China Economy: News & Discussion

[t_co]

Trees. Where are the trees? Thousands of hectares of concrete. Nothing to collect and hold rainwater, allow it to percolate, and support bacteria, fungi, insects, small animals, birds, larger mammals. An entire ecosystem wiped out for concrete towers. Copying the deforested west.

The trees are right next door.

 

[Martian]

Trees. Where are the trees? Thousands of hectares of concrete. Nothing to collect and hold rainwater, allow it to percolate, and support bacteria, fungi, insects, small animals, birds, larger mammals. An entire ecosystem wiped out for concrete towers. Copying the deforested west.

You are looking at China Shenzhen's Central Business District (CBD). Of course, there are no trees in the middle of the CBD. It is the most valuable real estate in Shenzhen city. However, a daytime picture of Shenzhen shows there is greenery nearby.

The Central Business District, also known as CBD looking southwest. The Shenzhen river and Hong Kong's Frontier Closed Area can be seen in the background. (Photo credit: SSDPenguin)

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A great way to celebrate the end of Chinese New Year is to note the progress in Shenzhen. My, how far you've come.

China Estimates 2013 Growth at 7.6% as Challenges Seen Ahead - Bloomberg

Commercial and residential buildings stand illuminated at night in the Luohu district of Shenzhen, China. China's GDP reversed a two-quarter growth slowdown in the July-September period, as Premier Li Keqiang spurred factory output and investment in the world's second-largest economy to meet the expansion target. (Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg)

 

[bennedose]

You are looking at China Shenzhen's Central Business District (CBD). Of course, there are no trees in the middle of the CBD. It is the most valuable real estate in Shenzhen city. However, a daytime picture of Shenzhen shows there is greenery nearby.

The Central Business District, also known as CBD looking southwest. The Shenzhen river and Hong Kong's Frontier Closed Area can be seen in the background. (Photo credit: SSDPenguin)

Please don't take this as an indictment of China - but it is basically a criticism of modern city architecture - of a type that started in Europe but it was the US that went apeshit and promoted it as "civilization" which it is not. Shenzen looks like a place that is waiting for both floods as well as ground water pollution and groundwater depletion are waiting to occur.

 

[bennedose]

The trees are right next door.

Either the color has been enhanced, or the water is green with algae. Possibly both.

 

[t_co]

Either the color has been enhanced, or the water is green with algae. Possibly both.

That is irrelevant to the discussion: you asked where the trees were, and your point got shot down hard.

 

[bennedose]

That is irrelevant to the discussion: you asked where the trees were, and your point got shot down hard.

That concrete jungle with a small patch of green with algae in the water suggest stagnant polluted water. I agree that pointing out things that make a Chinese lose face instantly becomes irrelevant to the discussion, but I know that suddenly, making a post about something bad in India will become relevant. I'm waiting..

Shenzen floods:

 

[CCP]

I'm waiting..

lower ourselves to being a stupid guy as you?

 

[bennedose]

lower ourselves to being a stupid guy as you?

Going lower than where you are is physically impossible. So, like communist China, you have no choice in this area.

 

[Compersion]

You are looking at China Shenzhen's Central Business District (CBD). Of course, there are no trees in the middle of the CBD. It is the most valuable real estate in Shenzhen city. However, a daytime picture of Shenzhen shows there is greenery nearby.

The Central Business District, also known as CBD looking southwest. The Shenzhen river and Hong Kong's Frontier Closed Area can be seen in the background. (Photo credit: SSDPenguin)


I have got a question- what does the bold part mean - "Frontier Closed Area" and what relation does that have to trees. I do not understand fully.

 

[t_co]

You are looking at China Shenzhen's Central Business District (CBD). Of course, there are no trees in the middle of the CBD. It is the most valuable real estate in Shenzhen city. However, a daytime picture of Shenzhen shows there is greenery nearby.

The Central Business District, also known as CBD looking southwest. The Shenzhen river and Hong Kong's Frontier Closed Area can be seen in the background. (Photo credit: SSDPenguin)


I have got a question- what does the bold part mean - "Frontier Closed Area" and what relation does that have to trees. I do not understand fully.

The Frontier Closed Area means urban development is not allowed there, and the natural watershed and wetlands are to be preserved.

 

[Compersion]

The Frontier Closed Area means urban development is not allowed there, and the natural watershed and wetlands are to be preserved.

You mean to say that most of the greenery in the picture is where "urban development is not allowed". Is that part of PRC area is that part of Hong Kong area - who decided that. Why there is urban development not allowed - incredible protocols for maintain the environment!! kudos. :thumb: will that always be the case.

 

[trackwhack]

Ahem ... Super strategists and Chinese bots did not notice the first Chinese Corporate Bond default that happened earlier this week. And a second one coming sometime this week or next.
Chinese whispers anybody?

 

[Martian]

China crosses milestone: 20th operating nuclear reactor

Why is it important that China has 20 operating nuclear reactors? A single gigawatt-class nuclear reactor (like the newly-operational Yangjiang 1) "produces an estimated 293 kilograms of plutonium per year -- enough plutonium every year to make forty thermonuclear bombs."

China's civilian nuclear reactors produce sufficient plutonium for at least 500 thermonuclear warheads per year.

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Commercial operation for Yangjiang 1 | World Nuclear News

"Commercial operation for Yangjiang 1
27 March 2014

Unit 1 of the Yangjiang plant in China's Guangdong province has entered commercial operation, becoming China's 20th operating nuclear power reactor.

Yangjiang 1 is now in commercial operation, while the adjacent unit 2 will soon start pre-operational tests (Image: CGN)

Yangjiang 1 - the first of six units under construction at the site in China's Guangdong province - began a full-power demonstration phase on 18 March. China General Nuclear (CGN) announced that this trial run was successfully completed on 25 March at which point it formally started commercial operation.

Yangjiang 1 represents CGN's ninth operating unit and brings the company's installed generating capacity to 9410 MWe.

Work on the first reactor at Yangjiang began in December 2008. It achieved first criticality on 23 December 2013 and was connected to the grid on 31 December. The equipment localization rate at the unit reached 83%, according to CGN.

The first four Yangjiang units are 1080 MWe CPR-1000 pressurized water reactors, with units 5 and 6 being ACPR-1000. With unit 1 now in operation, unit 2 is currently preparing to conduct hot tests, aimed at simulating the temperatures and pressures which the reactor's systems will be subjected to during normal operation. This phase ensures coolant circuits and nuclear safety systems are functioning properly before fuel is loaded. Equipment installation is underway at unit 3 while civil construction works continue at units 4, 5 and 6.

All six reactors should be in operation by 2018, producing a grand total of around 6100 MWe.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News"

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A gigawatt nuclear reactor produces 293 kg of plutonium (40 fusion bombs) per year

China has four sources of plutonium to build 5,000 thermonuclear warheads. For a modern warhead, you need 25 kg of highly enriched uranium (HEU) and 4 kg of plutonium (see illustration below).

a) Two above-ground plutonium plants. These two plants produced a stockpile of plutonium. Also, the two plants can be reactivated if necessary.
b) Underground plutonium plants, such as the massive one at Chengdu.
c) Extraction of plutonium from civilian spent nuclear fuel rods. China has operated numerous nuclear power plants for fifty years. There is plenty of spent nuclear fuel rods from the civilian nuclear reactors.
d) Fast breeder reactors. China has an operational 60 megawatt fast breeder connected to the electricity grid. It is safe to assume there are military-specific fast breeder reactors.

I have previously said that China has four sources of plutonium. Today, we will discuss the plutonium available from China's civilian nuclear reactors. I don't know much about China's smaller nuclear research reactors, but those produce plutonium too.

China currently has 16 large nuclear reactors in operation. Source: China Nuclear Power | Chinese Nuclear Energy

Though China has 16 large (gigawatt-class) nuclear reactors in operation, there are a few that are supplied with Australian uranium. The Australians are picky. They basically said, "we know China is a recognized nuclear weapons state (that is allowed to freely manufacture thermonuclear weapons), but we want you to agree not to use our uranium to make thermonuclear weapons." China said okay.

This means the total number of available gigawatt-class nuclear reactors as a source of plutonium is less than 16. Let's just say the correct number is somewhere around 10 reactors supplied with Chinese uranium and not subject to the Australian restriction.

I don't want to get entangled in minutiae and my goal is to simply obtain a ballpark figure for Chinese plutonium availability from civilian nuclear reactors. There is also plutonium available from smaller nuclear research reactors (both civilian and military), but I have no idea how to compile the information for research reactors and I'm just going to ignore the research reactors.

Referring to the citation below, a single gigawatt nuclear reactor produces 293 kg of plutonium each year. This provides sufficient plutonium to build 40 thermonuclear warheads. As a rough estimate, China probably has 10 reactors using indigenous uranium. This means China produces 2,930 kg of plutonium each year from its civilian nuclear reactors or the ability to manufacture 400 thermonuclear warheads.

Of course, China has been operating nuclear reactors for decades. I have no idea how much plutonium they have, but it should be a pretty big stockpile. The point is pretty simple. If Chinese nuclear reactors are producing enough plutonium to build 400 thermonuclear warheads a year then China should have plenty of plutonium in their stockpile to build a few thousand thermonuclear warheads.

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Nuclear Power Plant Fuel--a source of Plutonium for Weapons? - NIRS

"Nuclear Power Plant Fuel--a source of Plutonium for Weapons?

Many people may not realize that every nuclear power plant -- as a normal part of the fissioning process -- produces plutonium. Plutonium and/or highly-enriched uranium are essential ingredients of nuclear bombs.

Every year the thousand-megawatt Callaway reactor in Missouri, for example, produces an estimated 293 kilograms of plutonium[1] -- enough plutonium every year to make forty nuclear bombs (each containing about 7.3 kilograms [16 pounds] of mixed isotopes of plutonium per bomb).[2]

If the nuclear power reactor continues operating for a total of 30 years, it will have produced enough plutonium for at least 1200 bombs.

Every year and a half, some of the irradiated fuel rods -- all of which contain plutonium[3] -- are removed from the reactor vessel and are replaced with fresh uranium rods. The irradiated rods are then stored in a concrete spent-fuel pool or in dry-storage canisters -- on site --for an indefinite amount of time. No permanent repository exists anywhere for the irradiated rods.

"Reprocessing" technologies exist that can extract plutonium from irradiated reactor fuel. Although no commercial reprocessing plant is currently operating in the U.S., reprocessing is under way in Japan, England, France, Russia and India. And the Department of Energy and Japan are expending significant funds here in the U.S. on research, development, and demonstration projects for cheaper, faster, more efficient ways to reprocess irradiated fuel.

The nuclear industry and others support the reprocessing of irradiated, commercial nuclear power plant fuel and the "recycling," then, of its extracted plutonium into new nuclear plant fuel (a mixture of uranium and plutonium oxides). Proponents of reprocessing are advocating the "burn-up" of plutonium as fuel in existing and/or "advanced" nuclear power reactors.

Environmentalists, on the other hand, point out that past reprocessing has been responsible for major environmental degradation in the countries that have employed it, including the United States. In order to extract plutonium, reprocessing requires that irradiated reactor fuel rods -- the most radioactive materials on earth -- be cut up, and dissolved in a solvent, resulting in the release of massive quantities of radioactive gases and other substances. Leakage of the remaining stored high-level radioactive wastes at West Valley, New York; Hanford, Washington; Idaho Falls, Idaho; and Savannah River, South Carolina, has created cleanup problems that will take hundreds of billions of dollars, with complete remediation an impossibility.

They also warn that terrorists could steal the extracted plutonium from stockpiles at reprocessing or fuel fabrication plants, or during transport between the facilities, and use it in the manufacture of nuclear bombs. The potential for sabotage or theft at these facilities would be substantial.

Additionally, other dangers inherent in nuclear power plants would remain: the routine releases of fission products into the environment, the exposure of workers to radiation, the potential for a major accident, and the accumulation of long-lived wastes from the reactors' continuing operation.[4]

Proposals pending in Congress to transport the irradiated fuel that is currently stockpiled at some seventy nuclear power plant locations out to Nevada for interim storage -- and possibly someday, for ultimate disposal or reprocessing -- would place thousands of shipments of plutonium-bearing fuel onto our railroads and highways, coast-to-coast. Federal regulations require that armed escorts be present during all shipments of irradiated fuel -- evidence that the threat of nuclear terrorism is real.

No American electric utility has placed an order for a nuclear power plant that was not subsequently canceled since October 1973 (the Palo Verde plant in Arizona). That is, no new nuclear plants are being added. However, every existing reactor, because of the presence of plutonium, is a potential target for terrorism.

Nuclear reactors and the plutonium they generate threaten the hope for world peace and survival.

We would like to acknowledge the contribution by Dr. Thomas B. Cochran, Senior Staff Scientist of the Natural Resources Defense Council, who calculated the annual plutonium production of the Callaway nuclear power plant.

NOTES:

1. The above calculation of 293 kilograms of plutonium per year assumes the Callaway reactor (1150-megawatt electric; 3565-megawatt thermal) operates at 80% of its capacity. Please remember: approximately 60 percent of the plutonium will be plutonium-239, which has a half-life of 24,000 years and remains hazardous for at least ten half-lives.
2. See Reviews of Modern Physics, Vol. 50, No. 1, Part II, Jan. 1978, page S29. With greater technical expertise, a nuclear weapon can be built with considerably less plutonium than the amount estimated here.
3. Although the plutonium generated by a commercial nuclear power plant is not technically "weapons grade," it has long been acknowledged that nuclear bombs can be and have been built with reactor-grade plutonium.
4. All nuclear power plants release radioactive gases, liquids, and particulates into the environment as a part of their routine operation. It does not take an accident. Such releases include tritium (radioactive hydrogen) and other radioactive gaseous material, much of which can be neither filtered nor monitored.

July 19, 1996, Kay Drey"

 

[Martian]

Taiwan cancer drug gets OK for US clinical trials | Taiwan Today

"Taiwan cancer drug gets OK for US clinical trials
Publication Date：03/26/2014
Source： Taiwan Today

TMU and NTUCM researchers are pleased with the news that anti-cancer drug MPT0E028 has been approved by the U.S. FDA for human clinical trials. (Courtesy of TMU)

A Taiwan-developed anti-cancer drug was recently greenlighted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for phase one human clinical trials, according to the ROC Ministry of Science and Technology March 25.

MPT0E028, a potent histone deacetylase inhibitor, has shown promising results in treatment of cancer as demonstrated in Taiwan tests involving 60 different human tumor cell lines.

The drug was developed by researchers from National Taiwan University College of Medicine and Taipei Medical University, with funding from the MOST and Formosa Pharmaceuticals under the National Research Program for Biopharmaceuticals.

According to the researchers, MPT0E028 is especially effective in suppressing tumor growth in the treatment of colorectal, hepatic, lung and pancreatic cancers, as well as leukemia and lymphoma, with animal test subjects exhibiting no significant side effects.

The drug is set to assist global efforts in combating cancer by furthering the development of targeted cancer therapies, which have gradually replaced the traditional chemotherapy, the researchers added.

TMU's Liou Jing-ping, a leader of the research team, said the drug is being reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration under the ROC Ministry of Health and Welfare. It is expected that phase one of clinical trials will kick off in Taiwan in the second half of the year, he added.

The first homegrown anti-cancer drug developed by Taiwan's tertiary institutions to win FDA approval for clinical trials in humans, MPT0E028 holds patents in Taiwan and has approvals pending in 19 countries and territories, including Australia, the EU, New Zealand and Russia.

MPT0E028's Taiwan test results were published in prestigious international medical journals such as Cell Death and Disease and Clinical Cancer Research, respectively, in late 2013 and earlier this year.

MOHW data shows that cancer is Taiwan's No. 1 cause of death since 1982, and according to the World Health Organization, the number of people with cancers worldwide is expected to increase 57% over the next two decades. (YHC-JSM)"

 

[Martian]

Taiwanese beats 20,000 students to win IBM's Master of the Mainframe World Championship

Taiwan Today

"News Ticker
Publication Date： 04/10/2014
Source： Taiwan Today

(Courtesy of IBM)

Taiwan students turned in top performances at the IBM Master the Mainframe World Championship April 8 in New York. Shih Yong-siang from National Taiwan University's Graduate Institute of Computer Science and Information Engineering took top honors, while Jhang Jia-sian from the Graduate Institute of Computer Science and Information Engineering at National Central University in Taoyuan County, northern Taiwan, finished 28th among 43 contestants from 22 nations. Open to international college and high school contestants for the first time this year, the one-month championship running March 10 - April 8 saw around 20,000 competitors go head to head."

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IBM developing next generation of mainframe professionals | ComputerWeekly

"IBM developing next generation of mainframe professionals
Kayleigh Bateman
Thursday 10 April 2014 10:30

IBM has announced three Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in a bid to develop the next generation of mainframe professionals.

IBM's MOOCs are being provided free, through partnerships with Syracuse University, Marist College and the Linux Foundation.

Nmedia - Fotolia

The announcement was made at the supplier's Mainframe50 event in New York this week, held to mark IBM's 50th anniversary of the mainframe. Some 500 people from 38 countries gathered for the anniversary celebration.

Steve Mills, senior vice-president, sales and distribution at IBM, said: "It's been 50 years for the mainframe, but we're really at the beginning of how the technology will continue to change our lives. The mainframe is the workhorse of businesses around the world."

Mainframe skills development

During the event, Pat Toole, general manager, IBM System z at IBM, said: "There is a skills challenge in our industry – in attracting young people to understand and add value to those in businesses [and] skilling up those already in the workforce."

The event also showcased the winners of IBM's Master of the Mainframe World Championship 2014, in which 20,000 students participated across 38 countries.

The students work remotely, receiving training from IBM zEnterprise instructors on how the platform supports cloud, big data and analytics, mobile and security initiatives. Competitors are then tasked to build a business application on the mainframe.

The 2014 championship winner was Yong-Siang Shih from National Taiwan University.

Master of the Mainframe 2012 winner Dontrell Harris was present to reveal how he is now a mainframe capacity and performance analyst at Metlife.

"Taking part in the competition has helped me achieved a lot of things and has really changed my life," he said.

In addition, seven years ago IBM launched its IBM Academic Initiative, which develops enterprise computing skills to aid students in having exposure to IT job opportunities and careers in the sector.

Since its launch, IBM has worked with more than 180,000 students at over 1,000 schools in 70 countries."

 

[zhlee]

City night view in Shanghai

 

[Sea Eagle]

China poised to overtake US as world's largest economy, research shows

China poised to overtake US as world's largest economy, research shows | Business | theguardian.com

 

[Ray]

Manufacturing index rises fractionally but shows fourth straight month of contraction

May 5, 2014, Monday

CHINA'S manufacturing activity in private and export-oriented firms ticked up slightly in April, a survey showed this morning.

The HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index, which measures operating conditions in largely private and export-oriented industrial companies, registered at 48.1 last month, better than 48 in March but lower than the flash reading of 48.3 released earlier, according to HSBC Holdings plc and research firm Markit.

A reading below 50 means contraction, and the latest data signaled the fourth successive monthly deterioration in the sector.

Qu Hongbin, chief economist for China at HSBC, said the data implied that domestic demand decreased at a slower pace, but remained sluggish, while new export orders and employment both contracted.

"The manufacturing sector, and the broader economy as a whole, continues to lose momentum," Qu said. "We think bolder actions will be required to ensure the economy regains its growth."

Over the past month, the State Council unveiled a set of measures, including lower reserve requirements for rural banks and speeding up railway construction, to support growth and employment after first-quarter gross domestic product growth eased to 7.4 percent, the slowest in 18 months.

The official PMI, unveiled last Thursday, rose to 50.4 in April from March's 50.3, said the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing. The official PMI is weighted toward state-owned manufacturers.

Manufacturing index rises fractionally but shows fourth straight month of contraction | Shanghai Daily

 

[nrupatunga]

Sino-Israeli economic and strategic ties growing

China is expanding its economic interests in Israel. Its growing portfolio of holdings in high-tech startups, national infrastructure and core industries gives Beijing an expanded strategic presence in Israel.

In Europe, a move is under way to respond to the Palestinian BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) strategy. Some EU companies have withdrawn from Israel's government bidding process to build private ports.

As for the United States, President Barack Obama warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his recent visit to Washington that, unless Israel stops building settlements and makes a peace deal with the Palestinian Authority, it will lose U.S. support

China has seized the opportunity to fill the void left by the withdrawal of European business from Israel and the gap resulting from the anticipated reduction in U.S. support. China has no moral qualms about investing in Israel and by doing so is increasing its strategic presence. With the support of Netanyahu, China is moving full speed ahead.

Attracted by China's huge market, its willingness to use state funds to encourage state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to invest abroad and its seat on the U.N. Security Council, Netanyahu has given top priority to expanding relations with Beijing.

Chinese SOEs, public institutions and private investors are acquiring large positions in key Israeli industries. In the process, China has gained unprecedented access to Israeli technology, innovation and business knowhow.

China needs all of these assets to modernize and transform its economy. It has found no better place than Israel — in its growing state of isolation — to meet its needs in these areas.

As Netanyahu said last December at a joint news conference with visiting Chinese Foreign Minster Wang Yi, "Our strengths complement one another. China has massive industrial and global reach. Israel has expertise in every area of high-tech."

He left the obvious unsaid, allowing other nations to read between the lines.

Following Wang's visit, Netanyahu publicly gave China relief from Israeli export licensing restrictions as an essential first step his government is taking to expand cooperation and trade.

In a followup to Netanyahu's efforts, Israel's National Cyber Bureau announced plans to include China in a Cyber Emergency Response Team to be created next year.

This is a significant step for Israel, a world leader in defeating cyber attacks, to take because China is a world leader in using cyber penetration of key industries and defense networks to benefit its companies and its defense sector.

As far as high technology is concerned, China has become a close second to the U.S. in the number of projects it is involved in that are co-managed by Israel's Chief Scientist Office.

Israeli officials have said China will soon replace Europe as the second-leading source for investment in Israel's high-tech sector, and could even replace the U.S. in the number one spot.

Israel awarded the Red-Med mega-project — designed to connect the Red Sea to the Mediterranean coast by high-speed rail — to a Chinese firm. Another Chinese firm recently won the right to build a port at Ashod, the proposed terminal for the Red-Med rail scheme project.

The Red-Med project — a Chinese-built strategic alternative to using the Suez Canal — helps Beijing cement its presence in Israel for decades to come.

Netanyahu's government sees Beijing's participation in the project as a way to strengthen Sino-Israeli relations. Given China's current reliance on the Suez Canal for its seaborne trade of goods bound for Europe, this is a plausible move.

In 2011, China gained a controlling interest in a major firm in Israel's agrochemical sector on the back of $2.4 billion in investments by China National Chemical Corporation. Beijing has also gained access to Israeli nanotechnology via a joint venture between Tel Aviv and Tsinghua universities to operate a shared research center.

Washington is watching the growing embrace between Israel and China carefully. This is all the more the case as there have been increasing calls in Israel for it to revive its defense trade with China.

Israeli defense sales to China have lagged substantially ever since Washington's strong objections forced Israel to cancel a $1.1 billion sale of a Phalcon early-warning aircraft to China back in 2000.

China pursues its interests abroad without regard to making moral judgments on what occurs in the countries it chooses to become involved in as investors (or as a trading partner). If the EU walks away from doing business with Israel, its companies will lose out while China's will gain.

So it looks like china is being courted by everyone, russia, israel and even usa to balance each other-off, while china is happy to oblige and make the best use of situation for itself.
@SajeevJino does post various articles about indo-israeli co-operations, but what exactly is happening???

 

[SajeevJino]

​

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@nrupatunga

In the above some were true such as Economic Business and Basic Infrastructure. The Chinese presence is mostly depend on these above

But they didn't get access to Cyber war central ..even their closest ally US can't get there .It's fully already functioning with full focus

Also most of the Israeli defence projects are JV of US and Israel .so Both Israel and US didn't allow others to Participate

Also Strict measures in Israeli defence Companies do not share your tech with anyone without Uncle's approval

There is something more with US and Israel truely you want imaginable