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Expatriates to be lured for startups

China aims to attract more expatriates to start businesses in the country, amid efforts to lure international talent and entrepreneurship, a senior official said on Jan 27.

Authorities will continue to introduce policy incentives in different areas to support overseas talent, including financing, workspaces and consultation on business startups.

The move is expected to diversify channels for China's global talent recruiting program and attract professionals in different fields to devote themselves to the country's economic and social development.

The policy decision comes as many Chinese are being encouraged to start businesses as the country aims to become more innovation-driven.

This follows the success stories of companies such as e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, whose market capitalization has reached more than $250 billion.

Zhang Jianguo, director of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, said a shortage of scientists and top talent in technology and the service industry has affected China's innovation capability and competitiveness.

Cities compete for bullet-train stations

Local governments in China have been pushing high-speed railway planners to build stations in their jurisdictions.

During the annual session of the people's congress of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, which concluded recently, several deputies suggested that China Railway Corp, operator of the country's rail network, set up at least one station in the Dabancheng district of Urumqi, the regional capital, as part of the plan linking the city to Turpan, local media reported.

The absence of a station in the district has long inconvenienced local residents and hinders economic development, lawmakers said.

In Xinye, Henan province, a rally in September that attracted more than 10,000 residents called on the central government to put a station in the county along the planned high-speed line connecting the capital, Zhengzhou, with Chongqing.

However, the call was rejected by China Railway Corp.

Aspirations for a high-speed rail station made allies of Zhuzhou and Xiangtan in Hunan province. They stood together to lobby the railway operator to reserve a station along the Changsha-Xiamen line for each of the cities. The cities competed fiercely for a station on the Wuhan-Guangzhou line.

Palace Museum to cap number of visitors

The Palace Museum in Beijing unveiled a plan on Jan 27 to control the number of visitors after dealing with overwhelming crowds for years.

According to Shan Jixiang, director of the museum, also known as the Forbidden City, the draft plan sets an upper limit for daily visitors at 80,000. The proposal is awaiting approval from various authorities that have jurisdiction.

"It's a must, because our museum is too crowded during peak season," Shan said. "We have to be responsible for visitors' safety."

No specific date to introduce the policy was announced, but Shan said it could begin as early as summer. He said there was some urgency in light of the deadly human stampede on Shanghai's Bund on New Year's Eve that killed 36 people. The sheer number of visitors, along with inadequate crowd control measures, was at the root of the tragedy, he said.

More than 15 million people visited the Palace Museum last year, topping all museums in the world. Second on the list is the Louvre in Paris, which had 9.2 million visitors last year.

Malaysia property 'perfect' for Chinese

The largest French governmental asset to be sold outside of France may go to a Chinese buyer, according to land agent CBRE Group.

The French embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has been put up for sale, and Chinese buyers have expressed interest in investing, said CBRE, the sole agent.

"The French embassy is one of the few opportunities for a large, landmark development in the prime KLCC area. The solid interest we've garnered to date includes multiple Chinese developers, who may be strong contenders for this prime piece of real estate," said Nabeel Hussain, associate director of CBRE Malaysia.

The piece of land along Jalan Ampang covers 3.2 hectares, and is close to major landmarks including the Petronas Twin Towers and the Suria KLCC shopping center.

As for pricing, the best reference might be the neighboring British embassy, which sold recently for 2150 ringgit ($665; 585 euros) per square foot. If sold at a similar price, the French embassy project would be worth roughly $21.5 million.

Schools lace up for soccer program

It won't be long before Chinese students practice soccer under a European-style curriculum that groomed the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The program will be introduced to about 700 primary schools across China this year, and will provide Chinese students with the same advanced theoretical and field training regimes that their European peers enjoy.

The curriculum was developed in cooperation with Nike and is based on elite European clubs' junior programs. The three-year trial in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu features a combination of Western and Chinese approaches.

It will be implemented by the Education Ministry as a guideline for soccer training in physical education classes at selected schools this spring, said Wang Dengfeng, director of the ministry's PE, health and art department.

The curriculum also features methods for PE teachers to improve their soccer training expertise, including fitness, technique, nutrition and competition organization, which it is hoped will make up for the shortage of grassroots coaches.

With the Chinese national team reaching the quarterfinals at the 2015 Asian Cup recently, its best performance at the continental tournament since 2004, interest in the sport has revived among the public and the country's leadership.

Consumers show better health awareness

The battle against bulge and people's growing health awareness will breed new market opportunities as three-quarters of Chinese consumers are willing to pay more for healthier food, according to a survey by the global market research firm Nielsen.

The survey found that nearly 45 percent of the Chinese respondents consider themselves overweight, and a higher percentage of Chinese consumers not only regard healthy ingredients as important in the foods they purchase, but are also willing to back up their opinion with their wallets.

The Nielsen Global Health & Wellness Survey polled more than 30,000 consumers in 60 countries last year, trying to identify how consumers feel about their body image and the steps they are taking to become healthier.

Chinese consumers are taking charge of their health, according to the survey. Up to 81 percent of Chinese respondents said they read packaging labels carefully for nutrition content, while nearly 70 percent said they trust the health claims on food packaging.

"Consumers' rising health awareness and pursuit of healthy attributes, as well as corresponding purchasing behaviors, mean greater business opportunities for manufacturers," said Kiki Fan, senior vice-president of Nielsen China.

Auschwitz survivors mark 70 years

About 300 survivors of the Auschwitz death camp were gathered on Jan 27 to mark 70 years since its liberation by Soviet troops.

They were joined by world leaders for a commemoration held in the shadow of war in Ukraine and a rise in anti-Semitism in Europe.

The gathering in southern Poland marked perhaps the last major anniversary that survivors of the Nazi camp will be able to attend in numbers, given that the youngest are now in their 70s.

About 1.5 million people, mainly European Jews, were gassed, shot, hanged and burned at the camp during World War II before the Red Army entered its gates in winter 1945. It has probably become the most poignant symbol of a Holocaust that claimed 6 million Jewish lives as well as millions of others across Europe.

French President Francois Hollande, German President Joachim Gauck and Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko took part in the commemoration, but Russia, the United States and Israel chose to send lower-ranking representatives.

AU, China efforts include transport, factories

The African Union and China have signed a memorandum of understanding to work together on major infrastructure networks and Africa's industrialization.

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, chairwoman of the AU Commission, and Zhang Ming, special envoy and vice-foreign minister of China, signed the document on continental transport, high-speed railways, aviation, roads and highways, and industrialization.

The signing took place on Jan 27 at the AU Headquarters in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, on the sidelines of the 24th AU summit, which began on Jan 23 with the 29th session of the AU permanent representatives committee.

The memorandum is within the framework of the AU's Agenda 2063, with a view to accelerating continental integration of Africa, officials said.

The two sides signed the deal based on discussions between Dlamini-Zuma and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during the premier's visit to AU headquarters last year.

Saying that Africans have a dream of having a prosperous, united and peaceful Africa driven by its citizens, the chairwoman hailed what she called an important document.

She said teams and subcommittees have already been set up to deal with details of the collaboration.

Each sector has a team with a subcommittee to work on details of projects such as starting point, costs, and means of funding among others, she said.

She said that China and Africa have enjoyed long-standing and historic relations with ever-growing collaboration, she said.

Xi offers condolences over flooding

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence to Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi over severe flood that left at least 90 dead and more than 200,000 homeless in the country.

"I, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, offer my condolences to all victims of the flood disasters," Xi said in the message.

He also offered sincere sympathy to families of the victims and people suffering from the disasters.

Since last month, heavy rain has fallen in Mozambique.

Xi also sent a message of condolence to Malawian President Peter Mutharika over severe floods that have killed at least 180 in that country.

"China stands ready to assist Malawi in disaster relief," Xi said. "I believe that the Malawian people will overcome the natural disasters and rebuild their homeland under the leadership of the Malawian government."

Torrential rains has caused enormous damage across Malawi, washing away homes, crops and livestock, and disrupting power supplies.

Favorable visa policy aims to draw talent

China will expand the favorable visa policies of its 1,000 Talent Plan to dozens of other programs nationwide to attract leading professionals to work in the country.

This move is expected to ease one of the top concerns of foreign talent in China.

"In the past, we have had a very strict policy and high standards in terms of 'exit and entry', and the amount of overseas talent in China is not that large," an official from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security who wished a remain anonymous told People's Daily.

"However, the 1,000 Talent Plan is a convenient channel. Now this channel is also open to experts from 55 programs. This will help to forge a diversified talent recruitment network."

Foreign experts recruited through the 55 programs can apply for visas, residence permits and permanent residence - also called Chinese green cards - under the same standard for experts recruited by the national Recruitment Program of Global Experts, or the 1,000 Talent Plan.

The various programs are offered by seven ministries, 21 provinces, 12 cities and one centrally administered enterprise.

10 million new jobs on way, Li vows

Premier Li Keqiang pledged on Jan 26 to create at least 10 million jobs this year by maintaining economic growth at medium-to-high speed through stable macroeconomic policies.

He said job creation remains the most important index in drafting the country's target for economic growth, which many experts believe will slow further this year to about 7 percent from 7.4 percent.

Li made the jobs pledge at a meeting with economic experts and corporate leaders from burgeoning industries such as Internet and information technology, as well as industries with overcapacity. The meeting, held to gauge opinions on the government's policies and its Annual Work Report this year, lasted for more than two and a half hours.

Li said China is expecting a new urban labor force of more than 16 million this year and a rural labor force of 6 million, meaning the government has to create at least 10 million new jobs in 2015.

"Stress tests show the possibility of a large amount of unemployment, which could lead to social instability if the economy cools down too fast," he said.

China created 13 million new urban jobs last year, with both the registered and surveyed unemployment rates lower than in 2013.

Clients warned as bank deposits vanish

Cases in which clients' bank deposits have disappeared have triggered a call for Chinese banks to strengthen internal management and for depositors to be wary of interest rates that are much higher than benchmark figures.

In several widely reported cases, criminals colluded with bank clerks or executives.

They lured clients with high deposit rates, provided them with false information and later transferred the clients' money to criminals' accounts.

Zhao Xijun, deputy dean of the School of Finance at Renmin University of China, said, "Banks must improve supervision of their operations to prevent their clerks from doing illegal business while keeping other people in the dark."

Heritage status sought for antelope habitat

The habitat of the Tibetan antelope in the Hoh Xil area of China's Qinghai province will be nominated as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site in 2017.

Xinhua News Agency quoted Jia Yingzhong, director of Qinghai's Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, as saying preparation work on the application started at the end of 2014.

"In 2015, we will try to put Hoh Xil on China's tentative list of world heritage sites, evaluate its natural resources and compile documents for the requisite reports," Jia said.

Jia estimated that preparations would be completed in 2017 in time for a vote at the annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee.

China currently has 47 places on the World Heritage list. If Hoh Xil is added, it would be a first for Qinghai province.

Hoh Xil, or Kekexili, lies in the border area of the Tibet autonomous region.

It was designated in 1995 as a national nature preserve, covering 45,000 square kilometers and having an average elevation of 4,600 meters.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 01/30/2015 page2)