Infrastructure | Wandering China

May 22, 2013 • 9:50 am 0

China Granted Access to Arctic Club as Resource Race Heats Up [Business Week] #RisingChina #ArcticResources

China granted observer status by the Arctic Council.

“The Arctic is another Africa for China,” Humpert said in an interview, referring to China’s investment in Africa for its natural resources. “With minimal investment, they can be in a position, twenty, thirty, fifty years down the road, to yield a big return and have a controlling influence.” Malte Humpert, executive director of the Arctic Institute, a Washington policy group

For more, see What Is China’s Arctic Game Plan? (the Atlantic, May 16, 2013)

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China Granted Access to Arctic Club as Resource Race Heats Up
By Nicole Gaouette and Niklas Magnusson
Source – Bloomberg Businessweek, published May 15, 2013

China was granted observer status by the Arctic Council, giving the world’s second-largest economy more influence amid an intensifying search for resources in the globe’s most northern region.

The eight-member council at a summit today in Kiruna, Sweden, also granted observer status to Japan, India, Italy, Singapore, and the Republic of Korea. The European Union application was deferred until members are satisfied that issues of concern — largely Canadian objections about EU restrictions on seal products — have been allayed.

“The symbolic importance for China shouldn’t be understated,” said Malte Humpert, executive director of the Arctic Institute, a Washington policy group. “China has identified the Arctic as a strategically and geopolitically valuable region,” and “having a seat at the table, albeit only as a permanent observer, has long been an essential part of the country’s regional strategy.”

The number of new observers reflects interest in the region’s burgeoning economic opportunities as climate change alters the physical landscape. Rapidly melting ice is opening new shipping routes that will make the trip from Europe to Asia shorter and cheaper during the summer months. The softening of Arctic ice could also bring within reach the 30 percent of the world’s undiscovered natural gas reserves and 13 percent of its undiscovered oil that lie under the Arctic Ocean floor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey estimates.

Please click here to read the full article at Bloomberg Businessweek

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Filed under: Africa, Arctic, Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, Climate Change, Domestic Growth, Economics, Environment, Government & Policy, Influence, Infrastructure, International Relations, Modernisation, Peaceful Development, Politics, Public Diplomacy, Resources, Soft Power, Strategy, Territorial Disputes, The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities

May 21, 2013 • 11:40 am 0

China’s 20 year plan to pay 8 trillion to urbanize 500 million people by 2034 [Next Big Future] #RisingChina #Urbanisation

For more on the macroeconomics agency of the Chinese State Council, go to the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China’s (中华人民共和国国家发展和改革委员会) English online presence.

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China’s 20 year plan to urbanize 500 million people by 2034
Posted by Brian Wang
Source – Big Next Future, published May 19, 2013

After extensive consultation, co-ordinated by the National Development and Reform Commission, the long-term plan for China’s urbanisation is being finalised. Behind all the complex issues is one fundamental question: how will it be paid for?

Here the ballpark costs of $400 billion per year are suggested to use increased taxes and temporarily increasing the budget deficit from 2% of GDP to 5% and redirecting funds from rural land acquisition.

The costs of urbanization could be reduced by leveraging the factory mass produced skyscraper technology of Broad Group. China’s Broad Group is building the Sky City One using factory mass production. It is to likely completed after 90 days of assembly late in 2013 and the projected cost for the building is RMB 4 billion (US$628 million). Sky City will boast 220 floors, 1 million square meters (11 million square feet) of floor space and 104 elevators, according to the preliminary plans. It will cost $63 per square foot and house 30000 people in 4500 apartments. Five hundred Skycities would cost $314 billion (and costs could go down by having the follow on buildings being learned to be built for less). They would house the 15 million people each year that are urbanized. They would also have all of the schools, offices, hospitals and other facilities that were needed.

Please click here to read the full article at Next Big Future

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Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, Culture, Domestic Growth, Economics, Finance, Government & Policy, Ideology, Influence, Infrastructure, Mapping Feelings, Migrant Workers, Migration (Internal), Modernisation, New Leadership, Peaceful Development, Politics, Population, Public Diplomacy, Reform, Social, Soft Power, Strategy, Tao Guang Yang Hui (韬光养晦), The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities, Uncategorized

May 20, 2013 • 4:35 pm 1

How Chinese Subsidies Changed the World [Harvard Business Review] #RisingChina #Solar #GovernmentSubsidies

Unfair or unacceptable paradigm? China finances its economic reach to extend its soft power. It is perhaps, simply, a more synergistic strategy between state and its business sector.

Chinese solar products I use have proven ruggen and hardy, down to the little solar toys.

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How Chinese Subsidies Changed the World
by Usha C.V. Haley and George T. Haley |
Harvard Business Review, published April 25, 2013

Last week, LDK Solar, a struggling Chinese manufacturer of solar wafers and panels, announced that it had missed $24 million in bond payments. This news followed the bankruptcy in March of Wuxi Suntech, the main operating subsidiary of the world’s largest maker of solar panels, after it defaulted on a $541 million bond payment.

It is no coincidence that this upheaval in the Chinese solar industry is occurring at a time when the central government’s subsidies that had financed the industry’s explosive expansion have declined even as problems in the global solar-panel market have soared.

Since 2008, through government subsidies, the manufacturing capacity of China’s solar-panel industry grew tenfold, leading to a vast global oversupply. A surge in exports of Chinese panels depressed world prices by 75%. In 2012, China’s top six solar companies had debt ratios of over 80%. Our research showed that without subsidies, these companies would be bankrupt. If the Chinese government sticks to its decision to stop funding unprofitable solar-panel manufacturers and support a revamping of the industry, more bankruptcies and restructurings are sure to follow.

Please click here to read the full article at the Harvard Business Review.

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Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, Collectivism, Culture, Domestic Growth, Economics, Finance, Government & Policy, Harvard Business Review, Ideology, Influence, Infrastructure, International Relations, Mapping Feelings, Media, New Leadership, Peaceful Development, Politics, Public Diplomacy, Reform, Soft Power, Solar, Strategy, The Chinese Identity, Trade

May 4, 2013 • 10:25 am 0

Rat Meat Sold as Lamb Highlights Fear in China [New York Times] #RisingChina #FoodSafety

Evidence not all Chinese are positioned to participate in China’s rise as part of a collective leap.

“Food safety and environmental protection face the same problem that although regulatory capacity has expanded, there’s been no fundamental change for the better… The fact that the police have become involved shows how serious the problems still are.” Mao Shoulong, professor of public policy at Renmin University in Beijing

To read the actual Ministry of Public Security report please go here (In Chinese)
公安机关集中打击肉制品犯罪保卫餐桌安全

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Rat Meat Sold as Lamb Highlights Fear in China
By Chris Buckley
Source – New York Times, published May 3, 2013

HONG KONG — Even for China’s scandal-numbed diners, inured to endless outrages about food hazards, news that the lamb simmering in the pot may actually be rat tested new depths of disgust.

In an announcement intended to show that the government is serious about improving food safety, the Ministry of Public Security said on Thursday that the police had caught a gang of traders in eastern China who bought rat, fox and mink flesh and sold it as mutton. But that and other cases of meat smuggling, faking and adulteration featured in Chinese newspapers and Web sites on Friday were unlikely to instill confidence in consumers already queasy over many reports about meat, fruit and vegetables laden with disease, toxins, banned dyes and preservatives.

Sixty-three people were arrested and accused of “buying fox, mink and rat and other meat products that had not undergone inspection,” which they doused in gelatin, red pigment and nitrates, and sold as mutton in Shanghai and adjacent Jiangsu Province for about $1.6 million, according to the ministry’s statement. The report, posted on the Internet, did not explain how exactly the traders acquired the rats and other creatures.

“How many rats does it take to put together a sheep?” said one typically baffled and angry user of Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter-like microblog service that often acts as a forum for public venting. “Is it cheaper to raise rats than sheep?”

Please click here to read the full article at its source.

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Filed under: 52 Unacceptable Practices, Beijing Consensus, Bird Flu, China Dream, Chinese Model, Collectivism, Corruption, Crime, Culture, Domestic Growth, Economics, Government & Policy, Health, Infrastructure, Mapping Feelings, Modernisation, New Leadership, Peaceful Development, Poverty, Reform, Resources, The Chinese Identity

April 28, 2013 • 8:34 am 0

A life by the wall [China Daily] #RisingChina #GreatWall #CrossPollination

Epic journey through decades that inspires – for myself, trekking along the Great Wall in an ‘interface’ with history is high up the agenda; but to even contemplate running the distance, wow. Kneecaps and joints of steel!

For more on William Lindesay’s work, go here or here.

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A life by the wall
By Mark Graham
Source – China Daily, published April 28, 2013

William Lindesay walks on the grassland of Mongolia in search of a previously unknown section of the Great Wall. James Lindesay / for China Daily

Not even a Chinese knows the Great Wall of China as well as this British adventurer and writer. Mark Graham talks to the man who has spent much of his life exploring the whole length of mankind’s most ambitious building project.

When, as a schoolboy, William Lindesay announced grand plans to explore the Great Wall, nobody took him too seriously. But Lindesay achieved his goal – and much more – by running the length of it, spending four years of his life on the iconic structure and becoming one of the world’s foremost experts on its rich history.

More than a quarter of a century has passed since Lindesay’s solo run along the Great Wall, an epic journey from the far west of China to the point where the structure meets the sea, and to mark the occasion, he has released a new book, The Great Wall Explained, with a series of stunning photographs and fascinating essays.

Please click here to read the rest of the article at its source.

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Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, China Daily, Communications, Culture, Environment, Government & Policy, Great Wall, History, Influence, Infrastructure, Peaceful Development, Public Diplomacy, Soft Power, The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities

April 26, 2013 • 3:55 pm 0

China Seeks Soft Power Influence in U.S. Through CCTV [NPR] #RisingChina #SoftPower #CCTV

NPR on the Chinese Charm offensive: broadcast and transmission parity to get its side of the story out first, traditional media style remains a priority for the Chinese.

“We see what the British have done; what CNN has done for years. We need to be part of that… China is a big power; the state broadcaster is a big company. We want to be part of that dynamic.” Jim Laurie, lead consultant for CCTV America when relating what Chinese executives told him.

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China Seeks Soft Power Influence in U.S. Through CCTV
By David Folkenflik
Source – NPR, published April 25, 2013

Before joining CCTV America, Phillip T.K. Yin was an anchor and reporter for Bloomberg Television. Source – NPR

At a time when so many major American news organizations are cutting back, foreign news agencies are beefing up their presence abroad and in the U.S. One of the biggest new players arrives from China and, more likely than not, can be found on a television set near you.

CCTV, or China Central Television, is owned by the Chinese government. With more than 40 channels in China and an offshoot in the U.S., the broadcaster has been highly profitable for the country’s ruling Communist Party, which is liking profits a lot these days.

Navigating Two Media Traditions

CCTV America Business News Anchor Phillip T.K. Yin was born and raised in the U.S. by parents who emigrated from mainland China. Yin used to work in investment and for CNBC and Bloomberg. He says he is mindful of the tension between the American tradition of an independent press and Chinese expectations that the media serve the state. And yet, he says, CCTV America has broadcast interviews involving allegations of major computer hacking incidents originating in China — hardly a flattering story.

“It’s changing very quickly,” Yin says. “I can tell you even from the time that we came onboard here to where we are today, we’ve changed a lot. We’re covering stories from sometimes very controversial angles.”

CCTV America has its home in a new building just two blocks from the White House, in the heart of Washington, and it’s carried by cable providers in New York, Washington and Los Angeles, among other big cities.

Please click here to read the full article at its source.

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Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Censorship, Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, Communications, Culture, Economics, Education, Entertainment, Finance, Government & Policy, Greater China, Ideology, Influence, Infrastructure, International Relations, Mapping Feelings, Media, Modernisation, Nationalism, NPR, Peaceful Development, Politics, Public Diplomacy, Soft Power, Strategy, Tao Guang Yang Hui (韬光养晦), Technology, The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities, U.S.

April 26, 2013 • 6:47 am 0

China tests self-developed-biofuel flight [Xinhua] #RisingChina #BioJetFuel #Aviation

Palm + recycled cooking oil = Bio-Jet fuel. China becomes fourth country to independently produce bio-jet fuel…

More on Sinopec Zhenhai Refining and Chemical Company at its official site here. For a Businessweek snapshot, click here.

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China tests self-developed-biofuel flight
Editor: Chen Zhi
Source – Xinhua, published April 24, 2013

Source – news.com.cn

A ceremony is held to celebrate the test flight of an airplane using aviation biofuel at the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai, east China, April 24, 2013. Sinopec, China’s top oil refiner, announced the success of the first test flight powered by the company’s newly developed aviation biofuel product on Wednesday. An Airbus A320 owned by China Eastern Airlines landed at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport on Wednesday morning after completing an 85-minute journey using Sinopec’s aviation biofuel, the company said. The biofuel made of palm oil and recycled cooking oil was produced by Sinopec Zhenhai Refining and Chemical Company. (Xinhua/Chen Fei)

China on Wednesday successfully conducted a first test flight powered by self-developed biofuel made mainly from palm oil and recycled cooking oil.

An Airbus A320 operated by China Eastern Airlines landed at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport at 7:08 a.m. after completing an 85-minute journey using aviation biofuel produced by Sinopec, the country’s top oil refiner.

The success made China the fourth country after the United States, France and Finland to boast independent production of bio-jet-fuel.

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Filed under: Aviation, Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, Communications, Domestic Growth, Economics, Environment, Government & Policy, Influence, Infrastructure, Nationalism, Public Diplomacy, Reform, Resources, Science, Soft Power, Strategy, Technology, The Chinese Identity, xinhua

April 25, 2013 • 10:40 am 0

Sliding to safety [China Daily] #RisingChina #HighRiseSafety #Fire #EvacuationSlide

Genius!

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Sliding to safety
By Wu Ni
Source – China Daily, published April 25, 2013

Photo: China Daily

Retired Shanghai machinist Zhou Miaorong demonstrates his invention of a rapid evacuation slide that makes escaping a burning high-rise safer and faster. [Photo by Wu Ni/China Daily]

A retired machinist has invented a slide that will allow people living in high-rises a faster, safer way to escape from a burning building. Wu Ni reports from Shanghai.

Zhou Miaorong, a retired Shanghai machinist, has invented a rapid evacuation slide that will make escaping a burning high-rise safer and faster.

During a fire, residents in a tall building can lie in the chute and slide to the building’s exit at a much faster speed than walking down, Zhou says.

“It needs only two to three seconds to slide down one story,” says the 70-year-old inventor.

Please click here to read the article at its source.

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Filed under: China Daily, China Dream, Chinese Model, Culture, Disaster, Domestic Growth, Environment, Infrastructure, People, Population, Public Diplomacy, Reform, Social, Technology, The Chinese Identity

April 21, 2013 • 9:31 am 0

Prayers for quake-hit Ya’an [ChinaDaily] #China #YaAnEarthquake

China mobilizes for Ya’an 雅安, Sichuan.

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Rescue teams head to quake-hit areas
Source – China Daily, published April 20, 2013

Members of the Chongqing Fire Corps gather before heading to the earthquake-hit region of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, in Chongqing, also in southwest China, April 20, 2013. A rescue team consisted of more than 200 fire fighters and 27 rescue vehicles has headed to the quake-hit region on April 20 morning after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Lushan County of Sichuan Province at 8:02 a.m. Beijing Time (0002 GMT) on Saturday.. [Photo/Xinhua]

Prayers for quake-hit Ya’an
Source – China Daily, published April 20, 2013

Students in Liaocheng city of Shandong province hold banners praying for the safety of people in Ya’an city, Southwest China’s Sichuan province on April 20, after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit the area on Saturday morning. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Lushan county of Ya’an city in the province at 8:02 am Saturday, leaving more than 100 dead. [Photo/Xinhua]

Please click here to access the rest of the photo story at its source,

Filed under: Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, Civil Engineering, Communications, Culture, Disaster, Domestic Growth, Environment, Infrastructure, Mapping Feelings, Natural Disasters, People, The Chinese Identity

April 9, 2013 • 1:07 am 0

Virus shows China’s progress and limitations [Global Times] #RisingChina #H7N9 #Healthcare

A decade on since the pre-Internet-savvy Chinese decision makers miscalculated with SARs, this demonstrates the new leadership’s effectiveness, despite their Boao engagements.

This Global Times argues that the victory on information transparency is just that. China has real teething issues with health care human resources. Affordable health insurance provided by the state has kicked in, yes. But complaints about the lack of doctors resonated every corner I traveled in China. Queues are long.

The country’s complex conditions are on full display as the disease spreads. China has first-rate labs, but it also has limited healthcare infrastructure, especially in rural areas. Some have pointed out that although theoretically the hospital bills for H7N9 victims should be paid by the government, emergency treatment funds and healthcare support channels are still lacking. (Global Times, April 7, 2013)

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Virus shows China’s progress and limitations
By Chen Chenchen
Source – Global Times, published April 7, 2013

The rising number of identified human cases of the H7N9 virus in China has put some other countries and regions on alert, though experts believe the chance of a global epidemic is still low. However, international opinion seems to have acknowledged “significant changes” in China’s response to disease outbreaks.

Gregory Hartl, a World Health Organization spokesman, praised the Chinese response, including immediate reporting and information volunteering, as “excellent.” Since SARS, the public health debacle that occurred one decade ago, China has reformed its epidemic handling system, especially infection reporting and tracking mechanisms. Experts from US health agencies believe the close cooperation with their Chinese counterparts in recent years has helped a lot in terms of China’s flu monitoring and lab testing.

This public health reform is due to changes in the mentality of governing bodies. The top leadership has promised transparency in virus reporting. This has been judged by China’s observers to be a new way of thinking which is more open and effective in maintaining social stability.

Please click here to read the rest of the article at its source.

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Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Bird Flu, Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, Communications, Domestic Growth, Environment, global times, Government & Policy, Health, Infrastructure, Modernisation, Politics, Population, Reform, Social, The Chinese Identity

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Wandering China

China Granted Access to Arctic Club as Resource Race Heats Up [Business Week] #RisingChina #ArcticResources

How Chinese Subsidies Changed the World [Harvard Business Review] #RisingChina #Solar #GovernmentSubsidies

Rat Meat Sold as Lamb Highlights Fear in China [New York Times] #RisingChina #FoodSafety

A life by the wall [China Daily] #RisingChina #GreatWall #CrossPollination

China Seeks Soft Power Influence in U.S. Through CCTV [NPR] #RisingChina #SoftPower #CCTV

China tests self-developed-biofuel flight [Xinhua] #RisingChina #BioJetFuel #Aviation

Prayers for quake-hit Ya’an [ChinaDaily] #China #YaAnEarthquake

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