Highlights from the EO print edition, issue no. 449, December 21, 2009

China Takes Measures to Cool Property Market
Cover
~ Following widespread public discontent over skyrocketing housing prices, the Chinese government has announced measures to cool the property market through regulating land- sale
~ Five ministerial agencies – including the Finance Ministry and the Land and Resource Ministry – jointly issued a set of guidelines on Dec 17, requiring a minimum down payment of 50% on land purchases from the government
~ In the last one month, the Chinese government has made four public announcements, stating its determination in curbing the fast rising property prices
~ In anticipation of tougher regulations, sales of new and second-hand property in Beijing appeared to have slowed down, according to some real estate agencies interviewed by the EO
Original Article: [Chinese]

Lenovo Plans to Introduce Low-Carbon Label
Cover, second lead
~ In anticipation of a growing green-consumer market, Lenovo - China's foremost and the world's third largest PC makers – is studying the feasibility of introducing low-carbon label on its products
~ The label aims to inform consumers on the amount of carbon-emission involved in making Lenovo products
~ However, the company admits that it would be difficult to calculate an accurate carbon emission
~ The main problem involves data gathering, as the chain of production involves downstream industries and companies not under the administration of Lenovo
Original Article: [Chinese]

Subsidy for Peanut Production to Safeguard China’s Edible Oil Market
News, Page 5
~ In order to boost self-sufficiency in producing edible oil, the Chinese government is considering subsidy for local peanut producers and processors
~ A joint research by several government agencies revealed that peanut produced higher oil yield ratio than soybean; In addition, peanut has a higher output per acre of land compared to soybean
~ At present, peanut oil only accounts for 8.1% of the edible oil market share in China, while soybean oil takes up 39.3%
~ China is the world's largest soybean importer, and 80% of the country's soybean demand is met by import
Original Article: [Chinese]

Sleepless in Copenhagen
News, Page 6
~ The final hours of the U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen were shrouded in disagreements and uncertainties
~ Deals were brokered at the eleventh hour, but the chasm between the developed and developing nations remained
~ The outcome may be disappointing, but Copenhagen is only the beginning of a long march towards a greener world
Original Article: [Chinese]

The World's Longest Sea Bridge in the Making
Nation, Page 12
~ The construction of the world’s longest sea bridge linking mainland China to Hong Kong and Macau has begun on December 15.
~ The 50km bridge, costing 73 billion yuan, is jointly financed by the Chinese central government, the local governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, along with loans from major financial institutions like the Bank of China.
~ The project aimed to give a shot in the arm for Pearl River Delta, once the economic powerhouse of south China
~ Scholars and market analysts generally believed that the project would boost the real estate and tourism sector in the Pearl River Delta, but doubted that it would transform the delta into a logistic hub.
Original Article: [Chinese]

Erdos: The New Economic Miracle?
Nation, page 9
~ Lian Ji, vice governor of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region recently stated that Erdos had become China's fastest-growing city and its per-capita gross domestic product in 2009 had surpassed that of Hong Kong
~ Lian's remark sparked off heated public debate, with some questioning the city over dependency on energy resources for growth
~ Erdos' economy has benefited from large scale coal mining and exploration in recent years
~ Local herdsmen gave up their pasture land for resettlement compensation, as local government made handsome payout for the untapped coal reserves laying beneath the ground
~ The new rich class of Erdos has reportedly indulged in luxury goods consumerism, while the local government launched ambitious projects ranging from new official buildings to grand opera house
~ Though the local government claimed that Erdos' GDP growth had surpassed that of Hong Kong, Erdos appeared to lag behind in terms of the quality of public service, balanced development structure and social welfare system
Original article:[Chinese]

Chinese Billionaire Huang Maoru Under Probe
Corporation, page 27
~ Insiders told the EO that Huang Maoru, chairman of Maoye International, a retailing giant in Shenzhen of Guangdong province, was taken away by the country's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and national security agency for investigation last week.
~ Huang's case was suspected to be linked to Xu Zongheng, former mayor of Shenzhen, who was being probed on suspicion of serious violations of party discipline, including bribery, in June this year.
Original article: [Chinese]

Dalian Limits the Growth Rate of Local Insurance Company
Market, page 20
~ Recently, the Dalian Bureau of China Insurance Regulatory Commission issued a circular setting a growth limit for insurance companies operating in Dalian.
~ The bureau prescribed that the Dalian branch of Ping An Insurance and China Life Insurance Company's growth rate should not exceed 18% and 20% respectively in 2010.
~ An official from the bureau said the move was aimed to regulate and guide the industry towards a healthy and sustainable growth. However, industry players were concerned that the government intervention went too far and could potentially disturb normal business operation.
Original article:[Chinese]