WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese tire producers, who are facing proposed sanctionative tariffs from the U.S. authorities, appeal for "fair ruling" from the U.S. government, a Chinese tire industry representatives told Xinhua in an interview on Wednesday. "The proposed sanction against Chinese tire export to the U.S. market will cause a lose-lose situation on both countries," said Mary Xu, deputy secretary general of the China Rubber Industry Association and the leading member of a Chinese tire producers delegation in Washington. "We have filed much evidence demonstrating that Chinese tire imports do not injure the U.S. tire industry. The restriction of the Chinese tires cannot solve any problem faced by the U.S. tire industry, and further would hurt U.S. tire distributors and consumers," the delegation said in a letter to the U.S. President Barack Obama before a government hearing on this issue on Friday. The U.S. Steelworkers union, which represents workers at major U.S. tire manufacturers, filed a petition against China earlier this year for import relief and won a favorable ruling from the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). The panel recommended Obama impose a 55 percent tariff on the Chinese tire imports which would be reduced to 45 percent in the second year and 35 percent in the third before being removed. The steelworkers asked for protection under Section 421 of U.S. trade law, which only requires petitioners to show that imports from China have disrupted the U.S. market. "Chinese tires are welcomed by the American consumers who believe that our products have good cost performance," Xu said. "Chinese tires are relatively lower ended and mainly for the replacement of tires. The U.S. tire makers do not produce these types of tires. So our tires are complementary, not competitive to the U.S. products." Xu said that the tariffs will hurt the American consumers and cause job loss as well. "This case will influence about 100,000 U.S. employees across the country, including tire sellers, distributors, transporters and logistic companies. More than 25,000 American workers may lose their jobs if the sanction is implemented," Xu said. "And about 100,000 Chinese workers from 20 tire producers will be influenced by the case," she added. The ITC said it submitted its investigation report to President Obama and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk last month. The USTR hearing would be the final event in the investigation before Obama rules on the ITC recommendation. The USTR will submit its remedy recommendation to Obama by September 2. He is required to make a decision within 15 days after receiving it. Xu said that the tariffs proposal are widely opposed by the U.S. consumers and tire distributors. In a letter to President Obama, the American Tire Industry Association (TIA) opposed petition to limit imports of Chinese-made tires and said that it will hurt the U.S. economy and consumers. This case also aroused closely watch of trade protectionism since it is seen as a test case for the Obama administration's trade policy. The president's decision will tell the world if he believes his own rhetoric about the dangers of protectionism in a weak global economy, The Wall Street Journal said in a report Tuesday. "Chinese tires have fairly traded in the U.S. for years. I think limiting trade in fairly traded goods is protectionism. It would contradict recent pledges by the United States to avoid protectionism and to work in cooperation with China to promote trade," said Xu. "We cannot predict the result of the case right now," Xu said. "What we expect is a fair ruling from the U.S. government."
XI'AN, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang has said efforts should be made to promote steady and fast industrial growth while improving the quality of economic development. Zhang made the remarks during a recent inspection tour in northwestern Shaanxi Province, underscoring the importance of adjusting industrial structure, promoting innovation and enhancing enterprise management. He pointed out that the country's economy has shown a momentum of recovery from the global economic downturn, with more positive signs emerging, but the reviving foundation was not solid enough. The government should stick to the proactive fiscal policy and moderately easy monetary policy, and give priority to ensuring economic growth, he said. More efforts should be exerted to expand domestic demand, carryout the massive economic stimulus plan, and promote stable and fast industrial development. Zhang also urged cutivating new industries, eliminating backward production capacities, and supporting backbone enterprises as well as small and medium-sized firms.
BEIJING, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- China will implement a nation-wide investigation to find more research and development (R&D) resources to promote the country's agriculture, manufacturing, information technologies and other major industries. The investigation will provide basic scientific data for policy-making of the nation's social and economic development during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015), the Ministry of Science and Technology said in a circular on its official website Saturday. It will also help the government monitor and evaluate the ability to make independent innovation as an effort to make China an innovation-oriented country, it said. Six ministries and commissions of the State Council, China's Cabinet, will jointly conduct and finish the investigation by the end of the year. The first such investigation was conducted in 2000. Statisticians around the nation will survey R&D-intensive enterprises and institutions in all the major industries. The survey will focus on the personnel, spending, equipment, projects and institutions for research and development. Moreover, many experts believe the investigation will help China stop wasteful spending in scientific research and promote the national sharing of resources, such as to stop squandering money in redundant purchases of laboratory equipment. China's 2008 research and development spending of the GDP was 457 billion yuan (66.9 billion U.S. dollars), an increase of 23.2 percent from 2007, accounting for 1.52 percent of the annual GDP.
MACAO, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Macao Special Administrative Region(SAR) Legislative Election General Auditing Committee announced the official results of the election of the fourth Legislative Assembly of Macao on Tuesday night. In line with the Basic Law, the new legislature is composed of 29 seats including 12 directly-elected seats, 10 indirectly-elected seats, and seven others which will be appointed by the SAR's chief executive. A total of 122 candidates from 16 groups contested in the direct elections, while the indirect elections did not take place since only 10 candidates have been fielded by the four constituencies involved for the 10 seats. Eight of the 12 candidates who won the direct elections were veteran lawmakers that have served their terms in the legislature, which includes Kwan Tsui Hang, Chan Meng Kam, Ng Kuok Cheong, Angela Leong On Kei, Jose Maria Pereira Coutinho, Lee Chong Cheng, Ung Choi Kun, and Au Kam San were the winners of the direct elections, while Ho Ion Sang, Mak Soi Kun, Chan Wai Chi and Melinda Chan Mei Yi become the new faces in the legislature. For the part of indirect elections, the list of winners comprises Ho Iat Seng, Kou Hoi In, Fong Chi Keong, and Cheang Chi Keong of the industrial, commercial and financial sector; Lau Cheok Va, Lam Heong Sang of labor sector; Chui Sai Cheong and Leonel Alberto Alves of professional sector; Vitor Cheung Lup Kwan and Chan Chak Mo of social, cultural, educational and sports sector. The election of the fourth term of the Legislative Assembly of the Macao SAR officially started Sunday morning. The authorities delayed announcing the results of the legislative election because6,539 ballots were found to be spoiled, the SAR's Legislative Election Affairs committee said Monday. Some 149,006 of the total 249,886 registered voters cast their ballots during the polling period, but 6,539 of these ballots were deemed as invalid, according to the SAR's Legislative Election Affairs Committee. This year's voter turnout stood at 59.9 percent, compared with 58.39 percent in the previous legislative election in 2005. The results of the legislative election still need to be submitted to the SAR's Court for final approval, and the confirmed results will be published on the SAR's Official Gazette on Sept. 30 at the latest.
BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- China's key July economic data adds to the optimism that the world's third largest economy is back on the track to recovery amid the global downturn, though challenges still persist. The July decline compared MORE POSITIVE CHANGES Both investment and consumption, two major engines that drive up China's growth, increased, according to statistics the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released Tuesday. Urban fixed-asset investment rose 32.9 percent year on year in the first seven months. Retail sales, the main measure of consumer spending, rose 15.2 percent in July, following a 15 percent growth in June. Graphics shows China's consumer price index from January of 2008 to January of 2009. The CPI was down 1.8 percent in July compared with the same month a year earlier, according to National Bureau of Statistics of China on Aug. 11, 2009Further signs of rebound in private spending supported a sustained growth recovery, Peng Wensheng, analyst at the Barclays Capital, said in an e-mailed statement to Xinhua. Although exports, another bedrock that fueled China's fast growth in the past few years, fell on a year-on-year basis last month, there were signs of improvement. China's foreign trade figures were better than they looked on the surface. July exports fell 23 percent from a year earlier, but increased 10.4 percent from June. Imports declined 14.9 percent year on year last month, but rose 8.7 percent month on month. According to the General Administration of Customs, the country's foreign trade has risen since March measured from month to month, and the trend of recovery had stabilized. Improvements in these data indicated China's economy was recovering and the government's policies to boost domestic demand and stabilize foreign trade had paid off, said Zhang Yansheng, a researcher with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country's economic planner. Among other statistics released Tuesday, industrial output climbed 10.8 percent in July from a year earlier, quickening from 10.7 percent in June and 8.9 percent in May. Power generation, an important indicator measuring industrial activities, expanded 4.8 percent in July. Peng expected the country's economic growth to rise above 8 percent in the third quarter this year and 10 percent in the fourth quarter. POLICY STANCE UNCHANGED Despite these positive changes in China's economy, uncertainties still existed in world economic development and some domestic companies and industries faced difficulties, said Song Li, deputy chief of the Academy of Macroeconomic Research under the NDRC. As a result, the macro-economic policy orientation should remain unchanged, Song said. China's economy grew only 7.1 percent in the first half this year. This compared with double-digit annual growth during the 2003-2007 period and also the first two quarters last year. The government set an annual target of 8 percent for this year's economic growth, which was said essential for expanding employment. China unveiled a four-trillion-yuan (584.8 billion U.S. dollars) stimulus package and adopted proactive fiscal policy and moderately loose monetary policy to expand domestic demand, hoping increases in investment and consumption would make up for losses from ailing exports. To stimulate economy, lenders pumped 7.73 trillion yuan of new loans into the economy in the first seven months, the People's Bank of China, the central bank, said Tuesday. The surge in credit, however, sparked concerns over possible inflation and speculation about a shift in the country's monetary policy. Economists dispelled such concerns, saying consumer prices were still falling and the growth in new bank loans eased in July. The consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, dipped 1.8 percent in July from a year earlier. The producer price index (PPI), which measures inflation at the wholesale level, fell 8.2 percent year on year last month. New lending in July cooled to 355.9 billion yuan, less than a quarter of the June total of more than 1.5 trillion yuan. Premier Wen Jiabao reaffirmed during the weekend that China would unwaveringly adhere to its proactive fiscal and moderate monetary policies in face of economic difficulties and challenges, like ailing exports and industrial overcapacity. Wen's stance echoed Zhu Zhixin, vice minister in charge of the NDRC, who underscored on Friday that there would be no change in China's macro-economic policy as the overseas market was still severe. He warned that any change in the macro-economic policy would disturb the recovery or rebound momentum, or even perish the previous efforts and achievements. "Efforts to keep a stable and fast economic development is the top priority of the country in the second half," he said.
BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China on Sunday issued a regulation for the country's disabled military personnel to ensure them a guaranteed living after retired from the military. Jointly promulgated by military authorities and Ministries of Finance and Civil Affairs, the regulation pledges that military personnel who gets disabled because of war, work or illness will be rearranged to other working positions by the government after retirement. The retired disabled veterans will also be provided with a certain amount of compensation fee according to their different levels of disabilities. Other welfare include medical care subsidy and a basic housing allowance of at least 100,000 yuan (14.706 U.S. dollars) to each disabled veterans, the regulation said. Non-commissioned officers at junior grades who are diagnosed as mental illnesses and enlisted soldiers who are diagnosed as disabilities from level I to level IV will be sustained by the government for the rest of their lives, it said. The regulation is the first of its kind in China.
北京seo优化哪家好
BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- As typhoon Morakot gains momentum and churns toward China's mainland, provinces in coastal regions are busy bracing for its impact. By 5 p.m. Thursday, the typhoon was located at 23.3 degrees north and 126.7 degrees east, about 780 kilometers away from Wenzhou, a major city in Zhejiang Province, meteorological authorities said. It was expected to land in the eastern Zhejiang or Fujian provinces between Saturday noon and Sunday morning. Soldiers help fishermen go to safe zone in the rain in Taizhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Aug. 6, 2009. It is predicted that the typhoon Morakot will land off the seashore in east China's Zhejiang Province and southeast China's Fujian Province from Saturday noon to Sunday morning.In Zhejiang province 2,076 ships had returned to harbor by 3 p.m. while passenger liner services in Wenzhou and Taizhou cities were suspended. More than 900 Chinese and foreign tourists have been evacuated from from the resort Nanji Island, and measures taken in scenic areas near the coast to assist tourists. Seventeen teams comprising 138 soldiers are preparing for emergencies, and working with local officials to ascertain potentially hazardous areas. In adjacent Fujian province, nearly 8.4 million short messages had been sent to mobile phone users by 5:30 p.m., warning them to prepare for the typhoon. Soldiers help fishermen transport cases of fish in Putian City of southeast China's Fujian Province, Aug. 6, 2009. Provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters ordered fishing boats and construction vessels to seek shelter in harbors before 6 p.m. Thursday. As of 6 p.m., more than 1,200 vessels had returned to harbors and 5,242 people had been evacuated in Fujian's Ningde, Putian and Fuzhou. Sea waves as high as six meters battered fish farms. Weather forecasters said the most severe typhoon this year would push sea waves in the coastal areas to up to nine meters high when it approaches. Fishing vessels are seen in the Shenjiamen Port to avoid typhoon in Zhoushan City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Aug. 6, 2009Local authorities have warned the public to pay attention to weather forecasts and be aware of the rainstorms and other typhoon-related disasters. More than 180 policemen are on duty in Quanzhou city, helping those in danger areas to evacuate. Morakot, which strengthened into typhoon Wednesday afternoon, is also expected to whip up gales in Shanghai from Saturday to Monday. Meteorological stations in the city have cautioned relevant departments to brace for emergencies. Soldiers help fishermen strengthen rafts in Wenzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Aug. 6, 2009.Experts in Guangdong Province say although the typhoon won't land there its impact could be great. Bilis, a 2006 typhoon landed in Fujian but tens of thousands of people in Guangdong were affected. The experts considered Morakot might have a big influence in the eastern part of Guangdong, and soak the province in torrential rains. The eighth tropical storm this year, Morakot was formed on the heels of Goni, which unleashed downpours in Guangdong destroying 732 houses. "The two storms could influence each other," said Wang Zhenming, vice head of the Zhejiang provincial meteorological station. "As a result, the route of Morakot is not fully predictable." He warned Morakot was likely to continue growing in strength and become a super typhoon. China is frequently affected by tropical storms in summer. The most destructive one recently occurred in 2006, when super typhoon Saomai claimed more than 400 lives.
TAIPEI, Aug.15 (Xinhua) -- Typhoon Morakot has killed at least 124 people and left 56 missing in Taiwan as of 10 p.m. Saturday, according to local disaster response authorities. Another 45 people were injured after the typhoon, the worst on the island in nearly five decades, wreaked havoc across central and southern regions. Sixty-six people died in Kaohsiung, 25 in Tainan, 16 in Pingdong, six in Chiayi, seven in Nantou, three in Changhua and one in Yunlin. Nearly 23,700 people have been evacuated, and almost 5,000 are taking refuge in 170 sheltering camps. Morakot has caused more than 12 billion New Taiwan Dollars (365million U.S. dollars) in damages to agriculture and forestry. Among the worst-hit regions are Pingdong, Kaohsiung and Tainan. People from a wide range of social sectors in Taiwan have donated cash and materials worth millions of New Taiwan Dollars to support the disaster-relief work. Photo taken on Aug. 14, 2009 shows a house buried by debris flow in Kaohsiung, southeast China's Taiwan Province.Charities and enterprises on the mainland also offered relief-assistance to the island. On Saturday, an official with the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said the mainland will provide any necessary relief materials needed by Taiwan compatriots affected by the typhoon. The office has requested factories to manufacture portable shelters day and night, and the first batch is expected to arrive in Taiwan Monday at the soonest. Villagers search for lost belongings in a damaged village in Kaohsiung, southeast China's Taiwan Province, Aug. 14, 2009
BEIJING, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country's top aircraft manufacturer, said Sunday total sales revenue in its auto business would reach 30 billion yuan (about 4.39 billion U.S. dollars) by 2017. Geng Ruguang, deputy general manager of AVIC, said making big passenger vehicles has become the the corporations's guiding plan for development in its auto business. Geng revealed the figure at a ceremony marking AVIC and its partner Volvol's new product Silver 900 series going into production line. The series is a new type of big and luxurious passenger vehicles, 12 meters long, which could be used for road transportation, tourist reception, and military equipment. The Silver 900 series was developed by Xi'an Silver Bus Corporation, a joint venture established in 1994 by AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Co. ltd, and the Swedish bus and truck maker Volvo company. The Xi'an Silver Bus Corporation expects to produce annually 4,000 vehicles by 2014. A mockup of jumbo jet C919, the major project of the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), is displayed at the Asian Aerospace '09 in Hong Kong, China, Sept. 8, 2009
DALIAN, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Following is the translated version of the full text of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's speech delivered here on Thursday at the opening ceremony of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2009, or Summer Davos: Build up in an All-round Way the Internal Dynamism of China's Economic Development Speech by H.E. Wen Jiabao Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of New Champions 2009 Dalian, 10 September, 2009 Professor Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao addresses the opening plenary of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2009, or the Summer Davos, in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 10, 2009. Let me begin by extending warm congratulations on the opening of the third Annual Meeting of the New Champions, or the Summer Davos, and a sincere welcome to you all. Over the past year, the world economy has experienced the most severe challenge since the Great Depression. We may recall the worries voiced by many people early this year when we gathered in Davos for the World Economic Forum annual meeting. Since then, thanks to the concerted efforts and active measures of the entire international community, some positive changes have taken place. The world economy is beginning to recover, although the process is slow and tortuous. We can now see the light of dawn on the horizon.This is a critical juncture and it is highly significant for political leaders, entrepreneurs, experts and scholars of various countries to gather together here and discuss how to "Relaunch Growth" of the world economy. I sincerely wish this meeting a great success! This unprecedented global financial crisis has taken a heavy toll on the Chinese economy. Yet, we have risen up to challenges and dealt with the difficulties with full confidence. And we have achieved initial results in our endeavor. We have arrested the downturn in economic growth. In the first half of this year, China's GDP grew by 7.1 percent, investment expanded at a faster pace, and consumption maintained fast and steady growth. Domestic demand played a stronger role in driving the economy forward. From January to July, 6.66 million new urban jobs were created, income of urban and rural residents increased, and overall social stability was maintained. We effectively managed fiscal and financial risks and kept budget deficit and government debt at around 3 percent and 20 percent of the GDP respectively. Banks' asset quality and ability to fend off risks were improved. At the end of June, the NPL ratio of commercial banks was 1.8 percent, down by 0.64 percentage point from the beginning of the year, and capital adequacy ratio stood at 11.1 percent. With the world economy still mired in recession, it is by no means easy for us to have come this far. The achievements we have made are not something that dropped into our lap. Rather, they are the results of the proactive fiscal policy and moderately easy monetary policy and the stimulus package that the Chinese government and people have pursued in line with the national conditions. Some people take a simplistic view and believe that China's stimulus package means only the four trillion RMB yuan investment. This is a total misunderstanding. China's stimulus package focuses on expanding domestic demand and is aimed at driving economic growth through both consumption and investment. Of the total four trillion yuan in the two-year investment program, 1.18 trillion yuan will come from the central government, and it will mainly be used to generate greater investment by local governments and the non-public sector. We have made vigorous efforts to stimulate consumption and make domestic demand, particularly consumer spending the primary driver of economic growth. We have increased subsidies for farmers, raised the minimum purchasing price of grains, introduced performance-based salaries for primary and middle school teachers, and increased the basic cost of living allowances for urban and rural residents so that the people will be able to spend more. In order to boost consumption, we have offered subsidies for the program of bringing home appliances, agricultural machinery, automobiles and motorcycles to the countryside and the program of exchanging used automobiles and home appliances for new ones. Purchase taxes on small-engine and energy conserving and environment friendly cars have been cut by half. In the first seven months, a total of 7.31 million cars were sold and total retail sales of consumer goods rose by 15 percent.