Zhejiang private economy remains top in China

Chinanews, Hangzhou, July 15 – The Zhejiang local government issued a report on the economic operation of private business in Zhejiang on Thursday. The report shows that Zhejiang surpasses all other provinces in China in the general competitive strength of its private economy.
Among the top 500 private enterprises in China, 203 are located in Zhejiang, the most among all Chinese provinces. Zhejiang leads other provinces in total output of private economy, total sales, total retail sales of consumer goods, and export volume, all of which are considered as the most effective indexes reflecting the aggregate strength of private economy of a region, the report says.
Statistics show that by the end of 2006, there are 406,000 private enterprises in Zhejiang. The total number of investors of these private enterprises reached 926,000, and the total number of employees working in these companies reached 5.09 million. The total registered capital of these companies reached 693.67 billion yuan. Private economy generated 1.25 trillion yuan.
By the end of 2006, there were 1,500 private enterprises in Zhejiang, each with total assets exceeding 100 million yuan. There're about 1,700 private enterprises, each with an annual output value or sales volume exceeding 100 million yuan.
Currently, 4 million Zhejiang businesspeople are working in other provinces in order to expand their business. The sales revenues made by these Zhejiang businesspeople have already exceeded one trillion yuan, an amount equivalent to the GDP of Zhejiang province in the year of 2005.
This does not include the 1 million Zhejiang merchants who do their business abroad. The number of Zhejiang businesspeople, Zhejiang enterprises, and the amount of capital made by Zhejiang businesspeople are continuing to rise, forming as the main type of business expansion for Zhejiang province.

China might encounter labor shortage by 2015

Chinanews, Beijing, July 10 – According to a prediction made by related departments, by 2013-2015, China's labor population will reach its best time for work. After that, the labor population will decline and China might start to encounter labor shortage problem, said an article recently published at the China Youth Daily.
The article was written by Cai Fang, director of the Population and Labor Economics Research Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
As social wealth increases and changes take place in social structure, traditional family mode is being challenged. According to a national population census, in 1982 every Chinese family had an average of 4.41 people, and in 2005, the number had dropped to 3.13, the economic scholar says in his article.
16% of the old people at the age of 65 or above live alone, and 42% of the old couples at the age of 65 or above live by themselves.
Meanwhile, the single child generation, being spoiled by their parents, tend to be self-centered. These children are usually unwilling to take care of their parents after they grow up.
These children change parents' expectation for them, as well. In a survey conducted by the Population and Labor Economics Research Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, 70% of the old people give an affirmative answer when asked whether they expect their children to take care of them. However, among parents at the age of 35-45 (a generation that usually have only one child in their families), only 63% give an affirmative answer. The younger the parents are, the smaller the proportion giving an affirmative answer.
Today, as most people retire earlier than before, the social and family financial burden increases. According to a survey released in 2002, the retiring age for male workers in cities was 57, and that for female workers in cities was 50. Meanwhile, a separate survey showed that in 2002, the average life expectancy for males was 70, and that for females was 75, Cai says.
This means that most male workers can live for 13 years after retirement, while most female workers will live for 24 years after retirement. Judging from these statistics, it can be said that the financial burden resulting from caring for the aging population in society will become intolerably high.

Shanghainese not satisfied with grandparents taking care of kids

Chinanews, Shanghai, July 13 – According to a report by Shanghai Youth Daily, about 79.7% of kids aged between 1 and 3 are taken care of at home, 53.3% of whom are looked after by their grandparents. However, a recent survey shows that 70% of Shanghainese are not satisfied with their parents helping take care of kids for them.
Elders usually take care of their grandchildren according to their knowledge and experience, which is considered to be somewhat incompatible with the modern life.
In 42.8% of the families, parents take up most part of the work of taking care of kids, but only 15.4% of fathers contribute more than mothers. Some 2.3% of families depend on nurses to take care of their kids.
However, Shanghainese wish grandparents and other people who take care of kids should learn some new knowledge, as the situation is different now from the past.

Summer camp held for children adopted by foreigners

Chinanews, Shanghai, Jul. 14 – July 12 was the last day of the summer camp held for children adopted by foreigners. More than 30 families from U.S., Canada and Australia brought their adopted children to Shanghai. During the activity, these children got some knowledge of on traditional Chinese culture.
This two-week summer camp was jointly held by China Overseas Exchanges Association and All-US China Cultural and Educational Exchanges Association. Before arrival in Shanghai, the adoptive parents and the adopted children had visited Beijing, Xi’an, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Guilin.
“I enjoyed such journey,” said Mei Ming, a girl who could speak fluent English. When talking about this summer camp she was excited: “Such journey made me know many Chinese children who were also adopted, and the city of Shanghai made me feel comfortable.”
When Mei Ming was still a baby 12 years ago, she was deserted by her parents. But fortunately, she was quickly adopted by Ron Hollander, a teacher who taught at the Beijing-based Tsinghua University at that time. Hollander revealed that Mei was his only daughter, and he loved her.
Nine-year-old Lilli Jia was the only child who came from Canada. After the summer camp finished, she and her mother will visit her birthplace Gaozhou, a remote town in Guangdong Province.
They saw a drama presented by Chinese children in Shanghai Children Palace on Friday.
After the summer camp, most of these foreigners will visit the children's birthplaces together with the kids.

Japanese prostitute's job application found in China

In this picture taken recently, the paper on the left carries the insurer's signature and is sealed by the police station of the Republic of China, the prevailing administration between 1912 and 1949; while on the right piece, the applicant fills the blanks with her name, nationality, age, address and justification for wanting to become a prostitute, as well as proof of having volunteered to do so. A black-and-white photo of the prostitute-to-be is also pasted under the characters "from Tianjin police station to Tianjin city government". [Xinhua]
July 14 - An antique collector in northern China's Hebei Province says he's recently gained a piece of special collection of high value, a Japanese girl's application paper for becoming a prostitute, submitted in 1921.
The collector from Bazhou city, surnamed Shi, told the Hebei-based Yanzhao Metro Daily he spotted the application paper days ago from an old porcelain flask he purchased in 2003 at the price of 300 yuan or 40 US dollars.
The application paper, printed in the original complex form of simplified Chinese characters, consists of two parts for the applicant and her insurer respectively. The 21-year old Japanese girl gave her name, age, nationality, address and explained her reason for becoming a prostitute - poverty, with the announcement that she had volunteered to do so.
On the other hand, the insurer also signed her name to guarantee that the applicant would observe the law and regulations. The paper would be submitted to the then-Tianjin police station before being further transferred to the Tianjin government during the rein of the Republic of China between 1912 and 1949.
Mr. Shi told the newspaper that two such papers have been found in China before, according to his friends, who share the same interest in their collections.
He claims the paper has a value of collection since it tells of the social climate in the prosperous port city of Tianjin under which prostitution was officially allowed, before the founding of new China.

107 hospitalized after chlorine leak in SW China

July 14 - Altogether 107 workers were hospitalized after a leak of poisonous chlorine gas at a chemical plant in southwest China's Sichuan Province Friday night, the local government said.
Eight of them need treatment for poisoning and the rest are under observation, the provincial administration for workplace safety supervision said on Saturday.
The accident happened at 10:40 p.m. at Xinyu Chemical Co. Ltd, a new plant that was inaugurated only on Thursday in the industrial city of Panzhihua. The leak was capped overnight and caused no evacuation.
Investigators have blamed the accident on equipment failure.
Huang Yanrong, vice governor of Sichuan, has demanded 24-hour monitoring of the local air quality.
Located in the hilly Sichuan province 2,100 kilometers southwest of Beijing, Panzhihua is home to one of China's largest steel makers and many mines and small factories.　

Deserts become valuable tourism resources in Gansu

Chinanews, Lanzhou, July 12 – Gansu provincial tourism department has decided to attract more city dwellers from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, to visit the deserts in the province.
During its recent promotional campaign, local tourism department set the Pearl River Delta region (including Fujian), the Yangtze River Delta region (with Shanghai as the center city), and the Circum-Bohai Ring area (with Beijing as the center city) as the three main tourism resource regions for Gansu.
The above three regions are all located in or near the coastal areas. People living in these regions are accustomed to the green grass and coastal scenes. However, few of them have seen the Gobi Desert, and frontier passes along the Great Wall. So places like these will surely remain as a tourist attraction to them, some tourism analysts say.
According to international experiences, when the per capita GDP in a certain region exceeds 3,000 US dollars, people are likely to make long-distance travels. The per capita GDP in the above three regions has already exceeded 3,000 US dollars, so Gansu sees in this a golden opportunity to attract more people from these regions to come and visit Gansu, the tourism analysts say.
Located in northwestern China and along the ancient Silk Road, Gansu boasts abundant tourism resources. In Gansu, the Mogao Grettoes and the Jiayuguan Pass, the western terminus of the Great Wall, are listed by UNESCO as world cultural heritage sites. 72 tourist sites in Gansu are listed as the state-level relic protection sites. The natural scenes in Gansu are gorgeous and colorful. Apart from desolate land, there are the Gobi Desert, Yadan landform and Danxia landform in Gansu. In addition, in Gansu, there live 45 different ethnic groups. The different ethnic groups have their unique living styles and festivals to celebrate.
In recent years, the number of tourists that come to Gansu from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou has been fast on the rise. Many large, mature tourism agencies are also located in these three cities. With their mature operational experiences, it is expected that Gansu’s tourism industry will have a great prospect.

World's top shuttlers come out in Chengdu

July 13 - The China Masters Badminton Championship 2007 kicked off on Wednesday in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, CRI reported.
Almost all the world's top ten players are participating in the championship, which is an Olympic Games warm-up event.

Snooker Ding edged out in Hong Kong

(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)
July 14 - Chinese snooker legend Ding Junhui failed to recover from his early poor form in the Hong Kong Snooker Championship. Two losses on Friday saw his farewell to a tournament featuring champion players from Asia and Europe.
The event was held as part of celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of the city's return to China.
Ding's frustrations began soon after start of the game against former Asian snooker elite James Wattana. The 20-year-old was cut by 16 points before driving the cue ball out of a snooker trap designed by the Thai veteran.
Ding cut the lead to 48-42, exploiting the failure of his rival to pocketing a red ball, but still conceded the opening frame after losing a bout of snooker-makings that required both defensive skills and patience.
The Thai was also forced to a points-cut penalty in the second frame after the cue ball failed to hit the target. But an error in his attack crushed Ding’s hope of a comeback, gifting his wily rival a chance to reap a high score in a break and wrap up the final victory.
The rout left Ding at the rim of elimination and only a victory over the world champion, the Scot John Higgins, could secure him a stay. In his current form, that always seemed impossible.
Indeed, no miracle occurred, as Ding failed to pose any threat to his rival, who cruised into the semifinals with a 66-15, 55-16 win.

Most beautiful woman in China

Chinese mainland actress Chen Hao has been chosen as the most beautiful woman in China in an online poll featuring more than one million voters.(File Photo)
July 13 - Chinese mainland actress Chen Hao has been chosen as the most beautiful woman in China in an online poll featuring more than one million voters, reports CRI.
The actress shot to fame for her role in TV series "Pink Ladies", which was adapted from Taiwan cartoonist Zhu Deyong's comic book. Chen Hao played one of the leading roles in "Pink Ladies" as a sexy and adorable lady that manipulates the guys. The drama later turned out to be a super hit all across Asia's Chinese community.
Other identities in the top 10 included Yang Lan, a TV hostess and entrepreneur, Annie Yi, a Taiwan singer and actress, and Yu Dan, a professor and media scholar, says CRI.
The poll began in April and initially featured 100 candidates from all circles of life.
Voters then reduced the list to 50, based on criteria including their reputations, achievements, personalities and contributions to the society, the organizer said.
Over one million people attended the online poll conducted on Sina.com, the web site reported. The result was determined according to the public votes and the opinions of the jury team.

35,000 unmovable cultural relics in Shanxi

Chinanews, Taiyuan, Jul. 13 – According to Shanxi Bureau of Cultural Protection, there are 35 thousand unmovable relic sites, many of them having been designated cultural heritage sites under national protection.
Shanxi has an abundance of human fossils and cultural heritage sites of the Paleolithic period. There are also plenty of ancient buildings in Shanxi, including 106 wooden buildings erected before the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), accounting for 72% of the ancient buildings in China.
Painted sculptures also attract many tourists to visit Shanxi, and according to latest statistics, there are 12 thousand painted sculptures made since the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The Great Wall in Shanxi boasts a total length of 2,500 km, being built mainly in 960-1644.
It is also reported that among 35 thousand unmovable relic sites in Shanxi, there are 271 national-protected cultural heritage sites, 2 world cultural heritage sites and 5 nationally renowned cultural cities. Shanxi also has 88 museums, with a total collection of 1.21 million artifacts.

60% of protected ancient buildings in Beijing face hidden security problems

Chinanews, Beijing, July 14 – Currently there are 322 protected ancient buildings in Beijing, 60% of which are faced with severe hidden security problems. Besides, more than 77,000 families are living in such ancient buildings. It will take at least 100 billion yuan to relocate them.
The information above was released on July 11, in the Long-Term Plan for Cultural Heritage Protection by Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Administration.
Since 2000, Beijing has invested more than 100 million yuan every year to protect its cultural relics, particularly ancient buildings. Though some 330 thousand sq m of them are refurbished every year, that is only 6.4% of the total.

Chinese should add more masculinity to family education, experts

Chinanews, Beijing, July 14 – According to a report by the People's Daily, mothers play a more important role in the education of children in some 50% of families in China, while in only some 20% of families it is fathers that play the principal role in children's education.
However, experts suggest that fathers should take more responsibility in educating children, as kids need masculinity from fathers to form a complete character, particularly in cultivating a firm will.
Besides, most teachers in kindergartens and elementary schools are female, thus it is necessary for fathers to communicate with kids to balance the education.
After all, education requires active participation by both mothers and fathers, and they should work out a joint plan for the matter.

China's top political advisor on energy issue

BEIJING, July 8 - China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin said on Saturday the energy issue is a key, strategic issue for China, the world's largest developing country.
Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remark at a lecturing held by the CPPCC Standing Committee.
He noted that the Party and government have been attaching great importance to energy issues, making energy-saving a basic national policy.
The country's 11th five-year plan sets clear targets in the fields of population, resources and environment.
The CPPCC has special advantages in building an energy-efficient and environment-friendly society, Jia said, calling on CPPCC members to earnestly investigate and study energy issues and raise valuable proposals and advices to the Party and government.

Legal interpretation targets new forms of bribery

(Source: China Daily/Xinhua)
July 9 - The top judicial bodies fired a new shot in the country's fight against corruption yesterday by issuing a legal interpretation of new forms of bribery.
Jointly issued by the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the interpretation spells out 10 types of bribery, and is expected to help prosecutors indict corrupt officials.
The judicial move comes after the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the Communist Party of China's anti-corruption body, issued a set of regulations in late May to prevent officials from taking advantage of their posts to make money illegally.
"With the rapid economic and social development, some new types of bribery cases have emerged with more covert means and more complexity," said a statement issued by the two judicial bodies.
The interpretation defines in detail the new forms of bribes and draws a line between public servants' official and social interactions and duties. The new types of bribery include:
Receiving stocks and shares as gifts;
Buying property such as houses or automobiles at ridiculously low prices from those seeking favors;
Making money in fixed gambling games or cooperating with others to run a company;
Misusing a post to make profit for others and getting money or gifts after their official tenures;
Making profit with the help of family members, relatives or close associates.
In some cases, an official can be convicted for doing someone a "special favor" even if he may not have actually received a bribe.
People who help officials get bribes covertly can be convicted as "collaborators". The same applies to those who arrange for people ready to bribe an official to get a job done illegally.
Renmin University of China professor Li Chengyan described the judicial interpretation as a "connection" between regulation and law.
"It is a natural process. After the regulation, a legal interpretation is needed to specify how the law works. It shows that China is working out a more complete legal system to combat corruption," he said.
The CCDI, which issued the regulation on May 29, had offered to be lenient with officials who confessed within 30 days. Leniency in this case could mean corrupt officials being saved from facing the judiciary.
But CCDI Deputy Secretary Xia Zanzhong said he is surprised by the small number of officials confessing.
"Instead of anti-corruption campaigns, we need more mature and effective legal system to stem corruption."

Six-party talks to resume July 18

(Source: Xinhua)
July 13 - The chief delegates to the Six Party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue are to meet in Beijing on July 18 and 19, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang announced on Thursday.
"The delegates will discuss issues related to the initial actions for denuclearization and explore arrangements of steps that will follow,'' Qin said.
Describing the issue as "complicated", Qin said it involved the normalization of ties between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Japan, economic and energy cooperation, and the establishment of a mechanism for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
"The systematic program calls for all parties involved to hold dialogue with mutual respect and each party's concerns to be considered," he said.
The two-day meeting will be the first for the chief negotiators of China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, and Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and Japan since the last round of talks went into recess in late March.
At the Six Party talks in February, Pyongyang pledged to shut down the Yongbyon reactor within 60 days in exchange for 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil or equivalent aid.
However, the denuclearization process was held up when the DPRK insisted that 25 million U.S. dollars in funds frozen by the United States at the Banco Delta Asia in Macao first be returned.
After a long round of shuttle diplomacy, the funds were unfrozen and transferred to a Russian bank where the DPRK has accounts on June 25.
A delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)was then invited to visit Pyongyang and reached a consensus with the DPRK on the verification procedure of the reactor shutdown.
The June visit was the U.N. watchdog's first to the DPRK since late 2002, when the country expelled IAEA nuclear inspectors and later withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
IAEA inspectors are due to arrive in the DPRK on Saturday to verify the shutdown and sealing of the Yongbyon nuclear facilities.
The DPRK on July 6 said it would suspend the operation of its nuclear facilities on receipt of the promised aid, in its first announcement on when it will shut down the Yongbyon facilities.
The ROK dispatched the first shipment of 6,200 tons of heavy fuel oil to DPRK on Thursday in accordance with the February agreement.
"The current momentum of the nuclear talks is turning positive and this should be welcomed and carried forward by all parties," Qin said, adding each party should honor its promises to push forward the process.

6-nation anti-terror drill from Aug 9

(Source: China Daily)
July 13 - The six member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will hold their largest anti-terrorism military exercise from August 9 to 17, Xinhua reported yesterday.
Codenamed Peace Mission 2007, the military drill will be staged in Urumqi, capital of Northwestern China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Russia's Chelyabinsk.
About 1,600 Chinese personnel, including those from the army, air force and logistics troops, will take part in the exercise, with the heads of states and defense ministers of the SOC member countries being present as observers.
The six SCO members are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The maneuver has been divided into two phases: strategic consultations and preparations, and field drills.
The exercise will demonstrate the determination and capability of SCO member countries to combat the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism. It will highlight the cooperation among the six countries in the face of new challenges.
The maneuver will reflect SCO's role in maintaining regional and global peace, without targeting any third party or compromising the interests of other countries.

Cyber game industry will grow rapidly

Chinanews, Shanghai, July 14 – The cyber game industry in China will continue to grow rapidly in the next few years. During this time, global cyber game industry will also shift to China for further development, said Liu Bingjie, director-general of the National Copyright Administration.
He made the statement while attending the Fifth China International Digital Interactive Entertainment Industry Summit held in Shanghai last Wednesday.
In 2006, cyber game industry in China further expanded. The number of game players reached 32.6 million, 23.8% more than last year. The total sales revenues generated in cyber game industry reached 6.54 billion yuan, increasing by 73.5% compared with last year. The fast development of cyber game industry created about 30 billion yuan of output for related industries, including telecommunications, IT industry, media and traditional publishing industry.
Over the next few years, cyber game industry in China will continue to make rapid development. From 2007 to 2011, cyber game industry will expand by 30.2% year on year, which indicates that Chinese cyber game industry market “will become one of the fastest and most promising market in the global cyber game industry,” Liu said.
According to Liu, currently global cyber game industry is shifting to China to make development. China has a vast number of cyber game players and many industrial operators are very competitive. More importantly, as Chinese government has launched a series of policies to support the development of domestic cyber game industry, many large global cyber game operators have begun to come to China to conduct more business cooperation with domestic companies and make profits by taking a share in the fast-growing Chinese market.

Lack of personnel becomes main barrier to software development

Chinanews, Beijing, Jul. 14 – Ni Guangnan, an academician from Chinese Academy of Engineering, recently wrote a report on Chinese software development. The report was released on the China International Software & Information Service Fair 2007. The report reveals that lacking highly qualified personnel has become the main barrier to software development in China.
Yi Xiaozhun, vice minister of commerce, revealed that Chinese software industry earned 480 billion yuan in 2006, and multinational service of Chinese enterprises amounted to 1 billion US dollars worth.
Statistics show that China's software industry has developed quickly since 2001; 1.29 million people work in the software-related enterprises, and there were 36 enterprises each selling more than 1 billion yuan of software in 2006.
The report also predicts China's software industry will create 500 billion yuan in 2007, and 2010, the sales volume of software in China will amount to 100 billion yuan annually. McKinsey & Company predicts that China will want 340 thousand software personnel in the next five years.

Starbucks in Forbidden City closed

Undated file photo of a Starbucks coffee shop inside Beijing's Forbidden City.
July 14 - Starbucks has closed a coffeehouse in China's former imperial palace, according to related sources, ending a presence that sparked protests by Chinese people who said it damaged a key historical site.
The controversy over Starbucks at Beijing's 587-year-old Forbidden City has highlighted Chinese sensitivity about cultural symbols and unease over an influx of foreign pop culture, agencies report.
Starbucks closed the 200-square-foot outlet Friday after Forbidden City managers decided they wanted all shops on its grounds to operate under the palace's brand name, said Eden Woon, Starbucks' vice president for Greater China.

Hang Seng reaches all-time high

(Source: China Daily)
July 14 - Due to an upswing of the index main mover China Mobile, the benchmark Hang Seng Index on Friday pierced the key 23,000 barrier to set a new record at 23,099, up 290 points.
The index reached an all-time high during intra-day trading. Daily turnover was strong at HK$80.4 billion. The index notched up a 2.5 percent weekly gain.
The China Enterprises Index of mainland companies in Hong Kong rose 1.3 percent, or 163 points, with its new high now of 13,335 on Friday. The index rose 4.1 percent for the week.
"This is pure liquidity," said Tat Auyeung, fund manager at APEX Capital Management. He added that if the mainland's June consumer price index exceeds 4 percent, the market would find a reason to consolidate.
Mainland life insurers climbed to fresh highs, with China Life up 1.8 percent to HK$31 and Ping An Insurance rising 3.8 percent to HK$63.65.
Mainland property took the spotlight as KWG Properties gained 5.9 percent to HK$8.61 and Country Garden Holdings leapt 5.2 percent to HK$7.3.
The day's most traded stock was China Mobile, which jumped 3.3 percent to HK$91.95, setting a new high at HK$92.7.
Coal shares also ascended, helped by a bullish Citigroup report on the sector. The mainland's largest coal producer, China Shenhua Energy Corp, leaped 3.4 percent to HK$31.95. Shenhua is in talks with US coal miner Peabody Energy Corp to develop coal projects in the country. China Coal advanced 2.8 percent to HK$14.58.

Wooden Drum Dance Contest

Some 3,600 locals participated in a Wooden Drum Dance Contest in Kaili, Guizhou, July 14, 2007. Wooden Drum Dance is a local characteristic performance among the people of Miao ethnic group.