Voice from Sydney

Sky News: China rejects foreign currency pressure 14/03

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has rejected foreign pressure on Beijing to allow its currency, the yuan, to appreciate, warning other countries to stop 'finger-pointing'.

US President Barack Obama called on Beijing last week to adopt a 'market-oriented' exchange rate policy, upping the pressure on China to allow the yuan - effectively pegged to the dollar since mid-2008 - to appreciate.

Wen hit back, rejecting all outside interference in China's exchange rate policy decisions and saying a stable yuan had helped not just China, but also the world, emerge from the worldwide slowdown.

The premier said China had made 'strong efforts' since the outbreak of the international financial crisis to keep the yuan at a 'stable level'.

The Sydney Morning Herald: No signs of bubble in China boom 13/03

China's property prices rose at the fastest pace in almost two years in February, adding urgency to the government's efforts to damp speculation and increase the amount of affordable housing. Residential and commercial real estate prices in 70 cities climbed 10.7 per cent from a year earlier, the statistics bureau said on its website, topping a gain of 9.5 per cent in January.

To cool speculation, China requires a down payment for land purchases of 50 per cent of a plot's price, the Ministry of Land and Resources said on its site.

ABC: Calls for more cinemas in China 12/03

The movie business is one of the fastest growing industries in China. Thanks to both local and Hollywood blockbusters, millions of Chinese have been flocking to their local cinema. But millions more also miss out. It's a fact which hasn't gone unnoticed at this year's annual sitting of the National People's Congress in Beijing. Six senior government figures have called for more cinemas to be built across the country, saying the current five thousand screens don't meet the demand.