Train To Tibet In China

(Adopted from “China opens 1st train service to Tibet, reported by JOE McDONALD”)

Hu Jin tao cuts the red ribbon in the western city of Golmud for the ceremony of the $4.2 billion train project that will take 600 passengers to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. The 710-mile rail line can cross mountain up to 16,500 ft. high and pass ground that is frozen all year long. It’s designed especially to make passengers cope with the thin air and ultraviolet rays, with high-tech cooling systems for rail stability.

Some activists think having such an efficient train service is not very good for Tibet’s ecology and Buddhist society. Others also say that more benefits will probably go to migrants from the east, while others insist that Tibet should also progress like the rest of the country and not lag behind when other cities in China are developing. The “sky train” is expected to increase tourism as well as promote better trade.

 

Piracy In China, Harming China

(Adopted from “Piracy hurting China's own industries, by JOE McDONALD”)

China has been one of the leading capitals of pirated music, movies, and other illegally copied goods, not excluding branded names for shoes and big clothing brands like Nike and Adidas. US officials say there’s been an annual lost of $50 billion in potential sales for exports. Even for the Chinese it is not a happy story, it is making it hard for big companies like Kingsoft to compete with powerful international companies like Microsoft.  So much so that Kingsoft has to put two-thirds of its programmers working on online games that players pay monthly for.

The local black market is making it harder for China’s own companies to grow and produce new products to compete with international rivals. Even software makers say that 80 percent of programs used in local computers are pirated. Despite the government cooperation to fight back piracy; the output of pirated goods is still rising.  A report on December says that piracy cut, by just 10 percentage points for the next four years can actually create 1.8 million new jobs.

 

China’s Growing Economy Give Rise To Power Plants

(Adopted from “China warns too many power plants are being built by Peter Harmsen”)

New power plants being built without permission or against regulations are threatening plans for a better environment. With the shortage of electricity supplies in recent years, there is still strong need to build more power plants in various regions.  Since 2000 there have been reports of power shortage. Many major power plants blame the problem on low coal supply to bottlenecks in the industry’s over-burdened transport networks and the soaring demand coming from the country’s fast economic rise.

 

Automobile Companies Doing Better In China Than In Own Country

(Adopted from “Asian markets prop up struggling GM, Ford, by Joseph Szczesny)

Although not doing as well in their own countries, both General Motors and Ford Motors Co. are  quite a  success in the Asian market, especially in China.  Last year alone, Ford sales increased by 46 percent. The company is now preparing to double production in China within a year. Ford, along with the help of a Chinese partner and Mazda is expanding its capacity of 150,000 units annually to 2000, 000 units this year. In the future the company will develop the Mazda3 and the Volvo S40 and the Ford Focus. Meanwhile, the Asian Pacific market is doing well for General Motors, with reports of a 16 percent increase in net income as it earned 81 million dollars in the first quarter. They expect sales in China to grow 20 percent to over 800,000 units this year alone.

 

Wind Power To Become China’s Energy Resource

(adopted from “China looks to harness wind power" by Robert J. Saiget)

A lot of pollution accounts for the 70 percent of the country’s coal produce, which it currently uses as its energy resource. But a new plan may well change that, and transform China into a less air polluted country. Wind power, according to Chinese studies, has the potential to tap over one million megawatts of wind power resources, of which 250,000 megawatts are land based and the rest could be tapped from offshore wind farms. The National Development and Reform Commission, the government’s economic planning body, unveiled a plan to set up 30,000 megawatts of wind power by 2020. Even international groups, such as Spain’s ENH and Denmark’s Vestas Group are enthusiastic about building wind turbines in places like Nantong and Tianjin.

The problem with wind turbines though is that China can’t buy them fast enough and it costs slightly more than coal.  But should China put strict regulations on cleaning coal and extracting sulphur form fossil fuel, this should almost equal the cost of changing to wind powered energy source anyway.

 

Chinese Students Disciplined For Cheating

(Adopted from “Are Chinese students cheating by phone? by ALEXA OLESEN”)

Pressure mounts as 9.5 million Chinese students take their June 7-8 entrance exams. On average only one out of four will actually be able to enroll in college, Xinhua News Agency said. With the rise of mobile phone users and technology, along with the pressure of getting in a good school, last year alone saw some 1,700 students across China disciplined for cheating. Some methods used are hidden telecommunications equipments for extracting answers during exams, and some even sell exam contents over the net for 1,000yuan a subject. Anti-cheating campaigns are trying to clean up China’s academic society from cheating and even from professors who lie and fake their research studies.  Students taking exams are now required to sign documents promising “no cheating;” to prevent further cause, guards stand by exams halls to ensure exams go accordingly.

 

Chinese Baby Receives Operation for Third Arm

(Adopted from “Doctors remove 3rd arm from Chinese baby By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN”)

A 2-month old baby boy from Anhui province received surgical operation to remove a third arm growing near his left chest. The operation by chief surgeon, Dr. Chen Bochang, took three hours at the Shanghai Children’s Medical Center. The operation went well, and the baby is now recovering but will need a long-term physical therapy to gain function in his remaining arm.

 

Big Bang In China’s Three Gorges Dam

(Adopted from “China blasts away huge wall at China's Three Gorges dam, by NewsYahoo!”)

People watched on television as Chinese engineers blew up a major barrier protecting the Three Gorges dam at the Yangtze River construction site. 190,000 cubic meters of concrete from the upper 30 meter section of the dam tumbled into the river. The blast was to complete the world's largest hydropower project. Officials were quoted by Xinhua saying that they don’t believe the blast will cause serious geological harm, even though the blast took place in an area with some risk for earthquakes. The construction was completed on May 20 but it will take several more years to install power generators and be functional.

  

Silk Road Business To Re-Open

(Adopted from “Warily, India and China to reopen Silk Route trade By Simon Denyer”)

A new prospect of re-opening the Silk Road is being considered. After more than 40 years, New Delhi and Beijing plan to reopen the Nathu-la pass in June. China has dropped its claim to a former Buddhist kingdom called Sikkim, which they hope will be the center of an international Buddhist pilgrimage from places like Tibet to Thailand, and India to Nepal.  Some are worried though of the possible prostitution, alcoholism, aids etc. that unregulated outsiders might bring with them. State industry and commerce are aware but believe nonetheless development must proceed.

 

Growing Economy For China Means Demand For More Oil

(Adopted from “China's thirst for oil rattles old order, by PETER ENAV and ELAINE KURTENBACH

Zhenhai, a city port 100 miles south of Shanghai where pirates used to dwell, act as China’s leading oil receiving center. China has become the world’s third-leading consumer of foreign oil. It provides for a population of 1.3 billion people. "The global demand for oil has been rising faster than supply because there's new economies that are beginning to gin up, new economies growing, like China and India," President Bush said recently.

China’s demand for oil will only double, by 2025 it’s estimated to 14.2 million barrels a day compared to the current 7 million a day.  China’s global role as a major manufacturer of many different things only proves that its demand for oil will only grow. For China, it is top priority in making sure there is enough future oil supply to fuel its economic growth rate of 10 percent each year. Currently, China gets most of its energy from coal, and half of its oil supply from domestic sources. Mostly, China relies on oil coming from Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern nations. "Gaining access to new routes is a very important strategy for China to ensure the security of its oil imports, aside from diversifying the countries supplying oil," said Dong, a professor in Chinese Petroleum University.

 

Stephen Hawking Talks To Chinese University Students About Global Warming Issues In China

(Adopted from “Stephen Hawking warns about global warming, by ALEXA OLESEN)

Stephen Hawking, a famous Cosmologist gave a talk in the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Physics to 500 listeners about his concerns on Global Warming. Hawking’s wit and ability to explain complicated scientific concepts to the mass has made him a celebrity. In his talk, he mentions his concern that one day Earth, "might end up like Venus, at 250 degrees centigrade and raining sulfuric acid." China being the second largest emitter of greenhouse gasses is receiving much of the blame next to the United States about global warming. If emissions aren’t decreased, the world’s glaciers could melt and cause environmental disasters such as droughts and other threatening disasters.

 

Drug Traffic Run In Beijing Freeway

( Adopted from “Highway robbers show leap of inspiration, by NewsYahoo!”)

Men leaping back and forth vans on the freeway caught police’s attention when the men started throwing bags of white-colored substance into the moving van. Police found thieves and a one-ton cache of polyethylene (used to making hula hoops) worth more than 10,000yuan ($1,250). For the last couple of years reports of this sort in Beijing Highways are not uncommon.

 

Banned Music In Beijing Nightclubs

(Adopted from “Beijing curbs disco to cramp ‘crazy’ drug takers, by NewsYahoo!”)

Upbeat disco, and other music with vulgar contents are being banned from karaoke machines in private rooms all over Beijing nightclubs to stop drug trafficking. More than 1,100 club owners signed on this agreement as the latest crackdown on crime; due to a rise in drug trafficking and violence involving customers and staff. Police are planning to do random urine tests for employees in Beijing clubs, as sometimes they tend to be the source of drug trafficking.

 

Growing Number of S. Koreans Learning Chinese

(Adopted from “More young S. Koreans opt to learn Chinese, by China Daily”)

More South Koreans, parents and students alike are choosing Chinese over the English language to study abroad.  This has taken place especially after China has replaced the United States as a main trading partner for South Korea.

"Student numbers at language institutes specializing in Chinese have risen 10-fold over the last two years," said Chang Hyun-min, a manager at Yiersan Chinese language headquarters in Seoul. Currently more than 35,000 South Koreans are studying in China, making it have the largest amount of foreign students, and the number is still rising.  Meanwhile, the number of students going to the United States for their English education has slowed to 5 percent last year. More investors are doing business in China, such as LG and SK, who are planning to put more Chinese-speaking staff to its workforce; this creates more reason to learn the Chinese language. With the amount of youth unemployment growing in South Korea, many South Koreans  see learning Chinese as a good advantage that will create opportunities for them in the future.

"Since language is the most basic method to understand the culture of a country, we reckon proficiency in Chinese is much needed to do business with China," said LG spokesman Eric Han.

 

Zhang Zi Yi’s Body Double Want Credit For Her Nudity

(Adopted from “Nude stand-in wants exposure, by NewsYahoo”)

Zhang Zi Yi’s body double, Xiao Shan in the movie “The Banquet” directed by Feng Xiaogang, wants credits for her work in the movie.  Shan said the director was very satisfied with her body to play as “double” and paid her 20,000yuan to shoot several nude scenes, including as a double for Zhang Zi Yi’s back. Shan feels she will be left out when she heard that her name will not appear in the movie credits and when her calls were ignored by the director. Xu Li, Huayi’s deputy head, says Shao’s name will not appear on the credits due to contract issues and believed there was no need to go into such measures when things can be discussed.

 

Learning Chinese Online Web Site

(Adopted from “China launches Web site to teach Chinese, by NewsYahoo!”)

With more than 30 million people learning Chinese as a foreign language and universities in other countries offering Chinese courses, methods of promoting the Chinese language has now reached the web.  A web site, www.linese.com, is offering free Chinese lessons online.  It uses audio-visual presentations, interactive exercises and even advice for Mandarin Chinese teachers. A lot of the things in the site not only include the study of the Chinese language, but also of the Chinese culture. By doing this, China hopes to promote its cultural influence and expand economic power. Versions in Japanese and Korean are in the works.

 

 

China’s Lunar Satellite Project To Transmit Pop Music

(Adopted from “China to transmit pop music from lunar-probing satellite, by NewsYahoo!”

For China’s first lunar-probing satellite, it plans to transmit 30 Chinese songs to Earth from the satellite. Through the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, who are in charge of the lunar project, they are asking the public for recommendation as what music to play from a list of 150 tunes, which include music from China’s 56 ethnic groups, Chinese pop song and opera soundtracks. The satellite is designed to get a three-dimensional picture of the moon’s surface and to probe lunar soil and study the space environment between earth and moon. China hopes to land the satellite on the moon by 2012 and by 2017 plans to land an unmanned lunar probe on the moon. 

 

Environmental Friendly Cars Proving Friendly In Chinese Market

(Adopted from “Low-emission cars popular in China this year, by NewsYahoo!”)

With China raising the price of processed oil, from 300yuan per ton in March to 500yuan per ton in May, many people find themselves choosing more fuel efficient cars like Tianjin’s FAW Xiali Automobile.  Low energy-consumption and low-emissions are proving to be very popular indeed when the company sold 93,800 Xiali automobile in just the first six months of the year. The popularity of low-emission cars also goes well with the rising problem of oil prices and the governments’ policies for environmental cause.

 

China Trying to Control Rising Economy

(Adopted from “China trying again to tame booming economy, By ELAINE KURTENBACH”)

Beijing’s economic planners are getting worried over what is supposed to be helping the economic rise.  Building luxury housing and shopping malls are some of the nationwide investment binge that is raising construction and factory equipment spending. The worry is that too much might go into unprofitable investments, and a hard landing for the economy.

"Chinese authorities are now scrambling to regain control over a runaway economy," Morgan Stanley economist Stephen S. Roach wrote in a recent report. "China needs a more serious policy tightening." Qu Hongbin, an economist for HSBC Corp. in Hong Kong said, "It's not only the scale but the quality or efficiency that we are worried about this time around."

 

“Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” Coming Soon To China

(Adopted from “Ripley to challenge China to ‘Believe It or Not’, By Doug Young”

After Hong Kong, Ripley’s “Believe It or Not” president Bob Materson is opening another of the museum in China. Ripley himself was very much intrigued by the nation and believed himself to be a Chinese in a previous life, and thus the whole fascination with his collection of Chinese art and other intriguing Chinese items. He even wore traditional Chinese robes and was in love with a Chinese woman in his lifetime. In a country where many still earn less than $100 a month, Masterson is confident that the Chinese with its thirst for the weirdness will pay 80yuan per ticket to see the Ripley museum.

 

“Marriage For Asexuals” Website Growing Popular In China

(Adopted from “First China alternative marriage Web site, by NewsYahoo!)

In a nation where being gay was considered a mental disorder till 2001 and bearing children is a must, some Chinese are trying to find ways to stay true to their happiness while at the same time trying to blend in with what society is demanding. A site called “Marriage for Asexuals” (www.wx920.com)does is the first of its kind in China. So far it has at least 7,000 members and becoming more and more popular in the net.  It has attracted customers from people not able to have sex, to homosexuals looking for mutual convenient marriages to relieve themselves of pressure from society and family members.

"My parents threatened to never see me again or even to commit double-suicide if I do not have a baby soon," said a Mr. Wu in a posting.

"Many co-workers look at me like a jerk, an impotent, or a sick person, just because I've been married for 10 years and have no child yet."

 

Former Communist Party Leader Paroled

(Adopted from “Former Beijing mayor paroled, by NewsYahoo!”)

Once China’s most highest ranking member in the Communist Party, Former Beijing Mayor Chen Xitong was sentenced to 16 years in prison for corruption. After 8 years of his sentence he was paroled to a Chinese military hospital for treatment for an unspecified illness. People associated with the incident who were asked for comments, gave no report and refused to give out their names. Chen was charged with embezzling money and taking bribes from real estate projects. He stepped down from power in 1995.

 

China Wal-Mart Employees Form Union

(Adopted from “Wal-Mart workers in China form first union, by NewsYahoo!”)

With 1.7 million employed in Wal-Mart world-wide, it is the world’s largest retailer. In China though, it is still quite behind other big retail stores like France’s Carrefour with 78 stores, Britain’s Tesco group with 31 stores still opening more, and German’s Metro.

Under Chinese law, employees have the right to join a legal trade union, ACFTU. But it doesn’t guarantee employees who’ve joined protection from exploitation. Chinese official, Wang Zhaoguo, president of ACFTU, singled out Wal-Mart for failing to set up unions at its stores while still saying that it will make it compulsory for foreign firms to set up unions for its employees. Wal-Mart has opened 60 stores in 29 cities around China since arriving in 1996.

 

27 Billion Dollar Beijing to Shenzhen Train Line Project

(Adopted from “China building 27-billion-dollar train line from Beijing to Shenzhen, by NewsYahoo!”)

China is building a 27 billion dollar train from Beijing to Shenzhen that will be open for foreign investors. The train will cut travel time from 24 hours to 10. This is due to the fact that the line will allow trains to go at a speed of at least 200 kilometers an hour, twice as fast as what is being used currently.  The new railway will be used solely by passengers, with the old railway used for carrying cargo. The project is expected to be completed by 2010.

 

Chinese Antibiotic Banned For Causing Serious Side Effects

(Adopted from “China bans antibiotic blamed for death, By GILLIAN WONG”)

China has banned a domestically produced antibiotic produced by a company in eastern Anhui province after a 6 year old girl from Harbin died after getting injected with the antibiotic. Other patients who have taken the drug have also reported effects; from diarrhea to anaphylactic shock, stomach pains, nausea, vomiting and chest pains.

"Based on all materials we have gathered, a preliminary judgment can be made that the girl was killed due to the injection of the clindamycin phosphate glucose produced by Anhui's Huayuan Worldbest Biology Pharmacy Co.," Sun Pengli, the director, was quoted as saying.

An officer from the ministry who only gave his surname said authorities where investigating the case and so no other details could be provided.

 

Acid Rain In China Causing The Nation Economic Loss

(Adopted from “Acid rain in China threatening food chain, by Robert J. Saiget”)

Experts said, China’s sulphur dioxide emissions that come from acid rain is ruining crops and food chains in rivers and lakes. Farmers and fishermen are struggling to make a living as pollution from acid rain threatens to ruin their crops, reducing total yields.  In fact, according to the State Environmental Protection Administration’s pollution control department, each ton of sulphur dioxide causes the country 20,000 yuan in economic losses. The emissions are mostly coming from burning coal and vehicle exhaust, it is essential that the nation soon finds a way to use natural resources like wind power, and use desulphurization technology in energy plants.

 

Chinese Net-Citizens And Their Battle Against Corporations

(Adopted from “Mad As Hell In China's Blogosphere, by NewsYahoo!)

While criticizing the Chinese government over things such as censorship is not popular among the Chinese; when it comes to poor customer service, misleading ads, and bad safety standards, Chinese people are very active when it comes to complaining against corporations, which they show in online forums and blogs .

``Companies can get really screwed if they don't'' pay attention to bloggers and online forums, says Shaun Rein, founder of Shanghai-based China Market Research Group. Hagaan Daz suffered when a rumor online stated that they made their ice cream in ShenZhen, when they didn’t even have a plant in the city.

Some smart companies are using these ideas to understanding and figuring out what the public wants, or in trying to get customers to interact with certain brands. Converse sneakers and Wrigley’s chewing gum conducted a joint promotion online where Chinese customers got to come up with designs for Converse that featured the Wrigley gum logo.

 

Chinese Culture and Superstitions Make For Good Or Bad Business?

(Adopted from "Hungry Ghost" month deals double blow to Asian business, by Fayen Wong)

This year, the Ghost Month runs from July 25 to August 23, with the leap seventh month stretching from August 24 to September 21. The “hungry ghost” month is the time many Chinese fear away from going out and avoiding doing unnecessary things like staying out in night clubs, or moving houses. From Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, where many superstitious Taoists and Buddhists  believe it is a time when the gates of the dead are open and can roam with the living, people will avoid even going to the beach for fear of being taken by ghosts that dwell in the sea. For many Chinese it is also the time for offering the dead food and money by burning paper effigies of things used in the afterlife, and a time for some to ask the dead for the 4-digit winning lottery number.

 

Shanghai Dating Service Banned For Lack Of Legal Papers

(Adopted from “Shanghai calls off matchmaking party for foreigners, by NewsYahoo!)

Shiji Jiayuan is an online dating agency that coordinated 11 American men, some single, some divorced, ranging between 43 to 67 to meet Chinese women on a party in Shanghai. 25 women were chosen by the agency out of the 230 other applicants, who were chosen for their look, family background, and profession. Gong Haiyan, the agency founder said they declined applicants who were too young, like some who where only 20 years old. Shanghai banned the party saying matchmaking agencies didn’t have license to set up dates between local and foreigners.

 

Stress Reliever Bar In Nanjing

(Adopted from “Invite to attack the staff, by NewsYahoo!)

The Rising Sun Anger Release Bar in Nanjing lets customers unleash their anger and stress by letting them attack staff in the bar, smash glasses and just basically make a riot. The bar has hired 20 men as “models” to let customers scream and hit them. Customers can even specify how they want the “models” to appear; as male or female and attack them.

 

Chinese Diplomat Defends China Position

(Adopted from “Top Chinese diplomat tells US to 'shut up' on arms spending, by Robert MacPherson”)

China’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Sha Zukang said in an interview with BBC that China is willing to sacrifice its people if any nation supported a declaration of i  n  dep  end   ence by Taiwan.

"The China population is six times or five times that of the United States," he said. "Why blame China?... It's better for the US to shut up and keep quiet. It's much, much better." With his voice rising, he continued to say: "It's the US's sovereign right to do whatever they deem good for them -- but don't tell us what is good for China. Thank you very much!"

"The moment Taiwan declares independence, supported by whoever, China will have no choice," he said.

"We will do the business through whatever means available to my government. Nobody should have any illusions on that. We will do the business at any cost." Sha added: "It's not a matter of how big Taiwan is, but for China, one inch of the territory is more valuable than the life of our people. We will never concede on that."

 

China’s Sichuan Airlines And Its Kung Fu Fighting Flight Attendants

(Adopted from “New flight attendants should know kung fu, by China Daily)

Sichuan Airlines is now requiring its flight attendant of young women to know Martial Arts. The Airline is recruiting 70 hostesses from Chengdu and Chongqing next Thursday to work flights routed from Chengdu to Seoul, Korea. They believe that staff with knowledge of kung fu will further secure the airlines aviation safety.

 

Strip Shows For The Dead In Chinese Village

(Adopted from “Police crack down on striptease funerals..., by NewsYahoo!”)

In places like Donghai County, in Jiansu province, local villagers believed that the more people attending a funeral, the more the dead person is honored. It is common practice then that in funerals taking place in Donghai, people hire strippers to attract crowds.  This time police got two groups of strippers that were dancing at a local farmer’s funeral. Two hundred people showed up for the funeral.

 

Venezuela Looking To Build Oil Ties With China

(Adopted from “Venezuela plans to export oil to China, By GILLIAN WONG”)

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in Beijing to sign agreements with China, saying that his government is creating a joint venture with two of China’s local oil companies to produce and export crude oil from Venezuela’s petroleum-rich Orinoco River basin to build up a bigger energy cooperation plan with China. He believes it will make better ties and boost China’s investment to Venezuela’s oil with joint projects in petroleum, telecommunications, farming and railways.

 

China Currency Policy Advantage

(Adopted from “IMF urges China to revamp currency plan, by JEANNINE AVERSA”)

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is applying pressure to China to revamp currency policy that is giving China a trading advantage. Last year the biggest deficit ever recorded with a single country came with The United States running a trade deficit of $202 billion with China. U.S. policy makers are taking a keen interest in Beijing’s currency policies.  With China keeping its currency low, it gives them a trade advantage where Chinese goods flow into the country cheaper while U.S. goods flow into China more expensive.

 

World Dentists Meet For 2006 World Military Dental Congress

(Adopted from “World army dentists build bridges, by NewsYahoo!”)

More than 240 army dental experts from all over the world are meeting in Xi’an in northern China for a two day meeting at the 2006 World Military Dental Congress. They will be tackling issues about dental health services, equipments for operations and treatment for dental injuries. About 20 percent of army personnel have dental problems after a year of service in the military, statistics say.

"Dental services are extremely important in the modern army, because we find dental diseases in every country, in all soldiers, in all military services," Colonel Timothy Jones, from the U.S. Directorate of Combat and Doctrine Development AMEDD Center and School, told Xinhua.

 

The Public Pajama Wearing Citizen Of Shanghai

(Adopted from “Shanghai: It's a big pajama party, by NewsYahoo!”)

Even in a big city like Shanghai, baggy cotton pajamas with printed flowers or small animals are worn in public by locals.  According to a poll conducted by Professor Yang Xiong, the site of people wearing pajamas in public is the most irritating aspect of living in China.  There are different theories as to why this is still around; some believe it’s because residents are showing off their status or maybe it is just a continuation of lifestyle habits from decades ago that has become the norm for some.

 

Tariff Bill For China’s Currency Policies

(Adopted from “Senate likely to pass China tariff bill: senator, by Doug Palmer”)

A bill to force China to change its currency policies by threatening a 27.5 tariff on its exports to the United States will most likely be passed by the Senate. But some argue this could be bad for trade relations with China.  The bill could be delayed for twelve more months if China begins to implement a plan to revalue its currency.

 

World Leading Countries Drop in Ranks

(Adopted from “U.S. drops to 6th in world competitiveness ranking By Laura MacInnis”)

The United States drops to sixth place in the World Economic Forum’s 2006 global competitiveness rankings, with Switzerland in top place. Even though the U.S. dominates in education and innovation, other countries have become more attractive due to economic concerns.  The report also says that china dropped from last year’s 48 to 54, due to high savings, banking weakness concerns, and poor penetration rates for mobile phones and other technology.

 

Tiger Pelt Has Market In Tibet, But Running Out Of Tigers  

(Adopted from “Tiger-skin market in Tibet flourishing By GAVIN RABINOWITZ”)

Tiger-skin market is flourishing in Tibet, and environmentalists are becoming concerned with the tiger population as they are quickly dying off. Police and other locals are shown in pictures laughing with people wearing illegal tiger pelts. The Wildlife Protection Society of India and the International Environmental Investigation Agency blame Indian and Chinese governments for not stopping the trade.

"In China the police have decided to turn a blind eye to the slaughter of tigers in India," said Belinda Wright, the director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India.

It is speculated that as little as just several hundred tigers are out in the wild.

 

Pollution In Yangtze River Puts Chinese People’s Health At Great Risk

(Adopted from “Yangtze pollution puts drinking water at risk for millions of Chinese, by NewsYahoo!)

The longest river in China is so polluted it is putting animals, including the white-flag dolphin in the endangered species list. But with cities like Shanghai, Nanjing, and Chongqing, relying on the river for drinking water, it is also putting many people’s health in danger as well. According to media reports, 300 million people in China are lacking in access to drinking water. Yangtze River Water Resources Commission feels the need to turn the situation around quickly.

"Protecting water quality in the Yangtze river is now imperative," Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying.

 

Chinese Men And Their Love For The World Cup

(Adopted from “Man pulls TV from house fire to watch soccer, by NewsYahoo!”)

A man living in the hutong paid no attention to his house burning down.  His wife grabbed their daughter out, while he lifted the television and looked for a socket outside their house to continue watching the kickoff game broadcasting from Germany.  With a 6 hour difference in broadcasting, the Chinese go to great lengths to watch their game. Another man from Chongqing quit his job in Beijing to go back home and watch the game without interruption. When he was offered a pay rise, he turned it down saying that the World Cup was more important to him. Lots of stories come up during the games, such as that of a man locking his wife in their bedroom so that he could watch the game in peace. Another one agreed to sign a contract with his wife to do all the household chores so that he could watch the games.

 

U.S. Airline Carriers Compete Over Non-Stop Route To China

(Adopted from “Four U.S. carriers battle for lucrative non-stop China route, By Marilyn Adams, USA TODAY”)

Four U.S. Airline carriers, the American Airline, The Continental, Northwest, and United Airlines are running up for to be one of the nation’s non-stop link to China.  A decision will be made over the four contenders that will give a great economic boost to one of the carriers. Currently only the New York area has a non-stop route between China and the United States.  With the coming 2008 Olympics, it is predicted that air traffic will double by 2010.

"China's aviation system is expanding faster than anyone else's," says Henry Steingass, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency's top Asia officer.

 

“Warcraft” Distributor Sued When Boy Jumps Off Window After Playing Game

(Adopted from “Game Distributor Sued Over Boy's Suicide, By JOE McDONALD”)

A boy in Tianjin jumped out of a window after playing the popular online game called, “Warcraft” for 36 hours straight. He left behind a suicide note saying that he wanted “to join the heroes of the game he worshipped,” reported the Xinhua New Agency. His parents are demanding 100,000yuan from Aomeisoft, the Chinese distributor of “Warcraft” but Aomeisoft says they weren’t the distributor before the boy’s death. The suit calls the distributor to put warning on game packaging saying “playing games excessively harms health.” Aomeisoft executive, Bai, said the company is planning to add “anti-addiction warnings.”

 

China Making Investments In Latin Countries

(Adopted from “Beijing builds ties with Latin countries, By Barbara Slavin”)

China is building and expanding economic ties with South America by planning to invest $100 billion over the next 10 years.  China’s trade with Latin America increased over 54% with $40 billion in 2004. China is investing in the Latin Continent more than any other countries outside of Asia. With ties to Latin America, China gains a lot of important natural resources such as oil, nickel, copper, and iron ore, even soybean.

 

World’s Tallest Ferris Wheel In China

(Adopted from “China Opens 525-Foot-High Ferris Wheel, by NewsYahoo!”)

China is opening a 525ft high Ferris wheel, believed by many to be the world’s tallest Ferris wheel, in a park by Jiangxi province. A full rotation ride takes 30 minutes! Developers are trying to get the Ferris Wheel in the Guinness World Record as the tallest in the world.

 

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