News » Society » Worker lucky to be alive after plunge
News » Society » Worker lucky to be alive after plunge |
- Worker lucky to be alive after plunge
- Paper mill pipeline project is suspended
- To London on a rickshaw
- Owner sad after gigantic snake is confiscated
- Diaoyu Islands remarks cause for 'grave concern'
- Teacher sacked for naked test
- Beijing 'death map' turns spotlight on a city's flaws
- Graft probe sparked by costly film about trains
- Loopholes bared in infrastructure
- GE Healthcare China- Made in China ‘for the world’
- China’s Biggest Brands Try to Raise Their Profile
- China Shipyards Falter as Glut Triggers 49% Slump in Orders
- Beijing Raises Flooding Death Toll To 77
- Have You Heard…
- End of the line for Bo Xilai?
- Beijing flood victims remembered
- 12,000 rail passengers stranded by floods
- About 12,000 train passengers were stranded after a rainstorm flooded a section of the railway between Beijing and the city of Baotou.
- Space antenna deal in place as Argentina probes the stars
- China activist Ni jail term cut
| Worker lucky to be alive after plunge Posted: 27 Jul 2012 11:21 AM PDT A doctor checks an injured worker in a Tianjin hospital yesterday. The worker plunged 4 meters onto two concrete bars that penetrated the left-side of his body at a construction site in Tianjin on Friday night. After a seven-hour emergency operation, doctors successfully saved his life, which was described as a "miracle" since the bars didn't hurt any of his nerve system. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Paper mill pipeline project is suspended Posted: 27 Jul 2012 11:11 AM PDT THE Qidong city government announced yesterday that construction of a Japanese paper mill's pipeline to the sea near Shanghai had been suspended amid an outcry over potential pollution. Qidong residents had petitioned against the construction on the grounds that it would pollute the nearby Lusi Fishery, and plans for a protest had prompted the response from the city government, the website of the People's Daily reported. There were also online claims that sewage from the paper mill in Jiangsu Province could pollute Shanghai's Qingcaosha Reservoir at the mouth of the Yangtze River. Zhang Jianxin, Qidong's vice mayor, announced that the project had been suspended for further evaluation. "The government noticed our citizens have paid high attention to the project that reflected your good wishes to the development and environment of the homeland," Zhang said when reading "a letter to citizens" in a video posted on the city government's website. The People's Daily's website confirmed that the project that Zhang was referring to concerned Japan's Oji Paper Co Ltd's paper mill. Zhang asked Qidong citizens not to "support, participate or watch" any illegal marches or demonstrations. Police would severely punish anyone who disrupted social order, he said. Meng Mingqun, director of the water supply division of the Shanghai Water Authority, told Shanghai Daily yesterday: "It is hard to determine whether the paper mill would actually pollute the Qingcaosha Reservoir." Meng said the sewage outfall of the mill was near the north part of the mouth of Yangtze River while Qingcaosha takes in water from the south. An official with the city's water supply hotline also said the outfall was planned on the lower reaches of the Yangtze while the reservoir was on the upper reaches. In addition, Chongming Island lies between the outfall and the reservoir. The Shanghai Water Authority has said a 5-kilometer buffer area around the intake of the reservoir is monitored around the clock to ensure it can be shut in time should any emergency occur. "It is unnecessary for Shanghai residents to be too nervous about this," an official said. |
| Posted: 27 Jul 2012 11:08 AM PDT A CHINESE farmer has spent two years riding more than 60,000 kilometers through 16 countries and regions on a rickshaw to reach London in time for the Olympic Games. Chen Guanming, 57, said in London on Thursday that his goal had been to "spread the Olympic spirit" on his journey through war zones, floods and extreme temperatures in countries that included Turkey and Iraq. "During this rickshaw journey, I've travelled through a distance of more than 40,000 miles," Chen said. "I wanted to arrive on time for the opening ceremony. I had to face both floods and very hot and dry conditions." He added: "Londoners are very welcoming, the city is welcoming the whole world in a very nice way." The BBC showed footage of Chen displaying a passport filled with visas allowing him entry to countries along the route, as well as pictures of him with his three-wheeled vehicle at several international landmarks. He told the BBC he was inspired to make the journey while watching London Mayor Boris Johnson accept the Olympic flag inside the Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing at the closing ceremony of the 2008 Games. |
| Owner sad after gigantic snake is confiscated Posted: 27 Jul 2012 09:45 AM PDT A LARGE pet snake that drew a lot of attention after it was seen swimming in the lake of a park in Changzhou City of Jiangsu Province has been taken from its owner, who failed to obtain permission to raise the protected animal. The five-year-old patteraless, a type of python, named Xiao Guaiguai or Little Sweetie, has been housed in the Yancheng Wild Zoo while its owner Tian Hui felt so distraught at the loss of his pet, nearly 3.43 meters long, that he has decided to leave the city. Changzhou police and forestry authorities said Tian didn't have approval to raise the endangered specimen, which is under government protection. In fact, he may face charges, Modern Express newspaper reported yesterday. "I didn't expect to make the headlines. I just took her to have a bath," Tian said. He insisted that he didn't catch his pet in the wild. Possessing such a protected species is a crime that can carry a jail term of more than 10 years, the Shanghai Wildlife Conservation Center said. Li Daibing, a Changzhou animal expert, said the patteraless has evolved from python molurus, and is unable to survive in the wild. It shouldn't be categorized as a wild animal because it has been a popular pet in Europe and Japan and many snakes can live only under the care of humans, Li told the paper. An Internet user who claimed to be an employee of the national animal museum backed Li up, suggesting the nation revise the rules to remove the patteraless from the wildlife list. A pet shop owner surnamed Gu told the paper that a little patteraless could sell for 1,000 yuan (US$156.70) and a bigger one up to 2 meters is priced at 2,000 yuan. But Little Sweetie, at nearly 3.43 meters, is worth 100,000 yuan. Tian said an entrepreneur wanted to buy the snake for 180,000 yuan, but he refused since Little Sweetie is his "relative." "She loves chicken legs and needs 3 kilos per meal," he said. The zoo took his advice and fed the snake with chicken legs instead of rats in order to have her accustomed in the new home as soon as possible, the paper said. In June, pictures showing a palm-sized monkey sipping a soft drink with a straw was widely circulated online. It turned out to be a baby macaca, a precious species under national protection. It has been sent to a zoo in Nanjing. |
| Diaoyu Islands remarks cause for 'grave concern' Posted: 27 Jul 2012 09:45 AM PDT A FOREIGN Ministry spokesman yesterday expressed China's grave concern and strong displeasure over the highly irresponsible remarks made by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda regarding the Diaoyu Islands. "Nothing can shake China's firm resolve and determination to safeguard its territorial sovereignty," spokesman Hong Lei said. Hong added that the Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islands have been part of China's inherent territory since ancient times. China has taken note of the willingness expressed by Japan to solve the issue through diplomatic efforts, Hong said. "Japan should make concrete efforts to properly solve relevant issues while fully considering the overall condition of Japan-China relations," Hong said. According to Japanese media reports, Noda said the Japanese government would use force if necessary to resolutely respond to any illegal activity that occurs within Japan's borders, including the "Senkaku Islands," as the Diaoyu Islands are referred to in Japan.
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| Posted: 27 Jul 2012 09:44 AM PDT A university teacher who ordered women students to expose their private parts and touch their bodies in a test has been removed from his post, Guangzhou Daily reported yesterday. Yu Xiaohua, a teacher of the University of South China in Hengyang City, Hunan Province, demanded women students of the School of Nursing to take off their clothes including pants in a test that simulates the physical examination for patients, according to the newspaper. He threatened that students who refused would fail the test, which was held last month. Students dared not oppose him but they later complained online that they "either took off their clothes or failed the test," according to one post that triggered widespread anger against the teacher. The test contained 21 body examination items and only three items required students to take off their clothes, the newspaper said. Students were told that they would draw lots to decide what they had to practice in front of the teacher. However, Yu threw that out and demanded they each perform examinations on chests and belly, both requiring them to remove their clothes. He also touched students' bodies to demonstrate the skills if he said they weren't doing it the right way, according to the newspaper. As public condemnation grew on the Internet, the university announced the punishment against Yu on its website. Yu was ordered to apologize to all students and he was removed. The university pledged to improve the regulations on tests to prevent similar incidents. |
| Beijing 'death map' turns spotlight on a city's flaws Posted: 27 Jul 2012 09:00 AM PDT A MAP pinpointing the locations of the 77 people who died in Beijing's worst downpour in six decades has put the city's municipal government under the spotlight, rekindling public concern over flaws in the country's decades of explosive economic growth. The map, posted by the municipal government on its Sina Weibo account, Beijing Release, shows that most of the victims were from suburban Fangshan District, about 30 kilometers southwest of downtown Beijing. Of the 61 victims whose identities have been confirmed, 38 were from Fangshan, six from Chaoyang District and five from both Fengtai and Shijingshan districts. The other seven victims were from five other districts, according to the map, dubbed the "death map." The map reveals a bleak reality. Despite being a short distance from the downtown Beijing, Fangshan District has long been overshadowed by the glamorous development taking place in Beijing. While much investment has been injected into skyscrapers, theaters and other shining facilities downtown, infrastructure in agriculture-oriented Fangshan has been left largely unattended. More importantly, flood discharge facilities such as rivers and reservoirs in the district had not regularly been protected and had, therefore, not retained their designed capacities. At Nanhanji Village in Fangshan, sludge as thick as 20 centimeters remained inside many homes nearly a week after the downpour. Sun Guo, the village head, told reporters that a nearby quarry often dumped debris into the Jiakuo River, which is meant to be used as a flood discharge channel. "The blocking of the river by debris and garbage aggravated flooding in our village," Sun said. Four villagers drowned, Sun said. The same night, about 350 students were trapped inside a training school in the district. The students were eventually brought to safety by firefighters, but an investigation revealed that the school was built on what had once been a flood discharge channel. The city's drainage networks have received most of the blame for the flooding. Fast urbanization resulting in vast networks of cement roads and the elimination of greenbelts had crippled the city's ability to cope with heavy rain. Wang Hao, an expert with the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, said more than 80 percent of city roads were covered in impermeable materials. Meanwhile, the upgrading and expansion of drainage networks lagged far behind the development of above-ground construction. Li Yuhong, an expert with the Association of Beijing Water Resources, said: "More than six decades after the People's Republic of China was founded, many of Beijing's sewers remain unchanged and some can even be traced back to the Ming and Qing dynasties." In May, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning laid out a plan to beef up design standards for rainwater pipelines. This year, the city government plans to upgrade drainage systems, including building underground reservoirs and installing pumps, in 50 locations prone to deluges.
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| Graft probe sparked by costly film about trains Posted: 27 Jul 2012 09:00 AM PDT AN expensive but widely panned promotional video made for China's Ministry of Railways has triggered a corruption investigation into a couple who are both ministry officials. In June, the country's top auditor found that the ministry had spent 18.5 million yuan (US$2.9 million) on the five-minute video, "Chinese Railways," without going through a public bidding process. That led to suspicion of violations or corruption, and authorities began an investigation into Chen Yihan, deputy general secretary of the ministry's literal and arts department, early this month. An insider said inspectors seized more than 10 million yuan in cash and at least nine property ownership certificates from Chen's home. Chen, a low-ranking official, couldn't have amassed such an amount of money and property, according to investigators. Then her husband, Liu Ruiyang, deputy director of the vehicle department, was brought into the investigation. Bank deposit books and shopping cards were found in Liu's office, Caixin.com reported yesterday. "We didn't expect to get a somebody because we had planned to just catch a nobody," the insider was quoted as saying. Another unnamed source told the news website that Liu was promoted in April and he had been responsible for vehicle purchases in his previous role. Liu graduated from Dalian Jiaotong University in 1984 and became a section chief with the ministry and deputy head of the Beijing Railway Bureau. Chen used to work for the ministry's publicity department. The video also put renowned Chinese film director Zhang Yimou at the center of a media storm because the ministry claimed he had directed it. However, in a statement, Zhang's assistant said Zhang, who had been invited to take part, just offered advice in the project's early stages. Zhang didn't know that the video would include a credit for "Zhang Yimou Works." The video was played at the opening of the 7th World Congress on High-Speed Rail in Beijing in December 2010 as well as in high-speed trains. It showed China's railway development by simply showing running trains. Internet users called it boring and wondered how so much could have been spent on such a poor video. |
| Loopholes bared in infrastructure Posted: 27 Jul 2012 09:00 AM PDT A top city government official said yesterday that last weekend's rainstorm in Beijing, in which at least 77 people died, had exposed multiple loopholes in urban planning, construction, infrastructure and emergency management. Guo Jinlong, the capital's Party chief, mourned those who lost their lives during a trip to Fangshan District, the hardest-hit area. "We must seriously reflect on these lessons and always bear them in mind," Guo said. Qi Hong, head of the district, said conditions remained chaotic with roads blocked, electricity and water supplies yet to be restored and many people left homeless. Meanwhile, Beijing issued an alert for possible geological disasters yesterday, with a new round of rainstorms expected to hit the capital from last night, possibly causing mudslides and cave-ins in mountainous areas in Pinggu, Miyun, Huairou, Fangshan and Mentougou districts. Up to 50 millimeters of rain is expected.
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| GE Healthcare China- Made in China ‘for the world’ Posted: 27 Jul 2012 09:18 AM PDT  Source: By Liu Jie in Shenzhen (China Daily) The global giant Siemens Healthcare has just delivered its 1,000th Magnetom Essenza, made in Shenzhen, to Tokushukai, a hospital group in Japan. "Created and developed in China, and made by Siemens," said Bernd Ohnesorge, CEO of the MR business unit at Siemens Healthcare, adding that the company's powerful 1.5-tesla magnetic resonance imaging system was globally launched five years ago by Shenzhen Siemens Magnetic Resonance Ltd. The Shenzhen facility is one of Siemens Healthcare MR's three R&D and manufacturing headquarters around the world, the other two being in Erlangen, Germany, and Oxford, in the United Kingdom. The Shenzhen base recently also developed the company's latest MRI system and sent the first products to sites in Germany, Japan and China for clinical trials, according to Ohnesorge. "Our clients are very satisfied with it, and we hope the machine can also be used in China soon with SFDA (State Food and Drug Administration) approval." China has fast become the manufacturing center for a growing list of multinational medical equipment manufacturers, producing sophisticated imaging systems which can compete with anything produced elsewhere in the world. But now it is also growing its reputation as an R&D hub. Multinational medical device providers are exporting products not only made in China, but also designed in China, according to Cai Tianzhi, director of the medical device department of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicine and Healthcare Products. And he predicts the proportion of China-designed exports will continue to rise.  Statistics from the General Administration of Customs show that for the past five years, nearly 60 percent of China's medical equipment exports have been from multinational companies and Sino-foreign joint ventures. The nation's medical equipment exports were worth $15.71 billion last year, an increase of 17.36 percent year-on-year. "We have seen more and more foreign medical device companies setting up R&D facilities in China, or even moving their regional R&D centers to China," added Liu Ximei, an analyst with the research company Forward Business Intelligence Co Ltd. "Their exports are becoming more sophisticated, and more products are being developed in China for global use." The US giant General Electric Co first proposed the idea of doing R&D in emerging economies for the global market in 2009, and its medical offshoot GE Healthcare first tested the water in China. GE Healthcare's imaging market leader, the Brivo CT series, was developed in China in 2010, its small size and affordable price aimed primarily at China's county-level hospitals. Now, besides meeting demand from China's grassroots medical institutes, 70 percent of GE Brivos, with an average unit price of $15,000, are being exported to markets including developed economies such as the United States and Japan. Dai Ying, chief technology officer at GE Healthcare China, said that due to the economic slowdown and public concerns about medical costs, governments and medical institutes in developed economies are paying much greater attention to medical cost reduction. "Their focus is on quality and high efficiency, making products developed for China's grassroots market also suitable for Western clients," he said. According to Ohnesorge, the needs in China are fast becoming those of other markets, even Europe. "Advanced technology with affordable costs, what we call accessible innovation, has really triggered our global strategy. "Easy-to-use, high throughput, high quality, advanced medical imaging – that's something particularly needed in the county-level hospitals in China, but also of importance in medium-sized hospitals in Asia, in Europe, in South America, and even in Germany," he said. Foreign giants now realize that China is no longer just an appealing manufacturing center. Their facilities in the country can combine R&D and production, producing high-quality goods in large numbers, managed by highly-qualified local engineers and workers, Liu said. GE Healthcare established its own innovation center in Chengdu in April – a $500 million investment which serves not only its customers in southwestern, northwestern and central China, but also its US and global network. "Products developed in Chengdu feed into our global supply chain," said Rachel Duan, president and CEO of GE Healthcare China. "We had said we are 'in China, for China'. Now we would like to say we are 'in China, for the world'." GE has completed more than 100 major projects under that "developed in China for the world" umbrella, 10 of them for the medical care sector. GE Healthcare China added around 200 engineers to its R&D team this year, bringing its total workforce to 1,200. Cai from the chamber of commerce said that such investment by foreign companies in R&D in China is now acting as a stimulus to domestic players to upgrade their technology to enhance their chances of export success. This growing commitment to R&D by multinationals has also helped cultivate a burgeoning community of homegrown, quality engineers with a global outlook and international working experience. Cai said employee turnover within the industry is inevitable, but healthy, helping domestic medical equipment makers strengthen their R&D capabilities. Shenzhen-based Mindray Medical International Ltd is now considered China's largest medical equipment manufacturer, and its exporter. Set up in 1991 as a trading company, it is involved in importing medical equipment. It now has 29 local sales and service offices in China, as well as sales and service subsidiaries in Amsterdam, Istanbul, London, Mexico City, Moscow, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver, and its US offshoot is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. With years of close connection with various international firms, the device maker realized that to sustain its long-term development, it needed to develop its own products, according to Liu Jie, its corporate operation officer. The company had been focusing on locally tailored products since the late 1990s, with some success, and its knowledge of local demand and market needs was a valuable resource. "Learning from international big names, we built our own R&D teams with talent from home and abroad and actively targeted overseas markets with our technology and highly flexible products, at affordable prices. It was a formula that worked," Liu said. So far, more than half of Mindray's revenues come from overseas, as it exports products to more than 190 countries and regions. The company's sales revenue hit $880 million last year, a 25 percent year-on-year increase, according to the company's financial report. It has nearly 1,550 R&D employees, accounting for around one-third of its workforce. Its engineers work across six R&D facilities in cities around the world, including Shenzhen, Beijing, Nanjing, Seattle and Stockholm. "We are doing R&D in and outside China, in a bid to meet the needs of our home market and sell products globally," Liu said. Ohnesorge of Siemens has the same message for his customers around the world, and said more companies are starting to adapt a similar approach. "In China, we truly create rather than just make," he said. "We do development here based on our global business, for our global customers."   |
| China’s Biggest Brands Try to Raise Their Profile Posted: 27 Jul 2012 09:44 AM PDT  Source: Bloomberg Businessweek By Bruce Einhorn on July 26, 2012 It was going to be the start of a Chinese invasion. Haier Group, a company from the northeastern Chinese city of Qingdao and the world's largest maker of air conditioners, refrigerators, and other appliances, opened a factory in Camden, S.C., in 2000. The plant was Haier's first in the U.S. and a big step in its strategy to expand beyond China and challenge Maytag and Whirlpool (WHR) in American homes. Companies such as Haier, which had $23.6 billion in sales last year, may be little known in the U.S., but their brands are household names back in China. Some have become global leaders, thanks largely to their strong position in the world's second-largest economy. TCL Multimedia Technology, China's leading maker of televisions, for instance, is now No. 5 globally for LCD TVs. But unless you've shopped online for a low-cost set lately, you've probably missed the brand. Now Haier and other big Chinese brands are trying again to make a splash in the U.S. Haier plans to open an R&D center in the U.S. to focus on larger-size appliances designed with American families in mind. "That will really open the door," Kan says. Haier is following the lead of Huizhou-based TCL, which opened an R&D center in Silicon Valley last year. The company, which started selling TVs in the U.S. under its TCL brand in 2011 (it previously made sets sold under the RCA brand), also has a research lab with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Chinese phonemakers such as ZTE and Huawei Technologies are making deals with American carriers for their low-cost smartphones, and BYD, a maker of autos and solar panels partly backed by Warren Buffett, set up shop in Los Angeles last year. Even Chinese sporting goods companies Peak Sport and Li-Ning are intent on establishing an American beachhead. Given the strong home market for made-in-China brands, why bother? One reason: the sheer market size and affluence that makes the U.S. a voracious buyer of the higher-value goods Chinese multinationals want to create. "ZTE wants to be one of the top telecom vendors in the world, [and] we cannot have a top position without success in the U.S. market," says Lixin Cheng, chief executive officer of ZTE's U.S. operation. Li-Ning, named for the Olympic gymnastics gold medalist, had disappointing sales when it opened a retail store on the West Coast, but it's not giving up. It's shifting its focus to online sales in the U.S. through Digital Li-Ning, a joint venture with Chicago-based marketing firm Acquity Group. Says Ray Grady, the venture's general manager: "To be a global brand, you have to show up and be relevant in the U.S." The most successful Chinese company to do that so far is Lenovo. It's the world's No. 2 PC vendor, behind only Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), albeit largely due to its strength in China. In 2005, Lenovo bought IBM's (IBM) PC business, but by 2009, its U.S. market had dropped by almost a third, to 3.4 percent, as it lost business to Apple (AAPL) and low-cost Taiwanese rivals such as Acer and Asustek. To woo U.S. consumers, Lenovo has begun a makeover. Because of their IBM heritage, ThinkPads have been popular among corporate IT managers who bought the dull-but-reliable laptops in bulk for employees. The goal now is to create a cooler, younger image aimed at consumers so Lenovo can be "a brand that is desired, not just dictated," says Jeff Meredith, vice president for marketing. The campaign was started last year with print ads and online videos featuring urban hipsters and thrill seekers doing things like booting up a ThinkPad while skydiving. Lenovo on July 25 unveiled a three-year sponsorship deal with the National Football League that "gives us a tremendous new forum to introduce consumers to our products and brand," said David Schmoock, president of Lenovo North America. The consumer focus is paying off: Lenovo's unit sales in the U.S. grew 6.1 percent in the second quarter compared with a 10.6 percent decline for the U.S. PC market, reports market researcher IDC. That gave Lenovo an 8 percent U.S. market share, its largest ever. Huawei has partnered with carriers MetroPCS Communications (PCS) and Leap Wireless International (LEAP) to sell cheap smartphones and is making inroads with first-tier players such as T-Mobile, which is working with the Chinese company on two handsets. ZTE had 4.8 percent market share in the first quarter of the year, according to CEO Cheng, putting it No. 6 in U.S. handsets. In 2011, ZTE introduced 11 models for the U.S.; this year it will launch 18 more. As recently as 2010, buyers would have had a hard time knowing ZTE made their phones since its handsets carried only its wireless customers' names. Now, Cheng says 90 percent of ZTE gear sold in the U.S. has the ZTE name, so American consumers "can start to learn our brand." Moving into more fashion-driven industries could be tougher. Peak Sport, whose athletic footwear is sold in more than 6,000 stores in China, this winter opened a 3,000-square-foot store in Culver City, Calif., and another in Hollywood showcasing its shoes. They are the first steps in a plan to roll out flagship stores nationwide while also trying to win shelf space in U.S. chains such as Foot Locker (FL). In March the Chinese company became a sponsor of the Drew League, for young basketball players in Southern California, to raise its profile. "Consumers want new brands," says Su Jia, head of Peak's U.S. unit. "They say everyday it's just Nike (NKE) and Adidas. It's boring. Consumers don't care where you come from." Still, Peak doesn't draw attention to its Chinese roots. Says Su: "If you just focus on the China brand, people will think it's cheaper and the quality is not very good." Having brands mostly at the low end of the market is a long-term problem for Chinese companies, says Anil Gupta, a professor at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. "Their basis of comparative advantage is not product or service, it's lower price," he says. "That creates a challenge when trying to build a brand image that's about more than low price." Korean electronics brands such as Samsung and LG were able to make that jump, thanks to a multidecade effort to boost R&D and match what rivals from Japan could offer. That could be harder for the Chinese in today's environment. "When the market isn't growing," says Gupta, "the competition is going to get more intense." ZTE's Cheng says his company will try to overcome any resistance to made-in-China brands by presenting itself as a partner of trusted U.S. companies. "You cannot just look at ZTE as a China brand," he says. "The core technology in our product is from U.S. companies like Qualcomm (QCOM), Texas Instruments (TXN), and Google (GOOG)." Besides, says William Plummer, Huawei's Washington-based vice president for external affairs, Americans understand that many of their favorite brands rely on Chinese factories run by Foxconn and other low-cost manufacturers. "Whether it's an Apple device, a Nokia (NOK) device, or a Huawei device," he says, "they're probably all built by Foxconn."    |
| China Shipyards Falter as Glut Triggers 49% Slump in Orders Posted: 27 Jul 2012 09:23 AM PDT  Source: Bloomberg News China has too many ships. The glut has pushed new vessel prices to eight-year lows and caused a 49 percent plunge in first-half orders at the nation's more than 1,500 shipbuilders. It's also tipped smaller yards into bankruptcy and hit earnings at larger players. Orders have tumbled as a global excess of commodity, oil and container ships has damped cargo rates and deterred owners from ordering more vessels. China Rongsheng Heavy Industries Group Holdings Ltd. (1101), the nation's biggest shipbuilder outside state control, hasn't announced any vessel contracts this year, while Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Holdings Ltd. (YZJ)'s backlog shrank 27 percent in the year ended March because of the slowdown. "It might take two to three years before the situation improves," said Zhang Yao, Yangzijiang's investor relations spokesman. "There's definitely an adverse impact on our profits." Profit Slump Guangzhou Shipyard International Co.'s first-half profit probably fell more than 50 percent, partly because the price of under-construction vessels "dropped sharply" from a year earlier, the company said this week. The shipbuilder dropped 0.6 percent to HK$4.77 at close of trading in Hong Kong. It's fallen 55 percent in the past year, while Rongsheng Heavy has plunged 72 percent. In Singapore, Yangzijiang has slumped 31 percent and Cosco Corp. Singapore Ltd. (COS) has tumbled 48 percent. "Until we have some clarity in the world economy, we won't see any price recovery," Rongsheng Heavy said in an e-mailed reply to Bloomberg News questions. World trade has been "negatively affected" by the global uncertainty caused by the European debt crisis, the Shanghai-based shipyard said. It declined to comment on orders this year. The order slump has caused Chinese shipbuilders' backlog to fall 24 percent this year and pushed a monthly index of new-ship prices compiled by shipbroker Clarkson Plc to the lowest since March 2004. Yangzijiang held orders for 96 ships at the end of March, compared with 131 a year earlier. It won seven orders in the first quarter. China has 1,536 shipyards with annual sales of more than 5 million yuan ($780,000), according to the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry. Capacity Surge Shipbuilding and shipping capacity surged because of speculation fueled by China's demand for raw materials. The government also provided low-cost financing for new vessels to help support shipyards. That combination contributed to a global surge in orders from about 2007, including for dry-bulk ships, used to haul iron ore and coal. These vessels and cooling demand are now hammering charter rates. The benchmark Baltic Dry Index (BDIY) has dropped 26 percent in the past year to 958 yesterday. It reached a high of 11,793 in May 2008. Among capesize ships, the largest vessels tracked by the index, the global fleet has about doubled in five years to 1,464 at the start of the month, according to Clarkson. Three-year charter rates have tumbled to around $10,000 a day from about $55,000 five years ago, according to the London-based shipbroker. Capesize Slump The slump has caused orders for new capesize ships to plunge. Worldwide, 12 capesizes were ordered in the first half, compared with 71 for the whole of 2011. Prices have slumped to $46.5 million as of June, 14 percent less than a year ago and 50 percent down from the end of 2007, according to Clarkson data. Panamax prices have plunged 19 percent in the past year, while prices for 4,800-box container ships have tumbled 19 percent. Worldwide orders for dry-bulk vessels dropped 49 percent to 9.8 million deadweight tons in the first half, according to Clarkson. Orders for all ship types fell 46 percent to 20.9 million deadweight tons, it said. Chinese shipyards won orders totaling 8.5 million deadweight tons in the period. Chinese shipbuilders have been more affected by the orders slump than yards in South Korea, home to the world's biggest shipbuilders, because of their greater reliance on dry-bulk vessels. South Korean yards including Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. (009450) and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. have benefited from demand for energy equipment such as offshore units and drill ships, which are more complicated to build and offer higher margins. Unprofitable Orders The drop in prices means that new orders are rarely profitable for Chinese shipbuilders, particularly for smaller ones, said UOB Kay Hian Holdings Ltd. analyst Lawrence Li. Yards are also offering more generous payment terms, such as lower down payments, which is increasing financing costs, he said. "The shipyards don't have bargaining power," Shanghai- based Li said. "Demand is really weak." Prices are unlikely to rise more than 5 percent by the end of next year, he said. Shipyard failures may help revive prices by paring competition. About half of Chinese shipbuilders may close within three years, Tan Zuojun, general manager of state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corp., said this month, according to Serenities Daily. Calls to the company's offices for comments were unanswered. Shipyard Failures Zhejiang Jingang Shipbuilding Co., the largest private shipbuilder in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, filed for bankruptcy last month because of debts of more than 300 million yuan and a lack of new orders, state-owned Global Times reported, citing Yu Shengyue, director of No. 2 Civil Tribunal of the People's Court of Wenling county. The shipbuilder had the capacity to build four vessels of over 16,000 tons a year, according to its website. Two calls to its headquarters went unanswered. The numbers listed on its website for its Shanghai office were no longer in service. Ningbo Hengfu Shipping Trade (Group) Co. and Ningbo Beilun Sky Shipbuilding Co., both Zhejiang-based shipyards, have also filed to sell assets, according to state-run China Daily. The companies' office numbers are no longer in use. "You do need a flushing out of capacity," said JPMorgan's Mirchandani. "The government will still come in and provide support to the industry in general, but I do believe the support will focus more towards the larger yards."   |
| Beijing Raises Flooding Death Toll To 77 Posted: 27 Jul 2012 09:51 AM PDT  Source: Wall Street Journal By Josh Chin and Carlos Tejada BEIJING—Embattled Beijing city officials raised the death toll from weekend flooding to 77 from 37 as they fended off criticism, including from some Chinese state media, of their handling of the disaster. Of the 77 dead, the vast majority drowned, with five electrocuted and one struck by lightning, the state-run Xinhua news agency said, quoting Beijing flood-control spokesman Pan Anjun. A further sharp increase in the death toll "is not likely" because the search is drawing to an end, Mr. Pan said, according to Xinhua, though he added "we will not give up searching just yet." A Beijing municipal government spokeswoman's mobile phone was turned off Thursday evening and she couldn't be reached to comment. City officials had previously defended their decision to leave the official death toll unchanged at 37 from Sunday evening, telling reporters they wanted to be sure of their numbers before revising casualty or damage reports. The rainstorm on Saturday was the heaviest the capital had seen in more than six decades, according to state media. The disclosure came amid intensifying criticism of city officials as well as signs of a crackdown on media and online coverage. Online critics had been pushing for an updated death toll as images of the damage just outside the city began to circulate in the days after the flood. On Thursday, even the People's Daily, the Communist Party's mouthpiece newspaper, criticized Beijing authorities for not updating the death toll in a commentary headlined "Casualty Numbers Are Not a 'Sensitive Topic.' " The paper suggested that Beijing risked losing the people's hearts unless it embraced transparency. "People are paying less attention to 'negative news' and more attention to how the government deals with 'negative news,' " it said. Frustration with the lack of information led some Chinese people to begin compiling their own lists of casualties based on reports from traditional and social media. China's online censors have cracked down on some of the stronger statements of protest. On Thursday, Ren Zhiqiang, a prominent real-estate mogul and member of the Communist party, said on his account on Sina Weibo that censors were trying to get him to soften his criticism. His account was suspended at one point—prompting a flurry of protest from other high-profile users—before it was restored again just before noon local time. "After laying down a few new rules, Sina has unblocked me," he wrote. Sina Weibo operator Sina Corp. didn't respond to requests to comment. The row over the death toll presents the biggest challenge to the city government's credibility since the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, in 2003, when city officials were caught playing down the scale of the deadly epidemic. The flooding also exposed Beijing officials to criticism that the fast-growing city is built on outdated infrastructure. The Beijing government has tried to address some of the criticism by issuing information on its official Weibo account. It also warned residents of expected heavy rains on Wednesday, though the downpour failed to materialize. Saturday's flooding dumped an average of 170 millimeters (6.7 inches) on the city in less than 24 hours. But the damage was heavier in the Fangshan district on the outskirts of the city, which saw 460 millimeters (18 inches) of rain. Of the 77 confirmed dead, 38 were discovered in Fangshan, according to Xinhua.   |
| Posted: 27 Jul 2012 09:52 AM PDT Have You Heard…   |
| Posted: 27 Jul 2012 04:13 AM PDT After Chinese politician Bo Xilai's wife was charged with murder, the BBC's John Sudworth considers the repercussions for Mr Bo. |
| Beijing flood victims remembered Posted: 27 Jul 2012 02:34 AM PDT Flowers left by mourning Beijing residents are seen under Guangqumen Bridge in honor of the 77 people who died in July 21 downpours. Beijing city leaders led by Party Chief Guo Jinlong and Acting Mayor Wang Anshun mourned victims killed in the downpour, while inspecting disaster relief work in Fangshan District this morning. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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| China activist Ni jail term cut Posted: 27 Jul 2012 02:50 AM PDT An appeals court in China dismisses disabled land rights activist Ni Yulan's fraud conviction, reducing her jail time by two months. |
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