CSG news update -- 2007-08-09

[China Study Group <chinastudygroup@gmail.com>]

China Study Group news update

Wealth gap 'spreads across Asia'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6936525.stm
BBC | 2007-08-08
The gap between rich and poor has widened sharply in China and many other Asian countries as their economies have boomed, research has suggested.  The Asian Development Bank (ADB) found that relative inequality had widened more substantially in China than any other Asian country except for Nepal....

China vows to curb inflation as economy heats up
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/business/2007/August/business_August147.xml&section=business&col=
Khaleej Times | 2007-08-08
Reuters
BEIJING - The People's Bank of China (PBOC) pledged action on Wednesday to keep a lid on prices and prevent expectations of rising inflation from taking hold.  In its monetary policy report for the second quarter, the central bank reaffirmed that it will moderately tighten monetary policy as i...

The next land revolution?
http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/democracy_power/china_inside/land_revolution
Open Democracy | 2007-08-08
Li Datong
Li Yulan, a painter living in Beijing, finds herself in a worrying situation. She lives in Songzhuang village, an artists' community located within the borders of Beijing municipality, but outside the city proper. Now, the contract she signed five years ago when purchasing her home has been decl...

China increases urban minimum living subsidy in wake of inflation
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/6234151.html
People's Daily | 2007-08-08
Xinhua
The Chinese government has raised the urban minimum living allowance for low-income families by 15 yuan (1.98 U.S. dollars) a month to try and counteract the recent inflation of daily commodities, the Ministry of Civil Affairs reported on Tuesday.  Local governments can offer a rise of more than 1...

China's wealth divide yawning with Gini coefficient reaches 47.3, ADB report
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/6234593.html
People's Daily | 2007-08-08
Xinhua
 China's Gini coefficient is estimated to rise from 40.7 in 1993 to 47.3 in 2004 in China, which means that its wealth divide has been increasing, according to Key Indicators 2007 released Wednesday by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).  "This is the latest estimation of China's Gini coeffi...

Consumption outpaces GDP in major cities on Yangtze River Delta
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/6234916.html
People's Daily | 2007-08-08
Xinhua
Sixteen major cities on the Yangtze River Delta, the economic engine of east China, saw their consumption growth exceed their GDP growth in the first half, sources with local statistical authorities said on Wednesday.  The cities are Shanghai and eight in Jiangsu Province, including Nanjing, Nanto...

 Democrats take aim at China in US presidential debate
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070808/wl_afp/usvote2008democrats_070808130001
AFP | 2007-08-08
 CHICAGO (AFP) - Democratic presidential candidates fired a stinging round of attacks on China Tuesday, bemoaning "bad food" imports and defective toys while accusing Beijing of manipulating the yuan. ADVERTISEMENT  It was the first sign of "China bashing" -- a staple of past US campaigns -- and ...

 China pours money into drug, food safety
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070808/ap_on_re_as/china_tainted_products_2
AP | 2007-08-08
AUDRA ANG
 BEIJING - China's food and drug regulator said Wednesday it would meet regularly with its U.S. counterpart to crack down on counterfeit pharmaceuticals and boost product safety. ADVERTISEMENT  China is also building new safety testing labs, and upgrading food safety inspection offices at 16 ...

Hu's Economic Policies: Liberalizing the Economy or Promoting Special Interests?
http://jamestown.org/china_brief/article.php?articleid=2373604
Jamestown Foundation China Brief | 2007-08-08
Willy Lam
While widely recognized as holding conservative ideological and political views, the Hu Jintao leadership has been given reasonably high marks for pushing forward economic reforms first initiated by the late patriarch Deng Xiaoping. According to World Trade Organization provisions, the Chinese Commu...

China Debates Green GDP and Its Future Development Model
http://jamestown.org/china_brief/article.php?articleid=2373605
Jamestown Foundation China Brief | 2007-08-08
Wenran Jiang
"Green GDP” has been the new catchphrase in the Chinese media and political discourse in the past few years. China's State Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) jointly released China's first Green GDP report in 2006, which measures the country&#3...