Monday, 12 December 2011

China reels in the pirates

A decade after it joined the WTO, China has made strides in its war on piracy, but experts say the government’s controls are not watertight

Massive stock scheme revealed

Mainland regulators uncover 426 million yuan trading scam, but analysts say more must be done to address manipulation of the stock market

Global players’ woe over logistics boom

An expanding domestic logistics market on the mainland is squeezing out the big global firms and will see a Chinese rival grow in size to match them, say experts

Countries should note rule No 1 when heading for exit: don’t panic

Currency took two years to stitch together and so should take as long to dismantle, says economist

Hard-up Greeks swap their gold crosses for cash

Angeliki says her clients sell their gold crucifixes, baptism tokens or other religious objects, along with watches and pieces of gold. “When you are unemployed and have to pay the bills or taxes ... there is often no other solution,” she said.

The day Europe lost patience with Britain

It was billed as a summit to save the euro. It may be remembered as the day Europe lost patience with Britain, as most of the continent threw its lot in with EU founding members France and Germany and committed to binding their economies ever more tightly.

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China workshops struggle, but tougher times ahead

A broad and bruising downturn is sweeping through China's giant manufacturing sector, ensnaring thousands of factories already fighting for survival in the face of plunging profit margins.

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Friday, 9 December 2011

Ten years on, American business rethinks China dreams

Few in the United States would recognize Charlene Barshefsky or remember what she did. Not so in China where the former U.S. Trade Representative says she is stopped in the streets by ordinary people and thanked.

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Actor Wang Wei Died at 70-Years-Old


Hong Kong actor, Wang Wei ( 王偉) (1941 -2011) passed away at 70-years-old. His real name was Wang Wing Wei (王永偉). Through his father’s friend’s introduction, Mr. Wang started shooting popular Mandarin movies in 1963. In 1971, Mr. Wang joined the television industry, starring in many popular series, both at ATV and TVB, in which his performances were well-received.

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Thursday, 8 December 2011

Beijing seeks extradition of runaway bosses

The government in Beijing is seeking the extradition of private entrepreneurs who have fled China to live abroad after defaulting on billions of yuan owed to state banks and loan sharks, two independent sources said, a rare move underlining concern over the scale of losses.

What the shadow market enthusiasts don’t tell you

The growth of off-balance-sheet and underground lending may look like a stealth liberalisation of mainland financial markets but is it really a healthy development?

Property tax scheme to cover more cities

Levy on home purchases will eventually replace restrictions on home-buying, finance official says

Vale’s China gamble falters

Brazil’s Vale made a successful wager in the 1960s to ship iron ore directly to Japan. But its attempt to do the same in China has run aground

Landlords call shots in Beijing office squeeze

Lease prices will keep rising as corporate demand is far outpacing supply, brokers say

Policy shift seen boosting sentiment

Mainland cut in bank reserves and support measures expected to encourage buyers, but critics play down gain unless controls end

Singapore home prices to fall 20%: Morgan Stanley

Prices of residential properties are expected to take a 20 per cent haircut, according to a report issued by Morgan Stanley Research.

Wednesday, 7 December 2011

Foreigners in China squeezed by pensions, taxes

Foreign companies that are looking to China to shore up wilting global sales have been hit by higher payroll taxes, surcharges to subsidize unions and other changes that are making conditions tougher just as economic growth slows.

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Sham-pagne! Château Lafite counterfeit scheme uncovered

The latest case in China's neverending piracy story involves wine bootleggers vending locally-refined (or in this case, maybe "unrefined") wine under the imported Château Lafite Rothschild labels.

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Tuesday, 6 December 2011

Chinese court rejects Apple lawsuit over iPad name

The Intermediate People's Court in the southern boomtown of Shenzhen rejected Apple's lawsuit against Proview Technology (Shenzhen). Proview, it said, lawfully registered the iPad trademark as long ago as 2000 for products in a number of countries including China, the Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper reported, citing court documents.

It's about time Apple get sued for stealing IP.

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Shell Strikes Shale Gas in China

Royal Dutch Shell has found shale gas in China, a development that could cap imports in a market natural gas producers are hoping will drive demand.

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