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Food Security Guaranteed after Quake

四川地震不会影响中国粮食安全保障

Food supplies are ensured despite the magnitude-8 Wenchuan earthquake and heavy snow and ice storms earlier in 2008, China's Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai was quoted as saying by Xinhua News Agency. Sun’s comments came as he was attending a world summit in Rome concerning soaring food prices that was hosted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

"The earthquake will not change agricultural production nationwide this year because the output of the affected areas was quite small," Sun said.

"This year, China's agriculture has prevailed over snow and ice storms and the extremely severe earthquake, and our summer grains and oilseeds are expected to have good harvests," he said.

The devastating earthquake struck following severe snow and ice storms that swept southern China early this year, giving rise to concerns about food shortages in the world's most populous country. 

Since 2004, food production in China has increased every year and total grain output exceeded 500 million tons last year.

2008年6月3日，中国农业部部长孙政才作为中国代表团团长，在罗马出席了由联合国粮食及农业组织主办的世界粮食安全高级别会议，并接受了新华社等中国媒体的联合采访。孙政才表示，尽管2008年中国先后遭遇了冰雪和地震等自然灾害，但这并不会影响中国的粮食安全保障。

孙政才解释说，地震给四川很多地区造成了巨大的人员和财产损失，反映在农业领域，损失主要是田间作物和畜牧业。但受灾地区农业尤其是种植业在中国以及四川省所占的份额相当有限，因此不会改变2008年中国农业生产的大局。

孙政才说，目前中国的夏季粮油又会是大丰收。如果后期没有特别大的灾害，小麦单产可再创历史纪录，总产量可以实现连续第5年增产。至于油料作物，由于年初南方发生的特大冰冻雨雪灾害，人们原本持悲观预计，但现在看来，南方夏收的油菜也会丰收，甚至扭转了3年来连续下滑的局面。

针对过去一段时间里全球粮价急剧攀升，引发的人们对世界粮食安全的普遍担忧这一形势，孙政才指出，中国政府历来高度重视粮食安全。2004至2007年，中国粮食产量连续４年增产，2007年的粮食总产量突破５亿吨。因此，当前中国粮食储备充裕，主要农产品供应充足，这为保障粮食安全奠定了坚实的基础。从长期来看，中国完全有能力立足国内生产实现粮食基本自给，并适当利用进出口调剂余缺来保障粮食安全。

孙政才同时强调，着眼于维护长期的粮食安全，中国政府将坚持不懈地夯实农业基础，加大农业支持力度，严格保护耕地等农业资源，加强农田水利建设，并加快农业科技进步。

在谈到中国对于世界粮食安全发挥的作用时，孙政才说：“中国立足国内生产，成功地解决了13亿人口的吃饭问题，本身就是对世界粮食安全做出的巨大贡献。”
 

Half of Quake-Ravaged Enterprises to Resume Production by end of June

中国工业和信息化部相关负责人分析震后灾区生产恢复工作

About 51 percent of the enterprises whose operations were affected by the massive Wenchuan earthquake, including those already back into operation, should be able to resume production within a month, officials with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on June 5.

The ministry reported Chinese enterprises had suffered a total loss of more than 200 billion yuan (US$28.99 billion) because of the magnitude 8.0 quake that devastated Southwest China on May 12.

About 20,476 enterprises in Sichuan Province suffered losses of 201.1 billion yuan (US$28.2 billion). Industrial and mining enterprises in Shaanxi Province reported 1.63 billion yuan (US$228.2 million) in losses; Gansu Province reported 2 billion yuan (US$280 million) in losses.

The State Council, China's cabinet, passed a draft regulation on post-quake restoration and reconstruction at an executive meeting here on June 4.

The central government set up a working team to guide reconstruction as early as May 14. It is being led by the ministry and 10 other ministries, including the National Development and Reform Commission.

在2008年6月5日召开的灾区生产恢复情况通报会上，中国工业和信息化部有关负责人说：“根据目前对地震灾区初步调查摸底掌握的情况，已恢复和在1个月内可以恢复的受灾企业约占51％，3个月内估计再有25％的企业可恢复生产。”

据中国工业和信息化部的统计数据显示，地震灾害造成工业企业经济损失超过2000亿元。其中，四川受灾工业企业达到20746家，经济损失达到2011亿元；陕西工矿企业因灾损失16.26亿元；甘肃工矿企业因灾损失20亿元。

2008年5月14日，中国国务院抗震救灾总指挥部生产恢复组成立。生产恢复组以中国工业和信息化部为牵头单位，中国国家发展和改革委员会等10个部门为成员单位，主要帮助群众开展生产自救，对灾情损毁情况进行核实，指导制定恢复生产方案，积极落实扶持资金物资等。

中国工业和信息化部派出的调研工作组认为，目前企业生产恢复的主要困难在于电煤、成品油、天然气调运不足，受灾企业流动资金欠缺，以及企业安置员工生活的压力。首先，生产恢复组要进一步摸清情况，分类指导组织恢复。在已经派出的5个工作组调研基础上，配合地方政府部门，组织技术力量，指导组织重点企业对厂房、设备加快鉴定，分批抓紧制定复产方案。需要重建或移地重建的，纳入灾后重建规划。

二是抓紧恢复生产要素企业生产。加强与地方政府和有关部门的协调配合，加大电煤、成品油、天然气的调运力度，加快电力系统抢修进度，优先恢复发电、供气、供水、煤矿等生产要素企业生产，为全面恢复工业生产创造条件。

三是努力确保救灾、重建物资相关企业的恢复生产。以安置受灾群众、卫生防疫、夏收夏种、灾后重建所需物资为重点，协调解决流动资金短缺、原材料供应、产品运输等突出问题，加紧组织帐篷、活动板房、食品加工、消杀用品、化肥、农药、农用机械、建材等企业恢复生产。

四是重点支持大型骨干企业恢复生产。对重点骨干企业，组织力量专门制定生产恢复方案，组织企业对口支援和协作，实施“一厂一策、重点帮扶”。

五是加大对中小企业的扶持力度。通过制定符合实际的扶持政策，优先恢复技术含量高、劳动密集、与大企业协作配套的中小企业生产。对于严重浪费资源、污染环境的企业要坚决淘汰，鼓励转产。　　   

六是加快工业园区恢复，推进产业集聚。在原有工业园区基础上，选择一部分具有资源优势和环境承载能力的地区，组织引导东部发达地区和企业实施对口支援、产业转移，采取联合、兼并、重组、参股入股等多种方式参与恢复重建。

Nationwide Residential Sales Dip in First Four Months

2008年前４个月中国商品房销售面积下降

China saw commercial residential sales dip in the first four months in 2008 while real estate investment in central and western regions outpaced that in the East.

The area of residential buildings sold in the January–April fell 4 percent year-on-year to 136.6 million square metres, compared with 16.6-percent growth in the same period in 2007, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) reported on May 30.

Home buyers had somewhat taken a wait-and-see attitude in the first quarter as housing price rises generally slowed down and transactions continued shrinking as a result of macro-control policies, according to an NDRC report published in April.

The NDRC, China's top economic planner, said the country completed the construction of 84.5 million square metres of commercial residential houses in the first four months, 20.2 percent more than the same period of 2007.

Real estate investment soared 44.8 percent in Central China and 42.6 percent in western China, while the booming eastern areas posted a 26.1-percent growth.

In the period, the nation completed 695.2 billion yuan (US$99.3 billion) of real estate investment, a year-on-year increase of 32.1 percent, up by 4.7 percentage points.

中国国家发展和改革委员会2008年5月30日公布的数据显示，2008年1至4月，中国商品住房竣工面积8448万平方米，同比增长20.2%，增幅同比提高10.3个百分点；销售面积达到13664万平方米，同比下降4%，增幅同比下降20.6个百分点。

数据还显示，商品住房空置面积也在继续下降，到2008年4月底，中国商品住房空置面积达到12464万平方米，同比减少1.9%。

2008年前４个月，中国房地产还呈现开发投资持续增长，中西部地区投资增幅明显加快，土地购置与开发面积增加，房屋施工面积加大，新开工面积加快的特点。全国共完成房地产开发投资6952亿元，同比增长32.1％，增幅同比提高4.7个百分点。

China Post Gets Nod to Set up Life Insurance Company

中国邮政人寿保险股份有限公司获批成立

The country’s insurance regulator has given the China Post Group, the business entity in charge of mail, delivery services and a postal saving bank, approval to establish a life insurance company.

Feng Xinsheng, executive deputy general manager of the group, on June 7, said the China Post Life Insurance Company Limited will be launched within a year.

The insurance company will be registered in Beijing with a register capital of 500 million yuan (US$72.46 million), Feng said.

He said the new company would mainly serve farmers, low-income urban residents and migrant workers in cities.

The China Post Group was established in December 2006 to separate the regulatory functions of the former State Post Bureau (SPB) from its business activities. 

Feng said deposits at the China Postal Savings Bank, inaugurated in March 2007, had reached 1.8 trillion yuan (US$252 billion) by the end of May. The bank is more recognized as a community bank or rural bank with extensive outlets across the nation, especially in the countryside.

2008年6月7日，中国邮政集团公司常务副总经理冯新生表示，中国保险监督管理委员会已经批准同意中国邮政成立中国邮政人寿保险股份有限公司（以下简称中邮人寿公司），公司目前正在筹建当中。

在日前天津举行的邮政服务中小企业推动工作会议上，冯新生说，中邮人寿公司将充分利用邮政遍布城乡的实物传递网、信息网、金融网等网络资源优势，以邮政代理保险业务多年来的发展经验为基础，探索经营保险业务的特色发展之路。

中邮人寿保险股份有限公司由中国邮政集团公司及其系统内20家全资子公司共同发起筹建，注册资本为5亿元，注册地为北京。公司将在一年内成立，成立后开办业务服务对象为广大农民、城市低收入者和来大城市的务工人员。

China Mobile to Acquire Tietong in Major Industry Overhaul

中国铁通并入中国移动 电信业重组拉开帷幕

China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC) announced on May 23, that it will acquire fixed-line operator China Tietong as its wholly owned subsidiary, in a move that may herald a much-awaited overhaul of the country's telecom industry.

Tietong reported that it will remain an independent operation, CMCC, parent of Hong Kong-listed China Mobile Limited.

CMCC also announced several personnel changes.

Zhang Chunjiang, general manager of China Netcom Group Corporation, will join CMCC as its vice-general manager and Party secretary.

Former head of Tietong and another China Netcom vice-president will also join CMCC as vice-general managers.

Industry insiders are expecting more swaps of executives among the country's top four State-owned operators: China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom and China Netcom.

The reshuffle is expected to pave the way for a much-anticipated industry consolidation, which could see China Unicom sell its CDMA networks to China Telecom and merge its GSM networks with China Netcom, industry experts said.

That arrangement will enable all the major carriers to provide both fixed-line and mobile phone services.

Regulators have viewed such an arrangement as a major way to step up competition, because a consolidation of China Telecom, China Unicom and China Netcom could create two larger telephone operators able to compete with behemoth China Mobile.

2008年5月23日，中国移动通信集团公司（以下简称中国移动）通报：中国铁通集团有限公司（以下简称中国铁通）并入中国移动，成为其全资子企业，目前仍将保持相对独立运营。中国电信业重组由此拉开帷幕。　　

中国移动的管理层也做相应调整。其中，王建宙继续担任中国移动通信集团公司总经理，并担任党组副书记；张春江任中国移动党组书记、副总经理；中国移动原有的副总经理继续留任，同时新增赵吉斌、张晓铁、李正茂为中国移动通信集团公司副总经理、党组成员。

Commercial, Civil Aviators Consider Future

新一届亚洲国际航空展览会暨论坛将于2009年在香港举行

A China Club will be launched to bring together like-minded industry professionals from the commercial aerospace and civil aviation sector that have a common interest in Chinese aviation, said Preecha Chen, president of Reed Exhibitions Greater China, at a press conference of the Asian Aerospace 2009 on May 19, 2008.

Members will receive regular e-newsletters that contain industry news and updates as well as invitations to exclusive seminars and “webinars” by pre-eminent experts concerned with the Chinese aviation industry.

After the successfully transferring the Asian Aerospace 2007 from Singapore to Hong Kong, Reed Exhibition has decided to hold the 2009 event in Hong Kong again.

There is a huge gap between the rising need of commercial and civil aviation services brought by the fast economic growth in China and the current infrastructure and aviation environment. The gap provides abundant business opportunities for suppliers from the commercial aerospace and civil aviation supply chain, according to Clive Richardson, senior vice-president, Aerospace & Aviation Group, Reed Exhibitions.

That’s why Reed Exhibitions chose to transfer the event to China, said Clive Richardson.

Before the real event in 2009, a series of “road show” events, including seminars relating to the latest developments in the commercial aerospace and civil aviation industry, will be conducted in many Chinese cities such as Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, and Dalian

2008年5月15日，亚洲国际航空展览会暨论坛的主办方励展博览集团与香港特别行政区政府官员宣布，新一届亚洲国际航空展览会暨论坛将于2009年9月7至10日在香港亚洲国际博览馆举行。

自2007年起移师香港后的亚洲国际航空展览会暨论坛，致力于商用及民用航空业，以满足亚洲（尤其是中国）对航空相关产品和服务的疾速增长之需求。

励展博览集团亚洲航空及防务项目部高级副总裁克莱夫·理查森表示，新兴的趋势显示，由于亚洲经济体正在赶超更成熟的发达经济体，在不远的将来，亚洲经济持续快速的发展将成为主流。尤其是中国和印度将表现突出，成为经济增长的主要推动力。随着经济的进一步发展和财富的积聚，航空旅行无论为旅游或为休闲，势必有所增加。然而，亚洲当前的基础设施和航空环境在档次上落后于欧美更成熟的网络、服务及产品。这一差距为商用及民用航空供应链的供应商提供了广阔的商机。正因为如此，亚洲国际航空展览会暨论坛已重新定位，旨在打造最有效的商业平台，以满足亚洲国家的此类购买需求。

据介绍，2009年举办的亚洲国际航空展览会暨论坛还将推出中国俱乐部，旨在使志趣相投且对中国市场抱有共同兴趣的商用及民用航空业业内人士汇聚一堂。会员将收到定期发出的电子新闻通讯，包括新闻、最新消息及参加杰出专家主持的有关中国航空业的独家研讨会和网络研讨会的邀请函。

Yearbook Notes Decline in China's Competitiveness

2008年《世界竞争力报告》显示：

中国内地排名世界第17 位
China dropped two places to 17th in the latest World Competitiveness Yearbook compiled by the Swiss business school IMD, the compilers said on May 21, 2008.

This year's drop isn't statistically significant, and "China has been on an upward path" in recent years, IMD World Competitiveness Center research fellow Suzanne Rosselet said. In 1995, China ranked 34th.

Rosselet said many factors have contributed to the drop, such as domestic price hikes and the environmental costs of development.

The United States continued to top competitiveness rankings for the 15th consecutive year despite signs of an economic downturn.

The IMD economists said the report was based on 2007 data that do not reflect the current economic woes in the United States. "The big question is whether the United States will be No. 1 after this year," Project Director Stephane Garelli said.

Singapore and China's Hong Kong kept their respective second- and third-place rankings, and the gap is narrowing between these two economies and the United States, the IMD study said.

2008年5月15日，瑞士洛桑国际管理学院发布的2008年《世界竞争力年度报告》显示，尽管正面临经济衰退风险，美国仍居榜首，新加坡和中国香港也继续位居前3甲之列。

另外，中国内地的排名滑落2名，由2007年的第15位降至第17位，落后于美国和德国，但领先于英国和日本。在2006和2007年两年的报告中，中国的竞争力排名则处于持续上升状态。报告同时显示，台湾地区从2007年的第18名升至第13名，日本从第24位升至第22位，印度从第27位降至第29位，韩国从第29位降至第31位，巴西从第49位升至第43位，俄罗斯从第43位降至第47位。

瑞士洛桑国际管理学院世界竞争力研究中心副主任麦考利女士对此表示，虽然2008年中国的竞争力排名略有下降，但中国的经济表现并未下降，而是在进入一种巩固成果的阶段。中国目前只是在为其经济的快速增长而付出值得的、可以接受的代价。就长期而言，中国的竞争力有很大上升潜力。

在对比不同国家的情况时，世界竞争力中心主任格瑞理强调，美国现在日益深陷金融危机泥沼，类似于日本20世纪90年代的经济危机可能会在美国重现。受此影响，美国的竞争力排名将受到威胁。此外，洛桑国际管理学院在一份公报中指出，2008年也许会成为美国竞争力排名的转折点，从1994至2008年，美国一直在年度竞争力报告中排名第一。但是到2009年，美国或许会失去其第一的位置。这不但因为新加坡等经济体在日益缩小与美国的差距，还因为美国自身的金融危机和经济衰退风险。

《世界竞争力年度报告》是洛桑国际管理学院发布的主要经济体经济竞争力的年度研究报告，自1989年起每年发表一次。该报告根据经济表现、政府效率、企业效率和基础设施4个大指标及其下属的300多个小指标来进行竞争力评估，被认为是研究国家和地区竞争力的最好资料。

2008年的报告涵盖了55个经济体，大部分经济体的排名与2007年相比变动幅度不大。2008年排名前20位的经济体依次为：美国、新加坡、中国香港、瑞士、卢森堡、丹麦、澳大利亚、加拿大、瑞典、荷兰、挪威、爱尔兰、中国台湾、奥地利、芬兰、德国、中国内地、新西兰、马来西亚和以色列。