BEIJING, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's yuan-denominated individual home mortgage lending rose 1.4 trillion yuan (204.98 billion U.S. dollars) in 2009, up 47.9 percent from the previous year, said a report issued by the People's Bank of China, the central bank, on Wednesday.The growth rate was 37.4 percentage points higher than the previous year, said the report on China's investment flow in 2009.Meanwhile, the yuan-denominated property development lending gained 576.4 billion yuan in 2009, up 30.7 percent year on year, and the growth rate was 20.4 percentage points more than the previous year, the report said.The total mid-term and long-term loans in foreign and domestic currency expanded 7.1 trillion yuan in 2009, up 43.5 percent from the previous year, and the growth rate was 23.4 percentage points more than the previous year.The short-term loans in foreign and domestic currency expanded 2.3 trillion yuan, up 758.5 billion yuan from the same period last year.Industrial mid-term and long-term loans in foreign and domestic currency added 1 trillion yuan among China's major financial institutions, up 26 percent from the previous year.Infrastructure mid-term and long-term loans in foreign and domestic currency expanded 2.5 trillion yuan, up 43 percent from the same period last year, according to the report.The central bank said on Jan. 15 that China's new yuan-denominated lending in 2009 hit a record 9.59 trillion yuan (1.4 trillion U.S. dollars), almost double that of the previous year.
BEIJING, March 22 -- Followings are regions set to be new driving force for China's economy.Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regionXinjiang literally means "New Frontier", and it is promising to be a new economic frontier in China's northwestern areas. Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has abundant oil reserves and it is the largest natural gas-producing region in China. An economic development plan for Xinjiang is expected to come out soon. It will emphasize use of Xinjiang's advantageous resources, including petrochemicals, coal, non-ferrous metals and agriculture. The investment is likely to rise steadily over the next three years, driven by increased financial support from central government and neighboring provinces, and large-scale investment for key projects from State-owned companies. The rising tourism industry will also be a contributor to Xinjiang's economic growth.Tibet autonomous regionThe Tibet autonomous region is becoming another hotspot in China's regional economic development. The plateau region was traditionally dependent on farming and herding. Recently Tibet laid out a plan to explore its mineral resources, while pledging to stick to rational exploitation and minimizing the damage to the natural environment. The government announced plans to achieve "leapfrog development" in Tibet in January, including building the region into a "strategic reserve of natural resources" with the aim of reducing poverty among the Tibetan people. Tibet has more than 3,000 proven mineral reserves and it has China's biggest proven chromium and copper deposits. According to the plan, mineral resources will contribute at least 30 percent to the regional GDP over the next 10 years. Tourism will continue to play a significant role in supporting the economy.
BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The recent number of earthquakes above 7-magnitude in 2010, though slightly more than average, was still within normal scope, said the China Earthquake Administration Monday.The administration cited that the frequency of the quakes were uneven. "It is a normal phenomenan of earth movement," it said.Some panicked netizens linked the recent spate of earthquakes to Doomsday Day as depicted by Hollywood disaster film "2012" shown in 2009.China is an earthquake-prone country, witnessing a total of 145 quakes on average on the mainland each year, with 20 quakes above 5 magnitude.
BEIJING, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature will convene its bimonthly session from Feb. 24 to 26, making a final preparation for an annual full session next month.According to a statement of a meeting, presided over by top legislator Wu Bangguo Wednesday, an important task at the three-day session late this month is to prepare for the upcoming Third Plenum of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC), scheduled to open on March 5.Lawmakers at the February session will deliberate a draft report on the work of the 11th NPC Standing Committee, the draft agenda of the third 11th NPC session, the draft of the name list for presidium and secretary-general, and the draft of the name list for non-voting delegates to the plenary session in March.They will also continue to review the draft law on mobilization for national defence, as well as a draft amendment to the law on keeping state secrets.The draft amendments to the Administrative Supervision Law and the Copyright Law will also be submitted by the State Council to the legislative session for discussion, according to the statement.They will also discuss a consular agreement with the Philippines and a report on the inspection of the enforcement of the Food Safety Law, as well as a motion regarding appointments and dismissals.
BEIJING, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- A total of 53.36 million Mu (about 3.56 million hectares) of crops in China had been affected by severe drought by Saturday, said the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters. The drought, mostly in China's southwestern provinces including Yunnan and Guizhou, had damaged crops and caused water shortage to both people and livestock.In Yunnan, the worst drought-stricken province, up to 31.48 million Mu of crops had been affected, with 11.53 million Mu seriously damaged and 6.16 million Mu destroyed. About 5.97 million people and 3.59 million livestock are suffering from water shortage.A farmer walks on the cracking bottom of a pond in Shilin County, southwest China's Kunming City, Feb. 2, 2010The drought had also started to affect China's northern regions, as several northern provinces had not seen rainfall for nearly 40 days with signs of drought showing up in farmlands.The Office urged authorities in drought-hit areas to step up efforts in fighting drought and ensure water supply for people and agricultural uses.It would also seek financial support from the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance to ensure water supply and improve irrigation facilities for the drought-stricken population, said the Office.About 640 million yuan (93.7 million U.S.dollars) had been allocated with 8.95 million people and 150,000 water trucks mobilized to fight the drought as of Saturday, watering 8.14 million Mu of crops and providing temporary water supply to 6.76 million people and 3.33 million livestock, data from the Office showed. A villager is waiting for water supply in Changkou County, southwest China's Kunming City, Feb. 2, 2010.
BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- China will provide speedy visa processing for visitors to the upcoming World Expo, as well as more hotel space with help from surrounding cities, according to an organizer of the event.With support from the Foreign Ministry, it is already "an established policy" to provide quick visa processing for Expo visitors from around the world, said Zhou Hanmin, deputy director of the Shanghai 2010 World Expo Executive Committee, speaking here on Monday.He made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top advisory body. Zhou Hanmin, member of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), speaks during a news conference held by the Third Session of the 11th National Committee of the CPPCC on the 2010 Shanghai World Expo in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2010To receive the coming waves of visitors, a total of 550,000 beds will be available inside Shanghai during the Expo, and visitors can stay in nearby cities if Shanghai cannot hold all of them, said Zhou.To further assist, efforts have been made to provide easy transportation between Shanghai and its surrounding cities, he said.World Expo 2010, which is scheduled to be held in Shanghai from May 1 to October 31, is expected to attract 70 million visitors, of which more than 5 percent will come from abroad, according to Zhou.
西安近视做手术的年龄
BEIJING, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- The total length of China's rural roads had reached 3.3 million kilometers by the end of 2009, connecting 99.4 percent of towns and villages, a transportation official said here Sunday.Some 381,000 kilometers of roads were built in China in the past year, far exceeding the annual target of 300,000 kilometers, China's Vice Minister for Transport, Feng Zhenglin, said at a conference.By the end of 2009, residents at 35,000 towns and 553,000 villages in China's rural areas were able to take buses to travel, representing 98 percent and 87.8 percent of China's towns and villages, respectively, according to Feng.Li Shenglin, Minister of Transport, vowed at the conference to boost rural passenger transportation.Feng also vowed to improve the highway network that connects towns and villages this year and in the country's 12th Five Year Plan which starts in 2011.
LONDON, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said "Gong Xi Fa Cai", or "Wishing you prosperity" in Chinese, on Monday during a reception held at 10 Downing Street to mark the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year.In a message to mark the occasion, Brown said the government would continue to promote values shared with the thriving Chinese community such as the belief in "hard work, enterprise, community spirit and strong families."British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (1st L) expresses warm new year wishes to attendees during a reception at No. 10 Downing Street, the residence of the Prime Minister, in London, capital of the U.K., Feb. 15, 2010. Brown hosted a reception for overseas Chinese in Britain here on Monday to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year that falls on Feb. 14 this yearBrown said: "We are doing all we can to ensure economic stability and job security and I am proud that many Chinese entrepreneurs continue to create employment and contribute to the nation's GDP."Almost 100 guests including television presenter Gok Wan visited Number 10 to celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Tiger. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown expresses warm new year wishes to attendees during a reception at No. 10 Downing Street, the residence of the Prime Minister, in London, capital of the U.K., Feb. 15, 2010.
BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), the banking regulator, said Friday it would introduce four measures to facilitate the development of rural financial institutions.The CBRC would improve supervision of rural financial institutions, strengthen risk management, encourage their adopting effective corporate governance model, and evaluate the quality of their services, said Zang Jingfan, the supervision department director of the CBRC.China approved a total of 172 new-type rural financial institutions, including 148 rural banks, 8 lending firms and 16 rural mutual cooperatives by the end of 2009, according to Zang.Outstanding loans by these institutions totaled 18.1 billion yuan, of which 36 percent went to farmers and more than 50 percent to small businesses, he said.The government has been trying to boost lending to farmers and companies in the countryside, and the CBRC announced last year a plan to set up 1,293 rural financial institutions by 2011 to boost rural development.
BEIJING, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin Sunday urged Beijing to transform its economic development pattern and improve people's livelihood.Beijing should foster more enterprises in high tech industry, build Zhongguancun, dubbed as China's "silicon valley", into in an innovation hub with global influence, said Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), during his inspection in Beijing on Saturday and Sunday.Jia called on the Chinese capital to take positive steps to shape an eco-friendly and energy-saving industrial framework, growth pattern and consumption mode.In addition, the city should spend more efforts in solving problems in people's daily life, including housing, traffic, education, health care and social security, he said.Jia also met with local political advisors and representatives from all walks of life, calling on them to study major economic and social issues and contribute their talent to the scientific development and social harmony and stability.