Chemical factory expansion stops after thousands march in protest

A police officer talks to residents in Ningbo City who were protesting the proposed expansion of a petrochemical factory that they say would spew pollution and damage public health. The city government said yesterday evening that the project's investor agreed not to go ahead with the expansion.

THOUSANDS of protesters who marched through the eastern Ningbo City yesterday against the expansion of a petrochemical factory won a pledge from the local government that the project would be halted.

The Ningbo government said in a statement yesterday evening that the city and the project's investor had "resolutely" agreed not to go ahead with the expansion.

The city's Zhenhai District, where the chemical plant locates, said Ningbo's Communist Party chief Wang Huizhong and Mayor Liu Qi held discussions with residents on Saturday night.

The Ningbo government said in a short statement on its website yesterday evening that the project wouldn't go ahead and that refining at the factory would stop for the time being while a scientific review is conducted.

The demonstration is the latest this year over fears of health risks from industrial projects, as Chinese who have seen their living standards improve become more outspoken against environmentally risky projects in their areas.

Hundreds of residents headed from a city square toward the offices of the Ningbo government early yesterday. They were stopped by police at the gate. Tensions rose after about 200 riot police walked out of the gate, tore down banners that people had hung in trees.

Hundreds roamed along nearby shopping streets. Police diverted traffic to allow them to pass down a main road.

The protests began a few days earlier in the coastal district of Zhenhai. On Saturday they swelled and spread to the center of Ningbo. Residents reported that Saturday's protests involved thousands of people.

Authorities said "a few" people disrupted public order by staging sit-ins, unfurling banners, distributing fliers and obstructing roads.

Marchers included the elderly and children, as well as some pet poodles. Some protesters wore face masks and shouted slogans like "Protect Ningbo" and "Return my health."

"We have to do this for our future and our family's future," a 40-year-old protester surnamed Jing said yesterday, as she pointed to the smoggy air. "The sky was so clear when I was a child. Look at it now."

Another protester, Yu Yibing, said he wanted the factory to be closed, not expanded, and his 7-year-old son to grow up in a clean environment.

"As the common people, we need to live in a green environment. This is a reasonable request," Yu said. 

The planned expansion project was designed to produce 15 million tons of refined oil and 1.2 million tons of ethylene per year and belongs to Sinopec Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Co, which has invested 55.87 billion yuan (US$8.9 billion).

Source Shanghaidaily http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=515218

Press Conference for 16th Int’l Fashion Festival held

The 16th Ningbo International Fashion Festival was commenced on Oct, 25. The organizing committee held a press conference the day before and announced the top ten economic and cultural activities on the festival.
　  Themed at “innovative Ningbo, stylish orient”, the 16th festival is aimed at promoting the research and design abilities of Ningbo’s fashion industry, enlarging marketing channels, raising Ningbo’s market share at the garment market, and promoting industrial transformation and upgrading as well as helping convert Ningbo’s industrial scale into industrial strength. Abiding by the principles of serving fashion industry’s development via this festival, the organizing committee designed the top ten activities.     
　　As the key part of the festival, the 16th Ningbo International Fashion Fair (Iffair) occupies 6 halls of the NICEC with 2,000 booths in total, fifty percent of which are taken up by Ningbo’s local brands and companies, another 25 percent being domestic brands while the last 25 percent being international brands. The fair has also invited 8,500 buyers from home and abroad as well as 100 important trade commissions. In addition, there will be 14 fashion shows and another five shows for rising fashion designers.  

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Buyers from Russia on Canton Fair multiplied

Data from the 112th Canton Fair showed that buyers from Russia increased significantly despite of the decreasing total number of the purchasers on the fair caused by the depressing world economy. Experts argued that emerging markets like Russia had become the new profiting land for made-in-china commodities.    
Statistics showed that a total of 5,717 Russians checked in on the fair till Oct, 23. In phase one, 4,753 Russian purchasers attended the fair, increasing by 6.64 percent against the same period of the previous time, while the total number of buyers for Phase I dropped off 11.44 percent.

16th Zhejiang Sanitation Worker’s Day Celebrated

A ceremony was held in Ningbo on October 23 to celebrate the 16th Zhejiang Sanitation Worker’s Day. Wang Huizhong, Liu Qi and Wang Renzhou made special instructions and sending their warm greetings to all sanitation workers in Ningbo.

The theme of the 2012 Ningbo Sanitation Worker’s Day is “Clean City, Beautiful Home”. On the same day, an occupational skill competition for sanitation workers was held in Fubang Stadium in Jiangdong. In the celebration ceremony, advanced individual workers and units were honored for their contributions. Representatives of sanitation workers also launched a proposal to call for joint efforts to protect the appearance of the city.

Wang Huizhong said that the appearance was the most basic and important symbol of urban civilization, and all Ningbo’s sanitation workers were outstanding beauticians of this emerging port city. They were the heroes of city in creating National Civilization City and Model City of environment protection.

Liu Qi said that the appearance was the window and image of a city. He thanked all the sanitation workers for their contributions to Ningbo and hoped them would make further efforts and more achievements.Wang Renzhou said that all the sanitation workers were doing the extraordinary work on their ordinary posts. He wished them a happy holiday.

500 mln yuan of private placement bond issued

 Ningbo Development and Investment Group successfully issued its first sum of non-public targeted bond in the inter-bank market recently. It is learned that it is the first time in Ningbo to issue that kind of bond.   
　　Ningbo Branch of Industrial Bank is the main underwriter for this sum of bond, whose bond period is only one year with an interest rate of 5.5 percent. The raised funds will be used in replacing corporate bank loans and in making up the liquidity gap. 
　　Non-public targeted bond in the inter-bank market, also called private placement bond, is circulated and transferred among special agents and investors. Compared to public offering bond, the issuing of private placement bond is more flexible and more convenient. It also undergoes simplified information disclosure requirements and is limitedly circulated, which can meet the specific demands of investors. It can also help widen financing channels and lower financing cost, thus to improve financing structure by raising the ratio of direct finance.

Latin American Chamber of Commerce visits Ningbo

Latin American Chamber of Commerce paid a visit to Ningbo this Monday at the invitation of Ningbo CCPIT, signing cooperation intentions with more than 20 Ningbo companies. 
The delegation included 17 officials of the chamber from 10 Latin American countries like Argentina, Paraguay, Mexico, Uruguay etc. The delegation visited some companies in survey of Ningbo’s economic and social development conditions. Besides, they also made communications and talks with some companies on investment and future cooperation.
In the meantime, Ningbo CCPIT signed cooperation memorandum with Argentina and other seven countries, promoting the cooperation in such fields as trade and investment

Increments of saving deposits and loans ranked first in Zhejiang Province

The recently released data by the People’s Bank of China, Ningbo Central Sub-branch shows that loans by Ningbo financial institutions in the first three quarters mainly go to middle-small-micro enterprises, fields relating to agriculture, rural areas and peasants, and key projects. The saving deposits and loans increments both increased and ranked first in Zhejiang Province, followed by Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang.  
Till the end of September, the balance of domestic and foreign currency deposit reached 1.17 trillion Yuan, a rise of 109.76 billion Yuan on the beginning of this year and 28.45 billion Yuan on last year's same period with an increase rate of 11.22%, which is 2.07% higher than that of last quarter and 1.87% higher than the average provincial level. 
The balance loan-to-deposit ratio at the end of September is 100.21% and the increment loan-to-deposit ratio 100.73%. 
The loan growth comes mainly from the short-term loans and sees an increase from paper financing and middle-long term loans. Loans favor middle-small-micro enterprises, fields relating to agriculture, rural areas and peasants, and key projects. The deposit increment in the first three quarters of the middle-small-micro enterprises takes up more than 90%. The deposit balance of the middle-small-micro enterprises at the end of September achieved 712.1 billion Yuan, a rise of 69.083 billion Yuan and 91.26% of the total deposit increment. The increasing rate of the loans relating to agriculture, rural areas and peasants is higher than other loans. The amount at the end of September is 407.88 billion Yuan, a rise of 46.78 billion Yuan and an increase of 17.15% over the same period of last year.

100 families awarded as Cixiao Family

Recently, one hundred families in the Jiangbei District have been awarded as the Cixiao Family (Cixiao: a traditional Chinese virtue advocating parents to be kind and children filial). One is from the Fanjing Community. Chen Xiaoyu, suffering from cerebral palsy and expected not to live over 20, is now 30 years old. His mother Hong Yiping has been taking care of him and his grandmother. She says that when they get old they will still stay together in the nursing home. 
Starting in middle September, the 4th selection of Cixiao Family is aimed to promote traditional virtues, Cixiao culture and values of harmony. As the first Town of Cixiao Culture in China, Jiangbei promotes the traditional virtues by awarding such families. Families that are recommended by community members will be posted on the Internet for public review before getting the reputation. 
Here are some examples of the Cixiao Family. Though disabled, Fang Guoxiang takes care of his young child and elderly mother on his own. Cheng Jingfang has looked after her step-father for four years with nothing to complain. Leaders from Jiangbei Women Association said that it was hoped to promote social harmony by setting examples of Cixiao Family, which have gracious moral sentiment.

Zheng Hui awarded as National Model Collector of Stamp

News from Beijing on 20th says that retired senior cadre Zheng Hui has been awarded as national Model Collector of Stamps by the All-China Philatelic Federation. This is the second time that he gets this honor, the first being in 2002. And in the Selection of Good Essays hosted by Zhejiang Stamps Collection, his essay Letters and the Great Revolution of 1911 has been awarded as the Top Ten Essay of 2011.