Archive for ‘China alert’

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10/09/2013

Russia to invest $1 billion in rare earths to cut dependence on China

Reuters: “Russia will invest $1 billion in rare earths production by 2018 in a bid to become less dependent on China, which controls more than 90 percent of global supply of the elements used in sectors including defense, telecommunications and renewable energy.

A labourer operates a bulldozer at a site of a rare earth metals mine at Nancheng county, Jiangxi province March 14, 2012. REUTERS/Stringer

The United States, Japan and the European Union have complained to the World Trade Organization about China’s efforts to control the sector, saying China is trying to use its stranglehold over supply to drive up prices and gain a competitive advantage.

Rostec and IST group, an investment company belonging to Russian tycoon Alexander Nesis, have agreed to invest $1 billion in rare earths production by 2018, they said in a statement on Tuesday.

Rostec aims to cover Russian demand for these raw materials by 2017, the company added.

“The (Russian) President (Vladimir Putin) and the government have set a task to expand rare earths production as Russia’s stocks are almost depleted,” a source in state industrial and defense conglomerate Rostec told Reuters on Tuesday.

“Stocks need to be replenished as the main producer, China, has increased prices sharply,” the source said.

TriArkMining, a joint venture (JV) between Rostec and IST, has won the right to acquire 82,653 tonnes (1.1023 tons) of monazite concentrate, stored in warehouses of state-owned Uralmonatsit in the Sverdlovsk region of Russia’s Urals.

The JV plans to extract about 40,000 tonnes of rare earths from the monazite concentrate stored in the warehouses over the course of seven or eight years starting from 2015, the companies said.

The stock is rich in heavy rare earths, such as dysprosium and terbium, crucial for high-power magnets needed by the auto, defense and clean energy industries.

Heavy rare earths are scarcer than cerium and other light rare earths, making them much more valuable.

Russia consumes about 1,500 tonnes of rare earths per year and annual demand is expected to reach 6,000 tonnes by 2020, Rostec said.

The company, which has eight firms producing a wide range of defense products, sees rare earths as a strategic raw material.

China will cap rare earth production at 93,800 tonnes for 2013 as part of efforts to rein in unlicensed production in the sector, it said last week.”

via Russia to invest $1 billion in rare earths to cut dependence on China | Reuters.

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08/09/2013

A Chinese power struggle: Hunting tigers

The Economist: “A DRIVE against corruption? Or a political purge? Or a bit of both? Outside China, not many people noticed the dismissal of Jiang Jiemin, the minister overseeing China’s powerful state-owned enterprises (SOEs). His charge—“serious violations of discipline”—is party-speak for corruption. Officials at CNPC, a state-run oil giant which Mr Jiang used to run, have also been charged. But in Beijing it fits a pattern. It follows on from the trial of Bo Xilai, the princeling who ran the huge region of Chongqing and was a notable rival of Xi Jinping, China’s president. Mr Xi now seems to be gunning for an even bigger beast: Zhou Yongkang, Mr Jiang’s mentor, an ally of Mr Bo’s, and until last year the head of internal security whom Mr Bo once hoped to replace.

Mr Xi vows to fight corrupt officials large and small—“tigers” and “flies” as he puts it. He has certainly made as much or more noise about graft as his predecessors. If Mr Zhou is pursued for corruption, it will break an unwritten rule that the standing committee should not go after its own members, past or present. And there are good reasons for Mr Xi to stamp out corruption. He knows that ill-gotten wealth is, to many ordinary people, the chief mark against the party. It also undermines the state’s economic power.

But this corruption drive is also open to another interpretation. To begin with, the tigers being rounded up are Mr Xi’s enemies. Mr Bo had hoped to use Chongqing as the springboard to the Politburo’s standing committee. The verdict on Mr Bo, expected any day, is a foregone conclusion. His sentence will be decided at the highest levels of the Communist Party, and it can only be harsh. Party politics, as seen by its players, is an all-or-nothing game, and the stakes are even higher when family prestige and fortunes are at stake.

Mr Xi is also open to the charge of being selective about leaving other tigers untouched. His own family’s fortune, piggy-banking off Mr Xi’s career, runs into hundreds of millions of dollars. Even as Mr Xi rails against corruption, he has overseen a crackdown on reformers calling, among other things, for the assets of senior cadres to be disclosed. And although the party makes much of how Mr Bo’s trial is the rule of law at work, many of the moves against Mr Bo, Mr Jiang and Mr Zhou appear to be taking place in a parallel and obscure system of detention for party members known as shuanggui.

Now set out your stall, Mr Xi

So China is entering a crucial period. The optimistic interpretation of all this is that Mr Xi is not just consolidating his own power but also restoring political unity. This will free him to push ahead with the deep but difficult economic reforms that he has promised and that China so badly needs if growth is not to stumble; it would also allow him to drive harder against corruption. The SOEs are bound to be part of both campaigns.

The test will come at a party plenum in November. There, Mr Xi should make it clear that even his friends are not above the law. A register of official interests would be laudable, and a few trials of people from Mr Xi’s own camp would send a message. He should also tie his campaign against graft to economic liberalisation: break up the various boondoggles and monopolies, and there will be far fewer chances for theft. It is still not clear whether Mr Xi’s “Chinese Dream” is a commitment to reform or maintaining the status quo. For China’s sake, it had better be reform.

via A Chinese power struggle: Hunting tigers | The Economist.

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Posted in 10 year leadership change, China alert, corruption, Internal politics, Politics | Leave a Comment »

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07/09/2013

China’s Sinopec to produce cleaner gasoline from October

Reuters: “China‘s Sinopec Corp will produce lower sulfur gasoline from October, three months ahead of an official mandate, as part of a national effort to clear up the smoggy air of Chinese cities.

Except for two subsidiary plants that are undergoing maintenance, the top Asian refiner will cut sulfur in all its gasoline production from 150 parts per million (ppm) to 50 ppm from October 1, a company official said.

The new standard, national IV, is similar to Euro IV.

China, the world’s second-largest oil consumer that burns roughly two million barrels per day of gasoline, rolled out in 2011 the national IV standard for gasoline and set a January 2014 deadline to make it applicable nationally.

Despite slowing economic growth, Chinese demand for gasoline has expanded much faster than diesel this year, thanks to strong growth in car sales.

Subsidiary plants in Fujian and Hainan will move to the new grade in November after overhauls, the company official said.”

via China’s Sinopec to produce cleaner gasoline from October | Reuters.

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06/09/2013

China’s Factory Owners Hunt for Energy Savings

BusinessWeek: “Kevin Chang, general manager of Concord Ceramics, is a member of a younger generation of factory bosses in China trying to survive leaner times. That quest led him to examine the power use at his factories. He didn’t like what he found.

A worker at a textile factory in Huaibei, China, on Apr. 10

For decades after China started trading with the U.S. in 1979, most factory managers didn’t focus on electricity prices. Demand from abroad was expanding, labor was cheap, and the exchange rate favored China’s exporters. But conditions have changed since demand softened in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Chang says his labor costs have doubled, and the exchange rate is less favorable. Increasing energy efficiency is one way to shore up the bottom line.

The work at Concord requires constant air conditioning, and in the summer electricity has accounted for as much as 15 percent of operating costs. Chang, who was already leaving the hallway lights off, installed a high-volume air-conditioning system to cut expenses. Yet once the system was up and running, his electricity bill went up. Chang hired an engineer from the China Academy of Building Research, a government think tank, in Guangzhou. The engineer figured out the cooling system was more powerful than the factory needed, so the air conditioning constantly cycled between maximum cooling and powering down, wasting energy. The solution, conceived a few weeks ago, was to run just half of the unit. Now the air remains at a steady temperature, and Chang says he should save about 40 percent on electricity bills: “A lot of things can be made more efficient.”

via China’s Factory Owners Hunt for Energy Savings – Businessweek.

See also: https://chindia-alert.org/economic-factors/chinas-manufacturing/

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06/09/2013

China urges U.N. role on Syria after U.S. says gives up

reuters: “China’s Foreign Ministry urged a role for the U.N. Security Council in resolving the crisis in Syria on Friday after the United States said it had given up trying to work with the council on Syria, accusing Russia of holding it hostage.

A Free Syrian Army fighter poses for a picture as he holds an RPG launcher in Raqqa province, eastern Syria September 4, 2013. Picture taken September 4, 2013. REUTERS/Nour Fourat

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power’s remarks on Thursday left no doubt that Washington would not seek U.N. approval for a military strike on Syria in response to an August 21 chemical attack near Damascus.

She said a draft resolution Britain submitted to the five permanent council members last week calling for a response to that attack was effectively dead.

Asked about those comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the Security Council needed to be used.

“China supports the important role that the U.N. Security Council plays in properly resolving the Syria issue,” Hong told a daily news briefing in Beijing.

“We hope that relevant parties can continue communications and coordination and hold deep consultations so as to resolve the relevant issue in a peaceful way,” he added.

China has called for a full and impartial investigation by U.N. chemical weapons inspectors in Syria into the August 21 attack, and has warned against pre-judging the results. It has also said that whoever uses chemical weapons had to be held accountable.

“China believes that a political solution is the only realistic way out on the Syria issue. Given the current circumstances, a political solution is of utmost importance,” Hong said.

“We also hope the international community can work together and push for the holding of an international conference on the Syria issue at an early date.”

Russia and China have both vetoed previous Western efforts to impose U.N. penalties on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

But China has also been keen to show it is not taking sides and has urged the Syrian government to talk to the opposition and take steps to meet demands for political change. It has said a transitional government should be formed.”

via China urges U.N. role on Syria after U.S. says gives up | Reuters.

See also: https://chindia-alert.org/political-factors/geopolitics-chinese/

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06/09/2013

Beijing says 400 million Chinese cannot speak Mandarin

BBC: “China‘s Education Ministry says that about 400 million people – or 30% of the population – cannot speak the country’s national language.

Pupils in traditional costumes attend a ceremony at the Confucius temple in Nanjing, Jiangsu province 1 September 2013

Of the 70% of the population who can speak Mandarin, many do not do it well enough, a ministry spokeswoman told Xinhua news agency on Thursday.

The admission from officials came as the government launched another push for linguistic unity in China.

China is home to thousands of dialects and several minority languages.

These include Cantonese and Hokkien, which enjoy strong regional support.

Mandarin – formally called Putonghua in China, meaning “common tongue” – is one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world.

The Education Ministry spokeswoman said the push would be focusing on the countryside and areas with ethnic minorities.

For decades, the ruling Communist Party has promoted Mandarin in an attempt to unite the most populous nation in the world.

But government efforts have been hampered by the sheer size of the country and a lack of investment in education, particularly the rural areas, says the BBC’s Martin Patience in Beijing.

The government’s policies have also long been contentious, particularly among ethnic minorities, our correspondent adds.

In 2010, there were protests in Tibet about the use of Mandarin in schools. At the time, protesters said it was eroding their culture and language.”

via BBC News – Beijing says 400 million Chinese cannot speak Mandarin.

See also: https://chindia-alert.org/social-cultural-diff/china-is-homogeneous/

Posted in China alert, ethnic minority, Mandarin, Social & cultural | 1 Comment »

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06/09/2013

Chinese boy to get ‘electronic eyes’ after cruel attack

Health24: “A six-year-old Chinese boy who had his eyes gouged out by a woman believed to be his aunt may one day see again after a Hong Kong hospital offered him “electronic eyes”.

Electronic eyes

Hong Kong-based eye expert Dennis Lam said his team would provide the treatment for free to Guo Bin – known as Bin-Bin – who was found covered in blood near his home in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi last month after the horrific attack.

Lam told AFP that future technology could restore up to 40 percent of the boy’s lost vision.

“When I heard about it I was really angry, very upset. I asked myself if I can help,” Lam told AFP.

“Being an eye doctor, my greatest encouragement is when patients can see again,” he said.

False eyes

Lam said that he is still waiting for consent from the child’s parents to bring him to his eye hospital in Shenzhen in southern China where he can be given a pair of false eyes as soon as next week.

Cameras in the prosthetic eyes would relay a signal, based on the shape of objects, to an electric pulse generator connected to his tongue helping him to recognise shapes, Lam said.

He added that the technology is already being used in Japan and Europe.

The final goal is to give the boy bionic eyes linked directly to the brain which will help him partially regain his sight, Lam said, a treatment which is still being developed.

“In the high end it (his sight) could be 20 to 40 percent about ten years down the road. It’s a wild guess. The ultimate goal is to help him to see again.”

Hong Kong’s Cable TV said the boy’s parents were considering the offer.

The little boy went missing after playing outside and his eyes were found nearby.”

via Chinese boy to get ‘electronic eyes’ after cruel attack | Health24.

See also: https://chindia-alert.org/prognosis/how-well-will-china-and-india-innovate/

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03/09/2013

Beijing aims to slash coal use

China Daily: “The Beijing municipal government has vowed to slash the capital’s consumption of coal by more than 50 percent over five years based on 2012 levels, according to a clean-air action plan issued on Monday.

Beijing aims to slash coal use

With the plan, local government is aiming to reduce the proportion of coal used within the city’s total energy mix to below 10 percent. Pollution from coal-fired emissions is a major contributor to Beijing’s smog, especially during the winter.

The plan aims to reduce the amount of fine particulate matter to 60 micrograms per cubic meter by 2017, which would be a 25 percent drop from 2012 levels. This requires the capital to slash 13 million metric tons of coal consumption over five years.

The municipal government has been cutting down on coal consumption for 14 years, according to China Environmental News, which is run by the Environmental Protection Ministry. Within that time frame, according to the publication, Beijing has slashed 7 million tons from its total coal consumption.

The plan issued on Monday lists a number of coal-cutting measures, including allocating a coal quota to districts and key users, strengthening the capital’s gas and electricity supply and revising a sulfur concentration standard in coal.

By reducing its coal consumption, the government says it will increase the demand for natural gas supply to 24 billion cubic meters by 2017, a goal the government said it will meet.

“The supply of natural gas within and outside China is promising since more natural gas reserves have recently been discovered,” said Zhou Dadi, vice-chairman of China Energy Research Society.

Four gas-based power plants will begin operations in Beijing by 2014. It has been estimated that they will cut the use of coal by about 9.2 million tons.

Another measure within the plan calls for replacing low-quality coal usually used in rural and suburban areas with high-quality coal that is low in sulfur content before the 2016 heating season begins.

“These areas use about 4 million tons of coal every year, accounting for less than 20 percent of the city’s total consumption. Yet because of the coal’s low quality, the sulfur dioxide generated amounts to more than 70 percent of the total emissions,” said Wang Jian, deputy head of the pollution prevention and control department of the Environmental Protection Ministry.

Wang said all low quality coal will be phased out in 2016.

Beijing is also trying to completely eliminate the use of coal within the Second Ring Road, the core area of the city, an aim first established in 2001. So far, about 200,000 households had switched from coal to electricity by the end of last year. The plan issued on Monday said by the end of 2015, the remaining 65,000 households within the area will begin using electricity for their winter heating.”

via Beijing aims to slash coal use |Society |chinadaily.com.cn.

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02/09/2013

Hard Facts on China

I believe that the data in the referenced material below is valid, but not sure of the conclusions.

http://horne.vplp.org/2012/11/hard-facts-on-chinaa-must-read.html

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01/09/2013

Jiang Jiemin: China corruption probe into top official

There are increasing signs that this time, anti-corruption is being taken very seriously by the Party and government.

BBC: “Chinese authorities have announced a corruption investigation into Jiang Jiemin, the head of the commission that oversees state-owned companies.

File picture of Jiang Jiemin

The supervision ministry said Mr Jiang was suspected of a “serious violation of discipline”. He has not publicly commented on the allegations.

The term is used to refer to corruption by managers of state companies.

President Xi Jinping has vowed to eradicate corruption in China, warning that it threatens the Communist Party.

Recent months have seen several high-profile corruption cases against high-ranking officials, including disgraced senior party official Bo Xilai, who was put on trial for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power in August.

The verdict in his case is expected “at a date to be decided”. Mr Bo denies all charges.

Until March Mr Jiang was head of the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), which has faced a number of corruption allegations.

Last week it was announced that another four CNPC executives were under investigation for corruption.

Earlier in August the general manager of state-owned phone company China Mobile Ltd was detained in the southern province of Guangdong. He too is being investigated for discipline violations.

Internet users are also increasingly pursuing those perceived as having done wrong through online exposes and campaigns.

But in recent weeks there have been signs that this has worried the authorities, with a number of journalists arrested for “rumour-mongering” and a high-profile blogger arrested.”

via BBC News – Jiang Jiemin: China corruption probe into top official.

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