The Lion Awakes
News at a Glance
今天的中国新闻
A compilation of Headlines + Brief Summary from Chinese & International Publications relating to China.
Just 5 Minutes each day to be up-to-date on the News of China
Combined with Kaixin’s boutique SITE SEARCH ENGINE, it is a unique source of knowledge about China"
China News Archive
From 2008
China Daily
Central bank pledges support to western regions
BEIJING - Chinese central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan was cited Tuesday as saying the central bank will increase its financial support for the development of the country's western regions.
The central bank will offer more financial aid to the tourism industry and other service industries in the western regions of China, the People's Bank of China said in a statement on its website citing remarks Zhou made during his visit to the provinces of Qinghai and Gansu.
Zhou said the central bank will work to improve the financial environment of the western regions and make fundraising easier for small- and medium-sized businesses and farmers.
Greater efforts will be made to boost financial innovation and to support urbanization in western China, he added.
China removes tariffs, value-added tax on imports for civilian high-tech projects
BEIJING - China has scrapped tariffs and value-added taxes on core equipment, components, and raw materials imported and used in civilian high-tech projects since July 15, according to a circular of the Ministry of Finance and other departments.
The move seeks to encourage research and development in the nation's major strategic products, core technologies and major projects, said the circular.
The projects that have been exempted from taxation include core electronics, high-end universal chips, basic software, integrated circuit-manufacturing equipment, new generation wireless mobile communication networks, and new drugs for prevention and treatment of some infectious diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis.
PBOC issues guidelines for developing gold market
BEIJING - The People's Bank of China (PBOC), China's central bank, said Tuesday that the country would expand the development of gold markets to increase the competitiveness of domestic financial markets while broadening investment channels for ordinary customers.
No dispute over these waters
In the quest to establish their control over the waters of South China Sea, some countries are strengthening their navies and inviting foreign enterprises to explore and exploit oil and gas around Nansha Islands, raising tensions in the region. But China has made it more than clear it will not tolerate any violation of its territorial integrity or compromise its sovereignty.
Some Southeast Asian countries are engaged in the power game in the South China Sea because they want to seize more ocean resources. So, the problem cannot be solved without settling the disputes over the sovereignty of the Nansha Islands.
A roadmap for development
Strict regulations on ecological conservation and the optimal usage of resources is key to developing China's western region
The State Council's recent stress on speeding up the development of the country's western region, a program that was mapped out and launched in 1999, is aimed at boosting the economic and social status of the underdeveloped area.
Ten years after the initiative, China's eastern regions are witnessing slower demand growth, increased pollution levels and rising raw material prices, a lull brought on after two decades of boom following the reform and opening-up policy.
In this context, the initiative is a timely effort aimed at narrowing the yawning economic disparity between the developed east and the underdeveloped west, and promoting a more balanced and coordinated development roadmap for the country as a whole.
China's western provinces are poised to grow faster despite lagging the coastal regions in development terms.
Overdevelopment is destroying China's heritage
BEIJING - China's top cultural heritage administrator has condemned the massive reconstruction of old cities across the country as a "disaster" for the protection of historical cultural relics.
"Bulldozers have razed many historical blocks," lamented Shan Jixiang, head of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) in an online speech on Monday.
A photo taken on Jul 21 shows a part of the former residence of the late Liang Sicheng and his wife Lin Huiyin, both distinguished architecture experts, has been demolished. [WU CHANGQING / FOR CHINA DAILY]
China's rich fly high in 200 jets despite ban
Nearly 200 private planes are owned by China's billionaires even though the country's low-altitude airspace is not open and most private flying is deemed illegal, Guangzhou Daily reported Tuesday.
China may limit number of iron ore importers: CISA
China, the world's largest buyer of iron ore, may reduce the number of qualified importers of the commodity with new rules for the steel industry soon, paving the way for mills to improve their price bargaining power.
Chongqing mode can save China's housing market
Hong Kong economist Larry Hsien Ping Lang who has been applauded for housing policy claimed that only the "Chongqing mode" can save China's real estate market.
On the 2010 China Economy and Property Summit Forum held by sina.com in Beijing, Lang analyzed the problems of China's real estate market, a hot topic for the government and public alike. He likened the market to a volcano crater covered by stones, which may erupt at any time. Lang stated that government's policies could not reduce the price of housing and only the "Chongqing mode" which vigorously promoted indemnificatory housing and encouraged migrant workers to come to the city, is the only hope for the property market.
Children carry on Dong musical tradition - VIDEO
Ethnic Group Children aged 6 to 11 from Guiyang, Guizhou province sing songs of the Dong ethnic group at the 10th China International Chorus Festival on July 30th.
This type of song is generally called Grand Songs of the Dong ethnic group, which was listed into UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009.
Getting the blue sea back
Li Jie, 25, did not hesitate to cut her 40-centimeter long hair short and donate the clippings for the cleanup efforts in Dalian.
On July 24, one week after a massive explosion of an oil pipeline in the port city, Li's hair was spun into a 300-meter long oil boom, which was placed at Fujiazhuang beach, south of the city, to absorb the oil slick and prevent it from polluting the beach.
"Dalian is my hometown. I grew up at the shore. I became very anxious watching the once blue sea ruined by the oil spill," Li said.
So when she learned that the Dalian Environmental Protection Volunteers Association (DEPVA) was collecting hair to create oil-absorbing booms, Li was determined to say goodbye to the long hair she has grown continuously for more than three years.
She and others who live nearby are trying to make the best of the situation.
"When accidents happen, complaints and rumors only make things worse," she said.
Workers relocate an oil obstruction belt which was washed ashore in Dalian bay, Liaoning province, last Thursday. Ma Yidong / for China Daily
Global Times
Editorial - How can we make the world like us?
The recent news that China is now the world's second largest economy generated little enthusiasm from the Chinese public.
Has China's ascending status brought the nation the admiration and the acceptance of other countries?
The Chinese people have long regarded national strength as fundamental to winning respect and affection from the rest of the world. Many Chinese people still swallow the bitter memories of past poverty and the humiliation associated with it.
Many believe wealth is a true test of a country's status and ability, and nothing can bond partners closer than mutual economic benefit.
China finds it necessary to show the world what it can do. In today's international community, national strength is still the deciding factor of a country's influence. It is also an effective stimulus to domestic audiences. However, topping the power rankings is not a guarantee a country will be loved by the rest of the world.
While China continues to exert a more confident image, it is also meeting some resistance from the world, even from its old friends. From the snooty coverage by overseas media outlets to various polls of public perception in foreign countries, these suggest that China is facing a challenge to improve its image.
The key to persuading the world that China is a positive force lies in finding and conveying ideas that resonate in people's heart. Like a person with only a strong figure but empty mind, he or she can find few followers.
Kaixin - The headline contains, perhaps, the nub of the issue. It can be read two ways. i) How can we make the world our friend and treat us with respect, or, ii) how can we make the world the same as us, mould it to our image.
The first extends the hand of friendship, the second is a threat.
The ‘west’ tends to see China as shrouded in mystery and double meanings. The headline tends to re-enforce that view.
The ‘west’ is not going to like China because of what it achieves, or because it has become rich and powerful. That threatens the ‘west’.
The Olympic Games (and the World Expo) were a double-edged sword for China. For those in the ‘west’ who support China and do not feel threatened, we are pleased to see just how far China has come as a nation since 1979. It is the proclamation of just what ‘emancipation of the mind’ can achieve. However, the ‘ears’ of most people in the ‘west’ are still ringing with 60 years of anti-communist China propaganda. Most people in the ‘west’ know very little about China. They feel threatened, and let their politicians know in no uncertain terms.
Quite persistence and patience will win the day. The rise and rise of China is ensured. How the world sees that rise is really up to China. It first has to overcome fear and suspicion from the ‘west’. That cannot be dispelled with talk alone, only with actions over time.
Keep on telling the story, eventually people will listen.
Also, remember, that while America probably accepts that rise of China is peaceful for now. It does not guarantee that in the future, when China can match America economically and militarily, it will remain peaceful. Every nation’s first priority is to protect its citizens. America, perhaps, sees it is best to contain China now to prevent their citizens facing a threat in the future. Something to ponder …..
Deliberate ignorance fuels furor over yuan
Recently, a few US congressmen have repeatedly proposed bills on the yuan exchange rate, claiming that China artificially depressed the value of the yuan, which led to the huge trade deficit of the US and harmed US manufacturing competitiveness. They thus proposed to take punitive measures against Chinese imports.
This is an old piece of rhetoric. Whenever significant conflicts emerge in US economy, society and politics, a handful of congressmen always attempt to shift the blame elsewhere. Japan, Germany and various East Asian countries were once blamed as the cause of the trouble. However, in recent years, China is frequently made the scapegoat.
Nation finally waking from history's nightmares
Editor's Note:
The box office for the Chinese premiere of Aftershock, a new movie about the aftermath of the Tangshan earthquake in 1976, has reportedly surpassed that of Avatar shown earlier this year. There has been a boom in other films, TV series and books about China's history in the past three decades, suggesting a collective nostalgia among Chinese at the moment. Why is China looking back? What changes have taken place in their historical view after three decades of stupendous social transformation? Global Times (GT) reporter Chen Chenchen talked with Zhang Yiwu (Zhang), professor and deputy director of the Cultural Resources Research Center of Peking University, on these issues.
News for Today
China Business Culture Science & Technology Travel
International News Sources
Caixin Online
Fear Empty Flats in China's Property Bubble
Even worse than a price bubble burdening China's property market is a speculation-fueled quantity bubble of vacant flats
How many flats in China are sitting empty? The media recently floated a story – denied by power companies – that 64.5 million urban electricity meters registered zero consumption over a recent, six-month period. That led to a theory that China has enough empty apartments to house 200 million people.
The Wall Street Journal
China Reports Improved Energy Efficiency
BEIJING—China's energy efficiency improved in the second quarter of this year, according to new government data, following a crackdown on wasteful industries initiated earlier this year to reverse a decline in efficiency that alarmed the country's leadership.
The New York Times
China: Mao’s Grandson Gets Army Promotion
The 40-year-old grandson of Mao Zedong has been elevated to major general from senior colonel in the People’s Liberation Army, making him one of the youngest ever to achieve that rank
Arts Playground Sprouts in China
GUANGZHOU, CHINA — Hong Kong has always looked down on Guangzhou as its poor mainland cousin. But while the affluent former British colony has stalled for years over plans for a massive cultural district, Guangzhou has gone ahead and built one.
Asia Times Online
China adds up floods bill
By Olivia Chung
HONG KONG - China's farmers and industrialists are counting the cost of the country's worst floods in a decade as the toll of dead and missing people climbs past 1,550. Up to 137 million people have been affected and waters have swamped more than 9 million hectares of crops, according to the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Office.
Subscribe to Kaixin's China News RSS-Feed
Updated Daily
THEMES
A selection of News and OpEd reflecting the main themes for
contemporary China starting from August 2008
Green China
Insights into China
Economic China
FOLLOW THE DEBATE
Yuan Revaluation & Internationalisation
China & Taiwan
China Real Estate
China News Archive for daily News on China starting August 2008
Do you want to learn to speak Chinese or practise your Chinese?
Learn Chinese through speaking Chinese
with Xiaosui, a fully qualified (from China) Chinese teacher of Chinese
See 'Learn Chinese with Xiaosui'
Learn how to SPEAK CHINESE, don’t learn how to study Chinese.
If you found Kaixin interesting, please SEND AN EMAIL and tell a friend.
Share Article 
Reader Comments