IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Culture

Institutes draw up expansion plans

Confucius Institutes worldwide are starting to think long-term, with 325 of them already having their own development plans.

At the Seventh Confucius Institute Conference in Beijing on Dec 17, more than 300 university presidents took part in a seminar to discuss drawing up such plans. This followed a meeting last year at which the institute discussed its development.

Jing Wei, deputy chief executive of the Confucius Institute Headquarters, said: "At the meeting last year we gave some suggestions on the development plan, which included goals and key projects and some concrete measures. Then we extended some specific terms in the plan, and figured out detailed goals for 2020."

Economy

Warning over global risks

A sluggish global economy will pose challenges, and policies must be tailored to address the risks, said a report issued by the Institute of World Economy and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The report, The World Economy Analysis and Forecast, put global growth for 2013 at 3.5 percent.

The forecast by major international institutions, such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the United Nations, put global growth rates between 3.6 and 4 percent in 2013.

Zhang Yuyan, director of the institute, said the forecast was due to concerns over the "fiscal cliff" in the United States, the eurozone crisis and growing trade protectionism. The fiscal cliff refers to tax increases and spending cuts that will automatically kick in at the beginning of 2013 if a budget agreement is not reached.

Trade

Rise in complaints against China

Trade cases against China rose this year, largely due to the sluggish world economy, a Ministry of Commerce official said. The financial value of the cases surged, said Zhou Hua, a deputy division director at the ministry.

"The number of trade remedy investigations against China in 2012 will be slightly more than in 2011, but their export value will be significantly higher than the previous year because of the type of products involved, such as exports of solar panels to Europe."

China was the subject of 76 trade cases, often referred to as trade remedy investigations, in the first 11 months of the year, the ministry said. There were 69 cases last year, affecting $5.9 billion of exports.

Environment

Pollution seen as a killer

An estimated 8,572 premature deaths occurred in four big Chinese cities this year due to high levels of PM2.5, a study has found.

The report also said severe air pollution in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi'an and Beijing has led to an economic loss of 6.8 billion yuan.

The study by Peking University's School of Public Health and Greenpeace looked at the health and economic impact of PM2.5, particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter.

Modern toxicology research has shown that exposure to PM2.5 can lead to significantly increased death rates due to heart, brain and respiratory diseases, as well as increased cancer risk.

The study was based on available data and took into account varying conditions in the four cities, such as temperature and humidity.

Migration

Wealth drain worry for homeland

The growing number of Chinese opting for investment immigration could damage employment and rural economies in their homeland, a report warns.

Wealthy Chinese are increasingly eyeing opportunities to move capital abroad, the report on Chinese international migration says.

The report quotes Qi Lixin, chairman of the Beijing Entry and Exit Service Association, as saying half the investment immigration projects each worth $500,000 (377,500 euros) in the US are being pitched by agencies in China.

Immigrant investors in China are mainly private-business owners, self-employed groups and senior corporate management staff aged 35 to 55, said the report, issued by the Center for China and Globalization and the Beijing Institute of Technology.

Health

National cancer registry set up

China is setting up a national cancer registry to fully understand the extent of the disease in the country and to help improve cancer prevention policies.

Chen Wanqing, deputy director of the national cancer registry center, under the Ministry of Health, said the government-funded project has set up more than 220 surveillance sites across the mainland, covering some 200 million people.

The sites include health institutions, specialized cancer hospitals, research institutions and public health institutions, he said.

China Daily

(China Daily 12/28/2012 page2)