1st of September 2011
The Lion Awakes
Daily News, Culture & Current Affairs about China
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People's Daily
Police foil Urumqi terror attacks
Police have thwarted attempted attacks by suspected Uygur militants in the northwestern Xinjiang autonomous region, the local government said yesterday, as Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari visited for a trade expo and promised to work with China to fight terrorism.
China ranks fifth in capital export power
Fan Chunyong, deputy head of the China Industrial Overseas Development and Planning Association, said at China's foreign investment cooperation seminar on Aug. 30 that China has leapt to fifth place in terms of foreign investment.
School shutdown couldn't be good-willed
By tearing down 24 primary schools and more than 70 kindergartens attended by poor children with no official urban residence permits, or "Hukou"in Chinese, the Beijing municipal government has done something that is too outrageous and paranoid, if not illicit.
The city authorities said the forceful shutdown or demolition of mostly makeshift schools in suburban Beijing was "humane and good-willed", because safety measures there were rare or inadequate. In April this year, a fire engulfed a three-storey residence in southern Beijing and a dozen migrant workers were killed or seriously wounded in the blaze.
It sounds righteous to pull down those precarious school walls and roofs for the city has taken care of the students and children's safety. However, Beijing has failed to choreograph plans to resettle more than 14,000 who will have no school rooms to attend as the autumn semester begins in September.
When asked by reporters, a local government's official in charge of education murmured, saying they are contemplating measures to seek rooms for the students and children who have moved in to the city together with their hard-working parents. The answer is hardly satisfactory, smacking of dereliction of public duty, because so many children cannot find a school in Beijing, the capital.
Kaixin - The people in China do see and they do care and they do stand up.
Biogas fuels rural China's new energy drive
DAPING, Gansu Province, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- In Gansu, one of China's poorest provinces, the residents of Daping Village all have two things in their backyards: biogas digesters and solar cookers.
In this barren and remote northwestern town, no energy sources could be more efficient or economical in meeting residents' daily cooking and heating needs than biogas and solar power.
"I used to burn firewood to cook. The smoke choked me to tears. After switching to biogas, the air is much cleaner, and I do not have to live with smelly animal waste," said 55-year-old villager Li Hongmei, who can now dispose of animal waste in the biogas digester.
In Li's backyard, a 15-cubic-meter biogas digester in the ground remains invisible unless a heavy stone cover is removed. A 20-meter plastic tube connects the biogas tank to a stove in her kitchen.
See Kaixin's - Green China
Mooncake economics - Opinion
Every time I read the news, it's nice to remember how much this country has changed. The words of one bygone eccentric suggested that the Chinese people were invincible, but then he probably never banked on the kryptonite that plagues Chinese society. Money.
China Daily
Opening ceremony starts for Shenzhen Universiade - SLIDESHOW
Wen: Price regulation top priority
BEIJING - Stabilizing consumer prices remains the top priority of the Chinese government's macro-regulation agenda, Premier Wen Jiabao wrote in an article to be published Thursday in the latest issue of Qiushi magazine.
The government will resolutely implement the property market regulation policy to ensure its effectiveness, Wen said in the article.
Tax relief for 60 millions
Some 60 million people will be freed from personal income tax from Thursday as new tax thresholds take effect. Anyone with monthly income of 3,500 yuan ($550) or less will not have to pay tax.
As a result, the number of personal income tax payers will drop from 84 million to 24 million, People's Daily reported.
The rise in the threshold came in June at the calls of the public as the inflation shot up. The previous tax-free threshold of 2,000 yuan had been in force since March 2008.
The threshold change is widely expected to result in an increase in domestic consumption.
Duties lifted on imports of equipment for CBM
Move will reduce costs, improve profits for domestic producers
BEIJING - China will waive import duties for the fast-growing imports of equipment for coalbed methane (CBM) exploration and development projects during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), making it the country's first exemption in the sector.
The move aims to support the development of the gas, the Ministry of Finance said on its website recently.
China to auction shale gas blocks
BEIJING - China may hold a second and possibly a third auction of shale-gas blocks by the end of this year in an bid to accelerate the pace of exploration and development of the fuel, Pan Jiping, a researcher at the Ministry of Land and Resources, said recently.
The dilemma of holding US govt debt
China has foreign currency reserves of more than $3.2 trillion, about 70 percent of which is believed to be in US dollar assets, especially in Treasury bills and bonds. Given the continuous increase in US government debts and downgrading of its credit rating by Standard & Poor's, the most obvious step for China would be to stop accumulating US Treasuries or start reducing its dollar assets.
Under such circumstances, what exactly can China do?
See Kaixin's - Economic China
Power shortages plague businesses
GUANGZHOU - Binchuan Metals Co has had weekly power blackouts this summer and uses 2,000 liters of diesel every month to fuel its own generators.
"This adds to our costs," said the head of its administrative department, surnamed Tang.
See Kaixin's - Green China
NW China gold mine likely to be largest in Asia
Local land and resource officials in Qinghai province estimate that Dachang gold mine is likely to become one of the largest gold mines in Asia with 300 tonnes in proven reserves in 2015.
The current proven reserve in Dachang mine in the Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Yushu is 195 tonnes, with another 35 tonnes expected to be confirmed by the end of 2011, according to the Qinghai Land and Resources Department.
Shoton Festival celebrated in Tibet
Tibetan Buddhists and tourists view a giant thangka, a religious silk embroidery or painting unique to Tibet, during the Shoton Festival at Drepung Monastery on the outskirts of Lhasa, Tibet autonomous region August 29, 2011. Shoton Festival, usually celebrated in the sixth month of Tibetan calendar, is one of the most important festivals in the Tibetan Buddhism and in Tibetan area. Shoton Festival means the festival when people drink Yoghurt according to the explanation of Tibetan.
See Kaixin's - China & Tibet
Worship of Confucius ahead for new school
Pupils in traditional costumes attend a ceremony at the Confucius temple in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, Aug 31, 2011. Roughly 300 new students from Fuzimiao primary school took part in the ceremony marking the beginning of their formal education.
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XinHua News
Experts: right time to internationalize RMB
BEIJING, Sep. 1 (Xinhuanet) --The CCTV Global Financial and Economic Forum, with the theme "RMB Internationalization," was held in Hong Kong, August 30. Experts pointed out that now is the right time to speed up the internationalization of the RMB.
Perfect timing
China, the Philippines agree to downplay maritime disputes, enhance economic ties
BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Philippine counterpart Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday agreed to strengthen economic and trade cooperation while minimizing the impact of disputes in the South China Sea.
China calls for futher cooperation between western Chinese regions and Asian, European nations
URUMQI, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang called for the further boosting of exchanges and cooperation between western Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and Asian and European nations here on Wednesday.
China's three new types of fighters conduct test flights
The undated photo taken by a netizen shows China's stealth fighter J-20 during a test flight in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. Recently, China's three types of advanced fighters, namely J-20, J-10A and FC-1 Xiaolong, conducted frequent test flights over the southwestern city of Chengdu, according to huanqiu.com. 
Several foreign leaders to attend China-Eurasia Expo in Urumqi
BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said here Tuesday that several leaders of foreign countries are to attend the first China-Eurasia Expo in the northwestern Chinese city of Urumqi.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva, Azerbaijan's Vice Premier Abid Sharifov, and Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister Aset Isekeshev are scheduled to attend the expo, at the invitation of the organizing committee of the expo, Ma said in a press release.
The expo will be held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 5.
Global Times
Aquino begins visit amid strained ties
Philippine President Benigno Aquino arrived in Beijing on Tuesday on a mission to secure $60 billion in economic deals, amid spats between the two sides over the South China Sea issue.
Aquino, in his first state visit to China, will meet with President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and business representatives during his five-day tour, which will also take him to Shanghai and Xiamen.
Most of the president's 300-strong delegation are business leaders.
"The visit hopes to push for more trade, investment. It will also showcase the Philippines as an attractive and profitable business destination," Philippine Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Cristina Ortega told reporters on Tuesday.
Iceland farm deal 'illegal'
A Chinese businessman's planned land purchase in Iceland has sparked concerns in the West over Beijing's ambitions in the region, while Chinese analysts dismissed such worries as unnecessary.
Huang Nubo, CEO of the Beijing-based Zhongkun Group, reportedly reached deals with four landlords to buy a 300-square-kilometer farm in the Grimsstadir a Fjollum region in the north of Iceland for 1 billion crowns ($8.8 million).
The agreement is pending approval from both governments, but Johannes Tomasson, a press secretary of the Ministry of the Interior in Reykjavik, told the Global Times that the deal is currently illegal.
CCTV - 9
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Full CCTV9 Television Coverge in English
Full Video: Opening ceremony of 2011 Shenzhen Universiade
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Phone interview: Significance of Aquino´s visit
For more on the visit, we are now joined by Professor Zhang Yunling, from the Chinese Academy of Soc...
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Pakistan to cooperate with China on anti-terrorism
Pakistani President, Asif Ali Zardari, says his country will cooperate more closely with China in fi...
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Philippine President visits China
Philippine President, Benigno Aquino, is continuing his first state visit to China since taking offi...
For sixty years, the protection and preservation of Tibetan regional heritage has been at the top of the Chinese government's agenda.
For this twelfth Five-Year plan, the government has launched a 270-million US dollar project aimed at the preservation of more than 60 cultural heritage sites.
More than 4000 cultural heritage sites exist in the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China. To match that colossal number, China has already injected 220-million USD in the past 30 years to preserve the cultural relics as well as the history of the region.
CCTV's "Heart-to-Heart" Art Troupe performed at Potala Palace in Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region on Wednesday. Now, let's join the more than 10,000 people who attended the show.
This performance by the "Heart-to-Heart" Art Troupe was to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of the Tibet Autonomous Region, showing the great changes and development that has occurred there.
The number of participating performers and audience members was the most ever since the art troupe began performing there. And many of the performers are local.
See Kaixin's - China & Tibet
Exclusive interview with Benigno Aquino on China-Phi. ties
The Wall Street Journal
China Says Fighting Inflation Is Priority
BEIJING—Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Wednesday said stabilizing prices is still the government's top priority, signaling that concerns over a global slowdown still don't outweigh inflation risks.
China’s Shenzhen Prospers as Local Investment Hub
If you had to pick a capital of China’s local-currency private equity and initial public offering booms, it would likely be Shenzhen.
China's Wave of Overcapacity
Is China's titanic economy finally running into the iceberg of overcapacity?
As Sales Slump, BYD Exec Says Auto Maker is Going Upscale
Thanks to a nagging slump in car sales, Warren Buffett-backed Chinese battery producer and auto maker BYD appears to be running short of funds to carry out its ambitious plans for electric cars and other “green” technologies. The big question: When will BYD’s sales of gasoline cars rebound?
Don’t Overlook China’s ‘Ordinary’ Lawyers
There is a relatively small number of activist Chinese lawyers (commonly referred to as “rights protectors”) who specialize in representing Chinese citizens whose rights are violated by government agencies. (For a useful analysis of China’s “rights protectors,” see this paper by Fu Hualing and Richard Cullen in The China Journal). Some of them have received much publicity because they are often known to suffer severely and brutally at the hands of police and government authorities. But what about the rest of the country’s 200,000 lawyers?
Money In, Money Out: Explaining China Central Bank’s Latest Move
China’s central bank likes to keep things mysterious. Its latest move – a policy shift that increases banks’ requirements to keep funds in reserve rather than use them to make loans – was communicated privately to the banks with no official announcement to the markets.
See Kaixin's - Economic China
Standard Chartered Executive on Rise of the Yuan - VIDEO
China has welcomed more trade finance conducted in the yuan, driving up its liquidity in Hong Kong. WSJ's Alison Tudor talks with Benjamin Hung, CEO of Standard Chartered Hong Kong, about the internationalization of the yuan.
See Kaixin's - Yuan Revaluation & Internationalisation
Norway's Oil Chief to Visit China
Norway plans to send its oil minister to China, a sign relations could be thawing after last year's Nobel Peace Prize to jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo threw talks on a free-trade accord into a deep freeze.
Op-Ed Columnist
All Together Now
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
With the world experiencing so much change at once, will America get its act together?
‘Mooncake Tax’ Sours Mid-Autumn Mood in Beijing
Another Mid-Autumn Festival, another mooncake controversy.
The story harvesting hype this year: That employees gifted mooncakes by their employers, as is tradition for the holiday, will have to pay personal income tax on the baked goods — and that the value of the cakes could bump some into a higher taxable-income bracket.
See Kaixin's - The Mooncake Festival
The New York Times
Chinese Telecom Executive Sentenced to Death for Bribery
By DAVID BARBOZA
SHANGHAI — A former executive at China Mobile, one of this country’s biggest state-owned telecommunications companies, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve Tuesday for accepting bribes, according to Xinhua, the state-run news agency.
India Measures Itself Against a China That Doesn’t Notice
MUMBAI, India — It seems to be a national obsession in India: measuring the country’s economic development against China’s yardstick.
China Announces New Top Official for Tibet
Chinese leaders have appointed an ethnic Han official with political experience in central and eastern China, Chen Quanguo, to govern the vast region of Tibet.
See Kaixin's - China & Tibet
‘Made in China,’ but Still Profiting Americans
A new study finds that a majority of the price consumers pay for goods labeled "Made in China" goes to American businesses, not Chinese ones.
Caixin Online
Local Governments Admit Being Deep in a Hole
Ten follow-up reports to a national audit of local government borrowing point to debt risks in several regions
The island-province of Hainan in China's sun-soaked south is often compared to Hawaii for its lush beach resorts and productive pineapple farms.
Closer Look: Sweet Success in Libya, But No Access for China
The high-stakes calibration of foreign oil deals is already underway in Libya but China is once again stuck on the sidelines
The half-year Libyan civil war has finally wound down with a victory going to the opposition. But another war is only beginning – over the country's oil resources.
In Sudan, Oil Major CNPC May Be Over a Barrel
South Sudan's secession from Sudan complicated contracts and increased competition for a Chinese oil company
Ten days after officially declaring independence, the fledgling state of South Sudan successfully sold its first batch of oil.
Survey: Beijing Middle School Education Spending Soars
A recent survey by a private research institution states that Beijing parents spend between 30,000 to 80,000 yuan per year on additional tutoring
(Beijing) – Selective middle schools in Beijing now command up to 87,000 yuan in entrance fees, according to a survey by 21st Century Education Research Institute released on August 28.
Two-Way Yuan Traffic Picking Up in Hong Kong
Chinese authorities introduced new measures and put more heat on Hong Kong to push for globalizing the yuan
The central government has approved dozens of new financial measures designed to boost the yuan's acceptance as an international currency in Hong Kong, giving foreign investors fresh access to opportunities in China.
Ample Reasons for Another Yuan Growth Spurt
Inflation, political pressure and exports are some of the many factors behind a jump in the yuan's value in August
While turmoil over sovereign debt crises roiled markets in Europe and the United States, the value of China's yuan quietly appreciated the week of August 8 for reasons not entirely clear.
Not Too Late for Fujian's Tulou Buildings
The 400-year-old Chengqi clan home in Fujian Province's Yongding County is known as the "king of earthen Hakka buildings." Known locally as ‘tulou,’ it received World Cultural Heritage status from the United Nation’s World Heritage Centre in 2008.
Asia Times Online
SINOGRAPH
US vapor trail leads to Jasmine revolt
By Francesco Sisci
Recent successes in the United States' strategy in the Muslim world - keeping intervention light and pushing others to take the lead - could forebode even larger plans, and an emphasis on Cold War tactics to destabilize countries. Iran could be next in the chain, and the logical step to re-establish global authority would be action to stir change in China.
Taiwan sets sights beyond US weapons
By Jens Kastner
Taiwan's high-profile bid for 66 United States F-16C/D jet fighters crucial for its aging air force has all but been shot down, forcing leaders to rethink plans for the defense of the island against China. One suggestion gaining traction is for the navy to play a bigger role by reinventing itself as a sea-denial force.
Anti-China protesters get the message
By M Goonan
Anti-China protesters in Hanoi have finally given up the goose after government warnings that their 11-week peaceful pressure over their northern neighbor's stance on the South China Sea will no longer be tolerated. Hanoi maintains "hostile forces" hijacked patriotic demonstrations, while the United States is demanding the release of detainees.
China's second coming in Libya
By Jian Junbo 
China evacuated 35,000 of its nationals from Libya when civil war broke out in February. While rebels and observers think opposition to Western air strikes in support of victorious rebels has priced Beijing and its companies out of the market for reconstruction, the rules of the "big power" game and China's existing experience in building essential Libyan infrastructure work in its favor. In post-Muammar Gaddafi Libya, China can reveal its intent to be a "responsible player".
Aquino focuses on China trade
By Olivia Chung
Philippine President Benigno Aquino, accompanied by 300 business folk and a clutch of cabinet ministers, starts a five-day state visit to China determined that recent disputes over islands in the South China Sea will not derail proposed trade deals - and a US$60 billion trade pact.
THE ROVING EYE
An extreme traveler, Pepe's nose for news has taken him to all parts of the Pepe Escobar globe. He was in Afghanistan and interviewed the military leader of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Masoud, a couple of weeks before his assassination
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