China Economy Forum

[Brotherhood]

Yangtze moves more cargo than any other world river - People's Daily Online May 25, 2011

With 1.5 billion tons of cargo transported in 2010, the Yangtze River is the No. 1 river in the world for transporting cargo, according to the "2010 Yangtze River Merchant Shipping Report," released by the Yangtze River Navigational Affairs Administration on May 23.

Yangtze River artery transported three times as much cargo as the Mississippi River and five times as much as the Rhine.

The Yangtze River merchant shipping has generated 120 billion yuan direct contribution and 2000 billion yuan indirect contribution to the economic growth of the coastal cities. In addition, the shipping business has offered 200 jobs and indirectly created 10 million job opportunities.

Presently, the Yangtze River artery plays a pivotal part in the merchant shipping of iron ores, thermal coals, and minerals, and it is an important engine of the coastal economies along its banks.

During the 11th Five-Year Plan period, the shipping capacity of the Yangtze River artery was expanded and the construction of coastal ports was accelerated. Now there are six 100-million-ton harbors completed, which are in Suzhou, Nantong, Jiangyin, Nanjing, Zhenjiang and Wuhan


By People's Daily Online

 

[中国万岁-ProsperThroughCo-]

First BRT lane opens in Beijing - People's Daily Online May 25, 2011

On May 24, two buses are running on the BRT lane of the Beijing Link Road.


The first special BRT lane on the Beijing Link Road opened on May 24, which is 8.6 kilometers and 8.8 kilometers long to and from Beijing, respectively.

The 18 lines of buses running on the BRT lane will raise their capacities in rush hours in order to relieve the traffic pressure of the Beijing Link Road and the Beijing Subway Batong Line. The use of the BRT line will shorten the time from Siliqiao to Sihuidong from 20 minutes to 9 minutes and at the same time reduce the load factor of the Beijing Link Road from 135 percent to 114 percent.

I recommend this video from Guangzhou's officially acclaimed BRT system which is combined with public bicycle renting system.

 

[Brotherhood]

China's nuclear power projects continue - People's Daily Online May 26, 2011

A model of a nuclear reactor at an exhibition in Changchun, Jilin province. China has 13 nuclear reactors in operation and 25 more in the pipeline. Zhang Xinyu / for China Daily

The latest move is a joint effort by China GD Power Development Co Ltd and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group to build three nuclear plants in northern Jilin province. The companies intend to co-develop three nuclear plants, in Songjiang, Liangjia Mountain and Jiutai, according to the framework agreement on GD Power's website.

"State-owned power generators are still keen on being part of the nuclear building group," said Xiao Xinjiang, a nuclear power expert at the Energy Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

With the exception of China Power Investment Corp, the country's five thermal power-generating companies are not yet qualified to develop nuclear power.

"The power groups expect to obtain qualifications to develop nuclear power plants, which requires a track record in project development, through investment in these nuclear projects," said Xiao.

China has only granted the nuclear power development qualifications to China National Nuclear Corp, China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group and China Power Investment Corp.

The three nuclear projects are still in the preliminary stage, and are unlikely to obtain approval before 2020, according to Xiao.

Meanwhile, preliminary work on China's first inland nuclear power project, the Taohuajiang Nuclear Power Plant, is still in progress, while safety checks on existing facilities and projects under construction are progressing nationwide.

China froze approvals of nuclear projects on March 16 following Japan's nuclear crisis.

The country has 13 reactors in operation and 25 more under construction. Meanwhile, preliminary work is being undertaken for dozens of nuclear projects that await government approval.

But the freeze on new projects is unlikely to derail the country's goal of attaining 70 gigawatts (gW) of nuclear capacity by 2020.

With the 25 units currently under construction, China could easily reach 40 gW in nuclear capacity by 2015.

The country will likely grant approvals for the inland nuclear power plants in Jiangxi, Hunan and Hubei provinces once the freeze is lifted, and this will help the country achieve its goal by 2020.

Xu Yuming, vice-secretary general of the China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA), said recently that China would reach at least 70 gW in nuclear capacity by 2020 despite the halt on new approvals.

The country is expected to issue its nuclear safety plan in August, after which it will resume the approval process, Lin Chengge, former deputy director of the National Nuclear Safety Administration, told China Daily earlier.

Source: China Daily

 

[Brotherhood]

China vows to convert 10 mln illiterate people in five years - People's Daily Online May 26, 2011

China plans to reduce the number of illiterate people by 2 million each year over the next five years, according to an outline issued Wednesday by the Ministry of Education.

As the most populous country in the world, China has promised the international community that it would reduce the number of illiterate adults to around 43 million by 2015.

The above list should be our goal in the coming future.

"There are still 50 million illiterate people in China, most of whom live in remote and rural areas with poor transportation and telecommunications," an official with the ministry said .

The illiteracy ratio on the Chinese mainland declined to 4.08 percent in 2010 from 6.72 percent in 2000, according to the data from China's sixth national census released earlier this year.

To better help these people learn how to read and write, the ministry has issued a set of guidelines on creating reading courses and compiling teaching materials especially for illiteracy eradication.

In the guidelines, one course was designed to teach illiterate people how to correctly read, pronounce, write, and use 592 of the most frequently used Chinese characters.

The guidelines also include basic arithmetic skills and tips for daily life, with the help of which an illiterate person would be able to catch up with fast-changing society.

When the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, the illiterate population accounted for 80 percent of its 600 million people.

Over the past decades, the Chinese government has continuously fought illiteracy by promoting nine-year compulsory education, particularly in rural areas, home to 90 percent of the country's illiterate people.

"In the next five years, we should take further actions to educate women, ethnic minorities and migrant workers," the official said.

Apart from offering lessons in public schools, the Chinese government plans to use video products for home study.

Source: Xinhua

 

[below_freezing]

China vows to convert 10 mln illiterate people in five years - People's Daily Online May 26, 2011

China plans to reduce the number of illiterate people by 2 million each year over the next five years, according to an outline issued Wednesday by the Ministry of Education.

As the most populous country in the world, China has promised the international community that it would reduce the number of illiterate adults to around 43 million by 2015.

The above list should be our goal in the coming future.

"There are still 50 million illiterate people in China, most of whom live in remote and rural areas with poor transportation and telecommunications," an official with the ministry said .

The illiteracy ratio on the Chinese mainland declined to 4.08 percent in 2010 from 6.72 percent in 2000, according to the data from China's sixth national census released earlier this year.

To better help these people learn how to read and write, the ministry has issued a set of guidelines on creating reading courses and compiling teaching materials especially for illiteracy eradication.

In the guidelines, one course was designed to teach illiterate people how to correctly read, pronounce, write, and use 592 of the most frequently used Chinese characters.

The guidelines also include basic arithmetic skills and tips for daily life, with the help of which an illiterate person would be able to catch up with fast-changing society.

When the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, the illiterate population accounted for 80 percent of its 600 million people.

Over the past decades, the Chinese government has continuously fought illiteracy by promoting nine-year compulsory education, particularly in rural areas, home to 90 percent of the country's illiterate people.

"In the next five years, we should take further actions to educate women, ethnic minorities and migrant workers," the official said.

Apart from offering lessons in public schools, the Chinese government plans to use video products for home study.

Source: Xinhua

This is very important and more important than many so called "large" economic gains. The greatest resource of China is nothing but its people. We have few natural resources, little land, but many smart people. However, smart (high IQ) means nothing without training. Eradication of illiteracy is the only way for China to truly move forward.

Many rural kids drop out of school in 9th grade and actually become functionally illiterate, making them unable to use their full potential in society. Self study guides to help them catch up later in life is very important.

 

[Brotherhood]

Chinese satellite navigation to see explosive growth - People's Daily Online May 26, 2011

At the recent Second Annual Conference on China's Satellite Navigation, an official said China's satellite navigation industry will enter an explosive period once relevant techniques grow mature, and the annual value of production of the industry is expected to hit 400 billion yuan by 2020.

Ran Chengqi, the director of China's Satellite Navigation System Administration Office, revealed that: "China has already listed satellite navigation as one part of seven national major strategic new industries, and its application industries are meeting great opportunities."

Annual value of production expected to hit 400 billion yuan in 2020

"Actually, 400 billion [yuan] is still a conservative guess that was calculated based on the annual growth of 15 to 20 percent. However, China's satellite navigation industry has been growing with a speed of 30 to 50 percent in recent years. From the global perspective, the [worldwide satellite navigation] industry's productive value can reach 400 to 500 billion U.S. dollars by 2020." Ran said.

China's satellite navigation industry got started in 2002, and its market scale was only 4 billion yuan in 2003. In later years, with the implementation of China's "Satellite Navigation Application Industrialization" project, the consumer market base saw substantial increases and the growth rate of the market scale of domestic satellite navigation applications reached 50 percent.

China successfully launched the eighth Beidou Satellite this April, making China the third country in the world with its own passive satellite navigation and positioning capability after the United States and Russia.

The Beidou Satellite Navigation System will be able to provide regional service to the Asia-Pacific region before 2012 and be finished as a large scale space system with more than 30 satellites and various terminals covering the whole world around 2020.

Industrialization of core technology

After nearly 10 years of development, the conditions for China's satellite navigation equipment to enter the market are becoming ripe, and a batch user group is forming gradually, which means the industry has entered a rapid period of development.

"From the perspective of industrialization, we still have a ways to go compared to the developed countries — especially on core components and brand products overseas products nearly dominate the whole market," said Yang Dongkai, from China Technical Application Association for Global Positioning System.

But, how can China handle the problem? "We must keep hands on the industrialization of core technologies and key components, develop independent innovation insistently, break the barrier of core technologies and research and develop basic equipment with China's own intellectual property rights," Yang said.

By Wang Hanlu, People's Daily Online

 

[Brotherhood]

NW China's Ningxia builds first electric vehicle charging station - People's Daily Online May 26, 2011

Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region started construction on Wednesday for its first electric vehicle charging station as part of an ambitious "new energy" vehicle plan that is unfolding in China.

The station, which is being built in the town of Ningdong, about 40 kilometers east of the region's capital city of Yinchuan, comprises 50 chargers and two charging posts, according to Gai Xinwu, a spokesman for the Ningxia Electric Power Company. The power company is responsible for building the station.

The station will be capable of charging or replacing batteries for 20 electric cars simultaneously upon its completion in August this year, Gai said.

It will take an electric vehicle about 10 minutes to finish a full recharging cycle, according to Gai.

The station will cost the power company 28.43 million yuan (about 4.4 million U.S. dollars) to build, Gai said.

The power company plans to build 33 charging stations and 1,620 charging posts in the region over the next five years.

Ningxia's construction of electric vehicle charging stations is part of the country's efforts to develop environmentally friendly vehicles.

China has carried out experimental programs concerning the use of these vehicles, including electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles, in 25 cities across the country.

According to a government statement released in September last year, China aims to have more than 500,000 "new energy" vehicles on the road by 2015 and 5 million by 2020.

In the meantime, China plans to build 4,000 electric vehicle charging stations over the next five years and another 6,000 before 2020, according to the statement.

Source: Xinhua

 

[Brotherhood]

Highway grid to be finished by 2015: MOT - People's Daily Online May 27, 2011

The nation's highways will connect more than 90 percent of cities with a population of more than 200,000 by the end of 2015, according to a report released by the Ministry of Transport Thursday.

Sun Guoqing, director of the planning department of the Ministry of Transport, said at a press conference Thursday that by the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15), the national highway network will be basically completed, and its total length will reach 108,000 kilometers.

China had no highways before 1988, while by the end of 2010, the length of highways under construction was 74,000 kilometers, coming a close second to the US. According to statistics, both the US and Japan spent more than 40 years building their national highway networks, while China will have spent only half of that time to do it, China News Service (CNS) reported.

The rapid rate of construction has resulted in various problems, such as the illegal charging of toll fees.

"Without the policy of charging tolls on the roads, there would not have been the achievement in the present Chinese transport situation and the development of roads in the countryside," Weng Mengyong, vice minister of transport, said at a press conference earlier this year.

Pan Xiaojun, director of the fixed asset investment department of the National Audit Office, said that the policy of "building roads with loans and then repaying the loans through tolls" will continue for a certain period in the future, reported CNS.

But according to a report from the Beijing Municipal Audit Bureau, by the end of December 2004, the Beijing section of the Beijing-Shijiazhuang highway had collected 1.7 billion yuan ($262 million) in tolls and made a profit of about 600 million yuan ($92 million) after repaying its loans.

Some roads also reportedly have irregularities in charging tolls. The Shandong-based Jinan Daily reported that 16 provinces and municipalities including Hubei and Liaoning provinces built 158 illegal tollbooths on 100 roads that earned about 14.9 billion yuan ($2.29 billion) by 2005.

"Against the backdrop of high living prices, the high tolls from the highway have increased the cost of social operation and people's economic burdens," Zhou Minliang, a researcher at the Institute of Industrial Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Beijing-based The First.

Zhou suggested that the tolls from highways be gradually abolished, and the relevant departments should make their financial situation known to the public.

Zhang Zhuting, a professor at the Transport Management Institute affiliated with the Ministry of Transport, does not think the abolition of tolls will be a trend in the future.

"Without charging tolls, the public will be responsible for maintaining the roads by paying taxes, which is unfair to those who don't usually use the highways," Zhang said.

Source: Xinhua

 

[Brotherhood]

New meteorological satellite ready for use - People's Daily Online May 27, 2011

The State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) held a handover ceremony for the Fengyun No. 3B meteorological satellite in Beijing on May 26, which consigned the satellite to China Meteorological Administration to be put into use.

This event marks great progress for China in the field of polar orbiting meteorological satellites, symbolizing China's meteorological satellite technology has reached the world's advanced level.

There have been 11 Fengyun series meteorological satellites successfully launched, six of which are operating well. China is one of the few countries in the world which owns both polar orbiting and geo-stationary orbiting meteorological satellites, said Hu Yafeng, deputy chief of SASTIND.

By People's Daily Online

 

[Brotherhood]

China must become more livable to retain top talent - People's Daily Online May 26, 2011

China has to transform from an "economic power" to a "livable power" in order to keep its wealth, talent and confidence.
　　
The "2011 China Private Wealth Report," released recently by China Merchants Bank, shows that nearly 60 percent of the respondents whose investment assets exceed 10 million yuan have plans to emigrate by investing.

Will the rich take away a lot of wealth from China when moving abroad? How many "intellectual elites" will China lose? With a new wave of emigration going on, concerns and questions are raised in society.

Human migration is not a new phenomenon. From the Euro-Asian Silk Road to Columbus's Discovery of the New World, migrants have brought about cultural communications and economic exchanges across the world. Migration has become an important driving force for social progress.

The import of technology, capital and management experience that immigrants brought in have contributed to the rise of the "Four Asian Tigers" in the 1980s.

Nowadays, economic globalization has considerably improved the freedom and increased the attractiveness of migration from one country to another. A certain degree of Chinese emigration can not only offer more opportunities in personal life, employment and investment but also boost the exchange and cooperation between China and other countries.

In addition, given China's large population and its growing number of wealthy people and returnees, it is unnecessary to overly worry about Chinese emigration. Instead, we should be optimistic and open-minded since the Chinese emigrants have not taken their enterprises away with them and an increasing number of foreign companies have invested in China

However, the factors of the emigration wave should also be figured out.

The topic of emigration seems serious because this new wave has to some extent reflected some “unlivable” factors in China. The reasons provided by Chinese emigrants include helping their children to avoid domestic exam-oriented education, obtaining a healthy living environment and sound social security, seeking a sounder investment environment and getting rid of the "anti-rich" atmosphere arising from the inequality in wealth. The expectations of Chinese emigrants are just what China currently "lacks. People certainly have the right to choose a better quality of life through legal and reasonable means but excessive drain of elites and the wealthy will deepen the anxiety of ordinary domestic citizens and even society as a whole.

Emigration has become a sensitive topic partly because of a concern that those who get rich unlawfully may take advantage of emigration to run away from justice. Although immigration and emigration laws tend to be very rigorous in almost every country, a large number of facts have proved that there are still some loopholes left in the laws concerning the emigration of the rich people and their families.

In order to curb the wave of emigration, China should further deepen social and economic reforms, improve its educational system to guarantee children's health and happiness, as well as strengthen the protection of private wealth through legislation. Furthermore, China should also improve the social security system to increase people's happiness, crack down on corruption and promote social justice and equity so as to uphold the dignity of ordinary citizens.

China should strive to transform from an "economic power" to a "livable power." Only in this way can China retain its wealth, talent and confidence and curb the overheated immigration wave.

By People's Daily Online

 

[below_freezing]

China must become more livable to retain top talent - People's Daily Online May 26, 2011

China has to transform from an "economic power" to a "livable power" in order to keep its wealth, talent and confidence.
　　
The "2011 China Private Wealth Report," released recently by China Merchants Bank, shows that nearly 60 percent of the respondents whose investment assets exceed 10 million yuan have plans to emigrate by investing.

Will the rich take away a lot of wealth from China when moving abroad? How many "intellectual elites" will China lose? With a new wave of emigration going on, concerns and questions are raised in society.

Human migration is not a new phenomenon. From the Euro-Asian Silk Road to Columbus's Discovery of the New World, migrants have brought about cultural communications and economic exchanges across the world. Migration has become an important driving force for social progress.

The import of technology, capital and management experience that immigrants brought in have contributed to the rise of the "Four Asian Tigers" in the 1980s.

Nowadays, economic globalization has considerably improved the freedom and increased the attractiveness of migration from one country to another. A certain degree of Chinese emigration can not only offer more opportunities in personal life, employment and investment but also boost the exchange and cooperation between China and other countries.

In addition, given China's large population and its growing number of wealthy people and returnees, it is unnecessary to overly worry about Chinese emigration. Instead, we should be optimistic and open-minded since the Chinese emigrants have not taken their enterprises away with them and an increasing number of foreign companies have invested in China

However, the factors of the emigration wave should also be figured out.

The topic of emigration seems serious because this new wave has to some extent reflected some “unlivable” factors in China. The reasons provided by Chinese emigrants include helping their children to avoid domestic exam-oriented education, obtaining a healthy living environment and sound social security, seeking a sounder investment environment and getting rid of the "anti-rich" atmosphere arising from the inequality in wealth. The expectations of Chinese emigrants are just what China currently "lacks. People certainly have the right to choose a better quality of life through legal and reasonable means but excessive drain of elites and the wealthy will deepen the anxiety of ordinary domestic citizens and even society as a whole.

Emigration has become a sensitive topic partly because of a concern that those who get rich unlawfully may take advantage of emigration to run away from justice. Although immigration and emigration laws tend to be very rigorous in almost every country, a large number of facts have proved that there are still some loopholes left in the laws concerning the emigration of the rich people and their families.

In order to curb the wave of emigration, China should further deepen social and economic reforms, improve its educational system to guarantee children's health and happiness, as well as strengthen the protection of private wealth through legislation. Furthermore, China should also improve the social security system to increase people's happiness, crack down on corruption and promote social justice and equity so as to uphold the dignity of ordinary citizens.

China should strive to transform from an "economic power" to a "livable power." Only in this way can China retain its wealth, talent and confidence and curb the overheated immigration wave.

By People's Daily Online

This is indeed a problem. One major factor is the education. I don't think its the exam based education that's a factor, not even prices, but the fact that the education "feels bad".

We spend less money as a percentage of GDP than African dictatorships like Uganda, Cote De Ivory, Zimbabwe, Niger, and Mozambique. In fact, despite having far superior literacy rate and high tech inventions than India, we spend half what they do as percentage of GDP on education.

The rich are obviously not affected, since they can afford to pay for private school, but this seriously degrades the image of our country.

 

[Brotherhood]

Alleviation strategy gives priority to reducing cycle of child poverty - People's Daily Online May 27, 2011

China will give priority to poverty reduction and development issues for children as part of its rural poverty alleviation strategy during the next 10 years, said a senior official.

Students at a primary school in Fengshan county, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, have only rice as their lunch, on May 19. Zhou Enge / for China Daily

Lifting children out of poverty will effectively break the cycle of poverty, preventing it from continuing in the next generation, said Zheng Wenkai, deputy chief of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development.

Zheng made the remarks at the country's first Child Poverty and Development Forum, which was held in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, on Thursday.

However, there are no official statistics showing how many children live in poverty in China.

A survey on young people in 18 counties of five provinces including Anhui and Fujian in 2010 revealed that 4.9 percent of the respondents live in poverty. The research was conducted by Peking University and Beijing Normal University in 2010.

China has a population of 309 million under the age of 18, of which 60 percent live in rural areas.

The survey findings suggest there are an estimated 9 million minors living in poverty in rural China, said Song Wenzhen, director of the children's department of the National Working Committee on Children and Women.

China has made remarkable achievements in improving children's living conditions, as the country's child mortality rate has dropped by 67 percent in the past two decades and it has realized universal basic education, said Gillian Mellsop, representative of the United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF) in China.

Despite the encouraging development, China also faces many challenges in its efforts to create a poverty-free childhood for all children.

A considerable number of poor children, especially those in the countryside, still struggle with malnutrition and even hunger.

"Sometimes, I can't pay attention in class in the afternoons because I feel starved since I often don't have lunch," said Liu Yan, a 12-year-old student from Hongban village, Southwest China's Guizhou province.

The girl told China Daily that corn was the only staple food at her family's dining table. Due to the distance between her home and school, most of the time she was not able to rush home for lunch.

"Poverty experienced in childhood may have lifelong consequences," said Mellsop from UNICEF.

She urged China to take a multi-dimensional approach, which combines intervention with education, health and other social services, to address child poverty.

Source: China Daily

 

[Obambam]

These kids will be the future of China. Lifting poverty and giving these kids education and providing adequate health care is a must.

 

[CardSharp]

These kids will be the future of China. Lifting poverty and giving these kids education and providing adequate health care is a must.

Government scholarships for gifted but disadvantaged kids wouldn't hurt either

 

[below_freezing]

Government scholarships for gifted but disadvantaged kids wouldn't hurt either

In the 1980's and 1990's, Taiwan developed very fast, but its education didn't. In 1992, Taiwan only produced 100 PHDs.

This was because Taiwan saw no need for innovation when the economy was not ready for it. Even if it trained world class PHDs they'd just leave.

Instead, Taiwan spent heavily on training at the high school, technician and BS level. Only after becoming a high class developing economy did Taiwan invest in research.

Our economy obviously can't do this because we are in a zero sum competition for survival and need PHD level scientists and policymakers to guide us. But increasing the proportion of new budget that goes towards basic training should do better for our stage of economic development, rather than scholarships.

For example, making 10 year compulsory education (1 year of preschool) instead of 9 year would work wonders.