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By Ding Qingfen (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-06 07:05

BEIJING - Foreign businesses in China are operating in an improving and maturing environment, with the government committed to its World Trade Organization (WTO) pledges, a former top trade negotiator has said.

Tong Zhiguang said he believes the government is taking a more active and open attitude toward foreign investment.

“It’s just not true to say that China is getting tougher with multinationals doing business in the country,” Tong Zhiguang, who is also a former vice-minister of commerce, told China Daily on Monday.

“Instead, I believe the Chinese government is taking a more active and open attitude toward foreign investment in terms of the policies concerned,” China’s former WTO chief negotiator said.

Tong made the remarks in response to complaints by a number of international companies about more business restrictions in China.

These complaints flared up after Internet search giant Google withdrew its operations from the Chinese mainland last month.

Last Friday, the American Chamber of Commerce in Beijing (Amcham-China) also released a 2010 Business Climate Survey which alleged growing dissatisfaction from tougher requirements by the Chinese government, fiercer competition and unequal treatment.

Previous complaints from Amcham-China focused on new, indigenous innovation rules favoring domestic business and government procurement policies that exclude foreigners from China.

But China will stick to its policies on foreign capital, Vice-Minister of Commerce Chen Jian said last Friday.

The recent cases involving foreign business operations such as Google and mining giant Rio Tinto will also not hurt the nation’s investment environment, Chen said.

Tong said “it’s absolutely unreasonable to politicize these individual cases”.

Restrictions and regulations for foreign businesses in China are in place, “but they are international practices”, said Li Xiaogang, director of the Foreign Investment Research Center at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

“Fundamentally, the business environment for international firms are getting better,” Li said.

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, China is still the most attractive destination for foreign investment in 2010.

“I believe Google is an exceptional case. China is one of the top three priorities for PepsiCo, if not the top priority. And there is no question that China is where all internationals realize is critical for their global economic growth,” Ken Newell, president of PepsiCo Greater China Region (Beverage), told China Daily.

The beverage giant has 22 plants operating in China and it plans to have 14 more in the next few years, with a majority of these in the western and northern regions, in line with the country’s “go west” strategy.

“There is no change with China’s support for foreign investment. That is why our commitment to the market is growing,” said Sui Chenghao, China managing director of Merck Serono, a subsidiary of leading pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA.

Merck Serono recently announced an investment of 300 million yuan ($44 million) in China.

The Chinese government is trying to send a more welcome message to foreign businesses despite a number of loopholes in policy that have dampened the confidence of some of them, said Wang Zhile, director of the research center on transnational corporations under the Ministry of Commerce.

“The mainstream policy is positive and has remained unchanged,” he said.

Contrary to Amcham-China’s latest report, a survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (Amcham-Shanghai) in March also showed a strikingly positive attitude among businesses in the city.

This is my first time to know about the inflatable products. I have seen some in the park or some business activities before. I know many activities can use it to decorate, in order to increase the festival atmosphere.

Today I work in a trading company. It is specializing inflatable products. I can say that I am not familiar with these products in the first days. Through these days study, I know about a new world. Different kinds of products make me dizzy. It seems that I go into a fairy world. It is very mysterious. I know every kid would like to have these lovely toys, just like when I am a child.

These inflatable products are exported many different countries. Many people buy it to decorate house, park or give their kids for playing. Use the products to decorate your house is a good idea. For example inflatable chairs. You can put it in the restaurant room, it is very vivid. Some of the products are supplied for kids’ playing. As a lot of inflatable products add educational elements. Kids can learn much knowledge from it.

If you want to achieve success in the inflatable market is not an easy thing. The most important is your quality. Top quality is your best guarantee to customers. Secondly creativity is also important. Nowadays, the inflatable market is fierce competition. If your products are lack of creativity, you cannot be competitive with others. Good and unique design can stand in the market. Hence we need a batch of creative designers. Next good after-sale service is indispensable. We know that customer is god. We should provide them the best service. The last but not the least is marketing strategic. How we sale our products in the market? How to advertise? They are a challenge questions.

In these days I learn much. I know I am not familiar with in this field, many things are waiting for me to study. Every time when I want to give up, I tell myself “keep going”. No matter what problems you meet, you must face them bravely. Due to life is full of many difficulties. Only experienced failures, you can achieve success. Fail is the mother of success.

I know I will win in the end. I will get the achievement in the field. At the same time I believe that inflatable products have a good prospective.

By Wang Wen and Xiao Huo (China Daily)

The Chinese capital is allowing expatriates to be elected as “model workers” for the first time.

“You don’t have to be a Communist Party member, a Communist Youth League member or even a member of the trade union in your company,” said Wang Yonghao, director of the marketing department of the Beijing municipal federation of trade unions, the authority that selects the role models. “We are simply looking for people who have the potential to become leaders in society.”

For decades, model workers in China have been cast as a political symbols emulating selflessness among the working class. The title is awarded every five years. Winners of the title, many of whom are recommended by employers eager for public exposure, are often forced to endure media bombardment in return for the recognition.

But the federation of trade unions is taking a different approach this year.
“We welcome everybody in Beijing, be they foreign staff or migrant workers. Even nannies with excellent records and good personalities can be nominated,” Huo Lianming, vice-president of the union, said on a morning radio show.

The federation said there is no quota of expatriate winners but said at least some will likely be selected.

The move to include expatriates is part of Beijing’s ambition to become an international city, officials said.

Elyse Ribbons, an American actress and playwright who has been in Beijing for seven years, said she understands what it means to become a model worker in China and that she would be honored if chosen.

“I didn’t know that there are still model worker nominations now,” said the 29-year-old from Detroit. “It’s still part of a socialist-style propaganda campaign, but it would definitely be fun to be elected.”

The only criteria for Beijing’s candidates this time are three years of work experience in Beijing - not necessarily at the same company - and making exceptional contributions, the federation said.

There will be about 1,200 winners altogether, but what the winners get has not been decided, said the federation.
But the federation is unlikely to grant winners Beijing hukou (Beijing permanent residency).

“We have never granted hukou to previous awardees,” said Wang. “We believe the issue of hukou has little to do with honoring model workers,” Wang told METRO.
Five years ago, more than 100 model workers were selected in Beijing and each got 15,000 yuan. Some even got increased subsidies for education, medical services and housing, because their employers had to treat them well after their public appearance.
This is also the first time that migrant workers in Beijing, most of whom don’t have hukou, can become model workers.

The federation said that accepting migrant worker nominations promotes social equality.
The federation has started accepting nominations on March 15 and will stop on March 20.

BEIJING - The year of 2010 will be a crucial but complicated year for China’s economic development, Premier Wen Jiabao said at the parliament annual session Friday.

“This is a crucial year for the country to continue fighting against the global financial crisis while maintaining a steady and comparatively fast economic development and accelerating the transformation of economic growth pattern,” Wen said while delivering the government work report to the National People’s Congress.

This year is important also because it is the last year for the government to fulfill the targets set in the country’s 11th Five-year Plan and to lay a sound foundation for work on the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), Wen said.

“Although the development environment this year may be better than last year, we still face a very complicated situation,” he said.

Many uncertainties and challenges, both domestic and global, remain this year, including grim employment situation, overcapacity in some sectors, increasing trade protectionism and food security issue, Wen noted.

The country will continue implementing the proactive fiscal policy and moderately loose monetary policy this year while enhancing the focus and flexibility of the policy according to new conditions, he said.

“We will work to balance the work of maintaining stable and comparatively fast economic growth, adjusting economic structure and preventing possible inflation,” Wen said.

Last year was the most difficult year for China’s economic development since the beginning of the new century, he said.

As the first country emerging from the global economic downturn, China reported an annual economic growth of 8.7 percent in 2009. The rate was lower than the 9.6-percent growth in 2008 and annual double-digit increases in the 2003-2007 period.

China’s quarterly economic growth accelerated as the government’ s economic stimulus package started to pay off. The national economy rose 6.2 percent in the first quarter last year, 7.9 percent in the second quarter, 9.1 percent in the third and 10.7 percent in the fourth.

However, “we must not interpret the economic recovery as a fundamental improvement in the economic situation,” Wen said. “We need to be on high alert for potential dangers, make full use of favorable conditions and positive factors, strive to resolve problems, make even more thorough preparations to deal with risks and challenges of all kinds.”

Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese amusement holidays. It is commonly called “Lunar New Year”, because it is based on the lunisolar Chinese calendar. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first month (Chinese: 正月; pinyin: zhēng yuè) in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival. Chinese New Year’s Eve is known as chú xī. It literally means “Year-pass Eve”.

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Ancient Chinese New Year is a reflection on how the people behaved and what they believed in the most.

Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Han Chinese populations (Chinatowns), such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors, as well as cultures with whom the Chinese have had extensive interaction. These include Koreans (Seollal), Tibetans and Bhutanese (Losar), Mongolians (Tsagaan Sar), Vietnamese (Tết), and the Japanese before 1873 (Oshogatsu).

In countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States, although Chinese New Year is not an official holiday, many ethnic Chinese hold large celebrations and Australia Post, Canada Post, and the US Postal Service issue New Year’s themed stamps.

Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. People will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food, and clothing. It is also the tradition that every family thoroughly cleans the house to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of “happiness”, “wealth”, and “longevity”. On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks, chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is a great way to reconcile; forgetting all grudges, and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone

This article ia written by Amy, a representation of Y&G company, which is a professional manufacturer of amusement equipment, including, inflatable products, out door playground equipment, fitness equipment, indoor play areas and so on.

It is known by reporter that until yesterday, eastern Prevention and Protection Bureau has taken about 50 pieces vaccine for migrant workers in Zhongshan city. Zhongshan Disease Prevention Center principle shows to us that the ready 20 thousand H1N1 vaccines will be sent to Zhongshan at the middle of this month. The migrant workers can go to the local Prevention and Protection Bureau sigh up for inoculation ahead of time.
According to the reports, another 30 thousand vaccines has arrived in Zhongshan in Dec, 2009. Also, there will have 70 thousand transferred to Zhongshan city before the middle of Jan, and these are mainly used for students, migrant workers and pregnant women etc, most of vaccines are prepared for the group of students.

Besides, from the Disease Prevention Center section Chief Zhou Hai, we have known that the inoculation project of pregnant women has started on 28, Dec 2009, in Zhongshan city, however, there is still no any pregnant woman coming to the local Prevention and Protection Center to sign up for registration.

Recently, in line with the unified deployment from Guangdong Ontario Ministry of Health, in 5, Jan, the vaccine inoculation will promote in the important working areas where migrant workers are relatively centralized, cities like Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Dongguan and Zhognshan etc will start the work in succession.

Yesterday, reporters got the news from Department of Health that some local Prevention and Protection Bureaus have begun to vaccinate for migrant workers yesterday. At present, it is about 20 thousand vaccines which are planned to assign to migrant workers. Migrant workers can take their relevant identity certification to local Prevention and Protection Bureau to sign up.

Those who have Contra-indication are not suitable for vaccines inoculation. The taboo of H1N1 vaccine is similar to seasonal influenza, for example: people who are allergic to egg or ovalbumin; those are suffering fever, acute disease, serious chronic disease; AIDP patient; kids under the age of 3 and some more. People having the above situation are not fitted for inoculation.

Do you still remember what was you doing when you were 6 years old? It is reported that the 6-year-old boy Samu Bo Boynton was appointed to be the new recreation director of the British Railway Museum. Little Boynton is keen to entertainment equipment. During the interview, he showed his love of recreation perfectly, beat other employees and won the job.

As the recreation director of the Museum, the main work of Little Boynton is to tell to the management workers that how to attract more children and how to make the entertainment equipment be loved by kids. The first suggestion proposed by Boynton after his induction is to meet the requirement of children by way of establishing Model Train Pavilion. From the point of children’s view on entertainment equipment, Boynton proposed many wonderful suggestions for the museum.

You may be surprised at this news and feel incredible. Anyhow, it is true. In addition, at least we can appreciate the courage of the British Railway Museum to employ a kid to do such an important work. What’s more, referring from this thing, we can get the information that the British Railway Museum try their best to understand what their customers want. They can consider from the view of customers, which is often lacked by most businessmen.

What is the widest used language all over the world? Of course it is English.

Rencently, there is a news, that in order to make good preparation of the World Expo, shanghai holds a activity of clearing out the Chinglish advertising slogans to avoid being laughed by foreigners. On the other hand, the Guardian in UK publics some articles to protect Chinglish from disappearing, and feels a pity that the Chinglish would be extinct.
Should Chinglish be defended or liquidated? When we have the self-confidence to not feel awkward about Chinglish, we should also endow Chinglish with genuine culture and creative vitality.

Chinglish is regarded as the short form for Chinese English. It is the combination of Chinese grammar and English words. It is greatly welcomed by people while regarded as unstandard by official.

In 2007, a Germany youth named Oliver Lutz Radtke published a book Chinglish- Found in Translation. It is a collection about Chinglish which he saw on the Chinese streets. Besides, he has also established a personal blog to show the pictures taken in public places about the Chinglish slogans. His blog is called Chinglish museum by people for fun.

It is said that the influence of Chinglish becomes greater and greater in the world. As is estimated, English words increased by twenty thousand in 2005. 20% of them are related with Chinglish.

In fact, there are two kinds of Chinglish. One is that words translated directly by translation software, which would lead to misunderstanding while communicate with it. Strictly speaking, this is not the real Chinglish. The other is one translated according to Chinese culture. Take “People Mountain People Sea” as an example, foreigners can infer from the phrase that the words mountain and sea are used to express the idea of large quantity. So they can understand that he phrase means number of people. You can see, real Chinglish will not course any misunderstanding, but will be helpful to transmit Chinese culture.

In a word, we should respect the Standard English. But chinglish, as a cultural phenomenon, should be protected; but it should be the real Chinglish of course.

Have you ever seen the character囧? You may be pride to say “yes”, but unfortunately, it has already been out of date. Recently, another uncommon word 烎 become the newest and hottest character on line.

At the first glance, you may not know it. It is an old Chinese character, read as “yin” and means “bright, and sunny”. But the newly popularly word on line is not yet the original meaning. It means impassioned, with heart afire, Valiant or arbitrary.

It is said that this word came from some computer game players. The team named
烎队 challenge to the Ehome who was the winner of the game. The team tried their best and showed their great zest in the game. They were praised for their spirit although they failed the competition.

With the spread of the reputation of the team, the character烎 also became popular among computer game players. Because the character can be cut into 开 and 火， which is a phrase in Chinese. It is vivid to express the meaning. So it becomes the symbol for game players to announce “challenging the stronger with great determination.” Now this character has already spread beyond the game field to the whole internet to be the hottest topic.

When囧 was popular, there were some businessmen took it as the theme to  design goods such as shoes and shirt , and these products met with great favor. Now it can be inferred that there must be many products designed with the theme of烎.

The youth may be exciting to these uncommon words. However, on the contrary, parents are worried about them. These words are mostly popular for their graphemes. And there real meanings were deserted by the users. The usage of these words does not conform to the standard. Parents are worried that the frequent using of these words may affect children’s Chinese learning. Some professor said “parents and teachers should remind children to be aware of the occasions while using uncommon words, and use normal and standard words as much as possible in daily life”.

As the National Day comes, the Military Parade becomes a hot topic recently. People are eager to know more about the news it, including the activities, the uniforms and some innovative businesses.

Recently, our reporter got the information that the flag-bearers of the flag escort on military parade on the National Day may be twins who were born in the 1990s.

Wang Lei and Wang Yu are twins who were born in Heilongjiang in 1990s. It would be an attractive scene that they two will be the flag-bearers for the military parade on the National Day.

“We are both recruits and just joined the army last year. It is such a surprise for us to be chosen as the flag-bearers.” They said “besides normal training, we have some extra-training. In order to be more qualified, we have already changed 3 instructors.” Wang Yu told the recorder that at the beginning of the training, they were required to do 600 goose-step, and each is restricted to 75cm long, then have a break, and go on with it. Instructors are very strict to them, and told them they would be passed if they can’t be qualified through training.

The twins do great effort for their job, and great changes happened to them. Their weights rise to 75kg after training from 60kg before training.

The instructor said “If the twins are the flag-bearers, it must be very novel and eye-catching, but it is under the premise that they are excellent enough.”

At present, the twins are still training with optimistic attitude “it’s an honor to be a member of the military phalanx, let alone being the flag-bearers.”

Let’s wait for their beautiful show.