Posts tagged ‘transportation’

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16/04/2013

* Henan villagers ‘beaten up by hundreds of rail workers’ over land dispute

SCMP: “Villagers in central China’s Henan province who were protesting a land grab in Huangchuan county said they were beaten up by hundreds of employees from the China Railway 13th Bureau at the weekend.

rail.jpg

The villagers were demonstrating against the bureau, which planned to build a new railway line. They said they were “indiscriminately” attacked on Sunday morning by more than 300 uniformed construction workers with metre-long sticks, news portal Dahe.cn reported on Monday.

The protesters said the attackers spoke in northeastern Chinese accents and destroyed 30 mobile phones of those who had tried to film the incident. A villager’s car was also smashed up.

Police were called in but were “forced to turn back” by the 300 workers, the report said.

More than 10 people were injured and two were still in hospital on Monday.

The land dispute arose after villagers tried to prevent the bureau from acquiring the land for a new line for the Nanjing-Xian Railway. Villagers said the compensation offered to them was too low.

The China Railway 13th Bureau is a large state-owned construction enterprise and subsidiary of the China Railway Construction Corporation. Prior to 1948, it was part of the People’s Liberation Army Railway Corps No 3 Division.”

via Henan villagers ‘beaten up by hundreds of rail workers’ over land dispute | South China Morning Post.

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11/04/2013

* New Beijing airport targets 2018 opening

While London continues to debate expanding Heathrow or building a new airport, Beijing takes action. Sometimes politicians in the West use ‘democracy’ as an excuse for slow progress. But often it is due to simple lack of will and decisiveness.

China Daily: “Construction of a new airport in south Beijing will start next year, and the facility is expected to be completed and put into use in 2018, local authorities announced on Wednesday.

Beijing Capital International Airport (北京首都国际机场)

Beijing Capital International Airport (北京首都国际机场) (Photo credit: dbaron)

Preliminary work prior to the construction of the airport, located in Daxing district, bordering Hebei province, is under way, sources with the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform said.

They added that the airport will be linked with three expressways, including one that will be newly built along the southern central axis of Beijing.

Under-way discussions over an urban rail transit to connect the airport are likely to be finished within the year.

The new airport project was approved at the end of 2012, as part of efforts to spur the development of Beijing’s southern suburbs.

Meanwhile, an air transport-related economic zone is also planned, with an investment of 84 billion yuan ($13.39 billion).

Upon completion, the new airport is expected to ease traffic pressure on Beijing Capital International Airport, which remained the world’s second-busiest airport in 2012 in terms of passenger throughput. Its passenger volume reach 81.8 million last year, according to a statement published by the airport in January.

via New Beijing airport targets 2018 opening |Society |chinadaily.com.cn.

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16/03/2013

* Shell, Samsung in China pilot to ease currency controls

Reuters: “China has eased strict cross-border currency rules for 13 multi-national firms including Samsung and Shell in a scheme that further cranks open its tightly controlled capital account, financial sector sources told Reuters.

A Shell fuel leaves the Kingsbury fuel terminal, central England June 11, 2008. REUTERS/Darren Staples

The experiment, which has not been publicly announced by the government, gives firms freedom to shift funds worth up to 30 percent of their invested capital in China across its borders, bankers directly involved in the scheme said.

The move responds to growing demand from international firms operating in China for freedom to use soaring stores of yuan, also know as the renminbi, to boost the efficiency of their management of capital while keeping speculative pressure at bay.

“It’s a way of opening up the capital account which helps companies deal with the real flows of the economy,” Michael Vrontamitis, head of product management of transaction banking for East Asia at Standard Chartered in Hong Kong, told Reuters.

“Those are the real flows. These companies are not speculating on the currency,” said Vrontamitis, whose bank is handling transactions for Shell under the pilot program.

Six of the firms involved are foreign, eight company executives and bankers with knowledge of the matter said. They are Shell, Samsung, Intel Inc, Alcatel-Lucent, Schneider Electric and Caterpillar Inc.

The other seven companies are Chinese state-owned enterprises: Sinochem Corp, China Minmetals Resources, China Shipping Group, COFCO Group, Baosteel Iron & Steel, Shanghai Electric Group Co. and China Eastern Airlines.

Some of the names of participating companies and banks have been reported in the Chinese media, but the full list has not been disclosed. The currency regulator declined to comment.

via Shell, Samsung in China pilot to ease currency controls: sources | Reuters.

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14/03/2013

* VW ramps up China production to offset weak Europe

Reuters: “Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest carmaker, plans to almost double production capacity in China over the next five years to grab a bigger slice of fast-growing emerging markets and offset declining demand at home.

A logo of Volkswagen is pictured a car dealer in the western city of Hamm January 14, 2013. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender

The German company said on Thursday it aimed to have the capacity to make over 4 million vehicles in China, already its largest market, by 2018.

Volkswagen (VW), which delivered around 9.1 million vehicles in total last year, has said previously it hopes to snatch the global sales crown from Toyota Motor Corp in 2018.

“VW’s future is increasingly being decided in China, Russia, India, the Americas and Southeast Asia,” Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn said as the company published its annual report. “This is where we will generate most of our growth in future.”

Carmakers across the world are relying on emerging markets for growth amid a protracted slump in recession-hit Europe, which if anything has got worse in recent months.

VW said last month, alongside its 2012 results, that growth in group operating profit might stall this year due to weakness in Europe, which would be the first time group earnings have not risen for four years.

In the annual report, which gave details on 2012 results for the first time, the company said operating profit at its main VW brand fell 4.1 percent to 3.64 billion euros last year despite higher sales, reflecting big discounts to lure European buyers.

The VW brand, which provides almost a third of group earnings, also saw western European deliveries drop 11.6 percent in the first two months of this year.

“We have to really put our shoulders to the wheel and give our very best,” Winterkorn said. “The environment is definitely a tough challenge, especially for European car makers.”

Operating profit at VW’s two Chinese joint ventures, in contrast, surged 42 percent last year to 3.7 billion euros.

VW has said previously the ventures would spend almost 10 billion euros ($13 billion) through 2015 on new plants, products and technologies.

The company said on Thursday it would set up a new assembly plant in southern China, adding to the dozen component, engine and production factories it already has in the country.

It also has another three assembly plants and two component facilities starting operation in 2013.

With 10.6 billion euros in net cash resources, VW is open to making acquisitions, Winterkorn told Reuters in an interview, noting “there are always opportunities one cannot pass up.””

via VW ramps up China production to offset weak Europe | Reuters.

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13/03/2013

* Unsafe bridges get a face-lift nationwide

China Daily: “More than 21,600 hazardous bridges in China have been renovated in the past 12 years, and transportation authorities across the country are attaching more importance to this issue, said the Ministry of Transport.

“Bridge construction and safety is an issue of public concern and one of the key tasks of transport departments across the country,” said a statement published on Tuesday on the ministry’s website.

A total of 43.88 billion yuan ($7.05 billion), including 17 billion yuan from the ministry, was invested in the renovation of 21,610 hazardous bridges from 2001 to 2012, curbing the high incidence of bridge accidents, according to the statement.

By the end of 2011, China had nearly 689,000 bridges, with almost 58,000 being large or ultra-large. The length of these two categories accounts for 51.8 percent of the total length of China’s bridges.

“With some bridges undergoing long-term, overburdened operation, we have been witnessing a high incidence of bridge accidents in our country,” the ministry said.

“Overloaded vehicles or those carrying items, which may damage the road surface, have often been observed, making it increasingly difficult to maintain the safety of bridges.”

A succession of high-profile bridge accidents in recent years has attracted a wave of attention and criticism from the public.”

via Unsafe bridges get a face-lift nationwide |Society |chinadaily.com.cn.

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28/02/2013

* China nears approval of $16 billion domestic jet-engine plan

Xinhua: “China’s cabinet may soon approve an aircraft engine development program that will require investment of at least 100 billion yuan ($16 billion), state-run Xinhua news agency quoted unidentified industry sources as saying.

A woman walks past the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) headquarters building in Beijing October 30, 2012. REUTERS/Jason Lee

China is determined to reduce its dependency on foreign companies like Boeing Co (BA.N), EADS-owned Airbus (EAD.PA), General Electric Co (GE.N) and Rolls Royce Plc (RR.L) for the country’s soaring demand for planes and engines.

So far the domestic aerospace industry has failed to build a reliable, high-performance jet engine to end its dependence on Russian and Western makers for equipping its military and commercial aircraft.

Xinhua on Thursday quoted an unidentified professor at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (BUAA) with knowledge of the project as saying the investment would be used mainly for research on technology, designs and materials related to aircraft engine manufacturing.

The project was going through approval procedures in the State Council and may be approved shortly, the professor was quoted as saying.

Participants in the project include Shenyang Liming Aero-Engine Group Corp, AVIC Xi’an Aero-Engine (Group) Ltd (600893.SS) and research institutes including the BUAA, Xinhua reported.

Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country’s dominant military and commercial aviation contractor, had lobbied the government to back a multi-billion dollar plan to build a high-performance jet engine.”

via China nears approval of $16 billion domestic jet-engine plan: Xinhua | Reuters.

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24/02/2013

* Railway linking China, ASEAN becomes operational

New Orient Express slowly taking shape.

Xinhua: “A railway that links southwest China’s Yunnan Province with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries became operational on Saturday after seven years of construction, local railway authorities said.

The railway between Yuxi and Mengzi is part of the eastern line of the planned Pan-Asia Railway network.

The 141-km railway has a designed maximum speed of 120 km per hour. It passes through 35 tunnels and crosses 61 bridges, which together account for 54.95 percent of the eastern line’s total length.

The eastern line also consists of Kunming-Yuxi Railway, which had been in operation, and the Mengzi-Hekou Railway that is under construction and scheduled to be operational end of next year.

Upon the full completion of the eastern line, it will further open up China’s southwest, improve transportation and boost economic development along the line, experts said.

The Pan-Asia Railway network also consists of central and western lines and is an international railway project that will bring China closer with southeast Asia.”

via Railway linking China, ASEAN becomes operational – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

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10/02/2013

* China’s Focus on Aerospace Raises Security Questions

NY Times: “When Airbus executives arrived here seven years ago scouting for a location to assemble passenger jets, the broad, flat expanse next to Tianjin Binhai International Airport was a grassy field.

A worker in an Airbus facility in Tianjin, China, that completes four planes a month, mostly for state-run carriers.

Now, Airbus, the European aerospace giant, has 20 large buildings and is churning out four A320 jetliners a month for mostly Chinese state-controlled carriers. The company also has two new neighbors — a sprawling rocket factory and a helicopter manufacturing complex — both producing for the Chinese military.

The rapid expansion of civilian and military aerospace manufacturing in Tianjin reflects China’s broader ambitions.

As Beijing’s leaders try to find new ways to invest $3 trillion of foreign reserves, the country has been aggressively expanding in industries with strong economic potential. The Chinese government and state-owned companies have already made a major push into financial services and natural resources, acquiring stakes in Morgan Stanley and Blackstone and buying oil and gas fields around the world.

Aerospace represents the latest frontier for China, which is eyeing parts manufacturers, materials producers, leasing businesses, cargo airlines and airport operators. The country now rivals the United States as a market for civilian airliners, which China hopes to start supplying from domestic production. And the new leadership named at the Party Congress in November has publicly emphasized long-range missiles and other aerospace programs in its push for military modernization.

If Boeing’s difficulties with its recently grounded aircraft, the Dreamliner, weigh on the industry, it could create opportunity. Chinese companies, which have plenty of capital, have been welcomed by some American companies as a way to create jobs. Wall Street has been eager, too, at a time when other merger activity has been weak.”

via China’s Focus on Aerospace Raises Security Questions – NYTimes.com.

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02/02/2013

* Coming of age: China’s used car market outpaces new sales growth

This also means that tyre companies will be selling tyres to replace the original sets.  Invest in rubber company shares!

Reuters: “Used car sales in China grew faster than new car sales for a second straight year in 2012, and should account for half of all sales within seven years as the world’s biggest autos market matures.

People select automobiles at a second-hand market in Shenyang, Liaoning province December 10, 2011. REUTERS/Sheng Li

While new cars still outsold used vehicles by more than 3 to 1 last year, they are sputtering after a period of breakneck growth, and the potential for the pre-owned market to be the industry’s growth engine is prompting foreign automakers to open more used-car outlets.

A key target for them are buyers like Jiang Meng, a 32-year-old office worker in the southeastern city of Guangzhou, who this month went shopping for a sport utility vehicle, and hadn’t considered a second-hand car until she came across a used car dealer run by Nissan Motor Co’s (7201.T) local joint venture.

“I wanted an SUV, but I wasn’t sure of getting a used one until I stepped into the store. There are so many models and they offer a warranty,” said Jiang, who traded in her 2-year-old Nissan Tiida sedan for a 4-year old silver Qashqai. The deal cost her 25,000 yuan ($4,000). A new Qashqai is priced at around 189,000 yuan.

“The car was very clean inside and outside and it drives very well. Many of my friends thought it’s new,” she said.”

via Coming of age: China’s used car market outpaces new sales growth | Reuters.

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27/01/2013

* China’s jumbo air freighter test flight a success

Xinhua/Reuters: “China has conducted a successful test flight of its first domestically developed jumbo air freighter, the official state news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday.

The Yun-20 during its first test flight. (Photo/Xinhua)

The Yun-20, or Transport-20, is designed for long-distance air transport of both cargo and passengers, Xinhua reported.

“The successful maiden flight of Yun-20 is significant in promoting China’s economic and national defense build-up as well as bettering its emergency handling such as disaster relief and humanitarian aid,” Xinhua said, adding that further test flights are scheduled.

China is determined to reduce dependency on foreign firms such as Boeing (BA.N), Airbus (EAD.PA), General Electric (GE.N) and Rolls Royce Plc (RR.L) for the country’s soaring demand for planes and engines.

Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country’s dominant military and commercial aviation contractor, has lobbied for Beijing to back a multi-billion dollar plan to build a high-performance engine.

Meanwhile a host of design flaws has delayed approval by the Civil Aviation Administration of China for the country’s homegrown 90-seat ARJ21 regional passenger jet.

English: Model of the Comac C919

English: Model of the Comac C919 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At last November’s China Airshow, China unveiled 50 new orders for its COMAC C919 passenger jet which is designed to challenge Airbus and Boeing in the largest segment of the $100 billion annual jetliner market.

The orders for the 150-seat jet boosted the official tally to 380, reaching the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China‘s declared breakeven point of 300-400 orders.

However, analysts say it will be some time before the aircraft, due to make its maiden flight in 2014, proves both its technical worth and its financial viability.”

via China’s jumbo air freighter test flight a success: Xinhua | Reuters.

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