6 December 2015

Gentlefolk,

This post contains the News Summary for November 2015.

As you know, I compile a monthly summary of news items, with a focus on news on China.  

There is so much competition for space within Western media outlets that usually only the unusual, sensational, or bizarre gets a mention. Hopefully this summary will give you a better idea of some of the things happening in China.

The events/items included are not necessarily the headlines, but rather things which caught my eye.

The second list shows international events reported in China.  There are so many things happening around the world (information overload!), that I find it useful to have such a list to look back at. 

These news items were sourced from the China Daily newspaper 1 – 30 November 2015. 

Actual events usually occurred a day or two before they appeared in the China Daily newspaper. 

Currency shown is US$, and the exchange rate used this month is US$1 = Yuan 6.3.

Remember: the China Daily is a government newspaper whose main purpose in life is to make the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese Government look good.  But if you strip away the propaganda, there is still quite a lot of interesting stuff in the paper. 

Events which made the news in China in November 2015

(a) Domestic (in China) events and news

1 Nov	China’s population policy: 1970 population passed 800 million; 1980 One Child policy introduced; 1984 relaxed for rural areas – couples could have a second child if the first was a girl; 2010 couples could have 2 children if both were from single child families; 2013 couples could have 2 children if one was a single child; 2015 all couples can have 2 children. Estimated that 550,000 couples in Beijing are eligible for a second child under the relaxed regulations, but so far only 55,000 have applied.
	Xu Xiang, 37, head of Zexi Investments arrested for ‘insider trading and market manipulation’. Other ‘tigers’ arrested this month for alleged corruption: Zhang Yun, President of Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), and Yao Gang, Vice Chair of the Securities Regulatory Commission.
4	Govt says that annual GDP growth of 6.5% over the next 5 years will enable it to achieve its aim of $12,000 per capita by 2020.
	The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) will remove an estimated 500,000 land mines on the border with Vietnam.
	China’s retail wine market is estimated at $12 billion pa; imports account for 33%; there are approx 38 million wine drinkers; China’s per person wine consumption is 5.8 liters pa.
5	In the first 9 months of 2015, profits of private industrial companies rose by 7% but profits of State Owned Industrial Enterprises fell by 24%. Many SOEs are unprofitable and only survive with govt subsidies (so called “Zombie companies”). Govt has vowed to reform these companies.
	China has 137 million people aged over 65 (10% of population); and about 212 m over 60.
6	In 2014 China imported fresh fruit valued at $4.3 billion; 16% of imports came from Vietnam.
7	First snowfall of the winter in Beijing. Central heating turned on a week early.
10	Severe smog / pollution covered NE China. The PM2.5 level in Shenyang exceeded 1,000 micrograms per cm and in Changchun reached 860.
	200 bullet trains are introducing wifi for passengers.  Also on China Eastern planes.
11	A gang based in Indonesia and Cambodia running internet telecom fraud was busted and 254 Chinese repatriated to China for sentencing.
12	“Singles Day” online shopping bonanza yesterday netted $2.3 billion in 24 hours. 70% of orders were placed via smart phones and tablets. Alibaba and JD most popular sources. More than 6,500 autos were bought online yesterday, including a Porsche worth $790,000.
12	Video website iQiyi has reached 150 million daily users. Its locally-produced series are very popular: The Journey of the Flower has attracted 7 billion viewers, and The Lost Tomb 3 billion.
13	New Y100 note issued. Y100 ($16) is still the largest note available in China.
	Property market blues: for the first 10 months of 2015 new construction is down by 14%, and floor area of unsold apartments is now 50% higher than two years ago.
	Lenovo, the world’s largest personal computer maker, posted its first quarterly loss in 6 years - $714 million.  Revenue was up 16%, but huge restructuring costs.
	ABB’s China operation had revenue of $5.8 billion in 2014.  It has 19,000 employees. The R & D centre is in Beijing.
14	Heavy smog in Beijing triggered Yellow Alert. Visibility down to 500 metres.
	The Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges raised/doubled deposit requirements for margin trading.
16	Sinopec’s Fuling field is producing 10 million cubic metres of shale gas per day.
	Sales of Passenger Motor Vehicles in first 10 months of 2015 totalled 19.3 million units, 41% of which were Chinese brands. October sales up 12%, helped by the halving of sales tax on vehicles of less than 1.6 litre engines.
	The Ministry of Transport received 6,832 submissions on its draft regulations for the car-hailing industry.
17	When Pfizer’s Viagra patent expired in May 2014 several Chinese firms started producing similar products.  Baiyunshan Pharma brand is Jin’ge (“Golden Spear’) which sells for 40% less than Viagra; its sales in the 12 months to October 2015 totalled $109 million.
18	Actor Yin Xiang Jie was arrested on drug charges.  The Govt prohibits the screening of films by actors caught with drugs or prostitutes, so his acting career is likely finished.
	Health specialists are concerned that over-use by hospitals of antibiotic drips is creating resistance to drugs. In 2016 hospitals in Jiangsu Province will only allow such drips for in-patients.
19	The four most influential businesswomen in China: Dong Ming Zhu, President of Greer Electrical Appliances; Chen Chun Hua, Co-Chair of New Hope Liuhe; Wang Feng Ying, President of Great Wall Motors; Sun Ya Fang, Chair of Huawei Technologies.
25	Xiaomi launched new Redmi Note 3 smart phone. with fingerprint scanner and 5.5 inch screen. Also MiPad2 based on Microsoft and using Windows 10.
26	91 suspects in corruption cases totalling $122 million were repatriated to China in last 12 months to face trial here.
	The 2014 National Fitness Survey showed increasing incidence of myopia: Primary School students 46%; Middle School 74%; High School 83%; College 86%. Of Primary School students in urban areas, 18% of boys and 10% of girls were obese.
	The incidence of indoor smoking in Beijing has fallen from 11% to 4% since the tough smoking restrictions were introduced in June 2015.
30	The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China delivered its first domestically-produced regional jet (ARJ21) to Chengdu Airlines. It can carry 90 passengers and has a range of 3000 km. Production will now ramp up.

(b) International events

1 Nov	China-Japan-South Korea leaders meeting in Seoul.
3	Visit to China by French President, Francoise Hollande.
	Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the abolition of knighthoods as “not appropriate in the modern age”.
	Visit by Henry Kissinger to promote the Chinese translation of his latest book “World Order”. A new biography of Kissinger titled “Henry Kissinger The Idealist, 1923 – 68”. He grew up in Fuerth, Bavaria; family moved to New York in 1938; served in the US Army, then attended Harvard (sponsored by the GI Bill).
	Visit by Admiral Harry Harris, Commander of the US Pacific Fleet. First joint US-China naval exercise announced, in Atlantic.
	Turkey’s ruling AKP Party won a majority (316 of 550 seats) just five months after forming a minority govt.
	United Nations estimated that last month (October 2015), 218,000 ‘migrants’ entered Europe (mainly from Syria and Iraq). This was roughly the same figure as for all of 2014.  The total for the first 10 months of 2015 was 744,000.
4	The Kansas City Royals beat the New York Mets to win Baseball’s 111th World Series (the Royals last won in 1985).
	Apple sold 230 million iPhones worldwide in the twelve months to 30 September 2015 (up 37%).
	LeBron James (30 years and 307 days) became the youngest NBA player to reach 25,000 points in regular season. Kobe was 13 months older when he reached that total. The four highest regular season point scorers in NBA history are: Abdul Kareem 38,387; Karl Malone 36,938; Kobe Bryant (still playing) 32,534; Michael Jordan 32,292.
5	President Xi Jin Ping started official visit to Vietnam.
6	China replaced Canada as the US’s top trading partner.  First 9 months of 2015 China-US two-way trade totalled $442 billion; Canada-US $438 billion.
	Amazon opened its first “bricks & mortar” bookshop, in Seattle.
7	Nicaragua approved plan by a Hong Kong-based group to build a “bigger Panama Canal”; total length 276 km (of which 105km on Lake Nicaragua); estimated cost $50 billion.
	Xi Jin Ping official visit to Singapore. While in Singapore Xi met with Ying Yeou, President of Taiwan (first top level meeting since founding of PRC in 1949).
11	Chinese collector Liu Yi Qian paid $170 million for Modigliani’s “Reclining Nude”. It will be housed in his Long Museum in Shanghai.
	Visit to China by Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdory.
	China General Nuclear Power Corporation won contract to build two nuclear reactors in Romania ($7.7 billion). China National Nuclear Corp won a $4.7 b contract to build Argentina’s 5th reactor.
	President of the University of Missouri, Tim Wolfe, resigned following criticism for “indifference to racial tensions”.
	Anbang Insurance paid $1.6 billion for US Fidelity Life Co.
	WADA report recommended Russia be suspended from international track & field for “systematic cheating”.
12	Death of former German Chancellor (1974-82) Helmut Schmidt, 96.
	Myanmar’s main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, appears to have won a massive victory in last weekend’s election.
	People of Chinese ethnicity make up 21% of San Francisco City’s population of 805,000.
13	Migrant crisis continues: Austria announced plans to build a fence along its border with Slovenia; Sweden imposed border controls. EU leaders met in Malta.
	World nations agreed, in the UN’s International Telecommunications Union, to use satellites to track aircraft flights. Currently ground radar is used.  Don’t want a repeat of the disappearance of flight MH370 in March 2014.
14	President Xi attended the G20 meeting in Antalya, Turkey.
	China (70%) and Laos (30%) joint venture will build a 418 km railway between Kunming and Vientiane. Estimated cost $6.3 billion.
	In the last quarter Carlsberg suffered a loss of $650 million, mainly from its Russian and China subsidiaries. Announced cuts of 2,000 staff and some closures.
17	Marriott International will buy Starwood Hotels (Sheraton, Westin, W, St Regis) for $12.2 billion. Marriott will have 5,500 properties with 1.1 million rooms.
	The 2015 Open Doors Report by US Institute of International Education estimated total 975,000 foreign students are studying  in the USA; of which 304,000 (31%) are   from Mainland China; 133,000 from India; 64,000 from South Korea; 60,000 from Saudi Arabia.
	Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos quarterback, passed Brett Favre’s passing record (71,871 yards) and equalled his wins (186).
18	President Xi arrived in Manila to attend the 2015 APEC Leaders meeting. Premier Li Ke Qiang represented China at ASEAN meetings in Kuala Lumpur. He will then make an official visit to Malaysia. Chinese companies are interested in bidding for the proposed High-speed railway between KL and Singapore (90 min).
19	Famous New Zealand rugby player, Jonah Lomu, died of kidney disease aged 40. He scored 37 tries in 63 test matches between 1994 and 2002. Voting started in New Zealand on a new national flag.
23	Guangzhou Evergrande beat Al Ahli to win the 2015 Asia Football Championship.
25	Turkish fighters shot down a Russian jet on the Syrian border for alleged “airspace violations”. Russia imposed economic sanctions on Turkey.
	Meeting in Suzhou between China and leaders of 16 Central & Eastern Europe countries.  China to build High-speed railway linking Belgrade and Budapest (3 hours).
26	SF Warriors beat LA Lakers 111-77 for their 16th win – new NBA record for best start to season.
30	President Xi attended the Climate Change meeting in Paris, with leaders of about 150 countries.
	Britain’s Tyson Fury beat Wladimir Klitschko to become the new World Heavyweight champion.

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Another month has passed.  Tomorrow is the start of Week 14 of this semester, so only 3 weeks of lectures to go and then the final exams. In about five weeks we'll head south for the winter break, first to Hong Kong and then to the Land Down Under.

We’ll return to Qingdao at the end of February 2016 for the start of the second semester of this academic year – and our last semester teaching in China.

Warning: only 18 shopping days left till Xmas!

 ...

Best wishes to you all, keep well and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah

English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao

www.upc.edu.cn

Sunday 6 December 2015 (Saint Nicholas Day)

Qingdao TV program featuring two foreign teachers. Click HERE for YouTube. It goes for about 25 minutes and alternates between Rai and me. In Chinese, but quite a lot of spoken English.