3 April 2015

Gentlefolk

As you know, I do a monthly summary of interesting news events, with a focus on news in/on China.  

There is so much competition within Western media outlets that usually only the unusual, sensational, or bizarre in any country gets a mention. Hopefully this summary gives 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.

These news items were sourced from The China Daily newspaper in March 2015.  Actual events usually occurred a day or two before they appeared in the newspaper.  Currency is US$, and the exchange rate used this month is US$1 = Yuan 6.2.

Remember that 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.  I can’t read Chinese and can’t access the local media, so The China Daily is my ‘window’ into trying to understand this fascinating country.

Events which made the news in China in March 2015

(a) Domestic (in China) events and news

1 Mar	Football (soccer) has a huge following in China; but they are usually beaten by countries such as Japan and Korea and even Thailand.  The government has now released a long-term ‘blueprint’ to improve the standard of football in China from the ground up.  Within 3 years they want football to be part of the curriculum of 20,000 primary and middle schools. Every year 6,000 PE teachers specialised in football will graduate, and be assigned to schools.
	To curb dust emissions, Beijing Municipal Govt has introduced fees for large construction sites, ranging from $0.20 – 1.0 per kg.
2 Mar	A documentary about air pollution in China “Under the Dome” by journalist Chai Jing got 100 million views in the first 24 hours.  Only in China!
	Prince William arrived in China, the first official British Royal visit since the Queen in 1986.
	The Govt said that it will probably take 2 years to establish a national database of residential property owners.
4 Mar	China’s GDP grew by 7.4% in 2014.  Agriculture contributed 9.2%, industry 42.6%, and services 48.2%.
5 Mar	From 3 to 15 March, annual meetings in Beijing of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (2,227 delegates) and the National People’s Congress (2,964 delegates).
7 Mar	The Govt announced a 10% increase in the defence budget to about $143b.
	In 2014 Beijing’s population totalled 21.5m. Due to severe water shortages and other environmental problems, the Municipal Govt said it would restrict growth to limit the population to a maximum of 23m in 2020.
11 Mar	The Govt has warned a tightening jobs market faces the 7.5 million college students expected to graduate in mid-2015.
	The number of workplace deaths in China has fallen from 240,000 in 2002 to about 66,000 in 2014.
	In 2014 sixty 5-star hotels in Beijing lost money, blamed mainly on the govt’s frugality drive.  Average vacancy rate end 2014 was 40%.
12 Mar	China’s rail network totals 112,000 km, including 16,000 km of high speed tracks.
	All foreign TV series shown on Chinese online video sites will have to get prior approval from the Govt.
13 Mar	Beijing announced a ban on all smoking in public places (offices, bars, public transport) from 1 July 2015.  On-the-spot fine of $33.  Will it be enforced?
16 Mar	CCTV’s annual program to mark World Consumers Day focused on auto dealers overcharging on repairs, and the growing number of complaints related to online shopping.
18 Mar	China has an estimated 120 million people with Hepatitis B.
	Shanghai announced a 3 year plan to reduce PM2.5 by 20% on 2013 levels.  Coal-fired power stations will be converted and/or upgraded; old vehicles taken off the roads; improved sewage disposal; dust suppression; and tree planting.
20 Mar	According to the Ministry of Education, 377,054 foreign students were studying in China in 2014, including 6,272 from Oceania.
	Yahoo announced the closure of its R&D centre in Beijing, effectively exiting China.
21 Mar	‘Chunfen’ – the official start of Spring in China.
23 Mar	The Shanghai subway system celebrated its 25th anniversary; Shanghai now has 548 km of subways (planned 800 km by 2020). Twenty five cities in China now have subways, expected to increase to 45 by 2020. Qingdao’s subway (initially 58 km) will open in 2016.
	About 889,000 new cases of tuberculosis (TB) were diagnosed in 2014; 2,240 deaths.
	ChemChina announced that it will acquire 65% of Pirelli, world’s 5th largest tire company.
24 Mar	The largest Chinese oil company, PetroChina, announced a profit of $17.3 b (down 17% on 2013, due to falling oil prices). Another State-owned oil company, Sinopec, announced a profit of $7.6 billion in 2014 (down 29% on previous year).
	As part of its anti-pollution drive, Beijing closed two more coal-fired power plants.
	When China joined the world Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2001 its two-way trade totalled about $500 billion.  In 2014 its two-way trade was $4.3 trillion.
26 Mar	Govt unveiled the “Made in China 2025” Plan.  Ten sectors have been identified which are expected to drive economic development over the next decade, such as aerospace, biotechnology, internet. They will get special support and funding.
	The All China Environmental Federation, an NGO, has sued Zhenhua Company in Dezhou, Shandong for excessive pollution.  The company had ignored efforts by the local government to enforce regulations.
	Hainan Airlines, Chinese 4th largest airline company, placed an order for 30 Boeing 787-9 (seats 280 passengers).
31 Mar	The Govt announced easing of financing for real estate.  Minimum down-payments for second homes reduced from 70% to 40%; capital gains tax will only apply to homes held for less than 2 years.  The Shanghai Composite Index rose to 3,786.
	In 2011 the construction of new golf courses was prohibited mainly to preserve farming land and conserve water resources.  Now 66 golf courses which did not obtain proper permits will be closed. There are 639 ‘accredited golf courses’ in China.

(b) International events

1 Mar	The famous Shaolin Temple in Henan Province has bought a 1,248 hectare property near Nowra on the NSW South Coast.  It will establish a Buddhist temple, hotel, Kung Fu academy and other facilities.
	Thousands attended the funeral of former opposition leader Boris Nemstov in Moscow.
4 Mar	The Forbes ‘Rich List’ had Bill Gates #1 (personal worth $79 b), Carlos Slim Helu #2 ($77b), and Warren Buffett #3 ($73b). On their Chinese ‘Rich List’, Wang Jian Lin of Wanda Group ($24b) was top, followed by Jack Ma of Alibaba Group ($23b).
6 Mar	Australian PM Tony Abbott hinted at the possible scaling back of the search for MH370 which disappeared on 8 March 2014 with 239 on board. No trace found.
12 Mar	Apple shares increased by 65% in value in the last 12 months, giving the company a market valuation of $700 billion.  It is expected to replace AT& T on the Dow. It sold about 200 million iPhones.  Apple smart watch will be launched next month.
17 Mar	The New Zealand Govt issued an apology to the Ngai Tuhoe Maori tribe for past injustices; they were awarded $125 m and management of the National Park on their traditional land.
18 Mar	Cyclone Pam devastated Vanuatu; 24 dead, thousands homeless.
19 Mar	Results of an “Image of China” survey in 8 countries: Australia 5.7 positive; Brazil 6.9; India 6.7; Japan 3.4; Russia 7.6; South Africa 5.8; UK 5.5; USA 5.4.
	Mr Netanyahu won re-election in Israel with promises of continued building of settlements and no Palestinian State.
20 Mar	According to the Chicago-based Council of Tall Buildings 130 skyscrapers (over 200 metres in height) are expected to be completed in the world in 2015, 82% of which are in China.
24 Mar	Lee Kwan Yew, founding Prime Minister of Singapore, died aged 91.  A State funeral was held on 30 March, attended by many world leaders.
	Senator Ted Cruz (Republican, Texas) was the first to announce his candidacy for the 2016 presidential election.
25 Mar	150 people died when Germanwings flight 9525 crashed in France.  Apparent suicide/homicide by the co-pilot Andreas Lubitz.
	Colliers International estimated that Asians spent $46 billion on buying overseas property in 2014, of which Chinese represented $14.3 billion.
	Indonesian President Joko Widodo made his first official visit to China.  Eight agreements were signed, including one for the construction of a high-speed railway between Jakarta and Bandung (180 km).
	An IOC evaluation team visited Beijing and Zhangjiakou in regard to the Chinese bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.
27 Mar	Geely announced investment of $300 million to upgrade production of the iconic London cabs (Geely bought the company in 2013).
31 Mar	The China Daily reported an official visit to China by “Peter Cosgrove, the representative of the Australian monarch, Queen Elizabeth 2”.
	46 countries applied to be ‘founding members’ of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).  Australia finally decided to join, despite objections from the USA (NZ was much quicker off the mark).

That's it for this post, folks.

Today is Good Friday, not that you would know it here because it is not celebrated in China.  But this year Easter coincides with Qing Ming Festival (aka Tomb Sweeping Festival), so Saturday, Sunday and Monday are designated public holidays.  

Vera & I will take the opportunity to visit Qufu, the home town of the great sage, Confucius.  Hope to do a post on that visit next week.

In the meantime, "happy Easter everyone!".

Keep well, and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah

English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao

www.upc.edu.cn

Friday, 3 April 2015