Julian Steele's Radio Weblog

Mon, 15 Sep 2003 09:06:33 GMT

The following is an interesting article from the Sydney Morning Herald. Although things have changed a lot in China over the last few years, one can be forgiven for forgetting that it is still a 'communist' country, as this Shanghai court reaffirmed:

A court has rejected a local businessman's request to use the word "capitalist" in his company's name, although private business now makes up over half China's GDP.

The Shanghai court said the use of the word in the still officially communist country "runs against the nature of the country's socialist system".

Liu Yuzhang, 36, lodged his legal request six months ago after government officials refused to let him register his company as Shanghai Capitalist Competitiveness Co Ltd, said the official news agency, Xinhua .

"Under current circumstances, the use of the word in a company name may produce negative results and misguide the public," it quoted the court as saying.

Court officials were not immediately available for comment.

Liu said the word "capitalist" referred to entrepreneurship, and the city should permit its use to "keep pace with the times". This is a catchphrase used widely by the Communist Party, which is trying to adapt to retain its monopoly on political power and relevance in an increasingly market-driven economy.

Liu said he hoped the case would encourage "ideological debate" among the public, Xinhua said.

The Government sees the growing private sector as the key to boosting the economy and heading off potential social unrest by creating millions of jobs for workers being laid off from the bloated state-owned sector.

Calling it "socialism with Chinese characteristics", the party has even admitted a few private businessmen into its ranks.

But official wariness persists and many entrepreneurs aim to keep a low profile.

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 06:14:39 GMT

COUNTRFEIT HAIRY CRABS

One of the greatest enjoyments of autumn for Shanghai residents is the opportunity to partake in a meal of 'hairy crabs'. However, before you dig in to your plate of steaming hot hairy crab, you should be sure whether you are eating the real thing or an inferior quality imitation.

Fake hairy crabs are a rampant problem in Shanghai. Last year approximately 100 000 tons of the famous Yangcheng Lake brand of hairy crabs were sold in Shanghai, however the real out put was a mere 1500 tons. In an effort to remedy this problem, this year the Yangcheng Lake Crab Trade association has issued certificates to authorized retailers. Output this year was reduced to 850 tons, among which 200 tons will serve the local market and 100 tons will be exported.

In addition to the certificate, the trade association has taken the further step of attaching an anti-counterfeiting logo with a unique code to each crab. Consumers can dial a hairy crab hotline and input the code to see whether the crab is real or not.

A male Yangcheng Lake crab, weighing 200 grams, or a female crab of 150 grams, will sell for about 78 yuan (US$9.40) each. So this autumn, make sure you check your crab is a real hairy crab before parting with your money!

Thu, 04 Sep 2003 06:37:12 GMT

CHEAPER BEEF SET FOR SHANGHAI

In honor if its WTO commitments, China has undertaken to cut tariffs on imported beef to 12 % from its previous level of 24% by the year 2005. Beef consumption has been on a steady rise in recent years (growing by more than 10 percent each year), however, the price of imported beef has remained an obstacle to the growth of the market.

Recently, government officials from Australia have arrived in Shanghai as part of a mission to promote economic cooperation in agricultural fields between China and Australia, including the promotion of Australian beef in the Shanghai market.

As a result of the cuts in tariffs the current price of 60 RMB per 500 grams of imported beef from Australia will be reduced to 20-30 RMB before 2005, with is on par with the prices at the high-end of the domestic beef market.

China imported 2,500 tons of beef from Australia last year, an increase of 500 tons from a year before, or a 20-25 percent growth, and more beef will be imported to the country in the following years to claim more of the Chinese market.

Wed, 03 Sep 2003 08:20:16 GMT

Personal Liability for Supermarkets

A lawsuit is being filed filed against the Shanghai Auchan Hypermarket by a man that was nearly paralyzed after a fall in the store.

On the 9^th July this year, 23 year old Jiang Yangtuo, a shanghai university studentjumped the escalator handrails of the Zhongyuan branch of the hypermarket attempting to retrive a toothbrush that he had dropped. However, the foundations of the area he jumped on to were only 5 millimeters thick, resulting in Jiang crashing through the board and falling 5 metres on to his head, resulting in serious injury.

The hypermarket denies any wrongdoing, as they claim that the store had posted many signs near all escalators warning against possible danger of landing on that area. In addition, the store claims they took a ¡°moral responsibility¡± covering all of Jiang¡¯s medical expenses until August 26, amounting to nearly 150 000 RMB (US$18 072).

However, Jiang¡¯s family cites a lack of security guards and an insufficient signs as evidence of the store¡¯s neglect. The family¡¯s lawyers are currently looking into commencing legal proceedings.

Tue, 02 Sep 2003 05:43:59 GMT

HONG KONG TRAVEL

As of 1^st September, the Shanghai Entry-Exit Administrative Bureau enacted a new travel regulation allowing Shanghai residents to travel to Hong Kong on a special entry-exit permits without the need to join a tour group. In addition the application process has been made easier as all local citizens with valid ID cards and permanent residence can apply for the permit and get it within 10 working days.

Wed, 27 Aug 2003 08:07:25 GMT

Heard of online dating? Well how about online marriage? As of December, local residents in Xuhui, Luwan, Jing'an and Minhang districts of Shanghai will be able to register a marriage over the net, as the country's first online appointment service for marriage registration is about to be launched. By the end of the year, the service will be expanded to cover the entire city.

Couples can click on to www.shmzj.gov.cn, the official website of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, to download registration forms and make appointment for registration with their district marriage registration offices.

Zhou Jixiang, director of the municipal marriage registration administration said that the new system is aimed at increasing the convenience with which engaged couples can tie the knot, however, couples would still need to make an appearance at registration office to conduct the formalities. According to China's marriage law, both parties of a couple must appear in person at the registration office when registering their marriage, a rule to ensure their marriage is the will of both parities.

Under the current laws couples are required to get approval for marriage from their employers or residential communities. China's marriage registration procedure is set to become easier, especially after the amended marriage law is put in effect, the Jiefang Daily report said.

The approval, meant to prove the bachelordom status of the person involved, will probably be replaced by the person's personal statement, according to the Jiefang Daily report.

Wed, 27 Aug 2003 01:28:40 GMT

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

Along with China's enormous economic growth and prosperity, has come an increasingly staggering toll on the natural environment. In the drive for social prosperity, the affect on the environment has often been overlooked.

In a report by Alex Wang titled 'The Downside of Growth: Law, Policy and China's Environmental Crisis', the following statistics on China¡¯s environmental crisis were provided:

* Eight of the ten most polluted cities in the world are now located in China

* In 1995, ambient concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in over half of 88 Chinese cities monitored, exceeded World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for safety

* 85 of 87 cities exceeded WHO guidelines for total suspended particulate matter (TSPs); In many cities the concentrations were two to five times safety levels given by WHO guidelines

* The percentage of arable land affected by acid rain increased from 18 percent to 40 percent between 1985 and 1998

* China now releases 13 percent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This is second to only the United States (23 percent). With the increase in auto usage in China and development in general, this number is increasing rapidly. China will soon attain the top position if growth trends continue.

However, in recent years, the government has recognized the social and economic importance of protecting the environment, and has taken many steps to create an awareness of environmental issues. At the forefront of the move towards environmental accountability is the Shanghai Environment Protection Bureau. In the second quarter of this year, nearly 100 local companies were punished for environmental pollution. A total of 745 environmental pollution cases were uncovered, up 27 percent from the same period last year. They identified that noise pollution caused by restaurants in residential areas, as well as illegal sewage discharge into the city's creeks, were the top problems.

While China has a long way to go informing a comprehensive environmental protection policy ie: legislation and enforcement, the situation has improved cosniderably in recent years.

Tue, 05 Aug 2003 09:25:43 GMT

WHO WEARS THE PANTS?

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/05/international/asia/05DIAP.html

I thought this was an interesting example of how foreign companies have adopted aggressive marketing to promote their products in the Chinese market and in doing so have successfully created a thriving market. This is just one example of many, however the emergence of the diaper industry in China has been an outstanding success. Not many industries can boast of annual sales increasing by 40%, and that is with a market of over $200 million per year. While diapers are still out of the reach of the average Chinese family, the success of this industry can be largely attributed to the increasing spending power of citizens in cities such as Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.