October | 2012 | CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon

07/10/2012

* China spends heavily in afforestation efforts

China continues to invest heavily in its environment. This is despite not formally singing up to varius global agreements.

China Daily: “The Chinese government allocated 46.2 billion yuan ($7.22 billion) from its central budget to the return-farmland-to-forests plan during 2008-2011, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

As of the end of 2006, around 9.3 million hectares of farmland had been converted to forests since the government launched a national campaign in 1999. Around 15 million hectares of hillside was closed to facilitate afforestation during the period, according to the NDRC.

Under the plan, farmers received grain and cash subsidies if they returned their farmlands to woodlands to combat soil erosion.

By 2006, some 124 million farmers had been subsidized and the ecological environment had seen significant improvements, the NDRC said.

The emphasis on boosting forest coverage came amid the country’s efforts to increase its “forest carbon sink capacity”. This means using forested areas to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, thereby helping address global climate change.

China’s forest coverage reached 20.36 percent in 2010, up from 18.2 percent in 2005, and is expected to further increase to 21.66 percent by 2015.

via China spends heavily in afforestation efforts |Society |chinadaily.com.cn.

Why are forests important for climate change? (rtcc.org)
China to introduce National Low-carbon Day (capitalfm.co.ke)
https://chindia-alert.org/economic-factors/greening-of-china/

Posted in China alert, Economics, Environment | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Afforestation, China, climate, climate change, environment, global climate change, National Development and Reform Commission, NDRC, soil erosion

05/10/2012

* Diaoyu islands dispute hammers Japanese car sales in China

If the September drop in sales continues, the future for Japanese cars in China is very bleak indeed. There are lots of competitors both indigenous and foreign that can take up the slack. If Japanese car factories close as a result, the impact on Chinese employment will be non-trivial. So the anti-Japanese sentiment cuts both ways.

South China Morning Post: “Toyota’s sales in China halved last month from August levels, damaged by anti-Japanese sentiment in a row over disputed islands in the East China Sea, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Friday, citing the carmaker.

Showroom traffic and sales have plunged at Japanese automakers since violent protests and calls for boycotts of Japanese products broke out across China in mid-September over Japan’s acquisition of a group of disputed islands.

A prolonged sales hit of this scale could threaten profit forecasts at Toyota, Nissan and others as China, the world’s biggest car market, makes up a bigger portion of their global sales. Toyota sold about 75,300 cars in China in August.

As demand evaporates, Toyota, Nissan, Honda and others have been forced to cut back production in recent weeks in a slowing, but still promising Chinese market.

A source told reporters late last month that Toyota’s production cutbacks could extend through November, a move that would almost certainly put the company’s goal of selling 1 million cars in China this year out of reach.

A Toyota spokeswoman in Tokyo declined to confirm the newspaper report, saying the company would announce its Chinese sales for September on Tuesday.

On Thursday, Mazda said its China sales tumbled by more than a third last month from a year earlier, providing the first concrete numbers to point to Japanese automakers’ troubles in China.

via Diaoyus dispute hammers Japanese car sales in China | South China Morning Post.

Toyota pays for cars smashed in China riots (wantchinatimes.com)
Dispute hurts Japanese carmakers’ production in China (wantchinatimes.com)
Japanese Automakers Bracing for Bashing in China Protests (bloomberg.com)

Posted in China alert, Economics, GeoPolitics, Manufacturing, Neighbour conflict, Politics, Retail, Territorial dispute | 2 Comments »

Tags: Anti-Japanese sentiment, cars, China, East China Sea, Honda, japanese car sales, Nissan Motor, Toyota

05/10/2012

* India Moves Again to Ease Way for Foreign Investment

It’s a case of “in for a penny in for a pound”. If the Opposition is stirred up already against the opening up of retail business to FDI, why not jump in with insurance and pensions too.

New York Times: “In their second major effort in two months to revive a flagging economy, Indian policy makers on Thursday proposed letting foreign investors take a bigger stake in insurance and pension companies.

The measures, which were approved by the cabinet, will now go to the Parliament, where their passage is far from certain. The national governing coalition led by the Indian National Congress Party does not have a majority in the legislature, and opposition parties and even some of its own allies have said they do not support greater foreign investment.

Still, anticipation of the changes sent the India’s benchmark stock index Sensex up 1 percent to its highest close in more than a year.

The index has rallied about 5 percent since the middle of September, when the government allowed greater foreign investment in retailing and aviation and reduced government energy subsidies.

Under the proposal approved by the cabinet, foreign companies would be allowed to acquire up to 49 percent in Indian insurance and pension firms, a change that both Indian and overseas firms have long lobbied for, saying that the sectors needed more capital to grow.

Foreign companies are now allowed to hold a 26 percent stake in insurance companies but are not allowed to invest in pension firms. India’s insurance premiums total about $40 billion a year and its pension industry has assets of $300 million.

The changes will most likely face stiff opposition in Parliament, which was paralyzed during its last session after the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party repeatedly interrupted proceedings to demand the resignation of the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, in connection with a scandal involving the allocation of coal concessions. The next session of Parliament begins in November.

Opposition officials, who were involved in drafting the proposals at an earlier stage of the lawmaking process, have said that they would not support an increase in foreign investment to 49 percent. Some of the government’s allies have also said they do not support the change.

“Legislation in democracy is a process of negotiation and discussion,” Palaniappan Chidambaram, India’s finance minister, said at a news conference.

“Obviously, we need to talk. We will sit and talk to all parties, especially the principal opposition.””

via India Moves Again to Ease Way for Foreign Investment – NYTimes.com.

India Opens Up its Retail Sector to Foreign Investment (prweb.com)

Posted in Economics, FDI, India alert, Politics, Reform | 1 Comment »

Tags: Bharatiya Janata Party, Business, economy, Foreign direct investment, India, Indian National Congress, Insurance, Investment, manmohan singh, politics

05/10/2012

* India successfully test-fires nuclear-capable Dhanush missile

India is continuing to increase its missile capabilities. It is not clear whether these are being developed for defensive or offensive purposes.

Times of India: “India successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable ballistic missile Dhanush on Friday from a naval ship in the Bay of Bengal off the Odisha coast, an official said.

in this file photo, Dhanush, the naval version of the Prithvi missile, is launched from a ship. Photo courtesy: DRDO

The missile was fired somewhere between Puri and Visakhapatnam as part of training exercise of the Indian Navy.

“The test was successful,” Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) spokesperson Ravi Kumar Gupta told IANS.

With a pay-load capacity of 500 kg, Dhanush is a naval version of the nuclear-capable ballistic missile Prithvi. It is capable of carrying both conventional as well as nuclear warheads and can strike targets in the range of 350 km.

With its ability to hit targets on the sea as well as on shore, the missile gives the Indian Navy the capability to strike enemy targets with great precision.

The test of Dhanush comes a day after the Indian armed forces successfully test-fired nuclear-capable ballistic missile Prithvi-II from Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-sea in Balasore district, about 230 km from here.

Prithvi is India’s first indigenously built ballistic missile. It is one of the five missiles being developed under the country’s Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.”

via India successfully test-fires nuclear-capable Dhanush missile – The Times of India.

Ballistic missile Prithvi II test fired successfully (firangionindia.com)
https://chindia-alert.org/prognosis/how-well-will-china-and-india-innovate/

Posted in Aerospace, Defence, GeoPolitics, India alert, Military, Politics, Technology | 1 Comment »

Tags: Ballistic missile, Defence Research and Development Organisation, Dhanush, India, indian navy, Integrated Guided Missile Development Program, politics, Prithvi

04/10/2012

* IPR awareness rises in China: experts

As China increases its own Intellectual Property and the number of registered and granted patents, it is in its own self-interest to take IPR and copyright more seriously than it has hither to. This is good news for all innovators whether Western or Eastern.

Xinhua: “An increasing number of patents and trademark registrations is boosting social awareness of intellectual property rights (IPR) in China, which will change the way that the world’s second-largest economy grows, experts said.

The number of trademark registration applications reached 1.42 million in 2011, a sharp rise from the 19,000 applications submitted in 1983, when the country’s trademark law took effect, a national news magazine Outlook Weekly reported.

“The increasing number of patents will be conducive to IPR awareness in China,” said Prof. Liu Chuntian at Renmin University.

Liu said IPR protection is a basic tenet of the modern market economy, adding that China should carry out top-down reforms to further improve IPR regulations and laws.

The government’s previous efforts to protect IPR include a strategic guideline published in 2008 that set a goal of making substantial progress in creation, application, protection and management of IPR by 2020.

China has only 21 of the world’s top 500 brands, despite a large number of patents and trademark applications, the report said, adding that China’s performance in IPR does not match the size of its economy.

However, home-grown technologies, including the TD-SCDMA and TD-LTE telecommunications interfaces, and emerging hi-tech giants, such as Huawei and ZTE, indicate that China is starting to improve its capacity to innovate, the report said.”

via IPR awareness rises in China: experts – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

Posted in China alert, Economics, Good news, Intellectual Property Rights, patents, Technology | 3 Comments »

Tags: Asia, China, creation application, Huawei, Intellectual property, TD-SCDMA, Trademark, trademark registrations, ZTE

04/10/2012

* Chinese gov’t to strengthen int’l cooperation on cyber issues

Xinhua: “The Chinese government will continue to strengthen international cooperation on cyber issues, and work with all countries to build an open and secure cyberspace, said an official here on Thursday at the ongoing Budapest conference on cyberspace.

Given the many challenges presented ahead, Huang Huikang, legal advisor and Director-General of the Department of Treaty and Law to China’s foreign ministry emphasized the importance of cooperation across the entire international community.

Although cyberspace is virtual, it needs rules and norms to follow, Huang said. China holds that the United Nations, as the most universal and representative international organization, is the best forum for elaboration of international norms and rules in cyberspace, he added.

Huang said China proposes that the following principles be observed in strengthening international cooperation on internet related issues.

The first, he said, concerned cyber sovereignty. He said that cyber sovereignty is the natural extension of state sovereignty into cyberspace and should be respected and upheld.

“Every country is entitled to formulate its policies and laws in light of its history, traditions, culture, language and customs, and manage the internet accordingly,” he said.

The second concerned the free flow of information, which he called a “double edged sword,” adding that it was no excuse for the “illegal and irresponsible information rampant on the internet,” which threatened national security, social orders and the lawful rights of people.

Huang also called for peaceful use of cyberspace, equitable development, and international cooperation, noting that all countries were equally entitled to share in the management of critical Internet resources. He proposed that international cooperation could be initiated in areas where there were common needs, such as in combating cybercrime and enhancing cyber security.

There are 540 million internet users in China now, making it the world’s top user quantitatively. But only 40 percent of the Chinese people had access to the internet. In 2011, e-commerce in China amounted to 930 billion U.S. dollars, or 12.5 percent of its annual gross domestic product.”

via Chinese gov’t to strengthen int’l cooperation on cyber issues: official – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

CISPA: Cyber Security or Big Brother? (digitalsurgeons.com)

Posted in China alert, cyberspace, Good news, Politics, Security | Leave a Comment »

Tags: internet, politics, science

03/10/2012

* Lenovo to open PC production plant in US

Maybe reverse-offshoring – at least for manufacturing – is for real? we will keep watching out for such news.

IET Magazine: “Lenovo will open its first PC production plant in the United States with operations expected to begin in 2013.

Lenovo's laptop PCs are displayed at an electronic shop

The Whitsett, North Carolina, facility will manufacture Think-branded laptop and desktop PCs, tablets and servers aimed at the US market, Lenovo said in a statement this week.

Lenovo, the world’s number two PC maker, did not provide any investment figures but said it would create 115 jobs.

Over the past two years, Lenovo has invested in new plants and manufacturing joint ventures in China, Brazil and now the US to produce PCs and mobile Internet devices such as smartphones, it said.

Analysts have said Lenovo is set to overtake Hewlett Packard later this year as the world’s largest PC maker.”

via Lenovo to open PC production plant in US – E & T Magazine.

Tags: computer, gadgets, mobile internet devices, technology

03/10/2012

* India minister Chidambaram promises more reforms

After months of inaction, India is starting to make economic reforms again, despite the widespread protests from both opposition parties and retailers. Perhaps, the government realises it has no option given the prolonged severe economic slowdown in India.

BBC: “India’s finance minister has promised more reforms after it opened up its retail sector to foreign supermarket chains and cut diesel subsidies.

P Chidambaram also told the BBC that it was unfair to single India out for corruption, but said more was being done to tackle the problem.

Mr Chidambaram is one of the most important figures in the government.

The government is facing criticism of the reforms it announced last month to try to boost the slowing economy.

Opponents say the measures, which include opening up India’s massive retail sector to competition from foreign supermarkets, will hurt the poor.

Last month, the government also announced a 14% rise in the price of diesel, which is heavily subsidised in India, and reduced the subsidy on cooking gas cylinders.

But some economists and large investors say the government is not going far enough, and warn that India still faces the threat of a credit rating downgrade.

In a BBC interview on Wednesday, Mr Chidambaram promised more reforms to come.

He also said that the government was doing more about accusations of corruption.

Asked if he had ever accepted a bribe himself, the minister denied it.

But corruption remains one of the issues troubling many would-be investors, both Indian and foreign.

And after months of apparent paralysis, with the government unable to get any major legislation passed, it still has a lot to prove.

via BBC News – India minister Chidambaram promises more reforms.

* India opens retail to global supermarkets (chindia-alert.org)
* India strike over supermarket reforms (chindia-alert.org)
Key party quits India government (bbc.co.uk)
More reforms in the pipeline (todayonline.com)

Posted in Economics, FDI, India alert | 1 Comment »

Tags: Chidambaram, finance minister, global supermarkets, India, india strike, p chidambaram, Supermarket, supermarket chains

03/10/2012

* China firm sues Obama over blocked US wind farm deal

Is the Obama ban a military-defensive one or an economic-protectionist one? Maybe the US law courts will be able to decide.

BBC: “A Chinese-owned firm in the US is suing President Barack Obama after he blocked a wind farm deal on national security grounds.

California wind farm, file picture

Ralls Corp, a private firm, acquired four wind farm projects near a US naval facility in Oregon earlier this year.

Mr Obama signed the order blocking the deal last week. The lawsuit alleges the US government overstepped its authority.

It is the first foreign investment to be blocked in the US for 22 years.

The block on the wind farms comes just weeks ahead of November’s US presidential election.

China’s state-run news agency Xinhua said “China-bashing” in order “to woo some blue-collar voters” was the reason for the decision.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Martin Patience

BBC News, Beijing

Mr Obama has been criticised by the Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, for not taking a tough enough line with China over trade and investment practices.

Indeed, Mr Romney has said he will label China as a “currency manipulator” if he is elected.

US politicians have long alleged that China keeps its currency artificially low giving its exports an unfair advantage and, in turn, costing the US jobs. That is denied by Beijing.

But many Chinese officials are now used to the four-year election cycle when increasingly China has become the whipping boy.

One official who worked at the Chinese embassy in Washington told me that the heated rhetoric is not taken too seriously in Beijing.

While the US election is being followed in China, the focus here is the country’s own once-in-a-decade leadership transition, which will get under way next month.

The move forced Ralls Corp to divest its stake in the projects, which were located near restricted airspace used by the Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility.

Ralls Corp’s complaint, filed on Monday, alleged that the US president had “acted in an unlawful and unauthorised manner”.

The firm, owned by two Chinese nationals, said in its suit that Mr Obama failed to adhere to the law to treat Ralls Corp on equal terms. The court documents were made public on Tuesday.

Issuing the order last week, the White House said: “There is credible evidence that leads me to believe that Ralls Corporation… might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States.””

via BBC News – China firm sues Obama over blocked US wind farm deal.

Tags: Barack Obama, Beijing, China, Ralls, White House, Wind farm

02/10/2012

* China to build more high-speed railways

When these plans have been implemented, China will be the only country to have separate passenger and freight lines. That, in theory, should speed up both types of traffic.

China Daily: “China is aiming to build separate passenger and freight networks within its railway system, one of the world’s busiest. It may come true on some bustling lines in 2015, when a high-speed passenger transport network is expected to become fully operational.

According to a five-year plan on China’s transport system recently approved by the State Council, China’s cabinet, China will create a high-speed railway backbone network featuring four east-west lines and four north-south lines by the end of 2015.

The Ministry of Railways said that the total milage of high-speed railway will reach some 18,000 km by then.

China’s high-speed lines, which should have an average speed of over 200 km per hour, stood at 6,894 km in August, fewer than last year as a speed cut was executed after the Wenzhou accident, according to the ministry.

Railway expert Wang Mengshu said that as new high-speed lines open, transportation capacity will be released from conventional lines, which will gradually turn into freight lines.

“Putting passenger and freight on separate tracks will greatly increase traffic volume,” said Wang, also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. “The plan indicates that China will continue to develop high-speed trains to address its transportation bottleneck.”

The plan is long-awaited as China’s high-speed railway development has been set back by the Wenzhou collision last July that left 40 dead.

The crash seriously dented China’s enthusiasm for high-speed rail. China halted work on new lines and conducted nationwide safety checks. A total of 54 people, including minister-level officials, were punished following the accident. Local railway bureaus and stations have been ordered to improve train scheduling and management, as well as conduct more intensive work safety training.

A railway ministry report released in July says that signaling and lightning diffusion equipment has been checked and reinforced at more than 1,000 railway stations.

The changes were in response to the two major causes of the Wenzhou accident, management failure and faulty signaling equipment.

via China to build more high-speed railways |Society |chinadaily.com.cn.

https://chindia-alert.org/economic-factors/chinas-infrastructure/
* Defects found on 12 rail lines (chindia-alert.org)
China’s fast rail plagued by safety hazards: Report (straitstimes.com)
High-speed Railways: Worth Their Hefty Price Tag? (business.time.com)
China High Speed Rail Rail network to be finished by 2015 (nextbigfuture.com)
New high-speed railway spurs debate over prices (wantchinatimes.com)
China’s fast rail plagued by safety hazards: report (arabtimesonline.com)

Posted in China alert, Construction, Economics, Infrastructure, Transport | 1 Comment »

Tags: China, Chinese Academy of Engineering, high speed trains, High-speed rail, Ministry of Railways, Rail transport, railway expert, State Council of the People's Republic of China, Transport, transportation, Wenzhou

CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon

Chindia Alert: You’ll be Living in their World Very Soon

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Archive for October, 2012

* China spends heavily in afforestation efforts

* Diaoyu islands dispute hammers Japanese car sales in China

* India Moves Again to Ease Way for Foreign Investment

* India successfully test-fires nuclear-capable Dhanush missile

* IPR awareness rises in China: experts

* Chinese gov’t to strengthen int’l cooperation on cyber issues

* Lenovo to open PC production plant in US

* India minister Chidambaram promises more reforms

* China firm sues Obama over blocked US wind farm deal

* China to build more high-speed railways

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