News » China » 11 children die after bus falls into pond

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• 11 children die after bus falls into pond
• China to monitor students' fitness nationwide
• Railway to create network of 'city clusters'
• New ambassador seeks better China-Japan links
• Train companies' exports gain steam
• Central SOEs expect to see profits rebound
• Machinery makers eye opportunities further afield
• CIC vies for office complex in London
• China's top legislature opens bimonthly session
• India, Russia sign defense deals worth US$2.9 bln
• Concerns raised over 1m yuan ox statue
• China considers fairer land expropriation compensation to farmers
• 11 children die after van plunges into pond
• Good Samaritan vote attracts 80 mln netizens
• Angry camel bites keeper to death in Dalian
• 11 children die after van plunges into pond
• Chinese premier stresses audit quality
• China to amend Land Administration Law
• China's top legislature opens bimonthly session
• Catchwords in memory in 2012

11 children die after bus falls into pond Posted: 24 Dec 2012 08:08 AM PST A kindergarten school bus loaded with 15 children in Guixi city, Jiangxi province, fell into a pond at about 9 am on Dec 24, killing 11, according to Xinhua News Agency.

China to monitor students' fitness nationwide Posted: 24 Dec 2012 11:29 AM PST BEIJING - China will carry out fitness monitoring for school children nationwide from 2013 in a bid to boost students' physical health, Minister of Education Yuan Guiren said on Monday. The monitoring will be conducted by a third-party institution and the monitoring result will be released to the students' parents timely, Yuan said at a meeting on addressing the sports work in schools. Sports work concerns children's physical and mental health, and their lifetime happiness, said Yuan. He urged that schools must guarantee the class hours of physical education, and should not occupy PE classes with any excuses For schools and regions where students' health keeps declining for consecutive three years, they will undoubtedly be vetoed in evaluation of educational qualities, the minister said. China has tried a series of measures in recent years to promote physical education in schools. However, the physical health of school children remains worrisome. Official statistics shows that overweight and poor eyesight have become apparent problems among school children. About 67.33 percent of students aged between 13 and 15 and 79.2 percent of students aged between 19 to 22 have vision deficiency.

Railway to create network of 'city clusters' Posted: 24 Dec 2012 09:59 AM PST The world's longest high-speed rail service, which starts between Beijing and Guangzhou on Wednesday, is expected to bring huge economic prosperity to towns and cities along its route, creating what officials are calling world-class "city clusters" across Central China. Designed to carry passengers at an average speed of 300 km per hour, the high-speed link will cut travel time between the country's capital and the southern economic center to about eight hours. There will be 35 stops along the way, including major cities such Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou, Wuhan and Changsha, and the route will cut through areas with a combined population of 300 million to 400 million. "Opening the route will not only bring these cities closer, but will generate business for many different supporting facilities, promoting change in their growth patterns for years to come," said Wang Mengshu, an academic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He said GDP growth in many of those areas had been independent of each other in the past, and relied mainly on real estate development and automobile sales, both of which had been run inefficiently while consuming massive resources. Better access to fast railway links will now mean improved cargo transportation between factories in various cities, leading to greater expansion of support facilities, Wang said. "Railways will indeed become a way to increase prosperity for so many industries," he added. Wang calculates that a 600-billion-yuan ($96 billion) annual investment on railway construction could generate 3,000 kilometers of railway a year, which in turn could raise the country's annual GDP growth by 1.5 percentage points, and create more than 6 million jobs. He said the country's tourism industry was likely to be one of those to most benefit from the high-speed rail development, and many in the sector have already been preparing to take advantage of the opportunities. For instance, at Shijiazhuang Railway Station in the capital of Hebei province, which is the nearest major city to Beijing on the line, two new squares are being built together with a tourist center. "The goal is to promote one-day trips, and to try to convert 'passing-by' passengers into 'staying over' passengers, which will really help boost the local catering and hotel industries," said Wen Hao, the director of the city's tourism office. Apart from increasing the flow of people into the cities, the railway will also greatly increase freight traffic, he added. Although largely being seen as a passenger line, Wu Ruliang, director of the Logistics Association of Hubei Province, said his industry will benefit greatly from the new high-speed link, and expects the cost of express delivery to drop by at least 50 percent as a result of its opening. Officials from the Ministry of Railways have said the new route will release cargo transport capacity on the old line between Beijing and Wuhan by 20 million tons a year. Wu added that with 95 percent of highways and 65 percent of class-A roads now installed with toll gates, the logistics industry will view rail transport as an altogether more appealing prospect than road from now on, given that toll costs currently account for a third of all logistics costs. "The opening of the service means the logistics industry will enter a new era of high-speed rail transport," Wu said. Xiao Jincheng, the director of Land Development and Regional Economy Research Institute under the National Development and Reform Commission, added that Shijiazhuang will be brought much closer to the economic region dominated by Beijing as a result of the new link, given that it will now be just an hour away from the capital. It will be one of many locations along the route to benefit from the development of what officials are calling "city clusters". One of the largest will be created along the Beijing-Wuhan section — the Central Plain area which ties in the city of Wuhan with Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan. Analysts believe the area could become as economically important as the Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta, and Bohai Economic Rim. Xiao said conditions are perfect for many cities in the central regions to grow into truly world-class city clusters, but that the satellite cities surrounding Wuhan and Zhengzhou also need to keep pace. Yang Xiaohua, a researcher with Hubei Academy of Social Sciences, added that Wuhan, in particular, will be fashioned into a hub for the country's high-speed passenger transport network, given its location right in the heart of the network. His expectations echoed the development plan for the central regions, published by the State Council, which aims to build Wuhan and Zhengzhou into national transport hubs. "The central region city cluster may turn into a new growth engine for China," Yang said.

New ambassador seeks better China-Japan links Posted: 24 Dec 2012 09:59 AM PST Tokyo's new ambassador to China on Monday expressed his country's desire to boost economic links as a way to thaw cooling ties amid tension over the Diaoyu Islands. Observers said Japan worries about becoming further marginalized if it completely quits China's huge market, and Japan should realize that trade will not improve if the country makes no major progress in resolving the territorial standoff. Masato Kitera, a career diplomat who will succeed Uichiro Niwa as Japan's ambassador to China, told Japan's NHK Television on Monday that his "number one mission is to improve the Japan-China relationship". The China-Japan ties were soured in September after the Japanese government illegally "purchased" part of the Diaoyu Islands. "I will explain to China's senior officials we need to make economic ties warmer if our political relationship is cooling, as Japanese corporate activity in China is contributing to the Chinese economy," he said. "It is important to boost exchanges in various fields so as to ease bitter public sentiment against each other," said Kitera, who will take office in Beijing on Tuesday. His comments come after Japan's incoming prime minister, Shinzo Abe, on Saturday also pledged to seek a thaw in ties with China. A news report said he will send a special envoy on a fence-mending mission to Beijing, Reuters said. Zhou Yongsheng, an expert on Japanese studies at China Foreign Affairs University, said the sluggish Japanese economy will receive a new stimulus on the condition that China-Japan ties are warmed and Japan further taps into China's market. "Japan has shown concern about its growing economic dependence on China. However, if Japan refuses to deepen reciprocal economic integration, it will be gradually marginalized in the East Asia regional economy," Zhou said. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying on Monday welcomed Kitera's new mission in Beijing. Kitera is expected to boost China-Japan ties, communicate with the Chinese community to deepen his understanding of China, and contribute to a proper solution of the existing difficulties that both sides are facing. Abe might ask upper-house lawmaker Yoriko Kawaguchi to return for another stint as foreign minister, Kyodo News Agency reported on Monday. Abe is now deciding on the lineup for his Cabinet, which is likely to be formally inaugurated on Wednesday, and Japan's next foreign minister will serve against a backdrop of rising tensions with China, according to AFP. Meanwhile, the escalating Diaoyu Islands row has given rise to the most serious situation since both countries normalized their diplomatic ties 40 years ago, a leading Chinese think tank said on Monday. Given Tokyo's persistent stance over the dispute as well as Beijing's unwavering determination to guard its sovereignty, the possibility of further escalation, and even a military conflict, "cannot be ruled out", the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said in an annual report on international politics and security of 2013 on Monday. Contact the writer at zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn

Train companies' exports gain steam Posted: 24 Dec 2012 09:59 AM PST Chinese train manufacturers are seeing their exports increase quickly this year as the reputation of domestic innovations becomes stronger around the world. China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co Ltd, one of the country's two leading train manufacturers, announced earlier this month it had signed an agreement with Pakistan's Ministry of Railways to sell 640 million yuan ($102.7 million) worth of locomotives to the country. That came a week after the State-owned enterprise won a bid to provide $400 million worth of electric locomotives to South African Transnet SOC Ltd, a large rail, port and pipeline company in that country. That deal marked the first time Chinese electric trains have been introduced into the African market, and was the biggest order for equipment of this sort that a Chinese train maker has ever received from overseas. "Considering this new opportunity in the African market, CSR will push forward its rail transportation equipment business and broaden its cooperation with local companies in Africa," said Xu Zongxiang, general manager at CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co Ltd. CSR said that apart from product exports, the first batch of which will be delivered by the end of 2013, it will also provide technology used in the manufacture of electric locomotives to South Africa. The promotion of technology in China's train-manufacturing industry has received a large amount of recognition in the international market. China North Locomotive and Rolling Stock Corp, the country's second-largest train maker, received four patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office earlier this month. "This breakthrough patent grant in the US shows that CNR's technological innovation has reached a new high," said Xie Buming, general manager at CNR Institute. "Technological innovation is the main way for the advanced Chinese rail transportation equipment industry to become more internationalized," Xie said. By the end of November, CNR had applied for 90 patents abroad, the most among Chinese suppliers of rail equipment. In November, CNR's Dalian Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co Ltd signed an agreement with Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway Corp to sell it 23 diesel locomotives. CNR said its entry into the Hong Kong market will help it move further into the international premium market and gain recognition from customers around the world. CNR and CSR have been exploring overseas markets at a fast pace in recent years. In the first half of the year, CNR's revenues surged by 108 percent from a year earlier to 4.48 billion yuan in the international market, an amount that made up 10 percent of the enterprise's total income, according to a CNR financial statement. In the first six months of 2012, CSR's overseas business revenues increased by 95 percent year-on-year to 4.8 billion yuan. Foreign business is the source of about 11 percent of the company's total business, data from the company show. From the start of the year to December, the value of CSR's overseas orders had reached nearly $1.7 billion. CSR has also won bids to undertake railway projects in Malaysia, Turkey and Singapore in the first half of the year. Domestic market Industry insiders say both of the train makers are likely to increase their production capacity in the coming years, not only to meet demand from foreign countries but also from the domestic market. CNR recently announced it had entered into five contracts in the Chinese market that have a total value of 6.8 billion yuan. As for CSR, five of the six new orders it recently signed came from domestic customers. Those have a value of 4.39 billion yuan. Attempting to meet its annual investment goals, the Ministry of Railways has been putting more money into fixed railway assets in the past two months. China's investments in fixed railway assets have included the purchase of transportation equipment. No more than 700 billion yuan will go into railway construction in 2013, slightly more than was used for that purpose this year, Chinese media have reported. According to the Ministry of Railways, the value of investments into fixed railway assets this year is 630 billion yuan, of which about 516 billion yuan went to the construction of railway infrastructure. Contact the writer at baochang@chinadaily.com.cn

Central SOEs expect to see profits rebound Posted: 24 Dec 2012 09:59 AM PST China's central State-owned enterprises are poised to rebound from eight months of consecutive falls in profit, under a program of steady growth being planned for the coming year. Addressing a conference involving 118 central SOEs on Monday, Wang Yong, a director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, promised stricter controls on the scale and direction of investments in 2013, both at home and abroad. Wang said business efficiency at central SOEs had been improving since September, and that total whole-year profits are expected to grow. From January to November, central SOEs generated profits of 1.1 trillion yuan ($176.4 billion), almost equal to those at the same stage last year. Total revenues amounted to 20.1 trillion yuan, rising by 8.9 percent year-on-year, data from the commission showed. "Central SOEs have seen their profits drop since early this year, influenced by the global economic slowdown and protectionism," said Wang. During the first quarter of the year, total profits declined by 13.6 percent from a year earlier to 181.37 billion, and they dropped 16.1 percent in the second quarter, he added. To halt the declining profits, he said central SOEs had been adjusting their operating strategies, optimizing production, improving sales networks, and controlling expenses, particularly in their efforts at expanding overseas business. "Since the third quarter, several SOE chief executives have reduced their own salaries, and other human resources costs," Wang said. Amid domestic and foreign market fluctuations, many enterprises have resized their investment projects, in many cases shrinking investment amounts, according to SASAC figures. Looking ahead, Wang said that while stepping up foreign investment, central SOEs are being encouraged to prioritize key industries and regions, and strengthen their supervision of State-owned assets abroad, focusing particularly on risk prevention. Wei Jiafu, chairman of China Ocean Shipping (Group) Co, the country's largest shipping, logistics and shipbuilding company, told China Daily that it will continue to seek more investment projects in key foreign markets, particularly port operations in Europe and the United States. In 2010, the State-owned shipping line paid 500 million euros ($659 million) to lease half of the port of Piraeus, the biggest harbor in Greece, which marked a breakthrough at the time for the Chinese ports and shipping sector. Contact the writer at baochang@chinadaily.com.cn

Machinery makers eye opportunities further afield Posted: 24 Dec 2012 09:59 AM PST Due to sluggish domestic demand, Chinese manufacturers are targeting African markets for profits, report Wang Chao and Huo Yan in Liuzhou, Guangxi Going overseas is no longer as easy as loading products on a ship and selling them quickly in the Middle East or Africa. As tax barriers increase and profit margins get slimmer, Chinese manufacturers have to try other approaches to explore overseas markets, including building "complete knock-down" plants, where machinery is delivered in parts and assembled locally, and procuring materials locally. Africa has become an increasingly important investment destination for Chinese machinery and auto companies. Liugong Machinery Co, based in Liuzhou in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in South China, has listed Africa as one of its "second home markets", along with Southeast Asia, Russia and Central Asia. Qin Yong, deputy general manager of international business at Liugong Machinery, said the most popular models in these markets are loading machines and excavators. South Africa is the "superstar" in the African market. During the first three quarters of 2012, the company sold 830 units in South Africa and gained revenue of 390 million yuan ($62 million), up 117 percent year-on-year. The company is represented in most African countries with around 30 dealerships. The unprecedented attention to overseas markets is partly results from the sluggish domestic market in the past two years. Wang Xiaohua, president of Liugong, said the market has changed since 2011. "The past 10 years have been golden ones for the Chinese market, but over the next decade, it will slow down and see modest growth," he said. Liugong's financial report shows revenue in the third quarter of 2012 fell 27 percent year-on-year to 2.57 billion yuan ($407 million). Domestic truck sales are also stalling sharply. Major commercial vehicle manufacturer Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor Co estimates its truck sales will drop 50 percent from 60,000 last year to 30,000 in 2012 due to shrinking demand. Huang Ziqiang, deputy general manager of Liuzhou Motor, said the greener pastures are overseas and the domestic truck market is almost saturated. The company has exported trucks to Southeast Asia, Africa and South America. SGMW, a joint venture in which SAIC Motor Corp, Liuzhou Wuling Motors Co and GM China have stakes, is also treating Africa as one of its most important overseas markets. A factory has already been established in Egypt, serving the North African and Middle Eastern markets. Liugong's efforts to concentrate on overseas markets seem to have paid off. This year, Liugong is expected to export 10,000 units. Five years ago, it was only 2,700 units. Since 2002, the company's export volume has increased 70 percent annually, and its export value has risen from $4 million to $500 million. It aims to make overseas sales one third of its total sales by 2015. Currently, they account for 24 percent of its total export volume. Qin said Liugong Machinery attributes its success in overseas market to good distribution networks and after-sales service. It has signed agreements with local distributors to sell products, so the brand can respond quickly to customers' needs. "Building overseas networks is very expensive and time-consuming. It is made much easier by cooperating with local distributors," Qin said. To assist research and development, the company has hired 140 local experts as they "have more knowledge of the global market". Although Liugong has made impressive achievements in overseas markets, it is yet to enter mature markets such as Western Europe. "To enter these markets, we need to meet the high standards set by these countries, which emphasize noise control and operational comfort." Qin said Liugong's greatest advantage remains its machinery's competitive pricing. Compared with renowned brands such as Caterpillar, the loading machine produced by Liugong is a third of the price. But as more Chinese companies enter emerging markets, the price competition is getting fierce. Qin said the company is following the route Japan took during the 1970s and 1980s, when products were cheap and lacking in strong brands. "But as costs increase, price competitiveness will fade out, and we have to improve product reliability and build our brand, so we can increase our profit margin in the future." Lack of technology to produce key components is another challenge on its way to becoming a world-class company. Currently, hydraulic parts are purchased from Japan, the power train from Europe and engines from Cummins Inc, a Chinese engine maker. But the situation is changing slowly. Earlier this year, Liugong partnered with Cummins to build an engine company in Liuzhou, which will begin operations next year. The total investment amounts to 1.65 billion yuan. Exporting products is the first step and Liugong machinery is seeking cooperation in various forms. In 2009, the company established a complete knock-down company in India, and earlier this year, it acquired Polish bulldozer company Huta Stalowa Wola SA to supply clients in eastern and southern Europe. The complete knock-down form is just temporary, said Qin. "Liugong machinery eventually needs to operate locally in the target markets," he said. "Back in the 1990s, the foreign governments welcomed us building complete knock down plants and assembling machines in their countries, but now they expect much more from us. We have to create jobs and help to build the supply chain for them." Huang Ziqiang, deputy general manager of Liuzhou Motor, said companies need support from the Chinese government when exploring overseas markets. "The Chinese government is offering duty refunds for export companies, but that's not what companies need the most," he said. "I wish the government could provide more legal services to us, so that we can get around various barriers and settle down in the target markets." Huang Feifei in Nanning contributed to this story. Contact the writers at wangchao@chinadaily.com.cn and huoyan@chinadaily.com.cn

CIC vies for office complex in London Posted: 24 Dec 2012 09:59 AM PST Deal could become biggest in UK realty market since financial crisis China Investment Corp, the country's sovereign wealth fund, is reported to be among a trio of Asian investors vying to buy an 800 million pound ($1.3 billion) London office complex, in what could become the latest in an increasing number of international property deals by Chinese buyers. According to the Financial Times, citing unnamed resources, the deal would be the United Kingdom's highest value property deal since the start of the financial crisis. Other bidders for the 1.1-million-square-foot (102,193 square meters) development, Chiswick Park, which is owned by the US private equity firm Blackstone, include government-backed funds from South Korea and Malaysia, according to the report. The buyers are attracted by what are considered bargain prices in the UK capital. The continued appreciation of the renminbi has also made international purchases more appealing to Chinese buyers. Blackstone bought the property from a British-led consortium involving Aberdeen Asset Management Plc, Schroders Plc and Stanhope Plc at the start of 2011 for 480 million pounds, the FT said. Grant Ji, a senior director in the investment department at the real estate service provider Savills Property Services (Beijing) Co Ltd, said: "London has seen a really brisk property market this year, as the financial crisis brought more buying opportunities. "Moreover, the investment return in London's commercial property market is more steady than that at home, as the leasing terms there are much longer and the rent more steady." CIC has been a regular bidder for British property. The fund, which manages $410 billion, is reported to be in talks to buy Deutsche Bank's headquarters building in London for $403 million, according to a recent FT report. CIC made its first investment in the UK property market in 2009, when it became a shareholder in Songbird Estates, which owns Canary Wharf — a district in the city employing 90,000 people, mainly financial services, and is home to the global headquarters of banks such as HSBC and Credit Suisse. Zhang Ping, head of research at the international real estate service provider Cushman & Wakefield, added: "We have noticed a growing enthusiasm among Chinese investors for buying overseas real estate, and the UK and the United States are their favorite target markets." Gingko Tree Investment Ltd, a London-registered Chinese State-owned fund controlled by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, is also believed to be closing in on a 550 million pound deal to buy a stake in the University Partnerships Program currently owned by Barclays Plc, an industry insider told China Daily. According to Cushman & Wakefield, Asian investors accounted for 45 percent of property transactions in the City of London this year. For institutional investors such as CIC and other property developers, centrally located real estate in London, New York and Paris, offering steady cash income, are the top targets, said Zhang. But there is also strong interest in acquisitions not necessary aimed at high-income generation by companies looking to take advantage of the current economic conditions in those cities, Zhang said. "A number of real estate funds and property developers have contacted us seeking bargain projects overseas," said Zhang, who added that Chinese buyers have been swayed into overseas buying by the appreciation of the renminbi and rigorous real estate policies at home. Chinese real estate companies have already made a number of trial investments overseas this year. Beijing Capital Land Ltd, for instance, signed an agreement to purchase a land parcel in France on which it plans to establish a Sino-French economic zone. Wanda Group, the country's largest commercial property developer, has revealed it plans to invest $10 billion in the US over the next decade, particularly in hotels, retail and commercial property. And China Vanke Co Ltd, China's largest property developer by market value, has just set up a team to promote its business in the US. "Compared with international competitors, Chinese property investors are sometimes a bit slow in the decision-making process, and as a result have missed out on some good prospects," said Zhang at Cushman & Wakefield. "In some cases they are still unfamiliar with the legal and investment environment in target countries, but generally I think they are still a bit conservative." Contact the writer at huyuanyuan@chinadaily.com.cn

China's top legislature opens bimonthly session Posted: 24 Dec 2012 02:05 AM PST China's top legislature on Monday started to review nine draft laws, law amendments and revisions, including a new draft decision on Internet management.

India, Russia sign defense deals worth US$2.9 bln Posted: 24 Dec 2012 05:00 AM PST India and Russia Monday inked 10 pacts, including new defense deals worth nearly 2.9 billion US dollars, during Russian President Vladimir Putin's day-long visit to the Indian capital.

Concerns raised over 1m yuan ox statue Posted: 24 Dec 2012 04:48 AM PST Public concerns have been raised about a poverty-stricken county in Central China's Hubei province that used 1 million yuan ($160,000) to build a giant ox statue.

China considers fairer land expropriation compensation to farmers Posted: 24 Dec 2012 04:46 AM PST China's top legislature is considering fairer recompense for farmers whose land has been expropriated, by breaking the legal compensation ceiling and covering them with a social security package.

11 children die after van plunges into pond Posted: 24 Dec 2012 02:49 AM PST Eleven children have died following a traffic accident that occurred Monday in east China's Jiangxi Province.

Good Samaritan vote attracts 80 mln netizens Posted: 24 Dec 2012 03:48 AM PST A total of 80 million Chinese netizens voted for "China's Good Samaritans" of the year.

Angry camel bites keeper to death in Dalian Posted: 24 Dec 2012 03:11 AM PST A man died yesterday after his skull was crunched in the mouth of a camel in Dalian, Liaoning Province.

11 children die after van plunges into pond Posted: 24 Dec 2012 02:49 AM PST Eleven children have died following a traffic accident that occurred Monday in east China's Jiangxi Province.

Chinese premier stresses audit quality Posted: 24 Dec 2012 12:16 AM PST Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Monday asked the country's auditing bodies to enhance the quality of their work to make more contributions to China's economic and social development.

China to amend Land Administration Law Posted: 24 Dec 2012 12:16 AM PST China's top legislature on Monday began deliberating a draft amendment on how to compensate Chinese farmers whose collectively-owned land is expropriated.

China's top legislature opens bimonthly session Posted: 24 Dec 2012 02:05 AM PST China's top legislature on Monday started to review nine draft laws, law amendments and revisions, including a new draft decision on Internet management.

Catchwords in memory in 2012 Posted: 23 Dec 2012 10:46 PM PST Catchwords in memory in 2012.

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