3 June 2015

Gentlefolk

As you know, I compile a monthly summary of news items, 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 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.

These news items were sourced from the China Daily newspaper 1 – 30 May 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 6.2.

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. 

I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the information, but the Chinese keep a myriad of statistics and most of them are probably accurate.

Events which made the news in China in May 2015

(a) Domestic (in China) events and news

1 May	Beijing’s Palace Museum (aka Forbidden City) announced plans to build a satellite museum at Xi Yu He, about 30 km from the Forbidden City. Total area 620,000 sq metres (including 125,000 indoor).
	Beijing is home to 91 universities with enrolled students totalling 814,300.  A recent survey found that Beijing students have an average monthly expenditure of $220; they spend an average of 2 hours per day online.
	China National Tourism Administration has launched a 3-year “Toilet Revolution” during which 33,000 new toilets will be constructed at major tourist sites, and 24,000 existing toilets will be renovated.
	China’s steel exports in the first quarter of 2015 totalled 26 million tonnes, and increase of 41% over Q1 2014.
	Govt announced the overseas origins of malware/computer attacks in 2014: 22% USA: 19% Hong Kong; 8% South Korea; 4% Japan; 3% India.
2 May	183 exhibitors from 40 countries participated in the Shanghai Aviation Expo.  In 2014 China bought 35 business jets, well down from 55 in 2011.
	The Beijing Ducks won the China Basketball Association championship final on 22 March.  The television audience was 190 million. American Stephon Marbury, 38, was MVP.  He has 3.7 million followers on Sina Weibo (China’s Twitter).  A stamp has been issued in his honour.
4 May	Forbes magazine estimated that at the end of 2014 there were 13.9 million “mass affluent” Chinese (with more than $100,000 to invest).
	The Communist Party of China (CPC) banned official meetings by Party or Govt agencies from being held in 21 top tourist areas.
5 May	Opening of ‘totally robot’ factory in Dongguan, Guangdong.  In 2014 Chinese companies bought 57,000 industrial robots, about 25% of world demand; next biggest buyer was South Korea, followed by Japan; USA; Germany.
	19 senior managers of State Owned Enterprises (SoEs) being investigated for corruption.  New leadership at CNPC (Wang Yi Lin) and Sinopec (Wang Yu Pu).
	A 57 storey building was erected in 19 days in Changsha; pre-fabricated steel structure; 1,200 workers worked 24/7; includes 800 residential apartments and offices for 4,000 staff.
6 May	The Shanghai Composite Index fell 4%, biggest daily fall in 3 months.  The SCI is back down to 4298.
7 May	Premier Li Ke Qiang is determined to cut red tape.  He cited a recent case were a person applying for a govt permit was told “prove your mother is really your mother”. 98% of netizens said they had experienced similar absurd requests.
9 May	Taxes on cigarettes have increased from 5% to 11% which will raise retail prices by about 10%.  Last year govt revenue from cigarette taxes was about $150 billion.
	Premier Li Ke Qiang visited Beijing’s Zhongguancun District (aka China’s Silicon Valley) to promote local entrepreneurship.  The District averages 49 start-ups per day.
	Ex-NBA player Yao Ming (now owner of the Shanghai Sharks team) raised $3 million through “crowd funding” to expand his winery in California’s Napa Valley.
11 May	The Central Bank cut interest rates again.  The benchmark one-year lending rate is now 5.1%; the benchmark deposit rate is 2.25%.
	A Tianjin-based health products company celebrated its 20th anniversary by taking 6,400 staff to France for a week.
	A replica of Beijing’s Old Summer Palace (Yuan Ming Yuan) covering 400 hectares was opened at Hengdi Movieworld at Dongyang, Zhejiang Province. Cost $4.8 billion. The company is forecasting 10 million visitors a year (adult entry ticket $45). The original Palace was destroyed by British & French soldiers in 1860 during the 2nd Opium War.
	In 2014 Beijing International Airport handled 582,000 flights (86 m passengers); 96 airlines fly to 133 destinations in China and 111 overseas.   A second airport is under construction in Daxing.  It will open in 2019 with a capacity of 72 million passengers a year.
12 May	The demand for smartphones appears to be stabilising.  In Q1 2015 99 million units were shipped, down from 103 million in Q1 2014.  Most popular in Q1 2015: Apple 15%; Xiaomi 14%; Huawei 11%; Samsung 10%.
	Retail price of 90-octane gasoline has risen slightly to $1.05 a liter.
13 May	Jackie Chan’s 2nd autobiography was released on his 61st birthday.  He is also Dean of the new Jackie Chan Film & TV Academy, part of the Wuhan Institute of Design and Sciences.
	The 21st annual nation-wide English language competition for college students “21st Century Coca Cola Cup” was launched.
	Release of a 94 minute documentary “Mr Deng goes to Washington” about first official visit to USA by Deng Xiao Ping for 9 days in January/February 1979.
15 May	Four new penthouses for sale in Beijing; asking price of $80 million each.
20 May	Ministry of Industry launched “Made in China 2025” project. Emphasis on cultivation of innovation and high-tech industries.
	Disney opened first store in China, in Shanghai’s Pudong area not far from where the Disney theme park will open next April. The store has an indoor area of 860 sq m, as well as a huge outdoor area; it carries 2,000 products for sale.
21 May	Tough new anti-smoking restrictions will commence in Beijing on 1 June.  About 24% of adults (43% of males, 2% of females) in Beijing smoke, down 4% on the figure in 2008.
	A survey found a definite gender bias in hiring graduates: males applicants got job interviews almost 50% more often than female applicants.
	In 2014 there were 274 million migrant workers in China (compared to 242 m in 2010); 67% male; 80% finished school at 16; average earnings $410 per month.
	In 2014 China had 300 gigawatts of hydropower capacity (15% of total energy); target is 420 gigawatts of hydropower by 2020.
	China’s cinema box-office takings in 2014 totalled $4.8 billion.
	An authorised online car-hailing service will commence in Shanghai on 1 June; joint venture between SH govt + taxi corporation + Didi Dache (which runs the Didi and Kuaidi apps).
22 May	Infamous celebrity Guo Mei Mei, 23, was finally charged with running an illegal gambling establishment (she was detained in August 2014).
	Yu Mu Chun, 20 (Ferrari) and Tang Wan Tian 21 (Lamborghini) were each given 4 month jail sentences and fined $1,500 for dangerous driving following their high-speed crash in a Beijing road tunnel last month.
	A website has exposed 210 (mostly located in Beijing) unauthorised ‘institutes’ awarding dubious degrees. China has 2,845 authorised institutions of higher learning, including 447 private colleges and 292 institutes of lifelong learning.
27 May	The Defense Ministry issued its first-ever White Paper “China’s Military Strategy”. It confirmed a policy of “active defense”, with focus on building naval capability.
	The govt announced plans to build lighthouses on two reefs in the South China Sea: Hua Yang Reef and Chi Gua Reef.
	38 died and 6 were injured when a fire swept through a retirement home in Pingdingshan, Henan.
	600 ‘members’ signed up on the first day when a “morality bank” opened in Yanji, Jilin Province. Members get ‘credits’ for good deeds; for example, picking up trash will get you 10 points, while donating blood gets you 200 points.  Points can then be exchanged for services such as a haircut (150 points); having your home cleaned (500 points); or a full health check (1,200 points).
29 May	“No one tells us what to do!” big headlines in the China Daily in response to criticism by the USA of building on disputed reefs and islands in the South China Sea.
	The stock market has been up and down like a yo-yo this month. Yesterday the Shanghai Composite Index lost 6.5%, to finish at 4630; but then bounced back to flirt with long-anticipated 5,000.
	Student Kang Xia is leaving soon to start a Masters at Columbia University and advertised his collection of 1,741 books on WeChat (3 for $10; 7 for $16, randomly selected).  He was overwhelmed when buyers deposited $110,000 in his PayPal account within 24 hours! Most will have to be refunded.
	A survey by the Chinese Doctor’s Association found that 70% had suffered verbal or physical abuse from patients; 13% had injuries which needed treatment.
	3% of the 274,400 Chinese students who were studying in the USA in 2014 were expelled from US schools and colleges; main reasons: poor grades, followed by cheating & plagiarism.
	Police in Guangdong and Fujian Provinces seized 1.1 tonnes of ‘ice’ when they busted several big methamphetamine labs.
30 May	A South Korean businessman visiting Guangdong Province was diagnosed with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Contacts in quarantine.
	The Municipal Govt of Beijing is considering the introduction of tougher parking regulations.  Beijing has 5.6 million cars but only about 3 million parking spaces. In future intending car buyers may be required to show proof of ownership of a parking space.

(b) International events

1 May	Prize money at this year’s Wimbledon Tennis Championships will total $41 million.  Both Mens and Womens singles champs will receive $3 m.
	Vietnam celebrated the 40th anniversary of ‘Liberation’.
	The World Expo opened in Milan.  140 countries participating. Germany has the largest pavilion, followed by China.
4 May	Floyd Mayweather beat Manny Pacquiao for the Welterweight Crown by unanimous decision. They made over $100m each. Pacquiao was criticised afterwards for not disclosing a shoulder injury.
	40,000 shareholders (including 2,000 Chinese) attended Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway AGM in Omaha, Nebraska.
	A daughter, Charlotte, born to Prince William & Kate.
	Stephen (Steph) Curry, 27, of the Golden State Warriors named NBA Most Valuable Player for this season. He scored 286 3-pointers (broke his own previous record).  His 4 year contract is worth $44 million.
8 May	The Conservative Party won 331 seats in yesterday’s UK General Election; they will be able to govern in their own right. Parties fielded 11 candidates of Chinese origin; one, Alan Mak, was elected as Conservative MP for Havant.
9 May	The Forbes Global 2000 List contains 579 US-based companies and 232 Chinese companies.
11 May	President Xi Jin Ping was one of 20 world leaders (none from West!) to attend the 70th Anniversary celebrations in Moscow to mark the end of WW2. The China Daily said that the Soviet Union lost 27 million in WW2, and China 35 million.
	The World Health Organisation declared Liberia “ebola-free”. 4,700 died from ebola in Liberia.
	Thousands of boat people from Myanmar (Rohingyas) and Bangladesh try to enter Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
	A team from China beat South Korea to win the League of Legends Championships in Florida.
13 May	Much damage, many dead and injured, following earthquakes in Nepal (Tibet also affected).
	Former badminton World #1, Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei, returns from drug-ban to participate in the Sudirman Cup.
15 May	Official visit to China by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
	Actor Johnny Depp ordered to remove his pet dogs from Australia because they did not go through the required quarantine procedure.
	A factory fire in the Philippines killed 72.
18 May	Premier Li Ke Qiang left for official visits to Ireland, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Chile.
19 May	People in Australia lost at least $66 million in Online dating scams in 2014; this was the most common type of financial fraud in Australia.
	9 dead, 18 injured in shoot-out between rival motorcycle gangs in Waco, Texas.
	Google’s “Cultural Institute” has virtual tours of 700 museums world-wide (including 15 from China). Photos and videos are gigapixel, so super clear.
	Barcelona won its 23rd La Liga Championship title when it beat Athletic Madrid Messi scored the winning goal). Real Madrid was runner-up (RM’s Ronaldo got 45 goals this season; he now has 30 career hat-tricks).
	Rory McIlroy set a tournament record in winning Wells Fargo Golf  in Charlotte in 267 strokes (21 under par, 5 better than the previous record). On one round he set a new course record of 61.
22 May	A USAF P8-A surveillance plane, carrying a CNN film crew, flew over the Yongshu Reef in the disputed Nansha Islands to observe construction.  When ordered by Chinese military to leave, the pilot responded “We are in international airspace.”
	Professor Zhang Hao of Tianjin University was detained when his flight landed in Los Angeles, on charges of industrial espionage. It is alleged that he was one of three Chinese PhD graduates who stole company secrets while working for US companies after graduating from American universities.
	The US Justice Department fined banks a total of almost $6 billion for colluding: including Barclays; Chase; Citicorp; JP Morgan; RBS.
23 May	The founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) met in Singapore to finalise the articles of association.
28 May	Seven FIFA officials were arrested in Zurich for extradition to the USA on corruption charges.
	The highest paid CEOs in the US are: David Zaslav (Discovery) $156 million a year; Leslie Moonves (CBS) $54m; Philippe Dauman (Viacom) $44m; Robert Iger (Disney) $44m; Marissa Mayer (Yahoo) $42m.
29 May	Golden State Warriors beat Houston Rockets 104 – 90 to advance to the finals of the NBA playoffs; they will play the Cleveland Cavaliers; first game 4 June.
30 May	The Premier of South Australia, Jay Weatherill, led a 250-person trade delegation on a visit to Shandong Province.  The visit marked the 30th anniversary of the SA-Shandong Sister State relationship (I worked at the Australian Embassy at the time).

This semester is rapidly drawing to a close. We anticipate leaving Qingdao on 8 July for points south (Shanghai, Hong Kong, Brisbane, Canberra).  We have signed up for the 2015-16 academic year (suckers!?), so will return to Qingdao in early September for the start of the new semester.

Keep well and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah

English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao

www.upc.edu.cn

Wednesday 3 June 2015.