Assuming that this is the beginning and not the end of state pensions in China, then in no time at all, China may well have better state pensions than many Western countries!
Related articles
- China sinking into pensions black hole (todayonline.com)
14/10/2012
* China’s trade climbs in Sept amid bottoming-out
“One swallow does not a summer make” But it sure is reassuring after all the bad news in recent months. There are also signs in the US that the 2008 recession is finally bottoming out. Let’s hope it’s for real. And even more importantly, let’s hope both nations and individuals don’t get carried away with getting into deep depth, again.
China Daily: “China’s exports significantly expanded in September while imports resumed growth after a decline in August, suggesting a recovery in overseas markets and a moderate improvement of domestic demand amid a bottoming-out in the world’s second largest economy.
Economists and analysts are still cautious about China’s foreign trade outlook owing to the medium and long-term pressure from the festering EU debt crisis and worrisome fiscal outlook in the US despite improvement in overseas demand.
China’s exports increased by 9.9 percent in September from a year earlier, a record monthly high and much higher than the 2.7-percent growth in August. Imports, meanwhile, stepped out of the 2.6-percent fall in August, registering a gain of 2.4 percent in September, according to data from the General Administration of Customs on Saturday.
Total foreign trade in September grew by 6.3 percent year-on-year while the trade surplus widened to $27.67 billion from $26.7 billion in August.
Foreign trade from January to September went up by 6.2 percent from a year earlier with exports rising 7.4 percent and imports gaining 4.8 percent, yielding a trade surplus of $148.31 billion.
“The full year is likely to see a trade surplus of over $200 billion,” said Wang Jun, a senior economist with China Center for International Economic Exchanges.
“Trade figures of September are relatively satisfactory. China’s exports in the coming two or three months will keep up the momentum as the manufacturing index [also known as the purchasing managers index, or PMI] improves in the US and EU, in addition to Christmas demand and the central government’s measures to boost China’s foreign trade,” Wang said.
The State Council introduced a raft of measures in September to stabilize trade growth, including speeding up export tax rebates, reducing administrative costs for companies, lowering financing costs for small and micro-sized enterprises and increasing credit to exporters.”
via China’s trade climbs in Sept amid bottoming-out |Economy |chinadaily.com.cn.
10/10/2012
* Russia further delays delivery of Admiral Gorshkov to India
It would seem a mini-arms race is on between India and China. Although India already has two aircraft carriers, one is being retired and the other undergoing a five-month refit. Fortunately, there is no known marine based territorial dispute between India and China, Curiously, India has been getting its carriers from Russia’s obsolete fleet and China from Ukraine’s retired fleet!
Times of India: “Russia delayed delivery of a trouble-plagued aircraft carrier for at least a year on Friday, a blow to India’s efforts to quickly build up naval strength as increasingly assertive Asian rival China expands its maritime reach.
Originally built as the Admiral Gorshkov in the Soviet Union, the $2.3 billion aircraft carrier is being reconditioned and was due to be ready this year, but problems with the ship’s boilers have pushed the delivery date back several times.
“We believe the handover of the ship will take place in the fourth quarter of 2013,” Russian defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov said at a joint news conference with his Indian counterpart in New Delhi.
Defence minister AK Antony said he had conveyed “serious concern” at the delays to Serdyukov.
The bilateral meeting precedes a visit by Russian President Putin to New Delhi on November 1.
The ship is to be renamed as Vikramaditya and the success of the order is seen as an important test of defence ties between Russia, the world’s second-largest arms exporter, and its biggest customer.
India, a big buyer of Soviet Union weaponry, still relies on Russia for 60 percent of its arms purchases, but has diversified its suppliers in recent years. Israel is now the No. 2 seller, and countries like the United States and France also increasing their presence.
“I myself expressed serious concern about the delay,” Antony said, adding that the issue had been raised several times. He said he was putting pressure on both sides to finish work on the biolers as soon as possible, but said he had not discussed penalising Russia so far.
India is closely watching the Chinese navy’s newly assertive stance in the South China Sea and in a dispute with Japan over contested islands that have raised tensions in East Asia this year.
India bought its first, British-built aircraft carrier in the 1960s, which was decommissioned in 1997. Another ex-British carrier, the INS Viraat, is in operation but is reaching the end of its useful service.”
via Russia further delays delivery of Admiral Gorshkov to India – The Times of India.
Related articles
- NAVAL AIR: Massive Engine Failure (strategypage.com)
- INS Viraat heads for 5-month long refit, setback for Navy (rnzngunners.wordpress.com)
09/10/2012
* China issues white paper on judicial reform
Reform in China continues apace.
China Daily: “The Chinese government issued Tuesday a white paper on judicial reform, highlighting the progress that has been made in safeguarding justice and protecting human rights.
The white paper was issued by the Information Office of the State Council.
Apart from reviewing China’s judicial system and reform process, the white paper focuses maintaining social fairness, justice and human rights protections.
“China’s judicial reforms are aimed at strengthening judicial organs’ capability to maintain social justice by optimizing the structure of the judicial organs and the allocation of their functions and power, standardizing judicial acts, improving judicial proceedings and enhancing judicial democracy and legal supervision,” it says.
Improving the protection of human rights is an important goal, the white paper says, adding that China’s Criminal Procedure Law amended in 2012 included “respecting and protecting human rights.”
In terms of protecting human rights, effective measures are being taken to deter and prohibit the obtainment of confessions through torture, better protect the rights of criminal suspects and defendants and protect attorneys’ rights to exercise their duties. Measures are also being taken to strictly control and prudently apply the death penalty.
Jiang Wei, a senior official in charge of the judicial system reform, said Tuesday at a press conference that China’s judicial system would be based on its reality, instead of simply copy from other countries.
A populous developing country, China still has problems in its judicial system, Jiang said.
The country’s economic and social development does not match the people’s increasing expectations for social justice. Capabilities of the judicial system do not meet the demand for judicial service, he said.
Imbalanced development in different regions also contributed to the existing problems, he added.
“The problems can only be solved by the Chinese way and the wisdom. Copying foreign experience or systems might lead to a bad end,” he said, in response to a question whether China’s judicial system should follow Western models.
However, he said, China is keen to learn from experience of other countries and will try to incorporate judicial concepts and practices utilized elsewhere.
Judicial reform, an important part of China’s overall political reform, remains a long and arduous task. The white paper urges continuous efforts to strengthen reforms with a goal of establishing a “just, effective and authoritative socialist judicial system with Chinese characteristics.”
via China issues white paper on judicial reform |Politics |chinadaily.com.cn.
See also: https://chindia-alert.org/prognosis/chinese-challenges/
09/10/2012
* Ice train begins trial operations
China’s investment in infrastructure continues relentlessly.
China Daily: “Railway built to withstand extreme cold prepares to welcome travelers
A high-speed railway linking major cities in Northeast China began trial operations on Monday, ahead of its launch at the end of the year.
The new line, which links Dalian, a port city in Liaoning province and Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, is the world’s first high-speed railway built to withstand extreme cold weather conditions, according to a statement by Harbin railway authorities.
A test train departs from the Dalian North Railway Station, a terminus of the new Harbin-Dalian High-Speed Railway, in Dalian, Nnortheast China’s Liaoning province, Oct 8, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]
A test train departed Harbin on Monday morning, arriving in Dalian three-and-a-half hours later. The journey takes nine hours on an ordinary train.
The new line will make 24 stops and connect 10 cities, including the capitals of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces.
Construction of the 921-kilometer line began in 2008. It is designed to reach a top speed of 350 kilometers per hour, but will travel initially at a maximum of 300 km/h, railway authorities said.
The line has to withstand extreme temperatures as low as -39.9 C in winter and as high as 40 C in summer, which poses major challenges to the trains and railway construction.
Zhang Xize, chief engineer of the Harbin-Dalian high-speed railway program, said the low temperatures in Northeast China could threaten the roadbed and rail track and ice could also disrupt the power supply and signal system.
“We researched the experiences of high-speed railway line construction in relatively cold areas of Germany and Japan and took reference from road, water conservancy and electric supply projects in frigid areas,” Zhang said.
The railway is fitted with special facilities to remove snow and ice from the line and to protect its power supply systems from the elements.
“We have used all the measures that we can come up with to ensure the safety of this project,” said Zhang.
The line could provide a boost to the tourism industry in Harbin and Dalian, both major vacation destinations.
Harbin is notable for its beautiful ice sculptures in winter and its Russian legacy, and Dalian is well known for its mild climate and multiple beaches.
“The railway comes at the right time as I was planning to take my daughter to see the ice lanterns in Harbin this winter,” said Liu Yan, a 38-year-old resident of Dalian.
The new railway is also expected to ease pressure on the current rail system during peak holiday times.”
via Ice train begins trial operations[1]|chinadaily.com.cn.
Related articles
08/10/2012
* Over 660,000 Chinese officials punished in five years
Chinese authorities continue to chase and punish corruption by officials, which the Chinese Communist Party recognises as one of the dangers facing a single-party governing body.
Xinhua: “Anti-corruption bodies of the Communist Party of China (CPC) have punished more than 660,000 officials guilty of disciplinary violations in the past five years, senior leader He Guoqiang announced on Monday.
More than 24,000 officials were transferred to the judicial system for suspected crimes, said He, head of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
Procuratorial and discipline inspection authorities across the country investigated more than 640,000 corruption cases from November 2007 to June this year. More than 630,000 of the cases have been resolved, according to He.
A series of major cases, including those involving former Chongqing Party chief Bo Xilai, former Railways Minister Liu Zhijun and former Shenzhen mayor Xu Zongheng, were relentlessly pursued, said He.
Investigating corruption cases is a long-term task in the process of building a clean government, said the head of the commission.
He urged institutions to put the “handling of disciplinary violation cases” at the top of the agenda and to always crackdown on corruption.
The corrupt ones, no matter who are involved, will be relentlessly followed and will never be given a chance of escaping punishment in accordance with Party discipline and the law, He said.
The head of the commission noted that improvements have been made in the way various departments cooperate to prevent corrupt officials fleeing to foreign countries and to strengthen overseas arrest.
He also urged anti-corruption authorities to learn and grasp the effective measures in the past five years to promote the combat against corruption and to build a clean party and government.
via Over 660,000 officials punished in five years – Xinhua | English.news.cn.
Related articles
- https://chindia-alert.org/prognosis/chinese-challenges/
- Bo Xilai expelled from CPC, public office (news.xinhuanet.com)
- Chinese anti-corruption official hopeful of improvement (wantchinatimes.com)
- China faces challenges when supervising government power (capitalfm.co.ke)
08/10/2012
* More Chinese Muslims head for Mecca pilgrimage
Xinhua: “A total of 332 Muslims from northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region flew to Mecca, Saudi Arabia Sunday evening for the annual pilgrimage.
This is part of the government-organized pilgrimage tours that will carry 13,800 Chinese Muslims via 41 charter flights to the holiest city of Islam this year.
Previously, more than 2,700 Muslims from neighboring Gansu Province had flown to Mecca in eight groups.
In Ningxia, one of major regions inhabited by Muslims in China, 2,676 Islamic followers will go on the pilgrimage this year, according to Li Yushan, vice president of the regional Islamic association.
The Mecca pilgrimage, also known as the Hajj, is a Muslim religious tradition that specifies that all able-bodied Muslims who can afford to travel to Saudi Arabia must visit Mecca at least once in their lives.
China has more than 20 million Muslims, about half of whom are from the Hui ethnic group. In addition to Ningxia, Chinese Muslims mainly live in the western provinces of Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.”
via More Chinese Muslims head for Mecca pilgrimage – Xinhua | English.news.cn.
Related articles
08/10/2012
* Chinese tourists head overseas during holiday
As China gains in middle class affluence, its own tourists sites get completely jammed , especially as a China has three major long public holidays: Lunar New Year, Tomb Sweeping ceremony and October National celebrations. It is therefore not surprising that those who can afford it go abroad instead.
China Daily: “A large number of Chinese tourists flocked to Thailand, South Korea and Europe during China’s National Day holiday. It’s estimated that the number of tourists booking overseas trips rose by 50 percent from last year.
South Korea emerged as the most attractive destination for Chinese tourists keen to exploit this year’s longer-than-normal holiday, because of the stronger yuan and the ease of obtaining a visa and travel.
The Korea Tourism Organization said that 100,000 Chinese tourists visited the country during the holiday, a rise of 35 percent from last year. The tourist hotspot of Jeju Island alone hosted nearly 33,000 Chinese visitors between Sept 29 and Oct 3, a 59 percent increase over last year, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily newspaper.
Most first-time visitors tended to stay north of the Han River, where famous tourist sites such as the Mt Nam peak and the Gyeongbok Palace are located. However, regular visitors tend to spend their time in Gangnam, south of the river, shopping. Duty-free stores in the Gangnam area have seen sales rise, reflecting the increase in the number of Chinese tourists who regularly visit the country.
Medical tourism is also becoming more popular. Dermatologists in Gangnam are attracting more and more Chinese customers, who come on a regular basis for procedures such as skin whitening, according to the Chosun Ilbo newspaper.
During the holiday season, charter flights to Thailand, especially Bangkok and Phuket, were available from many second- and third-tier cities. Tourism industry insiders said Thailand is popular with Chinese tourists because of it’s relatively inexpensive and easy to get to.
Meanwhile, long haul flights to France, Germany and Belgium were booked well in advance and tour agencies had sold all their seats to the Middle East and Africa by early September, making destinations such as Turkey, Egypt, South Africa and Dubai the best reserve options.”
via Chinese tourists head overseas during holiday |Society |chinadaily.com.cn.
Related articles
08/10/2012
* Indian Govt planning to build 10-15 greenfield airports
India is finally starting to take infrastructure spending more seriously. It’s about time.
Times of India “Giving a push to aviation infrastructure development, the government is planning to build 10-15 greenfield airports and modernising 50 others in the non-metro cities over the next few years.
“About 50 non-metro airports are being modernised within the next two years and overall 10-15 new greenfield airports are being planned,” civil aviation minister Ajit Singh told reporters on the sidelines of the 49th Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation of Asia-Pacific region here.
Maintaining that the civil aviation sector in India was witnessing an annual growth of nine per cent, he said, “We expect a double digit growth in air traffic in the next few years.””
via Govt planning to build 10-15 greenfield airports – The Times of India.
Related articles
- Kingfisher cancels flights as employees strike work (thehindu.com)
- Regulator acts against India’s Kingfisher Airlines (kansascity.com)
07/10/2012
* India poised for giant leap in space science, 56% jump in collaboration with US, France, Russia
India is in an undeclared space race with China. The difference is that China is doing it alone whereas India is doing it collaboratively with several other countries. Both are making substantial progress.
Times of India: “India may have taken a giant leap into the hallowed club of space research, with leaders like the United States and Russia, increasingly joining hands with Indian space scientists in quest for the unknown. Latest data on India’s international collaboration in space sciences has shown an almost 56% increase between 2001-05 and 2006-10.
Between 2001 and 2005, 629 publications were internationally co-authored between Indian and international space scientists. The output increased to almost 980 publications by 2006-10 — a growth of 55.8% in raw volume.
These internationally co-authored publications, which contributed to 45.2% of India’s total research output in 2001-05 increased to 47.1% by 2006-10.
The analysis, done by Thomson Reuters and submitted to the ministry of science and technology, says these levels of international cooperation are the highest among all the fields under analysis. The US was India’s most frequent collaborating partner in this field with American researchers co-authoring 465 publications with their Indian counterparts — 22.3% of India’s total research output in space science.
France was the second most important collaborating partner with India, co-authoring 206 publications with Indian researchers in 2006-10. France accounted for 9.9% of India’s total research output in this field, an increase of 1.7% since 2001-05.
Collaborating in space science as percentage of India’s total research output in this field also increased with the UK (+0.8%) and Germany (+1.4%), Russia (+1.9%), Spain (+1.4%), Australia (+0.7%) and the Netherlands (+0.7%). Collaboration has increased substantially across the board with all major countries.
Consider the case of Russia. Indian and Russian space scientists co-authored 29 papers between 2001 and 2005, and the output increased to 82 papers between 2005 and 2010. Ditto for Germany. As against 98 papers co-authored in 2001-05, the output rose to 175 in 2006-10.
CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon 