Other Briefings
China could face low-cost labor shortage by 2010
The supply of low-cost labor, widely considered to be fueling China’s sizzling economy, could start drying up as early as 2010, reports Xinhua. An Academy of Social Sciences report, issued Thursday May 10, states that one of the biggest reasons for the potential shortage is that the rural labor force may not be as large as previously thought. “China is […]
No change for foreign property investment laws in Shanghai
Shanghai is not loosening rules on foreign investors buying property according to officials at the Shanghai municipal housing land & resources administration bureau. Rumors had been swirling after the bureau posted a notice that said foreign nationals, legal representatives and other organizations are qualified to participate in land bids. The local media jumped on this and began reporting […]
NDRC urges FDI to go west in six specific industries
China is encouraging foreign direct investment (FDI) in its western regions in six specific industries: energy and chemicals; finance; mining; production of agricultural by-products, including diary and sugar; manufacturing; hi-tech; and tourism. This is just another part of the continued push by Beijing to move FDI out of the heavily developed coastal areas and into interior of […]
Chinese shares surge again, prompting talk of bubbles and corrections
And they’re at it again. Yesterday saw Shanghai’s benchmark index soar into the 4,000 territory for the first time since the market began trading in 1990. The Shanghai Composite Index, which tracks yuan-backed A shares and hard-currency-backed B stocks closed at 4,013.09 yesterday, driven by blue chips China Unicom and Bank of China. The index continues […]
May issue of China Briefing out now
The May issue of China Briefing is out now. In this issue we expound on out recent annual series of meetings with various Chinese ministries and senior officials to try an get a picture of what is happening in terms of economic development in China, the development of the nation and the impact this is […]
NDRC: Services should dominate economy
The service sector should play a dominant role in the national economy said Xia Nong, vice director of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) Policy Department at a news conference April 24. The GDP ratio of energy-consuming sectors increased while the service sector, which demands little energy, decreased from 40.7% in 2004, to 39.9% in 2005, and to 39.5% […]
Controls on foreigners’ hydrological acitivities tightened
The State Council has issued a regulation requiring foreigners in China to receive government approval before conducting any hydrological activities in the country. As Xinhua reports, the regulation, which will come into effect on June 1, states that, “Foreign organizations and individuals who engage in hydrological activities in China must obtain approval from the central […]
Lack of due diligence in poisoned medicine
The need for comprehensive due diligence was made painfully clear this weekend when The New York Times ran a report tracing the path of a toxic syrup from Panama where it lead to a reported 365 deaths, 100 which are confirmed, back to its production facility in the Yangtze River Delta. Walt Bogdanich and Jake […]
