HAIKOU, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Government plans to make China's southern island province of Hainan an international tourist resort have cut the supply of housing as owners and developers hold out for huge profits.More than 200 property buyers had arrived everyday since the end of last year when the government unveiled plans to turn the tropical island into a top international destination by 2020, said Li Zhuo, a salesman with Rongyu Project in Haikou, the provincial capital.Prices were rising by about 1,000 yuan (164 U.S. dollars) per square meter each day on some properties and properties that had been selling for 15,000 yuan a square meter at the beginning of the year were now asking20,000 yuan, he said.The Shanhuwan real estate project in Haikou had sold 600 of its 643 apartments in two weeks despite prices jumping almost 50 percent, said salesgirl Min Xia.In the popular tourist destination of Sanya, the average price of Shanyuhu project had soared from 13,000 yuan a square meter in November, to 28,000 yuan as of Thursday, and was almost sold out.The tourism promotion blueprint, which was officially announced on Jan. 4 and is expected to be approved by the National Development and Reform Commission, drew real estate developers and investors from home and abroad, driving up the property market to fever and causing property bubble fears."Many home developers and owners suspended sales, expecting higher prices and profits," said Liu Haiyi, assistant general manager of Hainan Jintai Real Estate Development Co., Ltd.In an effort to clamp down on potential speculation, the provincial government on Jan. 15 suspended the leasing of land and approval of projects, which worsened speculation concerns.The suspension was aimed at cooling the overheated sector, but it may have led to a second wave of price hikes, said a property agent surnamed Wu."Sufficient housing and land resources could be provided to fulfill demands of the market and the tourism promotional campaign," Wei Liucheng, secretary of Hainan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, said Tuesday."We will blacklist real estate developers who seriously disturb the property market order and not approve any new land for them," he said.Official statistics show 58,489 commercial homes, totaling almost 6 million square meters, were on the market in Hainan's major cities as of Monday.In the first half of 2009, Hainan had approved development of 3,164.7 hectares of land, including 1,522.65 hectares already under construction, according to the provincial administration of land, environment and resources.Wei said homes for local residents were a priority. The authorities should conduct comprehensive supervision campaigns and work out plans for land approval for residential purposes. Strict penalties should be meted out to those who violated land use and transfer regulations.Hainan is one of the five special economic zones. Agriculture and tourism are its pillar industries.
BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) - A senior Chinese lawmaker said on Wednesday that legislation requiring public officials to declare their personal assets is under consideration and seen as a move to prevent corruption and improve government transparency."We are researching the issue, since the legislation requires mature consideration of all conditions," said Li Fei, deputy director of the Legislative Affairs Committee of the National People' s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.Li noted that the legislation should be assisted by the establishment of the personal credit system, which details individuals' financial information even if assets are not declared.Premier Wen Jiabao said on March 5 that high priority should be given to fighting corruption and encouraging integrity among public officials.Leading cadres at all levels, especially high-ranking ones, must resolutely implement the central leadership's regulations on reporting their personal financial situations and property, including incomes, housing and investments, as well as the jobs held by their spouses and children, Wen said.
LOS ANGELES, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A China automaker has made headlines in California as it is considering locating its U.S. office and assembly line in the state, local media reported on Tuesday.The office and assembly line are expected to create high-paying jobs in a state hard-hit by the recent recession.The Chinese automaker BYD, or Build Your Dreams, may really build a dream in California after it has teamed up with German automaking giant Daimler-Benz to manufacture an A-class electric vehicle.China's BYD F6DM, powered by electric motors and gasoline engine, is displayed at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), in Detroit, the United States, JaN. 11, 2009.As one of the world's largest rechargeable battery and consumer electronics makers, BYD entered the U.S. market this year with its electric car model BYD e6 through the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.The first batch of such cars is to hit markets in Europe, the United States and China as early as next year.Morale-boosted by the BYD intention, local authorities from both the Los Angeles County and Los Angeles City reportedly met BYD executives to woo the firm to locate its office and assembly line on their premises.Several other places including Long Beach and Lancaster have also joined the race to attract the attention of China's fourth biggest carmaker."It would be a tremendous boost to our economy and economic growth and prosperity," said Tony Bell, spokesman for Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich.As the largest auto market in the United States, California has recently seen a mushrooming of so-called "green tech" firms involved in the research and production of electric and other alternative energy vehicles.BYD is expected to produce better versions of electric cars by adding its long-life rechargeable battery to Benz chassis and transmission.The e6's, an all-electric crossover car, already are claimed to reach a range of 400 kilometers per charge.Though local pundits claim that California is the right place for BYD to locate its U.S. office and assembly line, BYD executives remained silent on the issue.Local authorities have made wooing BYD to open business in California their top priority, hoping the addition of the Chinese electric car maker would help create in California a new and greener Detroit.
LONDON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- China's efforts of switching economic growth pattern would help to make an overall more stable world economy, said John Hawksworth, head of macroeconomics of PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), one of the world's four largest accounting firms.He told Xinhua in a recent interview that this would also ultimately be good for China in the long term. There will be a reduction in the global trade imbalances in the long run with China's efforts of shifting economic growth pattern.China's adjustment important for world economyHawksworth said that China plays its part in making these adjustments, which is important for the long-term stability of the world economy. That is because China is a very important player, the world's biggest economy after the United State.Meanwhile, he emphasized that other economies should also make adjustments and play their parts for the world economy.He said that the United States need to control its high level of government borrowing. The same applies to European countries with high levels of borrowing."So all the main economies need to adjust and China is an very important element in the overall adjustment process," said Hawksworth.He was optimistic about the prospects for China in the efforts of shifting its economic growth pattern."It will remain a very strong growing economy and I'm optimistic that it will meet challenges and will continue to increase its relative importance in the world economy over the next 10 or 20 years," he said.Long-term process for China to shift economic growth patternWith regards to the main reasons for China to shift its economic growth pattern, Hawksworth said that in the long run China wants to promote consumer spending as a big driver of growth.China has been quite reliant on exports and investment in the past, he said. "Ultimately as China becomes a bigger part of the world economy, it can't continue to grow exports as fast as before. Also opportunities for more and more investment will be increasing. ""In the long run, you'll be better if more of China's growth would be dependent on consumer spending," he said.However, he said that China can not suddenly switch to consumer spending. "It has to be a long-term process and would also depend on other types of policies."For example, he said providing better healthcare provision at the moment is quite important because Chinese households are concerned about their future health care and therefore don't like to spend money.He also said that it might be encouraged by gradual move towards an increase in the Chinese exchange rate which would tend to reduce the price of imports and therefore boost consumption and boost the household spending power."It is a combination of policies which can't be done overnight, there has to be a long-term process over 10 years or more to gradually take effect," said Hawksworth.Short- and long-term challenges for ChinaAt the same time, Hawksworth said China is facing some short- and long-term challenges in the process of shifting its economic growth pattern.As for the short-term challenges, he said that China has obviously put a lot of emphasis on government spending and investment to stimulate the economy during the global financial crisis."Although that has been quite successful, it may also have led to some dangers of an overheating with increases in property prices and asset prices," he warned.He said that is a short-term problem which really requires a gradual tightening of monetary policy. Some restrictions on bank lending are also needed to avoid this asset price bubble getting out of control.In his view, the long-term challenge is about moving towards an economy that is more driven by household spending."This is partly about encouraging households to feel more confident about the future, about providing better healthcare from the state or better pensions to the households," he said.
BEIJING, March 22 -- The cities of Chengdu and Chongqing are famous for their different kinds of hot pots and there are endless arguments about which one is more delicious or spicier. It will only take 56 minutes by train for people from Chengdu to eat hot pot in Chongqing when the high-speed railway linking the two cities is completed in a few years. Construction is slated to start this year.The "one hour circle" is part of the plan for the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Zone, and the overall development project will be approved by the central government this year, according to this year's sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The two cities will generate more synergies in the future.Migrant workers from Qinghai province pick cotton in a field in Hami, in neighboring Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Xinjiang is the country's biggest cotton producing center.The State Council, China's cabinet, has sparked a new wave of regional development by laying out a dozen regional development plans with policy or financial support since last year.The Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta have acted as leading engines in the development of China's prosperous coastal areas. China is keen on fostering more driving forces to boost central and western regions to catch up.In January, the Wanjiang River Urban Belt in Anhui province was positioned as a national-level industrial transfer demonstration zone, and Hainan province was targeted to be transformed into an international tourist destination last December.Other western regions such as the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Tibet autonomous region have also become recent hot subjects for investment. Similarly, development plans for the two regions are being formulated and are very likely to be released this year or next.
BEIJING, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi Thursday discussed with Yu Myung Hwan, his counterpart from the Republic of Korea (ROK), the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and the six-party process, according to a press release issued after the talks.The statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry said they touched on regional and international issues of common concern during the talks, but it gave no further details on those issues.The two senior officials also voiced their willingness to work together to promote exchanges and cooperation, so as to push forward bilateral ties, according to the release.Yu, who arrived in China late Wednesday, visited the Expo garden in Shanghai before heading to Beijing.Yu met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in the afternoon, during which they discussed China-ROK relations and issues of common concern.Launched in 2003, the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula involve China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the ROK, Russia and Japan.
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NICOSIA, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi expressed his solemn position on the U.S. arms sales to Taiwan here Saturday, urging the U.S. to stop selling weapons to the Chinese province.Yang, who is paying an official visit to Cyprus, said in disregard of strong opposition and repeated protest from China, the U.S. administration flagrantly announced its plan to sell the weapons to Taiwan worth about 6.4 billion dollars.Such a move is gravely against the three joint communiques between China and the United States, especially the "Aug. 17" communique, Yang said, adding that it constitutes crude interference in China's internal affairs, and harms China's national security and peaceful reunification efforts.China firmly opposes such a move which runs counter to the U.S. commitment to support the peaceful growth of the cross-Strait relations, he said.The Chinese foreign minister urged the U.S. side to adopt a serious attitude towards the Chinese position, earnestly respect China's core interests and major concerns, revoke immediately the erroneous decision on the arms sales to Taiwan and stop selling weapons so as not to undermine the China-U.S. relations.Yang Jiechi said China has repeatedly stated its position on the U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. During a recent meeting in London between the foreign ministers of the two countries, the Chinese side again made clear its solemn stand on the issue, urging the U.S. side to fully recognize the gravity of the issue and stop selling weapons to Taiwan, he added.The Obama administration Friday notified the U.S. Congress of the plan to sell the weapons to Taiwan. The arms sales would include 114 Patriot (PAC-3) anti-missile systems, 60 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, 12 Harpoon Block II Telemetry missiles, 2 Osprey Class mine hunting ships and a command and control enhancement system, according to a Pentagon website.
DAR ES SALAAM, March 17 (Xinhua) -- "China is not throwing its weight amid China-Africa cooperation, though China's influence is getting stronger as an emerging power," a senior Tanzanian media official said here on Wednesday.Mkumbwa Ally, Deputy Managing Editor of Tanzania Standard Newspapers which published the official Daily News and Sunday News among others, made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Xinhua."The cooperation between China and Africa including Tanzania is based on mutual-benefit, that's not the 'Power matters the most' policy by some western countries but the way to cooperate with others," Ally said.China's assistance to African countries has no strings-attached, which was preferred by African countries, the senior Tanzanian media official said, mentioning the assistance from China to build the Tanzania-Zambia Railway in the 1970s."The big project of Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) railway was implemented with China's assistance, which helped the two African countries, especially the land-locked Zambia a lot in development and once was the main model of transportation in Tanzania," Ally noted.He added that China's assistance to Africa was brotherly based and the fourth ministerial meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Nov. 8-9 and committed to enhance China-Africa cooperation with "people-centered" development, that is "development must look at people's needs".Besides assistance, China-African cooperation is also growing in business sectors, for example, Chinese construction companies built many projects in African countries with the same quality but lower costs, which is good for Africa, meaning that the African government can spend less for the same quality, the senior Tanzanian media official noted."Economists saw China as an emerging power, which has a lot of room for growth. This is evident, and statistics showed that," Ally said.As developing countries, African countries sympathize with China because there are many similarities between the two sides faced with the problem of environment and pollution amid development, according to Ally."China presented proactive initiative at UN climate change conference in Copenhagen in December 2009 and helped a lot to find common grounds among all sides to put forward practical measures," he noted.He stressed that climate change is an issue which needs every country to take measures to reduce pollution as "a very important step to start".He also reiterated that African countries respected China's sovereignty with adherence to "no interference with internal affairs".The senior Tanzanian media official also suggested Chinese media provide more information about what China is doing and the real intention of China to correct the negative image imposed by some Western media on China.
BEIJING, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese leader Zhou Yongkang has urged making preparation for a central conference on northwest China's Xinjiang that will make arrangements to realize fast development and lasting stability in the region.Zhou, a Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, urged various departments to strengthen research on how to improve the livelihood of local residents and promote ethnic equality and unity in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.Zhou made the remarks at a meeting here Wednesday on the preparation for the central work conference on Xinjiang.Since last October, more than 500 officials from 64 departments have been sent to towns, villages, sentries, schools and companies in Xinjiang to inspect local social situations and collect people's ideas."(Xinjiang) has entered a period of fast economic and social development, with notable rise in comprehensive strength and people of all ethnic groups receiving the most benefits in history," said Zhou."However, Xinjiang's development and stability also faces many difficulties and challenges, and many new situations and problems have emerged, which requires us to launch deep research and mobilize the power from various sides to jointly solve them," said Zhou.In addition, he urged centrally-administered state-owned enterprises to increase investment in Xinjiang and explore and utilize local resources in a scientific and reasonable way.
HEFEI, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Nine people were killed in a traffic accident in east China's Anhui Province Wednesday, police said.A five-seat minibus, carrying nine people, made a head-on collision with a passenger bus with seven people onboard at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in Mengcheng County of Bozhou City.The minibus was running on the wrong lane when the accident took place, police said.Seven of those on the minibus were killed at the site and two others died later in hospital after first-aid efforts failed.