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learn mandarin – Euro zone retail trade grows by 0.1 percent in July

mandarinbjcn — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 12:30:28 +0000

Retail trade volume in the euro zone grew by 0.1 percent in July compared with the previous month, the European Union’s (EU) statistical bureau Eurostat said on Friday.

In July, food, drinks and tobacco trade increased by 0.3 percent in the euro zone month-on-month, while the non-food sector rose by 0.1 percent.

The retail sales index gained 1.1 percent in the 16-nation euro area year on year.

In the 27-nation EU, the volume of retail trade in July increased by 0.1 percent from June and gained 1.0 percent from the previous year.

Among the EU member states for which data were available, total retail trade in July increased in nine countries and declined in 10 others compared with June.

Retail sales index, a monthly measurement of all goods sold by retailers based on a sampling of retail stores is often taken as an indicator of consumer confidence.

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learn Chinese online – Nepali gov’t bans gold import

mandarinbjcn — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:27:38 +0000

Nepali government has imposed a ban on gold imports to deal with the mounting pressure such imports been exerting on the country’s foreign currency reserves.

“We have decided to completely bar the imports from Friday and the decision will remain in effect till further notice,” Ganesh Dhakal, joint-secretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies ( MoCS), told Friday’s Republica daily.

Officials stated that MoCS took such a decision mainly on request from the central bank, as soaring imports of the yellow metal continued to put pressure on the country’s foreign currency reserves.

Nepal has been suffering a huge trade deficit, mainly due to multifold increments in imports compared to exports. Propelled by widening trade deficit along with slowing growth in remittances, the balance of payments has been in negative territory also since the first quarter of last fiscal year.

While a rapid rise in gold imports was one of the factors behind this state of affairs, Nepal Rastra Bank, the central bank of the country, despite controlling its supply, has been facing a tough time bringing the situation under control.

China Travel – China’s August PMI for non-manufacturing sector steady at 60.1%

mandarinbjcn — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:39:36 +0000

The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for China’s non-manufacturing sector in August remained the same as in July – 60.1 percent – the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) said here Friday in a statement posted on its website.

The non-manufacturing PMI includes a package of indices that measure the non-manufacturing sector’s performance.

A reading above 50 percent indicates economic expansion while one below 50 percent indicates economic contraction.

It was the sixth straight month the reading was above 50 percent. The index returned to growth in July, after dropping for two consecutive months, in May and June.

The new orders index rose 0.4 percentage points to 56.2 percent from the previous month, the CFLP said.

“The non-manufacturing PMI remained at a high level in August, which reflects the steady performance of the construction and service sectors,” said Cai Jin, deputy chairman of the CFLP.

According to Cai, the government should be fully aware of the price hike trend in the services sector and should strive for both stable commodity prices and steady economic growth.

China Business – More Californians concerned about job environment, less about financial woes

mandarinbjcn — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:38:22 +0000

Nearly half of respondents believed the stagnant labor market is the state’s most pressing problem and many people plan to learn more skills to better adjust to the uncertain situation, a study released on Wednesday by Harris/Decima said.

The data, which was sponsored by Everest College in the 2nd Annual California Labor Day Survey, found that 41 percent of respondents believe the job environment is California’s top economic issue, followed by the state’s financial crisis (29 percent).

The result was in sharp contrast and a complete reversal to 2009, when the top concern was the financial crisis (43 percent), followed by the employment picture (27 percent).

“The state’s unemployment rate is the third highest in the nation and easily the most important economic issue for Californians right now,” said John Andrews, regional vice president of operations at Everest College. “However, as the study indicates, Californians continue to be proactive in the face of job uncertainty, with many considering skills training or other educational avenues to improve their employment opportunities.”

With the state’s unemployment rate perched at 12.3 percent in July, the study found that more Californians in 2010 have considered various options to deal with the sluggish job market when compared with 2009. Specifically, 37 percent of employed Californians have considered returning to school to enhance their career compared with 28 percent in 2009, and 36 percent have contemplated a new career to make more money versus 28 percent the previous year.

For example, as of June 30, 2010, enrollment at Everest’s California campuses rose 22 percent during a two-year period, in large part due to the popularity of Everest’s healthcare programs, which includes medical assisting, recently named by Forbes magazine as one of the fastest growing jobs for women in 2010.

The survey found that 53 percent of Californians are experiencing heavier workloads and half of the respondents have less job security than they did two years ago. Including commute time, 41 percent of employed Californians say they work more than 10 hours every day. And 39 percent said they have less time for family and friends due to longer working hours, which has risen from 2009′s 35 percent.

Among those Californians who are employed by an employer, one in four think they will be laid off in the next 12 months and more than a third (36 percent) expect to lose some or all benefits during the same time period. Respondents with less than a high school education were more concerned about their employment future compared to those with vocational or technical college, the survey found, with 57 percent said they have less job security than two years ago (37 percent).

This data was gathered by Harris/Decima through telephone interviews between July 15th and July 24th, 2010. A total of 600 Californians — 470 employed and 130 unemployed — were surveyed.

learn Chinese – “It’s good to be back to school”: students in disaster-hit regions

mandarinbjcn — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 08:40:41 +0000

After living through major tragedies, such as the Wenchuan Earthquake that claimed over 68,000 lives and the Zhouqu mudslides that left 1,400 dead, the new semester starting Wednesday may bring a much-needed sense of normality to the affected students.

Senior high schoolers of the mudslides-hit Zhouqu County, northwest China’s Gansu Province, began a new semester on a usual date, Sept. 1, which is the first day of school in many parts of China, but at a place 400 km south of Zhouqu, the provincial capital of Lanzhou.

After the county was hit by massive mudslides on Aug. 8, two primary schools were damaged and high schools are now being used by these pupils. So high schoolers, altogether more than 3,000, were transferred to four schools in Lanzhou and Dingxi City.

“The new dormitory has everything — bed sheets, tooth brushes, slippers, toilet paper, you name it”, said Wang Wentian, whose house was destroyed. Fortunately, her family was not at home when the mudslides struck.

Another student, Guo Xiangban, lost several loved ones in the mudslides. “I still feel sad when I am alone. But the past is the past and I have to move on with my life,” said Guo.

On the same day, students of the newly-built Beichuan High School, where over 1,000 students were killed after two school buildings collapsed during the Wenchuan earthquake on May 12, 2008, also started their new semester.

“I have never been in a school so beautiful. There is even a bathroom in our dorm,” said Qiao Qi, a senior high student at Beichuan.

The new school, covering an area of 15 hectares, can accommodate 5,200 students. Before the school was built, students, like nomads, had studied during the past two years in tents, then makeshift classrooms.

Sitting in a wheelchair, Guo Dongmei looked at the bustling sports field where her schoolmates could not wait to try out the new sports equipment, such as the parallel bars.

Guo was badly hurt in the earthquake. Her left leg was amputated and the muscles in her right leg now suffer from not being used. Also, she could not remember how many surgeries she had been through.

“Maybe a dozen,” said short-haired Guo softly. “Our new school facilities, like the beds and toilets, were specially designed to make life easier for people like me. Now I can take care of myself, on my own, at school.”

What is more exciting for Guo is that after her last operation on her leg last month, doctors told her that she can stop using a wheelchair and, in one month, begin walking with the help of crutches.

All school buildings of the new schools were built no higher than five stories so students can be easily evacuated in case of an emergency.

A total of 1,467 people were killed and 298 others remain missing as of Monday due to the Zhouqu mudslide. The death toll from the Wenchuan earthquake was 68,712, among which 5,335 were students.

learn mandarin – Chinese president appoints new ambassadors

mandarinbjcn — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 08:44:12 +0000

Chinese President Hu Jintao has formally appointed six new ambassadors to foreign countries, according to a statement from the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) on Wednesday.

Hu made the appointments in line with decision made by the NPC Standing Committee.

Liu Hanming was appointed ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda, replacing Chen Ligang.

Gong Jianzhong was appointed ambassador to Ghana, replacing Yu Wenzhe.

Gu Ziping was appointed ambassador to Slovakia, replacing Chen Jianfu.

Guo Yezhou was appointed ambassador to Bulgaria, replacing Zhang Wanxue.

Wang Fuguo was appointed ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, replacing Liu Wenxin.

Yu Wenzhe was appointed ambassador to Guyana, replacing Zhang Jungao.

Chinese School – China to advance home services industry developmen

mandarinbjcn — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:39:42 +0000

Chinese government Wednesday announced guidelines designed to boost the development of home services industry across the country, vowing financial support and tax cuts.

“The home services industry plays an important role in creating jobs. It also improves people’s living standards and expands domestic demand, helping adjust China’s economic structure,” said a statement issued after an executive meeting of the State Council, China’s Cabinet, presided over by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

The government will prioritize development of housekeeping services, community services, senior citizen care, and home care for the sick to meet the basic needs of families, the statement said.

Delivery of household necessities and home education may also be developed in line with local conditions to meet the special needs of households, the statement added.

The government encourages business people to invest in the home services industry to nurture a domestic home services market, it said.

The statement also said public employment service providers must improve their services and offer free career counseling for home service providers.

The government also promised to intensify supervision of home service companies to safeguard consumer rights.

It also promised to take measures to safeguard service providers’ rights to reasonable salaries.

Chinese language – China urges “balanced understanding” during strategic dialogue with EU

mandarinbjcn — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:39:16 +0000

China Wednesday called for the European Union to have a balanced, objective, comprehensive understanding of the world’s largest developing country during an upgraded strategic dialogue held in the underdeveloped province of Guizhou.

State Councilor Dai Bingguo told the EU side that despite rapid economic growth, China has no possibility to be arrogant, nor is it pretending to be a richer or poorer country than it actually is, with unfathomable strategic intentions, according to Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying.

“China expects the EU to treat itself as an equal,” Dai was quoted by Fu as telling EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton.

The meeting was the fifth strategic dialogue between the two sides and the first since it was upgraded from vice foreign-minister level to its current level.

China had made remarkable achievements since its reform and opening up to the outside, but it is still a developing country, Dai said.

China has a clear understanding of its position in the international arena and its current level of development, Dai said, adding it will focus on economic development in the long run.

China has not been, nor is, nor will be in the pursuit of hegemony, but adheres to the path of peaceful development, Dai said.

China needs a peaceful international environment for development and its development will promote global peace and development, he said.

Ashton echoed Dai, saying that the European Union should have a comprehensive understanding of China.

The EU’s view of China’s development was one topic of the one-day closed-door meeting.

“It is one major aim of this strategic dialogue to enhance mutual understanding between China and the European Union. Both sides have a strong will to better understand each other and promote political mutual trust, so as to promote bilateral cooperation,” said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying in an interview with Xinhua.

The two sides also discussed the international situation and the development of the China-EU relationship.

On the international situation, China urged all countries to join hands to cope with global challenges.

On China-EU relations, China said it supports EU integration. The two sides should strengthen political dialogue, enhance strategic mutual trust, expand cooperation, properly handle sensitive issues and have more people-to-people exchanges, so as to promote a strategic partnership of cooperation.

Ashton said the European Union will strengthen political and economic dialogue with China and seek out more areas for cooperation.

“The two sides found much in common in the talks. The two sides hope to have a better and deeper understanding of each other through more dialogue,” Fu said.

On Tuesday, Ashton and her entourage paid a visit to a poor village of the Miao ethnic group in the suburbs of Guiyang, capital city of Guizhou.

In the village, they called on rural families and a primary school.

Prior to the Guizhou visit, Ashton had a two-day tour in Shanghai Municipality, one of China’s most developed cities.

“We hoped such an arrangement would give her a comprehensive understanding of China and help the EU side view China and its development in a balanced and objective manner,” Fu, the vice foreign minister, said.

The travel arrangements have been viewed as a response to the suggestion China is no longer a developing country and that it should take on more international responsibilities.

Qu Xing, a research fellow at the foreign ministry, said the arrangement helped China and the EU reach consensus about China’s development, with which the two sides can have a more comprehensive and balanced view about the China-EU relationship.

Ashton’s visit to the land-locked Chinese province of Guizhou “also sent the positive signal that the EU wants to know more about China,” Qu added.

China-EU relations have endured some twists and turns in recent years. Nevertheless, facing the changing international situation and global challenges, the European Union adjusted its China policy and now seeks coordination and cooperation with China in some international affairs, Qu said.

The EU wants to have a larger voice in international affairs. China wants to keep a multilateral situation. These elements impelled the two sides to further develop their relationship. The two sides do not have fundamental conflicts in interests. This dialogue will help them deepen understanding and further promote the development of China-EU relations, Qu said.

After her stay in Guizhou, Ashton flew to Beijing Wednesday evening, where she will meet Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and have talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

Chinese language – Global auto sales to hit 70 mln units this year: expert forecasts

mandarinbjcn — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:30:49 +0000

Global auto sales are expected to reach 70 million units this year, as China continues to lead the new car market, a senior executive with Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co. said.

In 2009, global auto sales only reached 60.99 million units due to the global economic downturn, according to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA).

China became the second largest market for Nissan in 2009, said Dr. Andy Palmer, Senior Vice President and Executive Committee member of Nissan Motor, on Friday.

Sales of Nissan’s luxury brand Infiniti in China hit 5,113 units in the first half year, more than double from a year earlier, said Palmer, adding that sales for the entire year could exceed 10,000 units, second only to the United States market.

Nissan Motor is the seventh largest automaker worldwide, with total auto sale of 3.36 million in 2009.

China Travel – Mexico’s largest airline to shut down on Saturday

mandarinbjcn — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:28:52 +0000

A Mexicana airlines plane is seen at the Benito Juarez international airport in Mexico City August 22, 2010. Mexicana de Aviacion, one of Mexico’s two major airlines, will cease operations by midday on Saturday, Mexico’s Transport Minister Juan Molinar told reporters on August 27, 2010.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Mexico’s debt-laden airline Compania Mexicana de Aviacion will cease all operations on Saturday, senior government officials announced Friday.

The largest Mexican air carrier will fly its last plane at midnight Friday, before it grounds its entire fleet by Saturday noon, said Communications and Transportation Minister Juan Molinar Horcasitas at a joint press conference with Labour Minister Javier Lozano.

No sanctions are foreseen against Mexicana, which filed for bankruptcy protection in early August, and its staff’s employment contracts remain valid, the two ministers said.

The announcement came after Tenedora K, a private equity firm that has acquired 95 percent of Mexicana’s shares, voiced its intention to seek additional investors.

With its debts estimated at over 1 billion U.S. dollars, Mexicana stopped selling tickets three weeks ago, but has kept flying for passengers who had bought tickets in advance.

The closure of the airline also led to the shutdown of its small subsidiary Click and Link, which had been making profits by offering low cost flight services.