U.S. Commercial Service - American Embassy, Beijing
Vol. 2 No. 150
The China Commercial Brief is a biweekly publication including summaries about developments in China's various commercial sectors, tips on doing business in China, and U.S. Embassy news. This publication is free of charge: please forward it to your colleagues and friends who are interested in China.
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Editor: Matthew Gettman
Contributors: CS Shanghai, Zhao Peining, Cao Shujuan, Sun Shuyu, Xie Pingping, Wan Xiaolei
News Briefs
In addition to the article summaries CS Beijing provides , our four China branch offices - Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenyang - submit summaries of commercial articles from their local press to the CCB on a rotating schedule. This week we are pleased to feature a contribution from our Shanghai post.
1. Shanghai Spurs Expressway Construction
2. Growth and Problems in China’s Bio-Medical Industry Development
3. The Fertilizer Import Tariff and Quota Announcement
4. China Information Industry's Steady Growth
5. China Intelligence Building Professionalism Committee founded
6. High-tech Industry Boosts Economic Development in Shenyang
1. Shanghai Spurs Expressway Construction
The city of Shanghai is now stepping up the construction of expressways and highways. Currently, there are 400 kilometers of expressways under construction, and the city is planning to build and improve an additional 710.36 kilometers of highways in the countryside. The Municipal Road Administration Bureau said yesterday that a new master plan for an expressway grid linking Shanghai and the nearby cities had been completed. According to the plan, the number of expressways between Shanghai and the adjacent two provinces Jiangsu and Zhejiang will be increased to 10 expressways with 60 lanes. The original plan was to build 6 expressways with 34 lanes.
By the end of last year, the total number of kilometers covered by Shanghai's highways had reached 6,485.61 kilometers, including 240.23 kilometers of expressways. Last year, the traffic needs of the Yangtze River Delta Urban Ring was researched, and a basic layout of inter-city road traffic has been devised. The layout shows that two new expressways will be built between Shanghai and Jiangsu Province, bringing the total number to six expressways. Another two new expressways will be built between Shanghai and Zhejiang Province, bringing the total to four.
In the future, the number of national highways to Jiangsu and Zhejiang will increase to 10. There will also be 15 other new roads connecting Shanghai and other Yangtze River Delta cities.
(Source: Jiefang Daily, 01/06/2004 - Translated by FCS Shanghai)
2. Growth and Problems in China’s Bio-Medical Industry Development
There is a small gap between China’s bio-medical industry and other conuntry's since this industry started almost at the same time through out the world. China has a strong team that has received overseas modern life science training and engaged in overseas higher education studies. Since the open door policy was adopted, almost 60% of the 320,000 students who studied abroad majored in the life sciences. After China’s entry into WTO, global corporations have established their R&D bases in China. China Central Government has also issued a series of policies to support the bio-medical industry and the local Chinese Governments have set bio-medical development as one of their pillar industries. Further, China’s implementation of the compulsory certification system supports further Chinese bio-medical development.
China’s bio-medical industry is migrating from generic products into bio-medical R&D. Currently, China is able to manufacture thirteen of the Category 18 biomedicines. Among the top 10 bio-medical products worldwide, 8 varieties originate from China. There are 150 bio-medical projects in which China has invested clinical trial studies; among which 10 varieties of products are expected to be new China’s class one drugs. China’s bio-medical industry sales were RMB 1.8 billion (USD 220 million) in 1996, RMB 7.2 billion (USD 880 million) in 2000 and the sales are expected to reach RMB 15 billion (USD 1.83 billion) in 2005.
However, problems still exist in China’s bio-medical industry: the shortage of funds, brilliant personnel, low rate of transformation of R&D achievements, lack of bio-medical system platform construction, as well as the legal construction lagging behind the bio-medical industry.
(Source: China medical Newspaper, 12/23/2003 - Translated by Sun Shuyu)
3. The Fertilizer Import Tariff and Quota Announcement
The Ministry of Commerce announced the fertilizer import tariff and quota in accordance with China’s commitment of access to the WTO.
The fertilizer import tariff and quota in 2004 is as follows:
Diammonium Phosphate: 6.25 million tons, among which, 4.69 million tons are for state-owned trade and another 1.56 tons are for non-state-owned trade.Compound Fertilizer: 3.13 million tons, among which, 2.35 million tons are for state-owned trade and another 0.78 million tons are for non-state-owned trade.Urea: 2.3 million tons, among which, 2.07 million tons are for state-owned trade and another 0.23 million tons are for non-state-owned trade.
(Source : China Business Times, 01/02/2004 - Translated by Wan Xiaolei)
4. China Information Industry's Steady Growth
According to the Economic Operation Department of Ministry Information Industry, China's information industry has maintained steady growth in the first eleven months of 2003. The computer industry led the way with a growth rate of 65.9%. Telecommunication manufacturing sector had a growth rate of 19.9% and the electronic components sector showed a growth rate of 25.8%.
China's information industry products experienced USD243.33 billion in imports and exports in the first eleven months of 2003. Exports totaled USD125.4 billion, an increase of 52% compared with the same period of 2002. Imports totaled USD117.9 billion, which was an 54.2% increase compared with the same period of 2002. The resulting trade surplus of USD7.47 billion is a 23.7% increase over the same time period in 2002.
(Sources: China Information World 01/05/2004- Translated by Cao Shujuan)
5. China Intelligence Building Professionalism Committee founded
Approved by the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the China Building Professionalism Committee was founded in December 21, 2003.
Along with the rapid development of the Hi-tech and energy saving technology, intelligent buildings are the trend of the world building construction industry. The main responsibilities of the China Intelligence Building Professionalism Committee include:
(1) To be involved in the government decision-making on building industry’s development, reform;
(2) To carry out market research, provide advice on economic policies and regulations;
(3) To participate in the formulation of industry technology and product standards;
(4) To set up the industry rules and regulations and supervise their implementation;
(5) To organize industry training, conduct technology consultation, and promote new products; and
(6) To develop the international new technology exchange and cooperation.
(Source: China Real Estate News, 12/24/03, Translated by Xie Pingping)
6. High-tech Industry Boosts Economic Development in Shenyang
In the first three-quarters of 2003, exports of high-tech products sharply increased in Shenyang. Exports of computers and communications products' totalled USD505 million, up 81.5%, from the same period as last year, accounting for 90% of the total high-tech exports showed the strong competitive power of Shenyang's IT industry.
(Source: China Industry News, 12/22/2003 -Translated by Zhao Peining)
Embassy News
As many people are aware from press reports, the Chinese Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization have confirmed one case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Guangdong Province and have since identified one other suspected case, also in Guangdong. In both cases, local health officials acted promptly, isolating and treating the patients and quarantining all their known contacts. To date, there has been no suspected onward transmission from either the confirmed or the suspected case. Health officials report that the first patient is already recovering well.
Consulate News: Shanghai
In keeping with our goal of making the CCB a more integrated publication, our four China branch offices - Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenyang - submit consulate news to the CCB on a rotating schedule. This week, we are pleased to feature a contribution from CS Shanghai.
As fall turned to winter the Shanghai CS office completed core program work for U.S. clients, including 10 Gold Keys and a half dozen other service commitments, while organizing fourteen local events and company promotions, welcoming missions from New Jersey, Hawaii, Amcham Hong Kong, and the forest and paper industry, and supporting trade shows and conferences in the medical equipment, health and safety, clinical lab, environ-tech, textile, marine tech, and trade finance sectors. Events and outreach took staff to Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Nanjing, as well as on local visits to the Jingan and Luwan Districts of greater Shanghai. Four Congressional delegations and their staff visited Shanghai, and three Commerce Department groups held seminars: the JCCT legal exchange on financial services regulation, an anti-dumping technical exchange, and a legislative and regulatory drafting roundtable. Commercial staff also hosted video conferences, set up TDA meetings in aviation, energy, the environment, and city planning, and advocated for U.S. firms on a Shanghai high-rise, a new wafer fab, Pudong airport expansion, the deep water port, a machine tools service center, and swimming and motorcycle projects. The new year already looks busy and productive.
For more information on CS Guangzhou and the Shanghai consular region, visit our website at http://www.buyusa.gov/china/en/Shanghai.html
DISCLAIMER: CS China does not guarantee the veracity of the original sources of our news summaries. While we do our best to report accurate and timely articles and news sources, you should always check the source for further information.
The China Commercial Brief is a free newsletter published by the U.S. Embassy- Beijing.
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INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT, U.S. COMMERCIAL SERVICE AND U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, 2003. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES.