Ningbo bulky commodity trade center founded

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Category: Governmental News

Published: Wednesday, 31 August 2011 15:23

As an important platform for the development of marine economy and an important measure to construct Ningbo into an internationally strong port, Ningbo bulky commodity trade center was founded yesterday.

Wang Huizhong, member of the provincial standing committee and party secretary of Ningbo, unveiled the name plate and Liuqi, vice mayor of Ningbo, delivered a speech. Present at the starting ceremony were also other government officials.

Ningbo bulky commodity trade center integrates the trade, settlement, information, logistic and financial services together and is planned to be opened to business this year.

The trade center will be an electronic trade platform using advanced Internet technology, e-commerce technology, linking international and domestic markets.

Through years of nurturing and development, Ningbo's bulky commodity market has thrived, with trade volume ranking first among coastal cities in China. 2010 saw a turnover of ￥170 billion and a number of regional pricing centers have emerged, such as the China plastic town in Yutao. Ningbo bulky commodity trade center will feature plastics, chemicals, non-ferrous metals, rare and valuable metals and steel, and efforts will be made to build it into a domestically influential multi-commodity trading and pricing center.

The establishment of the trade center will give full play to Ningbo's advantages of its location, port, resources, market and openness to the world and will greatly improve service function for the trade of bulky commodities, raise the level of modern service, and strengthen its pricing power and the competitive edge of its port.

In his congratulation speech, vice mayor Liuqi said that the construction of the bulky commodity trade center is an important measure to carry out the strategic plan for Ningbo to develop marine economy, to quicken the construction of a "three-in-one" port and shipping logistic service system, a key point in the implementation of the "six-quickening" strategy to upgrade economy, which will have a far-reaching effect in the construction of a pilot zone of marine economy.

Liu urged all concerned departments to have a strong sense of responsibility, to unify their thoughts, and to join their efforts to create a good environment for the operation of the trade center. He also urged the trade center to strengthen the construction of its trading system and risk-prevention mechanism so as to operate well. He finally welcomed producers and dealers to give more attention to Ningbo, to come and cooperate for common development.

Marine economists to be in great demand

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Category: Governmental News

Published: Wednesday, 31 August 2011 14:38

According to the news conference on 2011 China Ningbo Talent Introduction Week, the Talent Introduction Week is to be open from September 16 to 20. This activity will give priority to the introduction of high-end teams of talents, and talents in marine economy and talents for enterprises, so as to ensure the construction of the core marine economy demonstration zones.

It is learned that in the week will be nine major activities: the high-level professionals introduction fair, a meeting on the returned professionals, a fair of high and new scientific and technological achievements, a summit forum of university presidents and entrepreneurs, an international expo of industrial design, academicians visits to enterprises, China Scientific and Technological Business Contest, International Summit Forum of Human Resources, and the week of science and technology personnel resources.

At the fair of high and new scientific and technological achievements, some 100 high-end marine technological achievements will be displayed, and in the meanwhile a promotion of emerging marine industrial projects will be held.

Related persons say, this year, the talents in marine economy and the high-end overseas talents will be in great demand.

Innovated services to communities

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Category: Governmental News

Published: Wednesday, 31 August 2011 15:07

According to Ningbo Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs, governments of all levels of Ningbo consistently improve their services and management of communities, encourage the development of social organization, improve the competence of the community workers and try to provide residents with personalized services.

In recent years, Ningbo has encouraged the development of social organizations. not only lowering down the threshold for the registration of social organizations but also giving financial support to social organizations. In the first half this year, the funds for the public welfare projects of social organization have added up to over 6 million yuan. As a result, the services of communities are extended to wider fields, more colorful, and the social organizations are doing things which are beyond the communities workers.

The increasing harmony of communities is a result of the improved professional competence of the community workers. In recent years, the city has been exploring the ways to improve the professional competence of the community workers. It gives more training to the community workers to raise their professional ability.

In May this year, Haishu District conducted over 20 training programs, giving training to over 600 community workers.

Rare-earth prices hinder goals

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Category: Governmental News

Published: Wednesday, 24 August 2011 14:33

The prices of most rare earths have risen by three to five times this year since China began consolidating the industry.

Surging rare-earth prices will hinder the country's targets for energy conservation and emissions reduction as the increased cost of raw material has affected downstream producers, industry experts warned.

Zhang Anwen, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Society of Rare Earths, said that the "quite elevated" rare-earth prices helped producers earn billions of dollars, but the country will face a challenge meeting its energy conservation target.

"If one fifth of the lamps in China are equipped with energy-efficient bulbs, the country can save at least 100 billion kilowatt-hours of energy each year, equivalent to the annual energy output of the Three Gorges hydroelectric dam," Zhang said. "But because of high raw-material costs, downstream companies such as producers of energy-efficient bulbs have cut or halted production, which will greatly affect the country's targets for energy conservation and emissions reduction."

Rare earth is comprised of 17 metals used in applications such as high-performance magnets, light-emitting diode (LED) phosphors, and in high-tech products such as iPads and electric cars.

The price of fluorescent powder, which includes the rare-earth elements lanthanum and cerium and applied in energy-efficient LED light bulbs, rose from 300 yuan ($46.96) a kg in January to 2,500 yuan a kg in June, according to data from the online non-ferrous metals information provider Shanghai Metals Market (SMM).

Tang Meixuan, general manager of Suzhou New Century Fluorescent Material Ltd, said since prices of rare earths skyrocketed, between 30 to 50 percent of LED bulb producers cut production to wait until the prices drop.

Battery producers for electrical cars using praseodymium, neodymium and lanthanum also felt the pain of rising costs.

Luo Tao, managing director of Hunan Corun New Energy Co Ltd, a battery producer for electrical vehicles, said if the prices of rare earths continue to increase, the battery industry will collapse and the country will face obstacles in developing electrical cars.

The country aims to have 1 million electrical cars by 2015.

The prices of most rare earths have risen by three to five times this year since China began consolidating the industry.

However, prices started easing in July. The price of rare-earth cerium oxide dropped by 20 percent after downstream companies reduced production.

A manager from Baotou Steel Rare-Earth Hi-Tech Co, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the world's largest rare-earth producer, which controls 60 percent of the world's light rare-earth supply, has more than 10,000 tons of rare earth in stockpiles.

In earlier reports, Zhang Zhong, general manager of Baotou Steel Rare-Earth, said rare-earth prices will remain at high levels in the second half due to tight supply as the government kicks into action strict policies to encourage sustainable development of the overexploited industry.

He said that surging rare-earth prices will accelerate the reduction of low-value-added downstream companies and encourage high-tech development in the rare-earth industry.

From a long-term perspective, Zhang said these companies will either naturally fade away or move up the value chain.

A company executive from a rare-earth processing company in Ganzhou, who requested anonymity, said in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, half of the companies producing loudspeaker components, which use neodymium iron boron, have halted production.

"One third of downstream companies using neodymium iron boron have stopped production as the price of the rare earth skyrocketed," said Wei Chishan, an analyst with SMM.

China has been implementing strict measures on the valuable metals to protect them from being overexploited and undervalued.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said last week that the ministry will join forces with five other ministries and state agencies to strengthen efforts against the illegal mining and smelting of rare earths.

china daily 18th August