BEIJING, July 29 -- The securities watchdog is mulling further measures to plug the loopholes that showed up in the latest round of initial public offerings (IPO), according to Shang Fulin, chairman, China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC). The CSRC is generally satisfied with the results of the recent reforms, but also identified a number of areas that need to be improved. One of these areas is the lack of a provision to block institutional investors from taking advantage of the new allotment system by masquerading as personal investors in their IPO applications. "Some institutional investors were known to have circumvented the subscription limits on their accounts by making applications through personal investor accounts opened with borrowed ID cards," said Lu Junlong, analyst, China Finance Online. "Stockbrokers keen on earning commission fees usually turn a blind eye to such irregularities," he said. People watch the index screen at a stock market in Shanghai, China, July 1, 2009. The CSRC said it is planning to take steps to safeguard individual investors' interests. This has defeated, to some extent, the primary objective of the reform, of increasing the allotment of new shares to personal investors. In the past, the deluge of applications from well-financed institutional investors had largely crowded out applications from individual investors. Because of the loophole, the ratios of allocation of newly issued shares to personal investors in the past several IPOs were still deemed too low. For example, the ratio of allocation in the IPOs of Guilin Sanjin Pharmaceutical, one of the first companies to obtain a stock exchange listing after the lifting of the IPO suspension, was only 0.17 percent. The ratio of allocation in the Sichuan Expressway IPO was 0.26 percent, while it was 2.83 percent for China State Construction Engineering Corp's public float. "The ratio of allocation to subscription is at a low level, similar to the lottery system in the past," said Zhu Hongbin, an investor with over 10-year experience in the market. Considering the wide price gap between the primary and secondary markets, many institutional investors borrowed heavily from banks to subscribe for new shares. Easy credit and cheap money have given institutional investors a much greater edge over small investors in the fight for IPO allotments. "As long as the interbank seven-day repurchase rate stays below 3 to 4 percent, we can make profits by subscribing to new shares," a Shanghai-based fund manger said, who refused to be named. The investors' feverish penchant for newly listed stocks saw Sichuan Expressway Co soar 202 percent on debut. The bourse suspended trading in the scrip for two times to allow for a cooling off period on the first day. The company's issue price was 3.6 yuan, nearly 20 times the PE (price-to-earnings) ratio. After collective bidding, the opening price soared to 7.6 yuan and the shares finally closed at 10.9 yuan after touching a high of over 15 yuan. The high price was beyond the expectation of many analysts. According the reports from 23 securities firms, most analysts thought the reasonable price could be around 5 yuan. Guotai Junan Securities Co was the most optimistic, which estimated the shares could be worth around 7 yuan. The shares subsequently began to slump and closed at 9.81 yuan, with many individual investors burning their figures. According to the Shanghai Stock Exchange, individual investors were the main buyers for the new shares of Sichuan Expressway on its first trading day. Among the 74,000 accounts that bought shares on that date, about 99.9 percent was personal accounts. Institutional investors, including fund mangers, securities firms and insurance companies, did not join the speculation. According to CSRC Chairman Shang Fulin, the regulators are working on a plan to educate individual investors and also exploring effective mechanisms to protect investors' rights.
LONDON, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Britain hopes to further expand cooperation with China in economic, financial and trade sectors, Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said Saturday. In a written interview with Xinhua on the eve of his visit to China, Mandelson, also the First Secretary of State, said economic and political relations between Britain and China are very strong. The High-Level Economic & Financial Dialogue would lead to collaboration in areas such as the development of financial services, the protection of intellectual property rights, and the establishment of a comprehensive social security system in China, Mandelson said. During Mandelson's visit, which begins Monday, he will give a speech at a low carbon business solution event in Beijing attended by about 250 British and Chinese companies. He will also sign a "Sustainable City" memorandum of understanding with Changsha, the capital of south central China's Hunan province. "The UK is keen to share its low carbon technology," Mandelson said, noting that Britain would like to export even more high-tech goods to China. Mandelson said the UK, by far, is the largest European investor in China and transfers much of its technology to the country through wholly owned subsidiaries and joint ventures. The business secretary expressed hope that China would improve its regulations to facilitate British companies' participation in its hi-tech sectors. China, Mandelson said, has taken every measure possible to mitigate the impact of the global financial crisis, which also has contributed to the recovery of the world economy. He called China's huge stimulus package "a very impressive commitment to rebuilding its economy and the welcome effects are already being felt." China has contributed to the rebalancing of the world economy by re-orienting its own growth model to stimulate domestic consumption, the business secretary said. Meanwhile, Mandelson also expected China to play a bigger part in pushing forward multilateral trade talks "I hope China will play an important role in achieving a conclusion to the Doha Development Round and I hope that the global recession has provided a sense of renewed urgency for this agreement", he said. As the former EU Trade Commissioner, Mandelson has never shied from voicing his objections to protectionism. Imposing tariffs on imports, he said, creates distortions in the global economy, which result in poverty and inequality. Trade is essential to the prosperity of the world economy and remains one of the main avenues open to increase productivity and growth, he said. "I hope that UK and China's joint efforts to foster closer trade and investment links in China's rapidly developing regional business centers will stimulate and serve to support new business partnerships," the business secretary said. Mandelson said China's process of gradually opening its capital market would deepen the capital and expertise available to Chinese companies as they increasingly look to expand overseas. "We are equally keen to work with the Chinese authorities and markets to enable foreign firms to list on its exchanges," he said. "We are very supportive of the State Council's desire for Shanghai to develop into a truly international financial center over the next 10 to 15 years and believe that an important step to building this profile will be the continued growth and diversification of China's capital markets." Mandelson also emphasized that there are many benefits from an internationalized Chinese yuan, which would promote greater stability in global foreign exchange markets. "A more widely traded Chinese currency will help Chinese companies win business in overseas markets," he said, "And a more market-oriented exchange rate will help China re-orient its economy towards domestic consumption, which would be in China's own interests." When it comes to the climate change issue, Mandelson noted that China is making strong efforts to reduce the growth of its greenhouse gas emissions. He pointed out that China currently aims to reduce consumption of energy per unit of GDP by 20 percent between 2005 and 2010. "Tackling climate change is a win-win business opportunity for both the UK and China," he said. Mandelson also called for international cooperation to deal with the world's other thorny issues. The global downturn has powerfully illustrated how important it is to have constructive engagement at the international level, he said. "We need international solutions to financial regulation, to tackling pollution and in fighting proliferation and terrorism. These are global challenges that require a global response," Mandelson said.
BEIJING, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) will mainly redress production overcapacity in six sectors, said Chen Bin, director of the Department of Industry of the NDRC, Thursday. The six sectors include steel, cement, plate glass, coal-chemical industry, polycrystalline silicon and windpower equipment. The NDRC also warns of obvious production overcapacity in sectors like electrolytic aluminum, ship manufacturing and soybean oil extraction, said Chen during an on-line interview on www.gov.cn., the website of China's central government. He said China would fight serious overcapacity in sectors like steel industry and offer guidance for new-born industries like windpower equipment to avoid low level repetitive construction. China has achieved preliminary progresses in fighting the global economic downturn, but the foundation for economic recovery is not stable yet and overcapacity might lead to bankruptcy, unemployment and bad bank loans if it was not checked in time, he said.
CHENGDU, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's relatively poor western regions are to receive 296 billion yuan (about 43.3 billion U.S. dollars) of investment through 551 projects signed Friday with investors from both China and abroad. Those deals were sealed at the tenth Western China International Economy and Trade Fair in Chengdu, provincial capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. The region has 12 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, with a combined population of about 370 million. Chinese investors contributed 539 of the 551 projects, involving 288.9 billion yuan of investment. The rest 12 projects would be invested by foreign contractors, involving in around 1 billion U.S. dollars of investment. Sectors involving local resources, equipment manufacturing, service and new and high technology were investors' favorite target areas. According to agreements signed here, German industrial conglomerate Siemens would spend 30 million yuan in Chengdu to setup a "Global IT Operation Center", intending to provide better IT operation support for its customers. Meanwhile, Taiwan's Foxconn Group, the world's top maker of outsourced electronics, would invest 1 billion dollars to build an industrial base in Chengdu, setting up production lines for products like LED-TV, LCD module, LED backlight module and LCD package. The new base will also develop software and sell 3C digital products as wells.
BEIJING, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and other top leaders watched a large-scale musical epic on Monday recounting the country's road from the Opium War in 1840 to 2009, together with people from all walks of life in Beijing. The nearly three-hour musical "Road to Revival", in dedication to the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), was staged at the Great Hall of the People. Chinese President Hu Jintao (5th L front) and other top leaders watch a large-scale musical epic "Road to Revival" recounting the country's road from the Opium War in 1840 to 2009, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Sept. 28, 2009, together with people from all walks of life in Beijing. All members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and former President Jiang Zemin watched the performance, in dedication to the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China Dancers and singers recounted important episodes in modern and contemporary Chinese history. The musical highlighted the tremendous changes that have taken place since the founding of the PRC under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. All members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and former President Jiang Zemin watched the performance.
石家庄seo排名
PYONGYANG, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Kim Jong Il, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on Monday attended a grand celebration marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations and the closing ceremony of the China-DPRK Friendship Year. In a speech delivered at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, Premier Wen said China and the DPRK have understood, supported and helped each other during the past 60 years despite changes in the international situation. The ruling parties and peoples of China and the DPRK have steadily promoted the development of the bilateral ties, contributing to regional peace and stability, Wen said. This year marks the China-DPRK Friendship Year, featuring a variety of celebrations and events of exchanges, which have enhanced the friendship between the two countries, strengthened cooperation in various fields and injected new vitality into the bilateral ties, Wen said. Currently, China-DPRK relations have arrived at a new historic point, he said. China is ready to join hands with the DPRK to further consolidate and develop the traditional friendship, expand friendly exchanges and cooperation to better serve the well-being of both peoples, and make greater contribution to regional peace and stability, he noted. DPRK Premier Kim Yong Il, who also attended the event, said the establishment of DPRK-China relations 60 years ago was an epoch-making event and the DPRK is firmly determined to consolidate and develop the DPRK-China friendship. The events marking the China-DPRK Friendship Year have effectively promoted the friendship and trust between the two peoples, he said. The DPRK is ready to make joint efforts with China to further the friendly, cooperative relations, he said. During the celebration, the leaders watched the grand gymnastic and artistic performance "Arirang" presented by DPRK artists.
BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao vowed to stick to the proactive fiscal policy and moderately easy monetary policy in the second half year to sustain stable and relatively fast economic growth. Hu, who is also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), made the remarks at a conference with leaders of the country's leading non-Communist Parties on Thursday in Beijing. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and other senior leaders including top political advisor Jia Qinglin, Vice President Xi Jinping and Vice Premier Li Keqiang, attended the meeting. Hu said the Chinese economy is generally improving because of the stimulus packages the Chinese government rolled out to weather the global economic downturn, but caution against risks should be strengthened. The macroeconomic policies should be maintained to consolidate the current recovery to achieve the goal of eight-percent economic growth for this year, Hu said. China's annual economic growth quickened to 7.9 percent in the second quarter of this year, mainly boosted by a 33.5 percent surge in fixed-asset investment driven by powerful fiscal and monetary stimulus. The figure was compared with the 6.1 percent economic growth in the first quarter and 6.8 percent in the fourth quarter of last year. Hu called for thorough implementation of stimulus measures to expand domestic demand. The government tried to boost domestic demand to offset falling exports because of a slump of global demand. The measures included programs of rural home appliance subsidy and home appliance replacement and purchase tax cuts on autos. Economic restructuring and innovation should be enhanced to ensure economic recovery, Hu said. In rural development, Hu called for efforts to boost grain production and increase farmers' income through various channels. More investment should go to ethnic, border and poor regions, Hu added.
NEW YORK, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao met his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama here on Tuesday to exchange views on bilateral ties and other important issues of common concern. The Chinese president said at the start of their meeting that China-U.S. relations are now showing a sound momentum of development, and the two countries are developing a positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship. A sound China-U.S. relationship is not only in the interests of the two countries, but also conducive to peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia Pacific region and the world at large, Hu said. Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) meets his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama in New York, the United States, Sept. 22, 2009 Hu expressed the willingness to work with the U.S. side to deepen cooperation in various fields. He hoped both sides would properly handle problems in bilateral ties so as to push forward the relations. Obama said he is committed to building a genuine, cooperative and comprehensive relationship between the two countries. He expressed the willingness to further advance the cooperative relations. Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) meets his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama in New York, the United States, Sept. 22, 2009. The two leaders were meeting on the sidelines of the UN climate change summit and other UN meetings. This has been their second meeting this year since April 1 when they met in London during a Group of 20 summit on the global financial crisis. During their London meeting, Hu and Obama agreed to work together to build a positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship in the 21st century. Since Obama took office in January 2009, China-U.S. relations have achieved a smooth transition and maintained a positive momentum of growth. The first China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue was held in Washington in late July, when the two countries pledged to intensify bilateral ties and expand cooperation on major international issues and shared global challenges.
HAVANA, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo on Thursday visited Fidel Castro, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, in Havana, a source with the Chinese National People's Congress (NPC) confirmed. The two leaders had a two-hour conversation in a sincere and friendly atmosphere on bilateral relations and other issues of common concern, the source added. Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), spoke highly of the China-Cuba relationship, according to a NPC press release. Bilateral relationship between China and Cuba is at its best time in history, Wu said, adding that China would strive to push its relations with Cuba to a new high by continuously expanding their friendly cooperation in various fields. Castro said Cuba closely follows China's economic and social development and feels proud when China scores new achievements. China's success is of special significance for Cuba and all the developing nations, he added. "The Cuban people, along with the Chinese people, will continue to support each other, work closely and intensify their cooperation with the aim to maintain world peace and realize common development," the press release quoted Castro as saying. On China's efforts to curb the global financial crisis, Wu said China is actively participating in international cooperation while striving to maintain a steady and relatively fast economic growth. He said developing countries should have a greater representation and a bigger say in endeavor to deal with the global financial crisis and reform the global financial system. He also urged the international community to try to minimize the damage the current crisis inflicts on the developing nations, especially on the most underdeveloped ones. Wu arrived in Havana on Tuesday at the invitation of Ricardo Alarcon de Quesada, president of the Cuban National Assembly of People's Power (CNAPP). Cuba is the first leg of Wu's three-nation American tour, which will also take him to the Bahamas and the United States. China established diplomatic relations with Cuba on Sept. 28, 1960. Cuba was the first Latin American country to have diplomatic ties with China.