China’s Ministry of Land and Resources has announced a 30-percent cut in the minimum purchase price of land for industrial use in order to boost investment.

However, the statement on the ministry website Wednesday failed to say when the cut would take effect.

The move would “further implement the government’s policy of boosting domestic demand and push forward steady and rapid economic development,” said the statement.

The new rule will apply to investments that make intense use of land and those involving the processing of agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry and aquatic products.

The ministry set minimum prices for industrial land use in January 2007 to curb the selling of cheap land-use rights for industrial use to attract investment and seek a higher GDP growth. The price ranged from 60 yuan ($8.77) per square meter in some counties in northwestern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to 840 yuan per square meter in the suburbs of Shanghai, China’s largest metropolis.

Wang Xiaoying, researcher of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told Xinhua Thursday, industrial investment had contracted because of the economic slowdown, which dragged down the demand for industrial land.

The national average industrial land price was 721 yuan per square meter in the first quarter, down 1.08 percent from the fourth quarter of last year, and down 1.1 percent year on year, according to the ministry.

Zou Xiaoyun, deputy chief engineer of the China Land Surveying and Planning, said the new rule would help reduce cost for enterprises, and stimulate them to expand investment, especially for new projects.

Commuters wearing face masks were seen on the streets and subways of major cities Wednesday despite the early summer heat, saying they have grown more cautious of the A(H1N1) flu after seeing confirmed cases so close to home.

“The government is reacting quickly, but I’m still worried about the spread of the virus inside trains and planes,” said a middle-aged woman Li, who wore a large face mask and dark sunglasses as she left a subway station in Beijing.

The mainland quarantined several hundred people Wednesday who had been in contact with two Chinese men confirmed to have contracted the virus.

Sun Naiqing, a veteran Beijing cabbie, doesn’t dare take passengers from the airport.

“I’d rather stay downtown, and I don’t take passengers with masks and I don’t turn on the air-con,” he said at his wheel. “The scene of travelers wearing masks is scary.”

Jia Peng, spokesman for the Beijing subway, downplayed worries for passengers Wednesday and promised the metro will disinfect trains and keep the air inside carriages clean.

Lu, a 19-year-old overseas student who had contracted the virus, traveled from Canada to his hometown in Shandong province and stayed at a crowded hotel before setting foot on several tourist sites, including the Great Wall and the bar district near Houhai in the capital.

Xu Fei, a middle-aged man in casual clothing and sandals, walked out of the tightly watched hotel where the infected student stayed Wednesday, seemingly not worried about his lack of freedom. The friends who brought him bananas and French fries also believed the observation will end within a few days.

Mr Su, 50, arrived from a nearby residential building. He was told by disease control experts at the scene that the flu virus will not contaminate his neighborhood.

The public Wednesday heatedly debated whether it was right for the 19-year-old man to expose potential victims to the virus.

“Now is the peak time for overseas students returning to China. They should be more thoughtful. I suggest a self-quarantine of a week,” wrote “Maomao Donkey” on the popular Chinese forum Tianya.cn.

But Xue Lan, a public policy and management expert at Tsinghua University, said it is understandable for people to stick to their plans if they don’t detect any symptoms.

“It is quite difficult for China, which takes in thousands of travelers from international cities, to keep the country free of the imported virus,” he said. “We should just ask each traveler to be responsible and report to related personnel if they detect flu-related illness.”

SHANGHAI, May 13 – Plans to allow foreign companies to list on the Shanghai Stock Exchange have already begun as well as the development of an international board.

The local government has concluded an agreement with Britain that aims to improve the stock market. In a press statement of the agreement: ?China agrees to allow qualified foreign companies, including United Kingdom companies, to list on its stock exchange through issuing shares or depository receipts in accordance with relevant prudential regulations.?

The deal will allow global British companies like HSBC to offer its shares in Shanghai. HSBC wants to be the first foreign bank to list in Shanghai to strengthen its brand and to attract more funds for its growth in the Chinese mainland market.

The plan to have foreign companies listed in the Shanghai stockmarket already began two years ago when China was considering to allow foreign companies to issue yuan shares to help the mainland stock market which was still in its infancy. But then plans were shelved over fears of a stock glut.

Hong Kong-based Hang Seng Bank and the Bank of East Asia are among the companies who have publicly expressed interest in listing in Shanghai. Foreign companies listing in Shanghai will have a hard time converting fuds from their mainland listings and repatriating the money back because the yuan is currently not fully convertible.

?Apparently, the program was revived,?a Beijing-based brokerage executive close to the China Securities Regulatory Commission told Shanghai Daily. ?Preparatory work will be paced up, with the initial arrangement likely to be settled by year end.?

May 13 – This is a regular series of relevant industry news from around China.

Solar power

Wang Zhongying, assistant director of the Energy Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that China plans to boost its solar power capacity to 10?0 GW by 2020. Initially, the country planned to have 300 MW by 2010 and 1,800 MW by 2020.

Swiss solar energy group 3S Industries AG announced last Monday it is expanding its presence in Asia, as part of an international growth strategy. The company has set up an office in Kunshan, eastern China, and subsidiaries in Singapore and Hong Kong. The expansion is expected to enable the company to provide customer-oriented sales of its automatic string soldering machines, laminating lines, testers and solar modules in the Asian growth markets.

Suntech Power Holdings has joined the PV CYCLE association which is engaged in establishing voluntary take-back and recycling programmes for end-of-life photovoltaic (PV) modules.
Air transport

China Southern Airlines has obtained RMB50 billion in loans and lease financing from Industrial & Commercial Bank of China.

Bank of Communications and China Southern Airlines have inked an agreement, under which China Southern will obtain a RMB15 billion credit line. The money will be used for aircraft financing and leasing as well as discounted-bill financing.

Hainan Airlines has reduced its order of ERJ-145 aircraft from Harbin Embraer Aircraft Industry Company to 25, down from 50.

The international airport of Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, saw its passenger volume reach 284,800 person times in the first quarter of 2009, 38.9 percent more than the same period last year. Domestic mail and cargo volume was 3,219.8 tons, an increase of 18 percent.

Korean Air plans to start flying from Seoul to Xi?an and from Seoul to Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang at the end of May.

Wind power

China Windpower Group Limited has inked a contract with Liaoning Energy, under which the two parties will establish joint ventures to create wind power plant projects in China. Initially, the JVs will aim at 50 MW of installed capacity. Each of them will start with RMB500 million intended for investments and RMB100 million as registered capital.

Ben Heckendorn?true geek god amongst men?is back with revision 5 of his portable Xbox 360 console.

Though he’s gutted the same Gateway 1775W laptop with 17-inch (1280 by 720) display, he writes that this design is from scratch, and has the following new features:

?Built-in Ethernet port, finally.
?Built-in WiFi adapter, as usual.
?Digital pushbutton volume control rather than a clunky knob. Different, better sounding audio amp
?Flush-mount DVD door and side panels (such as the memory card slots)
?IR sensor for the remote control.
?Two user USB ports.
?More air holes!
?Jasper motherboard.

Check out the video for more.

www.chinazrh.com via from Gizmodo

Top leaders joined millions of?Chinese to mourn?quake victims?Tuesday afternoon on the one year anniversary of the massive earthquake in southwest Sichuan province.

President Hu Jintao?and Vice Premier Li Keqiang attended a ceremony?in the quake’s epicenter Yingxiu Town, Wenchuan County at 2:28 pm?- the exact time when the 8.0-magnitude?deadly tremor struck.??

All those attending the commemoration?stood in a silent tribute to the victims of the earthquake, which left nearly 87,000 people dead or missing.

Ten floral baskets were put in front of a symbolic clock, with its hands stopped at 2:28 pm,?May 12, 2008, the day of the tragedy.

Hu, standing before a floral basket dedicated by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC),?expressed condolences to the victims and?those who sacrificed their lives during the quake relief.

He also walked to a commemorative wall and placed a white chrysanthemum.

The Chinese president?thanked foreign diplomats who were invited to the ceremony for their?contributions to relief efforts, saying they had demonstrated “grand humanitarianism and friendship with the Chinese people.”

Reconstruction Efforts

Hu said China immediately launched the post-quake reconstruction based on the principles of “putting people first and respecting nature,” and has since made remarkable achievements in rebuilding residential homes and public facilities including schools and hospitals, as well as in industrial reconstruction and restructuring, historical and cultural protection and ecological recovery.

“The post-quake reconstruction has registered important progress, and the quake survivors are marching toward a new life,” he said.

He expressed respect and gratitude to all those who have participated in the quake relief and reconstruction efforts, including civilians, military staff and the international community.

The country’s increased overall national strength since China launched its reform and opening-up policy 30 years ago laid a solid material foundation for the country to overcome the difficulties after the devastating earthquake, he said.

Chinese President Hu Jintao places a white chrysanthemum in front of a commemorative wall of the earthquake during the commemorative service to mark the first anniversary of May 12 Earthquake in Yingxiu Town of Wenchuan County, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, May 12, 2009.

He urged efforts to implement the CPC Central Committee’s policies and deployment on post-quake reconstruction and take just two years to finish the targets and tasks originally set for three years.

Priority should be given to restoring the basic living conditions and infrastructure and make sure people in the quake-hit area live in permanent homes as soon as possible, he said.

He also encouraged people in the quake-hit area to rely on their own efforts and work hard to live a better life.

Efforts should be made to monitor and supervise the use of the quake-relief and reconstruction funds and goods and ensure the quality of reconstruction projects, he said.

He also urged efforts to enhance the country’s capacity in disaster prevention and relief and called for joint efforts from both the government and the people to upgrade the overall prevention ability against natural disasters.

Hu called for stepped-up efforts to enhance international communication and cooperation in the areas of disaster reduction, prevention, and international humanitarian aid.

A mother mourns for her child who was only 67 days old when?killed in last year’s May 12 earthquake in Beichuan, the hardest-hit area in the disaster, in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, on May 10, 2009. Parents who lost their children came back to Beichuan as the first anniversary of the disaster approaches.

BEICHUAN, Sichuan — The quake-devastated Beichuan county in southwest China’s Sichuan Province reopened Sunday to residents to mourn the dead ahead of the first anniversary of the disaster.

Some 21,000 people, or two-thirds of the county seat’s population, were dead or missing in the 8.0-magnitude earthquake on May 12 last year, making the county the worst hit in the quake.

The county will be open for four days till Wednesday.

Mourners brought flowers, incense and candles and set off firecrackers in the ruins of former bus stations, county government buildings and homes. The police distributed bottled water to the crowd for free.

“I come here today to tell my mom that dad, sister and I will live a better life. I miss her and I will often come to see her,” said Zheng Chengrong, a student who returned from a vocational college in Mianyang City and dedicated flowers to her mother.

Zheng’s younger sister studies at Beichuan Middle School, where more than 1,000 students were dead or missing in the quake. Construction of the new school will begin on May 12.

“I wish my sister can study hard to enter the senior high school. My mom would be very happy then if she knew that,” Zheng said.

Cheng Piyi and Huang Guiqiong, a couple who lost their daughter, brought their 16-month son to Beichuan.

“We wish she could see the flowers,” Cheng said. “When our son grows up, we will tell him that he had a sister who liked him very much.”

The town has been closed since May 20 last year. It reopened to former residents during Qingming, or tomb-sweeping day, in April.

A new county seat will be built 23 km from the former one. The new town is expected to have 58,000 residents in 2010 and 110,000 in 2020.

China?s inflation rate dropped for the third month in a row in April as its consumer price index decreased by 1.5 percent compared from a year earlier after a 1.2 percent decline in March.

According to the National Statistics Bureau (NSB), food prices decreased by 1.3 percent while meat prices fell by 13.5 percent and pork prices dropped by 28.6 percent.

This is a stark contrast from last year?s prices when inflation rate peaked because of the increasing costs of food and energy.

Lower energy costs for the year also led to producer prices falling by 6.6 percent in April compared to 6.0 percent in March.

The NSB report said that overall the cost of fuel and raw materials dropped by 9.6 percent in April. There has also been significant declines in crude oil prices and costs for other commodities. It is anticipated that deflation will continue for a few more months because many industries are reporting inventory excess caused by the global economic downturn.

The government?s stimulus plan is being used to maintain growth through infrastructure development and domestic spending. There are signs from positive figures from the manufacturing, auto sales and real estate industries that the strategy is working.

Economists told The New York Times that these signs of economic recovery suggest a lower risk for a prolonged bout of lower prices that could drag growth lower if consumers put off purchases in expectation of lower prices, forcing companies to cut wages and investment, economists say.

?Deflationary concerns appear to be subsiding as the economy shows signs of recovery,?Jing Ulrich, chairwoman for China equities at J.P.Morgan said in a report to clients.

Ulrich added:?Consumer prices should show an uptrend in the second half of the year. Importantly, expectations of rising prices in the future will encourage consumer spending.?

SHANGHAI, May 8 – In a move aimed at streamlining the city?s shipping, business and manufacturing industries, the local government is combining the Nanhui District with the Pudong New Area under one government entity.

The partnership of the Yangshan Deep-water Port and the Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone will lead to better port and shipping policies in addition to giving companies registered in the Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone more access to land in Nanhui District.

Yang Zhouyi, Secretary-General of the Development and Reform Research Institute for Pudong, told Shanghai Daily that the merger will give Pudong more land for industry to expand.

Yang added, The advanced manufacturing industry and the modern service sector will be able to set up in the new district, speeding up urbanization. The transport of cargo through inland waterways instead of highways will also be facilitated now that the two districts are merged.

A proposal has also been submitted to construct a metro line that will link Waigaoqiao and Lingang New City. The Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone is almost full and new investment is now being routed to the 300 square kilometer Lingang New City with its special function zones that includes?a logistics park and heavy machinery park. .

?This will make easier for city residents to go to work in the New City and an increasing number of companies will be willing to set up offices in the district,?Yang said. ?We will be able to lure more higher-end service providers and big shipping groups to be located in Lingang New City and this will do more benefit than raising the throughput of containers at the ports of Shanghai.?

The merging to the two districts will allow for cargo transport through inland waterways instead of highways.

BRUSSELS: China promised?Thursday to send its companies on new multibillion dollar spending sprees in Europe as it called on the bloc, its largest export market, to resist new trade barriers.

Vice-Premier Wang Qishan told EU officials that the Chinese government will send several business delegations to Europe to repeat a February shopping trip where they spent $13.6 billion on contracts in Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and Switzerland.

“We will send similar purchasing delegations to Europe and oppose trade protectionism with concrete action,” he said at the start of two-day EU-China economic talks.

“We hope the EU will likewise take into full account China’s concerns and … take concrete steps to eliminate trade and investment obstacles,” he said. “In order to jointly tackle the current crisis … both sides should oppose protectionism in all its forms.”

The EU’s trade commissioner, Catherine Ashton, told the meeting that Europe was committed to free trade and the fight against protectionism, saying she hoped China would join the EU in pushing for a new world trade deal this autumn that could help lift their .

She also called on China to open up and tackle problems that European businesses say hold them back in their fastest growing export market. Companies are keen to see China do more to clamp down on copyright goods that they claim cost them a fifth of potential revenue.

“We should seek to address imbalances in business opportunities and confirm that we all profit from further opening of our markets,” Ashton said.

Wang also called on the EU to relax restrictions on exporting hi-tech goods to China and help small businesses in both regions trade with each other.

He asked EU officials to understand China’s “national conditions and its level of development” and the progress it has made toward opening up its market, improving safety and fighting counterfeiting.

The EU is China’s largest trading partner and technology supplier. It is also the fourth largest source of investment for China, while China is the EU’s second largest trading partner.

Even in 2008, when the financial crisis broke out and took its toll on the world economy, China-EU trade grew to $425 billion, an increase of 19.5 percent over the previous year, according to figures from China’s customs. It outpaced expansion of China’s trade with the United States and Japan over the same period.

The European Commission said the two-day dialogue will cover a series of issues, including trade, investment, small and medium-sized companies, customs cooperation, sustainable development, product safety and intellectual property rights.

All are meant to “strengthen trade and investment relationship between the EU and China in order to speed up recovery in the current economic crisis,” the commission said.

It is the second time the EU and China have held a high-level dialogue on trade and economy. The first was in Beijing in April 2008 after the mechanism was agreed to at a China-EU summit in November 2007.

The dialogue is another sign that China-EU cooperation is getting back on track after a slight derailment last year.

China postponed a summit with the EU last November due to French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s decision to meet the Dalai Lama when France held the EU presidency, but the mutual benefits in the fight against crisis soon brought them together.