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China.Hawaii Chamber of Commerce ® "Hawaii-China Guan Xi, We Get Things Done™" - Trade Advocacy Organization
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Hong Kong, China & Hawaii Biz*
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Aug 20, 2008
Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah said on Tuesday the success of Hong Kong’s wine fair – along with growing wine imports – showed the city was now on track to be a leading wine hub. He was speaking at the signing ceremony of the Hong Kong-France memorandum of understanding (MOU) on co-operation in wine-related businesses. Mr Tsang said the government’s decision to scrap the 40 per cent wine sales tax in the February 27 budget, had been beneficial. "It makes Hong Kong the first free wine port among major economies," he said. The financial secretary added that the value of wine imports has increased by 140 per cent from March to June over the last year. "We have seen solid growth in wine imports, wine auctions with record-breaking sales, and announcements by various renowned companies to expand their wine trading and distribution business in Hong Kong," he said. Among importers, Mr Tsang said France was the largest supplier of wine imports to Hong Kong last year — accounting for 30 per cent. "In terms of value, French wine represented about 57 per cent of all our wine imports last year, with an impressive growth rate of 108 per cent compared with 2006," he said. Discussing the three-day International Wine Fair organised by Trade Development Council - which ended on Saturday, he said it was a success. Mr Tsang said it had helped promote Hong Kong as a wine trading hub in Asia. "More than 240 exhibitors from over 25 countries showcased their merchandise to buyers," Mr Tsang said. He said signing the first MOU was also an important milestone. "Both the Hong Kong and the French governments consider a bilateral agreement on wine mutually beneficial in terms of supporting business partnerships and investment co-operation," "We are also very excited about the synergy that the expansion in wine-related economic activities may generate for the promotion of tourism – the hospitality industry, as well as wine education and culture," Mr Tsang said. He said the government would continue to promote the wine industry. "These [measures] include strengthening of wine education and manpower training, promotion of wine-related tourism and wine culture, and customs co-operation against counterfeit wine," the financial secretary said. Practically, Trade Development Council, the Hong Kong Tourism Board, and training intuitions – including the Vocational Training Council and the School of Professional and Continuing Education of the University of Hong Kong will provide wine-related courses. Mr Tsang ended his speech by saying that it is a "win-win situation". It can promote better wine appreciation and education – as well creating more job opportunities. The Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) Tuesday announced that it will provide financial support to local small and medium enterprises (SME) for their participation in the "13th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF)". As Macao's major trade and investment fair, this year's MIF, organized by the IPIM, will be held from October 23-26 at the Venetian Macao's exhibition venue. Given the important role of SMEs in Macao and their contributions to local economic development, the 13th MIF is going to feature a "Macao SME Exhibition" within the Fair. Taking advantage of the MIF exhibition platform, the Exhibition serves as an incubator for local enterprises to promote their products and seek for investment opportunities. In order to enable more SMEs to open up business opportunities through the MIF, the IPIM will grant preferential treatment of 5,800 patacas (725 U.S. dollars) for each exhibition booth of nine square meters. In effect, the charges after preferential treatment for the 9-square-meter booth will be only 5,000 patacas (625 U.S. dollars). Each local SME may apply for preferential treatment for one booth only, on a first-come-first-served basis, according to a press release from the IPIM. The SME Exhibition will be the only section in the MIF which features both display and sale, and the Exhibition will be market oriented, bringing into full play the advantages of the convention and exhibition industry of Macao, the IPIM said.
Former International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Juan Samaranch said on Tuesday China would top the gold medal count at the Beijing Games. By Tuesday evening, China had 43 gold medals to U.S.' 26. Ctrip.com, China’s top online travel agent, posted on Wednesday a 35 per cent rise in second-quarter net profit but said revenue growth would slow this quarter because of a drop in domestic travel.
Wireless coverage equipment maker China GrenTech posted a quarterly loss, hurt by a steep fall in revenue from base station radio frequency products, sending its shares down as much as 22 per cent.
China's leaders are carefully considering an economic stimulus package of at least 200 billion yuan (HK$227.74 billion) to 400 billion yuan and may ease monetary policy by the end of the year, investment bank JPMorgan Chase said. The possible stimulus package would be equivalent to 1.0 to 1.5 percent of GDP. "This will include tax cuts and measures to `stabilise domestic capital markets' and support `healthy development of the housing market','' Frank Gong, chief China economist for JPMorgan, said. Gong said the package would be in addition to projected spending of 500 billion yuan to 600 billion yuan to rebuild the parts of Sichuan devastated by May's earthquake.
Aug 19, 2008
Raindrops will not keep falling on heads at Chek Lap Kok when the next typhoon hits, airport officials have assured Island District councillor Albert Wong Shun- yee. Wong had asked for an explanation for the embarrassing leaks following the first incident in June when tropical storm Fengshen hit Hong Kong. "I wanted to know how many areas in the airport were affected exactly; the cause and effect of the leakage; measures taken for store owners and tourists who were affected; and how authorities will ensure the same thing will not occur again," Wong said. Airport authorities replied the leakage at Terminal One was due to tiny cracks in ceiling panels that may have been caused during routine maintenance over the past 10 years. The cracks were difficult to detect by the naked eye, and it was equally difficult to determine when they occurred. After the storm, airport staff repaired the damage and all have now been fixed, Wong said. Staff were then called to fix leaks in Terminal Two that occurred between the glass walls and the pedestrian walkway. While repairs were in progress earlier this month, the city was hit by Typhoon Kammuri. This delayed the repairs. But Wong said he has been to the airport since, and claims the problems have been fixed. "I think the airport authorities were quite proactive in this matter and are confident we will not encounter the same incidents again during future typhoons." International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said yesterdayhe would give a "ringing endorsement" to Beijing and Hong Kong for staging a successful Games. But Rogge, speaking in Hong Kong at a reception organised for him by the Hong Kong government, said he would refrain from conforming with an old IOC tradition of describing each new Olympic Games as the best ever. "The IOC president would always say it was the best of the Games," he said. "It makes my task more and more difficult." He promised not to say "the best-ever Games" at the closing ceremony in Beijing on Sunday, but he would use his best vocabulary "to give my ringing endorsement to Beijing and Hong Kong." He added: "Even `fantastic' is not the word. It will be better than that." Rogge also said athletes and spectators were happy with the organisation of the Olympic Games in Beijing and Hong Kong, which staged the equestrian events. "Even the media, who criticised once in a while, came to me and said: `President, we have to criticise you, but we never had such nice facilities."' China has received widespread praise for the organisation of events at the Games but criticism for not meeting commitments to allow greater media and other freedoms. Citi's decision to streamline its organizational structure in Asia Pacific and give more responsibility to local executives is a smart move for the New York-based lender, which could provide increased competition for Standard Chartered (2888) and HSBC (0005).
Aug 18, 2008
More girls lured into `compensated dating' - More
and more underaged girls are going into "compensated dating" because they have a
choice of clients and it does not involve sex, according to a study by the
Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong. Hutch H1 may mark `turning point' - Hutchison Whampoa (0013) is expected to report on Thursday that first- half net profit fell 71 percent after a lack of huge one-off gains, but analysts said the conglomerate will show strong underlying growth.
Tianjin builds up for Airbus tests - Airport officials in the port of Tianjin are building a second runway to test Airbus A320s built at a plant in the city. The new runway should be ready for May 2009 and would also allow Tianjin - which is about 110 kilometers east of Beijing - to serve as a backup for the Capital International Airport, Xinhua News Agency reported. The first Airbus is expected to roll off the line in Tianjin in May 2009, and the plantwill produce up to 44 aircraft a year by 2011.
Aug 17, 2008
Swiss export more chocolate to China - Exports of Swiss chocolate products to China have increased dramatically in the past seven years, the official Swissinfo news website reported Friday. Exports to China rose from just two tons in 2001 to 308 tons last year, according to figures from Chocosuisse, the association of Swiss chocolate manufactures. This represents an increase in value to 2.1 million Swiss francs (about 1.9 million U.S. dollars) from only 57,000 Swiss francs (about 51800 U.S. dollars) seven years ago. Chocosuisse said China imports primarily premium chocolate from Switzerland. Only a small segment of consumers can afford the products. The Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved the appointment of China's Zhao Xiaoyu as Vice-President of the development institution, the lender said in a statement on Thursday. The appointment was made on the recommendation of ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda, according to the statement. Zhao succeeds Jin Liqun who retired from ADB's service on July 31, said the Manila-based development bank. "As ADB's Vice-President for Operations 1, Zhao will be overseeing the operations of the South Asia Department, the Central and West Asia Department, and the Private Sector Operations Department," said the statement. Zhao is currently a Vice President of the Export-Import Bank of China. He served as the Executive Director for the People's Republic of China at ADB from March 1999 to September 2002. ADB is a multilateral development institution dedicated to reducing poverty in the Asia and Pacific region through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members, 48 from the region. In 2007, ADB approved 10.1 billion U.S. dollars of loans, 673 million dollars of grant projects, and technical assistance amounting to 243 million dollars. People in the Pearl River Delta cities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan and Dongguan might soon be able to surf the Internet using a unified wireless network, provincial authorities have said. Nanfang Daily reported Wednesday that the provincial information industry department has completed a report on the construction of a wireless city group in the region, and it has been approved by the respective provincial governments. "Construction of a wireless city group entails coordinated planning and gradual promotion. It needs to define the role of each government and their work divisions," Wang Wei, a deputy director of the department's administration office, was quoted as saying. Details about costs and date of construction are not yet available. Liang Qi, a professor at Sun Yat-sen University, said construction of a wireless city group will sharpen the competitive edge of the area. "The provincial authorities have reached a consensus that the Pearl River Delta cities should be integrated to strengthen its foothold in global competition. Wireless infrastructure and services are necessary in the digital age," he said. Qin Zhiqiang, deputy secretary of WAPI (WLAN Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure) Industry Alliance, an organization promoting local industry standards, said the role of the local governments is to plan and balance the interests of all for sustainable development of the wireless city group. "Profitability is crucial for sustainable development of the sector," he said. Several cities in China have begun construction of wireless networks, and some of them like Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou have already begun trial operations. In Beijing, a wireless service is now available in areas within the Third Ring Road via terminals with WiFi or WiMax functionality. It is expected to cover areas within the Fifth Ring Road by the end of the year, and the whole city by 2010. Aug 16, 2008
Hong Kong’s economic growth in the second half of the year was expected to ease to between 2.2 per cent and 4.2 per cent, the government said on Friday. But government economist Kwok Kwok-chuen said this was a "reasonable" level of growth. First-half year growth averaged 5.8 per cent after the economy expanded by 7.3 per cent in the first quarter before slowing to 4.2 per cent in the second quarter. Mr Kwok said first-quarter growth had been “too fast”. The official growth forecast for 2008 remained between four and five per cent. “And 7.3 per cent, in my view, is actually a bit too fast,” Mr Kwok said. "A prolonged period of seven per cent-plus growth is one of the reasons why our inflation pressure is building up." Consumer prices jumped 5.7 per cent in the second quarter due mainly to surging food prices and housing rents. Hong Kong’s economy is slowing on the back of rising oil and food prices and also a weaker United States economy suffering the impact of the sub-prime mortgage crisis. HK population hits 6.9m: statistics show - 4:22pm Hong Kong’s population increased by 0.9 per cent in the first half of 2008 to reach nearly seven million people, new Census and Statistics Department figures show. Immigration officials in the US are under fire following allegations that a Hong Kong-born computer engineer died of cancer last week after being repeatedly denied proper medical treatment and accused of faking his condition while in a detention centre. Lawyers for Ng Hiu-lui, 34, a married father of two, have written to US authorities demanding a criminal investigation into his death, The New York Times reported yesterday. Ng died on Wednesday last week and an autopsy on Tuesday found his body riddled with cancer that lawyers alleged had gone undiagnosed and untreated for months. The report in the Times said Ng was being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Wyatt Detention Facility on Rhode Island. Ng arrived in New York from Hong Kong with his parents and younger sister, Wendy, in 1992. He had been in the final stages of the interview process in a bid for the right to live and work in the US, when an official noticed he had overstayed his initial visa by years. Instead of being granted the card, he was arrested and held in several facilities while his case was reviewed. Lawyers claimed that Ng's pleas that pain-killing tablets stopped the pain in his back were ignored. By mid-July, the pain was so great, he was bedridden and could not walk or stand to call his family. Centre officials denied him a wheelchair and refused to have him seen by an independent doctor. On July 30, he was taken from his bed at the centre on a four-hour round trip to another government facility where an immigration officer allegedly pressured him into withdrawing his appeals and accepting deportation. Lawyers believe the trip, during which he was in chains, was an attempt to show he was faking his sickness, and to stop a habeas corpus appeal he had made to the court so he could be released to get proper medical treatment. A judge who heard the appeal had asked that he receive proper medical treatment. The case has prompted an outpouring of sympathy and anger among immigration rights activists in the US. Blogs on behalf of other detainees have been filled with commentary on the case. Ng's death is the most recent controversy to hit the contentious US immigration detention system, in which critics say inmates are subjected to human rights abuses and poor medical care. In March, the US government admitted medical negligence in the death of Francisco Castaneda, 36, another detainee whose cancer went undiagnosed in a Californian detention centre. Last year, more than 300,000 people were held in detention while the government considered the merits of their cases. The New York Times reported that Ng had a wife who was a US citizen and two American-born sons. He owned a house in Queens and had worked as a computer engineer in the Empire State Building before his detention.
HSI snaps losing streak thanks to
resources stocks - After a four-day decline the Hong Kong market at last climbed
yesterday, rising 160.16 points to 21,453.48 on rebounding resources stocks, but
gains were dragged down by the slump of shares of Li & Fung (0494) and Hong Kong
Exchanges & Clearing (0388). Wing Hang Bank (0302) and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia) (0342) both booked further write downs in their first-half results, but net profit at ICBC (Asia) rose on strong income growth while Wing Hang reported a profit drop.
Reconstruction efforts in quake-devastated areas of Sichuan and two neighboring provinces will cost about 1 trillion yuan (HK$1.14 trillion) and take three years to complete, according to official estimates in a tentative plan. The plan covers new houses and infrastructure for more than 3 million rural households, industrial reconstruction and the creation of jobs for about 1 million people, the National Development and Reform Commission says. Authorities said there were no plans for a large-scale relocation of people from the quake zone. "We plan to accomplish major rebuilding work within three years, enabling residents there to return to and improve their previous living conditions and level of economic development," the commission said in a 59-page draft on its website. It said funds would be raised through various channels, including central and regional government funds, donations, financing, and domestic and overseas loans. Authorities said the quake had caused more than 843 billion yuan in direct economic losses and affected nearly 20 million people in 51 counties and cities. The rebuilding scheme will include construction of about 3,400 primary schools and 1,100 high schools, and reinforcement of 2,600 others in Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi. The reconstruction estimate is equal to Sichuan's annual gross domestic product or one-fifth of the country's total revenue last year. But mainland media reported that the rebuilding budgets were only a fraction of provincial officials' calculations. Sichuan deputy governor Huang Xiaoxiang said last month that the total cost of rebuilding in his province alone could surpass 1.2 trillion yuan.
Aug 15, 2008
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Hong Kong:
Hong Kong shares fell 2.1 per cent on Tueday to close at a new one-year, weighed
down by losses in property stocks ahead of earnings reports, but power stocks
rallied on hopes that China would allow more tariff increases after the
Olympics. Europe’s largest bank HSBC Holdings (SEHK: 0005, announcements, news)
slipped 1.8 per cent, leading losses on the blue chip index, as fears of more
credit-related losses resurfaced. The Hang Seng Index closed down 446.30 points
at the day’s low of 20,484.37. “Corporate earnings have been less than
impressive so far and there were very high expectations built into the market.
What we are seeing now is an absolute loss of confidence in the market,” said
Peter Pak, vice-president with BOCI Research. Mr Pak said the main index was
likely to slip slightly below 20,000 points as local investors waited in hope
that China would announce major market boosting measures after the Olympics.
Mainboard turnover was HK$48.5 billion (US$6.2 billion) as compared with HK$45.2
billion on Monday.
China:
As Beijing city's air quality had all reached the standards to host the Olympics
in all 18 days of August before Tuesday, the Chinese capital was making strides
in fulfilling its commitment on good air quality for the Games, a Beijing
official said. "In the 18 days between Aug. 1 and Aug. 18, Beijing's air quality
was within the standards to host the Olympics. Of the 18 days, Beijing reported
Grade I air quality in nine days, and in the other nine days, the city's air
quality was Grade II," deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of
Environmental Protection Du Shaozhong told a press conference. In the Chinese
system to report the air quality, Grade I means the air quality is excellent
with the Air Pollution Index (API) showing a reading between 1 and 50. Grade II
means the air quality is fairly good, with an API reading between 51 and 100. In
the past 18 days this month, the daily API reading was 56 on average, much lower
than last year's figure of 81 in the same period, he said. Beijing's air quality
so far this month was the best ever recorded in the last 10 years. "These
figures prove that our measures to improve air quality for the Beijing Games,
particularly those temporary measures to cut emissions, have been playing a
positive role. We are earnestly fulfilling our commitment to ensuring good air
quality during the Olympics," he said.
The hosts won three of the four gold medals, but
the United States and France were denied places on the top of the podium under a
complicated tiebreak system never before used at the Olympics. Chen Yibing
emerged victorious for China in the men's rings, He Kexin won on the women's
uneven bars and He Wenna claimed gold on the women's trampoline, in a national
gymnastics dominance unseen since the days of the Soviet Union. The reigning
champion on men's vault, Leszek Blanik of Poland, also added Olympic gold to his
collection. But the spotlight fell on the scoring system, under which the old
"perfect 10" was replaced with two marks, one a mark out of 10 for execution and
another reflecting the difficulty of the routine. In the uneven bars final, He
and American gymnast Nastia Liukin both scored 9.025 for execution and 7.7 for
difficulty, to give each a final score of 16.725. But instead of sharing gold,
officials implemented a count-back system where the highest and lowest of the
five judges' marks were progressively removed until a winner emerged. "I don't
know if anybody understands what the hell is going on," said Liukin's father and
coach, Valeri, pointing out that he tied and shared an Olympic gold on the high
bar competing for the Soviet Union in the 1988 Seoul Games. His daughter, who
won the women's individual gold medal last Friday, was also at a loss to explain
the situation. "I honestly was in shock," she said. "I knew I didn't have my
best routine but when I saw we got the same score and my name was second, it was
weird. It's all up to the judges. I guess they liked her routine better. I did
what I could."
Fixed-line operators China Telecom Corp (SEHK: 0728) and China Netcom Group (SEHK:
0906) Corp are raising their Hong Kong exposure this year to enhance regional
connectivity as two new submarine cables are due to connect with the city in the
near future, promising to boost cross-border data traffic. The submarine cables,
Intra Asia, and Asia American Gateway, which more than 20 telecommunications
carriers have invested in, will land in Hong Kong in the near future. The cables
can provide more than 1,125 gigabytes per second of bandwidth and can also be
linked with the mainland. Hong Kong has installed bandwidth of about 2,178
gigabytes per second, of which 1,439 gigabytes per second has been activated.
The Hong Kong government said 20 per cent of the activated bandwidth was
connected with the mainland. China Telecom, the country's largest fixed-line
operator, sees Hong Kong as an international connectivity hub linking the
mainland to the world. The company, along with Hutchison Global Communications,
a Hong Kong fixed-line operator owned by Hutchison Whampoa (SEHK: 0013),
yesterday unveiled a cross-border fibre optic cable between Hong Kong and the
mainland in the Western Corridor. Hutchison Global Communications has funded and
installed ducts and fibre optic cables along the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western
Corridor, linking Shenzhen Bay Port and the mainland while interconnecting with
the China Telecom network. It is the fourth cable linking Hong Kong and mainland
carriers. Including the new cable, Hutchison Global Communications has capacity
of more than 60 gigabytes per second. In 2000, China Telecom and Hutchison
Global Communications reached an interconnection agreement to link Hutchison's
network in Hong Kong to the mainland to form the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong
SDH Ring with capacity of 2.5 gigabytes per second. In 2002, both companies
announced they would increase the capacity to 12.5 gigabytes per second by
establishing two cross border links through Man Kam To and Lok Ma Chau. "We
expect double-digit growth in cross-border bandwidth demand in the next few
years," Peter Wong King-fai, Hutchison Global Communications' chief executive,
said yesterday. China Telecom (Hong Kong) chairman Ma Yimin said Hong Kong could
be a regional hub connecting Asia to the world. "With the rising importance of
the mainland and regional economies, telecom and internet traffic will also
increase. The Hong Kong and mainland cross border links are an important step to
linking up the region," Mr Ma said yesterday. Netcom is increasing connectivity
with Vietnamese carriers to help the latter boost international coverage. It has
interconnected with three Vietnamese operators on the land fibre optic cable
that runs from Vietnam through Guangxi province, interconnects at Hong Kong, and
then routes to the overseas network. "Netcom has self-built infrastructure in
southern China that provides interconnection through our land cable to the
border of Vietnam and China and links to Hong Kong," said William So, the chief
executive of China Netcom (Hong Kong). The company also plans to establish a
representative office in South Korea to serve Korean carriers on a new route to
Europe. "Korean carriers can connect with the mainland through our network in
northern China, which links with the cross-border network to Russia," said Mr
So.
Abbot Yongxin
(left) guides Singaporean President S. R. Nathan on a tour of the Shaolin Temple
on Sunday. Singaporean President S. R. Nathan said his visit to the Shaolin
Temple in Henan province on Sunday was one of the highlights of his weeklong
Olympic tour. The 84-year-old received a warm welcome at the Buddhist monastery,
which is best known for being the home of the martial art kungfu. "I'm very glad
my dream finally became a reality," Nathan told Yongxin, an abbot at the temple
who led a group of monks in welcoming the president, the Xinhua News Agency
reported yesterday. While at the temple, Nathan watched the monks perform their
evening chants and prayers, and offered incense to the Sakyamuni Buddha. After
watching a martial arts performance, Nathan said he was very interested in
kungfu and the daily lives of the Shaolin monks. "It's not easy for them to
clear their minds of mundane concerns and focus on kungfu," he said. But what
impressed him even more was how well the temple preserves the culture of
Buddhism. "That is what I appreciate the most," he said. Despite being thousands
of kilometers away, the Shaolin Temple has maintained close relations with the
Buddhist community in Singapore, Yongxin said. For example, a TV series entitled
Shaolin Monks that was co-produced by the temple and a Singaporean media company
will be broadcast later this year, he said. "I hope we can deepen our ties in
the future," he said. Nathan, who flew back to Singapore yesterday, spent three
days in Henan after supporting Team Singapore in Beijing. He told the Chinese
press on July 28 that he would visit the Shaolin Temple after watching the stage
production Shaolin in the Wind in Singapore. Nathan said he was considering
sending his grandson, who is a fan of martial arts, to study kungfu at the
temple. Two years ago, Russian Premier Vladimir Putin also visited Shaolin. Some
reports have claimed his daughters have been trained in the ways of kungfu by a
Shaolin monk. 
Two
technicians check the equipments in an oil refinery of China Petroleum and
Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, March
29, 2008. China will complete the construction of its first four strategic oil
reserves by the end of this year, a senior government official said yesterday.
"The progress has been smooth and all the four bases will be completed by the
year end," Zhang Guobao, administrator of the National Energy Administration
(NEA), said after a press conference in Beijing. "Their total capacity will
amount to 16.4 million cu m." Zhang made the comments at his first public
appearance since the NEA's inauguration on Aug 8. The administration came into
being as part of the reshuffle of government agencies in March. Zhang now also
holds the position of vice-minister of the National Planning and Reform
Commission (NDRC), the nation's top economic planner. China started to build its
strategic oil reserves in 2004, in order to fend off the risk of oil shortages
and reduce the impact of oil price fluctuations. The government plans to build
strategic oil reserves in three phases over 15 years, involving an estimated
investment of 100 billion yuan (14.6 billion U.S. dollars). The first four
reserves, located in Dalian, Qingdao, Ningbo and Zhoushan, are expected to
maintain strategic oil reserves equivalent to 30 days of imports in 2010. The
reserve in Ningbo, a coastal city in Zhejiang province, was put into operation
in late 2006. It is the largest of the first four reserves, with a total storage
capacity of 5.2 million cu m. The central government is now reportedly selecting
locations for the second batch of strategic oil reserves. Cities including
Tangshan and Guangzhou are understood to be vying for the projects, but Zhang
declined to comment on this. The newly established energy administration
oversees the nation's oil reserves and monitors the domestic and overseas energy
markets. It is also responsible for mapping out China's energy development
strategy and formulating rules and regulations for the energy sector. 
Wang
Jie (R) and Tian Jia of China celebrate after winning the women's semifinal of
the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games beach volleyball event against Xue Chen and Zhang
Xi of China in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Wang Jie and Tian Jia won the
match 2-1 and advanced to final. 
A
pedestrian makes a call in front of the billboard of China Mobile in the file
photo taken on October 23, 2007. The government has given the green light to
China Mobile Communications Corp (CMCC), parent of Hong Kong-listed China Mobile
Ltd, to build a nationwide commercial trial network based on TD-SCDMA
technology, a home-grown third generation (3G) mobile phone standard. The
government has given the green light to China Mobile Communications Corp (CMCC),
parent of Hong Kong-listed China Mobile Ltd, to build a nationwide commercial
trial network based on TD-SCDMA technology, a home-grown third generation (3G)
mobile phone standard. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT)
has "approved a plan by CMCC to expand its current TD-SCDMA commercial trial
network (in select cities) to a nationwide basis", a ministry spokesman told
China Daily yesterday. He did not provide a time frame for when China Mobile
would start the expansion, however.CMCC started commercial trials of TD-SCDMA in
eight cities in April, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Shenyang. The
approval for a nationwide commercial trial would increase the likelihood that
China Mobile would be mandated to adopt TD-SCDMA to build its 3G networks. CMCC
has been showing a strong preference to WCDMA, a 3G standard developed mainly by
European companies such as Ericsson, Nokia and Siemens. However, there have been
rumors that the MIIT has rejected a plan by China Mobile to adopt both WCDMA and
TD-SCDMA standards. A CMCC spokesman confirmed that the group has already
received the formal approval from the MIIT but insisted it "doesn't mean a 3G
license has been issued". The 3G licensing has been continuously delayed in
China in the past few years, largely because the TD-SCDMA technology is less
mature. Unlike its foreign rivals WCDMA and CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA has yet to be
used in any commercial network in the world. Given the fact that so far
operators are not allowed to build WCDMA and CDMA 2000 networks, "the approval
for the TD-SCDMA expansion underscores the government's increasing backing for
TD-SCDMA", said Wang Guoping, an analyst with China Galaxy Securities. Some
industry observers say the trial network could be easily turned into a real
commercial one once it is completed. This could give TD-SCDMA an upper hand as
usually developing a nationwide network in China could take at least a year.
China Mobile has been under increasing pressure to embrace TD-SCDMA since Li
Yizhong became the minister of MIIT in March. The company has been criticized
for not giving full support to the home-grown standard. It was reported in June
that Li had instructed CMCC to set a target to sign up more than 100 million TD-SCDMA
subscribers within three years to ensure the success of the Chinese technology.
The expansion of the trial TD-SCDMA network could unleash large purchase orders,
mainly to domestic equipment makers. China Mobile has invested more than 14.6
billion yuan($2.12 billion) in the network built in the eight cities. The TD-SCDMA
trial network expansion could disappoint many foreign vendors, which have been
less involved in developing the Chinese standard and has been counting on the
WCDMA technology. 
Government
authorities in Zhejiang province on east China's seaboard have finally announced
that the construction of its section of a much-discussed magnetic levitation
train route linking the eastern cities of Shanghai and Hangzhou will go ahead in
2010. This timing is three years later than the original construction schedule.
Construction of this high-speed maglev project, however, has been postponed time
and again amid radiation concerns. It is not clear why the scheme has now got
the go-ahead. In accordance with an action plan of the provincial government
regarding construction of key projects for 2008-2012 period, this affluent
Chinese province is determined to complete the Zhejiang part of the maglev
project in five years starting 2010 at a cost of 22 billion yuan ($3.14
billion). Preparatory work, including establishment of a special office for
affairs related to the maglev project construction, assessment of land
acquisition, site selection, as well as study of environmental impact should be
done by the end of this year. The action plan says that the Shanghai-Hangzhou
maglev project will now be 199.43 km long, nearly 25 km longer than previously
reported. Of the total, 103.55 km will be inside Zhejiang. Approved by the
central government in March 2006, the 35-billion-yuan maglev project using
German technology is originally designed to run at a maximum speed of 450 km per
hour, of which 105 km will be in Zhejiang. Traveling speed of maglev trains is
limited to be no more than 200 km per hour in downtown areas of cities. In
accordance with an early construction schedule, the maglev project would begin
construction in 2007, get completion in 2008 and start trial operation in 2009
before a formal operation by 2010, when Shanghai plays host to the World Expo.
The action plan, which was distributed to government departments at lower levels
inside Zhejiang over the weekend, also set a timetable for construction of
another high-speed railway line, reserved for passenger transport only, between
Shanghai and Hangzhou.
An injured Liu Xiang grimaces as he
settles into the starting blocks for his 110 metres hurdles heat in the National
Stadium yesterday before being forced to withdraw. Star athlete Liu Xiang broke
a billion hearts and stunned the nation into silence yesterday when he made a
shock early exit from the Olympics. Liu's dream - and that of 1.3 billion
Chinese - of defending his Olympic title in the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium
ended dramatically when he hobbled off the track and out of the Games before his
first-round heat in the 110 metres hurdles. His departure brought distress and a
flood of tears - but also strengthened resolve. Vice-President Xi Jinping sent a
message to the General Administration of Sport, saying "people will understand
that Liu quit because of injury" and expressing hope that he could "put things
behind him". Liu's coach, Sun Haiping , said: "Liu Xiang insisted that he wanted
to compete, even after he got to the arena to warm up." Sun broke down at a news
conference, dabbing his eyes with a tissue as he explained the devastating
injury that killed off the host nation's best hope of landing a gold medal in
athletics. "It's the Achilles tendon in his right foot," wept Sun, revealing it
was a recurrence of a nagging affliction Liu had been suffering for six to seven
years. Liu, 25, inflamed the dormant injury in training on Saturday. "This
morning he felt the pain intensify," Sun said. During a brief warm-up Liu was
seen breathing hard and wincing as he touched his lower right leg. He grimaced
as he went down into the starting blocks and stumbled forward for a few paces in
lane two but was then called back because of a false start by an opponent. Agony
and a realisation of physical failure was etched on his face and, instead of
getting into his blocks again, he walked away from his starting position and
down the dressing room tunnel - leaving 91,000 fans confused. Many inside the
stadium, including Olympic volunteers, could be seen wiping away tears or
consoling weeping friends. Liu's father, Liu Xuegen , said: "We can accept this.
We only hope he does better next time around. His mum is weeping, but not for
his failure to qualify, but for the pain he is going through." Coach Sun tried
to comfort the nation, saying: "He will be back for sure." Liu's withdrawal took
the gloss off China's haul of eight gold medals on Sunday, its most successful
day in Olympic history. Mainland media had speculated at the weekend that Liu
was battling an injury, after a doctor was summoned to treat the star. He had
been out of competition for most of the year, mainly with a hamstring problem.
But questions will be raised as to why the mainland's secretive sports officials
failed to flag up the looming heartbreak earlier to soften the blow. Many were
still keen to blame the enormous pressure put on Liu by the home crowd - and
also the looming presence of Cuban rival Dayron Robles, who broke Liu's world
record with a time of 12.87 seconds in June. "I don't care who's on the track,"
Robles said. "I just came here to compete and take the gold." Two-time Olympic
champion runner Haile Gebrselassie said: "It is painful for him, but the pain is
not in his leg. It is up here" - pointing to his head. Several of Liu's sponsors
will also be concerned as their money-spinner suddenly turned into a potential
loss-making liability. Organizers must now fear a half-empty stadium for the
hurdles final on Thursday night, as Liu's massive home support stays away.
Father Peter Zhao Jianmin (center) conducts mass at the Catholic Church of
Xuanwumen in Beijing yesterday. Amid the furor of the ongoing Beijing Games, an
Italian couple searched for a quiet spot to pray for their son taking part in
the sporting event. Yesterday, they found the place and time to do so - near a
fountain on the grounds of the Catholic Church of Xuanwumen, in southern
Beijing. "We pray for a best performance from our son during the Games and hope
that he can win gold during his match tomorrow," Carlo Cassina said. His son,
Igor Cassina, is a household name in Italy. The 31-year-old clinched the gold
medal for the horizontal bar in the 2004 Athens Games. "We are satisfied with
the religious services being offered here," said the father. The Cassina couple
are some of the visitors to the capital who are making use of the religious
venues and services offered by the authorities. Churches in Beijing have
reportedly been preparing services for the more than 400,000 overseas tourists
who are expected in the city during the Games, including masses in foreign
languages. As one of the 20 Catholic churches in Beijing, the Xuanwumen Catholic
Church celebrates two masses in English and one in Latin every Sunday, Father
Matthew Zhen Xuebin, secretary-general of the Catholic Church of the Beijing
diocese, told China Daily yesterday. Other churches will also hold masses in
German, Italian, Spanish and French at the request of overseas organizations,
Zhen said. "We have sufficient information on religious services being extended
in the city, through media reports, brochures handed out by the churches and our
friends living here. It's pleasant to pray here, just like everywhere else in
the world," said a visitor from the United States, surnamed Nicholas. The
churches also have foreign language-speaking volunteers on hand to assist
visitors and to distribute free travel brochures. "Judging from the current
situation, all religious demands by overseas Catholic visitors can be met in
Beijing," Zhen said. As a special arrangement for the Games, priests from the
churches have also added the Games and the athletes in their prayers, Zhen said.
"Holding the Olympics is building a beautiful world, and this is in line with
Catholic values of love, justice and peace," Zhen said. There are now more than
100,000 Catholics in Beijing, Zhen added. The diocese has 20 parishes, 55
priests and one convent, as well as a seminary with 20 seminarians, he said. The
number of Catholics has also been booming in recent years, with the diocese now
having to train more fathers and build more churches to meet the demand, Zhen
added.
Chinese shares hit 20-month low in
broad-based, 5.3% slide - Chinese shares slid more than 5 percent on Monday to a
20-month low, dragged down by heavyweights, as almost every issue lost ground
amid the ongoing stock-market decline, the worst in a decade. he benchmark
Shanghai Composite Index tumbled 5.33 percent, or130.74 points, to 2,319.87. The
Shenzhen Component Index closed at 7,833.09 points, down 400.32 points, or 4.86
percent.
Calls to turn
SoHo into a pedestrian zone have been resurrected by heritage group Designing
Hong Kong with an open letter to the secretary for transport. In the online
letter to Eva Cheng Yu- wah, Life Cafe founder Bobsy Gaia wrote on the Design
Hong Kong website that the city lacks a center where people can relax without
the hustle of honking cars, speedy delivery trucks and polluting transport. He
said the vision of a district with a rich and green street culture is not only
feasible but a necessity for the collective sanity of the people. Gaia proposes
the former Central police station be connected with a pedestrian bridge over
Aberdeen and Bridges streets to a green pedestrian corridor running through the
restaurant- dominated SoHo area and down to its adjacent street markets. But the
department has no plans for the area as yet, The Standard was told, and in
another response the chairman of the district council's working group on
improving traffic and pedestrian facilities in Central said closing SoHo would
only worsen the traffic situation. Backing a pedestrian-friendly SoHo, HKDining
Group managing director Simon Miller-Jones said: "The area has grown up almost
by accident because of the escalator. "It isn't planned, streets are narrow, and
before the escalator it was much like other anonymous urban areas. Access wasn't
good, parking difficult and roads narrow." Turning the area into a pedestrian
zone would allow restaurants to have more outdoor seating that was not shrouded
in exhaust fumes and open to much noise, he said. "I remember the issue from
more than 10 years ago," Miller-Jones said, "but the problem has been the
transport situation. The Transport Department wasn't in favor because of issues
of access, especially for fire emergencies." Designing Hong Kong Harbour
District convener Paul Zimmerman said the Transport Department has not warmed to
the idea because of its preoccupation with vehicular throughput capacity and
avoiding traffic jams. "We hope this will get off and the community will turn
into street fighters," he said of the plan. "It is time pedestrians demanded a
better quality of service. It is about making our city more livable, and there
is an end game to how many buildings and roads we can stick on the ground. "By
2030 the city is looking for 70 million tourist visits a year, but if we want
these people to enjoy their stay in our city and to come back with their
families we will need to focus on improving their experience, and that starts
with their roads and laneway experience." Tanya Chan Suk-chong, a Central and
Western district councillor and the vice chairman of its culture, leisure and
social affairs committee, said making the area a weekend, lunchtime or late-
night pedestrian area would strike the best balance. "It would also be a
positive way to minimize potential dangers because the pavement is extremely
narrow and crossing Staunton and Shelley streets can be quite dangerous because
lorries and cars do drive along quite quickly," she said. The success of shops
in Causeway Bay's pedestrian area is another good reason to implement the plan.
Yuen Bun-keung, chairman of the district's working group on improving traffic
and pedestrian facilities in Central, said closing roads would exacerbate the
already bad traffic situation, but he would take up the matter at the next
council meeting. A series of open letters have been generated since an entry on
the website referred to New York City's Summer Streets. Eleven kilometers of
Manhattan streets are closed for six hours on three consecutive Saturdays this
summer. As part of the strategy for improving infrastructure and quality of life
in a still-growing city while facing the problems of climate change, New York's
citizens are invited to volunteer and organize programs using the open
boulevards. 
History-making diving diva Guo Jingjing refused to be drawn on her personal life
as she celebrated last night. The 26-year-old Hubei native would not confirm
rumors she is getting married to Kenneth Fok Kai-kang, the playboy grandson of
Hong Kong business tycoon Henry Fok Ying-tung. She announced in 2006 she would
retire after the Beijing Games. At last week's diving competitions, Guo wore a
heart- shaped Tiffany necklace and a watch - reportedly gifts from the young Fok
who was seen sitting on the sidelines quietly with his camera. He said he felt
really happy to be able to watch her win gold. His father, International Olympic
Committee member Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, mother Loletta Chu and brother Kai-shan
were also spotted in the stands. The couple's relationship first made the gossip
columns after paparazzi spotted them hugging and chatting at a Shanghai
nightclub, followed by an intimate dinner in Repulse Bay. Guo did not deny the
relationship with Fok but kept it low-profile. Apart from diving, Guo is also a
model for several cosmetic products in the mainland. Because of her golden
performance last night, Guo has surpassed Fu Mingxia - the former top diver who
married former Hong Kong financial secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung - as the
mainland's most bemedaled diver. 
China's Qiu Jian, centre, Ukraine's Jury Sukhorukov, right, and Slovakia's
Rajmond Debevec celebrate after the men's 50-metre rifle 3 positions shooting
event. American Matthew Emmons cracked under pressure for the second Olympics in
a row to gift Qiu Jian of China the gold medal in the men's 50m Rifle 3
Positions final on Sunday. Emmons, who enjoyed a comfortable lead going into his
last shot, managed only a miserable 4.4 to drop to fourth place in another
heartbreaking finish at the Games. Four years ago in Athens, Emmons needed a 8.0
from his final shot to win gold and shot 8.1 – only to find he had fired at an
opponent’s target and was dropped to eighth place. The 27-year-old once again
found his nerves deserting him at the crucial moment, his final score of 4.4
coming after he averaged 10.1 in the previous nine shots of the final. Emmons’
shooter wife, Katerina, who had won a gold and silver over the last week, gasped
in horror from the stands as her husband blew his chances at the last moment.
The only consolation for the Emmons couple is that they will return from Beijing
with three medals after Matthew took silver in the 50m Rifle Prone event on
Friday. Qiu’s final shot of 10.0 won him the gold on Sunday with a combined
tally of 1,272.5, just 0.1 points ahead of second placed Jury Sukhorukov of
Ukraine (1,272.4). Reigning world record holder and Sydney Olympic gold
medallist Rajmond Debevec of Slovenia claimed the bronze with 1,271.7 points in
the final event of the 15-gold shooting competition. Qiu’s unexpected title
helped hosts China finish with five golds, followed by the United States, the
Czech Republic and Ukraine with two each. India, Finland, South Korea and Italy
shared the remaining four golds. 
Athletically, it was an ugly, low-scoring, see-saw basketball nightmare. But for
China, it amounted to another emotional Games high, concluding the host's action
on Day 8 in thrilling style. An emphatic performance by Yao Ming scraped China
past group B rival Germany in a 59-55 victory last night at the Wukesong
Stadium. Now the Chinese squad will advance to the quarter-finals, with one
preliminary game remaining. This was a contrast from four years ago in Athens
when China only managed to squeeze itself into the final eight in the last round
of the group stage. "Over the past four years, we have improved greatly," said
Yi Jianlian, the forward fresh off his first season in the US National
Basketball Association with the Milwaukee Bucks. Yi sank a key three-pointer in
the closing minutes of the game to help China. "Last time, most of the games, we
lost by at least 20 to 30 points. But you see how close we are getting in
Beijing. Most important of all, this time we can celebrate the moment with all
the home fans." Putting aside a 31-point defeat to the mighty United States,
China beat Angola and only narrowly went down to Spain in a thrilling overtime
game. China is to meet world runner-up Greece on Tuesday. Yi put the final
touches on the victory, and although the hosts led for most of the game, they
found it difficult to keep the lead. It was Yao, scoring a game-high 25 points
and grabbing 11 rebounds, who carried China as none of his teammates scored in
the double digits. Yi finished with nine points, 11 rebounds and two steals.
Dirk Nowitzki, a star Dallas Mavericks forward, led Germany with 24 points. "The
key to the victory today is simple: good defence and Yao's inside prowess," said
Jonas Kazlauskas, China's Lithuanian coach. "Yao is a great leader and had an
excellent game." Yao said: "It is a moment that you would never forget in your
life." Like Yi, he gave credit to the more than 11,000 supporters who stamped
and screamed throughout the game. "It was not only the five of us on court," Yao
said. "The fans are behind us with enormous power."
Beijing has
muffled dissidents and thinned out its notorious traffic for the Games, but its
brazen peddlers of counterfeit goods are proving tougher to bring to heel.
Despite a half-hearted crackdown meant to curb embarrassing copyright theft
during the Olympics, sellers of a vast array of counterfeit goods say they are
ringing up bumper sales. "Business is good. We've got a lot of new customers now
due to the Olympics," said a young woman selling pirated Dolce & Gabbana, Polo,
and other clothing at Beijing's Silk Street market. Merchants at that and other
fake- goods emporia had reported a crackdown in recent months as Beijing moved
to sweep the city's less-savory elements, such as prostitution, under the rug
during the Games. But despite finding a slightly less varied selection, several
shoppers said it looks like business as usual. Many shoppers running the
gauntlet of pushy vendors in Silk Street's narrow corridors do so wearing the
official yellow badges of Olympic visitors. Vendors said a pre-Olympic crackdown
has shut many factories of fake goods, with authorities especially targeting
luxury brand knock-offs such as Gucci and Calvin Klein. But with the Olympics
underway, knock-offs of Polo, London Fog, Louis Vuitton and other big names are
openly sold throughout the city.
Beijing
reports excellent air quality for second day - For a second day, the Olympic
host city reported Grade I -- or excellent -- air quality on Saturday, the
eighth day of the Olympics. In most of the day, the city basked in sunshine. The
city reported seven days with Grade I air quality in the first half month in
August. 
China's table tennis
players Zhang Yining (L), Guo Yue (C) and Wang Nan pose with their gold medals
after defeating Singapore's team to win the gold medal during the women's team
table tennis final match of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games at the Peking
University gymnasium in Beijing on August 17, 2008. It was the 17th gold medal
that China won at the Olympic table tennis competition since its national sport
was introduced at the 1988 Seoul Games. The star-studded Chinese women pushed,
chopped and smashed, proving too powerful for Singapore before an enthusiastic
crowd of more than 4,000, though both world number one Zhang Yining and veteran
Wang Nan dropped a game. Finishing second, Singapore won its first Olympic medal
in 48 years since a silver by weightlifter Tan Howe Liang in 1960. Wang, who is
often slow in finding her rhythm, failed to take a lead but brushed aside Feng
Tianwei 9-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-6. The team title was the fourth Olympic gold for
Wang, the most decorated players in table tennis. The battle between Zhang and
Beijing-born Li Jia Wei of Singapore was full of long rallies across the table,
with Zhang winning 9-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-7. The singles and doubles gold medalist
in Athens then paired with world champion Guo Yue, quickly finishing off Li and
Wang Yue Gu 11-8, 11-5, 11-6. Both China and Singapore had steamrolled over all
before them with stunning victories since the start of the Olympic team table
tennis tournament, which take the place of the doubles. They didn't meet each
other until the final. Chinese women, whose triumph seemed to have an air of
inevitability, easily took down Hong Kong of China 3-0 in the semifinal, while
Singapore slew a tenacious South Korea 3-2.
It's not
every day a Hong Kong rider upstages the world's best. But last night world
number one showjumper Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum of Germany had to play second
fiddle to Patrick Lam, who finished the preliminary round of the showjumping
competition with a faultless round. Michaels-Beerbaum was unperturbed. She knew
last night's outing had little significance as far as the bigger picture was
concerned. "We took it easy today," said Michaels-Beerbaum, referring to her
horse Shutterfly. "This was a training round for the team competition." She
didn't mean it as a letdown for Lam, who earlier in the night had given the
packed stands at the Sha Tin venue something to shout about as he and Urban went
through the 15-effort course without knocking down a fence and well inside the
time limit of 88 seconds. "I had no pressure on my shoulders. I came here to get
experience and look at me now, I had a clear round at the Olympics," crowed an
overjoyed Lam. This is a story made for a rainy night with his grandkids - the
day he beat the world's number one rider, who had one jump penalty (four points)
and two time penalties to total six. Michaels-Beerbaum might well go on to win
the individual title, as well as help Germany to the team gold, but last night
she played second fiddle to a rider who only got his horse six months ago and is
taking part in the Olympics thanks to a wild card from the International Olympic
Committee. Lam enjoyed his moment in the spotlight and soaked up the atmosphere.
He was stopped every inch of the way in the mixed zone - where the media get the
opportunity to talk to the riders after their round - with television crews and
radio jostling for a sound byte. By the time he reached the print media, he had
his responses down pat. "This is a dream come true. I never had such a feeling
in my life, and, no, I wasn't nervous because I didn't have any expectations
before going out," Lam said. When he trotted out on Urban, the 18,000-strong
crowd gave him a rousing welcome. He was the first of the three home team riders
to go out. "I heard the noise from the crowd and it was electrifying. I still
feel electrified. I love the Hong Kong crowd, this stadium, and my horse. I love
them all," the joyous Lam said. Lam, who lives in Austria and has a Hong Kong
father and an Austrian mum, was united with Urban only six months ago. The
relationship has blossomed. "He is super. I had not jumped him for three weeks
and he was fresh. He handled the fences very well," said Lam, who finished his
flawless circuit by pumping the air with a fist. Hong Kong's other two riders,
Samantha Lam and Kenneth Cheng Man-kit, were not as fortunate. Cheng on Jockey
Club Can Do finished with six penalties, while Samantha Lam - no relation of
Patrick - had 14 penalties after Jockey Club Tresor knocked down three fences
right at the end. "I hurt my back in training and that affected my performance,"
Samantha Lam said. "But I'm not too disappointed, for Tresor went well.
"Hopefully, I will get better by Sunday." That will be the aim of the entire
field now the preliminaries are out of the way. Last night's outing - according
to officials who also seemed to be in the dark over the new format brought in
for these Olympics - is merely to find out the starting order for the first
round of the team competition, which starts tomorrow. This will also double up
as the individual qualifiers. The top eight teams and the top 50 riders are
expected to go into the medal rounds on Monday. Michaels-Beerbaum can be
expected to be in the running. Taking part in her first Olympics, she is among
the favourites. "Being the favourite is a good thing. I would be worried if I
was not the favourite or the number one in the world," Michaels-Beerbaum joked.
But last night she was overshadowed by Lam and 12 other riders who had clear
rounds. She was not worried. And Lam was overjoyed.
China's Yu Yang and Du Jing celebrate after beating Lee Hyo-jung and Lee
Kyung-won of South Korea in the women's doubles final. China took a step closer
to a clean sweep of all five badminton titles, winning the women's doubles gold
and setting up an all-China women's singles final last night. Yu Yang and Du
Jing won their first game against South Korea's Lee Kyung-won and Lee Hyo-jung
21-15 with solid defence. In the second, Yu and Du smashed a barrage of
shuttlecocks at the Koreans to overwhelm them 21-13, winning 12 of the last 14
points and taking the gold.
Zhang Ning of China celebrates for a point while competing against teammate Xie
Xingfang at the women's singles gold medal match during the Beijing 2008 Olympic
Games badminton event, in Beijing, China, Aug. 16, 2008. Zhang Ning won the
match 2-1 and grabbed the gold medal of the event.
Gaming revenue from high rollers at the
Crown Macau fell 17 per cent to US$499.5 million from US$601.4 million in the
first quarter.
Li Ning (SEHK: 2331) has become a Hong Kong resident, the final torch-bearer for
the Beijing Olympics said yesterday. While paying a goodwill visit to a group of
children with Aids, the former star gymnast turned sportswear entrepreneur told
the Hong Kong media that he and his family had already moved to the city. "I am
already a Hongkonger; I have been living here. Hong Kong is a good place to
live," Li said. Guangxi-born Li showed off his Cantonese when asked to give a
boost to Hong Kong athletes: "They are able sportsmen. Work hard and you will
get good results." He said he had moved to the city under the admission scheme
tailored to professionals and those with talent. Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaoyan , a
spokesman for Li, confirmed that Li had become a Hong Kong resident through the
Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, but added "he's not a permanent resident yet".
Hong Kong film director Ching Siu-tung, who was responsible for the spectacular
wire works during the opening ceremony, told the South China Morning Post (SEHK:
0583, announcements, news) that Li had been living in Hong Kong for a
considerable time, splitting his time between Hong Kong and Beijing. "I know
that he lives in Hong Kong. He has a home in Beijing, too, but I didn't know
that he has officially become a Hongkonger," said Ching, who worked with Li in
1994 in his film Wonder Seven, starring Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng. Fourteen years
later, Ching's wire works pulled Li into the sky to light up the torch at the
"Bird's Nest" National Stadium during the ceremony. "It doesn't really matter of
whether we are Hong Kong or mainland any more. We all work together for one
country and that's China," he said. A spokeswoman for the Immigration Department
declined to comment on individual cases out of concern for people's privacy. The
department's Quality Migrant Admission Scheme has admitted a handful of talented
mainlanders, including renowned pianist Lang Lang , since its launch in 2006.
The mainland media reported that former medal-winning gymnast Liu Xuan was also
on the application list. Until June this year, the scheme had received 1,947
applications and had accepted 493 people.
Macau's gaming revenue may fall next year amid a cooling of the economy, the
city's chief executive has warned. Edmund Ho Hau-wah made the remark yesterday
in his second question-and-answer session at the Legislative Assembly this year
as he addressed lawmakers' concerns over severe inflation, rising costs faced by
industries, unemployment, housing shortages and other problems. He said the
city's economic growth would slow in the coming year, and the government would
accordingly be more prudent when planning its policy initiatives. "We can't be
too optimistic about next year's economic development. A lot of unstable factors
have emerged in the global market," Mr Ho said. During the two-hour session he
repeatedly warned about the impact of worldwide volatility on Macau's economy.
But he stressed that the government had sufficient fiscal reserves and that
resources spent on projects to improve people's livelihood would not be cut. "It
will not be surprising if income from some sectors, such as the gaming industry,
records negative growth next year, as it had grown at a high speed in the past,"
he said. Casino revenue dropped by 3.1 per cent in the second quarter of the
year, the first quarter-to-quarter drop since the opening up of the market in
2005. The mainland's increased limits on visitor permits to Macau have brought
fears of further decline in casino-driven profit. While the government has
pledged to strengthen regulation of the industry, Mr Ho said it would strike a
balance to maintain a fair and stable business environment. "We will not permit
overheated development, but we will not call a halt to investment either.
Otherwise it will bring a large blow to the construction industry." He was
responding to a question by legislator Angela Leong On-kei, who is also a
director of casino operator Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau and the
fourth wife of casino mogul Stanley Ho Hung-sun. The manufacturing and export
sectors were also expected to suffer from surging costs, the chief executive
said. There would not be immediate solutions, but the secretary for economy and
finance, Francis Tam Pak-yuen, would hold a seminar with industry
representatives to discuss possible measures. Legislators expressed worries over
job prospects, particularly for young graduates. Lawmaker Ng Kuok-cheong said:
"There should be a strict quota for importing foreign labour. There are even
more foreign workers than local workers, and this is unreasonable." Edmund Ho
said most of the 10,000 foreign employees in the casino industry were
construction workers, who were not competing with university graduates. The
government would encourage employers to give priority to local job seekers. He
also pledged to review welfare for the elderly, and said the administration
would implement measures at a suitable time to help people, especially
low-income families, cope with surging prices. On the land shortage, Edmund Ho
said the city's reclamation plan submitted to the State Council was in the final
stage of deliberation and details would be announced soon. Meanwhile, a
delegation led by Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Fernando Chui Sai-on
will set off to Sichuan tomorrow to discuss post-earthquake assistance. On top
of the 5 billion patacas the Macau government pledged earlier, Edmund Ho
announced that a further 500 million patacas had been earmarked by the publicly
funded Macau Foundation for reconstruction over three to five years.
Du
Li left her previous shooting competition weeping after failing to take the
opening gold for China. But yesterday it was tears of joy as the 26-year-old
from Shandong left clutching the gold medal in the women's 50-metre,
three-position rifle competition. Du led by one point entering the finals and
shot a 101.3 to win the event with an Olympic record 690.3 points. Silver
medallist Katerina Emmons of the Czech Republic - who stole Du's thunder on the
opening day - finished with 687.7 points. Eglis Yaima Cruz of Cuba took the
bronze, and defending champion Lioubov Galkina of Russia had the double
misfortune of just missing a medal in fourth place and seeing her record broken.
"During the first event, I did perform very badly and it was a big pity," Du
said. "I let many people down." Yesterday's victory eased the sting of Du's
performance in the 10-metre air rifle event, when she was a favourite but
finished fifth. She said the pressure of competing at home got to her, and it
looked as though she might be in for a similar fate when she scored a round-low
8.7 on the first shot. She turned it around on the next shot, scoring a 10.3 and
did not falter after that. She wrapped up the win with a 10.8 on the penultimate
ninth shot. "I was a little nervous. I made the same mistake that I made at the
10-metre air rifle, but I knew I couldn't repeat the same mistake for the
remaining shots," Du said. She said she received many postcards and words of
encouragement since the first event and had been touched. She thanked Emmons,
who had consoled her. "After the event on Saturday, she came over to me and gave
me a very big hug and sincere hopes and wishes," said Du. It was four years ago
to the day that Du had won her maiden Olympic title in the 10-metre event in
Athens. "This date obviously brings me luck, but going into the competition was
not easy," she said. "It was very hard to lose the first gold of my home
Olympics, but I got a lot of support from my family and coaches and the Chinese
people." Du's failure and the subsequent flood of tears raised fears China had
piled too much pressure on its athletes to top the medals table. She was not the
only one to fall short in the intense environment of the shooting range. On
Monday, defending champion Zhu Qinan could only take silver in the men's
10-metre air rifle behind India's Abhinav Bindra, and he wept uncontrollably on
the podium, later admitting he was under "tremendous pressure". China's hopes of
adding a fifth shooting gold from the 11 of the 15 events held so far were
dashed when world No1 Wei Ning finished last among the six finalists in the
women's skeet. The event was won by world No3 Chiara Cainero of Italy after a
dramatic final in blinding rain that was decided by a shoot-off between the top
three competitors. Wei, the Athens silver medallist, said the bad weather ruined
her chances. 
A girl takes a close look at the hat of a
pin collector from the United States, which is decorated with various
Olympics-related pins, at a subway station in Beijing, capital of China, Aug.
14, 2008. The ongoing Beijing Olympic Games has become a carnival not only for
sports fans but also for enthusiastic pin collectors from across the world.
Olympic-themed wood
sculptures are seen in this photo published on Friday, August 15, 2008. A man in
the Northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang carved 108 Olympic-themed wood
sculptures over seven years to celebrate the Beijing Olympics, the Shenyang
Daily reported. Sun Guangfa, a carpenter, said he did this for the Olympics, as
the Olympics calls on everyone to participate. Each of his wood sculptures is
about 40 to 50 centimeters tall, and features specific sports, the Olympic
mascots, and the Olympic torch. Over seven years, he used a truckload of wood as
raw materials. "Different from furniture making, wood sculpture making is pretty
difficult as it involves refined carving in human figure sculpturing." he said.
His work is supported by his neighbors, who constantly gave him advice and help
to pay some of his costs. The neighborhood community committee even provided a
room for him to exhibit his sculptures.
Li
Na capped a great day for China when she beat double Olympic champion Venus
Williams 7-5, 7-5 in the quarter-final of the women's singles last night.
Shortly after her sister Serena had been knocked out by Elena Dementieva, Venus,
the seventh seed, crashed out to an inspired home favourite, who immediately
offered the victory as a present to the Beijing Olympics. "Venus was the best
player in the world, she had just won Wimbledon," Li said. "She has big serves
that I can't return, but I told myself to calm down and play my best. "Wow! You
can't see this kind of crowd anywhere else. It helped me and pushed me a lot.
This is a present I give to the Beijing Olympic Games but I have no time to
celebrate." Li will play the winner of the quarter-final between Dinara Safina
of Russia and Jelena Jankovic of Serbia. Williams raced into a 3-0 lead in the
opening set, but Li, the first Chinese player to reach the top 20 in the world
rankings, proved she had the stomach for a fight. After regaining parity, she
seized the moment to break the Williams serve at 5-5 and served out the set in
style. Li continued to play the better tennis and went on to claim victory.
