Monthly Archives: June 2011
Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Trains Start Service
Finally, a short respite from safety concerns and scandal. High-speed trains have started commercial service between Beijing and Shanghai. The picture above shows the first train nosing its way from Beijing South Railway Station, carrying prime minister Wen Jiabao, who inaugurated the … Continue reading
China Cuts Income Tax For Low Earners
The reconsideration of income tax on low earners has resulted in the threshold for the tax to be applied being raised by 1,500 yuan ($232), 500 yuan more than originally proposed, and taking an estimated 60 million wage earners out … Continue reading
Filed under Economy
China’s Diplomatic Push For Its Foreign Direct Investors
Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s European tour provides a foretaste for the sort of diplomatic push in support of Chinese investment in developed countries that is only likely to increase over the next decade in line with Beijing’s extortion to Chinese … Continue reading
China’s Local Government Debt Is Large But Manageable–For Now
The audit of China’s local government debt paints a reasonably reassuring picture. The question is how complete that picture is. The National Audit Office put the debt at 10.7 trillion yuan ($1.7 trillion) at the end of 2010. That is … Continue reading
Filed under Economy
Beijing And Tokyo Take Their Rivalry Into Football Administration
Even in the world of international football administration, Beijing and Tokyo don’t let their rivalry drop. Candidates hoping to replace the scandal-tainted Mohamed Bin Hammam as president of the Asian Football Confederation are already jockeying for position. Zhang Jilong, who … Continue reading
Filed under China-Japan, Sport
Two More Rail Officials Said Snagged In Corruption Probe
The corruption investigation into China’s railways has reportedly snared two more senior officials. Caixin says that Shao Liping, chief of the Nanchang Railways Bureau Chief, and Lin Fenqiang, his counterpart at the Hohhot Railways Bureau, have been detained by authorities … Continue reading
Filed under Transport
China Said To Cut Luxe Tariffs To Boost Domestic Consumption
Here, if true, is a drop of bad news for luxury goods retailers in London, Paris and Hong Kong: China is planning to cut the taxes on high-end watches, shoes, clothes, bags, cosmetics and the like to encourage more domestic … Continue reading
The Persistence Of Party Power Over China’s Private Enterprises
Xinhua has lifted the skirts of the Party’s influence over private enterprises. Some 3.8 million grassroots Party organizations, which will include those in private enterprises, but also everything from private schools to non-governmental organizations, now exist, up from 2.1 million … Continue reading
Filed under Economy, Politics & Society
China’s Railways Said To Sacrifice Safety For Speed
Former railways minister Liu Zhijun sacrificed safety in pursuit of China having the world’s fastest high-speed trains, according to the ministry’s former deputy chief engineer, Zhou Yimin. In an interview with the 21st Business Herald (via Caijin), Zhou claimed that … Continue reading
Filed under Transport
More Rain, Floods Deluge China’s Yangtze Basin
More than 36 million people have been affected by the flooding along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze this month (map) and the death toll has risen to 175 with at least 86 missing, state media say. More … Continue reading
Filed under Environment
