China in the News

[Anonymous]

Now my students are bringing in articles related to China! Conner, a student in my third period class, could not wait to share his findings this morning. On page A15 of the Daily Breeze, March 8, 2007, is a picture of a piglet born Sunday in Xi'an with two snouts and three eyes. The piglet, one of nine born on the farm, will be sent to a local safari park for professional care! Naturally my class wanted to know if we are going to visit the park while in Xi'an.

[Anonymous]

Cindy I loved your post about cleaning up for the Olympics. It is right in the vain of the list we made last spring about the great contrasts in China. The yin and the yan just continues. I think my students really got that when I shared your pictures and mine from our trip last year.

Cathy Rieder

[Anonymous]

It is about time that China is hit with inflation. I wonder if this will lead to a recession and that a resurgance in our economy. Most likely not but maby it would be a good treat for us.

Inflation in China reached 2.7 percent in February, official statistics showed Tuesday, increasing the pressure on the central bank to raise the interest rate.

Consumer price index, a key indicator of inflation, rose 2.7 percent year-on-year last month, up from the 2.2 percent growth in January, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a report on its website.

A consumer shops at a super market in Shanghai January 10, 2007. Inflation in China might reach a two-year high in February, according to a poll of 21 economists by Bloomberg News, increasing the pressure on the central bank to raise interest rate. [newsphoto]
A consumer shops at a super market in Shanghai January 10, 2007. Inflation in China might reach a two-year high in February, according to a poll of 21 economists by Bloomberg News, increasing the pressure on the central bank to raise interest rate. [newsphoto]
The price hike was mainly driven by rising food costs. Food prices surged six percent in February while non-food items rose just one percent, said the NBS. Among the food items, eggs and edible oil witnessed the biggest rises. They grew 30 percent and 17.4 percent, respectively.

The rural areas saw a bigger price increase than the urban areas, the report said, with a 3.2 percent growth for the farmers against a 2.5 per cent rise for the urbanites.

The combined increase for the first two month of the year is 2.4 percent. The People's Bank of China, the central bank, has set an annual target of 3 percent for inflation control.

The February figure was a sharp increase from the 1.5 percent rise in 2006, but slightly lower than the growth of 2.8 in last December.

The holiday generally distorts economic figures. China's biggest festival, the Lunar New Year fell in the middle of February this year and in mid-January last year.

Central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan pledged to fight inflation Monday during a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the country's top legislature.

The current interest rate was appropriate, said central bank's vice governor Wu Xiaoling Sunday, according to reports. However, when asked about this issue again Monday, she refused to talk.

Ha Jiming, chief economist at China International Capital Corp. in Beijing, expected the central bank to raise the interest rate if finding the combined inflation number in January and February above 2.5 percent, according to the Bloomberg News.

However, an interest rate rise is expected to attract more "hot money" into China, said analysts, adding to the excess liquidity plaguing the central bank.

Reining in excess liquidity is a priority of Beijing's monetary policy, said Wu Xiaoling in an article published by the People's Daily in February. However, interest rate could hardly contribute to this end, said Wu.

At current inflation rates, after-tax bank deposit rates are negative in real terms, inviting depositors to withdraw their cash and pump it into property and stocks, raising the risk of asset price bubbles.

The central bank in February ordered lenders to set aside more money as reserves for the fifth time in eight months. Lenders must set aside 10 percent of deposits, up from 9.5 percent.

The central bank has raised its benchmark interest rate twice since April. The current one-year benchmark lending rate stood at 6.12 percent.

At the press conference on Monday, Zhou Xiaochuan sought to reassure investors that the domestic stock market was not in the middle of a downward trend and that the country would increase the part direct financing played in the financial system.

He also said the country would build the market in line with international standards so "people ... can better cope with any changes."

Zhou said other countries, including the United States, also suffer from problems caused by excess liquidity.

He added that market regulators should adopt a prudent and "slightly tightened" policy.

[Anonymous]

It is about time that China is hit with inflation. I wonder if this will lead to a recession and that a resurgance in our economy. Most likely not but maby it would be a good treat for us.

Inflation in China reached 2.7 percent in February, official statistics showed Tuesday, increasing the pressure on the central bank to raise the interest rate.

Consumer price index, a key indicator of inflation, rose 2.7 percent year-on-year last month, up from the 2.2 percent growth in January, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a report on its website.

A consumer shops at a super market in Shanghai January 10, 2007. Inflation in China might reach a two-year high in February, according to a poll of 21 economists by Bloomberg News, increasing the pressure on the central bank to raise interest rate. [newsphoto]
A consumer shops at a super market in Shanghai January 10, 2007. Inflation in China might reach a two-year high in February, according to a poll of 21 economists by Bloomberg News, increasing the pressure on the central bank to raise interest rate. [newsphoto]
The price hike was mainly driven by rising food costs. Food prices surged six percent in February while non-food items rose just one percent, said the NBS. Among the food items, eggs and edible oil witnessed the biggest rises. They grew 30 percent and 17.4 percent, respectively.

The rural areas saw a bigger price increase than the urban areas, the report said, with a 3.2 percent growth for the farmers against a 2.5 per cent rise for the urbanites.

The combined increase for the first two month of the year is 2.4 percent. The People's Bank of China, the central bank, has set an annual target of 3 percent for inflation control.

The February figure was a sharp increase from the 1.5 percent rise in 2006, but slightly lower than the growth of 2.8 in last December.

The holiday generally distorts economic figures. China's biggest festival, the Lunar New Year fell in the middle of February this year and in mid-January last year.

Central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan pledged to fight inflation Monday during a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the country's top legislature.

The current interest rate was appropriate, said central bank's vice governor Wu Xiaoling Sunday, according to reports. However, when asked about this issue again Monday, she refused to talk.

Ha Jiming, chief economist at China International Capital Corp. in Beijing, expected the central bank to raise the interest rate if finding the combined inflation number in January and February above 2.5 percent, according to the Bloomberg News.

However, an interest rate rise is expected to attract more "hot money" into China, said analysts, adding to the excess liquidity plaguing the central bank.

Reining in excess liquidity is a priority of Beijing's monetary policy, said Wu Xiaoling in an article published by the People's Daily in February. However, interest rate could hardly contribute to this end, said Wu.

At current inflation rates, after-tax bank deposit rates are negative in real terms, inviting depositors to withdraw their cash and pump it into property and stocks, raising the risk of asset price bubbles.

The central bank in February ordered lenders to set aside more money as reserves for the fifth time in eight months. Lenders must set aside 10 percent of deposits, up from 9.5 percent.

The central bank has raised its benchmark interest rate twice since April. The current one-year benchmark lending rate stood at 6.12 percent.

At the press conference on Monday, Zhou Xiaochuan sought to reassure investors that the domestic stock market was not in the middle of a downward trend and that the country would increase the part direct financing played in the financial system.

He also said the country would build the market in line with international standards so "people ... can better cope with any changes."

Zhou said other countries, including the United States, also suffer from problems caused by excess liquidity.

He added that market regulators should adopt a prudent and "slightly tightened" policy.

[Anonymous]

A Chinese lawmaker has joined calls for the eviction of Starbucks from the Forbidden City. The official Chinese news agency is reporting that many feel Starbucks' presence there is a smear on China's historical legacy. A motion to close the outlet immediately has been submitted to the National People's Congress by Jiang Hongbin. "Starbucks can no longer be allowed to taint China's national culture," Jiang was quoted as saying. According to the article in the Chicago Tribune the outlet has stirred controversy among Chinese nationalists ever since it opened in 2000 in a side hall of the 587 year-old cultural treasure.
Any comments? opinions?

[Anonymous]

I saw an interesting new book on China the other day at the book store. It's called: The China Fantasy: How Our Leaders Explain Away Chinese Repression.

Thought that maybe we could talk about this and other current events sometime soon before going to China..?

🙂 Cindy

[Anonymous]

Interesting article in the news today. Seems like China is attracting foreign investment in every business vertical. Still wondering how this will all pan out in relation to their said communist standing.

China approves Intel chip factory

SHANGHAI — Intel Corp. has received government approval to build a $2.5-billion microchip manufacturing operation in China's northeastern coastal city of Dalian, a regulatory agency in Beijing said Tues- day.

The long-rumored investment would be a significant boost for China's high-tech industry and the nation's bid to become a leading producer of high-value goods.

[Anonymous]

For anyone who has missed a lecture day and has to visit an exhibit and write about it... there's a new one at DF2 on Mao. Looks pretty interesting.

http://www.df2gallery.com/

His subject is not the person, or even the persona of Mao, but strictly the image. His approach suggests a man sorting through snapshots of a long-dead relative — which, in a sense, he is, given that all of the works in the show are based on photographs. One imagines him peering into each picture, turning it this way and that, trying to penetrate a frozen expression to uncover some truth of the man's vanished character. What he discovers instead is the truth of the image, which in this case is no less significant.

[Anonymous]

On Friday, my mother and sister returned from a trip to China. It was interesting talking to them about the development of China and the diversity of its population. The comparison of large high-rise buildings to shanty dwellings on the same city blocks amazed both of them. It made me recall an article that I read recently in a magazine about the efforts of the Chinese government to initiate science literacy and technology, particularly among farmers and migrant workers. As a result, Beijing is spending over $111 million in order to introduce China's vast, rural population to science. Maybe, this will help with the quality of life in some of these areas.
Jewell

[Anonymous]

I can certainly relate to your mother and sister's reaction to China. I had the same impression when I was there last spring. Cindy Damon and I made a list of the Yin and the Yang of China as we road the bus throughout our tour. Right now I can not find my travel journal which I wrote last year. ( It is really bugging me...but I am sure I will find it). When I do I will share it with you. I plan to add to my list as I travel this time. It would be awesome to do a picture montage for our students with the theme of the yin and the yang. I am sure you will be amazed at the things you see on our trip.

Cathy Rieder[Edit by="cathy rieder on Mar 18, 1:43:57 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Today in the Los Angeles Times there wa an article about and"edgy" cartoon character called Bad Girl's where the main character talks back to her parents, and secretly smokes cigarettes. "I am a lot like her. I'm naughty, "says creator Song Yang. In the last decade, China's leaders have significantly relaxed their controls on artists, leading to a flowering o painting, photography and peformiance art exploring taboo subjects. The first generation of contmporary Chinese artists to gain the attention othe the Wust produced work with a politicl edge, often focused on the Cultural Revolution. In January Bejing's Cultural Bureau announced it was drfafting legislation to ensure that artwork would "be healthy, abide by the constitution and not offend ordinary citizens." The new reggulation will cover painting, photography, and performance art and might be extended to other areas, such as multimedia art. So once again we see the conflict of the new and the old, the regulated and the unregulated, the west and the east in China. What this generation of young Chinese will be allowed to produce and share with the rest of China and the rest of the world will continue to be something interesting to watch.

Cathy Rieder

[Anonymous]

I was happy to see the Palos Verdes News had a fron page article about Yongmin Zhang who is teaching at Lunada Bay and PV High. He is a member of our seminar and we will visit his school on our trip. I will share his observations about the differences and similarities between the Chinese and Ameican educational systems with my students. I found them very interesting. I look forward to visiting his school when we are in Shanghai. Our visist to the school last year was one of my favorite excursions. There was one error in the article It said the people going on the trip were from PV High and Lunada Bay. There are 5 teachers from Ridgecrest and also teachers from Point Vicente and PV Intermediate going too. I can't wait for the new adventures ahead of us this year.

Cathy Rieder

[Anonymous]

Today, the Daily Breeze had a picture of the Great Wall in the "Great Escape" travel section. The caption underneath the picture was very interesting and caught my attention. It stated as follows: "Enjoy this ruin while you can. Completed in the 1600s, it is not just crumbling, it is disappearing. Vandals steal bricks, fancy parties are held atop the fragile summit, road-builders have even ignored its historic significance, such that roughly half of the original no longer exists." Those of us traveling on this trip should be thankful that we have the opportunity to see this wonderful site before more deterioration occurs.
Jewell

[Anonymous]

PV News featuring Yongmin

I too enjoyed the article on our classmate Yongmin Zhang. The Lunada Bay students radiated joy and enthusiasm for his lessons. I’m wondering if the district would support sharing him with other PV schools as a one day (or even one assembly) guest speaker/teacher. Our students at PVIS are very excited about four of their teachers flying off to China. They would be equally enthusiastic in dialoguing with a teacher actually from China. I can promise our middle school students would have a barrage of interesting questions for Yongmin.

Much of the details of Yongmin’s experience covered in the article were news to me which is sad considering we’re in the same district, in the same school neighborhood, and in the same seminar. What we need is a district newsletter highlighting people, events and news from the various school sites. Unfortunately, most of our information comes from mutual district friends or the local paper. In addition to Yongmin’s, I’m sure there are many PVPUSD stories we would love to share.

[Anonymous]

LA Times “China to grant some property rights” 3/16

The lead article in ‘The World” section of the LA Times Friday (3/16) covered the first law codifying the protection of private property. However, the law gives stronger protection to urban, middle-class residents than to the poorer, rural inhabitant. The law which is in its final writing should formally recognize homeowner associations, and give them more tools for fighting developers. Some praise the fourteen months of discussion and 14,000 suggestions reviewed as evidence that the process was fair and somewhat transparent. While some Chinese saw this as great progress, others still feel that the government’s law cannot be trusted. The pictures accompanying the article showed Beijing under heavy residential construction. Sometimes progress is messy, rather than charming.

[Author]

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