IN BRIEF (Page 10)

More Chengdu flights

Flights at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, the busiest air traffic hub in western China, will rise slightly during the 40 days of the Spring Festival transportation period (Jan 11-Feb 19), under a plan the airport has released.

The airport, about 10 km from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, is expected to handle 18,000 flights in the period, up 3 percent year-on-year. More than 2 million passengers are expected to use the airport.

To ensure smooth operation, the airport will adopt 24-hour shift work and open special security checks for tour groups, the aged, disabled and pregnant women.

Xinjiang ups oil output

The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region overtook Shandong province to become China's second largest oil production base in 2008, with an output of 27.4 million tons, up 1 million tons from 2007, China News Service reported.

Xinjiang ranked third from 1997 to 2007. Daqing in Heilongjiang province leads with annual output of 40.2 million tons.

Oil output in Xinjiang is expected to hit 28 million tons in 2009, a new record.

Shandong cancels fees

Shandong province canceled a number of administrative fees beginning this year, in a bid to further relieve struggling businesses and spur domestic demand, China Knowledge reported.

One hundred fees were canceled by the Ministry of Finance, and Shandong abolished 74, accounting for 36 percent of the province's overall fee items.

The move can save approximately 1.2 billion yuan for the businesses annually.

Shanghai property

Shanghai's new property deals rose in December from the previous month, according to statistics released by a local real estate agency.

Nearly 800,000 sq m of new houses were sold during the month, compared with 710,000 sq m in November.

However, prices of new houses decreased to 11,892 yuan per sq m in December, representing a decrease of 9.7 percent over the previous month and 0.7 percent over the same period of 2007.

Shanghai TEU rises

Shanghai handled 28 million TEU last year, a rise of 7 percent, to retain its No 2 ranking in the world, port officials said, although a research note cautioned of tougher times this year.

The container throughput grew from 26.1 million TEUs in 2007. The 7 percent growth, however, was sharply down from 20.4 percent in the year-earlier period.

Waigaoqiao Port contributed more than 54 percent, or 15 million TEUs, to the total volume last year.

Shenzhen rents down

Property rental prices in Shenzhen dropped by over 10 percent in the fourth quarter of last year mainly due to the financial crisis, according a report released by the city's rental home management office.

Office buildings saw the biggest drop, with the rental prices declining 16.5 percent from the third quarter to 93 yuan per sq m, while the rent for factory buildings and shops fell by 15.8 percent and 7.6 percent respectively for the quarter.

The average monthly rental of apartment homes was 33 yuan per sq m, representing a decrease of 9.4 percent from the previous quarter.

The downward trend is estimated to continue after the Chinese New Year, said the report.

(China Daily 01/12/2009 page10)