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Chinese firm eyes Indian rail projects

Chinese and Indian companies are working on a joint bid for five high-speed railway projects in India as India speeds up economic development under its new leadership.

The Indian government will soon open the projects for public bidding and Tata Projects, one of the fastest growing infrastructure companies in India, is in talks with an undisclosed Chinese company that owns the advanced technology used in the bid, said Vinayak Deshpande, managing director of Tata Projects.

Industry insiders believe the potential partner would be one of China's major rail companies, CSR Corp or CNR Corp, though neither company would confirm they were part of the bid.

Hotline helps Chinese overseas

China has opened a global call center to help Chinese traveling or working overseas.

Chinese diplomats have guided or evacuated compatriots out of turmoil or criminal assaults this year in places such as Libya, South Sudan and Vietnam.

The country will "weave a full-time safety net that spans the globe to make sure our compatriots receive timely consular protection and service from the motherland wherever they are", Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at the inauguration ceremony at the ministry on Sept 2.

Officials have estimated that the number of Chinese citizens going abroad this year may exceed 100 million, the largest of any country.

The 24-hour global hotline 12308 will be able to deliver help when it is needed, Wang said.

Chinese samples free of Ebola

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention had tested 20 suspected cases of Ebola by the end of last month, but none tested positive for the lethal virus.

CDC officials made the announcement on Sept 2.

Li Dexin, a researcher at the center's Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, said China is now capable of Ebola virus screening and testing.

Testing methods include searches for nucleic acid, antigens and antibodies. The nucleic acid test is the best in terms of accuracy and efficiency, he said.

Insurance firms fined for price fixing

The antitrust regulator has announced fines on 23 Chinese insurance firms and a local industry association.

The 23 provincial insurance companies and Zhejiang Insurance Industry Association were fined more than 110 million yuan ($17.8 million; 13.6 million euros) for fixing new car insurance discounts and other anti-competitive practices, the National Development and Reform Commission said.

The commission "has treated local and foreign companies equally", it said on its website.

The State Administration for Industry and Commerce, another market regulator, said on Sept 1 that it had given Microsoft 20 days to reply to queries on the compatibility of its Windows operating system and Office software suite as part of an anti-monopoly investigation.

On Sept 2 the American Chamber of Commerce said most of its members feel less welcome than before in China and almost half believe foreign companies are being targeted in the country's latest antitrust drive.

Airport vows to reduce delays

Airport managers in Beijing say they will help Chinese airlines improve their punctuality, which has become a big concern for travelers.

"We will optimize our timetable for arrivals and departures, strengthen coordination with airlines and air traffic management authorities and streamline ground operations," said Zhao Ying, general manager of Beijing Capital International Airport's operations center.

The airport has said it plans to move some domestic flights to airports in neighboring cities such as Tianjin and Shijiazhuang to release more slots for international services.

Foreign airports and airlines are lining up with the airport to attract more Chinese travelers, industry leaders say.

"The Chinese market is extremely important to us," said Rosemarie Andolino, of the Chicago Department of Aviation. The (department) is looking forward to working collaboratively with Beijing airport to bring more air services and travelers to both cities, which is important for job creation and economic development."

Courts build credentials in maritime disputes

More foreign companies are opting to have marine disputes resolved in Chinese courts as the judiciary's reputation grows with the increasing number of maritime cases in which it has provided equal protection to overseas litigants, China's top court said.

With the development of the international shipping market and the global economic crisis, disputes over marine freight, watercraft rentals, vessel collisions, ship construction and ocean pollution have multiplied, said China's Maritime Adjudication, a white book of marine trial records over the past 30 years in Chinese and English.

On the dockets of 10 Chinese maritime tribunals, most in coastal cities such as Shanghai and Qingdao in Shandong province, were 21,548 marine disputes last year, compared with just 18 when the first six marine courts were opened in 1984, said the white book, issued by the Supreme People's Court on Sept 2.

Colleges reach out to ASEAN countries

Chinese and ASEAN top education officials are encouraging more Chinese universities to reach out, conducting international collaboration programs and opening overseas campuses in ASEAN countries, aiming to improve higher education cooperation.

During the seventh China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week, held in Guizhou province in the first week of September, education officials from China and ASEAN countries exchanged ideas on enhancing higher education cooperation.

The overseas campuses of Chinese universities include Suzhou University in Laos, Singapore University of Technology and Design, and Xiamen University in Malaysia, Hao Ping, deputy education minister of China, said at the opening ceremony Sept 1.

Foreigners using free legal aid on the rise

The number of foreign offenders receiving legal aid has increased since a law was amended last year requiring the government to provide free help to foreigners who face life sentences or the death penalty.

The Ministry of Justice says legal aid authorities handled more than 800 cases involving foreigners last year after the law took effect in January 2013, a 20 percent increase from the year before.

"More foreigners staying in China and the amended Criminal Procedure Law enlarging the scope of our legal services to foreign defendants has contributed to the sharp increase in such cases," said Sang Ning, deputy director of the ministry's legal aid center.

Most of the cases involved violent crimes, including drug smuggling and trafficking, murder, rape, human trafficking and robbery, as well as financial crimes, Sang said.

Nuclear framework signed with Romania

More Chinese nuclear power companies will have greater market access in Romania as a result of Romania's efforts to reduce its energy dependence on Russia.

Following an hour-long discussion between Premier Li Keqiang and visiting Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Sept 1, China and Romania signed a document "demonstrating governmental willingness to cooperate in the peaceful utilization of nuclear power".

Liu Haixing, director of the Foreign Ministry's European affairs department, said the framework begins to give shape to the consensus on nuclear power cooperation that was reached by the two leaders when they met in Bucharest in November.

(China Daily European Weekly 09/05/2014 page2)