IN BRIEF (Page 3)

Health

Complaints spike over baby formula imports

Consumers' low confidence in domestic baby formula has led to a surge in complaints against imported baby formulas as some businesses turn to inferior foreign brands, experts say.

Nearly two-thirds of the complaints that the China Consumers' Association received about baby formula in the first half of the year were about foreign brands.

The association received 744 complaints about infant formula in the last six months, double the number in the same period last year.

The association declined China Daily's request on July 28 to say which brands got the most complaints.

Nearly 90 percent of the complaints were over quality issues, such as finding foreign objects - including worms and wire - in the cans. Some infants suffered adverse effects such as diarrhea and allergic reactions, and some products were found being sold after their expiration dates.

Industry experts said that one reason for the rise in complaints against imported brands is that some Chinese businesspeople have been taking advantage of consumers' blind trust in such brands.

Television

Creative industry taps into ancient culture

An animated series based on Buddhist stories from Gansu province is soon to be broadcast on TV, as emerging creative industries tap into ancient Chinese culture.

Legend of Dunhuang is a 12-episode series that will be screened on as-yet unconfirmed channels before the end of this year. It is adapted from Buddhist artwork in the Mogao Grottoes, home to more than 2,000 colored sculptures and 45,000 square meters of frescoes in 735 caves carved along a cliff.

Six episodes that were put online in October 2007 attracted a "whopping" number of clicks, according to Wu Qian, deputy general manager of the Lanzhou Nante digital technology group, producer of Legend of Dunhuang.

The series is just a stepping stone in the company's plans to build a cultural and creative industrial park in Gansu. A total of 1 billion yuan ($163 million; 123 million euros) was invested in the project in 2012.

It aims to bring out more products based on rich cultural resources, Wu said.

Finance

Sovereign fund sees 10.6% return

China Investment Corp, the country's sovereign wealth fund, achieved a 10.6 percent gain from its global investments in 2012, compared with a 4.3 percent loss in 2011, according to the company's annual report, released on July 26.

The cumulative annualized return of CIC's overseas investments rose to 5.02 percent by the end of last year, from 3.8 percent up to 2011. Net income increased to $77.4 billion (58.4 billion euros), up from $48.4 billion in 2011, the report said.

The better performance was mainly due to higher equity prices in global markets last year, with the company adjusting its investment portfolios, a CIC spokeswoman said.

By the end of last year, the company's total assets rose to $575 billion from $482 billion in 2011.

On July 5, the State Council, appointed its deputy secretary-general, Ding Xuedong, as chairman of the sovereign wealth fund, filling the vacancy left by Lou Jiwei, who was appointed finance minister in March.

CIC will diversify its foreign exchange funds, increase investment in public equities and look for long-term investment targets with stable returns, according to the spokeswoman.

Culture

EU 'students' get a lesson on China

Thanks to the 2013 Chinese Training Program for EU Employees, some 30 officials have had the opportunity to learn more about China.

Launched by the Hanban (Confucius Institute Headquarters) and organized by Beijing Foreign Studies University, the program, which lasts from July 20-28, is the first such cultural exchange platform in China designed for European Union employees, said Jing Wei, deputy director-general of Hanban.

"As the relationship between China and the EU becomes closer, an increasing number of EU employees have shown their interest in China, and they would like to come to see China themselves," she said.

The 30 EU employees, selected from more than 50 who applied for the program, are from 16 directorate generals of the EU, including environment, energy, trade, enterprises and industry, and development and cooperation.

A series of tailored lectures was presented to them by teachers from the Beijing Foreign Studies University, including lectures on China's economy, education, culture, and science and technology.

Property

Approval pending for tallest skyscraper

The property developer behind plans for the world's tallest skyscraper, to be built in Changsha, Hunan province, said on July 25 that the project is still awaiting final approval from government authorities.

"So far, the project has received some qualified assessment results, such as the construction plan and possible wind effects on the building," said Zhu Linfang, spokesman for Broad Group, the Changsha-based project developer.

Each step in the construction process must gain authorities' approval before it can be taken, she said.

The statement from Broad Group came after a Xinhua News Agency report that said the company had not completed all the necessary application procedures before it started construction. The Xinhua report claimed the company was acting illegally.

The building, named Sky City, attracted media attention when its construction plan was published last year. If built, it will stand at more than 838 meters, higher than the 828-meter-tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai, currently the world's tallest building.

According to Broad Group's website, the tower in Changsha will have 4,450 apartments between the 16th and 170th floors and will include offices, a hotel, kindergarten, school, hospital, shops, gym and restaurants. The cost of construction is estimated at 9 billion yuan ($1.47 billion).

On Saturday, the company held a groundbreaking ceremony at the construction site in Wangcheng district, about 20 kilometers from downtown Changsha.

Anti-Corruption

Kickback probe nets doctors in Fujian

More than 1,000 medical workers in an eastern Chinese city's 73 hospitals have been investigated for allegedly taking kickbacks, as China cleans up its medical sector.

The investigation, which started about six months ago in Zhangzhou, Fujian province, targeted hospital staff and more than 60 pharmaceutical sales representatives.

The money involved amounted to 20.49 million yuan ($3.3 million; 2.5 million euros), an official with the Zhangzhou Commission for Discipline Inspection said on July 25, speaking anonymously.

In the city's Pinghe county, nine out of 10 doctors were suspected of taking bribes from drugmakers or distributors.

The case appears to expose the severity of bribery in China's medical sector, where high drug prices and poor services are two major sources of public concern.

A pharmaceutical representative surnamed Zhuo who was arrested in the investigation in Zhangzhou said drugmakers and distributors give kickbacks to hospital staff to have their drugs prescribed by doctors, according to a report by a website run by the Fujian provincial government.

China Daily

(China Daily Africa Weekly 08/02/2013 page3)