China Economy Forum

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This was one of the top 10 China scientific development in 2011 has made the headline of scientific / industrial news last year:

China develops the world’s largest selective Laser Sintering equipment

Dec.8, 2011

Huazhong University of Science and Technology research team in China has successfully developed a selective Laser Sintering machine with build volume of 1200mm x 1200mm. Currently the big players in the laser sintering machine market are EOS from Germany and 3D systems from US. EOSINT P730 Plastic laser-sintering system has an effective build volume of 730 x 380 x 580 mm (27.6 x 15 x 22.9 in.) and 3D Systems' sPro™ has the build volume of 550 x 550 x 750 mm (22 x 22 x 30 in.). Therefore this is at the moment the largest laser sintering system available on the market.

The selective Laser Sintering technology can shorten the development cycle from months to weeks. It can be used in manufacturing power equipment, aerospace, automotive and other high-end products, such as hollow turbine blades, turbine disks, engine exhaust, engine block and cylinder head etc.

In 2010 the team was selected by Airbus to support producing large-scale titanium alloy structural parts for aerospace. It is reported that they have already got 200 orders for this system.

Here are some photo examples showing the products from the technology.

photo 1. PS Wax mold of Aluminum gearbox for tank engines

photo 2. A large thin-walled mold with size 847.92 x 185.46 x 229.90mm, building time is 29.3 hours. The accuracy is 200+-0.2mm, minimal wall thickness is 3.3mm.

Below are another three products they have made for customers:

1. Aluminum door frame wax mold for planes: size: 1020.27 x 109.98 x 113.26mm. Building time: 10.5 hours

2. A large titanium thin-walled mold for satellite: size: 660mm x 660mm x 760mm, accuracy 0.1%, building time: 72 hours

3. A titanium frame wax mold for satellite: size: 750mm x 750mm x 764mm, accuracy 0.1%, building time: 54 hours

Huazhong Science and Technology University's additional reporting (in Chinese)

华中科技大学 材料科学与工程学院 College of Material Science and Engineering, Huazhong Science and Technology Univeristy


China develops the worlds largest selective laser sintering equipmentl

 

[WS-10 Engine]

Wow this is huge news.

So only Germany, US and China can make this machine.

 

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China produces its first megawatt level hts motor


Chinatechgadget

2012-10-16 — No. 712 Institute of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation has developed Chinese first 1000kW HTS (high temperature super-conductor) motor, which has passed the project examination in Beijing by the Ministry of Science. It indicates that China already has a megawatt HTS motor design and manufacturing capabilities to become one of the few countries to master the key technology of high-temperature superconducting motor.

The zero current resistance characteristics of high-temperature superconducting materials in low-temperature environments has greater current carrying capacity which is far superior to the ordinary copper wires. The HTS motor has high torque density and stand-alone extremely large capacity significant advantages. According to estimates, respectively, HTS motor’s volume and weight is only 1/2 and 1/3 of the conventional motor and also has the advantages of high efficiency, low noise, easy to maintain, flexible operation. The HTS motor has a bright application prospect in marine electric propulsion and new energy field.

No. 712 Institute over the years has engaged in the superconducting applied research work, and is the earliest unit in the study of superconducting motor. In 2012, No. 712 Institute completed one of 863 planned key projects “1000kW high-temperature superconducting motor”, breaking the high-temperature super- conductive machine key technology. The prototype has been completed multi-condition test, full load operation of the 500 laps / minute speed under 1000kW, with motor efficiency of 95%. Those technical indicators have reached the design requirements, electrical and cryogenic systems run stable, the overall index has reached the international advanced level. Through years of research, No. 712 Institute has established a dedicated design and analysis of high-temperature superconducting motor system, built a test device and test platform, has accumulated valuable experience in engineering development, training a research and development team to carry out large-capacity HTS motor in future.

The HTS motor as an important research direction for marine electric propulsion and wind power. In recent years it become a hot research field of high-temperature superconducting applications. With the continuous development of the technology of high-temperature superconducting materials, superconducting motor technology engineering applications, resulting in significant economic and social benefits.

 

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安徽在建世界最高特高压输电跨越塔封顶

2012年10月29日10:40 来源：中国青年报

Anhui under construction the UHV transmission of the highest in the world closes the tower capped

At 10:40 on the October 29, 2012 Source: China Youth Daily

people.com.cn

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10月28日，在安徽省铜陵县，安徽送变电工程公司的施工人员在270多米的高空作业。当日，由安徽送变电工程公司承建的“皖电东送”淮南至上海特高压交流输电示范工程长江南岸跨越铁塔封顶。

　　我国首条同塔双回路特高压交流输电工程——“皖电东送”工程西起安徽淮南，经皖南、浙北到达上海，线路全长656公里，共有1421座铁塔，整个工程计划2013年底建成投运。

　　目前，该工程已进入最为关键的跨越长江阶段，为此建设的跨越铁塔高达277.5米。该工程由于采用的是两条回路都通过同一座输电塔进行跨越，线路自重超过一般线路两倍以上，对跨越铁塔的塔基牢固性、塔身稳定性的要求超过以往，属于世界同类塔中高度最高、施工难度最大的一项工程。

　　郑贤列摄（新华社发）

October 28 in Tongling County, Anhui Province, Anhui Transmission and Distribution Project construction workers operating at an altitude of over 270 meters. The date of construction of Transmission and Distribution Project by Anhui Anhui electrical East Huainan first Hite high voltage AC transmission demonstration project south bank of the Yangtze River Crossing Tower cap.

China's first double-circuit on the same tower UHV AC transmission project - "Anhui electric East" project west Huainan, Anhui, southern Anhui, Zhejiang North to reach Shanghai, the line length of 656 kilometers, a total of 1421 Tower entire project by the end of 2013 put into operation.

At present, the project has entered the most critical stage across the Yangtze River, up to 277.5 meters across Tower building for this purpose. This works because the two loop through a transmission tower across the line weight than the general line more than twice Taki firmly across Tower, the tower stability requirements than in the past, belongs to the tower of its kind in the world maximum height of one of the most difficult construction projects.

Cheng Yin - photo (Xinhua News Agency issued)

Translation: google

Photo courtesy:
1 people.com.cn
2 and 3 Anhuinews.com
4. sohu
5. news.66wz.com

 

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我国首条采用大直径泥水盾构施工的地下电气化铁路隧道建设取得突破进展
新闻中心-中国网 news.china.com.cn　　时间： 2012-10-29　

China's first large diameter slurry shield construction underground electric railway tunnel breakthrough progress in building
News - the Chinese network news.china.com.cn time: 2012-10-29

news.china.com.cn

10月28日，一名工人在离开北京地下直径线工程施工现场时回望施工工地。
　　北京地下直径线工程是我国第一条采用大直径泥水盾构施工的地下电气化铁路隧道，是承启北京站与北京西站的重要地下工程，地处北京市中心区，呈东西走向，线路全长9151米，其中隧道长7230米。中铁隧道集团承建了该线包括5175米盾构隧道施工在内的6230米隧道施工任务。其中直径12.04米的盾构掘进，为国内独头掘进距离最长的大直径泥水盾构施工，因其施工风险高、施工难度大，被北京市列为“施工最难，风险最大的在建地下工程”，被铁道部列为“极高风险I号工程”。目前，盾构掘进累计完成已超过4000米，87个安全风险源已顺利通过67个，施工安全质量得到北京市、铁道部的好评。2012年9月，盾构机压缩空气条件下切割焊接技术试验的成功，填补了国内空白；10月份，施工人员创造了大直径泥水盾构月掘进207米的好成绩。新华社记者 沈伯韩摄


On October 28, a worker leaving the construction site of the Beijing underground diameter line to look back to the construction site.
The Beijing underground diameter line project is China's first large-diameter slurry shield construction of underground electric railway tunnel, Chaintech Beijing Railway Station important underground works with the Beijing West Railway Station, located in the central area of Beijing, was to the west, the line the whole 9151 m long, of which the tunnel is 7230 meters long. China Railway Tunnel Group, the construction of the 6230 meters of the line, including the including 5175 meters shield tunnel construction, tunnel construction tasks. 12.04 m diameter shield tunneling, large diameter slurry shield longest for domestic single head tunneling construction, because of its high construction risk, difficult construction by Beijing as a "construction of the hardest in the construction of the biggest risk underground works ", the Ministry of Railways classified as" very high risk project No. I. The shield tunneling accumulated over 4000 meters, 87 security risk source has passed 67, construction safety and quality in Beijing, the Ministry of Railways praise. Compressed air under the conditions of the shield machine in September 2012, the success of the test cutting welding technology to fill the gaps; October, construction workers and create good results for large-diameter slurry shield tunneling 207 meters a month. Xinhua News Agency reporters and photo: Chen Bohan

10月28日，在北京地下直径线工程施工现场，一名施工人员行走在已经完成掘进的隧道里的人行道上。
A construction workers walking in the excavation of the tunnel has been completed on the sidewalk.

在北京地下直径线工程施工现场，操作司机曹宏亮（右）和王志鹏在盾构主控室控制隧道掘进过程。

Shield the main control room at the construction site of the Beijing underground diameter line, of drivers operating Cao Hongliang (right) and Foreign Direct control of the tunneling process.

在北京地下直径线工程施工现场，工作人员指挥吊运隧道管片。
Lifting tunnel segments in the the the the Beijing underground diameter line construction site, the command staff.

在北京地下直径线工程施工现场，两名施工人员擦拭安装隧道管片的机械。
Construction site in the Beijing Underground diameter line, two construction workers to clean the mechanical installation of tunnel segments.

工人甘宜东在隧道管片上钻孔
Workers Gan Yidong drilling the tunnel segments

Google translation

 

[eddieInUK]

China’sThere was a time when iron ore producers suffered because of the economic slowdown in China. The decision by Boashan Iron & Steel Co, China's biggest listed steelmaker, to idle a plant may both be a sign of how bad things are in the key sector and a contrarian signal that a turnaround is near. Closing down higher cost steel production is after all what should happen when demand cools and prices decline, and there is also a need to work through an overhang of inventory built up in the first half of 2012 when steel makers maintained output even as economic growth eased. However, an argument can also be built on saying the Boashan move is an early indicator that things should start turning around within the next 12 months. Removing the higher cost production allows prices to stabilize as supply adjusts lower to reflect the change in demand. That “next 12 months” may be starting sooner than anyone thinks!

The plans to boost the struggling economy sparked a rally in iron ore prices. The Chinese government earlier this month approved plans to build over US$150 billion in infrastructure projects in an attempt to boost their struggling economy. The Chinese steel sector has prices for 63.5% iron ore fines to Qingdao hitting $117 a metric ton. September 7 it was at a multi year low but is now up 29% from there. 29 vessels were chartered to transport iron ore to China by mid September alone. This is the largest weekly volume since late March. After three months of consecutive drops in imports, these charters put an end to that. A record amount of iron ore has been imported to China lately, the highest since January 2011

Both Billiton Limited (NYSE: BHP) and Rio Tinto (NYSE: RIO) are set to announce a solid iron output for the September quarter. The quarter was good but analysts are interested to see how prices play out. The consumption of steel in China is said to be weak but it appears that the demand for iron ore is growing. It is interesting to note that this solid quarter comes in the midst of both companies, in recent months, having announced job cuts, closing coal mines, shelving expansions, selling assets and scaling back spending.

Despite a 34 percent rebound in iron ore prices from a low of $87 a metric ton in September, prices remain more than 20 percent below this year's high. This means that both companies are still going to have to be aware of managing costs. Rio’s iron ore production should maintain 2012 forecasted levels but its Pilbara mine in Western Australia is expected to drop almost 5% from June’s quarter production levels. Increased shipments from supply inventory may offset this. BHP's iron exports are expected to be flat quarter on quarter and possibly down slightly. So it looks like the focus on shipment is more telling than the focus on production. Because of deliveries output looks good, but the demand is still in question.

Vale (NYSE: VALE), the Brazilian iron giant has done a great job building a company and managing costs well around nickel and copper. But the company has a global dependence outside of Brazil because the steel market is just not there. Vale is very dependent upon China and this is where its success rises or falls. The fact that the infrastructure projects are taking off could mean success for the company. Vale has acquired its own ore carriers to better control costs and compete with mines operated by Rio Tinto, BHP in Australia which is much closer. Even though its success is tied close to China, it faces challenges its competitors don’t have to face. It has had a series of setbacks which raises questions about its ability to increase sales. The price of iron ore, responsible for nearly three-quarters of the Rio de Janeiro-based company's sales recently sank to three-year lows and this is what caused problems before this first increase in October. Government influence has been most obvious in efforts to get Vale to build steel mills and invest in fertilizer production, while a new mining code threatens to triple royalties. Nevertheless, the company can prosper if Chinese infrastructure building demands iron ore. Vale's profit soared more than 17-fold to $22.9 billion in 2011 from $1.29 billion in 2001, bolstered by Chinese demand.

Will Cliff Natural Resources prosper from an increase in Chinese demand? At its low prices, it may be a safe economic hedge against the rest of the stock market. It has an ROE of 18% for 2012 which is excellent for a mining company. The company also has a stake in China with ore, but also coal.

Even though China appears to be picking up I demand, I think it is important to see shipments pick up on a regular basis and not on a one time hit. Deliveries are good, but will they remain at such a level that production will also pick up? This is the key factor in a long term sustained growth for companies like BHP, VALE, and RIO to remain productive and prosperous. Infrastructure Projects Help Iron Ore Companies

 

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Wow wow wow, AMAZING!!!!!!!

We are advancing so quickly!

 

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Wow wow wow, AMAZING!!!!!!!

We are advancing so quickly!

Here we come again!

Chinese manufacturing picks up in October

Xinhuanet

English.news.cn 2012-11-01 10:42:21

BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's manufacturing activity saw an increase in October, official data showed Thursday.

The purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose to 50.2 percent in October from 49.8 percent in September, just above the 50-percent figure that demarcates expansion from contraction, according to data released by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP).

Swinging above the boom-bust line, the October index indicated that the economy's downward movement may be reversing, according to experts.

Readings for sub-indices have also indicated expansion. The sub-index for new orders climbed 0.6 percentage points from September to 50.4 percent last month. The output sub-index for October stood at 52.1 percent, up 0.8 percentage points from the previous month.

The PMI rebounded to 49.8 percent in September, ending four straight months of decline.

*************

Twin China PMI surveys show economy perking up


reuters

By Lucy Hornby
BEIJING | Thu Nov 1, 2012 3:28am EDT

(Reuters) - China's economy is finally regaining some traction, official and private sector factory surveys showed on Thursday, although they pointed to a sluggish recovery with the latter recording its 12th straight month of slowing growth.

The surveys add to other signs of economic revival in October after domestic credit curbs and weak demand from overseas markets pushed down third-quarter growth to its lowest rate since the depths of the global financial crisis.

The National Bureau of Statistics reported the official October Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 50.2 from 49.8 in September, just below a 50.3 forecast by a Reuters poll last week.

It marked the first reading above 50 -- which divides a pick up in activity from a slowdown -- since July and backed the view that growth could be picking up in the world's second-largest economy.

"The continued rebounding of sub-indexes including new orders, export orders and quantity of purchases, indicates companies' de-stocking process has basically ended," Zhang Liqun, a researcher with the Development Research Centre of the State Council, wrote in a statement accompanying the index.

"We expect China's economic growth will end its decline and rebound slightly in the future."

The HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 49.5 in October from 47.9 in September. The reading was the highest since February, and deviated more than usual from the October flash, or preliminary, reading of 49.1 released last week.

"October's final PMI rose to an eight-month high, implying that China's industrial activity continues to bottom out following a modest pick-up last month," wrote HSBC economist Hongbin Qu in a statement accompanying the survey.

"This is mainly driven by the increase of new orders, thanks to the filtering-through of the earlier easing measures, while exports outlook remains challenging."

The new orders sub-index rose to 51.2 - its first time in expansionary territory since October of last year.

FOURTH QUARTER PICK UP?

Recent data has shown signs that the economy stabilized in September and the factory surveys are one of the first indications it began perking up in October.

"The return of the PMI above 50 suggests economic momentum has indeed picked up. It indicates the effect of policy easing may have been stronger than the consensus expected," Zhiwei Zhang of Nomura said in a comment emailed to Reuters.

"We believe macro data will continue to surprise on the upside in coming months, as the government continues to ease policy through the period of leadership transition."

Economic activity in the fourth quarter is widely expected to pick up after annual growth slowed to 7.4 percent in the third quarter. That would put it on track to beat the government target of full-year growth of 7.5 or above.

Manufacturers reported higher input costs - particularly for raw materials - but for the first time in a year were able to pass those on by raising prices, Markit Economics, which compiles the HSBC survey, wrote.

The private HSBC PMI captures views mainly of smaller, export-oriented firms in China's vast factory sector.

The employment sub-index rose to its highest level in eight months, but it remained below 50. China has so far avoided the massive job losses or urban unrest feared by the ruling Communist Party, which has seen a year of political infighting as factions ready for a once-in-a-decade leadership transfer in November.

An output sub-index in the HSBC PMI also rose after a September dip, and average lead-times - a proxy for how busy factories are - lengthened.

"Survey respondents that experienced longer delivery times attributed deteriorated supplier performance to a rise in the number of orders placed to vendors," Markit wrote.

On the export front "weak demand from Europe and the U.S. was reported", it said.

After monetary loosening moves earlier in the year, credit supply in China has increased while inflation has stayed low, allowing planners to relax and hold off on further measures. Some analysts expect additional moves after the 18th Party Congress in November, to present the new leadership with an economic boost.

The central bank injected a record amount of cash this week via open market operations, signaling a commitment to keep money market conditions relatively loose. That should enable banks to lend more to support the economy.

Planners have so far defied expectations of further cuts in interest rates or required bank reserves, after a round of moves this summer.

Some analysts have now scaled back on those expectations, with Ting Lu of Merrill Lynch saying on Thursday he still expects one more reserve cut but no more interest rate cuts.

The record injection this week is roughly equivalent to the additional liquidity provided by a bank reserve cut, but leaves the central bank with more flexibility to respond to future developments.

(Additional reporting by Xiaoyi Shao and Gabriel Wildau in SHANGHAI; Editing by Nick Edwards and Alex Richardson)

 

[yusheng]

China's new-type rescue ship to be put into service

The 14000kw，6513.13 ton, ocean rescue ship, with a total length of 116.95 meters and a width of 16.2 meters, built with stainless steel and an travel at a maximum speed of 22 knots. become the Chinese most advanced ship in terms of its size, power, equipment installed on the ship, and the functions it provides. The ship can hold as many as 100 people on board and can move steadily in typhoon and tidal wave weather conditions.

Before this ship, the institute undertook the design work of another two marine rescue ships, the 6000kw and 8000kw rescue ship, which had been constructed and already put to use. The three ships become the major types in domestic rescue work and upgrade China's ability in providing aid in ocean areas.

Photo taken on Oct. 31, 2012 shows the new-type rescue and salvage ship made by the Guangzhou Huangpu Shipbuilding Company, which subordinates to the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province. China's this self-designed ship, named "Dong Hai Jiu 101", will be put into service for rescue missions at the eastern sea areas. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

walk on the helipad on the new-type rescue and salvage ship

A rescuer checks the equipment

the operating table to provide medical treatment

 

[xuxu1457]

Tibet offers free insurance for residents, clergy
Tibet offers free insurance for residents, clergy -- Chinatibetnews.com
2012-Nov-2 Fri

The government of Tibet Autonomous Region recently initiated a social security program to offer free life and accident insurance for all local residents and clergy, a government source said on Thursday.
Under the program, the government will earmark 44 million yuan (about 7 million U.S. dollars) each year to cover its urban and rural residents as well as registered monks and nuns, said Xiao Houguo, a social security official with the autonomous region's financial department.

The program, which has been in operation since Oct. 18, will give each beneficiary up to 50,000 yuan in case of casualties with an annual premium of 11.5 yuan, which will be paid by the government, according to Xiao.

The premium will also provide an additional health insurance of up to 10,000 yuan.

With the increasing mobility of Tibetan residents as a result of economic and social development, accidents and cases of disease are also on the rise, while clergy in the monasteries are particularly vulnerable to such risks, Xiao said.

The insurance will help Tibetan residents and clergy raise their capability in coping with accidents, according to the official.

"The move by the Tibetan government indicates that Tibetan people are enjoying a more optimized social security system that has so far covered pensions, health, unemployment, occupational injury and maternity," Xiao added.


Liability:yanghui
Source:Xinhua

 

[WS-10 Engine]

Good stuff on technological advancements on sinodefence.
The poster Escobar does a great job.
Might want to repost some of his stuff in here (acknowledge the poster).

Btw China building 100 petaflop supercomputer by 2015.

 

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中国电力机车在白俄罗斯投入正式运营 - 欧洲首行

中国电力机车首次在欧洲投入正式运营 2012年11月01日09:45
来源：新华网 2012年11月01日 09:43:40| 责任编辑:冯文雅| 来源：新华网

Chinese electric locomotives put into operation the first time in Europe
2012 11 01, 2010 09:45
Source: Xinhua November 1, 2012 09:43:40 | Editor: Feng Wenya | Source: Xinhua

sohu.com

[/IMG]

10月31日，一辆中国制造的电力机车停靠在白俄罗斯明斯克郊外的日丹诺夫维奇火车站。
当天，白俄罗斯铁路部门举行中国机车运营剪彩仪式。这标志着我国生产的电力机车首次在欧洲正式投入运营。据悉，中国向白俄罗斯出口的电力机车功率达9600千瓦，设计时速120公里，各项性能均达到世界先进水平，适合用于繁忙干线的运输。 新华社记者耿锐斌摄

October 31, a Chinese-made electric locomotive docked on the outskirts of Minsk, Belarus train station.The day, the railway authorities of Belarus held a the Chinese locomotive operators ribbon-cutting ceremony. This signifies that China's production of electric locomotives in Europe for the first time officially put into operation. It is reported that China's exports to Belarus electric locomotive power of 9600 kilowatts, the design speed of 120 kilometers per hour, the performance reached the world's advanced level, suitable for busy trunk transport. Xinhua News Agency reporters Geng Rui and Bin She

 

[cirr]

1 Nov, 2012, 08.10PM IST

China's largest unmanned helicopter becomes operational

BEIJING: China's largest unmanned helicopter has become operational after passing all required flight tests.

The mid-sized remote controlled helicopter has passed all required flight tests and is fully operational in east Shandong province, state-run Xinhua quoted officials as saying.

"The helicopter, capable of flying as high as 3,000 meters at a top speed of 161 km per hour with a payload of 80 kg, can be controlled from a maximum distance of 150 km or programmed to fly automatically," according to Cheng Shenzong, board chairman of Weifang Tianxiang Aerospace Industry Co Ltd, a company that helped develop the aircraft.

The helicopter can be used to conduct geological surveys, as well as aid in emergency rescue operations, aerial photography and forest fire prevention, Cheng said.

At least 15 such helicopters have been ordered for production, Cheng said.

China's largest unmanned helicopter becomes operational - The Economic Times

 

[cirr]

By Danilo Valladares

GUATEMALA CITY - The most innovative or ambitious investments in Central America, from satellites to inter-oceanic canals, are coming from China - even though six of the seven countries in this sub-region do not have diplomatic ties with the Asian giant.

But Central America is failing to convert China's major expansion in trade and industry here into increased exports to the Asian superpower.

"China's interests have grown, and like any world power, what it has to sell is more than it wants to buy," Jesus Garza told IPS. The cooperative he belongs to forms part of the Association of

In eastern Honduras, the Chinese state-owned dam builder Sinohydro is building the Patuca III hydropower plant at a cost of US$350 million. Honduran President Porfirio Lobo met in September with executives of the China Development Bank to explore further investment in energy and communications.

China's presence is much more ambitious in Nicaragua, where President Daniel Ortega signed a memorandum of understanding in September with the recently created Hong Kong-based HK Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Co to finance and build a canal linking the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean - a dream long cherished by Managua.

According to Nicaragua's estimates, the canal will cost $30 billion and take 10 years to build. HK Nicaragua, headed by Chinese telecom mogul Wang Jing who is chairman of the Xinwei Telecom Enterprise Group, is to build a waterway that will serve larger ships than the Panama Canal, as well as a "dry canal" railroad for freight.

It will also construct a deep-water port at Monkey Point, on the Caribbean, and upgrade Corinto, the country's main Pacific Ocean port.

Managua is also negotiating with the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) for the development and purchase of Nicasat-1, a $300 million third-generation satellite that will offer modern telecom, Internet and digital TV services to Nicaragua and other countries in the sub-region as of 2016.

An agreement for that could be reached before the end of the year in Beijing between the Instituto Nicaraguense de Telecomunicaciones and the CGWIC, which has manufactured satellites for several countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

In El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala, China has invested in different industries, including solar energy, oil and telecoms, through companies such as Huawei, Suzhou Guoxin Group and the China National Petroleum Corporation.

Garza said that despite the positive economic effects of this investment flow, it was necessary to monitor "what conditions it takes place in - whether labor rights and environmental standards are respected, because that is the area where negative impacts could be seen."

In Honduras, the non-governmental Patuca Association denounced irregularities in the environmental permit granted to the Patuca III dam construction project by the Secretariat of Natural Resources and the Environment in 2011.

Central America does not have competitive conditions to sell its products to China. The enormous difference in population size - 42 million people in this entire sub-region against 1.3 billion in China - is just the most obvious aspect.

Most of what Central America produces is in agriculture. "But it is not cost-effective for China to buy beans or fruit here because of the distances and costs involved," given that volumes are relatively small, Garza said.

Nor has Central America managed to establish a customs union, which would bring a single tariff and common trade, customs and sanitary regulations and laws, facilitating foreign trade and competitiveness, according to the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration (SIECA).

Although Central America's sales to China have increased, the trade balance is still heavily skewed in favor of China. Five of the sub-region's seven countries - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua - sold goods worth $196 million to China in 2004. The total went up to $220 million from January to May 2012, according to SIECA figures.

Imports from China by those five countries amounted to nearly $1.44 billion in that same period.

"In the area of trade, China cannot be denied," economist Paulo De Leon, with the Guatemala-based consultancy Central American Business Intelligence, told IPS.

But the benefits to the region "are not as obvious as the benefits seen by Chile, which is the world's largest producer of copper, with China its biggest buyer."

Because of the distance and cost of transport, it is not convenient for China to buy commodities from Central America because "the cost would be too high," De Leon said. In his view, the region should focus on the much closer US market.

"We have to look more towards the United States," he said. "We have a big market one-and-a-half hours away by plane; we also have Mexico and Colombia, with which we have free-trade agreements."

On the other hand, China can benefit the region with investment, because of Central America's "big needs for energy, for which Guatemala, for example, does not have the necessary capital," he said.

Central America is also constrained because it has chosen diplomatic relations with Taiwan over mainland China. But in Costa Rica, the only country in Central America that has official ties with Beijing, things don't look much different.

In agribusiness, "we're talking about coffee, sugar and one or two other agricultural products," Gilbert Ramํrez, a member of a farming cooperative, told IPS. In Costa Rica, the establishment of formal relations with China in 2007 "has not had a big impact on trade."

Nor has the free-trade agreement signed by San Jose and Beijing in 2010.

"We have talked to Chinese companies about selling coffee and sugar, and about microcredit or credit, to consolidate our business model through Costa Rica's export promotion agency. But even though some time has passed, we haven't reached an agreement on any specific project," Ramํrez said.

The US market is still the most attractive because "it is closer, and it understands us better," he said, referring to cultural barriers between Central America and China.

Central America continues to seek trade opportunities in China. Pedro Barnoya, a businessman with the China-Guatemala Chamber of Cooperation and Trade, told IPS that on October 19 a trade office opened in Shanghai, China's financial and commercial hub and the world's largest cargo port, "to look for buyers for our products."

He also said "we are working with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and with private institutions, to create a permanent committee for negotiations with this region."

In addition, a Guatemalan delegation was at the sixth China-Latin America and Caribbean Business Summit, held October 17-18 in Hangzhou, 180 kilometers from Shanghai in eastern China.

Barnoya said "the most important thing is to make headway in Asia, because that is where the purchasing power is".

Asia Times Online :: China's Central America

 

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Foxconn to Build LCD TV Production Lines in Chongqing, China

2012/10/31

Taipei, Oct. 31, 2012 (CENS)--After becoming the largest shareholder of Sharp’s 10th-generation LCD panel plant, Foxconn Technology Group, the world’s largest contract electronic manufacturer, has decided to set up a manufacturing base of high-end LCD TVs in Chongqing, western China, to step up its foray into the field.

Foxconn already signed a letter of intent with the Chongqing City Government for construction of the manufacturing base, which will turn out 3 million units of various LCD TVs annually to generate revenue of over RMB12 billion when fully operational in the future, with 50% of the output to be high-definition touchscreen models for the European market.

The construction is the group’s second grand investment project in the place, following the preceding one launched in 2009 to establish a large factory of notebook PCs with annual capacity of 20 million units in cooperation with HP. Thanks to Foxconn’s investment, Chongqing has become the world’s largest supply base of laptops so far, with annual output to exceed 120 million units in the short term.

In fact, under the chairman Terry Gou’s direction, Foxconn has actively expanded its deployments in the LCD TV manufacturing business over the past few years.

The group’s flagship company, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., has already had a controlling stake in Taiwan’s Chimei Innolux Corp., one of top two display panel makers on the island. It sent shock waves through the industry this July by spending NT$24.6 billion to gain nearly a half of the shares of Sharp’s 10th-generation LCD panels plant, a move that helps to boost Hon Hai’s presence in the global market. The company’s first 60-inch LCD TV, launched in early October and promoted by Vizio in North America, has become one of the best-sellers in the market mainly due to its extremely low unit price of only US$999.

Foxconn to Build LCD TV Production Lines in Chongqing, China | CENS.com - The Taiwan Economic News | Daily Prime News | HTML |Ta1-CaE-Dy2012/10/31-Id41927