Archive for May, 2013

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06/05/2013

* Seawater can save thirsty country

desalination plant

desalination plant (Photo credit: roplant.org)

China Daily: “More government support, including subsidies and a favorable pricing mechanism, is needed for the country to use desalinated seawater to quench its thirst, a top industry expert said.

 

“The lack of an effective pricing mechanism for desalinated water and support for an operable policy is affecting the development of the country’s sea desalination industry,” said Li Linmei, director of the State Oceanic Administration‘s Institute of Seawater Desalination and Multipurpose Utilization in Tianjin.

The country aims to produce 2.2 million cubic meters of desalinated seawater daily in 2015, about three times current capacity, according to a National Development and Reform Commission plan released last year.

Current domestic water prices range from 2.4 yuan to 4.9 yuan a metric ton in the coastal regions, while the price of water for industry ranges from 3.3 yuan to 7.9 yuan a ton, according to ChinaWaterNet.

However, desalination plants can produce 674,000 tons daily at a cost of about 5 yuan ($0.80) a ton — not including infrastructure such as pipelines.

Li said the government should consider bringing desalinated water into the water grid.

Aside from subsidies and funding for pilot programs, Li believes desalination is a key part of water security.

“The seawater desalination industry is as important as water conservancy projects for China to cope with its water shortage,” Li said.”

via Seawater can save thirsty country[1]|chinadaily.com.cn.

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06/05/2013

* China’s Red Cross struggling to win back trust

Red Cross Society of China

Red Cross Society of China (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Corruption even reaches into major public charity.

Xinhua: “China’s Red Cross Society used to be a major mobilizer of aid and rescue operations in natural disaster sites around the country. But after the April Lushan Earthquake, many people refused to donate through the organization. The charity’s image seems to have been seriously damaged by a series of scandals, and it’s now struggling to win back the trust.

 

For decades, China’s Red Cross volunteers have worked on many frontlines of disaster relief, providing help and hope.

But the major role of the organization is played in the office, and largely behind the scenes… the collection of donations.

When a strong 7.0-magnitude earthquake shattered China’s Lushan, the Red Cross again began asking for donations.

Yet in sharp contrast to the outpouring of aid five years ago after the earthquake in Wenchuan, this time questions have been haunting this government-run charity. The central question: where has our money gone?

In 2011, a young woman named Guo Meimei, who claimed to work for the organization, flaunted her luxury goods on social media. It immediately triggered public outrage, which lasts up to today.

China’s Red Cross’s deputy chief has tried to show that the organization is still a trustworthy one.

“This time about 1.4 billion yuan has been collected for donation for the Lushan Earthquake, and over half was collected by China’s Red Cross. Many of the donors are private-owned companies and individuals.” Zhao Baige, Executive Vice-President of Red Corss Society of China said.

But the online responses to Red Cross’s call of donation shows it is already knee-deep in a credibility crisis.

Most people say they would choose to donate to other charities, or not at all.

“I can’t find any channel I can trust to donate my money. The Red Cross has so many scandals that I don’t believe my money will go to the hand of those in need.” Zhu Na, Beijing resident said.

“I will never ever donate anything to China’s Red Cross. I’d rather go to the disaster zone on my own to donate my money. No matter what the Red Cross does, it won’t fix its image in my heart.” Tian Aijin, Beijing resident said.

Frustration and distrust. Analysts say China’s Red Cross is now in a do or die situation…

“It’s not just the Guo Meimei incident that triggered the fall of China’s Red Cross’s reputation. The problem lies in the system. The Red Cross is currently run by the Chinese government, which means it does not have to answer to outside forces like civil groups. It will take an overhaul of the system to really win back the trust of the people.” Wang Zhenyao, Dean of One Foundation Philanthropy Research Institute said.

China’s Red Cross Society was established in 1904. The organization’s deputy chief Zhao Baige says the efforts over a century have been destroyed in just three days by Guo Meimei’s incident. But the question is: how could the reputation of such a huge organization be destroyed so easily? And what can it do to restore the public faith. These questions may only be answered by real actions for years, or even decades to come.”

via China’s Red Cross struggling to win back trust – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

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06/05/2013

* Chinese buyers lured by local goods

China Daily: “Foreign brands no longer top choice for Chinese customers, says survey

Buyers lured by local goods

Chinese customers are no longer swayed by the lure of foreign brands and would instead prefer to buy more brands that are made in China, a survey said.

According to the 2013 China customers’ loyalty study conducted by marketing research firm Epsilon, six out of the 10 Chinese respondents endorsed foreign brands. However, there is a growing preference to buy products that are made in China. Local-brand supporters have grown to 43 percent from 31 percent in 2011, the report said.

Such trends are already visible in the Chinese fashion industry. In March, China’s first lady Peng Liyuan sparked off a craze for Chinese brands after dressing up in Chinese-made apparel for diplomatic visits.

Her elegant dressing code was dubbed by netizens as “Liyuan style”. Analysts argued that Peng’s support for domestic labels had stirred interest in local products and also helped attach a new, sophisticated image to Chinese-made clothes.

“Since local brands started to improve quality, establish appeal and step up their sophistication, they have garnered a bigger share from Chinese shoppers,” said Viven Deng, client services director of Epsilon China.

Chinese brands have started to win hearts not only from buyers pursuing extensive product features, but also from picky local consumers who previously stuck to foreign labels, she added.

Qi Lulu, a Beijing college student, who used to be a customer of leading international clothing brands such as Burberry and Polo Ralph Lauren, said she now focuses more on local brands.

“I buy dresses online, and I have found some domestic brands that have exquisite taste,” the 22-year-old woman said. Recently, Qi fell in love with a Beijing brand called Liebo, which featured traditional Chinese flavors and colorful patterns.

Self-branded products from other industries, such as cars and consumer electronics, are also growing in popularity. More Chinese people said they would support Chinese-made cars, especially after the Diaoyu Island dispute between China and Japan. Currently, Japan is still the major car vendor in the Chinese car market.

With a more than 1.1 billion mobile population in hand, China has grown into the world’s biggest smartphone market. The country manufactured the most number of smart devices, 224 million units, across the world last year.

Four out of the top five smartphone vendors in the Chinese market are domestic brands, with the South Korea-based Samsung Electronics Co the only international player in the list.

Huawei Technologies Co and ZTE Corp even successfully ranked as the world’s third and fifth smartphone manufacturer in the fourth quarter last year, according to research firm IDC Corp.”

via Buyers lured by local goods[1]|chinadaily.com.cn.

Posted in Affluence, China alert, Chinese labels, Consumer, Economics | Leave a Comment »

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06/05/2013

* Indian Supreme Court gives nod to Kudankulam nuclear plant, says it is safe

Thank goodness.  India needs all the power it can generate.

Times of India: “In a relief for the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government, the Supreme Court on Monday approved the commissioning of the controversial Kudankulam nuclear plant.

English: Construction site of the Koodankulam ...

English: Construction site of the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant Deutsch: Baustelle des Kernkraftwerks Kudankulam (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Kudankulam plant is safe and secure and it is necessary for larger public interest and economic growth of the country, the SC said.

“Nuclear power plants are needed in the country for the present and future generations,” observed the apex bench.

The apex court said that the Kudankulam N-plant has been set up by the government for the welfare of the people.

A bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra, which had reserved the verdict following marathon arguments in the last three months, delivered the judgement.

A batch of petitions was filed by anti-nuclear activists challenging the project on the ground that safety measures recommended for the plant by an expert body have not been put in place.

They also raised various questions pertaining to the disposal of nuclear waste, the plant’s impact on the environment and the safety of people living nearby, besides other issues linked to the controversial plant.

The Centre, Tamil Nadu government and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, which operates the plant, had refuted all the allegations on safety and security aspects.

They had submitted that the plant is completely safe and can withstand any kind of natural disaster and external terrorist attack.”

via SC gives nod to Kudankulam nuclear plant, says it is safe – The Times of India.

Posted in Construction, Economics, Electricity, energy, Good news, greenhouse gas, India alert, Infrastructure | Leave a Comment »

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06/05/2013

* ‘Running a Prison Is Women’s Work’

WSJ: “For Vimla Mehra, running one of the world’s largest prison complexes is like managing a big household.

“Women can do it better, because it’s just an application of natural work that we do at home,” Ms. Mehra told The Wall Street Journal’s India Real Time on a recent afternoon.

The 57-year-old divorced mother is the second female director general of Delhi’s Tihar Prison, which has 12,000 inmates — 540 of them women — kept in 10 jails.

Kiran Bedi, the first woman to head the prison, stood down in 1995 after two years in the role. Ms. Mehra took over in August last year.

Since then, Tihar, already home to some of India’s most notorious prisoners, has housed the suspects in the Delhi gang rape case that led to the death of a 23-year-old woman in December, prompting protest and outrage across the world.

A “motherly instinct” helps her interact with prisoners on an emotional level, but also made it difficult for her to be associated with suspects accused of such brutality, Ms. Mehra said.

“I was really distressed by what had happened to the young woman,” she said. “I was connected with the case because the suspects are with me [in Tihar] and it was very disturbing mentally.”

As director general, her duty of care is to the prisoners.

“We have to keep them properly so that no body hurts them, which every other inmate wanted to do,” she added.

via ‘Running a Prison Is Women’s Work’ – India Real Time – WSJ.

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06/05/2013

* China’s New Diplomatic Weapon: Red Flag Limos

WSJ: “Forget panda diplomacy. China has added a new weapon to its soft-power arsenal — home-grown luxury cars.

On Friday, Beijing donated 20 Chinese-made Hongqi, or Red Flag, sedans worth around $2.3 million, to the Pacific nation of Fiji.

At a ceremony in Suva, Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama described the gift as “generous” and “timely”— the cars will go straight to work next week as the country hosts a high-level meeting of G77 group of developing nations.

Fiji and China have been on friendly terms since 1975, when Fiji became the first South Pacific island nation to forge diplomatic ties with Beijing.

The Hongqi is no stranger to politics, either.

First produced in 1958, the luxury sedan was synonymous with Chinese power trips in the Mao era and the early reform years, used to transport top Chinese politicians and foreign dignitaries visiting China.

When former Chinese premier Zhou Enlai needed a nap, his own personal Hongqi had a switch he could flick that allowed him to stretch out in the back, an engineer who worked on the original design told state broadcaster China Central Television in an interview last year.

In the wake of global oil shocks manufacturer China FAW Group Corp ceased manufacture of the Hongqi in 1981. Production re-started in 1995.

Now FAW is priming Hongqi’s latest H7 model for a slice of China’s market for luxury cars.

FAW’s hopes for the old brand’s revival are high. The Hongqi H7 means the monopolization by foreigners of the high-end auto market in China could “be smashed at one stroke,” a statement on FAW’s website reads.

Yet sales thus far have been modest amid persistent doubts over quality and after-sales service. According to data from consultancy LMC Automotive, 460 Hongqi H7s were sold between the time it rolled off the production line in middle of last year and the end of March.

Those numbers could improve as the government steers its car fleet in a more domestic direction, away from the Audis and other foreign brands that have dominated over the last decade. State media recently cited FAW group president Xu Xianping as saying 10 provincial governments and some central government departments have plans to begin using Hongqi cars.

To that, add the government of Fiji. After the G77 powwow, the cars will be deployed to several ministries, according to reports in Fiji media.

As China extends its diplomatic reach, expect to see Red Flags chauffeuring the powerful on more streets around the world.”

via China’s New Diplomatic Weapon: Red Flag Limos – China Real Time Report – WSJ.

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06/05/2013

* India and China ‘pull back troops’ in disputed border area

At last, common-sense prevails.

BBC: “India and China have started pulling back troops from disputed territory near the two countries’ de facto border, India’s foreign ministry says.

Map of Kashmir

Soldiers were said to have set up camps facing each other on the ill-defined frontier in Ladakh region last month.

The two sides held a series of talks to resolve the row and on Sunday, agreed to withdraw the troops.

The two countries dispute several Himalayan border areas and fought a brief war in 1962.

Tensions flare up from time to time. They have held numerous rounds of border talks, but all have been unsuccessful so far.

A spokesperson for India’s foreign ministry, Syed Akbaruddin, told the BBC that India and China had agreed to pull their troops back to positions they held prior to the current stand-off, which began last month.

Meetings between border commanders were being held to confirm the arrangement, he added.

Indian officials had accused Chinese troops of straying 10km (six miles) into Indian territory on 15 April and putting up tents in the Depsang valley in Ladakh, in eastern Kashmir.

China had denied reports of an incursion.

The pull-out comes days ahead of Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid‘s visit to China, ahead of a scheduled visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to India.

Mr Khurshid is visiting China on 9 May, ahead of Mr Li’s visit on 20 May for his first overseas trip.”

via BBC News – India and China ‘pull back troops’ in disputed border area.

Posted in China alert, Chindia Alert, Defence, Diplomacy, Foreign invasion, GeoPolitics, History, India alert, Instability, Military, Neighbour conflict, peace keeping, Politics, Territorial dispute | Leave a Comment »

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06/05/2013

* Abbas and Netanyahu on separate China visits

China, the new peace-maker.

BBC: “Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are in China for separate talks with top officials.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (06/05/13)

Mr Abbas, who met President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday, said he would explain obstacles to talks with Israel.

Mr Netanyahu, who is visiting Shanghai before flying to Beijing later this week, was due to sign trade deals and discuss the issue of Iran.

The two men are not expected to meet while they are in China.

China would assist if they wanted to, a foreign ministry official said, but the two leaders were not expected to be in the same city at the same time.

Mr Abbas, who arrived in Beijing on Sunday, signed agreements on technical co-operation and cultural exchange with Mr Xi on Monday. The Palestinian leader was also expected to meet Premier Li Keqiang during his visit.

Speaking to Xinhua news agency ahead of the visit, he said he would update Chinese leaders on “what are the obstacles that block” dialogue with Israel, and would ask Beijing “to use its relationship with Israel to remove the obstacles that obstruct the Palestinian economy”.

Xinhua quoted him as saying: “It is very good that Netanyahu will visit China too because it is a good opportunity that the Chinese listen to both of us.”

Mr Netanyahu’s visit is the first to China by an Israeli leader in six years.

He was expected to meet business delegates in Shanghai before heading to Beijing. Israeli officials say he is expected to sign a number of trade deals.

He is also expected to raise the issue of Iran, which many nations including Israel believe is trying to build nuclear weapons – something Iran denies.

Beijing is one of the biggest buyers of Iranian oil, and has opposed unilateral Western sanctions on Tehran.

“China and Israel have both much to gain from enhanced co-operation, and that’s our goal,” Mr Netanyahu’s spokesman Mark Regev told AFP news agency.”

via BBC News – Abbas and Netanyahu on separate China visits.

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05/05/2013

* ‘Speed money’ puts the brakes on India’s retail growth

Reuters: “Hong-Kong entrepreneur Ramesh Tainwala spent 18 months operating branded clothing retail stores in India before deciding it was impossible to succeed without paying bribes.

Customers exit a V-Mart retail store in New Delhi April 6, 2013. Picture taken April 6, 2013. REUTERS-Adnan Abidi

Tainwala, a 55-year-old expatriate Indian, owns Planet Retail, which held the India franchise rights for U.S. fashion labels Guess and Nautica as well as UK retailers Next and Debenhams. He sold the brands last September to various Indian businesses.

“Right now it’s not possible to do business in India without greasing palms, without paying bribes,” said Tainwala, who is also luggage maker Samsonite’s president for Asia Pacific and West Asia. Tainwala said he himself refused to pay bribes to licensing officials, though that could not be independently confirmed.

India is the next great frontier for global retailers, a $500 billion market growing at 20 percent a year. For now, small shops dominate the sector. Giants from Wal-Mart Stores Inc to IKEA AB have struggled merely for the right to enter, which they finally won last year.

But a daunting array of permits – more than 40 are required for a typical supermarket selling a range of products – force retailers to pay so-called “speed money” through middlemen or local partners to set up shop.

In interviews with middlemen and several retailers, Reuters found the official cost for key licenses is typically accompanied by significant expenses in the form of bribes. The added cost erodes profitability in an industry where margins tend to be razor-thin. It also creates risk for companies by making them complicit in activity that, while commonplace in India and other emerging markets, is nonetheless illegal.

That creates a handicap for foreign operators such as U.S.-based Wal-Mart, the world’s biggest retailer, and Britain’s Tesco Plc and Marks and Spencer Plc, which must comply with anti-bribery laws in their home countries even while operating abroad.

A Wal-Mart spokesperson said the company is strengthening its compliance programs, part of a global compliance review that has cost more than $35 million over the last 18 months. IKEA, which is awaiting final approval to enter India, has started assessing the market, a spokeswoman said, adding the group has “zero tolerance” for corruption in any form.”

via Insight: ‘Speed money’ puts the brakes on India’s retail growth | Reuters.

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05/05/2013

* Rural bamboo business thriving

China Daily: “The prosperity of the bamboo industry in Zhejiang province’s Lin’an county has come from community-driven development, in which farmers reach consensus with agricultural scientists, the local government says.

Rural bamboo business thriving

“The farmers’ prosperity has been self-determined rather than from policies derived by government decree,” Chinese Forest Academy of Bamboo Professionals committee member Wang Anguo explains.

“Farmers must be involved if their situation is to improve. We can’t just give them orders.”

The county’s bamboo production is 3 billion yuan ($487 million) a year, accounting for 55 percent of the local GDP. About 253 million yuan comes from exports.

Lin’an’s population of 250,000 dwell on 3,100 square kilometers, 65,833 hectares of which are covered with bamboo. About 32,600 hectares of those are for edible shoots.

It hosts about 100 processing factories. About 70 percent of the staff are farmers, including administration, Wang says.

The county even publishes the Lin’an Bamboo Newsletter.

Various levels of government also provide bamboo producers 1,500-3,000 yuan in annual subsidies.

The county is host to 67 types of moso (giant) bamboo, although moso bamboo represents only about 30 percent of its total bamboo coverage. There are 20 species in the county.

The most common is huangtian zhu (yellow-sweet bamboo), which is celebrated not only for being delicious but also for its ability to draw toxic substances from soil and prevent erosion.

“Farmers across the country used hazardous pesticides from the 1960s until the ’90s,” Wang says.

“So, we’ve been planting huangtian zhu around China to clean the earth.”

This is especially important in Lin’an, which is a major producer of edible shoots.”

via Rural bamboo business thriving[1]|chinadaily.com.cn.

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