Chinese Economy/Development thread (updated regularly)

[Brotherhood]

Chery -- China's largest independent carmake - People's Daily Online
October 16, 2010

Workers assemble cars in Chery's car factory in Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 13, 2010. Chery, the country's largest independent carmaker, has recently invested an enormous sum of money to eastablish a national auto test center in its home base Wuhu City, which puts Asia's largest auto-tech test center into operation. At the center, Chery is able to develop, test and upgrade its products, provide test data and precision measurement of these products. Since founded in 1997, Chery has tried its best to become a technology-oriented enterprise with the spirt of self-innovation. During the past ten years, Chery has established its automotive engineering and research institute and planning & design institute. Further more, Chery keeps investing over 10% of its annual sales for research and development, by which it has assimilated and developed many key components and core technologies on engines, transmissions as well as new energy. At present, of Chery's 20,000 staff members, over 6,000 people are engineers and technicians, most of whom work on research and development. Chery has witnessed a fast-growing output on cars, engines and sets of transmissions. As Chery says itself, it has already achieved the first goal of building an independent Chinese brand, and is now on the way to make itself a world famous brand through opening and innovation. (Xinhua/Hou Dongtao)

A technician stands next to a facility processing components of lithium batteries at Chery's new energy department in Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 14, 2010. (Xinhua/Hou Dongtao)

Technicians work to develop lithium battery at Chery's new energy department in Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 14, 2010. Chery, the country's largest independent carmaker, has recently invested an enormous sum of money to eastablish a national auto test center in its home base Wuhu City, which puts Asia's largest auto-tech test center into operation. At the center, Chery is able to develop, test and upgrade its products, provide test data and precision measurement of these products. Since founded in 1997, Chery has tried its best to become a technology-oriented enterprise with the spirt of self-innovation. During the past ten years, Chery has established its automotive engineering and research institute and planning & design institute. Further more, Chery keeps investing over 10% of its annual sales for research and development, by which it has assimilated and developed many key components and core technologies on engines, transmissions as well as new energy. At present, of Chery's 20,000 staff members, over 6,000 people are engineers and technicians, most of whom work on research and development. Chery has witnessed a fast-growing output on cars, engines and sets of transmissions. As Chery says itself, it has already achieved the first goal of building an independent Chinese brand, and is now on the way to make itself a world famous brand through opening and innovation. (Xinhua/Hou Dongtao)

Technicians talk behind a headlight sample in Chery's automotive engineering and research institute in Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 13, 2010. (Xinhua/Hou Dongtao)

Brand-new cars for sale are seen in Chery's car factory in Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 13, 2010. Chery, the country's largest independent carmaker, has recently invested an enormous sum of money to eastablish a national auto test center in its home base Wuhu City, which puts Asia's largest auto-tech test center into operation. At the center, Chery is able to develop, test and upgrade its products, provide test data and precision measurement of these products. Since founded in 1997, Chery has tried its best to become a technology-oriented enterprise with the spirt of self-innovation. During the past ten years, Chery has established its automotive engineering and research institute and planning & design institute. Further more, Chery keeps investing over 10% of its annual sales for research and development, by which it has assimilated and developed many key components and core technologies on engines, transmissions as well as new energy. At present, of Chery's 20,000 staff members, over 6,000 people are engineers and technicians, most of whom work on research and development. Chery has witnessed a fast-growing output on cars, engines and sets of transmissions. As Chery says itself, it has already achieved the first goal of building an independent Chinese brand, and is now on the way to make itself a world famous brand through opening and innovation. (Xinhua/Hou Dongtao)

Technicians of the computer aided engineering department work in Chery's automotive engineering and research institute in Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 13, 2010. (Xinhua/Hou Dongtao)

 

[Brotherhood]

Staff members are seen through a window with Chery's logo at Chery's engine factory in Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 14, 2010.

Technicians work to develop lithium battery at Chery's new energy department in Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 14, 2010. (Xinhua/Hou Dongtao)

Workers assemble cars in Chery's car factory in Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 13, 2010. (Xinhua/Hou Dongtao)

A woman worker passes by Chery's logos in Chery's auto test center in Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 14, 2010.

A technician of the computer aided engineering department works in Chery's automotive engineering and research institute in Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 13, 2010. (Xinhua/Hou Dongtao)

Sketches of cars are seen at an office in Chery's automotive engineering and research institute in Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 13, 2010.

Technicians carry on a chemical analysis in Chery's auto test center in Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 14, 2010. (Xinhua/Hou Dongtao)

Workers assemble cars in Chery's car factory in Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province, Oct. 13, 2010.

 

[Brotherhood]

Bulgaria aims for China to be largest investor by 2013: minister - People's Daily OnlineOctober 16, 2010

Bulgaria aims for China to become the largest foreign investor in the Balkan country by 2013, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Simeon Djankov said Friday.

"By the end of our mandate in 2013, I would like China to become the number one foreign investor in Bulgaria," Djankov said at the start of a meeting with Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng.

Gao, who is also China's International Trade Representative, visited Bulgaria to participate in the 14th session of the Bulgarian-Chinese intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation.

Aside from meeting Djankov, Gao also met Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and Economy Minister Traicho Traikov.

The two sides discussed possibilities of expanding bilateral trade, promotion of cooperation between small and medium enterprises from the two sides as well as the expansion of Chinese investment in Bulgaria.

Bilateral trade between China and Bulgaria was worth a total of 737 million U.S. dollars and has been growing fast this year.

Bulgarian government ministers have been trying to woo the Chinese investors though the Chinese investment in Bulgaria is relatively small now -- only about 20 million dollars in the production of communications equipment.

Nevertheless, the ministers said they saw great prospects for mutually beneficial partnership in sectors such as renewable energy, nuclear energy, tourism, electronics, road infrastructure, transport and logistics.

Bulgaria has good potential for attracting the Chinese imports by air, as the country is positioned as an entry door for trade and investment flows from China to the EU, Traikov said.

Bulgaria and China are now in talks over building a joint industrial zone near Sofia, a project of "great importance" to Bulgaria, he said.

Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor Co. is building a 133-million-dollar plant near the Bulgarian city of Lovech. The first batch of vehicles is expected to roll off the production line at the end of May 2011.
Source: Xinhua

 

[Martian2]

China Import and Export Fair (e.g. Canton Fair) is always held in Guangzhou, China.

Canton Fair Pazhou Complex

Canton Fair 2010

China's largest trade fair opens amid yuan appreciation worries

"China's largest trade fair opens amid yuan appreciation worries
English.news.cn 2010-10-15 17:02:02

GUANGZHOU, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Canton Fair, China's largest trade fair and a key barometer of its trade and economic development, opened Friday amid growing concerns that a stronger yuan would weigh on the nation's exports.

In addition to business opportunities, the multitudes of sellers and buyers at the fair, officially known as China Import and Export Fair, are watching closely the latest developments in the yuan exchange rate dispute.

"We are under great pressure. Should the exchange rate rise rapidly, many of us will be out of business," said Dai Chao, export manager of Wanjiale Gas Appliances, a medium-sized private company that sells gas appliances to east European and south American countries.

Dai's voice was echoed by many small and medium-sized companies at the fair, which make up about 70 percent of all 23,599 registered sellers.

"An abrupt appreciation of the yuan would devastate the smaller exporters whose profit margin mostly ranges from 2 to 5 percent," said Liu Jianjun, spokesman for the 108th Canton Fair.

"We are keeping a close eye on the upcoming U.S. government report on the currency practices of China," said Liu Guizhong, head of the overseas market department of Glanz, a leading Chinese manufacturer of home appliances.

The U.S. Treasury Department's report on exchange rates is due to be published on Oct. 15. The market is worried whether the United States would list China as "currency manipulator".

Analysts say China's currency policy has been stigmatized by some U.S. politicians who are trying to use it as a scapegoat for the weak economy and job losses in the United States as the midterm elections approach.

"Pushing for the appreciation of the yuan for political gains will only hurt the global market. Exchange rate changes should be based on the real conditions of China's economy and the trade market," said Su Jing, a foreign trade official with the Ministry of Commerce.

"China is at a crucial stage of restructuring its economy. Abrupt fluctuations of the yuan would not only hurt the country's economy but also worsen the investment environment in China and disrupt world economic development," Su added.

"As the impact of the global economic crisis is still lingering, currency disputes could cause some countries to reduce export quotas and increase taxes, leading to trade wars that would hurt everybody," said Shi Jianxun, economic professor with Shanghai-based Tongji University.

"The prices are already high. We would no longer be able to afford the goods here if the yuan keeps appreciating," said Barahukwa Mary, manager of a construction company in Uganda.

A total of 23,599 firms at home and abroad are participating as sellers in the 108th Canton Fair in Guangzhou, capital city of south China's Guangdong Province, organizers said.

The figure is 240 more than that at the previous fair in April.

Of the total, domestic Chinese firms made up 23,098, said Liu Jianjun, deputy director of the China Foreign Trade Center (CFTC).

The Canton Fair has been China's largest biannual trade fair since it began in 1957. Exhibits at the fair include mechanical and electrical products, textiles, healthcare products, food, sports supplies and other consumer goods, organizers said.

Editor: Zhang Xiang"

TianHe District, the city center of Guangzhou

Guangzhou map for the Canton Fair

Canton Fair contracts up but Chinese exporters remain cautious

"Canton Fair contracts up but Chinese exporters remain cautious
English.news.cn 2010-05-05 23:55:53

GUANGZHOU, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Despite a rebound in contracts signed at the world famous Canton Fair, which concluded Wednesday, Chinese exporters still remain cautious about the global trade outlook.

The 107th China Import and Export Fair, or the Canton Fair, saw the value of export contracts up 12.6 percent from its autumn session last year to 34.3 billion U.S. dollars, Chen Chaoren, spokesman for the Fair, told a press conference.

But the figure is still 10.3 percent lower than the corresponding session in 2008, he said.

Trade resulting from the Fair contributes significantly to China's overall trade volume.

"The rebound (in the Fair contracts) will help consolidate China's recovery in foreign trade, but uncertainties still remain," Chen said.

Exporters were still taking cautious steps. Short-term contracts signed at the Fair were up to 53 percent, according to Chen.

"Chinese exporters remain worried about the complicated trade conditions, such as the unstable global economic recovery, rising trade protectionism and higher production costs," he said.

The recent session of the Fair attracted 203,996 overseas buyers from 212 countries and regions around the world, down 1.3 percent from its spring session in 2007.

As the world's largest exporter, China's exports grew by 24.3 percent in March year on year to 112.11 billion U.S. dollars, while imports jumped 66 percent to 119.35 billion U.S. dollars, leaving a 7.24 billion U.S. dollar deficit, the first one since May 2004.

Editor: yan"

 

[Martian2]

Patrick C. H. Hsieh (right) showcases the results of his experiments on Oct. 12. (UDN photo)

NCKU Research Team Developed New Stem Cell Therapy for Heart Repair, First in the World - KansasCity.com

"NCKU Research Team Developed New Stem Cell Therapy for Heart Repair, First in the World
Posted on Tue, Oct. 12, 2010 05:22 AM
Kansas City Star

Assistant Prof. Patrick C. H. Hsieh of Institute of Nanotechnology and Microsystems Engineering, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Tainan, Taiwan, has led a research team of myocardial regeneration to conduct an experiment on pigs and has proved that by combining self-assembling peptide nanofiber hydrogel with autologous bone marrow stem cell, myocardial protection after acute myocardial infarction, vascular regeneration and heart functions can be improved.

The research achievement of the novel stem cell therapy for heart repair has been published in Circulation, the top international journal in the cardiovascular field, in September, 2010, and the technology is currently under the applications of domestic and foreign patents.

Each year, 17,000,000 people die from heart disease worldwide. In Taiwan, there are approximately 2,000,000 heart disease patients each year and 400,000 people pass away due to heart failure. The most common cause for the heart disease is coronary occlusion or myocardial infarction, preventing blood from going to the heart and thus leading to myocardial necrosis and apoptosis. The mortality rate reaches as high as 30%.

Even if the patients are fortunate to survive, their myocardial cells lack the ability to regenerate. The myocardial cells cannot take intraventricular pressure and thus they will gradually expand and become thin. Eventually, the patients will have heart failure and face death.

The best clinical treatment is heart transplant. However, due to limited heart donors and risks such as immune rejection and infection, it is not in common use. The most common clinical treatment is drug control, including ACE inhibitors, β-blockers, digitalis glycosides and diuretics. However, they can only slow down disease progression, and they normally have side-effects. Thus, the novel treatment method, the stem cell therapy for heart repair, has become the solution to one of the most urgent medical problems.

NCKU Assistant Prof. Patrick C. H. Hsieh pointed out, “Even though recent research studies have indicated that many types of stem cells can be used to improve heart functions and be clinically effective and secure, there is still room which needs improvement. For instance, when stem cells are cultured outside the body and injected into the heart, most of them are immediately carried away by the blood flow or they face rapid death. Even if few of them survive, they hardly become mature and functional cardiac or vascular cells, thus lack effectiveness. So far, we know that when we inject stem cells into the heart, the survival rate of the cells staying in the heart after 24 hours is less than 1%. However, by combining self-assembling peptide nanofiber hydrogel with stems cells and injecting the mixture into cardiac muscle, the stem cells will not be easily carried away from the heart by the blood. Thus, the retention rate is increased to 100%. In addition, problems such as the source, amount and exclusion of stem cells, as well as how to accurately inject stem cells into damaged parts of cardiac muscle and how to pass trials in large animal experiments to ensure safety are issues yet to be solved.”

To solve the above-mentioned problems, the research team led by Assistant Prof. Patrick C. H. Hsieh has developed novel pharmaceutical compositions and treatment methods, engaged in an experiment on Lanyu miniature pig, which has similar cardiac structure to that of the human beings and used self-assembling peptide nanofiber hydrogel to inject to damaged areas of cardiac infarction, thus reducing sequelae such as ventricular wall thinning and ventricular dilation and improving diastolic dysfunction from 54.2% to 85.5% after cardiac infarction.

The self-assembling peptide nanofiber hydrogel can integrate stems cells from the bone marrow in the miniature pig to effectively prevent pathological ventricular remodeling and diastolic dysfunction, significantly improve the myocardial viability and systolic function from 65.6% to 91.4%, increase the myocardial angiogenesis from 13.7% to 46.5%, reduce the range of myocardial infarction from 18.6% to 11.3%, and even promote potential myocardial regeneration.

One of the characteristics of this research achievement is modeled on the implementation of clinical therapy, from extracting stem cells from the bone marrow and mixing it with nanofiber hydrogel to completing the surgery of cardiac injection, the process only requires 30 minutes.

Assistant Prof. Patrick C. H. Hsieh emphasized, “The time to save acute myocardial infarction patients is extremely precious. Thus a fast and effective treatment method can be applied to myocardial infarction patients in the future or provide a viable alternative to patients who are not suitable for traditional treatment methods.”

Once clinical trials are completed and are developed into treatment method, it is believed that it can benefit many patients and create huge business opportunities. In general, the advantages of this discovery include simple and rapid preparation within 30 minutes, zero side-effects, zero inflammation, zero immune response and currently 0% mortality rate, and research and development potential of integrating drug release of PDGF, FGF, p38, IGF.

The breaking research achievement is funded by the 5 Year 5 Billion Project of the Ministry of Education, Taiwan, National Science Council, National Health Research Institutes, Academia Sinica and NCKU Hospital.

Facilitated by Prof. Jyh-Horung Chen, the former Superintendent of NCKU Hospital and the President of Taiwan Society of Cardiology and Prof. Hua-Lin Wu of Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the Director of Cardiovascular Research Center, the main members of the research team include Assistant Prof. Patrick C. H. Hsieh of Institute of Nanotechnology and Microsystems Engineering, Assistant Prof. Ming-Long Yeh of Institute of Biomedical Engineering, doctoral students Yi-Dong Lin and Ming-Yao Chang of Institute of Biomedical Engineering, research assistants Da-Ching Tsai, Ting-Yu Zhu, Shih-Ya Yun and Alan C.L. Tang of Stem Cell and Nano Technology Research Lab, Prof. Yu-Jen Yang of NCKU Hospital Department of Surgery, Dr. Yen-Wen Liu of NCKU Hospital Division of Cardiology, Dr. Tsai-Yun Chen of NCKU Hospital Division of Hemato-Oncology, and Dr. Kung-Chao Chang of NCKU Hospital Department of Pathology."

....................

Under the One China policy, Taiwan's economy/development belongs in this thread.

One-China policy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"The One-China policy (simplified Chinese: 一个中国; traditional Chinese: 一個中國; pinyin: yī gè Zhōnggu&#243 states that the People's Republic of China (PRC) is the sole legitimate government of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Countries seeking diplomatic relations with the PRC must acknowledge this policy and refrain from maintaining official relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan)."

In 1971, Taiwan was ejected from the U.N., because the world only recognizes one legitimate seat at the U.N. for China. The U.N. and the world agree with Mainland China that it is the sole representative of China and Taiwan. Hence, the consistent pledges of adherence to the "One China" principle by every major country in the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nation...Resolution_2758

"United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 25 October 1971 recognized the representatives of the People's Republic of China (PRC) as "the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations" and expelled the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek "from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations".[1]"

U.S. reaffirms commitment to one-China policy - People's Daily Online

"U.S. reaffirms commitment to one-China policy
08:11, March 30, 2010

The United States on Monday reaffirmed its commitment to the one-China policy, saying that it' s a commitment that should be the bedrock of the foundation of its relationship with China.

"The U.S. position on one-China policy is unchanged," Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said at a briefing at the Foreign Press Center in downtown Washington D.C.."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/21/...in1426114.shtml

"Mar 21, 2006 ... Russia, China Pledge Closer Ties ... "Russia will continue the policy supporting 'one China' declared by the Chinese government ... and ..."

http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_...n/er/111567.pdf

"Nov 30, 2009 ... The EU reaffirmed its commitment to one China policy and ... follow-up EU-China NZEC project, and the pledge by the European Commission ..."

http://nigeria2.mofcom.gov.cn/aarticle/Chi...0204389659.html

"Feb 16, 2007 ... China, Japan pledge to strengthen defense exchanges ... He noted that the Japanese government has always supported the one-China policy. ..."

http://www.twocircles.net/2008jan14/india_...ooperation.html

"Jan 14, 2008 ... India, China Pledge To Promote Nuclear Cooperation ... New Delhi declared its adherence to "one China" policy and Beijing supported India's ..."

 

[Martian2]

The United States and China have been able to cooperate for nearly 40 years in the United Nations Security Council. Being two of the five permanent members with veto-power, the U.S. and China have learned to compromise to maintain relative peace in the world.

Similarly, in the economic realm, the U.S. and China usually have a war of words in the newspapers and tend to compromise in the end. A currency war or trade war benefits no one. In economics, it is a win-win situation. As China becomes wealthier, the Chinese buy more American products.

The Sino-American dispute is centered around the speed and timing, not the substance, of the Chinese currency appreciation and market-opening measures (e.g. one example is the terms under which China will join the voluntary WTO guidelines on opening government procurement to foreign bidders).

In sum, the U.S. is pressuring China because of the political elections for Congress on November 2, 2010. The U.S. and China have been engaged in this peculiar dance on many occasions. They express their respective positions and unhappiness with each other. Afterward, they strike compromises that both sides can accept.

I don't expect to ever see a serious clash between the U.S. and China; including in the economics realm. Both sides have too much to lose. A currency war or trade war will plunge the world into a second Great Depression (i.e. repeat of 1929-1930s).

Watching the relationship between the U.S. and China is like watching your parents fight. It makes everyone nervous, but things are straightened out in the end. It is in both countries' interest to cooperate and keep the world economy humming.

 

[Martian2]

Electrified nano filter could mean cheap drinking water

"Electrified nano filter could mean cheap drinking water
By Ben Coxworth
04:56 October 17, 2010

The filter being treated with silver and CNTs (B,C), and SEM images of the cotton, silver nanowires, and CNTs (E,F,G)
[Note: CNT means carbon nanotubes. SEM means scanning electron microscope.]

Yi Cui, an Assistant Professor of Material Science and Engineering at Stanford University, has invented quite the water filter. It’s inexpensive, is very resistant to clogging, and uses much less electricity than systems that require the water to be pumped through them. It also kills bacteria, as opposed to just trapping them, which is all that many existing systems do.

Cui and his Stanford colleagues started with a basic cotton filter, as the material is cheap, widely-available and robust. Next, they covered it with sub-microscopic silver nanowires, as silver nanoparticles are well-known for their antibacterial qualities. They then added a layer of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to increase the filter’s electrical conductivity, as electricity is also known to be lethal to bacteria. Finally, they experimented with running various strengths of electrical currents through the device, eventually settling at 20 volts.

When subjected to a 1 liter-per-hour gravity-fed stream of E. coli-tainted water, the water flowed through the filter relatively quickly and easily, due to its large pores – at tens to hundreds of micrometers in width, the pores are much wider than individual bacterium, and much wider than the pores of most filtering media. This should minimize occurrences of the filter becoming clogged with bacterial matter, a condition known as biofouling.

A diagram of the filtration process

After samples of the filtered water had been left in agar dishes overnight, it was found that up to 98 percent of the bacteria had been killed. Given the water’s flow rate, it was calculated that the bacteria only needed to be in the filter for a little over one second for lethal exposure to occur. A combination of the silver, the electrical field, and/or changes in the water chemistry caused by the electricity were responsible, although the scientists are still trying to figure out just how much of a role each of those factors played.

The researchers are now investigating how effective the material is at killing other microorganisms, and whether or not trace silver and CNT residue in the filtered water is cause for concern. They are also looking into using the filter for purifying air, foods and pharmaceuticals.

The research was recently published in the journal Nano Letters."

[Note: I have kept the scientific discoveries of ethnic Chinese scientists in the United States to a minimum. I know that most of you want to know about the discoveries of Chinese scientists in China itself. However, an occasional exception is made when the discovery is sufficiently interesting.

How do I know that "Yi Cui" (the research scientist in this article) is most likely a Chinese national? It's actually quite simple. Most Chinese-Americans that I've encountered have an Anglicized first name and retain their family surname as their last name.

For example, my Anglicized first name is Martin. Since Mr. Yi Cui does not have an Anglicized first name, he is probably a Chinese national working at Stanford.]

 

[Speeder 2]

Nasa Chief on Visit to China


Speculation that Charles Bolden may hold talks on possible co-operation in space with Beijing during six-day visit.

Charles Bolden, the head of Nasa, has arrived in China for a six-day official visit during which analysts believe he may holds talks on possible co-operation with the emerging space power.

Bolden's trip comes just two weeks after the successful launch of a second Chinese lunar probe, Chang'e-2, part of a programme that seeks to send men to the Moon by 2020.

Faced with serious budgetary constraints, the US earlier this year abandoned its Constellation programme to return Americans to the Moon as a prelude to the conquest of Mars.

In contrast, China, whose economy is booming, has invested heavily in its space programme.

India and Russia are already developing a joint robotic space probe to be launched in 2013 - the same year that China hopes to conduct its third lunar landing.

Bolden's tour was first announced in November 2009 during a visit to China by Barack Obama, the US president.

During a visit to Japan at the end of 2009, Bolden said Washington was ready to discuss partnerships in space projects with China.

Space race

Beijing has sent six astronauts to space, which, among other factors, means that China now has the world's third most advanced space programme, after the US and Russia.

China has co-operated previously with the European Space Agency to explore the earth's magnetic field.

"In a sense, [space exloration] already is a global initiative ... from launching communications satellites to sending probes - and in some cases people into space," Robert Massey, of Britain's Royal Astronomical Society, told Al Jazeera.

"Bolden is there basically just to shake a few hands. It's the first step in very long process to get co-operation between the US and China in space flight."

Morris Jones, space analyst


Massey said it is still dangerous and inconvenient to explore space, but societies have become increasingly dependent on weather satellites and navigation systems.

Beyond establishing a human presence on the moon, extracting mineral resources is another, if less glamorous, goal of lunar exploration.

While humankind has already sent probes to all the planets - and to asteroids and comets - Massey said the scientific yield from space exploration is still quite high.

"If you're a responsible head of Nasa, and you want to find out what other people are doing, see if there are ways you can co-operate," Massey said.

Space programmes require a lot of technology, industry, and money but remain an international status symbol, Morris Jones, a space analyst, told Al Jazeera.

But Morris said he did not think Bolden would be given much in the way of useful technical data during his visit.

"Bolden is there basically just to shake a few hands. It's the first step in a very long process to get co-operation between the US and China in space flight," Morris said.

"Relations between the US and China are very bad at the moment for all sorts of political and economic reasons.

"Relations on earth have a direct bearing on what they will do in outer space."

Political controversy

Bolden's trip has been criticised by some US politicians, who see Beijing as a competitor rather than a potential partner in the space race.

Representative John Culberson, a Republican from Texas, recently raised objections to the trip in a letter to Obama, saying the US Congress should have been consulted first.

"I have grave concerns about the nature and goals of China's space programme and strongly oppose any co-operation between Nasa and CNSA's (China National Space Administration's) human space flight programmes without congressional authorisation," he wrote.

"Considering that Congress has raised concerns about and set limitations on cooperation with China, I do not believe it is appropriate for the administrator to meet with any Chinese officials until Congress is fully briefed on the nature and scope of Mr. Bolden's trip and planned discussions on co-operation," the letter said.


Nasa chief on visit to China - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English

 

[Speeder 2]

ABC's Diane Sawyer, 'World News' headed to China


NEW YORK (AP) — ABC News is sending Diane Sawyer to China next month for a three-day reporting trip to find out how that country's economy continues to grow.

Sawyer will originate her evening "World News" broadcast in China from Nov. 15-17. The network said Friday that Sawyer will visit Beijing and Shanghai, and be accompanied by reporters David Muir and Clarissa Ward.

"World News" Executive Producer Jon Banner said many Americans are curious about how China has been able to make changes and continue its growth in the face of a worldwide recession.

"There's a mystery, there's some xenophobia around it, and we wanted to explore what is really happening in the country and see what we can learn from what is happening there," Banner said.

Banner noted how China has become "a bogeyman" in some congressional campaigns this fall, and predicted the nation and its relationship with the United States will be big issues in the 2012 presidential campaign.

He said ABC News hasn't faced any restrictions in its reporting in advance of the trip. He said the network hoped to speak with the nation's political leaders, but isn't sure whether that will happen.

Sawyer has traveled to Afghanistan, Haiti and the Gulf Coast region during the oil spill since taking over at "World News" last December. The broadcast remains second behind NBC in the evening news ratings.

NBC's Brian Williams has made frequent trips to the Gulf Coast post-Katrina and during the oil spill, and CBS' Katie Couric went to Afghanistan in August.


The Associated Press: ABC's Diane Sawyer, 'World News' headed to China


I used to watch ABC "Evening News" . Here in the UK BBC News24 runs a joint News programme with ABC, which usually starts at 3am or so. So I used to automatic recording it. ABC has plenty of news on China normally, and it's not as anti-China as CNN. Can't wait to watch this field report of Sawyer, who just became the news anchor of ABC.

 

[Brotherhood]

China to reduce rare earth export quotas - People's Daily Online
October 19, 2010

China will further reduce quotas for rare earth exports by 30 percent at most next year to protect the precious metals from over-exploitation, said an official from the Ministry of Commerce.

He added that the country is now facing the possibility that reserves of medium and heavy rare earths might run dry within 15 to 20 years if the current rate of production is maintained.

Export quotas will continue to be axed in the first half of next year, said the source who declined to be named.

China, which produces 95 percent of the world's supplies, has reduced 2010 production levels and slashed export quotas by 72 percent for the second half to 7,976 tons, according to ministry data.

Rare earths, composed of 17 elements, are used in a number of high-tech processes ranging from wind turbines and hybrid cars to missiles.

Domestic deposits dropped to 27 million tons by the end of 2009 - that's 30 percent of the world's total explored reserves - from 43 million in 1996, said Chao Ning, section chief of foreign trade with the ministry at a Beijing conference.

He said reserves of medium and heavy rare earths may only last 15 to 20 years at the current rate of production, which could lead to China being forced to imports supplies.

Medium and heavy rare earth, also known as ion-absor bed-type rare earth, is more valuable than the lighter variety. It's used in advanced areas such as missiles.

China's verified reserves of ion-absorbed-type rare earth stood at 8 million tons in 2008, while reserves of light rare earth totaled 50 to 60 million, according to data from the Ministry of Land and Resources.

"China is not the only country that has these deposits, but it has been dominating the world's supply market for more than a decade, thereby depleting its own resources," Chao said.

He added that strategic, environmental and economic considerations mean that the country can't afford to continue shouldering the burden of supplying the world.

Some developed countries - such as the United States, which alone holds 15 percent of the world's reserves - depend almost entirely on Chinese supplies. They ceased domestic production long ago because importation is more cost effective.

Prices in China rose by fractionally more than 20 percent since 1979 to hit an average of $8,500 per ton in 2009.

Prices started to pick up in the middle of that year as the government began to reform the industry by cracking down on illegal mining practices and by reducing exports.

Some of the major rare earth oxides, such as neodymium, had rallied to 24,600 yuan a ton by the end of September, a rise of 80 percent from January.
Source: China Daily

 

[Martian2]

City of Hohhot is located in the province of Inner Mongolia, China.

Jin Hui hotel in Hohhot, China

Top stories of the day: China oil, gas and petrochemicals -- Oct. 18

"Top stories of the day: China oil, gas and petrochemicals -- Oct. 18
Sunday, October 17, 2010 11:37 PM

BEIJING, Oct. 18, 2010 (Xinhua News Agency) -- The following are top stories in China's oil, gas and petrochemical sector on Monday:

1. The Chinese capital Beijing is to buy 4 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from a coal-to-gas project located in Hohhot of China's northern Inner Mongolia, Beijing Business News reported on Monday.

Beijing Enterprises Group Co., Ltd., a Beijing-based industrial company, has inked an agreement with Hohhot city government during the weekend to jointly invest some 30 billion yuan on the coal-to-gas project. The project will become the second largest natural gas supply source for Beijing and the first time the capital city uses the gas made from coal.

2. Dina-2 gasfield, the largest gas producing unit of PetroChina's flagship Tarim oilfield, has raised its daily natural gas output from 8 million cubic meters to 9.4 million cubic meters since the beginning of October 2010 in a bid to ensure gas supply during the winter peak season.

PetroChina (PTR.NYSE; 601857.SH; 0857.HK), China's largest oil and gas producer, said in a statement available on its website on Monday that the gasfield will further increase its daily natural gas output to over 12 million cubic meters later in 2010, making the gas producing unit's total annual production rise to 4 billion cubic meters in the year.

3. Sulige gasfield, China's largest gas producing unit, has produced 8.021 billion cubic meters of natural gas by Oct. 15, 2010, as the PetroChina's major gas producing unit has started full swing production to meet increasing gas demands over the coming winter.

According to a statement posted in the website of PetroChina, the gasfield has put 2,676 gas wells into operation with a total daily gas output of 31 million cubic meters.

4. China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the parent company of PetroChina, has discovered a significant gasfield in Central Asia's Turkmenistan with an estimated gas reserve of 1.6 trillion cubic meters, according to Asia Times reports reaching here on Monday.

The report, which did not name the source, said that the discovery is made in Amu Darya River of Turkmenistan.

(Edited by Qiu Jun, Qiujun@xinhua.org)
(Source: Quotemedia)"

Map of China's oil and gas fields

Workers of the No. one oil extracting unit of the Changqing oilfield inspect oil tanks in Yan'an, northwest China's Shaanxi province on Dec. 16, 2007. (Xinhua/Tao Ming)

PetroChina Sulige gasfield produces 8.02bln cu.m of gas since operation

"PetroChina Sulige gasfield produces 8.02 bln cu.m of gas since operation
Monday, October 18, 2010 3:40 AM

BEIJING, Oct. 18, 2010 (Xinhua News Agency) -- China's largest gas production site, the Sulige gasfield in PetroChina's Changqing oilfield, has produced 8.021 billion cubic meters of natural gas as of October 15, 2010. The gasfield started full-swing production to meet increasing gas demands over the coming winter.

According to a statement posted in the website of PetroChina (PTR.NYSE; 601857.SH; 00857.HK), the Sulige gasfield has put 2,676 gas wells into operation since the beginning of 2010 with a total daily gas output of 31 million cubic meters, up 43 percent over the same period in 2009.

Changqing oilfield is the major natural gas supply source for Beijing, the capital city of China. PetroChina has already built two Shaanxi-to-Beijing natural gas pipelines connecting the gas producing field and the gas consumers in Beijing with a total annual capacity of 20 billion cubic meters.

The third Shaanxi-to-Beijing natural gas pipeline is to enter into operation in the fourth quarter in 2010 with additional annual gas supply capacity of 15 billion cubic meters.

(Edited by Qiu Jun, Qiujun@xinhua.org)
(Source: Quotemedia)"


PetroChina is either the second- or third-largest company in the world by market value.

Apple Briefly Became Second Most Valuable Company - BusinessWeek

"Apple Briefly Became Second Most Valuable Company
September 23, 2010, 4:57 PM EDT
By Adam Satariano

(Updates valuations starting in second paragraph.)

Sept. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. briefly overtook PetroChina Co. to become the second-biggest company in the world by market value, lifted by investors betting on growth prospects for the iPhone, Macintosh and iPad.

Apple climbed as high as $292.76 in intraday trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market, giving it a market value of $267.5 billion, the second-highest company behind Exxon Mobil Corp. By 4 p.m. New York time, Apple slipped to $288.92, putting the company’s value at $263.9 billion, less than PetroChina’s $265.5 billion valuation."

 

[Carnivore]

China's GDP grows 9.6% in Q3

BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's economic growth continued to decelerate in the third quarter as the government weans the economy from the stimulus and back to normal. But rising inflation posed new challenges.

The gross domestic product (GDP) grew 9.6 percent in the third quarter from the same period last year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Thursday.

The growth rate slowed down from 11.9 percent in the first quarter and10.3 percent in the second quarter.

From January to September, GDP increased by 10.6 percent year-on- year to 26.866 trillion yuan (about 4.028 trillion U.S. dollars), the NBS said.

"The economic performance is generally sound," Sheng Laiyun, NBS's spokesman, told a press conference.

"In the face of complicated and fast-changing domestic and international situations and challenges, China implemented the stimulus package and sped up economic restructuring. The economic turnaround has been further consolidated and is moving in the anticipated direction," Sheng said.

He said the government would keep its macro-economic policy "consistent and stable," and make it more "targeted and flexible."

"More efforts will be made to transform the economic development mode, deepen opening-up and reform, improve people's lives and ensure stable and relatively fast economic growth," he said.

In September, consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 3.6 percent year on year, up 0.6 percentage points from August. It was also the third consecutive monthly rise.

On Oct. 19, China's central bank surprisingly announced it would raise the one-year deposit and lending rate by 25 basic points to tame rising inflation amid ultra-high fixed-asset prices.

China's industrial value-added output growth slows to 13.3% in September

BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's industrial value-added output year-on-year growth slowed to 13.3 percent in September from 13.9 percent in August, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced Thursday.

The growth rate for the first nine months was 16.3 percent year on year, down 0.3 percentage points from the January-to-July period, the NBS said.

Industrial value-added output measures the final results of industrial production, which is the value of gross industrial output minus intermediate inputs such as raw materials and labor.

China's September CPI up 3.6%, a 24-month high

The consumer price index (CPI), China's main gauge of inflation, rose by a 24-month high of 3.6 percent in September from one year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Thursday.

The growth rate was 0.1 percentage point higher compared with that in August, the NBS said.

On a month-on-month basis, China's CPI grew 0.6 percent in September from August, it said.

 

[Martian2]

- China win fourth men's team gold after Japanese fall | Reuters

"China win fourth men's team gold after Japanese fall
By Marie-Claire Calvert
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands | Thu Oct 21, 2010 6:04pm EDT

Teng Haibin of China celebrates after his performance on the horizontal bar during the men's team final at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam on October 21, 2010. (Credit: Reuters/Dylan Martinez)

Team China celebrates their victory on the podium with silver medallists Japan (L) and bronze medallists Germany (R) after the men's team final at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam on October 21, 2010. (Credit: REUTERS/Dylan Martinez)

(Reuters) - China claimed their fourth successive men's team title at the gymnastics world championships after rivals Japan tumbled out of the running with a fall from the horizontal bar on Thursday.

Olympic champions China took a narrow 0.794 of a point lead into the final rotation and Japan's gold-medal hopes were all but dashed when Kazuhito Tanaka fell to the mat from the bar.

That left China knowing three wobble-free performances would land them the top prize and they did not disappoint.

Former Olympic champion Teng Haibin punched his fists into the air when he sealed victory for the Asian powerhouse with a total of 274.997 points.

Japan earned silver with 273.769 and crowd favorites Germany picked up bronze after scoring 271.252.

"I can't express how I felt when he fell," Japan team manager Yusuke Ikeda told reporters. "I knew that the title was gone."

An inconsolable Tanaka added: "I'm very sad, I did my best."

The Chinese, led by Olympic rings champion Chen Yibing, were solid on all their six rotations while Japan made costly errors on the rings as well as the horizontal bar.

"I have already experienced this event and we got the gold before so I did not feel so nervous. I just wanted to encourage my team mates to win because they are less experienced," said a beaming Yibing.

(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)"

 

[Brotherhood]

Chinese 4G mobile standard goes global - People's Daily OnlineOctober 22, 2010

China's homegrown fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication standard has been selected as one of six global benchmarks by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Thursday.

LTE-Advanced and 802.16m - the categories which cover the six different 4G technology standards - were both approved at an ITU conference in Chongqing this week, according to the ministry.

The ministry also said ITU will complete its 4G International Standard Proposal Book by the end of 2011, which will be officially released at the beginning of 2012. Then, the 4G international standards will be formally established.

The TD-LTE-Advanced technology has a download speed of 100 megabytes per second, faster than the preceding third-generation TD-SCDMA technology.

Industry analysts said Chinese telecom enterprises are set to benefit from the TD-LTE 4G standard, as it will help to open both domestic and overseas markets for them.

"The situation now is very different from 10 years ago, when TD-SCDMA was set up as a 3G international standard," said Yang Hua, secretary-general of TD Industry Association in China.

He said because China lacked an industry eco-system at that time, the use of TD-SCDMA technology was largely restrained to the domestic market.

International enterprises were wary of investing in a technology developed in China, especially when it had not undergone a market test.

"But now, we have a good technological base, which means the period of the 4G industrialization process will be greatly shortened," said Yang. "That offers opportunities for Chinese companies to expand their businesses overseas."

China Mobile launched its TD-SCDMA service in January 2009, and the largest mobile operator in the world will have invested 100 billion yuan ($15 billion) in it by the end of this year.

Prior to September, the company had 15.27 million TD-SCDMA subscribers. Overall, it has 507 million subscribers, most of them using second-generation technologies.

Chen Jinqiao, deputy chief engineer from the China Academy of Telecommunication Research, said equipment manufacturers such as Datang and Huawei will among the first to profit from the use of TD-LTE-Advanced.

"They have invested large sums of money in the research phase, but they will benefit when the 4G network goes into construction," Chen said.

Telecom operators will reap rewards when they provide richer applications for customers. Their services will become faster, smoother and with higher resolution in the 4G age, Chen said.

Nearly all the best known international telecom companies, such as Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung, are engaged in the TD-LTE industry. They are determined not to miss out on the Chinese market again as they did in TD-SCDMA era, Yang at TD Industry Association said.

"They lost many China Mobile contracts when bidding against companies such as Huawei and ZTE, because they ignored the development of TD-SCDMA and offered very few competent products," Yang said.

Shi Guang, secretary-general of TD Forum, said Chinese telecom companies in the TD-LTE industry chain will be presented with a great business opportunity when they enter the international market.

"They will go head-to-head with global companies. Who dares say that another Huawei or ZTE may not emerge in the process?" Shi asked.

According to a survey by Ovum, an international market consulting company, the TD-LTE technology will earn about $150 billion in revenue by 2015.

Source: China Daily

 

[Brotherhood]

China launches own online map service - People's Daily Online October 22, 2010

The screen grabs of Map World.

China has launched its official online mapping service, Map World, as Google Inc has yet to apply for a Web mapping license in the country.

The State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping (SBSM) officially unveiled the free online map service on Thursday.

The service will provide "comprehensive geological data", said Xu Deming, director of the SBSM, at the launch ceremony.

Map World, the government-backed service, will "allow users to fly over mountains and plains around the world and search restaurants and traffic information across the country, free of charge", he said.

Users can enter Map World directly through ?????????? or ?????????? and search for two and three-dimensional images across the world, without client installations like Google Earth.

The service features images of satellite remote sensing with a resolution of 500 meters but this is enhanced to 2.5 meters for the Chinese map and 0.6 meters for maps of more than 300 Chinese cities.

"It took about two years to prepare the service with all the satellite images taken from 2006 to 2010," Jiang Jie, director of the database department of the National Geomatics Center under the SBSM, told China Daily on Thursday.

But the technology and website construction are still at a preliminary stage. Service providers have more than 80 virtual machines to support the operation with the ability to handle 10 million requests daily, while Google Earth has thousands of virtual machines, Jiang said.

"Our map service is expected to update the geological data about twice a year, but Google Earth can update its information every couple of minutes, through satellites," Jiang said.

"In the near future, Map World will grow to be a famous Chinese brand for online map services with proven reliability," Xu Deming said.

Regulations on updating data are still under discussion, Min Yiren, deputy director of the SBSM, said.

"All the mapping information has been permitted by the SBSM and related national security departments," Min said.

Restrictions on Internet mapping have been implemented in China to avoid disclosure of State secrets and block uncertified maps.

The screen grabs of Google Map.

The SBSM introduced a regulation in May that required companies providing online map and location services in China to apply for approval.

To date, around 70 to 80 companies have applied and 31, including Nokia, Baidu, Alibaba, Sina and Tencent, have been granted licenses, Song Chaozhi, deputy director of the SBSM, told China Daily earlier.

But Google China has not officially submitted an application, he said.

Qualified online map service providers are required to keep servers that store map data inside the Chinese mainland and must have no record of information leakage in any form over the past three years.

The launch of Map World will "decrease the development and research cost" for providing commercial geological information "and regulate the Internet mapping market", Min said.

Map World users gave positive feedback after trying the service on Thursday.

One user in Beijing, surnamed Cui, told China Daily on Thursday that Map World can even locate the 7-Eleven, and Weiduomei, a well-known bakery, near her place of work.

Wang Xing contributed to this story.

By Wang Qian, China Daily