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Audi to Recall Defective Vehicles in China

As of May 23, 72 Audi A4/S4 sport utility vehicles with defective lighting system will be recalled from China as part of the company's worldwide action. The German Audi Auto Company has submitted a report to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, China's market watchdog.
The vehicles to be recalled were made in 2003 and 2004 with a defective reflector whose cover may fall off and dim the lights.
According to the report, if drivers do not realize the problem and continue to drive, the headlights may eventually die, raising safety concerns.
The company has promised to overhaul the vehicles and replace the problematic reflectors for free.

(Xinhua News Agency May 20, 2005)/p>

Ericsson Enter TD-SCDMA 3G Race

The world's largest telecommunications equipment vendor Ericsson yesterday made its first step towards tapping the Chinese 3G market.
The Scandinavian phone giant made a clear statement of intent by announcing plans for a research and development (R&D) centre in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, and a partnership with Chinese company ZTE.
The centre will focus on developing solutions for the 3G time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) standard, a system supported by China. ""We have been watching the development of TD-SCDMA for many years and said we would provide solutions and products, if the market demand becomes mature,"" said Tu Min, vice-president of Ericsson China.
""We think it is the time now,"" she added.
Ericsson did not provide financial details of the centre, but said it would initially be staffed with 50 engineers. Tu said the centre is close to Ericsson's telecommunications production base in Nanjing and the two facilities will be able to share development resources. Ericsson also formed a strategic alliance yesterday with the Chinese telecommunications equipment vendor ZTE.
According to the agreement, ZTE will provide its base station Node B hardware along with software products to Ericsson which will integrate them into its wireless network.
The two companies will also co-operate in TD-SCDMA trials in China. Tu said the new R&D centre and the partnership with ZTE will enable Ericsson to support all three international 3G standards: wideband CDMA, CDMA2000, and TD-SCDMA. Vincent Fu, a telecom analyst with US market research house Gartner, said the moves by Ericsson showed a change in their wait-and-see attitude on the TD-SCDMA standard.
It is now widely agreed that TD-SCDMA is almost certain to be deployed in China, the world's largest mobile communications market with 349 million subscribers. China is widely expected to award 3G licenses later this year.
The homegrown TD-SCDMA standard has been tested in several rounds of trials organized by the Ministry of Information Industry and is believed to meet the requirements necessary for a commercial launch.
""It is a sensible decision and there is no need for Ericsson to put all their eggs into one basket,"" said Fu. He added that with the increasing likelihood of TD-SCDMA deployment and the participation of main-stream vendors like Ericsson, more international equipment suppliers may try to enter the TD-SCDMA development race.
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Export Price of Home Appliances to Rise 5 to 10%

China's export price for household electrical appliances will rise 5 percent to 10 percent this year due to the price hike of raw materials, Beijing Daily reported on Monday.
However, the price increase will not have a big effect on the export, the newspaper said, quoting industry insiders. Glanz, a household electrical appliances producer in south China's Guangdong Province, said the price of most of its products will increase by around 5 percent, and the price of air conditioners will rise 10 percent.
The price of air conditioners manufactured by Kelon and Midea will also rise 5 percent to 10 percent, according to the newspaper.
China's small household electrical appliances manufacturers are under increasing pressure in the fierce competition of price war at domestic market due to the rising production cost, it said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 19, 2005)/p>

Gov't Bans Iron and Steel Processing

China will start to ban iron and steel processing trade on May 19, the Ministry of Commerce told China Daily Wednesday. The measure means that processors in China will be prohibited from making goods for overseas clients with imported iron ore, pig iron, steel scraps, billets or ingots provided by overseas clients.
The iron and steel processing trade in China is now free from tariffs and value-added taxes on material imports and finished product exports.
""The measure is in line with the State's macro economic controls and the related industry's development policy,"" the ministry said in a statement.
Starting from May 19th, China will also ban rare earth and phosphorite processing trade.
The ban of iron and steel processing trade is the third consecutive action taken by China within less than two months to tame the nation's skyrocketing steel exports. On April 1, China removed a 13-percent tax rebate for steel billet and ingot exports. The nation slashed the tax rebate for exports of some steel products to 11 percent from 13 percent on May 1.
Analysts said the latest measure is mainly designed to plug the loophole created by the removal of the tax rebate on steel billet and ingot exports.
""Many small steel makers in China turned to the processing trade after the export tax rebate was removed,"" said Qian Yi of Shanghai Steelhome Information Technology Co Ltd, a steel industry consulting firm.
The processing trade ban will have a big impact on small steel companies in China, Qian said yesterday in an interview with China Daily.
China's steel exports have been shooting up since last year thanks to higher international steel prices than in the domestic market.
The nation exported 5.19 million tons of steel products in the first quarter of this year, up 219 percent from a year ago,statistics from the China Iron and Steel Association showed.
China's steel billet exports also surged, up 971 percent year-on-year to 2.86 million tons during the same period. ""The iron and steel processing trade ban is the government's attempt to further control steel demand, from both domestic and overseas markets, to prevent a resurgence of overheating investment in China's steel sector and excessive steel production,"" said Zhou Xizeng, an analyst with CITIC Securities Co Ltd.
Both profligate investment in the steel sector and steel demand in China have been cooled by the State's macro economic controls.
Fixed asset investment in the sector tumbled by 1.4 percent year-on-year to 33.22 billion yuan (US$4.01 billion) from January to March this year.
The tumble is in sharp contrast to the whopping 106.4 percent year-on-year growth in fixed asset investment in the sector in the first quarter of 2004.
Zhou said investment in the steel sector will continue to decline this year due to the ban on iron and steel processing trade.
Domestic steel demand rose by 9.79 percent to 83.31 million tons in the first quarter of this year from the same period last year.
The demand growth was down from 13 percent in 2004 and 25.8 percent in 2003. Analysts said the ban is also an effort by the government to save energy and resources and ensure the sustainable development of the energy-and-resource hungry steel sector.
Energy-saving will be one of priorities of the steel sector's future development, according to the draft of a national policy for the sector.
The steel policy, the first of its kind in the People's Republic of China, is expected to be finalized and issued in the coming months.
The steel association predicted earlier that China's iron ore imports would increase to 240 million tons this year from 208 million tons last year, despite a recent 71.5 percent hike in international iron ore prices. China has been the world's No 1 steel producer since 1996, with output this year forecast to reach 300 million tons.


(China Daily May 12, 2005)/p>

German Firm Extends Auto Parts Range

ThyssenKrupp AG will increase the range of vehicle parts it produces in China, supporting its customers as they attempt to increase their share of the growing market.
""We will make a complete portfolio of parts in China and will make selective acquisitions here,"" said Wolfram Morsdorf, chairman of the executive board of ThyssenKrupp Automotive.
The construction of the firm's new auto parts plant in Dalian is due to begin today.
The plant will have an initial output of 1.3 million camshafts a year, with capacity finally expanding to 5 million. Shanghai Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen will be the production centre's main customers.
The company will start to move assembly facilities for the front axle it manufactures for General Motors to China at the end of this year, according to Morsdorf.
ThyssenKrupp will take orders from other auto makers in China in the future, he said. The firm is considering investing in crankshaft manufacturing.
""Negotiations are going on with potential joint venture partners in China, which may be realized in 2005 or 2006,"" said Morsdorf.
ThyssenKrupp, the world's largest stainless steel producer, also makes lifts.
The increasing presence of the world's leading auto makers in China has driven ThyssenKrupp to expand its capacity. Though experiencing a slowdown, the market is still an attractive prospect for auto companies that see potential growth found nowhere else.
""China tops the list of where ThyssenKrupp Automotive will exploit growth opportunities,"" said Morsdorf. He expects the company to invest US$400 million in the country in the next five years. ThyssenKrupp Automotive has been involved in production in China since 1995. It currently has six domestic joint ventures producing springs, steering components, camshafts and body and chassis parts.
Morsdorf forecast that China will produce 10 per cent of the firm's global vehicle parts sales by 2010. Currently, the share is less than 1 per cent.
ThyssenKrupp Automotive posted revenue of 7.31 billion euros (US$9.54 billion) in 2003-04, accounting for nearly one fifth of group sales. About 1 per cent of that came from Asia but no breakdown for China was available.
According to Alfred Wewers, ThyssenKrupp's representative in China, the group is preparing to set up a holding company with an investment of US$100 million in June or July this year. The holding company will be able to provide better services for its decentralized business units in China, including the auto parts department.

(China Daily April 26, 2005) /p>

China to Strictly Control Investment in Steel Sector

China has to ""rigidly control"" the growth of fixed assets investment in its iron and steel industry so as to avoid excessive expansion of the sector, said top policy-makers in Beijing Wednesday. Participants of Wednesday's executive meeting of the State Council, China's central government, acknowledged investment on fixed assets in the industry had already been ""rather great"" at the moment. The meeting, chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao, deliberated on and adopted in principle China's iron and steel industry development policy.
The meeting said the industrial mix of China's iron and steel industry has to be further adjusted to ensure the healthy growth of the industry. Manufacture of products that consume a very large amount of energy and materials and cause heavy pollution had to be contained, while export of such products would also be put under strict control. The meeting called for an accelerated shift of the growth mode in this sector, improved efficiency in the utilization of energy and resources, and an ""appropriate and economical"" use of steel products. The meeting also underscored the importance of facilitate consolidating China's iron and steel sector, optimizing its geographical distribution, and building a solid resource supply system by tapping both domestic and overseas resources. Although it has contributed greatly to China's economic growth, the fast-expanding industry has also strained electric power supply and the country's transport system, causing serious pollution and intensifying international competition for iron ore.
China turned out 272 million tons of rolled steel in 2004, making it the biggest steel producer in the world. Industrial insiders say a number of steel production projects involving more than 300 billion yuan (approximately US$36 billion) of investment were under construction at the end of last year. Upon their completion, China's steel production capacity would possibly add another 100 million tons.

(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2005) /p>

Chinese Firms Make Forbes 2000 Eighty-eight Chinese companies have been listed in Forbes 2000, the ranking of the world's leading companies. The US-based Citibank ranks first on the list, which is measured by the sales, profits, assets and market value of the companies. Petro China ranks fifty-seven, the highest among listed Chinese companies, while Sinopec ranks ninety-fourth. Six other Chinese companies are among the best five hundred, including China Mobile and Hutchison Whampoa. The result will be published in the latest edition of Forbes magazine. (Xinhua News Agency April 4, 2005) Steel Giant to Halt Operation in Beijing by 2010

The Shougang Group, a major Beijing-based iron and steel producer, has been ordered to phase out smelting operations in Beijing and completely stop them by the end of 2010.

""The iron and steel smelting capacity must be reduced by 4 million tons by the end of 2007,"" Chinese vice premier Zeng Peiyan said Thursday at a meeting held in Shougang.

According to a plan approved by the State Council, Shougang will relocate most of its existing production facilities to Caofeidian in Hebei Province. Meanwhile, it can go ahead with its cold-rolled steel sheet production project in Beijing.

""The relocation of Shougang is a major measure to improve the environmental quality of the capital city, adjust its industrial structure and realize comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable economic and social development in the city,"" said Zeng.

He said the more than 80-year-old company had made great contributions to the national construction and development of Beijing. It has spent ""huge sums of money"" on pollution control but still cannot meet the requirements raised by the hosting of the Olympic Games in the city.

""Shougang annually discharges 18,000 tons of solid particulate matter, accounting for more than 40 percent of that discharged by the whole industrial sector of the city,"" said Zeng. ""That has putheavy pressure on environmental protection.

""In addition, Beijing lacks water resources and faces rising traffic problems. That's not good for the long-term growth of Shougang,"" he said.

The new location in Hebei has access to fine harbors and is near rich iron ore reserves, with a proven reserve of 4.4 billion tons.

Zeng asked the capital city to take the relocation of Shougang, an import source of revenue for the city, as a major junction to speed up adjustment of industrial structures and boost the growth of the modern service industry, new and hi-tech industry and modern manufacturing industry.

(Xinhua News Agency March 26, 2005)/p>

Dongfeng Lays out Lofty Targets for 2005 Dongfeng Motor Corp, the State-run automaker seeking a Hong Kong stock listing, expects to sell more than 600,000 vehicles with a turnover exceeding 100 billion yuan (US$12.1 billion) this year. The goal was revealed by Dongfeng President Miao Wei in an interview with China Daily on Monday. "Our growth this year will be faster than that of the industry as a whole, which will put an end to consecutive declines of our domestic market share over the past years," Miao said. Dongfeng was dwarfed by two other State-run vehicle producers - Changan Motor Corp and Beijing Automotive Industry Corp - to become the nation's No 5 automaker last year from its previous ranking of No 3 in terms of unit sales. Its sales rose by a meagre 7 per cent year-on-year to 523,000 vehicles last year, Miao said. Dongfeng reported 93.2 billion yuan (US$11.2 billion) in turnover in 2004, an increase of 17 per cent over 2003. Miao predicted that total vehicle sales in China will grow by 10 to 15 per cent this year from 2004. However, sales of domestically-made vehicles declined by 6.94 per cent year-on-year to 684,500 units during the first two months of 2005, according to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Vehicle output in China edged up 0.96 per cent to 739,200 units during the period. "We also expect Dongfeng's profits to continue to grow this year," Miao said, after they posted a 23 per cent climb last year. Figures on the company's website show it recorded 4.22 billion yuan (US$507 million) in profit last year. "However, we are facing great difficulties this year, such as mounting material prices, mainly from steel, declining car prices on the domestic market and the strong euro," Miao said. The biggest task for all automakers in China is to cut costs and maintain profit-making abilities, he said. "Some players are likely to go under due to the State's macro-economic controls," he added. Prices of domestically-made vehicles dropped by more than 13 per cent on average last year from 2003, in an effort by car makers to spur sales. Analysts say prices will continue to slide by some 10 per cent in 2005. On Dongfeng's expected listing in Hong Kong, Miao said: "Everything is in the process, but I can tell you nothing specific now... All assets of our core businesses, including those from our joint ventures (with foreign partners) will be incorporated into our new listed firm." It was reported that Dongfeng planned to go public in Hong Kong last year but was delayed due to the slowing domestic auto market. Dongfeng, which has a Shanghai-listed affiliate, runs four vehicle joint ventures with Japan's Honda and Nissan, PSA Peugeot Citroen of France and South Korea's Kia Motors. It also plans to build a 300,000-unit car joint venture with France's Renault, which controls 44 per cent of Nissan. But the project has been suspended mainly due to ongoing management reshuffling at Renault and Nissan, Miao said. "Things are expected to restart next month with the reshuffle completed," he said. Sales of vehicles made in China grew by 15.5 per cent year-on-year to 5.07 million units last year. But this was down from the 34 per cent of 2003, dragged by a number of factors, such as the State's macro-economic controls - especially those on car loans - high oil prices and consumers' reluctance to buy in anticipation of cheaper cars sparked by producers' frequent price cuts. (China Daily March 16, 2005) /p>

Shengli Oilfield Maintains Stable Production The Shengli Oilfield, the country's second largest oil field in east China's Shandong Province, turned out 26.74 million tons of crude oil in 2004, the highest in the past four years, according to the local source. Gas production hit 900 million cubic meters, the highest during the past six years, the source said. In addition, oil and gas reserves equivalent to 28.12 million tons were discovered last year, keeping the balance between extraction and the newly-increased reserves for eight years running. The oil field has curbed the decline in oil and gas production during the past few years after breakthrough has been made in the geological exploration theories. It has developed four sets of technologies dealing with various types of the covert geological layers for further oil and gas reserves. With the help of the unique theories, 646 million tons of oil reserves has been verified in the covert geological layers. Moreover, the oil field has stimulated the development of both the old and new production areas with additional production capacity topping 1.32 million tons and 1.28 million tons, respectively. (Xinhua News Agency March 7, 2005) /p>

The majority of China's 523 iron ore importers will be shut out of the world market by a higher threshold on qualifications for importers, which was created last week and will be implemented on May 1. But this will not necessarily lead to a decline in iron ore imports this year, said Luo Bingsheng, executive vice-chairman of the China Iron & Steel Association (CISA). "We are now checking the qualifications of the importers according to 10 minimum qualification requirements, and those who fail to meet the requirements will lose their import rights," Luo, also a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said on the sidelines of the ongoing CPPCC meeting. The association worked out the requirements jointly with the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals and Chemical Importers and Exporters last week. Luo said steel enterprises responded actively to the move. The move will support the Ministry of Commerce's new automatic import licence system on iron ore imports implemented on March 1. Although he did not elaborate on the requirements, he said the target is to allow only large enterprises to reserve the right to bargain in the world market. "We aim to build normal trade order through standardizing the market and competition," he said. "We had too many importers." Without effective coordination, the steel industry endured blind imports, fierce competition and a push in prices over the past few years, especially in 2004. "If, for example, we had only around 100 importers, it would be much easier for us to implement coordination and to strengthen self-discipline to curb blind competition," Luo said. A lack of coordination and unhealthy competition are blamed for Chinese buyers' weak bargaining power in price negotiations with foreign suppliers, despite the fact that China is currently the largest importer of iron ore in the world, with its import volume surging by over 40 per cent last year to hit 208 million tons. A frequently cited example was that on February 28, Shanghai Baosteel Group, on behalf of 13 Chinese steel mills, followed Japanese steel firms in agreeing to a 71.5 per cent price hike for iron ore this year with Australian and Brazilian suppliers. "Through better coordination and self-discipline, we can speak louder in the world market," Luo said. The surging price will vigorously stimulate domestic production of iron ore this year, he said. In January alone, iron ore production in China increased by 5.12 million tons, a jump of 31 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, steel firms will first digest the 40 million tons of iron ore stocks piled up in Chinese harbours. "As a result, it is very likely that China's iron ore import volume this year will be below earlier expectations," Luo said. Moreover, the tight supply situation in the global iron ore market might reverse in the coming years as the world's three major producers plan to increase their production capacity by 120 million tons in three to five years. "We may even witness an oversupply in the market, which is not good for the suppliers," Luo said. "Big (price) ups are always followed by sharp downs." However, he admitted that the domestic steel price will remain at a high level due to the iron ore price hike and the estimated 20 percent price gap between the domestic and international market. "Prices for some steel products have already gone up," he said. "I think that's normal." (China Daily March 7, 2005) /p>

Fewer Steel Products Imported in 2004 The gap between China's steel imports and exports narrowed last year, but analysts say the nation will continue to be a net steel importer over the next few years. China imported 29.3 million tons of steel products last year, down 7.87 million tons or 21.2 percent year-on-year, according to statistics released Monday by the China Iron and Steel Association. This was the first year-on-year drop in China's steel product imports over the past six years, the association said. In contrast, China's steel product exports leapt 104.6 percent, or 6.06 million tons, to 14.23 million tons last year from 2003, according to statistics. China also became a net steel billet exporter, exporting 6.06 million tons and importing 3.86 million tons of steel billets. "The tumble in our steel imports and the sharp growth in exports mainly resulted from higher international steel prices than in the domestic market," Luo Bingsheng, vice-chairman of the association, told a press conference yesterday in Beijing. Steel prices in the international market were some 30 percent higher than the average price in the domestic market last year, Luo said. "The changes in our steel imports and exports also signal that Chinese steel makers, especially big ones, are becoming increasingly internationally competitive," he said. "We should set our eyes on both the domestic and international markets," he added. However, senior officials at the association said earlier that China will remain a net steel importer in the years to come. The nation's net steel imports totalled 13.83 million tons last year, down from 36.55 million tons in 2003. Luo stressed China remained the world's biggest steel importer last year, despite the drop in imports. "China's position as a major net steel importer will not be altered in the short term as its steel industry will continue to depend on the domestic market," said Zhou Xizeng, an analyst with CITIC Securities Co Ltd. "Domestic steel demand will remain on a steady growth track in coming years as a result of the nation's booming industrialization," Zhou told China Daily. Steel demand in China rose 13 percent to 312 million tons last year over 2003, statistics showed. The nation's output of steel products reached 297.23 million tons last year, an increase of 23.29 percent. Zhou said that the gap between China's steel imports and exports is much larger in terms of value than it is in terms of quantity. High-value-added products, such as steel plates, accounted for 85.6 percent of China's total steel imports last year, compared with 40.6 percent of steel exports, according to statistics. Luo said that overheating investment in the steel industry was cooled down last year thanks to the central government's macro-economic controls. Fixed asset investment in the industry climbed 26.9 percent year-on-year in 2004 to 178.08 billion yuan (US$21.51 billion). The growth rate dived by 65.5 percentage points year-on-year. New steel-making capacity of more than 55 million tons was built in China last year. Domestic steel makers reported record profits last year boosted by strong sales and high steel prices, Luo said. Profits made by the association's 166 member companies surged 68.31 percent year-on-year to 81.18 billion yuan (US$9.8 billion) last year on sales of 1 trillion yuan (US$121.4 billion). (China Daily February 1, 2005) /p>

Changzhou to Seek Global Investors for 112 Projects Changzhou, an industrial city in east China's Jiangsu Province, is planning to seek investors worldwide for 112 projects covering trade, tourism, logistics, education, medical care and urban construction in 2005. The Changzhou municipal government held a press conference for the 112 planned projects recently in Shanghai. The conference attracted more than 150 business representatives and consuls from China's trade-partner countries in Europe, Americas and Asia, said sources with the Changzhou government. Overseas investors are welcomed to participate in these projects, which may take the form of a joint venture or a solely-funded business, said the municipal government. As a key industrial city in the Shanghai-centered Yangtze River Delta, Changzhou attracted more than 2.2 billion US dollars worth of overseas investment in 2004, 8 percent over a year earlier. Of the total, 650 million US dollars has been realized. The Changzhou government said the city clinched 129 large foreign-funded projects in 2004, each involving at least 10 million dollars of investment. Among them are several operations of Global Top 500 corporations. (Xinhua News Agency February 1, 2005) /p>

VW, GM Continue to Lead Chinese Market The list of top 10 automakers in China was reshuffled in 2004. But Volkswagen and General Motors have maintained their leading position in the world's most potent market. Volkswagen's Shanghai branch tops the list, with an annual output of 347,000 units, and 355,000 units sold. It boasts of the second-largest market share, in a joint venture with First Automotive Works. GM's Shanghai branch follows VW's two branches. Figures also show that the top ten automakers' market share dropped in 2004. Their total output accounts for 72 percent of the market, while sales covering 75 percent, down 6.5 and 5.2 percent, respectively. (CCTV.com January 31, 2005) /p>

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