Learn Chinese: 2007

Monday, December 31, 2007

Learn Chinese - Big house, or big burden?

? ?

BIZCHINA / Biz Life

Big house, or big burden?

(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-01-19 09:39

A young man in Zhengzhou, central China'sHenanProvince is desperately
trying to sell his dream house after the New Year, unable to bear the
heavy burden of paying off a bank loan.

The man, surnamed Wang, bought a 140-square-meter forward-delivery house
in 2004 after school graduation, a local newspaper reported, paying a
200,000 yuan down-payment with help from his parents.

Now he is strapped for cash as he pays over 2,400 yuan a month for the
unfinished house and spends hundreds more in renting a place to live, but
he and his girlfriend earn only 4,000 yuan a month.

Wang hopes to buy a smaller house after he sells the big one. According
to the local government, at least 300 people in the city are in similar
straits to Wang and changed into smaller houses last year.

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Chinese Online Class - Service industry to cash in on FDI

BIZCHINA / Center

Service industry to cash in on FDI

(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-01-16 09:31

The service sector will be the new focus to attract foreign investors
this year, according to a senior commerce official.

"We will take the service sector as a new focus in attracting foreign
direct investment (FDI) in 2007 to optimize China's foreign investment
structure," Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai said yesterday at the national
commerce working conference.

A billboard for major multinational companies investing in Nanjing, the
capital of East China's Jiangsu Province, at an exhibition in the city.
[newsphoto]

Official statistics showed that the service industry accounted for some
41 percent of China's total gross domestic product in 2006, compared with
the global average of 68 percent.

Bo said China should use foreign investment to upgrade and reform China's
service sector.

"Learning from the experience of developing China's manufacturing sector,
we must cash in on the opportunities of international investment to
transform the service industry," he said.

The growth of FDI in the service sector emerged as a trend last year. FDI
in China, excluding financial sectors such as banks and insurance, hit
$63 billion last year, an increase of 4.47 percent from a year earlier,
while FDI to the service sector increased 21 percent year-on-year.

The government will also encourage foreign investment to some high-end
manufacturing sectors this year by relaxing or scrapping restrictions on
foreign investors' access to some industries, Bo said.

"The move is expected to attract more foreign investment to the high-end
sectors and to boost the upgrade of domestic sectors," Bo said.

The Chinese government's current policies on foreign investment reflect
the value it places on the quality and efficiency of foreign investment
flows, rather than just the pursuit of volume, said Lu Jinyong, an
investment researcher at the University of International Business and
Economics.

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Chinese Online Class

Chinese language - China's growth presents opportunity for Latin America

BIZCHINA / America

China's growth presents opportunity for Latin America

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-01-04 14:55

China's economic growth presents an opportunity for Latin America, said a
report of UN Economic Commission for Latin America and Caribbean (ECLAC)
on Wednesday.

The report said China became the fourth-largest economy in the world in
2005, replacing Britain and that China's share of the world trade volume
has jumped from 1 percent to 6 percent in less than 20 years.

China has been the primary target of anti-dumping cases in recent years,
the report pointed out, adding that many emerging economies harbored bias
against China over its strong competitive edge from low labor costs, with
some even blaming China for their poor exporting performance.

However, the report said China's enormous domestic market presents an
opportunity to many countries, adding that Latin American countries will
continue to benefit from China's economic growth and its ever-expanding
domestic demand. Brazil's exports to China has quadrupled over the past
four years, it added.

Meanwhile, the ECLAC stressed that there is no direct trade competition
between China and Latin America in the U.S. market.

China's trade increase has little impact on Paraguay, Venezuela, Bolivia
and Panama and China is a net importer of raw materials while Latin
America is rich in natural resources.

Therefore, the report said China's economic growth and its integration in
world trade would "obviously" benefit Latin America, the report added.

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Chinese language

Chinese School - Petrochemical Chinese School - Draft law on labor contract submitted for second readingindustry oils Huizhou economy

BIZCHINA / Top Biz News

Petrochemical industry oils Huizhou economy

By Song Hongmei (Chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2006-12-23 10:24

Situated in the southeast of

BIZCHINA / Center

Draft law on labor contract submitted for second reading

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-12-25 10:08

China's top legislature is considering the public's suggestions to better
protect the rights of laborers and establish a stable and harmonious
relationship between the employers and employees.

The draft law on labor contract was on Sunday submitted to a legislative
session of the National People's Congress (NPC) for the second reading.

NPC received 191,849 public suggestions during the month after the draft
law was published for public consultation on March 20.

Based on public opinions, the amended draft law has worked out specific
stipulations on the endorsement, implementation and termination of labor
contracts, with an aim to establish a stable labor relationship.

In regard to the problem that the rights of laborers on probation are
often infringed upon, the new draft law stipulates that the salary of the
probationer should not be less than 80 percent of the lowest salary on
the same post.

It also requires that the probation period should not exceed one month if
the validity period of the labor contract is less than one year, and not
surpass six months if the labor contract period is over three years.

Employees' rights are stressed in the draft law which stipulates that
when the employers make important decisions on issues such as salary,
working hours, vacation, labor safety and health, insurance, training,
labor quotas and disciplines, they should put their plans on the
conference attended by all workers or their representatives for
discussion.

The draft law also focuses on cracking down on illegally docking or
delaying employee's pay.

China's current labor contract system was set in a labor law enacted 12
years ago. The draft, if it is approved, will be the country's first law
governing contracts.

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Chinese School

China's most developed province, Guangdong,
Huizhou boasts two national-level development zones, the Dayawan Economic
and Technological Development Zone and the Zhongkai High and New
Technological Development Zone, according to Li Ruqiu, acting mayor of
Huizhou.

Li Ruqiu, acting mayor of Huizhou, speaks during a press conference held
on Friday, December 22, 2005. [chinadaily.com.cn]

With the completion of China National Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and Shell
Petrochemicals Company (CSPC), a 50-50 joint venture between CNOOC and
Royal Dutch Shell, and the launch of CNOOC Nanhai Oil Refinery, the
Dayawan development zone has met an unprecedented opportunity to grow to
be a world-class petrochemical industrial base. The area has entered a
new era of economic and social development, said Li at a press conference
on Friday.

CNOOC is China's third-biggest oil company. Its petrochemicals complex
with Shell, which is so far the largest joint venture project in China,
became operational in March, involving a total investment of US$4.3
billion. It will supply 2.3 million tons of petrochemical products every
year to Guangdong and neighboring provinces in southern China, said the
joint venture's deputy chief executive officer Zhai Hongxing on Friday.

CSPC deputy chief executive officer Zhai Hongxing answers journalists'
questions in the Dayawan Economic and Technological Development Zone in
Huizhou, South China's Guangdong Province, December 22, 2006.
[chinadaily.com.cn]

CSPC finally chose Huizhou as its location because the city has a natural
port which ensures convenient transportation by ship, as Huizhou is close
to the Pearl River Delta Region. Some 57 percent of its target market is
in the Delta Region, which means reduced costs. The Huizhou government
has also invested about one billion yuan in improving infrastructure and
the investment environment , Zai told chinadaily.com.cn.

Nearby, the CNOOC Nanhai Oil Refinery Project is under construction. The
project involves a total investment of 19.3 billion yuan (US$2.4 billion)
and its annual sales are expected to reach 34 billion yuan after it comes
on stream in 2008.

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Chinese School

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Learn Chinese online - ROK firm to set up coal joint venture

BIZCHINA / Top Biz News

ROK firm to set up coal joint venture

By Wan Zhihong (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-12-19 09:31

Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO) has agreed with Deutsche Bank AG and
Shanxi International Electricity Group to establish a 10 billion yuan
(US$1.28 billion) joint venture to develop coal mines in China.

Related readings:
Nation to pour US$127b into development of oil alternative
Onset of winter drives up coal prices
China to probe coal mine production capacity
Deutsche Bank launches wealth management operations

KEPCO will cover 34 per cent of the investment, while the Chinese company
and Deutsche Bank will account for 47 per cent and 19 per cent
respectively, said South Korean media reports.

The venture will develop nine coal mines in North China's Shanxi Province
over the next 50 years, according to media reports.

It also plans to buy 24 power plants in China, which will have a combined
capacity of 9,330 megawatts (MW).

KEPCO is South Korea's major power producer, supplying more than 95 per
cent of the country's electricity. The company refused to comment on the
deal when contacted yesterday.

The Seoul-based power company formally entered the Chinese market in
2004, with the construction of two power plants in Central China's Henan
Province.

The two coal-fired power plants were each designed to have an installed
capacity of 50 MW, involving a total investment of US$71 million.

The South Korean company signed an agreement in 2004 with its Chinese
partners to construct two more coal-fired power plants in Henan, each
with a designed installed capacity of 600 MW.

Analysts said that the deal would help the Chinese company to increase
its technological level and management skills.

"Shanxi Province is abundant in coal resources and KEPCO boasts advanced
technology. The deal is an example of win-win co-operation," said Han
Xiaoping, an energy industry analyst at the China5e.com website.

China is the largest coal producer in the world, and Shanxi's coal output
accounts for about one-third of the nation's total.

Coal-fired power plants now account for over 70 per cent of the nation's
total electricity output, with the authorities encouraging them to use
more advanced technology in order to save energy.

China Huaneng Group, the nation's biggest electricity producer, launched
the nation's first 1,000 MW ultra-supercritical coal-fired generating
units last month, with an investment of 9.6 billion yuan (US$1.22
billion).

According to the National Development and Reform Commission, China's coal
output hit 1.67 billion tons in the first 10 months of this year, up 12.2
per cent year-on-year.

The coal industry saw a profit of 52.3 billion yuan (US$6.54 billion)
during the January-October period, an increase of 17.6 per cent
year-on-year .

China Coal Energy Co, China's leading coal mine operator, hopes to raise
up to US$1.7 billion after its shares are listed in Hong Kong today. It
is the third mainland coal group to list in Hong Kong after Yanzhou Coal
Mining Co and Shenhua Energy Co.

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Learn Chinese online

Chinesepod - Market mania

BIZCHINA / Weekly Roundup

Market mania

(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-12-11 08:34

Gathering in a huge meeting room in the downtown Beijing Focus Hall, more
than 300 men and women, young and old, are listening intently to a stock
investment forecast for 2007. It has been years since Zhang Yichi, a fund
manager with China Asset Management, has seen so many people crazy about
the stock market.

"I am puzzled because the market has climbed to such a high level, and
there's no sign of its stopping." A woman raises a concern with Zhang: "I
am afraid of buying in on such a high level. There will be no room for
margin."

"I bought some funds in April, and you know what, they doubled in value,"
Yu Na, a young woman, who works at an Internet company says. "I should
have put more money in," she says with regret. "I am afraid the steep
rise will not happen again."

[cartoon.chinadaily.com.cn]

For those who have heard about friends, colleagues or acquaintances
doubling their money recently by buying stocks or funds, the coming year
is suddenly getting great attention.

Zhang gives his answer to investors curious about stock market returns:
"The return for mutual equity fund investors is likely to be around 20 to
25 per cent in 2007," he says confidently.

Blue chip power

Starting at 998 points, the Shanghai Composite Index has risen more than
100 per cent since the beginning of this year. In the past month, the
index has breached the psychologically important level of 2,000.

Analysts like to call it a "burst after five years' slump." And for
investors, it is a switch from hell to heaven.

The Shanghai & Shenzhen 300 index, composed of 300 blue chips, has
climbed 41 per cent since the beginning of the year. The Shanghai 50
index, comprising 50 major blue chips in the yuan-denominated A-share
market, rose by 49 per cent. Both indexes surpassed the Shanghai
composite index, indicating that investment capital is flowing into blue
chips.

As China's stock market continues to climb, nobody can predict where the
rally will finally end. But for 2007, at least one thing is certain it
will be a year for blue chips.

By October, the Shanghai exchange had witnessed 47 initial public
offerings (IPOs) after the government lifted a year-long ban. The IPOs
for banking blue chips Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and
Bank of China were widely over-subscribed.

For 2007, the market is expecting major IPOs such as China Life, China's
biggest lifer insurer; PetroChina, the country's largest oil company; and
Bank of Communications. Already listed overseas, the companies now plan
to list in China .

1 2 3

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Chinesepod

Chinese School - China, Chile start new FTA talks as one goes into effect

BIZCHINA / Center

China, Chile start new FTA talks as one goes into effect

By Ding Qingfen (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-11-30 08:39

China and Chile will start negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA)
covering service trade and investment next January, the countries said
yesterday.

"The talks are expected to be wrapped up by the end of 2008, or earlier
than that, maybe the middle of 2008," said Fernando Reyes Matta, Chile's
Ambassador to China.

Though the talks have been on the table since late September, they
probably won't "enter into a substantive stage until January 2007," said
Zhang Bing, an official of the department of international trade and
economic affairs with the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM).

When asked about expected challenges for the coming talks, both were
upbeat about the prospects.

"The agreement on service trade and investment, if signed, will further
promote bi-lateral trade thanks to the bigger role of the service trade
in contributing to China's trade volume," Zhang said.

Matta agreed, saying: "The agreement is good for both China and Chile."

For Zhu Hong, deputy director of the department of international trade
and economic affairs under the MOFCOM, the success of the talks depends
on the compromises the countries are willing to make.

The new round of talks come at a time when a previous China-Chile FTA
came into effect on October 1. In 2005, the two countries signed a deal
covering trade in commodities.

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Related Stories

� Chile, China sign deal
===========================================================================

Chinese School

Learn Chinese online - Swedish sChinese language - KTV operators chafe at royaltiesteel firm to make its niche products in region

BIZCHINA / Overseas Investment

Swedish steel firm to make its niche products in region

(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2006-11-22 14:33

Sweden SSAB Oxelosund AB

BIZCHINA / Weekly Roundup

KTV operators chafe at royalties

By Zhan Lisheng in Guangzhou and Wu Jiao in Beijing (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-11-23 10:10

KTV operators have come out in opposition to the royalty fees imposed by
the National Copyright Administration (NCA) earlier this month.

On November 9, the NCA set a daily royalty of 12 yuan (US$1.5) per KTV
room in an effort to improve copyright protection. The fee is in effect
in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou on a trial basis and is to be
gradually implemented in other cities.

Related readings:
China sets royalty payment standard for karaoke bars
KTV operators to pay copyright levy
Standard of KTV copyright fee discussed
Fight over KTV fees continues

However, KTV operators in Guangzhou and Shanghai say the fees are too
onerous. One sticking point is that operators must pay the room-based fee
regardless of whether any customers actually use the rooms.

Zhu Nan, deputy secretary general of the Shanghai Entertainment Industry
Association, said a room-based rate of 1 yuan (US$0.12) per day would be
more feasible.

"KTV clubs in Shanghai would end up turning over 7.3 million yuan
(US$900,000) every year if they had to pay a rate of 1 yuan (12 US cents)
per day. That's already an awesome amount of money," said Zhu.

Huang Shiqiu, president of the Guangzhou Cultural and Recreational
Industry Association, said the fees should be levied according to the
number of songs played.

In response to such opposition, Wang Huapeng, leader of the China Audio
and Video Collective Management Association's organizational committee,
was quoted by Beijing Youth Daily as saying KTV operators can resist the
fees if they do not use protected material under the association's care.

The China Audio and Video Collective Management Association will oversee
collection of the fees once it receives official approval from the
government. In the meantime, the China Audio and Video Association has
been designated as the temporary agent to collect the royalties.

Meanwhile, Beijing's copyright authorities said they have been collecting
the fees according to plan.

"We worked with copyright holders and users to create a scheme for
different royalty standards for different types of KTV operations," said
Wang Yelin, vice-dean of the Beijing Copyright Association.

Wang said that in Beijing, 12 yuan (US$1.5) would be the maximum of three
levels of royalties. Rules governing the three standards will be released
at the end of the year.

Some operators calculated that KTV customers would probably have to pay
an extra 1.4 yuan (US$0.17) per hour to cover the fees.

The royalties will be paid to song-writers and music companies, according
to staff at the China Audio and Video Collective Management Association.
Many copyright holders say that 12 yuan (US$1.5) per day is still too low.

(China Daily 11/23/2006 page3)

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Chinese language

plans to open a 100 million yuan (US$12.5
million) steel plate center near Shanghai to better serve regional
customers such as Xugong Group Construction Machinery Co.

The Kunshan, Jiangsu Province-based center, to be equipped with a
processing plant and storage facility, will be the company's first
production site in China. Commercial use is expected in the third quarter
next year.

Officials wouldn't disclose the processing capacity of the new plant,
saying only that it has adequate room for expansion if demand grows.

Per Olof Stark, the company's marketing and sales director, said SSAB
Oxelosund may not be a big player in the general steel industry, but it
is a leader in the niche market for heavy plates that can be used in a
range of applications such as excavators, loader buckets, cranes and
truck bodies.

"The company also wants to be the No. 1 in the Chinese market (as it does
worldwide)," Stark told reporters on the sideline of a machinery fair.

Mats Haglund, the company's manager for Asia Pacific region, said the
firm will build a port facility near the Kunshan project for easier
shipment.

The company's current operations in China include trading companies in
Shanghai, Tianjin and other cities, along with several sales offices. The
Swedish steel company entered China in 1999.

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Learn Chinese online

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Chinese language - In the slipstream

BIZCHINA / Overseas Investment

In the slipstream

(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-11-20 08:46

PPG Aerospace, a global leader in aerospace coatings, sealants and
transparencies, is pouring some US$10 million into China in the near
future. The company is setting up more application support centres (ASCs)
around the country to bolster its business growth in the fledgling but
promising market.

"As the Chinese aviation market further develops, we are witnessing
several positive tendencies that facilitate our business growth here.
That is why we are brewing new ASC expansion plans for further business
development," Fang Hong, general manager of PPG Aerospace Asia Pacific,
tells China Daily.

PPG Aerospace is a branch of PPG Industries in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Founded in 1883, the company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and
reported a net income of US$596 million in 2005.

PPG Industries was one of the few global coating companies to invest in
China in the 1980s. Among its seven major products currently produced and
sold in China are automotive and industrial coatings.

PPG Aerospace set up its Suzhou ASC in 2002. Although PPG does not
release its China sales figures, the company does say that by 2011, it
expects PPG Aerospace global sales to double from the current figure to
US$1 billion.

Fang says the new business expansion plans in China involve a new ASC
venture in Tianjin with future ventures in Guangzhou and Chengdu.

"The layout follows the geography of our new expansion plans in China. It
is also in line with the direction of development in the country's
aviation industry," Fang says.

Europe-based aviation giant Airbus is establishing an aircraft assembly
line, producing the A320 in Tianjin Municipality. As Airbus global
supplier, PPG Aerospace is setting up an ASC in Tianjin to offer coating
products and other services for Airbus.

"Airbus's new production facility in Tianjin is fuelling the
establishment of our ASC in the coastal city. In fact, Airbus has asked
us to offer integrated services and products," Fang elaborates.

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Chinese language

Chinesepod - Macroeconomy:WB raises China 2007 forecast

BIZCHINA / Biz Media Digest

Macroeconomy:WB raises China 2007 forecast

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-11-14 14:32

The World Bank (WB) on Tuesday raised its 2007 growth forecast for
China's economy to 9.6 percent from 9.3 percent, saying that yawning
trade surplus would aggravate the country's economic imbalance.

In the latest Quarterly Update on China, the Washington-based group stood
by its previous projections that China's gross domestic product would
grow 10.4 percent this year.

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Related Stories

� China's economy to grow 9.5 percent in 2007 - report
===========================================================================
� Nation told to bolster domestic consumption
===========================================================================
� GDP growth slows as macro-control policies pay off
===========================================================================

Chinesepod

Learn Mandarin online - EU to increase investment in West China

BIZCHINA / Investment Alerts

EU to increase investment in West China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-11-08 14:57

The Asian Investment Strategy program initiated by the European Union
(EU) will focus on China's western regions, said an EU official on
Tuesday.

"The Asian Investment Strategy aims to provide investment to the regions
whose economy development level is below the average of the country,"
said Vincent Piket, an EU official in charge of the Asian aid programs.

"As for China, our focus is the west," said Piket at a press briefing
following the two-day Asian Investment Forum held in Chengdu, capital of
Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The EU will increase its investment in West China, including Sichuan,
Guizhou, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Gansu and Qinghai provinces and the Xinjiang
Uygur and Tibet autonomous regions, according to the third-phase plan of
the Asian Investment Strategy (2006-2007).

The EU will provide between 75 percent and 95 percent of the capital
depending on the development needs, said Piket.

The Asian Investment Forum, which aims to facilitate international trade
and investment between European and small and medium-sized Asian
enterprises, was initiated in 1998 by the Europe Commission.

It has so far launched over 300 investment projects, involving more than
1,000 organizations.

The forum has been held five times and this year's was the second time
China played host. Beijing was host city in 2002.

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Learn Mandarin online

Chinese School - Projects for invChinese Mandarin - Cummins to create joint venture with Fotonestment

BIZCHINA / Investment Alerts

Projects for investment

(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-10-30 11:03

Yanghe Industrial Development Zone

Special automotive industria

BIZCHINA / Overseas Investment

Cummins to create joint venture with Foton

(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-10-30 11:25

US-based Cummins, the world's biggest diesel engine maker, said recently
it has signed a deal with Chinese truck producer Beiqi Foton Motor to
create an engine joint venture in Beijing.

The two sides plan to invest a total of 2.5 billion yuan (US$316 million)
in the joint venture with registered capital of 1 billion yuan (US$126
million). The two parties own 50 per cent of the facility respectively.
The venture, which will start to make Cummins 2.8- and 3.8-litre diesel
engines in 2008, will have an annual production capacity of 40,000
engines.

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Alibaba is the largest B2B marketplace in the world. Source model ship,
wooden puzzle, one-piece toilet, RC hovercraft, photo album, prom dress,
pocket bike, Vaginal Speculum, Samurai Sword, String Panty and PVC Pipe.

Chinese Mandarin

l park, Taiwan auto parts industrial park,
mould manufacturing industrial park, auto electric industrial park, auto
new material industrial park, auto gear export base, auto glass
industrial base, auto aluminum wheel hub export base, auto tyre
industrial export base, auto spare parts research and development centre,
small and medium businesses park, engineering machinery industrial park,
safety science and technology industrial park, environment protection
industrial park, liquid crystal equipment industrial park, aviation
equipment industrial park, pharmaceutical industrial park, medicine
distribution centre, Asia prestressed anchor industrial base,
international food industrial park, Belgium compressor industrial base,
logistics park and Yanghe dock.

Guting Comprehensive Service Park

International auto exhibition centre, international auto spare parts
purchasing centre, auto spare parts chain-store supermarket, auto 4S shop
square, used car trading centre, auto decoration centre, auto library,
racing car activity centre for young people, 5-star hotel, large-type
super market, commercial pedestrian street, fashion and entertainment
city, Yanghe water sports centre, Sanjiangmen Forest Park Golf Course and
Guting Mountain ecological leisure and vocation area.

For more information about investment in Yanghe Industrial Development
Zone, please contact:
Tel: 0086-772-3513017,3513029
Website:www.yidz.gov.cn

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Chinese School

Friday, December 28, 2007

Chinese School - AMP Capital eyes China market

BIZCHINA / Overseas Investment

AMP Capital eyes China market

(Shenzhen Daily)
Updated: 2006-10-24 14:25

AMP Capital Investors Ltd., a unit of Australia's largest life insurer,
plans to raise up to A$330 million (US$250 million) in a public share
offering for a fund that will invest in stocks and bonds in China.

The fund, to be managed by AMP Capital, will begin trading on the
Australian Stock Exchange before January, the Sydney-based company said
in statement yesterday. Final details of the fund are to be confirmed,
according to the statement.

AMP Capital in July became the first Australian company awarded a license
by the China Securities Regulatory Commission to invest in the nation's
securities.

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Chinese School

Learn Chinese online - A bad shopping day

BIZCHINA / Biz Life

A bad shopping day

By Steve Chen in Hong Kong and Xin Dingding in Beijing (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-10-18 11:16

A recent 'tourism nightmare' experienced by a group from Qinghai Province
visiting Hong Kong has shone a light on problems in the treatment of
mainland sightseers to the Special Administrative Region (SAR).

The group was on a three-day shopping and sightseeing tour to Hong Kong
last weekend when they were suddenly abandoned by their guide, as he did
not feel they were spending enough money.

In recent weeks, there have been reports of mainland tourists being
forced to stay in shops for extended periods of time and pressured into
buying things they do not want, or being taken to unpleasant locations as
"punishment" for refusing to purchase goods.

The guide in this weekend's incident has been suspended for two weeks and
given a warning letter by the tour company.

However, some industry peers say the punishment does not go far enough,
especially given the potential damage such practices can do to Hong
Kong's image as a tourist-friendly destination.

"The problem is that local tour companies have these 'zero-fee'
arrangements with mainland travel agents," says Michael Shi, manager of
the Inbound Chinese Visitors Department at China Travel Service.

"While the mainland agents collect fees from their customers, they pay no
money to local operators who handle the tours. This means these companies
have to make their money on commission earned when the tourists shop."

Shi estimates that around 60 per cent of local tour operators work on
this basis, making zero-fee tours more of an industry-wide practice than
an anomaly in a city where competition for tour groups is intense.

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Learn Chinese online

Chinese Online Class - Airbus: Details of Tianjin assembly line likely very soon

BIZCHINA / Overseas Investment

Airbus: Details of Tianjin assembly line likely very soon

(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-10-12 09:04

Airbus announced yesterday that it is likely to reveal further details
about its A320 final assembly line in Tianjin by the end of this month.

The Tianjin plant would be the firm's first aircraft assembly line
outside Europe and is expected to play an important role in the battle
for the single-aisle jet market.

"The joint feasibility study is close to reaching a final result. We
expect there will be some announcement by the end of October," said
Airbus China spokesman Kevin Gu.

Airbus selected the Tianjin site in June. It said that the plant's first
jet was expected to come off the assembly line in 2008.

Airbus and a consortium of Chinese enterprises, including several leading
companies in Tianjin, China Aviation Industry Corp I (AVIC I) and China
Aviation Industry Corp II (AVIC II), have been working on a joint
feasibility study on the project.

The Tianjin plant is likely to be a joint venture in which Airbus has a
51 per cent stake, according to a report in the Securities Times
newspaper. Tianjin enterprises would hold 29 per cent, while the
remaining 20 per cent would be shared between AVIC I and AVIC II, said
the report.

But neither Airbus or the Chinese firms were prepared to confirm the
report.

Airbus currently has four A320 final assembly lines, two in Toulouse,
France, and two in Hamburg, Germany. The final assembly line in Tianjin
is most likely to be a copy of the one in Hamburg.

"We want to do a copy and paste of the most modern final assembly line
for the A320 in Hamburg. Copy it and paste it here in Tianjin," Airbus
China President Laurence Barron said in an earlier interview.

The final assembly line in Hamburg, which has a 2,600-metre runway, not
only assembles the aircraft, but is also responsible for painting, cabin
interior installation, static and dynamic tests, and final delivery.

"While twin-aisle aircraft, such as the A380, A350 and B787, are the
focus of attention, the single-aisle jet market still remains a very
important and competitive one for Airbus and Boeing," said Li Lei, an
aviation analyst at CITIC China Securities.

"Especially in China, where there is a boom in domestic air traffic, the
success of the two aircraft giants largely relies on single-aisle family
aircraft," Li said, adding that the single-aisle jets, such as the A320
and B737, are "bread and butter" for the two companies as more of those
aircraft are sold than any other types.

The Tianjin project had its origins in a request from the Chinese
Government in April 2005, meaning that the project is likely to give
Airbus a competitive advantage over Boeing in China. The government is
eager to improve the Chinese aviation industry's know-how by absorbing
international aviation giants' technologies and experiences.

Airbus believes the Tianjin project would help it better serve the Asian
market by being closer to customers.

"We have the need for industrial volume and we have a market in China
which is very receptive to this aircraft," Barron said.

"In all likelihood, most of the aircraft will be delivered to Chinese
airlines. But it is not impossible we will deliver it to other airlines,"
Barron added.

The A320 has been Airbus' most successful model in Asia, especially
China. More than 170 A320s currently operate in China, accounting for 60
per cent of the nation's total Airbus fleet. In addition, it is popular
among China's burgeoning private airlines, with four out of the nation's
six private start-ups using A320s.

The Tianjin assembly line could also help Airbus "share risks" while
increasing production, said Tore Prang, media manager of Airbus in
Germany.

"The commercial aviation industry has its own cycle and there are peaks
and troughs. We are now experiencing the best period in the industry's
history, but there will definitely be a slump one day," Prang said,
adding that it would be unwise for Airbus to blindly expand production in
Europe, which has much higher costs, in order to meet demand during the
current "peak period."

Airbus now produces 30 A320s a month. It plans to up this figure to 34,
with the Tianjin plant accounting for the additional four.

Airbus will roll out a new version of the A320 next year, featuring a new
cabin design, improved engines and winglets that can save fuel.

It also plans to provide GSM mobile telephony on the A320 next year.

(China Daily 10/12/2006 page10)

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)

Chinese Online Class

Learn Mandarin online - TNT buyLearn Chinese - Microsoft sets up gaming platform in Chengdus stake in domestic road firm

BIZCHINA / Overseas Investment

TNT buys stake in domestic road firm

(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2006-09-30 15:02

TNT NV, one of the world's l

BIZCHINA / Overseas Investment

Microsoft sets up gaming platform in Chengdu
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-09-22 14:31

Microsoft Corp this week established its first game technology platform
in China, a move it hopes will help it carve a niche in the nation's
up-and-coming gaming industry.

The company will use the platform to develop video games for its XBox360
console, in an effort to add Chinese cultural characteristics to its
games. The platform, located in Chengdu, the capital of Southwest China's
Sichuan Province, will also provide training for local video game
developers.

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)

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Learn Chinese

eading express delivery companies, has signed
an equity transfer agreement in Shanghai to acquire Hoau Group, China's
biggest private road logistics supplier.

TNT will acquire Hoau's nationwide road transport and freight business
through the deal, TNT said in a statement on its Website yesterday.

The company didn't disclose the size of its stake in Hoau.

The signing of the agreement follows a letter of intent, announced in
December and a framework deal completed in February.

The parties expect to complete the transaction early next year, subject
to approval by the Chinese government, TNT said.

"The acquisition of Hoau offers TNT comprehensive road coverage in China
and is in line with TNT's strategic focus on integrated domestic and
international networks," the Dutch company said in the statement.

Hoau Group, based in China's northeast Heilongjiang Province, has more
than 1,100 depots and 56 hubs across China, the statement said.

TNT has sold its global logistics businesses to focus on the more
profitable mail and express delivery services.

Kenneth McCall, chief executive officer of TNT China, said in earlier
interviews that Hoau will be merged into TNT's express delivery after
three to five years of integration.

Following the acquisition, the number of employees in China will rise to
12,000 to 14,000 from the current 4,000 to 5,000, he said.

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)

Learn Mandarin online

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Chinese School - Year on Year

BIZCHINA / Finance/Investment

Year on Year

(answers.com/chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2006-09-27 10:40

A method of evaluating two or more measured events that compares the
results of measurement at one time period with those from another time
period (or series of time periods), on an annualized basis. Year-on-year
comparisons are a popular way to evaluate the performance of investments.
Any measurable events that recur annually can be compared on a
year-on-year basis - from annual performance, to quarterly performance,
to daily performance.

Year-on-year performance is frequently used by investors seeking to gauge
whether a company's financial performance is improving or worsening. For
example, a business may report that its revenues have increased for the
third quarter on a year-on-year basis for the last three years. This
means that revenues at that company in the third quarter of the third
year were higher than revenues in the third quarter in the second year,
which were higher than revenues in the third quarter of the first year.

As another example, a mutual fund that returned 50% last year may have a
year-on-year return of 12%, as the year-on-year return takes into account
each annual return since the fund's inception.

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)

Chinese School

Chinesepod - Tourism: Routes to Thailand suspended

BIZCHINA / Biz Media Digest

Tourism: Routes to Thailand suspended
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-09-22 15:11

Chinese travel agencies have suspended travel to Thailand following the
military coup, but are optimistic that there will be no long-term
negative impact.

Tourists companies such as China Comfort Travel (CCT) and China Youth
Travel Service (CYTS) are contacting airlines and Thai hotels in an
effort to compensate tourists who had booked to travel in the Southeast
Asian country.

"The situation appears calm, and services are largely unaffected," said
Guo Yu, CCT marketing manager.

But he added that the company is still keeping an eye on the situation
via the local media.

CYTS said three tour groups with a total of 50 tourists scheduled for
Thailand's capital Bangkok have been cancelled, but services to Phuket -
which is one hour from Bangkok by air - are operating normally for the
moment.

"Chinese travelers in Bangkok did not panic during the coup. They left
the capital safely on Wednesday morning," Song Xiaohong from CYTS
marketing department told Xinhua

"I heard about the coup on TV. Soldiers took to the streets but looked
non-violent. It was not as terrible as we imagined, but my friends and I
chose to stay in the hotel for safety," said Feng Yanping, a traveler who
has since returned to Beijing from Thailand.

1 2

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Chinesepod

Learn Mandarin online - Finance: SOEs to pay dividends

BIZCHINA / Biz Media Digest

Finance: SOEs to pay dividends
(Shenzhen Daily)
Updated: 2006-09-18 11:19

The country��s State-owned enterprises (SOEs) will probably begin to pay
dividends to the government beginning next year, the State assets
watchdog said in comments published Friday.

Li Rongrong, head of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and
Administration Commission (SASAC), was cited by the Caijing magazine as
saying that the payouts will be applied towards public works projects and
the development of some industries.

��Chinese SOEs so far have not paid any dividends because they have had
their own difficulties in the past, meaning we had to let them keep the
profits for their own development,�� the magazine's website cited Li as
saying at a conference in Singapore.

��From the beginning of next year, dividends should be required.��

The World Bank has urged China to require State firms to pay dividends to
reduce their abundant investment capital, which is feeding overcapacity
in some sectors that authorities fear could lead to a fresh crop of bad
loans.

The finance ministry and SASAC have reached a basic consensus on the
issue, but still had to work out details including the proportion of
profits to be paid out and how they would be used, Li said.

The agency has already issued a circular on the proposal and is seeking
input from other government departments, the magazine said.

The magazine added that in addition to traditional State firms, those
companies and financial institutions that have already received capital
injections from Central Huijin, the investment arm of the Central
Government, will also be required to pay the dividends.

The government��s recapitalizations of Bank of China, China Construction
Bank, and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China were all carried out
through Central Huijin.

Li added that China welcomes foreign participation in the reform of its
State firms, and that his agency was ��carefully�� working out plans for
allowing State firms to offer incentives to their management as they
become more market orientated.

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)

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Learn Mandarin online

Learn Chinese online - Real estate: Small-city homes

BIZCHINA / Biz Media Digest

Real estate: Small-city homes
(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2006-09-11 10:48

Capitaland Ltd is in talks with a partner to build as many as 30,000
mid-range homes in China's smaller cities, including Chengdu, the
Business Times reported, citing Chief Executive Officer Liew Mun Leong.

That will more than double CapitaLand's target for new homes in smaller
cities, the newspaper said. CapitaLand, Southeast Asia's biggest real
estate company, said in May it formed a venture that will develop as many
as 25,000 homes in Chengdu, a city in southern China. Discussions with
the Chinese party were in preliminary stages, the report cited Liew as
saying. He didn't identify the company.

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)

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Learn Chinese online

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Learn Chinese - Environment: Clean water pledge

BIZCHINA / Biz Media Digest

Environment: Clean water pledge
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-09-05 14:14

One hundred and sixty million Chinese in rural areas will get clean and
safe drinking water in the next five years. And all rural people will be
provided with safe potable water funded by the central government by
2015, Minister of Water Resources Wang Shucheng said yesterday.

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)

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Learn Chinese

Chinese School - The Official Mascots of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

Chinadaily Homepage

2008Olympics > News

The Official Mascots of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

(Beijing2008.com)
Updated: 2006-08-29 17:05

Like the Five Olympic Rings from which they draw their color and
inspiration, the Five Friendlies will serve as the Official Mascots of
Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, carrying a message of friendship and
peace--and blessings from China--to children all over the world.

Designed to express the playful qualities of five little children who
form an intimate circle of friends, the Five Friendlies also embody the
natural characteristics of four of China's most popular animals--the
Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow--and the Olympic Flame.

In China's traditional culture and art, the fish and water designs are
symbols of prosperity and harvest. And so Beibei carries the blessing of
prosperity. A fish is also a symbol of surplus in Chinese culture,
another measure of a good year and a good life. The ornamental lines of
the water-wave designs are taken from well-known Chinese paintings of the
past. Among the Five Friendlies, Beibei is known to be gentle and pure.
Strong in water sports, she reflects the blue Olympic ring.

Each of the Friendlies has a rhyming two-syllable name--a traditional way
of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish,
Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the
Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow.

When you put their names together--Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni--they say
"Welcome to Beijing," offering a warm invitation that reflects the
mission of the Five Friendlies as young ambassadors for the Olympic Games.

The Five Friendlies also embody both the landscape and the dreams and
aspirations of people from every part of the vast country of China. In
their origins and their headpieces, you can see the five elements of
nature--the sea, forest, fire, earth and sky--all stylistic rendered in
ways that represent the deep traditional influences of Chinese folk art
and ornamentation.

Spreading Traditional Chinese Blessings Wherever They Go

In the ancient culture of China, there is a grand tradition of spreading
blessings through signs and symbols. Each of the Five Friendlies
symbolizes a different blessing--and will honor this tradition by
carrying their blessings to the children of the world. Prosperity,
happiness, passion, health and good luck will be spread to every
continent as the Five Friendlies carry their invitation to Beijing 2008
to every part of the globe.

At the heart of their mission--and through all of their work--the Five
Friendlies will seek to unite the world in peace and friendship through
the Olympic spirit. Dedicated to helping Beijing 2008 spread its theme of
One World, One Dream to every continent, the Five Friendlies reflect the
deep desire of the Chinese people to reach out to the world in friendship
through the Games--and to invite every man, woman and child to take part
in the great celebration of human solidarity that China will host in the
light of the flame in 2008.

1 2 3 4 5 6

Chinese School

Learn Chinese online - US firm Eaton Corp bids for Senyuan

BIZCHINA / Overseas Investment

US firm Eaton Corp bids for Senyuan
By Wang Xu (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-08-24 09:06

Eaton Corp, a US-based diversified industrial manufacturer, said
yesterday it plans to pay up to US$63.6 million to acquire a Chinese
electrical company to speed up its expansion in the nation's electrical
equipment market.

The US-based company has offered HK$1.49 (19 US cents) per share for
Senyuan International Holdings Ltd, a Hong Kong-listed electrical
equipment maker.

Eaton also agreed to increase the price to HK$1.62 (21 US cents) per
share if it receives approval for 90 per cent or more of Senyuan's
outstanding shares.

The higher offer will put Senyuan at a price of US$63.6 million,
representing a premium of 20 per cent over the average closing price of
its last 30 trading days.

The offer is also 37.3 per cent higher than the Senyuan share issue price
of HK$1.18 (15 US cents).

Senyuan International suspended trading in its shares from Monday,
pending an announcement in relation to a voluntary conditional cash offer.

Eaton said it had received irrevocable commitments to accept the offer
from holders of 75 per cent of the outstanding Senyuan shares.

The offer will be made through financial adviser DBS Asia Capital Ltd.

"The acquisition of Senyuan will strengthen our medium-voltage electrical
business by providing us with local channel access to the fast-growing
China market and to an important manufacturing base for medium-voltage
electrical products," said Randy Carson, senior vice-president of Eaton
Corp.

Senyuan, located in East China's Jiangsu Province, makes vacuum circuit
breakers and other electrical switchgear components. It had 374 million
yuan (US$47 million) in sales in 2005.

Senyuan is ranked as the third-largest domestic low-voltage equipment
maker in the sector in 2005 in terms of total output, the company said on
its website.

1 2

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Learn Chinese online

Chinese Mandarin - Railroad invLearn mandarin - 50,000 foreigners in Shanghaiestment

BIZCHINA / Weekly Roundup

Railroad investment
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-08-21 09:51

Railroad investment

China invested 72.5 billion y

BIZCHINA / Biz Life

50,000 foreigners in Shanghai
(Chinanews.cn)
Updated: 2006-07-12 10:26

The number of foreigners currently employed in Shanghai has exceeded
50,000, reached 51,000, according to statistics recently released by the
Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Labor and Social Security.

Of the employees from 152 countries, the top 10 nationalities they belong
to are Japan, US, ROK, Singapore, Germany, Malaysia, France, Canada, UK
and Australia.

In term of the employment structure, the foreigners working in Shanghai
present the characteristics of "three highs"��high position, high
academic level and high proportion of employment by foreign-invested
companies

Ninety-nine percent of these people are administrative personnel or
technicians, 90 percent have bachelor degree or above, 2.5 percent are
doctoral degree holders or postdoctoral researchers, and 86 percent work
at foreign-invested companies or the representative offices of foreign
establishments.

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)

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Learn mandarin

uan (US$9.1 billion) in railway construction
from January to July, up 1.8 times from the same period last year, a
Ministry of Railway spokesman says.

Of the total, 53.4 billion yuan (US$6.7 billion) came from the ministry,
up 1.3 times from the same period last year, says spokesman Wang
Yongping.

Meanwhile, outlays by local governments and companies surged to 18.588
billion yuan (US$2.326 billion), up 5.5 times year-on-year.

The money will be invested in both State-run and joint-venture railways.

Investment in local railway construction reached 545 million yuan
(US$68.1 million), all bankrolled by local governments, Wang says.

Government reprimand

China's cabinet, in an unusually tough message, has warned regional
officials that any attempt to dilute the effects of macro-economic
policies would not be tolerated.

At an executive meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao last Wednesday, the
State Council sternly reprimanded top officials in the Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region for their role in an unauthorized project which caused
fatal accidents.

The region's chairman, Yang Jing, and vice-chairmen Yue Fuhong and Zhao
Shuanglian, were ordered to write self-criticisms to the State Council.

The illegal project was Xinfeng Power Plant's investment of 2.88 billion
yuan (US$350 million) for two coal-burning generators with a capacity of
300,000 kilowatts each. Construction started in April 2004 without
requisite approvals.

1 2 3 4

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Chinese Mandarin

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Chinese School - Taxi screens to be removed

BIZCHINA / Biz Life

Taxi screens to be removed
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-08-15 09:16

SHENZHEN: The trial installation of multi-media players in cabs in this
southern city are to be halted after strong complaints from both drivers
and passengers.

"I was nearly driven mad as it broadcasts commercials and music videos
all day," one driver was quoted by Guangzhou-based Nanfang Daily as
saying.

"I am not able to turn it off or reduce the volume. It just keeps going."

Shenzhen Taxi Co, a State-owned taxi operator, installed the multi-media
players in nearly 30 cabs in late July.

The player, the size of a book, was placed in front of the right front
passenger seat. It could not be switched off.

Promotional videos for the taxi company and music videos were played
repeatedly, and loudly, as advertisements rotated at the bottom of the
screen, said the driver.

"The noise was really beyond endurance. Can you imagine how it was to
drive in such an environment?" he asked miserably.

Passengers were also dissatisfied with the new devices.

"I choose taxis because I want a convenient and comfortable trip. If the
taxies are all set up with noisy players, it's a nightmare," said an
engineer surnamed Chen.

While passengers widely believed the taxi company made money from the new
devices, the operator claimed it did not make even a penny by
broadcasting the commercials.

"It's a new product that needs further testing in the market," said a
manager surnamed Yang at Shenzhen Taxi Co.

She said the company had taken several factors into consideration before
installing the devices.

"Firstly, they did not affect the drivers as the devices are placed in
front of the passengers.

"Secondly, we can promote our company through the multi-media players.

"Thirdly, there is a camera inside the device that can work with the
Global Positioning System (GPS), which can better protect our drivers
from harmful behaviour," Yang explained.

The company hoped passengers could enjoy the music and relax, and the
drivers would get more traffic information.

The company learned of the complaints from government departments and
decided to remove them this week.

(China Daily 08/15/2006 page3)

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Chinese School

Learn Chinese online - China, Thailand and Vietnam to build a power station

BIZCHINA / Overseas Investment

China, Thailand and Vietnam to build a power station
(Chinanews.cn)
Updated: 2006-07-28 14:37

China Guodian Corporation (CGDC), Vietnam Coal and Mining Industry Group
(TKV) and Thailand Banpu Public Company Limited announced on July 26 that
they would jointly invest 4.8 billion yuan to build a new thermal power
station in Chunzuo, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to meet the growing
needs for electricity there.

CGDC is in charge of the project. Construction will start in 2008, and
the new power station is scheduled to start operation in 2010. The new
power station will make the most of the highway from Nanning to Youyiguan
to import blind coal from Vietnam as major fuel. Its supercritical turbo
generators are designed to be compatible with both blind coal and wood
coal, the capacity of which will be 2,400 megawatts.

The completion of the project will go a long way towards improving the
energy structure of Guangxi. It will also mean that China-ASEAN
Free-Trade Area has registered a great leap from commodity trade only to
a new stage of cooperative investment and trade.

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)

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Learn Chinese online

Learn Chinese online - Sinopec, BASF to expand joint venture in Nanjing

BIZCHINA / Overseas Investment

Sinopec, BASF to expand joint venture in Nanjing
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-07-18 15:13

The country's biggest refiner China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (Sinopec)
and German chemical giant BASF AG last week announced their agreement to
expand a joint venture project in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province.

The two parties will inject a total investment of US$500 million into the
project.

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Learn Chinese online

Chinese Mandarin - Portable payments

BIZCHINA / Biz Life

Portable payments
By LI WEITAO (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-07-10 14:09

Xu Yiming seldom carries cash, but he even pays for bus, ferry and movie
tickets, as well as all goods he buys at retail shops, without credit
cards. Rather than bother with these traditional forms of payment, he
simply waves his mobile phone to complete most transactions.

Xu, who works for an insurance company in Xiamen, East China's Fujian
Province, is a volunteer in a pilot project for a wireless short-range
technology designed to facilitate cashless payments through mobile phones.

China Mobile, Nokia, Philips and local Xiamen company E-Tong Card jointly
launched the field trial last month in the coastal city. More than 100
volunteers use Nokia 3220 handsets to make mobile payments through any
sales point covered by the Xiamen E-Tong Card, including on public buses,
ferries, restaurants and movie theatres throughout town.

The phones are equipped with a chip developed by Philips for near field
communications (NFC). By waving their NFC-enabled phones close to a
payment terminal provided by E-Tong, mobile phone users like Xu can pay
for a wide range of items.

Financial data, or a "mobile wallet", is stored in the phone.

The trial bodes well for all of the companies involved, as smart cards
are popular in Xiamen. E-Tong Card had already issued 850,000 smart cards
for electronics ticketing applications by April, according to company
deputy general manager Yao Dongdong.

An average of about 600,000 transactions are completed each day. The NFC
trial, if successful, could even increase the popularity of smart cards,
says Yao. "The prospects for NFC cards are really rosy."

Chinese consumers tend to rely more on mobile phones in their daily lives
than people in other countries. A global survey on behalf of Nokia showed
that for 40 per cent of Chinese mobile phone users, losing a handset
depressed them more than the loss of a watch, credit card or even a
marriage ring. Globally, this figure stands at 21 per cent.

Page: 1 2 3

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Chinese Mandarin

Monday, December 24, 2007

Learn Chinese online - Fourth China Fujian Technology and Projects Fair fruitful

BIZCHINA / Investment Alerts

Fourth China Fujian Technology and Projects Fair fruitful
(People's Daily Online)
Updated: 2006-07-07 16:36

The fourth China Fujian Technology and Projects Fair has seen 3,825
docking projects by June 20 with an increase of 26.6% compared with last
year with a total investment of 70 billion Yuan.

There are 1,685 contract projects, 38% more than last year with a total
investment of nearly 40 billion Yuan.

There are also 3,229 projects on achievements and 596 projects on demands
among the docking projects.

According to the organizing committee, the Fair has become a platform for
enterprises in Fujian to seek projects, for universities and scientific
research institutes to industrialize their achievements and for
independent innovation of the west bank of the Taiwan Strait.

The fair starting on June 18th in Fuzhou, has seen new characteristics:
the number of docking projects has increased substantially, especially
the contract projects; the docking achievements in technical demand is
remarkable. The fair pays more attention to real efficiency and follow up
projects this year.

There are three leading industries in the docking projects, which are
mechanical electronic, petroleum and chemical industry and light and
optic integration of machinery.

The three leading industries have 1,086 docking projects accounting for
28.4% of the total. And docking projects in environmental protection and
comprehensive utilization of resources have become the new increasing
areas with 354 projects, an increase of 29.2% comparing with last year.

Fujian government has facilitated the docking of a batch of project
achievements and difficult issues between universities, scientific
research institutions and enterprises, which has laid a solid
technological base for the fast development of the three leading
industries in Fujian Province.

The three day trade fair was jointly sponsored by Chinese Academy of
Sciences, People's Daily, Overseas Chinese Affairs Offices of the State
Council, State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, and the Fujian
government.

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Learn Chinese online

Chinese language - China urges US to ease high-tech good exports

BIZCHINA / China & Globalization

China urges US to ease high-tech good exports
(AP)
Updated: 2006-06-28 08:36

The Chinese government is urging the United States to ease or even
abolish controls over exports of high-technology goods to China,
following indications Washington is proposing to tighten such
restrictions.

"We hope that the U.S. can take concrete measures to relax or lift its
restrictions on high-tech exports to China, to better address the
imbalance of China-U.S. trade," Jiang Yu, a Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokeswoman, said at a regular press briefing Tuesday.

A report by the Financial Times newspaper Tuesday said the U.S. Commerce
Department was preparing new proposals that would strengthen curbs on
exports of high-technology goods to China.

The paper said a final draft of the restrictions had been presented to
Chinese commerce ministry officials on Friday, and that the proposals
were expected to be published in the coming days.

Jiang's comments Tuesday did not specifically address those reported
proposals.

Chinese officials complain that the restrictions are an unfair trade
barrier, hindering China's access to advanced civilian technology and
contributing to Beijing's ballooning trade surplus with the United
States, which hit a record $202 billion last year.

The controls on exports to China are aimed at preventing transfer of
sensitive technology to China's army. Some critics have said the
restrictions are too broad, putting many items that have no specific
military applications off limits.

Among the goods at issue are advanced communications equipment and
high-speed computers.

U.S. business groups have urged Washington to revamp the export controls
program or risk losing competitiveness on a wide range of products in
major markets like China.

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Chinese language

Chinese language - Business with pleasure

BIZCHINA / Biz Life

Business with pleasure
By Liu Haoting (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-06-19 15:00

Once every four years, the FIFA World Cup is a thorn in the side of
human resource managers around the world.

Nearly 10,000 Dutch people, for example, have asked for "sick" leave
during the football tournament. And absence rates at companies in the
United Kingdom could shoot up to 40 per cent if England enters the final,
says Active Health Partners, an absence management consulting firm.

The situation is better in China, however, because time differences mean
the matches are not cutting into the working day. But sweating, yelling,
and drinking too much beer late into the night is likely to take its toll
on work efficiency the next day.

A recent survey by ChinaHR.com shows that half of the human resource (HR)
managers in China are worried their companies will be negatively affected
by World Cup fever.

Despite this, many say they won't be extra strict on employees during the
one-month football tournament.

Some corporate executives believe adopting "the most appropriate
management" during this time is like being a strong fullback. If they can
inject the team spirit of the World Cup into their office environment,
they can score big goals in the business world.

"I don't want to do anything special against our staff watching the
football games. I would say, 'gentlemen, we will offer something special
when necessary'," says Jose Cataluna Casanova, vice-president and general
manager of Airbus (Beijing) Engineering Centre.

"You need to trust your people. I believe the people at Airbus are
responsible enough to realize that once they are at work, they need to
work hard."

The European aircraft manufacturer employs 55,000 people from 80
countries. In Beijing alone, there are engineers from five different
European countries.

"This is a really big family. Nobody is working alone," Casanova says.
"We often use excellent matches during the World Cup as examples to
encourage our people. We emphasize team spirit. People need to know how
to support and how to help each other."
Gong He, a public relations officer at Airbus China, still remembers the
quarter-final between England and Brazil in the last Japan/South Korea
World Cup, not only because of the breathtaking match itself, but because
he watched it at work.

Page: 1 2

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Chinese language

Chinesepod - Shipping giants involved in Tianjin cargo terminal

BIZCHINA / Overseas Investment

Shipping giants involved in Tianjin cargo terminal
(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2006-06-12 10:49

A.P. MOELLER Maersk, the world's largest container shipping line, and
Cosco Pacific Ltd formed a 3.6 billion yuan (US$449 million) venture with
the government of Tianjin to build a cargo terminal in the northeast
Chinese city.

The terminal will have three berths and a total annual capacity of 1.8
million 20-foot (6.1 meters) containers, Cosco Pacific said in a
statement Wednesday. The Hong Kong-based company and A.P. Moeller's APM
Terminals unit each own 30 percent of the venture, the statement said.

Global port managers including Cosco Pacific, the fifth-biggest in the
world, are expanding as rising trade increases demand for sea cargo.
About 80 percent of the world's trade is carried by sea.

The new Beigangchi terminal will cost 4 billion yuan, Cosco Pacific
Managing Director Sun Jiakiang said on May 18. The first two container
berths will open next year, he said.

The terminal will help boost Tianjin's cargo volume to a target of 10
million standard 20-foot boxes in 2010, Cosco Pacific, which already
helps manage four berths in Tianjin, said yesterday.

Cargo volume at Tianjin rose 26 percent to 4.8 million 20-foot boxes last
year, making it Chinese mainland's fifth-busiest port, according to
Containerisation International.

Tianjin Port Group Co, owned by the city's government, owns the remaining
40 percent of the venture, said Cosco Pacific. The companies signed a
letter of intent for the project last year.

Tianjin Port Group has a separate venture with Singapore's PSA
International Pte, the world's second-largest port investor, to build
four container berths.

DP World, owned by the government of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates,
China Merchants Holdings (International) Co and Hong Kong-listed Tianjin
Port Development Holdings Ltd are among the other operators at Tianjin.

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Chinesepod

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Chinese language - Firm in talks for China Unicom

BIZCHINA / Center

Firm in talks for China Unicom
By Li Weitao (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-06-07 09:02

South Korean top mobile phone operator SK Telecom is in talks to buy a
stake in China Unicom, the smaller of China's two cellular operators.

A spokesman for SK Telecom China said the firm has been in talks with
Unicom for various partnerships, including the possible acquisition of a
stake.

But "no arrangements have been finalized," he told China Daily yesterday.

According to a report by the Financial Times, SK Telecom plans to buy a
10 per cent stake in China Unicom for about US$1.1 billion.

"We are always seeking business opportunities in China," the SK Telecom
spokesman said.

"But the continued delays in 3G (third generation) licensing in China and
a possible consolidation of Chinese operators have made everything
uncertain."

The Chinese Government has yet to decide when and how to award operators
with licences to build 3G mobile communications networks.

Before licensing, the government is likely to consolidate the top four
operators, reducing the number to three.

Unicom runs two separate cellular networks, based on the GSM and CDMA
standards, which have put the firm under heavy financial pressure.

A senior executive with China Unicom, who asked not to be named, last
month said it is becoming increasingly difficult for Unicom to operate
two cellular networks.

Page: 1 2

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Chinese language

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