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"The piglets were displayed earlier this week. When irradiated under ultraviolet radiation, the green fluorescence protein the piglets possess is visible. (China Daily via Reuters)"

Glowing cloned pig passes on the trait - SFGate

"Glowing cloned pig passes on the trait
Inherited altered genes could lead to breeding organs for humans, researchers say
January 10, 2008|By Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press

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A researcher holds two piglets born to a cloned pig under ultraviolet light to show their inherited green glow. Associated Press photo
Credit: Associated Press

Beijing - — A cloned pig whose genes were altered to make it glow fluorescent green has passed on the trait to its young, a development that could lead to the future breeding of pigs for human transplant organs, a Chinese university reported.

The glowing piglets' birth proves transgenic pigs are fertile and able to pass on their engineered traits to their offspring, according to Liu Zhonghua, a professor overseeing the breeding program at Northeast Agricultural University.

"Continued development of this technology can be applied to ... the production of special pigs for the production of human organs for transplant," Liu said in a news release posted Tuesday on the university's Web site.


Calls to the university seeking comment Wednesday were not answered.

The piglets' mother was one of three pigs born with the trait in December 2006 after pig embryos were injected with fluorescent green protein. Two of the 11 piglets glow fluorescent green from their snout, trotters and tongue under ultraviolet light, the university said.

Robin Lovell-Badge, a genetics expert at Britain's National Institute for Medical Research, said the technology "to genetically manipulate pigs in this way would be very valuable."

Lovell-Badge had not seen the research from China's cloned pigs and could not comment on its credibility. He said, however, that organs from genetically altered pigs would potentially solve some of the problems of rejected organs in transplant operations.

He said the presence of the green protein would allow genetically modified cells to be tracked if they were transplanted into a human. The fact that the pig's offspring also appeared to have the green genes would indicate that the genetic modification had successfully penetrated every cell, Lovell-Badge added.

But he said much more research and further trials - both in animals and in humans - would be necessary before the benefits of the technology could be seen.

Other genetically modified pigs have been created before, including by Scotland's Roslin Institute, but few results have been published.

Tokyo's Meiji University last year successfully cloned a transgenic pig that carries the genes for human diabetes, while South Korean scientists cloned cats that glow red when exposed to ultraviolet rays."
 
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Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China

"Superconductivity Found in One-Atomic-Layer

Not long ago, a study, led by XUE Qikun, CHEN Xi, and JIA Jinfeng at Tsinghua University Dept. of Physics, in collaboration with a team headed by MA Xucun with the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Physics, Prof. WANG Yayu, Tsinghua University Dept. of Physics, Prof. LIN Haiqing at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Prof. LIU Ying of the Pennsylvania State University Department of Physics and Material Research Institute, has found superconductivity in one-atomic-layer metal films grown on Si substrates. One-atomic-layer is the ultimate thickness a practical material can reach. The finding, published in the recent online issue of Nature Physics, renders a solution to the question concerning how thin a superconductor can be."

Superconductivity: One layer is enough : featured highlight : NPG Asia Materials

"Superconductivity: One layer is enough
NPG Asia Materials featured highlight | doi:10.1038/asiamat.2010.78
Published online 24 May 2010

Superconductivity has been observed in films as thin as one atomic layer.

chinasuperconductivityo.jpg

Fig. 1: Scanning tunneling microscope image of a single atomic layer of lead (in the striped incommensurate phase) on silicon (image size is 50 nm × 50 nm).

Superconductivity is a fascinating phenomenon. The signatures of superconductivity, such as its vanishing electrical resistance and expulsion of a magnetic field, as well as its potential for diverse applications, have intrigued scientists for decades.

Nowadays, as low temperature ‘standard’ superconductors become better understood, attention has begun to focus on complex high-temperature superconductors. It is accepted that in these materials, lattice vibrations (referred to as phonons) mediate the formation of electron pairs, which is essential for the emergence of a superconducting phase. However, despite this recent trend in research, standard superconductors can still present intriguing results, as shown by Qi-Kun Xue and colleagues who have demonstrated that superconductivity can be observed even in single atomic layers of lead and indium1.

Two-dimensional (2D) superconductivity is a rather fragile state of matter. It is therefore natural to wonder what is the minimum thickness needed to observe this phenomenon, or whether a single layer of ordered metal atoms, which represents the ultimate 2D limit of a crystalline film, could be superconducting. The team studied single-layer films of lead (Fig. 1) and indium grown on Si(111). Using scanning tunneling spectroscopy at high energy resolution, they observed a region of zero conductance for low applied voltage, terminated on each side by sharp peaks — the signature of superconductivity. Furthermore, the films exhibited vortices when a magnetic field was applied, confirming the existence of a superconducting phase.

Through angular-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, the team found that for each metal the electron–phonon coupling was greatly enhanced with respect to the bulk case. This implies that the covalent silicon–metal bonding has a strong role in providing the mechanism for electron pairing, while the metal itself mainly provides the necessary carriers.

“Our work sheds new light on the mechanism of superconductivity at reduced dimensionality, especially the crucial role played by the interface,” says Xue. “The tunable atomic and electronic structures in these well-defined 2D materials provide an ideal platform for testing various theoretical models when dealing with 2D many-body physics. In addition, the exploration of one-atomic-layer superconductors grown on silicon may also help to develop superconducting electronic circuits compatible with silicon technology.”

Reference

1. Zhang, T.,1,2 Cheng, P.,1 Li, W.-J.,2 Sun, Y.-J.,1 Wang, G.,1 Zhu, X.-G.,1 He, K.,2 Wang, L.,2 Ma, X.,2 Chen, X.,1* Wang, Y.,1 Liu, Y.,3 Lin, H.-Q.,4 Jia, J.-F.1 & Xue, Q.-K.1,2* Superconductivity in one-atomic-layer metal films grown on Si(111). Nature Phys. 6, 104 (2010). | article

Author affiliation

1. Key Lab for Atomic and Molecular Nanoscience, Department of Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
2. Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
3. Department of Physics and Material Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
4. Department of Physics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
*Email: xc@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn

This research highlight has been approved by the author of the original article and all empirical data contained within has been provided by said author."
 
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Manufacturing pace fastest in 4 months - People's Daily OnlineOctober 02, 2010

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Chinese workers at an automobile factory in Liuzhou in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

China's manufacturing expanded at the fastest pace in four months in September, adding to signs that economic growth is stabilizing even as the government curbs energy use and tries to cool the property market.

The purchasing managers index (PMI) rose to 53.8 from 51.7 in August, China's logistics federation and statistics bureau said on Friday in a statement.

The data reinforced evidence from a separate purchasing manager survey two days ago that China's industries are gearing up again after the economy slowed in the second quarter.

Bank of America-Merrill Lynch said that officials might accelerate gains by the yuan as domestic demand strengthens and the US maintains pressure for a stronger currency.

"Today's better-than-expected PMI number suggests that China's economy has regained strength on a strong pick up in domestic orders and a steady increase in external demand," said Liu Ligang, a Hong Kong-based economist at Australia &New Zealand Banking Group Ltd.

Copper climbed to a 26-month high on the manufacturing data and a weaker dollar. Asian stocks rose. Chinese markets are closed for a holiday.

The manufacturing index released this week by HSBC Holdings and Markit Economics rose to the highest in five months. The nation's growth may be aided in coming months by government plans to speed the completion of stimulus projects and boost public housing construction.

In Friday's data, an output index rose to 56.4 from 53.1 in August. A measure of new orders gained to 56.3 from 53.1 and an export-order index climbed to 52.8 from 52.2.

Economic growth "has stabilized after falling from a high level" and the nation's slowdown will be limited by continued gains in consumption, investment and exports, Zhang Liqun, a researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council, said in a statement.

The PMI's rebound suggests Chinese businesses have recovered confidence lost because of Europe's debt crisis and property tightening measures, said Lu Ting, a Hong Kong-based economist for Merrill. So far, real-estate restrictions have had a limited impact on developers' construction activity, he added.

On Sep 29, China's government added to curbs by tightening down-payment rules for first homes, suspending third-home loans and pledging to quicken a trial of a property tax. In a separate campaign, officials are shuttering factories to meet energy-reduction and pollution targets.

In contrast to measures cooling growth, China's top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, last month urged the speedy completion of projects under a two-year stimulus plan that ends this year.

Gains in domestic consumption, including auto sales, are supporting manufacturing, with carmakers including PSA Peugeot Citroen, Toyota Motor Corp and Nissan Motor Co boosting capacity or planning new models.

Rebounding property sales since August have aided developers including Soho China Ltd, which said on Wednesday that it reached a full-year sales target ahead of schedule.

Still, areas of weakness remain. Friday's data showed contractions in output in the metal product and textile industries.

The PMI, released this week by the Beijing-based China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing and the National Bureau of Statistics, covers more than 820 companies in 20 industries, including energy, metallurgy, textiles, automobiles and electronics.

Bloomberg news
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Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China

"Superconductivity Found in One-Atomic-Layer

Not long ago, a study, led by XUE Qikun, CHEN Xi, and JIA Jinfeng at Tsinghua University Dept. of Physics, in collaboration with a team headed by MA Xucun with the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Physics, Prof. WANG Yayu, Tsinghua University Dept. of Physics, Prof. LIN Haiqing at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Prof. LIU Ying of the Pennsylvania State University Department of Physics and Material Research Institute, has found superconductivity in one-atomic-layer metal films grown on Si substrates. One-atomic-layer is the ultimate thickness a practical material can reach. The finding, published in the recent online issue of Nature Physics, renders a solution to the question concerning how thin a superconductor can be."

Superconductivity: One layer is enough : featured highlight : NPG Asia Materials

"Superconductivity: One layer is enough
NPG Asia Materials featured highlight | doi:10.1038/asiamat.2010.78
Published online 24 May 2010

Superconductivity has been observed in films as thin as one atomic layer.

chinasuperconductivityo.jpg

Fig. 1: Scanning tunneling microscope image of a single atomic layer of lead (in the striped incommensurate phase) on silicon (image size is 50 nm × 50 nm).

Superconductivity is a fascinating phenomenon. The signatures of superconductivity, such as its vanishing electrical resistance and expulsion of a magnetic field, as well as its potential for diverse applications, have intrigued scientists for decades.

Nowadays, as low temperature ‘standard’ superconductors become better understood, attention has begun to focus on complex high-temperature superconductors. It is accepted that in these materials, lattice vibrations (referred to as phonons) mediate the formation of electron pairs, which is essential for the emergence of a superconducting phase. However, despite this recent trend in research, standard superconductors can still present intriguing results, as shown by Qi-Kun Xue and colleagues who have demonstrated that superconductivity can be observed even in single atomic layers of lead and indium1.

Two-dimensional (2D) superconductivity is a rather fragile state of matter. It is therefore natural to wonder what is the minimum thickness needed to observe this phenomenon, or whether a single layer of ordered metal atoms, which represents the ultimate 2D limit of a crystalline film, could be superconducting. The team studied single-layer films of lead (Fig. 1) and indium grown on Si(111). Using scanning tunneling spectroscopy at high energy resolution, they observed a region of zero conductance for low applied voltage, terminated on each side by sharp peaks — the signature of superconductivity. Furthermore, the films exhibited vortices when a magnetic field was applied, confirming the existence of a superconducting phase.

Through angular-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, the team found that for each metal the electron–phonon coupling was greatly enhanced with respect to the bulk case. This implies that the covalent silicon–metal bonding has a strong role in providing the mechanism for electron pairing, while the metal itself mainly provides the necessary carriers.

“Our work sheds new light on the mechanism of superconductivity at reduced dimensionality, especially the crucial role played by the interface,” says Xue. “The tunable atomic and electronic structures in these well-defined 2D materials provide an ideal platform for testing various theoretical models when dealing with 2D many-body physics. In addition, the exploration of one-atomic-layer superconductors grown on silicon may also help to develop superconducting electronic circuits compatible with silicon technology.”

Reference

1. Zhang, T.,1,2 Cheng, P.,1 Li, W.-J.,2 Sun, Y.-J.,1 Wang, G.,1 Zhu, X.-G.,1 He, K.,2 Wang, L.,2 Ma, X.,2 Chen, X.,1* Wang, Y.,1 Liu, Y.,3 Lin, H.-Q.,4 Jia, J.-F.1 & Xue, Q.-K.1,2* Superconductivity in one-atomic-layer metal films grown on Si(111). Nature Phys. 6, 104 (2010). | article

Author affiliation

1. Key Lab for Atomic and Molecular Nanoscience, Department of Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
2. Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
3. Department of Physics and Material Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
4. Department of Physics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
*Email: xc@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn

This research highlight has been approved by the author of the original article and all empirical data contained within has been provided by said author."

i love this and the previous article. biology and chemistry are things that china both have traditional strengths in, and has alot of development potential.
 
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Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China

"Strong Crystal Size Effects on Deformation Twinning

Under the guidance of her tutor, YU Qian, a post-graduate at Xi’an Jiaotong University State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, in collaboration with Prof. LI JU with University of Pennsylvania Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Dr. HUANG Xiaoxu of Technical University of Denmark Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, made an in-depth study of the deformation twinning behavior of nano-sized metal crystals and its impact on the dynamic performance of the materials. YU and coworkers found that the size of monocrystals is of a strong effect on the dynamic performance. The finding, published in the recent issue of journal Nature, provides a meaningful insight of materials performance evaluation and design; especially on material processing at the nano-scale utilizing the strong crystal size effect."

Nanomechanics: Size matters : research highlight : NPG Asia Materials

"Nanomechanics: Size matters
NPG Asia Materials research highlight | doi:10.1038/asiamat.2010.56
Published online 12 April 2010

The deformation mechanism of single-crystal nanopillars has been shown to change dramatically at dimensions below one micrometer.

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Fig. 1: A scanning electron microscopy image of a nanopillar made from a single-crystal of titanium after it has been inelastically deformed.

Reproduced from Ref. 1 (copyright); J. Sun, J. Li

As electronic devices continue to shrink in size, it is becoming increasingly important to understand mechanical deformation at microscopic scales. Inelastic deformation — a type of deformation that persists even after an applied force is removed — can lead to device failure and occur primarily through two mechanisms: deformation twinning and ordinary dislocation plasticity. The mechanism that is activated depends on whether deformations across the sample are correlated.

The origins of deformation twinning are poorly understood, as is the dependence of this mechanism on size. Now, a team of scientists from China, the US and Denmark, led by Jun Sun at Xi’an Jiaotong University and Ju Li at the University of Pennsylvania, have demonstrated that deformation twinning is completely suppressed in nanocrystals below a critical size[1].

The researchers studied the deformation of pillars made from a single crystal of a titanium alloy using compression tests. Some of the tests were conducted while the sample was being observed by transmission electron microscopy. They found that when the pillars had a diameter of less than one micrometer, deformation twinning no longer occurred. This is in sharp contrast with bulk deformation of the same alloy, which is dominated by deformation twinning, which, it turns out, is more dependent on size than the action of dislocation plasticity.

Sun, Li and their colleagues consider this strong dependence on size to arise from the collective nature of deformation twinning. Correlated deformations occur when strongly coupled defects catalyze the slip of adjacent crystal planes past one another. As the pillar diameter is reduced, defect coupling and twinning are both suppressed, leaving dislocation plasticity as the dominant mechanism for sufficiently small samples.

“The research is in its early stages,” Sun says. “It is still quite fundamental, and the connection to new technologies cannot be known with certainty at the moment.” At the same time, however, micrometer-sized pillars are commonly encountered in a range of applications, suggesting that these findings could be relevant to many devices, including micro- and nano-electromechanical systems. Future work will involve the use of high-quality electron microscopy to better understand how crystal planes slip past each other.

Reference

1. Yu, Q.,1 Shan, Z.-W.,1,2 Li, J.,3 Huang, X.,4 Xiao, L.,1 Sun, J.1 & Ma, E.1,5 Strong crystal size effect on deformation twinning. Nature 463, 335 (2010). | article

Author affiliation

1. Center for Advancing Materials Performance from the Nanoscale (CAMP-Nano), State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, China
2. Hysitron Incorporated, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55344, USA
3. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
4. Danish-Chinese Center for Nanometals, Materials Research Division, Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
5. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
*Email: junsun@mail.xjtu.edu.cn

This research highlight has been approved by the author of the original article and all empirical data contained within has been provided by said author."
 
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http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90778/90861/7152239.html

"China's machinery and electronic exports rank 1st worldwide
16:50, September 27, 2010

The export volume of China's machinery and electronic products exceeded Germany for the first time and ranked first worldwide in 2009, but the proportion of high-tech products is small; according to a report released during the ongoing 11th China International Machinery and Electronic Producers Exposition held in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province.

The report, co-issued by the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products and the office of the organizing committee of this exposition, says China's share of export volume of the world total rose from 3.4 percent during the Ninth Five-Year Plan (1996-2000) period to 8.5 percent during the Tenth Five-Year Plan (2001-2005) period.

In 2006, the export volume surpassed Japan to take the third-place ranking; only next to Germany and the United States and it was bumped up to second, after Germany, in the end of 2008.

By Liang Jun, People's Daily Online"


For 2009, due to the Great Recession worldwide, China's top two high-tech exports for "Electrical machinery & equipment" and "Power generation equipment" dipped to $537.1 billion US dollars. However, if we add in the $38.9 billion from "Optics and medical equipment" then the overall high-tech exports for 2009 are $576.0 billion U.S. dollars. See "Table 5: China's Top Exports 2009 ($ billion)" in the newslink below.

http://www.uschina.org/statistics/tradetable.html
 
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A model presents a vehicle during the Imports Auto Expo Beijing 2010 in Beijing, capital of China, on Oct. 2, 2010. The auto expo kicked off here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Gong Bing)

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A model presents a vehicle during the Imports Auto Expo Beijing 2010 in Beijing, capital of China, on Oct. 2, 2010. The auto expo kicked off here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Gong Bing)

chinamodelpresentsavehi.jpg

A model presents a vehicle during the Imports Auto Expo Beijing 2010 in Beijing, capital of China, on Oct. 2, 2010. The auto expo kicked off here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Gong Bing)

chinamodelpresentsavehi.jpg

A model presents a vehicle during the Imports Auto Expo Beijing 2010 in Beijing, capital of China, on Oct. 2, 2010. The auto expo kicked off here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Gong Bing)

Newslink: Imported Auto Expo Beijing 2010 kicks off - People's Daily Online
 
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China-Africa trade to top 100 billion USD again this year - People's Daily OnlineOctober 03, 2010

The trade between China and African countries will rebound from a year ago and exceed 100 billion U.S. dollars again this year, according to forecast by the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

The MOC data showed trade between China and Africa jumped sharply by 65 percent year on year to 61.2 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of this year.

Due to the global economic downturn last year, China-Africa trade fell 14.7 percent from the previous year to 91.06 billion in 2009, compared with 106.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2008, according to the MOC.

The Chinese government supports reputable Chinese enterprises to invest in Africa on the principle of equality, mutual benefit and common development, the MOC said.

More than 1,600 Chinese enterprises are now investing in Africa in the fields of agriculture, mining, processing and manufacturing, infrastructure facilities and commerce, according to the MOC.

The MOC announced in July this year that China would cease levying tariffs on 60 percent of imports from 26 least developed African nations as of July 1 this year.
 
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Compal Headquarters

China Business News: Taiwan's Compal to build laptop plant in Chengdu

"Taiwan's Compal to build laptop plant in Chengdu

Sep. 30, 2010 (China Knowledge) - Compal Electronics Inc, a Taiwanese computer and electronic product manufacturer, will set up a notebook plant in Chengdu, and the ground breaking ceremony was held on Sep. 27, according to a local media.

The new plant will be built in Shuangliu County of Chengdu and the headquarters will be established in Wuhou District of the city.

The Chengdu plant will produce PC and electronic 3C related products, including notebook, all-in-one PC, PAD flat panel PC, television, monitor, mobile communication and wireless network. Total investment of the project may reach US$500 million. The construction of the plant is scheduled to be completed on Apr. 1, 2011.

The plant could make 10 million notebooks by the end of 2011, and produce 20 million notebooks in 2013.

Compal, the world's biggest contract manufacturer of notebooks, realized revenue of US$20.4 billion in 2009, ranking 431 among the world's top 500 enterprises."
 
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AU Optronics, Suzhou Industrial Park, China

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AU Optronics LCD manufacturing facility

Taiwan to approve China flat-screen plan this month - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

"Taiwan to approve China flat-screen plan this month
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 16:10:00 10/03/2010

TAIPEI – Taiwan is expected to approve a flat-screen maker's huge Chinese investment plan this month in another sign of the island easing high-tech controls on its formerly bitter rival, a report said Sunday.

The economic ministry has completed much of the screening for AU Optronics' application to build a $3 billion flat-screen plant in China's eastern Kunshan city, the state Central News Agency said.

The plan has drawn special attention as it is seen by many as a barometer of the government's relaxation of long-standing restrictions on high-tech investment by local companies in China.

"Only some tiny issues remain to be solved," an economic ministry official was quoted as saying, adding that the application is expected to be approved this month if the company provides required documents soon.


AU Optronics, a leading liquid crystal display manufacturer, filed the application to the government six months ago, and rumors of a government go-ahead have circulated for some time.

But last week the company was not on the list of local high-tech companies seeking official approval for their China-bound investments, touching off complaints from AU Optronics Chairman K.Y. Lee.

Taiwan relaxed the rules earlier this year, but local high-tech firms such as AU Optronics still need to keep more advanced technologies at home when applying to invest in China.

Taiwan's opposition, which favors independence from Beijing, has repeatedly warned against easing controls, fearing closer economic integration will mean job losses as the island loses out to China's relatively cheaper workforce.

But Taiwan's high-tech businesses have increasingly called for the rules to be relaxed, pointing out that their competitors from South Korea and Japan have been stepping up activity in China."

News | SARIO, Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency

"AU Optronics Corporation with its branches on three continents (Asia, Europe and the U.S.) operates 13 factories for TFT-LCD panel production (G3.5, up to G8.5 fabrications), 10 factories for TFT –LCD module production and 2 technology centers. In 2007 it reached sales in total volume of 10 billion Euros and nowadays it employs over 42,000 employees in its global branches in Taiwan, China, Japan, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, the U. S. and Europe. In 2008 its sales volume reached 12.9 billion USD. AU Optronics Corporation is the first pure TFT-LCD manufacturer to successfully list at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)."
 
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Qingdao, China: Golden City
(By Steven in Qingdao Life)

Let's put my posts into the proper context of China's economic miracle. These are my top ten reasons that China's economy will continue to boom at 8 to 10% a year for the foreseeable future.

1. In the last five years, China has signed free-trade-agreements (i.e. FTAs) with ASEAN, Pakistan, Chile, New Zealand, Singapore, Peru, Costa Rica, and Taiwan (e.g. technically ECFA). China is currently negotiating FTAs with the Gulf Cooperation Council, Australia, Iceland, Norway, and Southern African Customs Union. China has joint feasibility studies for a FTA under way with India, Korea, Japan, and Switzerland. See China FTA Network

FTAs are important because they lower tariffs (e.g. lower cost for importers), increase imports and exports (which generates more jobs), and increase customs revenue.

2. The posts regarding Ford's $500 million engine plant or AU Optronics $3 billion LCD investment show the importance of foreign direct investment (i.e. FDI) in bringing new technologies, creating new jobs, and/or generating more tax revenue for China.

3. China has tacitly permitted workers to engage in strikes. Within the last six months, Foxconn has doubled the wages paid to its employees. In my view, wealthy foreign companies in China should have paid a living wage (i.e. sufficient to cover rent, utilities, food, transportation, health insurance, reasonable entertainment, cell phone service, internet connection, etc.) much earlier.

With greater disposable income, Chinese consumers will increase their consumption and help boost China's domestic economy.

4. China's $585 billion stimulus program is providing the funds to build new high-speed railways, highways, airports, dams, bridges, ports, 45% efficient super-ultracritical coal-fired power plants, wind farms, etc. China's stimulus creates jobs and the new infrastructure lays the foundation for a more efficient economy with reduced transportation and energy costs.

5. China's passenger rail traffic is being moved onto the expanding high-speed rail network. This allows the existing rail system to be used exclusively for freight cargo transportation. This reduces the constraints and bottleneck for an efficient freight transportation system. The practical effect is lower shipping costs.

6. As the world's largest exporter of machinery and electronics, China has attained tremendous economies of scale. Basic economics state that the distribution of a fixed cost (e.g. rent, employee wages, utilities, insurance, capital investment, etc.) over a higher volume of products will result in a lower marginal cost per additional item. Though the variable cost will increase slightly, the additional increase in material cost is usually minor.

7. China's manufacture of complex offshore oil platforms, liquefied natural gas carriers, and 300,000 ton oil supertankers demonstrates the increasingly sophisticated and high-value-added nature of China's exports.

8. China is fortunate to modernize now and employ the latest technologies. For example, LCDs (i.e. liquid crystal displays) are significantly thinner and lighter than CRT (i.e. cathode ray tube) television sets. LCDs require less energy and material to fabricate. Also, LCDs consume less energy to operate.

Another example is mobile phones. China avoided the need to build a time-consuming and cumbersome copper-wire landline phone system to connect every home and business. Instead, China leapfrogged to mobile phones that require only a few base stations.

The continuous use of new technologies has resulted in significant savings of national resources and energy efficiency.

9. China spent $15 billion on a program to induce consumers to buy new cars, which are more fuel-efficient and less polluting. A similar program was enacted to help consumers buy new and more energy-efficient appliances (e.g. refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners). Greater energy efficiency lowers fuel cost and increases disposable income. See Domestic Demand to Drive China White Goods Market in 2010

10. China's expanding pursuit of clean energy (e.g. wind turbines, solar, geothermal, bio-fuel, and nuclear) will reduce the external cost of pollution and gradually result in cleaner air and water. This will reduce the health care cost and improve the quality of life for a healthier population.

In my view, the most important development is China's fourth-generation fast-breeder nuclear reactor. There are five major implications:

a) The fast-breeder reactor will help China achieve energy independence. The fast-breeder is 60% efficient in utilizing uranium fuel. Current nuclear reactors are only 1% efficient. A ten-year supply of nuclear fuel today can power fast-breeder reactors for 600 years.

b) The 60% efficient fast-breeder will eliminate nuclear fuel scarcity. Instead, there will be plenty of nuclear fuel for everyone. This will result in a dramatic drop in the cost of nuclear fuel.

c) Since a fast-breeder is 60% efficient, there is less nuclear waste. In fact, current nuclear waste may be reprocessed and burned in a fast-breeder to generate electricity.

d) A fast-breeder can also use thorium as fuel. Conventional reactors can only use uranium.

e) There is no theoretical impediment to a fast-breeder reactor. China already has a functional CEFR (i.e. China Experimental Fast Reactor). The obstacles lie purely in the engineering. China must solve the problems of scaling up the CEFR to commercial levels (e.g. 1 GW) of energy output.

If China can solve the engineering and safety problems then energy independence is within China's reach.

Qingdao, China: Golden City | Qingdao China | QINGDAO(nese)

"Enjoy these photos of a metropolis on the move, the Sailing City going forward full speed ahead."

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"Qingdao is one of the most important success stories of China’s economic miracle. This ever-growing city is home to one of the top ports in the country, two of China’s largest appliance makers (Haier and Hisense), the most recognizable consumer brand in China (Tsingtao Beer), a massive oil refinery project and strategic oil base in the Huangdao Development Zone, highly successful exporters, manufacturers, importers, and a large number of thriving multinational corporations either producing or operating offices here (such as Durex, Ikea, Nike, Lucent, Nestle, Stihl and many more). It’s no wonder the World Bank has honored Qingdao as one of China’s six “Golden cities”. The US Commercial Service agency had these good things to say about doing business in Qingdao:

Located on the southern tip of the Shandong Peninsula, Qingdao is one of eastern China’s major economic centers. Nestled between mountains and ocean, Qingdao’s unique cityscape is studded with lovely beaches, classic European architecture and ample green landscape. The city is well known for its historic and scenic tourist attractions, as well as being one of the best places in China to live and do business.

The World Bank honored Qingdao as one of China’s six “Golden cities” (a measure of investment climate, harmoniousness, governance and other measures). In recent years, the city has attracted billions in foreign direct investment and engages in trade with virtually every country on the planet. Among the city’s 17,854 foreign investment projects, 76 Fortune 500 companies have established projects in Qingdao."

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China hopes ‘eco-city’ will prove a model alternative
By Allison Jackson
Sunday, 03 Oct, 2010

TIANJIN: At a construction site in northern China, a billboard boasts of a “liveable city” where residents can drink tap water, travel on clean energy public transport and enjoy acres of parkland.

For now, the ambitious “eco-city” covering 30 square kilometres of non-arable salt pans and former fishing villages has more cranes than wind turbines and will not be finished for at least another decade.

But its developers hope the settlement near the port city of Tianjin will serve as an ultra-efficient alternative to ill-planned and heavily polluting mega-cities not only elsewhere in the country, but around the world.

“We hope to influence our neighbours,” said Goh Chye Boon, chief executive of Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment & Development Co.

“With the right ingredients, with the right eco mindset, I think together we can change the environment.” The governments of China and Singapore have combined their expertise and finances to develop the future city, which has a planned population of 350,000 and includes schools, medical facilities and business districts.

Foreign companies such as Japan’s Hitachi and Dutch electronics giant Philips will provide green technology for the development, where buildings will be insulated and have double-glazed windows to increase energy efficiency.

Nearly two-thirds of household waste will be recycled and 20 per cent of the city’s power will come from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar – with the rest coming from other sources such as highly polluting coal.

Treated sewage will be channelled into a lake which will supplement water supplies for local communities.

“Eco-cities are needed because China is facing a huge challenge of pollution,” said Hiroaki Suzuki, a top specialist in the Finance, Economic and Urban Department of the World Bank, which is assisting on the project.

“China’s serious pollution problems do not mean that it cannot develop an eco-city.” Top leaders in Beijing also hope the project will serve as a model for a long-term solution to the country’s ballooning urban population, which is putting enormous pressure on already strained water and energy resources.

China is undergoing an unprecedented urbanisation process as hundreds of millions of people have headed to fast-growing metropolitan areas since the nation’s economy embarked on a fast-paced growth track more than 30 years ago.

To handle the massive influx of people, China may need to invest up to 3.6 trillion dollars in urban infrastructure by 2020, state media said last month, citing a report by the state think-tank China Development Research Foundation.

Greenpeace supports the development of “eco-cities” as a way to handle urban overcrowding, which it says could prevent China from curbing its world-leading carbon emissions and meeting its ambitious energy targets.

“It’s a really good idea because that is where change has to happen,” Yang Ailun, climate and energy campaign manager for the environmental watchdog in China, told AFP.

But Yang cautioned it was very difficult for Beijing to develop truly low-carbon cities when there was no clear definition of the term and the country was still developing.

China has already broken ground on a separate ecologically friendly settlement that has yet to be finished.

In 2005, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Chinese President Hu Jintao agreed the two countries could collaborate on building the world’s first so-called “eco-city” Dongtan, near Shanghai.

The “city of the future” was meant to be showcased at this year’s World Expo in Shanghai but the settlement remains in the planning stages.

Plans for dozens of other low-carbon “eco-cities” and towns are springing up around the country, as developers rush to cash in on the green movement and government authorities seek to attract foreign investors to their regions.

When AFP visited the sprawling site, several buildings were under construction, some streets had been paved and marked, trees planted and wind-solar powered street lights erected.—AFP
 
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Electrochemistry: Long live the lithium battery : Article : Nature China

"Electrochemistry: Long live the lithium battery
Published online: 1 September 2010 | doi:10.1038/nchina.2010.99
Felix Cheung

Eliminating oxygen in the electrolyte prolongs the life of a lithium-ion battery

Original article citation
Luo, J. Y., Cui, W. J., He, P. & Xia, Y. Y. Raising the cycling stability of aqueous lithium-ion batteries by eliminating oxygen in the electrolyte. Nature Chem. doi:10.1038/nchem.763 (2010).

nchina201099i1.jpg

© (2010) istockphoto.com/Ingenui

Non-aqueous electrolytes of traditional lithium-ion batteries use highly toxic and flammable organic solvents, which can be dangerous if used improperly. Using aqueous electrolytes can avoid this problem, but an aqueous lithium-ion battery typically loses half of its battery capacity after 100 charge–discharge cycles. Yongyao Xia and co-workers at Fudan University in Shanghai[1] have now devised several strategies to prolong the lifetimes of such aqueous batteries.

A battery loses capacity when its electrodes oxidize and internal resistance increases. The researchers analysed the stability of electrode materials in aqueous electrolytes and found that negative electrodes react with water and oxygen during discharge, which causes capacity fading upon charge–discharge cycling. They improved the stability of aqueous lithium-ion batteries by eliminating oxygen, adjusting the pH of the electrolyte and using carbon-coated electrode materials. The capacity retention of their batteries was over 90% after 1,000 cycles.

By implementing these strategies, aqueous lithium-ion batteries may offer an energy-storage system with high safety, low cost and long lifetime.

The authors of this work are from:
Department of Chemistry, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Institute of New Energy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Reference

1. Luo, J. Y., Cui, W. J., He, P. & Xia, Y. Y. Raising the cycling stability of aqueous lithium-ion batteries by eliminating oxygen in the electrolyte. Nature Chem. doi:10.1038/nchem.763 (2010). | Article"
 
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Exhibition of new energy vehicles opens in Hangzhou - People's Daily OnlineOctober 03, 2010

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A man inspects the dynamical system of an electric vehicle on a new energy motor show in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 2, 2010. An exhibition of new energy vehicles was opened in Hangzhou on Saturday, more than 80 electric or hybird powered vehicles produced by manufacturers from home and abroad were shown on the exhibition. (Xinhua/Li Zhong)

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A man looks at a hybird police vehicle on a new energy motor show in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 2, 2010. An exhibition of new energy vehicles was opened in Hangzhou on Saturday, more than 80 electric or hybird powered vehicles produced by manufacturers from home and abroad were shown on the exhibition. (Xinhua/Li Zhong)

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Visitors looks at the dynamical system of an electric vehicle on a new energy motor show in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 2, 2010. An exhibition of new energy vehicles was opened in Hangzhou on Saturday, more than 80 electric or hybird powered vehicles produced by manufacturers from home and abroad were shown on the exhibition. (Xinhua/Li Zhong)

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A man looks at a recharging station for electric vehicles on a new energy motor show in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 2, 2010. An exhibition of new energy vehicles was opened in Hangzhou on Saturday, more than 80 electric or hybird powered vehicles produced by manufacturers from home and abroad were shown on the exhibition. (Xinhua/Xu Zhuoheng)

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Photo taken on Oct. 2, 2010 shows electric buses on a new energy motor show in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. An exhibition of new energy vehicles was opened in Hangzhou on Saturday, more than 80 electric or hybird powered vehicles produced by manufacturers from home and abroad were shown on the exhibition. (Xinhua/Zhu Yinwei)
 
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