Archive for January, 2013

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25/01/2013

* Tibet to invest $563m to protect environment

China Daily: The government of the Tibet autonomous region plans to invest more than 3.5 billion yuan ($563 million) in 2013, 10.5 percent more than last year, in environmental protection.

Potala Palace, Lhasa

Potala Palace, Lhasa (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

According to the draft budget of 2013, which the regional finance department submitted for the legislature’s approval on Thursday, the investment will also support the building of an ecological safety screen on the plateau.

More than 3.23 billion yuan will be used for major forestation projects and for compensating and rewarding locals who protect and grow grass and forests and conserve wetlands, lakes and water resources.

More than 50 million yuan will be allocated to support environmental improvement projects and preserve resources, according to the draft budget.

According to the autonomous region’s environmental protection department, the plateau’s fragile and sensitive environment faces a worsening situation of land desertification, soil erosion and threats to deteriorating biodiversity.

New challenges are emerging from increasing urban pollution related to tourism, traffic and mining.

However, environmental protection has also received “unprecedented” attention over the past five years, the department said.

The State Council, China’s cabinet, listed the protection and building of a safety screen of environment in Tibet as a State-level major eco-project in February 2009.

The project aims to pour in 15.5 billion yuan to basically finish building the screen by 2030.”

via Tibet to invest $563m to protect environment |Society |chinadaily.com.cn.

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25/01/2013

* Chinese engineers to repair Haryana power plant

Times of India: “Chinese engineers will repair the second unit of 300MW capacity of YamunaNagar power plant, which is non-functional since last year.

Map of India showing location of Haryana

Map of India showing location of Haryana (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Haryana power minister Ajay Yadav said the plant, which is based on Chinese technology, is expected to be functional by February-end after it is repaired.

Yadav said 15 engineers from China will come to Haryana by month-end to resolve the problem cropped up at Yamuna Nagar power plant.

Engineers will remain here till power plant start running properly, he added.

The power plants at Yamuna Nagar and Khader (Hisar) were fitted with Chinese machinery.

Ajay Singh Yadav said Yamunanagar thermal power plant started functioning in 2008-09 but last year the plant stopped generating power because of fault in Chinese rotor which could not be repaired in India.”

via Chinese engineers to repair Haryana power plant – The Times of India.

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25/01/2013

* China’s Huawei Creeps up on Apple, Samsung

WSJ: “As Samsung Electronics Co. and Apple Inc.  try to defend their dominance in the smartphone market, the latest data show China’s Huawei Technologies Co. coming third in terms of market share for the first time, indicating that a rapid increase of smartphone users in China and other emerging markets may be starting to alter the global landscape.

According to research firm IDC, Samsung’s smartphone market share in the fourth quarter through December rose to 29% from 22.5% a year earlier, while Apple’s share dropped slightly to 21.8% from 23%. Meanwhile, Huawei’s share rose to 4.9% from 3.5%, ahead of Japan’s Sony Corp. , whose share also increased to 4.5% from 3.9% a year earlier. Another Chinese company ZTE Corp., came fifth with 4.3%.

“The fact that Huawei and ZTE now find themselves among the Top 5 smartphone vendors marks a significant shift for the global market,” said IDC research manager Ramon Llamas.

via China’s Huawei Creeps up on Apple, Samsung – China Real Time Report – WSJ.

Posted in Affluence, China alert, Digital communications, Economics, innovation, patents | Leave a Comment »

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25/01/2013

* License plates for automobiles in Shanghai can cost as much the cars

WSJ: “A Shanghai license plate now costs as much as a new mid-range sedan.

The average price for a Shanghai plate soared to 75,000 yuan ($12,000) at the city’s license plate auction over the weekend, roughly equal to the retail price of a brand new, fully loaded Geely MK-II sedan. Shanghai plates went for an average of 50,000 yuan a year ago, meaning prices have risen nearly 2,000 yuan a month.

Yolanda Dong, a market manager at a Japanese firm, paid 77,000 yuan for her plate. By comparison, her Peugeot 307 cost her 100,000 yuan.

“I had to buy the plate no matter what,” said Ms. Dong, who bought her car four months ago and has been bidding to get a Shanghai plate since then. “I can’t have my car sitting there doing nothing.””

via License plates for automobiles in Shanghai can cost as much the cars they are intended to adorn. – China Real Time Report – WSJ.

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25/01/2013

* China detains woman at disused mortuary for three years

BBC News: “China detains woman at disused mortuary for three year

A Chinese woman who petitioned the authorities over the treatment of her husband at a labour camp has been detained at a disused mortuary for the past three years, state media report.

An SVG map of China with Heilongjiang province...

An SVG map of China with Heilongjiang province highlighted in orange and Yichun city highlighted in red Legend: File:China map legend.png (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Chen Qingxia had already served 18 months at a re-education camp for her campaign, but continued to fight and so was confined to the mortuary.

Reports of her ordeal in the province of Heilongjiang have triggered an outcry on social media.

Ms Chen is said to be in poor health.

But correspondents say that it looks likely that restrictions on her will be relaxed soon – a committee has been formed in the city of Yichun to re-examine her case.

There has also been some speculation in recent weeks that the Chinese authorities might reform or rethink its system of re-education through labour.

Ms Chen’s ordeal began in 2003 when her husband was imprisoned for attempting to breach a quarantine during a Sars epidemic, according to the Global Times newspaper.

After he was freed, media reports say, his body was bruised and his mental health had deteriorated so much that Ms Chen decided to travel to the capital, Beijing, to complain to the central authorities about the treatment he had received.

The move led to her being put through a re-education camp for 18 months. After finishing the sentence, she was kept in the mortuary because she was still determined to continue her campaign.

A China National Radio report says that Mrs Chen has been allowed minimal contact with relatives.

Her husband was eventually admitted to hospital for treatment for his mental-health problems, the Global Times said.

The Communist Party’s district chief has been quoted by local television as saying local officials should bear responsibility for Mrs Chen’s treatment.”

via BBC News – China detains woman at disused mortuary for three years.

Posted in China alert, Human rights, Illegal practices, Justice, Petition, Politics, Reform, Rule of law, social media | Leave a Comment »

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25/01/2013

* China, Japan move to cool down territorial dispute

Reuters: “China and Japan sought to cool down tensions over a chafing territorial dispute on Friday, with Communist Party chief Xi Jinping telling an envoy from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that he was committed to developing bilateral ties.

Natsuo Yamaguchi (L), leader of Japan's New Komeito party, delivers a personal letter from Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to China's president-in-waiting Xi Jinping during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, January 25, 2013. REUTERS-Ng Han Guan-Pool

Xi will consider holding a summit meeting with Abe, Natsuo Yamaguchi, a senior lawmaker and head of the junior partner in Japan’s ruling coalition, told reporters after his talks with the Chinese leader.

The meeting came as China took the dispute over a series of uninhabited islands to the United Nations.

It was not immediately clear if the U.N. involvement would increase the likelihood the row would be resolved peacefully. But launching an international legal process could reduce the temperature for now.

At China’s request, the United Nations will, later this year, consider the scientific validity of a claim by Beijing that the islands, called the Diaoyu in Chinese and the Senkaku by Japan, are part of its territory. Japan says the world body should not be involved.”

via China, Japan move to cool down territorial dispute | Reuters.

See also:

 

Posted in China alert, Diplomacy, GeoPolitics, History, Territorial dispute | 1 Comment »

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25/01/2013

* U.N. to consider validity of China’s claim over disputed islands

Strange that a few days ago China objected to the Philippines taking their disputed islands to the UN, but now it is taking a similar action over islands in dispute with Japan.

Reuters: “The United Nations is planning to consider later this year the scientific validity of a claim by China that a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea are part of its territory, although Japan says the world body should not be involved.

A handout photograph taken on a marine surveillance plane B-3837 shows the disputed islets, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, December 13, 2012. Picture taken December 13, 2012. REUTERS/State Oceanic Administration of People's Republic of China/Handout

Tensions over the uninhabited islands – located near rich fishing grounds and potentially huge oil and gas reserves – flared after Japan’s government purchased them from a private Japanese owner in September, sparking violent anti-Japanese protests across China and a military standoff.

Taiwan also claims the islands, known as the Diaoyu islands in China, the Senkaku islands in Japan and Tiaoyutai in Taiwan.

It was not immediately clear if the U.N. involvement would increase the likelihood the China-Japan dispute would be resolved peacefully. But launching an international legal process that should yield a neutral scientific opinion could reduce the temperature for now in Beijing’s spat with Tokyo.

In a submission to the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, China says the continental shelf in the East China Sea is a natural prolongation of China’s land territory and that it includes the disputed islands.

Under the U.N. convention, a country can extend its 200-nautical-mile economic zone if it can prove that the continental shelf is a natural extension of its land mass. The U.N. commission assesses the scientific validity of claims, but any disputes have to be resolved between states, not by the commission.

China said the “Diaoyu Dao upfold zone” – the islands – is located between the East China Sea shelf basin and the Okinawa Trough. “The Okinawa Trough is the natural termination of the continental shelf of (the East China Sea),” it said.

China also told the commission that it was still negotiating with other states on the delimitation of the continental shelf.

“Recommendations of the commission with regard to the submission will not prejudice future delimitation of the continental shelf between China and the states concerned,” said the executive summary of China’s submission published on the commission’s website.”

via U.N. to consider validity of China’s claim over disputed islands | Reuters.

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23/01/2013

* Middle-class Chinese snap up overseas luxury

China Daily: “An increasing number of middle-class Chinese are buying luxury goods outside the Chinese mainland, with more overseas travel driving the trend, a KPMG report said on Tuesday.

Seventy-one percent of survey respondents ― middle-class mainland residents ― traveled overseas in 2012, compared with 53 percent in 2008. And 72 percent of them said they bought luxury items during such trips, with cosmetics, watches and handbags being the most popular items.

Brand recognition continues to rise as consumers become more discerning and seek experiential luxury as well as one-of-a-kind luxury brands and products. Respondents said they recognize 59 luxury brands, from 45 in survey conducted in 2010.

The report ― The Global Reach of China Luxury ― is based on a survey of 1,200 middle-class Chinese consumers in 24 cities. Market research firm TNS conducted the study.

Respondents were 20 to 44 years old, with a minimum household income of 7,500 yuan ($1,205) a month in tier-one cities and 5,500 yuan elsewhere.

Chinese consumers associate certain countries with particular products. For example, Switzerland is recognized for its luxury watches, while France scores highest for cosmetics and perfumes.”

via Middle-class Chinese snap up overseas luxury[1]|chinadaily.com.cn.

See also: http://unintend-conseq.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/corruption-curbs-crimp-luxury-market.html

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23/01/2013

* Mahindra Sees IT Revival

WSJ: “It is good to do the first interview in Davos with someone who can feel the pulse of the global economy, and Anand Mahindra, chairman and managing director Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. 500520.BY -0.19%, can to an extent do that.

Sure, the giant Mahindra federation of companies—don’t call it a conglomerate, please—has many large businesses focused on its home market of India. But its information technology business relies on the investment decisions taken in the boardrooms of New York, London and Frankfurt—and the feeling of Mr. Mahindra is positive.

“The IT companies are going to see a revival,” says the Harvard-educated Mr. Mahindra. “I have been surprised at how strong the recovery has been.”

“What we are seeing is that customers in the west, by which I mean U.S., U.K. and Western Europe, these companies have not shied away in the last year from making the necessary investments in IT that they need to improve their businesses.”

That would be good news for the broader IT sector in India, which started the year with upbeat corporate results from some of the big players, but then some of the shine diminished when No. 3 player Wipro Ltd. 507685.BY +0.75% said it didn’t see any significant increase in demand.

It would also be good news for the broader global economy. Mr. Mahindra says, “I don’t think anyone in the world uses Indian IT companies as a barometer, but I think it’s a very interesting one.”

Mahindra & Mahindra has an incredibly diverse range of businesses, from tractors to parts for jet fighters to rural lending.

Mahindra Group has two software services companies—Tech Mahindra Ltd. and Satyam Computer Services Ltd. 500376.BY -0.30% The two companies have already announced a merger, which will create the fifth biggest Indian software services company by sales.

For the domestic business environment, he says he is more optimistic now than he has been for a couple of years.”

via Mahindra Sees IT Revival – India Real Time – WSJ.

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23/01/2013

! My other two blogs

In case you have not noticed before, I am the author of two other blogs (unrelated to Chindia, China or India):

This blog is about the Law of Unintended Consequences. It will report on occurrences of the Law of Unintended Consequence and also of Murphy’s Law and other inconsequential matters. I hope that my readers will add their stories that illustrate these, and similar, laws. One of the most clear examples of this law in operation is “How the war in Iraq strengthened America’s enemies” – Peter W Galbraith.

This blog is a layman’s view of what’s wrong with the world economy and, perhaps, how to correct them. Included in this blog will be renewables, green, sustainability and other such topics. I hope some of these will be “good news”.

If you enjoy my Chindia Alert blog, you may find these of interest as well.  ENJOY  😉

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