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(Seven Days Archive)
2009-11-20- Zhong Nanshan raises doubt over accuracy of official H1N1 death toll in China
Zhong Nanshan, a Guangdong-based doctor famous for his work in fighting the SARS epidemic in China, said recently in an interview that he does not believe only 53 people died from influenza A H1N1 flu across China based on reports by local authorities. China's Ministry of Health responded by inviting the public and the media to participate in monitoring the country's H1N1 prevention. Lianhe Zaobao's Guangzhou correspondent Yeo Yong Herng reports.
- Events following Obama's interview with Southern Weekend ignite debate over freedom of speech
The events following an exclusive interview with US President Barack Obama conducted by China's Southern Weekend newspaper, in which Obama's remarks seem to have failed to reach the wider audience, have ignited a debate over the freedom of speech among certain quarters in the country.
- Singapore to pilot Intelligent Energy System
The Energy Market Authority (EMA) will partner government agencies to develop and roll out the pilot Intelligent Energy System (IES) project at several venues with the aim of eventually introducing the system to the whole of Singapore in the future.
- NRF Chairman Dr Tony Tan: Solar energy can be developed into source of clean energy for Singapore
National Research Foundation (NRF) Chairman Dr Tony Tan said that as a city that depends on the import of fossil fuels as its major source of energy and which lacks hydro-power and geothermal energy, the major challenge for Singapore is to continue to maintain its strong economic growth in an environmentally sustainable manner. He made the comment while officiating the opening of a research hub at the National University of Singapore (NUS) under the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) yesterday.
- Macau's gaming industry earns around $20 billion in total revenue in 2008
Despite the impact of the global financial crisis, Macau's gaming industry recorded a total revenue of MOP111.17 billion ($19.9 billion) last year, a 30% increase compared to 2007. Macau's Chief Executive Edmund Ho said that the opening up of the territory's gaming sector to overseas operators has brought more positive than negative influence to Macau's economy.
- Minsheng Bank IPO to be biggest in Hong Kong this year
Market sources say that the planned listing of China's seventh largest bank, Minsheng Bank, in Hong Kong, will raise HKD30 billion ($5.3 billion), making it the largest IPO on the Hong Kong bourse this year.
- CapitaLand invests $650 million in residential project in Chengdu
CapitaLand China is investing RMB3 billion ($650 million) to develop a residential project in Chengdu, China. The high-rise condominium project will be earthquake-resistant and will contain around 4,000 units.
- IE Singapore Q3 economic survey: Singapore's total trade volume expected to increase by 7% next year
According to the latest statistics released by the International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, Singapore's total trade volume has increased by 3.7% in the second quarter and 8.4% in the third quarter of this year on a quarterly seasonally adjusted basis. The government has also adjusted its total trade growth projection for 2009 from between -23 and -21 percent to between -22 and -21 percent.
- High pay does not guarantee clean government
In this commentary by Luo Hanzhou first published in Malaysia's Nanyang Siang Pau, he notes that having an effective and impartial anti-corruption agency is the key to ensuring a clean government. Offering elected representatives high pay alone is not enough.
- Status of the Chinese language rising in the world
[Editorial] Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew recently mentioned the importance of making the learning of Chinese interesting to children from English-speaking backgrounds. It is apparent that he feels this is an urgent issue to address in light of the fast-growing status of the Chinese language on the global stage. Otherwise, Singapore may lose its advantage in bilingualism.
2009-11-19- HK government unveils plan to expand election committee and increase LegCo seats in 2012; call for gradual transition to universal suffrage slammed by opposition as regression
The Hong Kong government proposed to expand the number of members on the election committee which chooses the Chief Executive and add 10 more seats to the Legislative Council in 2012 in a consultation paper published yesterday. However, the plan has failed to win the support of the pan-democrats, who criticised it as a regression of democracy in the territory. Lianhe Zaobao's Tai Hing Shing reports from Hong Kong.
- Taiwan plans to accept Mainland students and recognise degrees from 41 Mainland universities early next year
Taiwan's Ministry of Education said that it will seek to clear the path for Mainland students to further their studies in Taiwan and recognise the degrees from 41 Mainland universities before June next year.
- Teachers: Traditional teaching methods still useful
Lianhe Zaobao interviews academics and teachers to get their responses to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's recent comments on making Chinese learning more interesting to students. Most agree that emphasis on verbal skills are important at a young age but that spelling and dictation are necessary at higher levels to ensure sufficient language proficiency.
- Private sector cuts structured training for employees, especially SMEs
The percentage of private companies who have arranged for structured training for their employees dropped from 72% last year to 65% this year. The fall was especially significant among small and medium enterprises.
- China increases US treasury holdings by USD1.8 billion in September; figure shows purchase of US debt by China has slowed
Figures released by the US Treasury Department on November 17 show that China has raised its holdings in US treasury securities by USD1.8 billion ($2.4 billion) in September to a total of USD798.9 billion. However, the report also shows that China has slowed down its purchase of US debt. The country is currently the largest holder of US treasury securities in the world.
- Li Kar Shing sees landholdings in Shanghai go up $600 million in value over three years
New land transaction figures for the Putuo and Jiading districts in Shanghai show a rise in prices, which imply a RMB3 billion ($600 million) rise in the value of land held by Li Kar Shing in the same area over three years.
- STI down 0.7% on profit-taking; limited upside expected
After a rally lasting several days, investors have taken the opportunity to take profit. With many securities research firms also saying that share prices will be unlikely to rise in the near term, the local bourse was down 0.7% at closing yesterday.
- Mapletree's Nanhai Business City project in Foshan city holds ground-breaking ceremony
Nanhai Business City, a mixed-used development project by Mapletree Investments located in Foshan City in Guangdong, held its ground-breaking ceremony yesterday. This is the first commercial project launched by Mapletree in southern China and the third for the company in the whole of China.
- Chinese, Fun!
In this commentary, Liu Xuemin looks how Chinese learning can be improved for students. From a corporate management perspective, to bring about a change in organisational values and behaviour, one needs not only to maintain constant communication with employees but also set up an incentive system.
- China-US relations take centre stage once again
[Editorial] The cooperation between China and the US has been instrumental in resolving many global issues. As two of the world's major powers, a stable and constructive China-US partnership will not only serve to bring benefits to both sides but also the world at large.
2009-11-18- Obama and Hu Jintao pledge to deepen cooperation and seek common ground
Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President Barack Obama pledged in a joint statement following talks between the two leaders yesterday that both China and the US will work to deepen cooperation on various issues while holding back differences in search for common ground. Lianhe Zaobao's Beijing correspondent Zeng Zhaopeng reports.
- China's "CNN" begins pilot broadcast
China International TV (CITV), a 24-hour satellite news channel run by the Xinhua News Agency, will begin its pilot broadcast today. Dubbed China's "CNN", CITV will seek to report international news from a Chinese perspective.
- Far Eastern Economic Review agrees to compensate PM Lee and MM Lee more than $400,000 for defamation
The Far Eastern Economic Review has agreed to pay $405,000 in compensation to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew for defamation and costs, arising from an article it published in 2006 which implied corruption by the two. The High Court had ruled against the publication and the judgement was upheld by the Court of Appeal.
- SM Goh: Government-MNC partnerships as future channel to attract foreign investment
Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said at a dinner celebrating the 40th anniversary of ST Microelectronics Singapore operations last evening that cooperation between the Singapore government and multinational corporations will be upgraded to a "partnership" in the future to help Singapore move from becoming merely an efficient hub to being an essential hub, thereby allowing it to serve as a Home for Business, Home for Innovation and Home for Talent.
- China's tourism sector expected to rake in $240 billion this year
Zhu Shanzhong, Vice Chairman of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), said that the number of visitors received by China this year will exceed two billion citing an estimate by the China Tourism Academy. China's total tourism revenue for 2009 is also expected to surpass RMB1.2 trillion ($240 billion) with domestic tourism accounting for nearly RMB1 trillion.
- China launches new measures to clamp down on land "monopoly" of land by large developers
China's Ministry of Land and Resources has introduced new measures to prevent large developers from using their financial resources to stockpile land and monopolise the market.
- NODX drop in October smallest in past 13 months
Statistics released by IE Singapore yesterday show that non-oil domestic exports (NODX) have continued to fall in October, recording a drop of 6.1% year-on-year. However, the rate of the decline is the smallest in the past 13 months.
- CEO: NOL will use crisis to win more customers
NOL CEO Won Widdows says that the economic environment presents tough challenges to the industry in the near term. Industry players will need to focus on fuel conservation and cost cutting over the next five to ten years and this will have a major impact on the design of vessels and the building of a fuel supply network.
- The "Americanisation" of China's diplomatic mindset
The thinking of the Chinese people have become increasingly influenced by the West as China continues to build closer ties and integrate with the western world. This commentary by Professor Zheng Yongnian, director of the NUS East Asian Institute, argues that China should have its own diplomatic model and mindset instead of solely relying on learning from the experience of the West.
- The social justice of respecting older workers
[Editorial] The Tripartite Committee suggested in its draft guidelines announced two days ago that companies which went through restructuring or management reshuffle should provide a one-off Employment Assistance Payment (EAP) to older workers who reached the age of 62 and will not be re-employed. We should continue to ensure fairness and respect for the elderly in the workplace as this is an important step towards achieving the goal of social justice for all.
2009-11-17- Obama meets with Shanghai university students; reiterates position that US will not seek to contain China's rise
US President Barack Obama met with over 500 university students in a forum held at Shanghai's Museum of Science and Technology yesterday. He stressed that the US will not seek to impede China's rise as both countries share many mutual goals, such as creating greater economic prosperity and enhancing security. Obama also mentioned that both China and the US can become role models on tackling climate change. Lianhe Zaobao's Shanghai correspondent Tan Eng Teck reports.
- Singapore-China Knowledge City aims to become global innovation hub
Knowledge City, another major cooperation project between Singapore and China following the Suzhou Industrial Park and Tianjin Eco-city, held its first project briefing yesterday in Guangzhou. The project aims to develop an innovation hub in China to drive forward industrial transformation in the Pearl River Delta. Lianhe Zaobao's Guangzhou correspondent Yeo Yong Herng reports.
- Tripartite committee suggests companies provide one-off EAP for older workers that cannot be re-employed
The tripartite committee suggests in its draft guidelines announced yesterday that employers should provide a one-off Employment Assistance Payment (EAP) for older workers who cannot be re-employed to ease their burden while they search for new jobs.
- SCCL to offer Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes in cooperation with UniSIM and HKU
The Singapore Centre for Chinese Language (SCCL) will be cooperating with SIM University (UniSIM) next year to offer a Bachelor's degree programme in Chinese Education for secondary and primary school teachers without university qualifications. It is also working with The University of Hong Kong (HKU) to offer a Master's degree programme for those with university degrees next year.
- Donald Tsang: Hong Kong dollar to remain pegged to US dollar for at least three more years
Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang said yesterday that the Hong Kong dollar will remain pegged to the US dollar at least until his term expires in 2012. He believes that the US dollar will continue to play a very important role in serving as the world's reserve currency for a long time to come.
- CIMC to acquire Yantai Raffles Shipyard for $2.4 billion
China International Marine Containers Co (CIMC) announced yesterday that it will spend USD1.7 billion ($2.4 billion) to fully acquire Yantai Raffles Shipyard, the biggest production base of drilling platforms in China.
- Opposition to recapitalisation plan by largest unitholder ignites power struggle at MI-REIT
Cambridge Industrial Trust, the largest unitholder in MacarthurCook Industrial REIT (MI-REIT), announced its opposition to MI-REIT's recapitalisation proposal yesterday and urges other unitholders to follow suit. The move threatens to ignite a power struggle at the real estate investment trust.
- SIA's passenger load factor up for two consecutive months
Singapore Airlines (SIA) saw an improvement in its passenger load factor for the second consecutive month to reach 81.1% in October, a 3.6 percentage-point increase compared to the same month last year. This came after SIA reduced its capacity in October by 10.3%.
- China's political reform roadmap
China's political development has long been a hot topic of discussion among academics and the public in both the East and West. This commentary by Zhang Weidong, who teaches at a local secondary school, looks at how China can craft its own roadmap in the reform of its political institutions.
- More assurance of peace and prosperity in the Asia Pacific
[Editorial] Singapore achieved unprecedented success in organising the recently concluded APEC meetings. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong thanked those involved yesterday and said that the event has helped provide Singapore with valuable experience and will likely further raise Singapore's global image. The greatest symbolic significance of this event was the meeting between the leaders of the US and the ten ASEAN member states. This showed the new thinking brought by US President Barack Obama, using dialogue and engagement to maintain regional peace and stability.
2009-11-16- Taiwan urgently needs to improve English skills in order to connect to the world
Taiwan has been actively stepping up its efforts to connect to the world recently with the hosting of international sporting events, such as the World Games in Kaohsiung. The island also needs to boost the command of English among its residents as this is an important step in helping its cities to become more globalised.
- Obama starts China visit in Shanghai
US President Barack Obama landed at Shanghai Pudong International Airport yesterday to start his official visit to China. Obama will remain in Shanghai for less than 24 hours before heading to Beijing.
- Singapore and Russia to set up high-level intergovernmental commission
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who is in Singapore on a state visit at the invitation of President Nathan, announced last evening that Singapore and Russia have set up an Intergovernmental Commission to facilitate cooperation in the areas of economics, science and technology, politics, culture and education.
- PM Lee: US and ASEAN leaders meeting a historical event
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said following a meeting between US President Barack Obama and ASEAN leaders yesterday that the meeting was significant as it showed the willingness of all sides involved to begin cooperation on a wide range of issues to expand and deepen bilateral ties. This was the first meeting between a US leader and the leaders of all ASEAN member states, including Myanmar.
- HK airport's cargo volume in October up 1.3% on-year
According to figures from Airport Authority Hong Kong, Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) handled 324,000 tonnes of air cargo in October, an increase of 1.3% compared to the same period of last year.
- CBRC chairman Liu Mingkang: Continuous depreciation of US dollar will harm global economic recovery
Liu Mingkang, chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), said on the eve of US President Barack Obama's visit to China that the continuous depreciation of the US dollar will harm the recovery of the global economy.
- STI may hit record highs
The Straits Times Index advanced 69 points to close at 2,727 points last week. Analysts believe that the STI may hit record highs once again and predict that the range of fluctuation will further narrow.
- Better performance from chemical fibre and food-related S-chips expected from middle of next year
Chemical fibre and food-related S-chips have reported poor results in general in the third quarter due to oversupply in the Chinese domestic market and weak export demand. This is only expected to rebound next year.
- China problem the result of an absence of institutionalised prioritisation mechanism
There have been many different views on the solutions to the major challenges facing China in terms of the country's social and political development. This commentary by Zhang Luqiang, a visiting scholar at the NUS East Asian Institute, looks at the root cause of these problems.
- Core mission of Asia Pacific economies is still to maintain growth
[Editorial] The Singapore Declaration issued yesterday at the conclusion of the APEC Summit can basically be summarised as: (1) agreeing that economic stimulus measures be maintained until sustainable growth of the global economy is achieved; (2) reiterating that protectionism and trade barriers must be avoided; and (3) calling on economies to find new growth models to prevent another similar crisis from occurring. There is a need for more bilateral and multilateral mechanisms to reach the goal of an Asia Pacific Free Trade Zone as we cannot rely solely on APEC framework to drive forward free trade within the Asia Pacific region.
2009-11-15- Pandas and the Straits of Malacca
Chinese Premier Hu Jintao had made a trip to Malacca last week prior to arriving in Singapore. This trip as well as the decision to loan two giant pandas to Singapore are symbolic of China's efforts to ensure that its cargo can travel unimpeded through the Straits of Malacca to continue to fuel its rise.
- Zhejiang University looks forward to cooperating with Singapore on new university
Lianhe Zaobao takes a closer look at Zhejiang University, which was recently identified as the Chinese partner for the Singapore University of Technology and Design. The university is strong in research and is renowned for its industrial design programme.
- Japan Creative Centre opens; Singapore and Japan to deepen cooperation with soft power
PM Lee and visiting Japanese PM Hatoyama officially opened the Japan Creative Centre yesterday. Both stressed the close bilateral ties and expressing the hope that this "soft power" initiative of Japan's will further deepen cooperation between the two sides.
- Home Nursing Foundation receive more donations following mention at National Day Rally
PM Lee had mentioned the Home Nursing Foundation in his National Day Rally speech this year and this higher profile has helped increase the amount of donations to the charity over the past few months. It has yet to turn away any patients so far.
- Are China's property buyers landing in Singapore?
There have been numerous reports recently of rich Chinese citizens joining tours to buy property in other countries. With Resorts World Sentosa opening soon, there is a need to draw more affluent individuals to Singapore and this could be one way.
- OKP Holdings intent on making its mark in Africa
Locally listed OKP Holdings sees promising business opportunities in Africa. It recently announced a joint venture that will explore urban development and construction projects in African countries such as Angola, Guinea and Zimbabwe.
- Some thoughts from the NTU dormitory incident
There has recently been some unhappiness on the NTU campus between local and foreign students over preferential allocation of dormitory rooms. Columnist Zou Wensen feels that the campus is a microcosm of Singapore society. He believes schools can do more to ensure that prejudices are not ingrained in our students from a young age.
- Small country, big meeting
Columnist Lee Huay Leng is struck by how efficient the APEC meetings are being organised in Singapore. She wonders if this has to do with Singapore's mentality as a small country, where it feels it needs to be better in all areas so as to have its value recognised by others.
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