 |
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| SCHWEIZER
BOTSCHAFT IN BEIJING
EMBASSY OF SWITZERLAND IN BEIJING
AMBASSADE DE SUISSE EN CHINE |
Der wöchentliche
Presserückblick der Schweizer Botschaft in der VR China
The Weekly Press Review of the Swiss Embassy in the People's Republic
of China
La revue de presse hebdomadaire de l'Ambassade de Suisse en RP
de Chine |
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| Table of
contents |
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Beijing Olympics
Mongolia
^ top ^
|
| Switzerland |
Recognition of China
as full market economy a historic step, says Swiss Federal Councilor
(People's Daily Online)
2007-07-10
Swiss Federal Councilor Doris Leuthard said on Monday recognizing
China as a full market economy is "a historic step"
for Switzerland. (…) "China has made a number of
market adjustments and its legal framework is moving in the
right direction," said Leuthard. (…) At present,
China is the largest source of imports and the second largest
export market in Asia for Switzerland. Bilateral trade totaled
6.77 billion U.S. dollars in 2006. A free trade agreement is
highly appropriate in this context, said Leuthard. She called
for more feasibility studies about the opportunities and risks
relating to a free trade agreement. "We hope this can be
done quite fast on both sides", she added. ^ top ^
Some Statements of Chinese and Swiss
Officials on Sino-Swiss Cooperation (International Business
Daily)
2007-07-07
In the special issue on Sino-Swiss Trade and Economic Cooperation,
Doris Leuthard gives a letter on China and Swiss cooperation.
Both Swiss and Chinese officials stated their opinions on Sino-Swiss
cooperation, including Mr. Dante Candido Martinelli, Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Mr. Edgar Christoph Dörig,
Swiss Economic Counsellor, Sun Yongfu, general director of Europe
affairs, Ministry of Commerce, Wang Heliang, Chinese Economic
Counsellor in Switzerland, and Xia Yang.
Link to the full article: Some
Statements of Chinese Officials on Sino-Swiss Cooperation
Switzerland participates actively in
China's economic growth, interview (People's Daily Online)
2007-07-09
To most Chinese, the name of Switzerland would bring a combined
feeling of strangeness and familiarity. Strange in that it is
located at the opposite side of the globe, and familiar in the
sense that it is widely known among different groups of people(…).
How could a small state like Switzerland, with a land area of
the approximate size of half of Zhejiang Province in Eastern
China, become so uniquely successful? (…) With all these
questions in mind, People's Daily staff editor Dr. Liu Chao
recently conducted an exclusive interview in Switzerland with
Mrs. Micheline Calmy-Rey, President of the Swiss Confederation.
Link to the full article: Switzerland
participates actively in China's economic growth, interview
Two Thirds Swiss Enterprises en China
Enjoy no Profits (Mofcom)
2007-07-11
Mr. Kurt Haerri, Chinaman of Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce,
Member of the Executive Committee, Schindler Elevators Ltd.Ebikon,
said in an interview that, according to the Swiss-Chinese Chamber
of Commerce, one third Swiss enterprises in China obtains profits,
one third does not, and one third suffer from loss. He also
stated that Sino-Swiss FTA is a good agreement.
|
| Foreign
Policy |
| China airs its opinion
about IMF chief choice (People's Daily online)
2007-07-12
China on Thursday said the voices of developing nations should
be heard when appointing the new chief of the International
Monetary Fund (IMF). When it comes to naming the IMF head, the
concerns and demands of the developing countries should be fully
accommodated," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang
told a regular briefing. (…) Qin said China will study
the EU's decision and consult with other IMF members on the
choice of the chief. (…). ^ top ^
Late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping honored
in Egypt (Xinhua)
2007-07-12
Late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping on Wednesday night was honored
by Egypt's Afro-Asia Writers Organization for his outstanding
contribution to China and the world peace. Deng was one of the
five people who were honored and awarded a medal. (…)
The awarding of medals aimed to honor the great people for their
contribution to social development and world peace, the organization's
President Magdy Morgan told Xinhua. "Deng was a great man
and China is a great country. (…) "Deng devoted his
life to China's cause of revolution, opening up and reform to
find a suitable way for China's development, which ensures China
to realize prosperity and development and makes China an example
for developing countries," said Wu Sike, Chinese ambassador
to Egypt. (…). ^ top ^
Mandelson blames Chinese barriers for low
EU exports - Political roadblocks cost bloc €20b a year
in lost commerce (SCMP)
2007-07-12
Politically driven barriers are shackling European Union exports
to China and cost the bloc as much as €20 billion (HK$215.03
billion) a year in lost commerce, according to EU Trade Commissioner
Peter Mandelson. […] The eurozone had its first annual
trade deficit in six years last year because of the worsening
trade positions with Japan and China, the two biggest economies
in Asia. Both the EU and the US have been trying to pry open
the Chinese market and sway the country's leaders to ease trade
barriers. […] "I'm not sure what barriers he is talking
about," said Wang Xinpei, spokesman for China's Ministry
of Commerce "We will not bar imports from the EU as long
as there is market demand and the quality of the products is
good." (…) China's trade surplus soared 87 per cent
last month to a record US$26.9 billion. […]. ^ top ^
Nepali-China Contemporary Dialogue held
in Kathmandu (People's Daily Online)
2007-07-06
The Nepali Institute of Foreign Affairs and the China Study
Center-Nepal jointly organized a program on "Nepal-China
Contemporary Dialogue" in Kathmandu on Friday. Speaking
at the program, Nepali Minister for Foreign Affairs Sahana Pradhan
said Nepal is fortunate to have the world's largest economic
giant like China as its immediate neighbor. (…) Visiting
Vice President of China Institute of Contemporary International
Relations (CICIR) Li Shaoxian said China is glad to witness
the progress Nepali people made in her peace process. (…).
^ top ^
China protests unfriendly FBI advertisements
(People's Daily Online)
2007-07-10
China on Tuesday expressed indignation and resolute opposition
to advertisements run by the San Francisco bureau of the FBI
in local Chinese language newspapers. The advertisements purportedly
asked readers to report on any foreign power trying to gather
information that could harm the United States, and specifically
mentioned China, implying that the Chinese Ministry of State
Security had infringed on U.S. security interests. (…).
^ top ^
Chinese official hopes new 7 wonders poll
will protect Great Wall (People's Daily Online)
2007-07-09
China's government body in charge of the nation's historic sites
is hoping the Great Wall's topping of the "New Seven Wonders
of the World" list will raise public awareness of the need
for its protection. After Saturday's announcement of the new
wonders in Lisbon, Portugal, a spokesman of the State Administration
of Cultural Heritage (SACH) said the administration "neither
participates in, nor objects to" the poll. The vote was
launched by New Open World Foundation, a non-governmental organization
started by a Swiss businessman and adventurer Bernard Weber.
More than 90 million people around the globe voted by Internet
and phone. After the Great Wall came Petra in Jordan, Brazil's
Statue of Christ the Redeemer, Peru's Machu Picchu, the Chichen
Itza Pyramid in Mexico, Rome's Colosseum and Taj Mahal in India.
^ top ^
Chinese-sponsored economic zone debuts
in Russia (Xinhua)
2007-07-12
The first phase of a Chinese-funded economic and trade cooperation
zone that has gone into operation in Russia's Far East will
simplify trade procedures and provide mutual benefits. The zone,
located in the city of Ussuriysk near the border of Heilongjiang
Province in northeast China, is one of six zones to be established
in foreign countries -- the others are Zambia, Mauritius, Thailand,
Pakistan and Cambodia. (…) More than 60 large and medium-sized
domestic and overseas companies specializing in a large variety
of manufacturing and processing industries, including shoes,
apparel, timber, household appliances, automobiles and components,
are expected to set up offices and plants in the zone. (…).
^ top ^
Chinese FM expounds China's proposals to
promote SCO development (People's Daily Online)
2007-07-10
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi submitted in Bishkek Monday
China's proposals to promote the development of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO). Yang is in the Kyrgyz capital
for the SCO's foreign ministers meeting, which forms part of
the preparations for the upcoming SCO summit in the city in
mid-August. On the security front, member states of the SCO
should speed up work on drafting an anti-terror pact and enhance
their ability to jointly fight terrorism. Deals on anti-drug
cooperation should be implemented effectively and a cooperation
mechanism established, the minister said. (…) The six
members, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan, should also intensify their contact with countries
which enjoy SCO observer status and other regional or international
organizations. Cooperation in various fields with Afghanistan,
in particular, should be strengthened, the minister said. (…).
^ top ^
SCO members to launch joint anti-terror
drill (Xinhua)
2007-07-12
The six member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
(SCO) will stage a joint anti-terrorism drill from August 9
to 17, China's Ministry of Defense announced here Thursday.
The exercises, dubbed "Peace Mission 2007", will be
carried outin Chelyabinsk in Russia's Ural Mountains region
and in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous
Region. (…) Altogether 1,600 soldiers from China's army
and air force -- including airborne and logistic units -- will
take part in the drill, the ministry said in a press release.
(…) This is the first time China has sent airborne units
to drills abroad (…) "More units will take part in
joint military drills in the future." The exercises will
explore ways of combating terrorism, separatism and extremism.
(…). ^ top ^
China, Kyrgyzstan pledge to reinforce friendly
ties (Xinhua)
2007-07-09
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev and Chinese Foreign Minister
Yang Jiechi, at a meeting held here Monday, pledged to enhance
cooperation and promote the development of friendly ties. (…)
On the same day, Yang also met Kazakh Foreign Minister Marat
Tazhin and Tajik Foreign Minister Kamrokhon Zarifi. ^ top ^
Australia understands China's efforts on
military mordernization, says Australian DM (Xinhua)
2007-07-09
Visiting Australian Defense Minister Brendan Nelson said on
Monday that his country supports China's efforts to modernize
its armed forces which are "understandable" and "reasonable".
Australia is very supportive of Chinese economic development
and China's efforts to modernize the Chinese People's Liberation
Army, and happy to see China joining more multilateral dialogue
mechanisms, said Nelson when meeting with Xu Caihou, Vice Chairman
of China's Central Military Commission (CMC). (…). ^ top ^
|
| Domestic
Policy |
| Beijing-friendly British
editor facing ban (SCMP)
2007-07-12
A Briton who has spent years trying to convince foreigners that
the mainland is not as repressive as western media often portray
it to be has been ordered to stop publication of his politically
sensitive newsletter. Beijing authorities have threatened to
deport newsletter editor Nick Young and ban him from visiting
the mainland for five years, he said in an e-mail without naming
what he called "credible sources" for the information.
[…] "I have always been able to cite the example
of China Development Brief, which, although closely watched
by state security officers, has been allowed to publish continuously
for the last 12 years," Mr Young wrote. The newsletter
chronicles the work of non-governmental organisations .(…).
^ top ^
Over 1,900 officials breach birth policy
in Central China (China Daily)
2007-07-08
As many as 1,968 officials in central China's Hunan Province
have been found breaching the nation's one-child policy between
2000 and 2005, the provincial family planning commission said
Friday. Also exposed by the commission are 21 national and local
lawmakers, 24 political advisors, 112 entrepreneurs and six
senior intellectuals. (…) The Hunan provincial governor,
Zhou Qiang, had in April ordered local authorities to "expose
the celebrities and high-income people who violate the family
planning policy and have more than one child." (…)
In some cases, the fine could be as high as over one million
yuan (130,000 U.S. dollars). (…). ^ top ^
Single-child parents in China can have
second child: official (People's Daily Online)
2007-07-11
A Chinese spokesman confirmed on Tuesday that in all Chinese
provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, except for
Henan Province, couples in which both parents are only children
can themselves give birth to two children. "Those couples
can choose to have one or two children or no children at all,"
Yu Xuejun, spokesman with China's National Population and Family
Planning Commission said in an interview with the central government
website. (…) Yu said media reports of a single-child policy
across the country were mistaken, saying that different practices
obtained in different regions. (…). ^ top ^
China may export labour to ease population
pressure (China Daily)
2007-07-10
China may encourage more of its 1.3 billion people to work overseas
as a way of easing population pressure, a senior official said
on Tuesday, adding it would not significantly alter family planning
rules. Yu Xuejun, spokesman for the National Population and
Family Planning Commission, told a Web cast on the central government's
Web site that its job was as much about tackling these pressures
as preventing new births. "Family planning is of course
not the only way to cut the population, it can only be one way,"
he said. (…). ^ top ^
China allocates another 11 bln yuan for
resettlement of Three Gorges residents (People's Daily Online)
2007-07-09
The State Council has approved an additional investment of more
than 11 billion yuan to resettle residents in Three Gorges,
officials said in Yi Chang on Monday. The new investment is
needed to complete the massive resettlement of 1.35 million
people launched in 1993, said officials attending a conference
of the Office of the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee
under the State Council. (…). ^ top ^
Transport chief gets life sentence for
graft (SCMP)
2007-07-12
Zhejiang's former transport chief has been sentenced to life
imprisonment for corruption, Xinhua reported yesterday. Zhao
Zhanqi, 58, former head of the provincial transport department,
deputy director of the provincial development and planning commission
and deputy head of the Xiaoshan airport project, was found guilty
of taking 6.2 million yuan in bribes through his mistress and
his son in the name of "consultation fees" and "business
loans" between 1994 and last year, the report said. […].
^ top ^
Former head of China's drug watchdog executed
(Xinhua)
2007-07-10
Zheng Xiaoyu, former director of China's State Food and Drug
Administration (SFDA), was executed on Tuesday morning with
the approval of the Supreme People's Court. Zheng was the country's
fourth senior official of his rank to be sentenced to death
in recent years, following former vice-chairman of the Standing
Committee of the National People's Congress Cheng Kejie and
two former provincial deputy governors Hu Changqing and Wang
Huaizhong. (…) Zheng, 63, was sentenced to death on May
29 by the Beijing Municipal No. 1 Intermediate People's Court
after being found guilty of taking 6.49 million yuan (850,000
U.S. dollars) in bribes and dereliction of duty (…). ^ top ^
2.86 mln Communist Party members work in
China's private sector (Xinhua)
2007-07-12
About 2.86 million members of the Communist Party of China (CPC)
were working for private enterprises by the end of 2006, according
to the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee.
There were also 810,000 CPC members among the ranks of the self-employed,
said a document released by the department here Thursday(…).
Early this year the organization department said that about
330,000 Party workers have been sent to private enterprises
to help organize party organs and recruit members. The CPC now
has 70 million members. ^ top ^
'Red line' is drawn in fight for farmland
- Land chief pledges crackdown on illegal conversion of land
(SCMP)
2007-07-13
The mainland faces a tough battle in its quest to retain enough
arable farmland to ensure its food supply because of the illegal
seizure of farmland by local officials who convert the land
to commercial use. The newly appointed Land and Resources Minister
Xu Shaoshi delivered that warning at his first press conference
yesterday. He vowed to boost measures to defend the mainland's
farmland and reach its target of maintaining a minimum of 120
million hectares of arable land for agriculture. […] The
mainland investigated 24,000 such cases involving 14,000 hectares
in the first five months of this year alone. This actually represented
a decrease of 12 per cent in the amount of land involved in
similar cases during the same period last year. […]. ^ top ^
Former village head jailed for 20 years
for gang crimes in north China (People's Daily Online)
2007-07-06
Duan Yanli, a former village committee director in north China's
Hebei Province, was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment on Thursday
for gang crimes. Duan, 36, was convicted of organizing illegal
gangs to commit crimes including bribery, possession of guns,
organising prostitution rings, racketeering and gambling from
1997 to 2006, according to the Intermediate Court of Chengde
City. (…). ^ top ^
New rules to protect major lakes (SCMP)
2007-07-13
The mainland's environment chief has spelled out measures for
tackling the pollution of three major lakes after a series of
algal blooms over the past two months. At a meeting yesterday
in Hefei, Anhui province, State Environmental Protection Administration
chief Zhou Shengxian said tough measures had to be introduced
to reassure an increasingly concerned public about water safety,
an issue he feared could ignite social unrest. […] Mr
Zhou introduced a number of measures designed to protect the
lakes. These included stricter industrial emissions criteria,
more stringent approval and renewal requirements for industries
with factories near the lakes, harsher punishment for violations
of environmental regulations, gradual elimination of fish farming,
and a total ban on farming and animal husbandry within a kilometre
of the lakes' peak waterlines. […] Jiang Wenlai, a water
resources researcher at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural
Science, said Sepa's proposed measures were necessary but would
not solve all the problems. […]. ^ top ^
Developer, employees arrested in beating
of homeowners' activist (SCMP)
2007-07-13
A Guangzhou real estate developer and several of his employees
have been arrested for beating a homeowner in January over plans
to set up a residents' committee, mainland media have reported.
Haizhu district police detained Guangzhou Yinrui real estate
company general manager Shi Heli and four employees in April
over an attack on Liang Wenxiang, the owner of a property in
a residential community developed by Yinrui, the New Express
reported yesterday. […]The conflicting interests of developers
and owners have been a major issue on the mainland in recent
years, and dozens of owners have been assaulted trying to set
up committees or vote out ones that developers appoint. […].
^ top ^
Students riot over fees and qualifications
(SCMP)
2007-07-13
Hundreds of students rioted after a graduation ceremony at a
private college in Fujian in protest at expensive fees and a
lack of recognition of their qualifications, a local resident
and a human rights group said yesterday. Students burned and
destroyed furniture in more than 100 rooms of a dormitory building
at Yangen University, a private college in Majia township, Quanzhou,
on June 30, the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human
Rights and Democracy said. It said students, who had each paid
60,000 yuan in fees over the past four years, had found their
certificates were not recognised by the authorities or employers.
A student who claimed to have taken part in the riot and who
posted more than 10 riot pictures in a mop.com chat room, said
revelry after the graduation ceremony turned into a revolt.
He said angry students even set off fireworks to celebrate,
while they burned furniture and bedding in the dormitories.
[…]. ^ top ^
131 killed in South China floods (China
Daily)
2007-07-10
The death toll in seven flood-hit provinces in southern China
has risen to 131, the Ministry of Civil Affairs reported on
Tuesday. Another 31 people are missing as a result of torrential
rain which began lashing the Huaihe River valley, the eastern
area of Sichuan Province and the southern area of Shaanxi Province
on June 28. Nearly 1.2 million people in Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan,
Hubei, Sichuan, Chongqing and Shaanxi had been evacuated by
5:00 pm on Tuesday. (…). ^ top ^
Karaoke parlor blast caused by explosives
(Xinhua)
2007-07-08
Investigators said Wednesday's karaoke bar explosion which claimed
lives of 25 people in Benxi, northeast China's Liaoning Province,
was caused by explosives secretly stored by the bar owner Qu
Yijie. "After more than three days' efforts, we found self-ignition
of the explosives led to the explosion," the investigators
of the July 4 karaoke bar explosion concluded in a terse brochure
made available to Xinhua Sunday. No more details were given.
The explosion occurred at the Tianying karaoke bar in Tianshifu
Township of Benxi Autonomous County of Manchu Nationality in
Liaoning on Wednesday night, killing 25 people on the spot and
injuring 41 more (…). ^ top ^
|
| Hongkong |
Press freedom declining,
says media body (SCMP)
2007-07-09
Hong Kong's press freedom has diminished in the past decade,
with Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen using the media to
his advantage more effectively than his predecessor, according
to the Hong Kong Journalists' Association. (…) It said
media self-censorship had increased while the government tightened
control on the flow of information. (…)Mr. Tsang had also
expanded government media briefings to include columnists and
programme controllers, a tactic seen as an attempt to influence
the public through opinion formers. Such briefings, the association
argued, were tools to make the media less critical of the government,
since those who did not toe a favorable line might not be invited
to future briefings. ^ top ^
Top advisor urges HK political advisors
to contribute more (Xinhua)
2007-07-09
China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin on Monday called on
Hong Kong delegates to the country's top advisory body to continue
to promote exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese mainland
and Hong Kong. Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC),
made the remark when he met more than 100 CPPCC members based
in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). (…).
^ top ^
HK pork supplies return to 85% of normal(China
Daily)
2007-07-11
The daily supply of live pigs in Hong Kong is back to 85 percent
of its normal level following the recovery of supplies on the
mainland in recent days, according to the Hong Kong government.
Cheuk Wing-hing, acting permanent secretary for food and health,
said at a meeting of a Legislative Council panel on food safety
and environmental hygiene yesterday that government officials
had met with a live pig dealer to ensure a stable supply of
live pigs from the mainland following the recent shortage. (…)
The decline was due to a pork shortage on the mainland, resulting
in higher wholesale prices in Hong Kong. (…). ^ top ^
Public invited to solve the democracy
question - Green paper offers multiple choice on universal suffrage
(SCMP)
2007-07-12
The people of Hong Kong were yesterday invited to choose from
hundreds of options for achieving universal suffrage - by 2012
or later - in an unprecedented consultation aimed at achieving
consensus on the way forward. Unveiling a much-awaited green
paper on ways to achieve universal suffrage, Chief Secretary
Henry Tang Ying-yen reiterated the government's determination
to settle the question once and for all. (…) Some legislators
and academics said the question-and-answer approach was confusing
and open to government manipulation; others believed it would
help gauge public opinion on the various options. […].
^ top ^
|
| Taiwan |
Taiwan's June exports
rise on strong demand from mainland (China Daily)
2007-07-09
Taiwan's exports in June rose a faster-than-expected 11.0 percent
from the same month last year to a record US$20.1 billion on
strong demand from the Chinese mainland and Europe, the "Ministry
of Finance" said in a statement Monday(…). The June
total gave Taiwan a trade surplus of US$1.41 billion, largely
on the strengths of sales to the mainland and Hong Kong. Exports
to that destination, its largest overseas market, rose 14.6
percent to US$8.07 billion. Exports to Europe rose 17.8 percent
to US$2.25 billion. (…) Taiwan's imports in June rose
10.7 percent to US$18.68 billion, also a record high. (…).
^ top ^
Taiwan to allow 'tourist' surgery (SCMP)
2007-07-12
Taiwan will allow mainland and overseas Chinese to visit the
island for surgery from next month as part of an ambitious NT$7
billion (HK$1.66 million) "medical tourism" programme
designed to increase revenue and job opportunities. Premier
Chang Chun-Hsiung announced yesterday that, from August 1, mainlanders
and overseas Chinese would be welcome to visit the island to
undergo five categories of operations. […] The new measure
represents a relaxation of the restrictions, which were imposed
after the civil war in 1949. […] He [Mr. Chang] was certain
the programme would work, he said, because of the island's advanced
medical standards and relatively low costs in the five categories
involved: organ transplants, brain and facial surgery, vascular
surgery, artificial insemination and knee joint replacements.
[…] Asked how competitive Hong Kong would be, since it
is a major medical centre for mainland tourists, the officials
said Hong Kong lagged Taiwan in the five categories.
^ top ^
|
| Economy |
| Nestle inaugurated new
milk product factory (China Daily)
2007-07-06
Swiss food and beverage giant Nestle yesterday inaugurated a
new milk product factory in northern China's Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region in a move to take bigger share of the Chinese
market. With an initial investment of 130 million yuan, the
Nestle Hunlunbuir facility is the company's third dairy factory
in China, following one in Shuangcheng, Northeast China's Heilongjiang
Province and an operation in Qingdao, East China's Shandong
Province. (…) In another development, the company expects
to open its second research and development center in China
next year. According to Brabeck, the new center in Beijing will
feature research, as its first in Shanghai is focused on product
development. ^ top ^
Three more on Global 500 list (Xinhua)
2007-07-13
Three more mainland companies made it onto the 2007 Fortune
Global 500 List, the largest increase among all economies, published
results from the United States business magazine showed yesterday.
A total of 22 companies on the mainland are among the world's
500 largest companies, in addition to two from Hong Kong and
six from Taiwan. Four years ago, only 11 companies on the mainland
made the list. State-owned oil and chemical giant Sinopec had
the highest ranking - 17th, the first time that a mainland company
broke into the top 20. (…). ^ top ^
China to be third largest economy (China
Daily)
2007-07-11
The National Bureau of Statistics raised its estimate of China's
2006 growth rate from 10.7 percent to 11.1 percent. It nudged
up its estimate of total output by 146.4 billion yuan ($18.8
billion) to 21.1 trillion yuan ($2.705 trillion). The revision
brought China closer to Germany, the world's third-largest economy
after the United States and Japan. Germany's 2006 output was
$3 trillion but its 2.5 percent growth rate was well below China's.
(…). ^ top ^
Yuan likely to be more flexible: central
bank official (People's Daily Online)
2007-07-09
The Chinese currency yuan will gradually become more flexible,
Yi Gang, assistant Governor of the People's Bank of China said
at a forum on Saturday. China will improve the RMB exchange
rate formation system, said the official, echoing a joint statement
from the third EU-China Economic and Financial Dialogue held
in Brussels on Wednesday. In the statement, China promised to
carry out appropriate macroeconomic policies including a prudent
fiscal policy as well as a prudent and moderately tight monetary
policy, deepen structural reforms and speed up the transformation
of economic growth patterns so as to achieve sustainable growth.
The official did not reveal when and to what extent the floating
band of yuan would be widened. (…). ^ top ^
PetroChina to build oil base in Xinjiang
(China Daily)
2007-07-07
PetroChina plans to build a commercial crude oil reserve base
in Shanshan County, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous
Region, a company source said on Friday. The company plans to
invest 6.5 billion yuan ($844 million) in the project, which
will have a storage capacity of 8.1 million cubic meters, according
to the source. Other top Chinese oil companies, such as Sinopec
and Sinochem, have also embarked on the construction of their
commercial crude oil reserve bases in order to meet the rising
demand, said the source from PetroChina. " (…). ^ top ^
Forex reserves top US$ 1.33 trillion, up
41.6% (China Daily)
2007-07-12
China's foreign exchange reserves increased by $40 billion in
June, pushing the total figure to $1.33 trillion, the central
bank said yesterday. It was a 41.6 percent increase year-on-year,
the People's Bank of China said in a statement on its website.
The rise could mainly be a result of capital influx in anticipation
of a rising yuan and the strong growth in foreign trade surplus,
said Zhao Xijun, a finance professor at Renmin University of
China. The central parity rate of the yuan hit a new high yesterday,
standing at 7.5712 against the greenback. The central bank also
said household deposits in banks reversed a declining trend,
rising by 167.8 billion yuan ($22.2 billion) after a big fall
in May. Analysts said it indicates that people have stopped
shifting their bank savings to the stock market, which has seen
drastic fluctuations recently." (…). ^ top ^
Officials labor over grain target (SCMP)
2007-07-12
The mainland faces an uphill battle to increase grain output
despite another bumper summer harvest, Agriculture Minister
Sun Zhengcai has said. Although grain output has grown for the
fourth consecutive summer despite a drought in corn-growing
areas in the north and flooding in southern rice areas, unfavourable
weather and pest damage could still cut the full-year total,
Mr Sun told Xinhua yesterday. […] Mr Sun said the major
difficulties in hitting the ministry's target included the decreasing
amount of farmland, declining water resources, insufficient
agricultural technology and worsening pollution. […] He
said the bottom line to meeting the 11th five-year goal and
guaranteeing the country's food security was retaining 120 million
hectares of arable land. (…). ^ top ^
Russia to pipe natural gas massively to
China, says energy chief (People's Daily Online)
2007-07-10
Russia will pipe 68 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China
each year by 2020, Russian energy chief Viktor Khristenko said
on Tuesday. "Russia will use two pipelines for the deliveries,"
Khristenko told a press briefing in Beijing, following his talks
with Chinese officials on energy cooperation. The western pipeline
which connects Siberia with China's northwest Xinjiang Uygur
Autonomous Region will start delivering gas in 2011 while the
eastern line which traverses China's northeastern border with
Russia will be in operation by 2016, Khristenko said. (…).
^ top ^
China to tax offshore oil exports by foreign
partners in joint ventures (People's Daily Online)
2007-07-11
China will impose duties on oil exported by foreign partners
in offshore oil production joint ventures if contracts with
Chinese partners are signed after August 1, said sources with
the Ministry of Finance (MOF) Tuesday. Contracts already signed
will be free from export duties until August 1, 2012, according
to a circular jointly released by the MOF and the General Administration
of Customs on Tuesday. The announcement is a new move by the
Chinese government to curb exports of crude oil after the country
imposed a five percent export duty starting last November. The
export duty rate on foreign companies' interest oil shares will
be the same as domestically produced crude oil, which is five
percent at present, said sources with the MOF. Export duties
reduced China's crude oil exports by 36.6 percent year-on-year
to 1.6 million tons in the first five months. (…). ^ top ^
|
| Beijing
Olympics |
| China says food safety
for 2008 Olympics fully guaranteed (Xinhua)
2007-07-10
The Chinese government on Tuesday said that it has set up a
rigorous food tracking and monitoring system for the 2008 Beijing
Olympics and food safety for the games was fully guaranteed.
"All the procedures involving Olympic food, including production,
processing, packaging, storing and transporting, will be closely
monitored," said Sun Wenxu, an official with the State
Administration for Industry and Commerce. (…) The panel
has also drawn up a draft list of 30 performance-enhancing drugs
to be closely monitored as well as their allowable volumes in
Olympics food. (…) Cai, a nutrition professor with the
China Agricultural University, said after careful selection,
the panel has recommended 1,000 Chinese dishes to the International
Olympic Committee. "We are waiting for the approval of
IOC". ^ top ^
|
| North
Korea |
| Chief delegates to
Six Party talks to reconvene in Beijing next week (Xinhua)
2007-07-12
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 (…). ^ top ^
South Korea delivers 6,200 tons of heavy
fuel oil to DPRK (Xinhua)
2007-07-12
A South Korean ship with 6,200 tons of heavy fuel oil left South
Korea's Ulsan port for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
(DPRK) on Thursday. It was the first delivery of heavy fuel
oil to the DPRK under an agreement adopted in February's six-party
talks on the nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula. (…)
The DPRK government announced last week that it will shut down
nuclear reactors after receiving the first delivery of heavy
fuel oil. Under an earlier agreement between Seoul and Pyongyang,
South Korea will deliver a total of 50,000 tons of heavy fuel
oil within 20 days after the first delivery of the oil. Under
the joint agreement reached during the six-party talks in February,
the DPRK promised to shut down its nuclear facilities as initial
steps of denuclearization, while other parties will provide
a total of 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil to the DPRK.^ top ^
|
| Mongolia |
Iran-Mongolia-Congratulations
(Islamic Republic News Agency - Tehran, Iran)
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a message on Monday congratulated
the Mongolian president, government and nation on the occasion
of the country's Independence Day. According to the Press Department
of the Presidential Office, Ahmadinejad in his message pointed
to the longstanding relations between Iran and Mongolia. He
expressed hope that bilateral ties will expand thanks to efforts
of officials of both countries. ^ top ^
Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito arrives
in Ulaanbaatar, honored at dinner by President Enkhbayar (Mongolia-Web)
20087-07-11
Arriving on an eight-day state visit to Mongolia today, Japan's
Crown Prince Naruhito met with Mongolian President Nambaryn
Enkhbayar in Ulaanbaatar. President Enkhbayar hosted a banquet
for Prince Naruhito following welcoming ceremonies. In a prepared
speech, Prince Naruhito noted how fully bilateral relations
between the two countries have matured in recent years. On a
lighter note, the Prince mentioned the success achieved by two
Mongolian wrestlers who have attained the highest title in Japanese
sumo competitions. (…) The visit of the Crown Prince is
to commemorate the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations
between Japan and Mongolia.
|
| Joel Baumgartner
Embassy of Switzerland
|
The Press review is a random selection
of political and social related news gathered from various media
and news services located in the PRC, edited or translated by
the Embassy of Switzerland in Beijing and distributed among Swiss
Government Offices. The Embassy does not accept responsibility
for accuracy of quotes or truthfulness of content. Additionally
the contents of the selected news mustn't correspond to the opinion
of the Embassy.
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