当您查看北京市城区地图或乘坐公交车时，或许会发现一种有趣的现象，就是许多地名和站名由数字打头，如一亩园、二龙路、三里屯、四道口、五棵松、六铺炕等等，一、二、三、四、五、六、七、八、九、十、百、千、万，无所不包，大约有200来个。这些地名由来已久，其中以元、明、清时期出现的居多。
以“一”打头的有海淀的一亩园、一棵松，朝阳的一间楼、一顷庄等。
以“二”打头的有东城的二里庄，西城的二龙路，海淀的二里沟、二龙闸、二里庄，朝阳的二道沟、二闸村、二堡子，丰台的二甲地、二老庄、二合庄等。
以“三”打头的有东城的三眼井胡同、三源胡同，西城的三塔村、三不老胡同、三里河、三座桥、三道栅栏，崇文的三元街、三转桥胡同、三川柳胡同，宣武的三福巷、三合里、三庙街、三井胡同、三富胡同，海淀的三义庙、三才堂、三星庄、三虎桥，朝阳的三里屯、三岔河、三间房、三丰胡同、三台山，丰台的三顺庄、三路居、三营门、三顷地等。
以“四”打头的有西城的四道湾、四井胡同、四环胡同、四根柏胡同，崇文的四块玉，宣武的四川营胡同、四平巷、四平园胡同、四胜胡同，海淀的四王府、四槐居、四拨子、四道口、四统碑，朝阳的四公村、四路居，丰台的四合庄、四顷村、四道口等。
以“五”打头的有东城的五道营胡同、五老胡同、五四大街，西城的五福里、五根檀胡同、五路通街，宣武的五道街，海淀的五棵松、五道口、五路居、五塔寺，五孔桥，朝阳的五路居、五斗村、五里沟，石景山的五里坨、五里店，丰台的五爱屯、五里店、五间楼等。
以“六”打头的有西城的六铺炕、六部口、六合胡同，海淀的六郎庄、六道口、六里屯，朝阳的六王村、六座屯、六里屯、六道口，丰台的六里桥、六营门、六圈等。
以“七”打头的有西城的七贤巷，宣武的七井胡同，海淀的七王坟，朝阳的七圣庙、七棵树，丰台的七里庄等。
以“八”打头的有东城的八宝楼胡同、八宝坑，西城的八步口、八宝胡同、八道湾、八个门胡同，崇文的八角胡同，宣武的八宝甸胡同，海淀的八宝庄、八家村、八里庄，朝阳的八棵杨、八里庄、八里桥、八王坟，丰台的八里河、八大排，石景山的八宝山、八大处、八角村等。
以“九”打头的有东城的九道湾，宣武的九湾胡同，海淀的九亩地，朝阳的九龙山、九江口、九孔闸等。
以“十”打头的有东城的十字坡，海淀的十方院、十王坟、十间房，朝阳的十里堡、十八里店、十里河、十里居、十字口村等。
以“百”打头的有西城的百万庄、百花深处、百代胡同、百子胡同、百户胡同，崇文的百果园，
宣武的百顺胡同、百合园胡同，朝阳的百子湾等。
以“千”打头的有东城的千福巷，西城的千竿胡同、千章胡同等。
以“万”打头的有西城的万年胡同、万明巷，宣武的万明路、万寿里、万福巷，海淀的万寿路、万寿寺、万泉庄、万泉河、万安里，朝阳的万家村、万红里、万子营，丰台的万泉寺等。
这些以数字打头的地名各有来历，不但历史悠久，而且涵盖宽泛，或有掌故，或有传说，或有趣闻，既有趣味性，又各具特色。综合起来看，这些地名的成因主要有六个特点。
1、由地标物而得地名，最初一些地名的产生多以林木、河湖等可见的地上标志命名，如“五棵松”因曾有五棵古松，人们常在此歇脚，地名由松而得。“九孔闸”因曾有一座九个孔的水闸，形成村落后，村名由闸而得。“四槐居”也是因曾有四棵古槐树，有人在此定居后便以四棵槐树而得村名。
2、由某一景观的面积大小或长短而得地名，“一亩园”是清代举行耕礼的地方，每年清明时节皇帝都象征性地在此进行耕种，以祈求五谷丰登，“一亩园”取“一亩三分地”之意，地名由田地的亩数而得。“二里沟”因曾有一条二里长的土沟，地名由沟而得。“四顷村”也是因曾有四顷耕地，后来有人在此居住，形成村落，村名由耕地的亩数而得。
3、由地形、地貌的特点而得地名，“八道湾胡同”因曲折多达八个弯，故此得名。“二龙路”因曾是玉河分支出的两条弯弯曲曲的河汊，形似两条巨龙，故此得名。“万泉庄”因地势低洼，泉水随地涌现，数不胜数，故此得名。
4、由古建筑而得地名，如“三虎桥”因有一座石桥，桥头有三只活灵活现的石虎，地名由桥而得。“四统碑”因曾有清初四块石碑，从东往西为姚公之碑、葛公之碑、席公之碑和乌里布公之碑，地名由碑而得。“万寿路”因北面不远处有一座明代建的永安万寿塔，简称万寿塔，此地由塔而得。
5、由甲乙两地距离而得地名，多是从某一城门到某地的距离，如“八里庄”因从阜成门往西行八里的地方，有个小村庄，故称的名。“十八里店”也是因距正阳门约十八华里而得名。“六里屯”因东至小牛房六里，西至唐家岭六里，因此而得名。这种以两地距离而得地名的在北京有许多，重名的也多，为了有所区别，往往在重复的地名前加上一个方位词，如称朝阳的八里庄为“东八里庄”，海淀的八里庄为“西八里庄”。
6、由纪念某一历史事件或某位名人而得地名，如“五四大街”因纪念1919年发生在此地的“五?四爱国运动”而命名。“六郎庄”最早叫牛栏庄，相传北宋时杨六郎与辽兵交战受伤，曾在此村养伤，人们仰慕他的英名，所以把村子叫成了“六郎庄”。“三不老胡同”明代称“三保老爹胡同”，因著名的航海家郑和（三保太监）的府第在此，为纪念他而得地名，“三不老”实为“三保老”的讹称。
随着北京城区建设和改造迅速的加快，一些以数字打头的老地名已经是“名存实亡”，或被拆迁，或与其他地名合并，但其作为北京地域文化的一部分，有必要进行保护和研究，从而使人们更广泛地了解北京，认识北京，热爱北京。
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
China forecasts a slowing of inflation
Helen Yuan Bloomberg News Monday, October 11, 2004
SHANGHAI Growth in Chinese consumer prices is showing signs of slowing and will ease further in the fourth quarter because of stabilizing grain prices and a glut in most domestic products, a government department said.
.The government's measures to keep price increases from accelerating are working, the National Development and Reform Commission said Saturday on its Web site. Food prices in China's major cities were stable during the weeklong national holiday, which ended last weekend.
.The average grain price, already at its highest level since 1995, will be subdued by lower international prices, the commission said. Food costs such as meat, poultry and milk will stabilize following a stable domestic grain market, it said.
.China's inflation rate was at a seven-year high of 5.3 percent in August on rising food costs. Producer prices rose 6.8 percent from a year earlier, their largest increase in eight years, the Beijing-based statistics bureau said in September.
.The government has clamped down on lending to certain industries to damp an investment boom that it blames for power shortages, clogged transport networks and accelerating inflation. U.S. officials have said that China should raise interest rates and relax the yuan's peg to the U.S. dollar to help cool the economy.
.Excessive investment has spurred increases in energy, transport and housing costs. Yet 446 of 600 main products in China remained in oversupply, the commission said in the statement.
.Food prices, which account for about a third of China's consumer price index, jumped 14 percent in August, the statistics bureau said. Grain prices surged 32 percent, meat prices gained 24 percent and the cost of eggs climbed 30 percent, it said.
.Consumer goods prices rose 6.3 percent, service costs increased 2 percent and housing prices climbed 6 percent.
.Textile curbs sought in U.S.
.U.S. textile makers have asked the Bush administration to limit increases in the import of cotton trousers from China, a Commerce Department spokeswoman, Mary Brown Brewer, said. The agency has 60 days to decide whether it will review the case and consider restricting Chinese imports.
.The textile makers' petition covers what was $280 million of imported goods last year and is the first of what the industry has promised will be dozens of trade complaints to prevent more Chinese imports when global quotas on textile and apparel expire at the end of this year.
.National Spinning, Milliken and other U.S. textile companies are warning that as many as 600,000 of the 700,000 American textile and apparel jobs will be lost next year. Once the textile quotas are eliminated, China will dominate the global trade in clothing, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission and other analysts.
.Last year the Bush administration limited the increase in imports of Chinese-made brassieres, robes and knit shirts to 7 percent a year. The specific China limits, called safeguards, were negotiated as part of that nation's acceptance into the World Trade Organization in 2001.
.Lloyd Wood, a spokesman for the industry, declined to comment. The U.S. industry has scheduled a press conference Tuesday to discuss its petitions.
.Apparel and shoe imports from China grew to more than $27 billion last year, a 50 percent increase from 1999. China will grow to supply 50 percent of U.S. clothing imports after the system ends, from 16 percent in 1995, the trade body said in an August report.
.Bloomberg News
SHANGHAI Growth in Chinese consumer prices is showing signs of slowing and will ease further in the fourth quarter because of stabilizing grain prices and a glut in most domestic products, a government department said.
.The government's measures to keep price increases from accelerating are working, the National Development and Reform Commission said Saturday on its Web site. Food prices in China's major cities were stable during the weeklong national holiday, which ended last weekend.
.The average grain price, already at its highest level since 1995, will be subdued by lower international prices, the commission said. Food costs such as meat, poultry and milk will stabilize following a stable domestic grain market, it said.
.China's inflation rate was at a seven-year high of 5.3 percent in August on rising food costs. Producer prices rose 6.8 percent from a year earlier, their largest increase in eight years, the Beijing-based statistics bureau said in September.
.The government has clamped down on lending to certain industries to damp an investment boom that it blames for power shortages, clogged transport networks and accelerating inflation. U.S. officials have said that China should raise interest rates and relax the yuan's peg to the U.S. dollar to help cool the economy.
.Excessive investment has spurred increases in energy, transport and housing costs. Yet 446 of 600 main products in China remained in oversupply, the commission said in the statement.
.Food prices, which account for about a third of China's consumer price index, jumped 14 percent in August, the statistics bureau said. Grain prices surged 32 percent, meat prices gained 24 percent and the cost of eggs climbed 30 percent, it said.
.Consumer goods prices rose 6.3 percent, service costs increased 2 percent and housing prices climbed 6 percent.
.Textile curbs sought in U.S.
.U.S. textile makers have asked the Bush administration to limit increases in the import of cotton trousers from China, a Commerce Department spokeswoman, Mary Brown Brewer, said. The agency has 60 days to decide whether it will review the case and consider restricting Chinese imports.
.The textile makers' petition covers what was $280 million of imported goods last year and is the first of what the industry has promised will be dozens of trade complaints to prevent more Chinese imports when global quotas on textile and apparel expire at the end of this year.
.National Spinning, Milliken and other U.S. textile companies are warning that as many as 600,000 of the 700,000 American textile and apparel jobs will be lost next year. Once the textile quotas are eliminated, China will dominate the global trade in clothing, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission and other analysts.
.Last year the Bush administration limited the increase in imports of Chinese-made brassieres, robes and knit shirts to 7 percent a year. The specific China limits, called safeguards, were negotiated as part of that nation's acceptance into the World Trade Organization in 2001.
.Lloyd Wood, a spokesman for the industry, declined to comment. The U.S. industry has scheduled a press conference Tuesday to discuss its petitions.
.Apparel and shoe imports from China grew to more than $27 billion last year, a 50 percent increase from 1999. China will grow to supply 50 percent of U.S. clothing imports after the system ends, from 16 percent in 1995, the trade body said in an August report.
.Bloomberg News
China to Discuss Currency Policy With G-7 Nations
By Paul BlusteinWashington Post Staff WriterThursday, September 23, 2004; Page E01
China will participate in a special meeting with the Group of Seven industrialized countries on Oct. 1, the U.S. Treasury said yesterday, an announcement that could herald Beijing's eventual membership in the elite economic club.
John B. Taylor, the undersecretary of the Treasury for international affairs, said one major purpose of the meeting will be "high-level engagement" with the Chinese on their currency policy, which has become a politically charged issue in the United States.
Beijing's longtime policy of fixing its exchange rate at 8.3 yuan per dollar is viewed by many economists, manufacturers and labor groups as giving Chinese products an unfair price advantage in world markets, and the Bush administration has come under criticism for failing to press the matter more aggressively.
Calling the meeting "a historic first engagement," Taylor said it will be held over dinner in Washington after a regular session of top G-7 policymakers on global economic issues. Jin Renqing, the Chinese finance minister, and Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People's Bank of China, will join counterparts including Treasury Secretary John W. Snow and Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan.
Asked whether the Chinese will be invited to future meetings or given full membership in the group, Taylor declined to rule either possibility in or out.
"The next steps will depend on how this meeting goes," he said. But he strongly indicated that more such meetings are likely, saying that they "are useful in making progress on economic reform" and that the currency issue "is a very natural one for the G-7 to discuss with China" given its implications for global trade and finance.
With member nations that account for well over half the world's gross domestic product, the G-7 has often played an influential role in steering and coordinating global economic policy, though some contend that its importance has withered in recent years. It was launched in 1975 with five members -- the United States, Japan, Britain, Germany and France -- in response to the world oil-price shock. Italy and Canada joined later.
Following the end of the Cold War, Russia was also invited to join the group's annual leaders' summit, which was re-christened the G-8. Russian officials also attend some of the meetings of finance ministers and central bank governors, though they do not participate in the sessions dealing with matters such as exchange rates. Russian officials will not attend the meeting with the Chinese, Taylor said.
Bringing China into the group -- at least the economic policymaking sessions -- is an idea that many analysts have long urged because of the enormous global impact of the fast-growing Chinese economy, the world's sixth largest. In an op-ed article published in the Financial Times in June, for example, Matthew P. Goodman, the recently departed head of Asian economic affairs at the National Security Council, argued for bringing Beijing to the G-7 table to give the Chinese a greater stake in addressing matters of global concern, including the overheating of its own economy as well as its trade and macroeconomic policies.
Yesterday's announcement is a "significant step forward," said Goodman, now vice president at Stonebridge International LLC, a firm that advises corporations on global issues. "I would stress that it doesn't necessarily mean that there's already a decision taken to invite China to become a permanent member of the group, but certainly that would be kind of a logical conclusion of this progression." Chinese officials have been attending some lower-level meetings with G-7 counterparts for quite a few months, he noted.
Goodman said he thinks the administration is partly motivated by politics because of the attacks that Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry, among others, have made on the White House for rejecting a tougher stance on the currency issue. "Treasury has very little to show" for its efforts to nudge Beijing toward changing its policy, "so they need to show they're engaging," Goodman said.
"But what this is really about goes back to the original reason for the G-5, managing the big supply shock of the day," Goodman said. "Arguably, China is the big supply shock in the world today, so to not have them in the room is a bit odd."
Defending the Treasury approach, Taylor said, "There is movement toward a flexible exchange rate," which China has said it would like to have. De-linking the yuan from the dollar would presumably allow the yuan to rise and make Chinese exports more expensive.
"They've been opening the banking sector, relaxing controls on capital movements. . . . These are all steps on the way," Taylor said, adding, "The best way to move toward that goal [of currency flexibility] is to have a meeting at this [G-7] level."
China will participate in a special meeting with the Group of Seven industrialized countries on Oct. 1, the U.S. Treasury said yesterday, an announcement that could herald Beijing's eventual membership in the elite economic club.
John B. Taylor, the undersecretary of the Treasury for international affairs, said one major purpose of the meeting will be "high-level engagement" with the Chinese on their currency policy, which has become a politically charged issue in the United States.
Beijing's longtime policy of fixing its exchange rate at 8.3 yuan per dollar is viewed by many economists, manufacturers and labor groups as giving Chinese products an unfair price advantage in world markets, and the Bush administration has come under criticism for failing to press the matter more aggressively.
Calling the meeting "a historic first engagement," Taylor said it will be held over dinner in Washington after a regular session of top G-7 policymakers on global economic issues. Jin Renqing, the Chinese finance minister, and Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People's Bank of China, will join counterparts including Treasury Secretary John W. Snow and Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan.
Asked whether the Chinese will be invited to future meetings or given full membership in the group, Taylor declined to rule either possibility in or out.
"The next steps will depend on how this meeting goes," he said. But he strongly indicated that more such meetings are likely, saying that they "are useful in making progress on economic reform" and that the currency issue "is a very natural one for the G-7 to discuss with China" given its implications for global trade and finance.
With member nations that account for well over half the world's gross domestic product, the G-7 has often played an influential role in steering and coordinating global economic policy, though some contend that its importance has withered in recent years. It was launched in 1975 with five members -- the United States, Japan, Britain, Germany and France -- in response to the world oil-price shock. Italy and Canada joined later.
Following the end of the Cold War, Russia was also invited to join the group's annual leaders' summit, which was re-christened the G-8. Russian officials also attend some of the meetings of finance ministers and central bank governors, though they do not participate in the sessions dealing with matters such as exchange rates. Russian officials will not attend the meeting with the Chinese, Taylor said.
Bringing China into the group -- at least the economic policymaking sessions -- is an idea that many analysts have long urged because of the enormous global impact of the fast-growing Chinese economy, the world's sixth largest. In an op-ed article published in the Financial Times in June, for example, Matthew P. Goodman, the recently departed head of Asian economic affairs at the National Security Council, argued for bringing Beijing to the G-7 table to give the Chinese a greater stake in addressing matters of global concern, including the overheating of its own economy as well as its trade and macroeconomic policies.
Yesterday's announcement is a "significant step forward," said Goodman, now vice president at Stonebridge International LLC, a firm that advises corporations on global issues. "I would stress that it doesn't necessarily mean that there's already a decision taken to invite China to become a permanent member of the group, but certainly that would be kind of a logical conclusion of this progression." Chinese officials have been attending some lower-level meetings with G-7 counterparts for quite a few months, he noted.
Goodman said he thinks the administration is partly motivated by politics because of the attacks that Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry, among others, have made on the White House for rejecting a tougher stance on the currency issue. "Treasury has very little to show" for its efforts to nudge Beijing toward changing its policy, "so they need to show they're engaging," Goodman said.
"But what this is really about goes back to the original reason for the G-5, managing the big supply shock of the day," Goodman said. "Arguably, China is the big supply shock in the world today, so to not have them in the room is a bit odd."
Defending the Treasury approach, Taylor said, "There is movement toward a flexible exchange rate," which China has said it would like to have. De-linking the yuan from the dollar would presumably allow the yuan to rise and make Chinese exports more expensive.
"They've been opening the banking sector, relaxing controls on capital movements. . . . These are all steps on the way," Taylor said, adding, "The best way to move toward that goal [of currency flexibility] is to have a meeting at this [G-7] level."
Monday, September 20, 2004
Hu's grip on power in China tightens
By James Kynge in Beijing
Published: September 19 2004 19:50 | Last updated: September 19 2004 19:50
China's president, Hu Jintao, has consolidated power during a key Communist party plenum that ended on Sunday as his rival and predecessor Jiang Zemin stepped down as head of the armed forces and lost a campaign to get his chief prot��漏g��漏 promoted to a position of influence.
Mr Jiang, 78, stepped down as chairman of the party's Central Military Commission (CMC) and Mr Hu will take his place, Xinhua, the official news agency, said. The move completes a transfer of power to Mr Hu, 61, that started in late 2002 when he took over from Mr Jiang as general secretary of the Communist party.
In a surprise sign of his waning influence, Mr Jiang failed at the plenum to secure a post for Zeng Qinghong, his prot��漏g��漏, within the CMC. Party sources said Mr Jiang had been insisting that Mr Zeng, who is a politburo member and vice-president, be appointed to a role as vice-chairman.
The upshot of the plenum, foreign diplomats said, was that Mr Hu might encounter less resistance now that the influence of Mr Jiang and his supporters appeared so clearly to have diminished.
"Some of the officials that have been thought of as loyal to Jiang have actually been courting favour from Hu recently," said one senior party source. "It was becoming clear that Jiang's era is over."
But Mr Hu's consolidation of power was not expected to have immediate policy implications. Although he and Mr Jiang sparred over issues of emphasis in foreign policy, domestic politics and economics, their basic approaches were similar, party sources said.
Mr Hu and Wen Jiabao, premier, have been associated with efforts to cool China's torrid economy with "macro-economic controls". They are also known for their emphasis on a more transparent and accountable form of government.
Friday, September 17, 2004
Beijing CBD striving for development
By Liu Jie (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-09-17 08:40
Updated: 2004-09-17 08:40
Beijing's Central Business District (CBD) is to draw on the experiences of foreign counterparts to attract multinationals to move their headquarters into the area.
Beijing is to sign a contract in exchange with "La Defense" of Paris, the French capital city's CBD, during the ongoing fifth Beijing Chaoyang International Business Festival.
Zhang Mao, Beijing's vice-mayor, said on Tuesday at the Forum on CBD Multinationals Headquarters & Regional Development that the Beijing CBD had also signed a Letter of Intent of Friendly Exchange with Manhattan borough in New York City, the world's leading CBD, in May.
"We are striving to establish sound relations with similar areas, in a bid to introduce their advanced administrative and management skills to speed up the development of the Beijing CBD and make it a real hub for headquarters of transnational companies," said Zhang.
Official statistics show that 31 multinationals have set up regional headquarters in the capital city, of which more than 80 per cent are in the CBD.
More than 170 of the world's top 500 enterprises have launched joint ventures or subsidiaries in Beijing, and 83 of them have chosen to settle down in the CBD.
So far, more than 800 overseas companies, about 500 transnationals and 570 foreign representative offices have located in the CBD.
A group of foreign entrepreneurs provided suggestions at the forum to accelerate the fast growth of the Beijing CBD.
Joel Epstein, AIG Country Manager for China a transnational company in the Beijing CBD, said that the CBD should develop its polycentric urban design and invest heavily in public transportation, given the city's high population density and traditional urban design.
"To maximize success in attracting multinationals' headquarters to relocate to the CBD, I believe that the area needs to develop a stimulating living and working environment," Epstein said.
China Business Info Center
Ministry sets up anti-monopoly office
By Yan Yang (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-09-17 08:27
The Ministry of Commerce has set up an anti-monopoly office, to give teeth to legislation and to strengthen investigations into monopolies.
The office, a temporary mechanism, is responsible for helping draft upcoming anti-monopoly law, and for related investigations and international communications on prevention of monopolies.
Shang Ming, director of the ministry's treaty and law department is head of the office.
Shang said the office will focus on work to establish a unified and open national market.
A draft of the anti-monopoly law was submitted to the State Council's Legislative Affairs Office in March and distributed to related departments and local governments for comment.
The law is listed on the legislative agenda of the 10th National People's Congress in its five-year tenure, which ends in 2008, but the draft will still have to undergo further revision.
Analysts say the special office is the latest effort by the ministry to speed up the process.
Wang Xiaoye, a researcher at the institute of legal studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the establishment of the office indicated that work on curtailing monopolies is one of the most important tasks for the ministry at present.
Drafting of anti-trust law has been going on for a decade, but there have been numerous revisions because of controversies.
"While China's economy is opening wider and is more market-oriented, the absence of such a law is proving to be a source of major concern," Wang said.
Some multinational companies are exploiting the situation and abusing their dominant position to curb competition, warned a report from the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, which called for the legislative process to be accelerated.
Assistant Minister of Commerce Huang Hai said earlier that local protectionism is serious in China and threatens the establishment of a national market system.
Huang said many local governments have a huge stake in fostering a number of local enterprises as their tax base and source of financial revenue and consequently erected barriers to prevent outsiders from entering local markets.
"The office also means power to crack down on monopolistic behaviour will be strengthened," Wang said.
The office can curb such activities by relevant provisions in the law about unfair competition, price law, bid and tender law, provisional rules on mergers with and acquisitions of domestic enterprises by foreign investors, and other department rules, Wang said.
Analysts estimate the office will be the administration to monitor monopolies when the law is passed, though the ministry says it is temporary.
The latest version of the anti-monopoly draft law has dropped an article about setting up an independent anti-monopoly administration.
The Ministry of Commerce which has power over foreign and internal trade seems to be the most suitable authority.
But the State Administration of Industry and Commerce also has some power in the area since it oversees the implementation of the Law Against Unfair Competition, which has stipulations about monopolies.
The administrative level of the specific department responsible for implementating the law has not been decided.
China Business Info Center
Ministry sets up anti-monopoly office
By Yan Yang (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-09-17 08:27
The Ministry of Commerce has set up an anti-monopoly office, to give teeth to legislation and to strengthen investigations into monopolies.
The office, a temporary mechanism, is responsible for helping draft upcoming anti-monopoly law, and for related investigations and international communications on prevention of monopolies.
Shang Ming, director of the ministry's treaty and law department is head of the office.
Shang said the office will focus on work to establish a unified and open national market.
A draft of the anti-monopoly law was submitted to the State Council's Legislative Affairs Office in March and distributed to related departments and local governments for comment.
The law is listed on the legislative agenda of the 10th National People's Congress in its five-year tenure, which ends in 2008, but the draft will still have to undergo further revision.
Analysts say the special office is the latest effort by the ministry to speed up the process.
Wang Xiaoye, a researcher at the institute of legal studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the establishment of the office indicated that work on curtailing monopolies is one of the most important tasks for the ministry at present.
Drafting of anti-trust law has been going on for a decade, but there have been numerous revisions because of controversies.
"While China's economy is opening wider and is more market-oriented, the absence of such a law is proving to be a source of major concern," Wang said.
Some multinational companies are exploiting the situation and abusing their dominant position to curb competition, warned a report from the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, which called for the legislative process to be accelerated.
Assistant Minister of Commerce Huang Hai said earlier that local protectionism is serious in China and threatens the establishment of a national market system.
Huang said many local governments have a huge stake in fostering a number of local enterprises as their tax base and source of financial revenue and consequently erected barriers to prevent outsiders from entering local markets.
"The office also means power to crack down on monopolistic behaviour will be strengthened," Wang said.
The office can curb such activities by relevant provisions in the law about unfair competition, price law, bid and tender law, provisional rules on mergers with and acquisitions of domestic enterprises by foreign investors, and other department rules, Wang said.
Analysts estimate the office will be the administration to monitor monopolies when the law is passed, though the ministry says it is temporary.
The latest version of the anti-monopoly draft law has dropped an article about setting up an independent anti-monopoly administration.
The Ministry of Commerce which has power over foreign and internal trade seems to be the most suitable authority.
But the State Administration of Industry and Commerce also has some power in the area since it oversees the implementation of the Law Against Unfair Competition, which has stipulations about monopolies.
The administrative level of the specific department responsible for implementating the law has not been decided.
China Business Info Center
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
7-Eleven store debuts in Beijing
( 2004-02-05 09:09) (China Daily by Liu Jie)
The residents of Beijing's busy Beixinqiao area will soon get the chance to shop any time they like, thanks to the opening of the capital's first 7-Eleven convenience store.
The world's No 1 convenience store operator will open its first 24-hour outlet in eastern downtown Beijing this Spring.
And according to Li Yong, deputy general manager of Beijing 7-Eleven Co Ltd, a newly established joint venture, around 150 outlets will open in Beijing this year, with a total of 500 convenience stores opening up within the next five years.
The convenience store king Seven-Eleven (7-Eleven) Inc got long-awaited approval from the central government at the end of last year to set up a joint venture in China.
Seven-Eleven Japan, a division of Japan-based Ito Yokado, Beijing Shoulian Group and the China National Sugar & Alcohol Group Corporation, hold 65 per cent, 25 per cent and 10 per cent stakes in the joint venture.
In a bid to get greater access to China's increasingly wealthy consumers, the joint venture is engaged in expanding 7-Eleven convenience stores in Beijing and the surrounding provinces.
China plans to lift the restriction on foreign ownership of chain stores - currently set at 65 per cent - by 2005, in line with its commitments to the World Trade Organization.
Yan Ligang, a spokesman of the Beijing Commerce Bureau, says that the time is ripe for the 7-Eleven to enter the market.
"They may use the one-year period to get familiar with the local market and gather experiences for the establishment of a wholly-funded enterprise in China and explore the South China and East China markets, where convenience stores have been well established," said Yan.
Domestic and overseas convenience store operators, including Shanghai's Hualian and Lianhau, Taiwan-based President Chain Store Corporation, Hong Kong's Dairy and Thailand's Charoen Pokphand Group, are engaged in stiff competition in South and East China.
But in Beijing, Superchain, Chaoshifa and Wumei just started to enter the convenience store market in 2002, with a properly established network of such stores yet to take shape in the capital, according to Chen Jian, a researcher at the policy study office of the Beijing municipal government.
Concerning the make-up of the 7-Eleven Beijing, Li indicated that selecting Shoulian as one of the joint venture's partners was due to Shoulian's strong position and experience in running chain stores.
"Shoulian's mature and complete sales network offers a shortcut for the 7-Eleven to get established in the capital," said Yan.
Shoulian, is composed of over 10 chain retailers, including Beijing Yikelong Commercial Co Ltd, Beijing Lufthansa & Wangjing Shopping Centre and Xiaobaiyang Supermarket, whose sales network has covered Beijing's urban area after more than 10 years of development.
But some of the stores will only open from 7:00 am until 11:00 pm, to suit the lifestyle of Beijingers.
>> China Business Info Center
Sina reports record Q4 revenues
( 2004-02-04 23:05) (China Daily)
The company, the first Chinese-mainland-based Internet company listed on the NASDAQ stock market in 2000, said its income for the past quarter achieved a record high of US$38.3 million, rising 197 per cent year-on-year and 20 per cent quarter-on-quarter.
Sina Corp, the biggest Internet portal in China, yesterday reported record revenues for the fourth quarter, mainly due to strong growth in mobile messaging and online advertising business.
 Wang Yan, CEO of Sina Corp. [file/newsphoto] |
The results beat Sina's projections for the quarter at US$35.2-36.2 million made in October.
Sina's profits in the fourth quarter reached US$9.3 million, or 16 US cents per share.
"Both our advertising and mobile message businesses performed very well in the past quarter and are big contributing factors to our growth," said Hurst Lin, Sina's chief operating officer (COO), in a telephone interview with China Daily.
Sina's advertising revenues grew 13 per cent over the third quarter to US$12.9 million.
Lin pointed out that an increasing recognition of online advertising and the strengthening of its leadership were major factors.
According to market consulting firm Shanghai iResearch Co Ltd, China's online advertising market in 2003 grew 120 per cent over 2002 to 1.08 billion yuan (US$130 million) and Sina took about 300 million yuan (US$36 million) out of the pie, leading other players on the arena.
The company's non-advertising revenues reached US$25.3 million with a 24 per cent quarter-on-quarter increase.
The Sina COO attributed the growth to factors including strong offline sales forces, its online marketing platform, and the launch of new products.
According to Lin, his firm has about 40 people covering almost every provincial region in China to communicate with mobile operators and promote new products, while other companies have a presence in key markets only.
Cash flow from operations during the quarter was US$19.5 million, in contrast with US$3.2 million during the same period in 2002.
Sina's annual revenues also achieved US$114.3 million, almost tripling 2002 sales, while its full-year profits stood at US$31.4 million, or 58 US cents by the end of 2003, compared with a net loss of US$4.9 million and an 11 US cent loss per share over the previous year.
By December 31, Sina's cash funds, cash equivalents and investments in marketable securities were US$227.2 million, an increase of US$18.9 million over three months ago.
Sina Corp's stock price suffered a fall of 8 per cent to US$3.10 on Tuesday US time due to the market's reaction to Sina's peer Sohu.com Inc, but gained 2.3 per cent to US$44.09 after announcing its financial results.
Sohu reported annual revenues of US$80.4 million last year and US$26.4 million in profits, but its quarter-on-quarter growth was only 11 per cent in the past quarter with revenues of US$24.6 million.
"Sina's performance is very good." said Chang H. Qiu, an analyst with US consulting firm Forun Technologies, "Both revenues and profits exceeded market expectations."
Sina estimates its revenues in this quarter will be US$39.5-40.5 million, with US$12.7-13.2 million in advertising revenues and US$26.8-27.3 million in non-advertising revenues. Its earnings per share are expected to be 27-29 US cents.
Lin said his company will continue to focus on advertising and wireless services, while investing in online gaming, search engines and e-commerce.
He believes the markets for new value-added wireless services like multimedia messaging services, wireless application protocols and interactive voice response will see breakthroughs this year after several years of preparation by the industry.
The company will also launch its second online game Lineage 2 free of charge in the next quarter and commercially launch it in the third quarter, but Lin said the contribution from online games to his company won't be significant due to fierce competition.
He said Sina will continue to seek acquisition opportunities in online gaming, wireless services, advertising and e-commerce.
Lin believes more and more Chinese Internet users will accept online shopping this year and in 2005, and Sina will spend more resources on developing this market.
The company said it has paid US$600,000 for professional services related to several acquisition transactions that did not materialize.
Strong China Demand to Sustain Prices: BHP Billiton
| |
The miner said that broad-based world growth, strong demand out of China and low inventory levels would sustain commodity prices at higher levels.
BHP Billiton chairman Don Argus today said the high prices would encourage producers to increase output, bringing the supply and demand fundamentals into balance over the medium term.
BHP Billiton would contribute to the new supply, by expanding its operations in a number of commodities, Mr Argus said in the group's annual report.
"BHP Billiton is well-placed to exercise the growth options within our portfolio and increase production capacity for many commodities currently in short supply," he said.
"Many of these expansions can be brought to market quickly and at low cost, a key competitive advantage that ensures we can be profitable."
Analysts expect strong demand to drive BHP Billiton's 2004/05 net profit to around $A5 billion ($US3.47 billion) up from $3.4 billion in 2003/04.
Mr Argus said while China's economy was expected to ease slightly from double digit growth rates, the country would remain a large and sustainable consumer of raw materials and resources in coming years.
While the rate of growth would vary, this should not alter the country's course of long-term growth and development, he said.
BHP Billiton's chief executive Chip Goodyear said rising raw material demand from the developing world would benefit the dual-listed miner in year's to come.
China's growth and effect on the global economy would face inevitable disruptions but would continue to impact on product demand, Mr Goodyear said.
"The impact of China's growth had shaped BHP Billiton's operating and development performance over the past year and we expect this to continue over the medium to long-term," he said.
Mr Goodyear's 2003/04 salary package totalled more than $US4.44 million ($A6.4 million) for the year compared to his 2002/03 remuneration of $US3.54 million (or $A5.24 million according to the exchange rate at the time).
The 2003/04 package included a fixed $US1.25 million base salary, $600,000 in retirement benefits and $US321,071 of other fixed benefits including medical and professional fees.
On top of this he received a performance based cash bonus of $US1.070 million and deferred shares valued at $US997,504.
The group's second highest paid executive was Group President of Energy, Philip Aitken who received a remuneration package of $US3.23 million up from the $US2.81 million previously.
This included a base salary of $US882,427, retirement benefits worth $US318,556 and a performance based cash and deferred shares bonus worth $US1.242 million.
The group's chief financial officer Chris Lynch received a total salary package of $US2.34 million including a fixed salary of $716,480, retirement benefits of $US248,619 and a performance based cash and deferred shares bonus worth $US1.19 million.
At 1125 AEST BHP Billiton shares were five cents lower at $13.16.
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