China sets "green" tax incentives

Nation sets "green" tax incentives
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-12/23/content_3959122.htm

"China said Wednesday that it would offer tax breaks and loans to industries including agriculture, oil and gas exploration and coal mining, particularly focusing on environmentally friendly projects. "

Great to hear! Excellent!
Fingers crossed for good implementation.......although implementation of the tax breaks for FDI seemed to work pretty well,....so maybe this will to!

CNN thinks oil prices going down is good news.

CNN thinks oil prices going down is good news. I consider that bad news.

But I thought this was good news:
"all party and government officials have been ordered to stop spending public funds on lavish banquets during the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4562382.stm
Life term for China land minister, BBC, 27 December 2005

Chinese Government officials are notorious for these lavish banquets. While I by no means think they should starve or not have a pleasant holiday like everybody else, there is incredible food wastage in China, and frequently at government events, which almost any foreigner I have met in China has been astounded by, and many of my Chinese friends and colleagues over the years have also commented on.

Another forward step for China's sustainable development......that is,....if enforced.

The Chinese word for purchasing,...

This was beautiful.
I learned something new today,...can't believe I never knew this one!:

Traditionally the Chinese word for purchasing something is gū. Literally this means to buy or sell something. The origins of the modern Chinese word for buying something can be traced back to influences from western traders. Trade between the Chinese and the Westerners was often completed using sign language and role playing, with very little verbal communication. For example during negotiations the western traders would hold a bag of seed in one hand, and two bags of Chinese tea in the other, and say "My bag for two bags." The Chinese traders would do the opposite and hold a bag of their tea in one hand and two bags of the foreigner's seed in the other, and copy the Westerners by saying "My bag for two bags." Thus the word "My" was interpreted as "trade" or "swap" and it found its way into the Chinese vocabulary . Today it is acceptable to use either the traditional "gū" or the modern " mǎi " when purchasing items in China.
Thank you very much to Troy Ellory for this story (and his Chinese teacher I guess!)
Type in "purchase" at www.zhongwen.com to see characters.

The buzz of 9% unsustainable, unequitable growth

BBC just reported China expects 2005 to have had More than 9% GDP growth. I look out my window in Beijing and it is everywhere. Huge buildings of steel and concrete, for whose production we are breathing the smoke filled air,...yet one in three buildings is unfinished,...some as it is winter,...but many as the investors ran out of money,..or maybe they got caught half way having not met safety standards. This is growth? Sure...there's an exciting buzz in Beijing,....but this is actually a mess-even just visually! This is not sustainable environmentally,...and actually not that neccesary in terms of the development and growth. Yes, housing is needed,...but it doesn't have to be 1000's of 1-500msq apartments with indoneasian rain forest polished wood floors...
Growth is defined in websters dictionary as "full development, maturity". Maturity to me implies sustainability,...or the growth will not last. It is also defined as "Development from a lower or simpler to a higher or more complex form; evolution." Beijing is not Evolving....where is the less wasteful construction? Where are the incentives for energy efficient building, for using solar, wind, buildings that require less heating? Few and far between in this city. This is actually something closer to chaos. Exciting to be in all the Change,...but the reality of it right now is we are breathing highly polluted air and stuck in traffic jams from the production of this 'growth' with very little actual results, such as improved housing and transport for the masses at an 'evolved' level.
The Beijing government has promised moves to encourage sustainable building, and subways are under construction. They could not be needed sooner, along with more buses, some literail, affordable housing and support to refit and energy efficiency in existing buildings, or Beijing will become a haunting forest of unfinished concrete like Bangkok still remains today after its bubble burst.