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Entries in Vietnam (3)

Tuesday
Aug312010

China Economy Weekly: Southeast Asia’s Robust Trade; High-Speed Railways; China Becomes Hydro Superpower

China-ASEAN Trade Rises:  Trade value between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) rose 49.6% year-on-year in the first seven months to $161 billion, with ASEAN enjoying a surplus of $7.54 billion.

High-speed Railways in South China to:  China will complete 5,000 kilometers of high-speed railways in the mainland's southern region by 2012 to accelerate ieconomic integration with Hong Kong and Macao.

The railways, to be laid in the sprawling pan-Pearl Delta region of eight provinces and an autonomous region of the mainland, will account for nearly 40& of the country' total in the next three years.

Chinese Coal Mines:  The Chinese Government has stressed the need for the country's coal mine enterprises to continue with mergers and acquisitions for the healthy development of the industry.

The statement was issued following an executive meeting of China's State Council, chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao.

The government will also introduce preferential measures on finance and taxation to support the upgrade of safety technologies of the merged enterprises, and it said it will protect workers and investors' rights by law during the merger and acquisition process.

Government Expenditure up 134%:  China's government expenditure surged 134.3% in the first seven months of 2010 as compensation for land purchases grew rapidly.

From January to July, the spending was 1.32 trillion yuan ($194 billion). Total revenue reached 1.8 trillion yuan, up 146%.

Chinese Economy to Stabilise?:  The Chinese economy will start to stabilise in the fourth quarter after the recent marked slowdown due to government measures, but it might face risks next year as external demand weakens, Ben Simpfendorfer, chief China economist at the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has.

China's purchasing managers' index (PMI), a leading indicator of economic health, has fallen for two consecutive months to 51.2% in July, barely above the expansive baseline of 50%.

State Enterprises to Hire Overseas Managers:  More than a dozen State-owned enterprises will hire new managers by the end of the year after a worldwide recruitment campaign, the States Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) announced.

Four general managers and eight assistant managers will join during the eighth and largest global hiring programme.

The new hires are part of the nation's "1,000-talent" initiative offering high salaries and attractive funding to overseas employees who want to work in China.

China Becomes Hydro Superpower:  As all generating units began running at Xiaowan Hydropower Station in the southwestern Yunnan province, China's capacity became the world's largest.

The new 700,000 kilowatt-unit at Xiaowan sent China's installed hydropower capacity just above 200 million kilowatts and marked the completion of the 4.2 million-kilowatt project, China's second-largest hydropower plant after the Three Gorges.

With a total investment of 40 billion yuan ($5.86 billion), Xiaowan can produce 19 billion kWh of electricity every year.
Sunday
Aug292010

China This Week: China-Japan Economic Dialogue; Move on North Korea Talks; Partnership with South Africa and Vietnam

Third China-Japan Economic Dialogue: Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan said Saturday that bilateral trade between China and Japan has recovered and exceeded the level before the global financial crisis.

Wang made the remarks at the opening of the third China-Japan high-level economic dialogue, which he chaired with Japanese Foreign Minister Okada Katsuya.

The two countries had maintained sound cooperation in energy-saving, environment protection, food safety, product quality and the construction of China-Japan-ROK Free Trade Area, Wang said.

China, South Africa “Strategic Partnership”: President Hu Jintao and his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma on Tuesday raised bilateral ties to a "comprehensive strategic partnership", opening more avenues to expand trade and strengthen relations between Beijing and the largest African economy.

In the Beijing Declarationthe two sides based a comprehensive strategic partnership  on equality, mutual benefit, and common development. They agreed to provide mutual technical support in the areas of the green economy, skills development, and industrial financing.

Chinese, S Korean Nuclear Envoys Meet: China's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs Wu Dawei on Thursday met with South Korea's top nuclear envoy Wi Sung-lac for talks on restarting the long- stalled six-party discussions on denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

Wu visited North Korea from 16 to 18 August, meeting Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun and Vice Foreign Ministers Kim Kye-gwan and Kim Song Gi.

Beijing hosts the multilateral talks that include both Koreas, the US, Japan, and Russia. Pyongyang unilaterally pulled out of the discussions in April 2009.

China Aid to Flood-hit Pakistan: More relief supplies, worth 20 million yuan ($2.94 million), have been sent from China to flood-hit Pakistan, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement Wednesday.

China was one of the first countries to respond delivering 10 million yuan on 4  August. Beijing indicated it will offer an additional 60 million yuan of supplies to Pakistan, Ministry of Commerce official Chong Quan announced while meeting with Masood Khan, Pakistani ambassador to China.

Chinese Defense Minister meets Greek Air Force Chief: Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie on Monday met with Vasileios Klokozas, chief of the General Staff of the Greek Air Force, as the two sides pledged to boost military exchange and cooperation.

Vietnam, China Vow to Enhance Trade: Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang and Chinese Minister of Commerce Chen Deming and China declared Monday that the two countries would enhance trade and investment cooperation

Hoang asked China to encourage more imports and to create favorable conditions for Vietnamese companies. He also encouraged big Chinese firms to invest in Vietnam. Chen offered agreement and said Beijing will help Vietnam in training officials,

Trade between Vietnam and China was more than $20 billion in 2009 and has exceeded $13 billion in the first seven months this year.

Vietnam welcomes China's Military Development: Vice Defense Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh said Wednesday Vietnam welcomes China's military developmentThe Chinese military can contribute to disaster relief efforts in the region, he said.

Vinh is in Beijing for consultations with Chinese defense ministry officials ahead of the first ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus to be held in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi  in October.

China, Japan Support Climate Talks: China and Japan are willing to push forward international climate change talks, said Zhang Ping, minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, on the sidelines of the third China-Japan high-level economic dialogue.

He said China and Japan regard energy-saving and environmental protection as important areas, linked to the growth of economic cooperation between both countries.

The two countries agreed to hold the fifth China-Japan forum on energy-saving and environmental protection in late October in Tokyo to promote green economy and cooperation on low-carbon technologies.

Enquiry into Deadly Plane Crash: Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang has ordered a thorough probe into Tuesday night's plane crash in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

At least 42 people died while 54 others survived when the Brazilian-made Embraer E-190 jet crashed as it approached Lindu Airport in Yichun city.

Amendments to Hong Kong's Basic Law: China's top legislature on Saturday approved an amendment to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region regarding the method of selecting Hong Kong's Chief Executive.

Hong Kong, Philippines to Exchange Hostage Probe Info: Hong Kong Police will investigate the deaths of Hong Kong tourists slain in Monday's hostage tragedy in Manila and will exchange information with the Philippine authorities through Interpol when necessary, Under Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok said Saturday.

Hong Kong has sent two Police officers to Manila to assist in the investigation, and Lai said more officers will be sent if necessary.

Deaths Up in Industrial Accidents: The death toll from major industrial accidents jumped 50 percent in the first seven months of this year, the State Administration of Work Safety said on Friday.

From January to July, 53 major incidents in the country killed 904 people. In a hot and rain-plagued August, there have been 13 major incidents and 210 people killed or missing.

The accidents included the deadly explosion in a firecracker factory and this week's plane crash that ended Chinese civil aviation's 2,000-plus days of flight safety. Both incidents occurred in Yichun City in northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

China's Crackdown on Illegal Labour Export: Chinese authorities are intensifying their crackdown on the illegal outsourcing of labour in a bid to protect the legal rights of overseas workers.

The Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an emergency circular prohibiting illegal labuor agencies from dispatching labourers abroad.

The circular also bans the subcontracting of overseas labour service by domestic contract engineering firms.

China has been exporting labourers as fishermen, construction workers, or farmhands. More than 340,000 Chinese people worked abroad in 2009, according to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce.

China to Spend Millions on Disaster Prevention: China plans to spend 2.23 billion yuan ($328 million) to improve disaster prevention systems in a mountainous northwest China town devastated by a landslide earlier this month.

The plan is scheduled to be carried out in three phases from 2010 to 2012..

China Green Belt to stop Deserts merging: China has started an ambitious project to plant a green belt between the country's third and fourth largest deserts to stop them converging, said Wang Xiaodong, a forestry official in northern Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

"It is the first time in China that a green belt is being planted between two deserts. The project is expected to take five years to plant a 202-km (125 miles) long and 5 to 15-km wide stripe of vegetation between Badain Jaran Desert and Tengger Desert," said Wang.
Monday
Aug092010

China This Week: Rain-triggered Floods; South China Sea Issues; PLA Air Defense Drills; Sino-Latin America Ties

Floods Kill 1,072, 619 missing: Rain-triggered floods have left 1,072 people dead and 619 others missing this year in China.

The floods affected 140 million people in 28 provinces and regions and caused direct economic losses estimated at almost 210 billion yuan (almost $70 billion), said Shu Qingpeng, deputy director of the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

The flooding also destroyed more than 1.1 million homes and damaged 9.72 million hectares of farmland. China's large rivers, including the Yangtze, the Yellow and the Songhua, were all swollen to danger levels after heavy rains inundated more than 160 cities across the country.

China Opposes Vietnam, US on South China Sea: China firmly opposes any remarks and actions that violate its sovereignty over the Xisha Islands and adjacent waters in the South China Sea, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu on Friday.

Jiang made the comment after Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Nga said, according to media reports, that Chinese vessels' seismic exploration activities near Xisha Islands had violated Vietnam's sovereignty.

"China has indisputable sovereignty over Xisha Islands and adjacent waters," Jiang reiterated in a news release.

Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said China had "indisputable sovereignty" over islands in the South China Sea and the surrounding waters, one week after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talked of US "national interests" in the area.

Geng said at a press conference that China would push for the resolution of differences regarding the South China Sea with "relevant countries" through dialogue and negotiations and that Beijing objected to having the issue internationalised.

China would respect the liberty of ships and aircraft from "relevant countries" traversing the South China Sea in accordance with international laws, Geng added.

China held military drills in waters alongside US-South Korean exercises, leading to speculation that China had staged them intentionally to send a message to the US.

But Geng denied there was any connection, "The increased exposure of Chinese military exercises aims to showcase a more open, pragmatic and transparent Chinese military. I hope our friends in the media correctly analyze and understand the exercises and do not speculate or over-interpret them."

12,000 Take Part in Air Defence Drills: Chinese air defence forces on Thursday battled rain during a five-day military exercise.

More than 12,000 Chinese military personnel, along with seven types of military aircraft, took part "Vanguard 2010", which started on Tuesday in seven cities across Henan and Shandong Provinces.

Reports said the annual drill, consisting of two phases to run from Tuesday to Saturday, would feature emergency evacuations, war planning, reconnaissance, early warning activities, ground-to-air attacks, and evacuations of command posts during its first phase which ends on Thursday.

Its second phase includes testing Chinese air defense troops' abilities in fighting air units in a "complicated electromagnetic environment".

China to enhance army's capabilities: China's armed forces will continue to enhance their capabilities and military readiness to safeguard sovereignty, security, and development of the nation, Defense Minister Liang Guanglie said.

Liang made the remarks while addressing a reception held in Beijing to mark the 83rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

Liang said the army should strengthen military training, adopt more high-technology weapons and equipment, improve military logistics, and increase combat capabilities by using information technology.

Meanwhile, a spokesman said China's defense expenditure has been maintained at a "reasonable and appropriate level".

China's annual defense expenditure has been around 1.4 percent of its GDP in recent years while the share of some major world powers is between 2 and 4 percent, according to Geng Yansheng.

China Hopes US to Contribute to Military Exchange: China called on the United States to "handle carefully" sensitive issues such as arms sale to Taiwan and contribute to the development of military-to-military relations between the two countries.

Senior Colonel Geng Yansheng, spokesman of China's Ministry of National Defense, urged the US to create "favorable environment and conditions" to promote military-to-military relations between the countries.

In January, China cut off some military exchanges with the US following the Pentagon's decision to sell a $6.4-billion arms package to Taiwan.

Chinese FM’s visit to Austria, Latin America: Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said his visit to Austria, Mexico, Cuba and Costa Rica was a great success, claiming consensus with leaders and foreign ministers on the international financial crisis and reforms, climate change, and the UN Millennium Development Goals.

Yang said annual trade with Latin America has reached nearly $150 billion, and China has become the region's second biggest trade partner.

Venezuela and China discussed ten agreements involving cooperation in energy, mining, food and gas sectors. China agreed to back Venezuela's 17 development projects by providing $4 billion in credit loans via the China Development Bank (CDB).

China's policy toward Pacific Islands countries: China will continue to provide assistance to help the Pacific Island countries build capacity to tackle global financial crisis and climate change, and support the sustainable development, said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai.

Cui made the remarks at the the 22nd Pacific Islands Forum's Dialogue Meeting, which was held in the Vanuatu capital of Port Vila on Friday.

China, Iran pledge to carry out cooperation projects: China and Iran on Friday pledged to pursue cooperation projects after a meeting between Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang and visiting Iranian Oil Minister Masoud Mirkazemi.



The Chinese Foreign Ministry release did not specify the cooperation projects nor where they would be implemented.

Iran is one of the major crude oil suppliers to China and a crucial trade partner in west Asia and north Africa.

It was in the fundamental interests of both countries to cement friendly and cooperative ties, Li said. China would like to work with Iran to cement political trust, maintain communication and coordination on international and regional issues so as to safeguard regional and world peace, stability and prosperity, he added.



China Opposes EU sanctions on Iran: China opposed unilateral sanctions levied on Iran by the European Union, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu.

"We hope the relevant parties will adhere to diplomatic means on the issue," said Jiang in response to a question. China maintains that the Iran nuclear issue should be resolved through dialogue and negotiations, she added.

China to Participate in Drill in Kazakhstan: More than 1,000 army and air force officers and soldiers from China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) will take part in an anti-terror exercise in Kazakhstan this autumn.

The "Peace Mission 2010" exercise will be the seventh of its kind held under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

China reaffirms friendship with DPRK: Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue said on Friday that China is committed to consolidating ties with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea .

In a meeting with Yang Hyong Sop, Vice President of the Presidium of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly, Hu said Chinese leaders attach great importance to the bilateral relationship. It is China's steadfast policy to continuously consolidate and enhance good neighbourliness and friendly cooperation with the DPRK.

China to Launch Fifth Orbiter: China will launch a fifth orbiter into space, as part of its satellite navigation and positioning network, Beidou, in the next few days.



The network will eventually consist of 35 satellites. China started building its own satellite navigation system in 2000 to end its dependence upon the U.S. GPS system. Beidou is designed to provide navigation, time and short message services in the Asia and Pacific region in 2010 and will be capable of providing global navigation services by 2020.

New Plan Targets Pollution: China plans to introduce ambitious new targets for the reduction of major pollutants in the upcoming 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15).

Two new pollution indicators, nitrogen oxide --- mainly discharged from power plants and vehicles --- and ammonia nitrogen, a major measure of water quality, will be added to the emission control list for the next five years, said Gao Dongsheng, deputy director of the department of energy conservation and resources utilization within the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Population Control in Beijing: In a move to reduce a burgeoning population, the Beijing People's Congress has advocated a restriction of low-wage workers in the capital through closures of small businesses.

The Congress recommended population control measures be part of the city's 2011-15 development plan, with an adjustment of industries through the introduction of more skilled workers and a reduction in the overall demand for laborers.

Beijing's population reached 19.72 million at the end of 2009. Among this figure, 7.26 million people were migrant workers who had been living in the city for more than six months. If unregistered migrant workers and people on short visits to the capital are also taken into consideration, the floating population in Beijing could have exceeded 10 million, the municipal officials said in the report.

China's first amphibious plane starts test flight: The first China-made amphibious plane, Seagull 300, begins its test flight on Thursday.

The plane can take off from and land on a 600-metre-long and 50-metre-wide runway either on the land or on the water.

The four-to-six-passenger plane costs more than 4 million yuan ($600,000) and can be used for business, passenger, cargo, medical aid, or sightseeing flights.