"..From the Jus' so's ya know Department.."
Here's another interesting tidbit
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Beijing Briefs
by Su Guanming
Beijing Leads Pack
Beijing leads the development charge of China's four municipalities as economic growth accelerated during the first four months of this year.
Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing kept growing fast, according to the Beijing Statistics Bureau. With GDP hitting 40.65 billion yuan in the first quarter, Beijing boasted a 12.2 percent increase over the same period last year, top of the four cities.
Tianjin, Chongqing and Shanghai followed up with GDP reaching 30.43 billion yuan (up 11.1 percent), 34.25 billion yuan (up 11 percent) and 80.46 billion yuan (up 8.1 percent). Meanwhile, the average citizens' income of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing also took a great step forward, hitting 2,398.4 yuan, 2,020.6 yuan, 2,769.5 yuan and 1,693 yuan, increases of 5.1, 9.8, 19.5 and 8 percent.
Dairy Products Boom
Beijing residents are switching from imported to domestic dairy products after the Belgian dioxin contamination scare, according to offical newspapers including the Beijing Morning Post.
Although suspected dioxin-infected meat and dairy imports are only those produced after January 15 this year in Belgium, Netherlands, France and Germany, comsumers still retain suspicions of brands including Nestle and Anlene.
The No. 1 Factory of Sanyuan Food Company, a local fresh milk provider, reported daily sales had risen to 250 tons from 200 tons before June 9, when the Ministry of Public Health banned sales of dairy products imported from the four countries.
Sales of other domestic fresh milk producers had also doubled to pre-June 9 levels, according to a saleswoman with the Sogo Shopping Mall in Beijing.
Imported dairy products, mainly milk power, totalled 100,000 tons last year, accounting for one-seventh of domestic consumption in the same period. A considerable proportion of imported milk powder was from the Netherlands and France. The dioxin contamination scare has presented an opportunity for Chinese dairy producers to expand their market share by filling the vacuum left by Dutch and French dairy products.
A foreign dairy product company spokesman reacted angrily to the ban by claiming the Chinese government did not monitor or enforce food safety standards as rigorously as in European countries. Even if China did enforce standards, he added, it is open to question if any problems would be reported.
Renminbi Not Hurting
Interest rate cuts announced recently will not influence the stability of the Chinese currency, according to an independent analyst.
The government stranglehold of the foreign exchange market would continue to stave off pressure from the widening gap emerging between interest rates on renminbi and the US dollar, said He Ning, a chief representative of Merrill Lynch's Beijing Office.
The interest rate for one-year term deposits in Chinese financial institutions now stands at 2.25 percent, as compared to 4.44 percent for a US dollar deposit for the same term. "There may be selling of renminbi for US dollars in the black market following the cut, but the size of the black market is too small to have an impact on the renminbi," he said.
Those Real Estate Stats
Beijing invested 6.69 billion yuan (US$806 million ) in real estate in the first four months of this year, up 10.6 percent from the same period of last year, according to the official China Daily.
The figure included 2.64 billion yuan (US$296 million ) invested by state firms and 2.91 billion yuan (US$351 million ) invested by overseas firms. The city sold 426,000 square meters of housing during the period, up 4.3 percent. Meanwhile, individual housing purchases remained on the rise.
Computer Exhibit
An international exhibition on computer information system safety will be held in Beijing between October 25-28.
Exhibits will include software, technology and systems related to computer system safety. By the end of 1998, China had 2.1 million Internet subscribers and 17,000 registered domain names, together with more than 744,000 computers online.
The exhibition will be sponsored by the Ministry of Public Security and the State Information Center.
Food Fair
The International Conference on Oriental Food (ICOF '99) will be held in Beijing October 11-14.
The four-day conference aims at strengthening technical exchanges and co-operation between Eastern and Western food institutes and enterprises as well as playing a role in the industrialization process of oriental food production.
The conference will include forums led by senior managers and group discussions on production technologies and industrial development together with an exhibition focusing on the raw ingredients used to prepare Asian food.
Software Exports
Beijing government plans to boost computer software exports, according to reports in Beijing's Computer Daily.
The city has opted for exports, setting a US$50 million export target this year. Authorities suggest it is achievable because of the huge development potential of the sector. Software exporters will be granted a favourable payback rate of 17 percent.
Bank Lends to University
Hua Xia Bank, a rapidly growing commercial bank in China, will provide a 500 million yuan (US$60 million) loan this year to Beijing University.
The contract between Hua Xia and Beijing University is the first co-operative agreement of its kind between a Chinese university and a bank.
Hua Xia has established close ties with the four high-tech enterprises under Beijing University ?the Founder Group, Resource Group, Weiming Group and Jade Bird Sci-tech Company.
Hua Xia will issue bank cards to provide personalized financial services to university students and teachers. It will also grant loans to needy students.
Consumer Society
Demand for consumer goods including computers, microwave ovens, mobile phones and credit cards have rocketed in recent years, according to research by ACNielsen Media International.
Between 1997 and 1998, computer ownership in the capital city has doubled from 8 to 16 percent, and mobile phone ownership increased from 3 to 11 percent.
ACNielsen research also shows Chinese consumers being drawn to brand names: Coca-Cola, Sprite and Pepsi-Cola are the three leading brands of soft drink; Dove and Cadbury lead the chocolate market.
In toiletries, Colgate toothpaste and Rejoice shampoo are consumer favorites, while Safeguard and Lux are competing neck and neck for soap customers.
Auto Show
The sixth Beijing International Automotive Industry Exhibition, also known as Auto China 2000, is to be held at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing June 6-12 next year.
According to Chen Rouwei, president of the China International Exhibition Center, Auto China 2000 is expected to cover a record area of 65,000 square meters.
Like previous auto exhibitions, the show reflects great changes that have taken place in China's auto industry, according to an un-named official involved in the preparatory work.
The official also said domestic enterprises will exhibit high-tech achievements made with the help of foreign investment and technology transfers.
Other trends are preserving the environment and saving energy. More cars powered by solar energy and other kinds of new concept vehicles are expected to make their appearance at the show.
Company Sets Up
The German-based Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) recently launched its first wholly owned card system company.
Active in the manufacture of bank notes, security paper, cards, components and complete integrated solutions for electronic payment systems, Giesecke & Devrient plans to transfer its latest technology to China and market its products through the Beijing company.
Sports Meeting Fun
The Foreign Invested Enterprises Sports Meeting was held in Beijing Physical Education Normal School in May. More than 2,000 athletes from about 31 foreign invested companies joined the event.
Zhang Mao, the deputy mayor and honorary chairman of Beijing Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment, opened the ceremony.
After a day's intense competition, Beijing Want Want Food Ltd team gained the top honor, Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (BDA) team ran second, while Beijing International Switching System Co Ltd team finished third.
China Briefs
Largest IT Market
China is expected to become the largest information technology market in the Asia-Pacific region excluding Japan by 2000, according to a recent report by International Data Corporation (IDC), a US market research firm.
China will represent approximately one-third of the total IT market in this region by 2003, the report claims.
By 2000, the IT market in China is forecast to grow to US$15 billion from US$9.24 billion in 1998. China has surpassed South Korea to become the second largest IT market excluding Japan in 1998, and it is expected to pull ahead of Australia in 2000 to become the No. 1 market.
Foreign Experts Awarded
The State Bureau of Foreign Experts Affairs plans to award 100 foreign experts a "Friendship prize" for their outstanding service to China, according to the official China Daily.
The presentations will be made before Chinese National Day this year. More than 1,000 foreign experts will be invited to attend this year's national day reception.
The system of rewarding foreign experts in China began in the 1950s. By the end of 1998, 740,000 foreign experts, from more than 50 countries and regions, had worked in China.
The official article did not indicate what the lucky recipient of a "Friendship prize" would exactly receive.
Shanghainese Favor Insurance
The residents of Shanghai are showing interest in insurance as living conditions get better and people become more aware of risks. An international insurance show that is being held now in the city has attracted thousands of visitors every day eager to get more information. Visitors can take part in various forums sponsored by big insurance companies. As China opens wider to the outside world, Shanghai has become full of activities related to the insurance market, with 10 Chinese and eight foreign insurance companies setting up offices.
Fast Train Produced in China
A high speed electric train which can reach 200 kilometers per hour has come off production line recently at the Changchun Passenger Railway Car Plant in Northeast China's Jilin Province.
"Electric-powered locomotives are considered safe, convenient, pollution free and ideal for shuttle services between cities and between downtown and suburban areas" said Chen Junchuan, section chief of the design department of the plant in Changchun, capital of the province.
The development of high speed trains is a key state scientific and technological project which is an essential part of the Ninth Five Year Plan (1996-2000). According to some source, the Changchun Locomotive Car Plant is now designing a train to reach speeds of 300 kilometers per hour.
Ready for Y2K
The People's Bank of China (PBOC), the central bank, issued an anti-Y2K directive recently. According to this directive, China's banking sector and savings departments under the post offices are ordered to suspend their business for certain periods of time in a bid to carry out Y2K checkups.
In the meantime, China's insurance sector's watchdog, the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC), gave the same orders to all domestic insurance companies demanding they suspend their business along with the banks.
The suspension of business will be carried out from 12 am on July 17 to 12 am on July 18, and from 12 am on September 18 to 12 am on September 19, according to the PBOC and the CIRC.
Space Record
Yang Jiaxi, 80, a renowned Chinese aerospace scientist, recently expressed his hope for an opportunity to enter the Guiness Book of World Records by joining the crew of a Chinese spacecraft and becoming the world's oldest astronaut.
Former US astronaut John Glenn, 77, returned to space in October 1998 to participate in aging research. Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962, became the oldest astronaut to travel into space.
According to Yang, China will launch its own space shuttles and land on the moon during the 21st century. "It will take three days to reach the moon, and approximately one year to reach Venus." he also said.
China is striving to achieve break-throughs in manned space vehicles early next century, and the country's Long March rocket series has proved to be safe and reliable for space launches, officials say.
Smoking Phone
A special telephone line was opened recently in Hunan Province, Central China, for free smoking consultation service, the first of its kind in the country.
A recent survey by the Hunan Provincial Institute of Health Education shows that the province has some 20 million smokers, or nearly 30 percent of its population.
Although some 80 percent of the smokers say they'd like to quit , fewer than 3 percent are able to succeed, so the consultation line was set up to give advice to those who want to give up smoking.
English Test
The Ministry of Education will implement a national testing system for English this September. The system is designed to evaluate, in a scientific way, students's mastery of English. The test system will be carried out this year in a group of pilot cities and provinces including Beijing, Tianjin, Guangdong, Liaoning and Shandong, and across the country in 2000, according to the Workers' Daily.
The new testing method was worked out by the Ministry of Education, under a Sino-British co-operation project. Meanwhile, the British Government and Oxford University are also providing financial and technical support.
Light Industrial Products Fair
The 99 China Small Commodities Fair will be held in Yiwu, in East China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 8-12 this year.
According to the organizers, goods for daily use, garments and non-staple foods are to be the main items on display. Meanwhile, entertainment activities, seminars on the national wholesale market and symposiums on the theme of investment are scheduled to be held during the fair.
The main exhibition hall will cover 30,000 square meters and contain 800 booths. In addition, a multi-media information network will be established and the fair will also be accessible online.
Gold Price System to Be Reformed
China is planning to reform the pricing system for its gold products to keep pace with changes in the world market.
Reform measures will include: changes in retail and wholesale prices based on fluctuations in the world market; separating actual prices from processing fees; altering procedures for setting prices in relation to weight; and reducing taxes in a bid to lighten the financial burdens on producers.
China's authorities have long exercised tight control over gold products, resulting in price differences between the domestic and global markets. Prices of gold ornaments in China's mainland areas are 20 to 35 yuan (US $2.40-4.20), higher per gram on average than those in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore.
In addition, taxes paid by China's gold enterprises are higher than those in other Southeast Asian nations and regions. According to official statistics, China used about 192 tons of gold last year, making it the fourth-largest gold market in the world as well as number one in the Far East.
Digital Camera Market Grows
China's demand for digital cameras is expected to hit 1 million in 2000, according to a recent estimation by the State Administration of Machinery Industry (SAMI).
Official statistics show 11 million cameras of all kinds were sold in China during 1998. Industry analysts predict this year's sales volume will top 12 million. The market is far from being saturated, with current statistics showing only 30 cameras for every 100 urban families, and fewer than three cameras for every 100 rural households, according to SAMI.
Trade Fair
The Third China Fair for International Investment and Trade is to be held in Xiamen Special Economic Zone, Fujian Province, September 8-12.
To obtain the invitation, call the organizing committee on (591) 784-6650, 785-6529, Foreign Investment Department of Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation on 10-6519-7839/7325.
To get a list of projects, check the internet: chinafair.org.cn, or consult the organizing committee on 591-784-6650. To reserve an exhibition booth, call (591) 785-6529.
Jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, Fujian Provincial People's Government, People's Government of Xiamen Municipality, the fair is the sole national event for investment promotion in China. Business talks, symposiums and relative activities will be held during the fair. |
