passengers hit 606m in first 4 months

Malaysia to set up Sino-Malysia industrial park

Canton fair closes with drop in export transactions

China stock index futures open lower Monday

ChiNext Index opens lower Monday

Profit tumble for domestic automakers

China's yuan retreats to 6.2858 against USD Monday

Forerunners show newcomers the way to market

The top 10 firms looking to list

Gang had new take on gutter oil, police say

China's cleaning supply industry surges in 2011

Tobacco award bid shelved amid controversy

China launches new mapping satellite

Outsourced workers call for change

Investors press their case as paper hits market

China to boost construction of green buildings

Greeks bearing financial gifts

World

Officials: Al-Qaida bomber was CIA informant

China, Central Asia further cooperation urged

Slide: Cape Town prepares for winter

Opposition hails China's role in Syria

China, Singapore step up anti-crimes cooperation

Yahoo to review CEO's academic credentials

Putin against postponing Russia's WTO deal

Interpol seeks arrest of Iraq vice-president

Gunfire heard near Libyan PM's compound

China, Singapore to crack down int'l organized crimes

Food products from China 'satisfactory': Singapore

Hollande,Sarkozy attend war commemoration ceremony

Parliament approves Medvedev as PM

Tymoshenko row causes Ukraine to call off summit

China starts building power plant in Singapore

Zimbabwe lauds China's unwavering support

IAEA expert dies in Iran's car accident: media

Arab League chief appreciates China's support

Chinese student jailed for sitting exams for others

TEPCO names new president

Ukraine's Tymoshenko puts off move to hospital

Tour to promote CAFTA soon to begin

Putin lays wreath at Tomb of Unknown Soldier

US envoy to Pakistan to step down

US, India ask Pakistan to crackdown on terror

China, Central Asia to boost relations

Air India cancels flights over pilots strike

London Stadium ready to welcome the world

China medical team renews free surgery in Myanmar

Marilyn Monroe statue disassembled

Sole boxer to represent Kenya in London Olympics

Japan imperial couple to visit Britain

Syria satisfied with parliamentary elections

Deployment of observers priority for Syria

AL chief calls for closer Arab-China ties

France and China to strengthen ties

Bill Clinton says education key to development

Facebook's Zuckerberg starts investor show in NY

Harry draws attention to plight of wounded warriors

Merkel rejects Hollande call to renegotiate fiscal pact

Israel cancels early elections

US foils plot to blow up US-bound jet

US to approve $1b for Israel's defense system

Hollande meets Chinese ambassador

China, US vow cooperation on cyber security

France's Hollande, China envoy discuss bilateral ties

CIA thwarts new al-Qaida underwear bomb plot

Iran to set date for launching nuclear power plant

Greek conservatives to seek coalition partners

Iran hopes Hollande reconsiders policies

Putin signs decree on long-term economic policy

French new president to take office next week

Full sized Gundam installed in Japan

China hopes Syria vote can advance political reforms

Putin nominates Medvedev as PM

Putin vows to lead Russia through new stage

Europe forced to balance growth and austerity

Putin sworn in for third term

Vesak day commemorates birth of Buddha

18 killed in road mishap in N India

ROK, US launch major aerial drill

Tornado hits Japan

US secretly released prisoners in Afghanistan

Syria kicks off parliamentary election

Victory in France for Socialist party

6 people shot during party in Ohio

Six people shot during party in Ohio

Sports

Countdown to London Olympics - April 19

London Stadium ready to welcome the world

Marbury on charity tour in SW China

Marbury on charity tour in SW China

Sole boxer to represent Kenya in London Olympics

LOCOG kicks off full test of Olympic Park

Zhang Dan/Zhang Hao part ways

Runner-up finish puts McIlroy back at No 1

Federer has no fear of the Blues in Madrid

Oh baby, Conca's in more trouble

Evergrande fully focused on mission in Thailand

Li Na advances in Madrid Open

O'Sullivan mulls future after fourth world win

Djokovic has focus back after bereavement

Serena sails through, Venus crashes out

Kiteboarding takes wind out of surfers' sails

Chambers confident of making London team

Jumping for joy at Juventus

Key players

Gymnast Cheng eyes 3rd Olympic appearance

Firms prepare to keep London working

Beijing Int'l Sudoku Tournament will kick off

Lakers go 3-1 up on Nuggets

Beckham tops Britain's sports wealth league

Liu Xiang: 13.09 seconds satisfactory

Molinari gets 3rd Tour title at Spanish Open

Fowler wins first PGA title in playoff

African men dominant at Vancouver Marathon

Chen Nan's wedding slam dunk

Volleyball coach accused of abduction

Federer fresh for clay swing after break

Bolt speeds to year's fastest 100 metres

Paper smuggles fake bomb into London Games park

Opinions

From the Chinese Press

From the Chinese Press

Letters

High price to pay for brazen profits

Unprecedented endeavor

Debt crisis test for Hollande

An alternative approach for African media

New leaders, common aim

Islands not for sale

Looking for love

Ghost towns

A real mess

Manila's name game

Law on domestic violence

Relax high-tech restrictions

Island belongs to China

Copyright debate is good for law

Boys more immature than girls

Family planning fines

Safety in hospitals

China's shipyards founder as building boom ends

A neutral US helpful to stability in S China Sea

A green economy without poverty

Vegan pets

Visual illusions