China Report Issue 48 May 2017

(coco) #1

China Economic Weekly
April 1, 2017


Reining In House Prices


In March 2017, at least 30 cit-
ies nationwide implemented a
sequence of measures to rein in
rocketing house prices, including restrictions on home
purchases and the increase of the minimum down-
payment. Meanwhile, China’s central bank has urged
banks to strengthen mortgage risk management and
crack down on fake divorces used to dodge high de-
posit requirements, a common strategy adopted for
many couples. During the Central Economic Work
Conference in December 2016, the top economic
planner sent a strong signal by underlining that flats
are for living in, not for speculation. Curbing house
price spikes has also been added to the government
work report in 2017. Insiders warned that the restric-
tive measures are likely to tighten in future but their
effects will take time to materialise at a time when both
home buyers and sellers remain sceptical, since over
the years the government has already tried numerous
gambits to control prices, but to no avail.


Oriental Outlook
March 23, 2017

Anti-counterfeiting


During the Two Sessions, China’s annual parliament, in
March 2017, Alibaba’s founder Jack Ma called on Chinese
authorities to penalize counterfeiters with serious prison time
and fines, similar to those adopted to treat drink driving. Over the years, the worlds
of both law and enterprise consider that while the watchdog may have occasion-
ally barked, it is proving toothless due to outdated laws and regulations, the high
standards for evidence verification required, and the weak enforcement of the law.
To date, a national information platform has almost been completed to link ad-
ministrative law enforcement and criminal justice. Starting in 2017, a joint anti-
counterfeiting mechanism introduced by 30 government agencies will deepen their
cooperation on the basis of publicising information. But the public also deliberately
buys cheaper goods, and fake goods will never perish if crackdown measures are
imposed on their production and distribution alone.

Caixin Weekly
April 10, 2017

Bike-sharing Burden


China’s once trademark bicycle fleets were in steep decline
at the beginning of the new millennium, but major cities
are witnessing a resurgence thanks to smartphone technol-
ogy. Rental bikes are sweeping the country and roughly 30
companies have been competing for market share since early 2016. It is expected
that nearly 30 million new bikes will be put onto the streets for rent this year against
the backdrop of total bike output nationwide hitting 53 million in 2016. The wild
growth, however, has raised questions about bike-sharing companies’ profits as most
of them are heavily dependent on investors for start-up cash. In addition, the grow-
ing number of bikes have clogged sidewalks and traffic. Some industry analysts
have also called on supervisors to closely scrutinise bike-sharing firms’ use of deposit
money collected from riders.

Caijing Magazine
April 10, 2017

Cancer Concern


Statistics from the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences showed that in 2015 China was home
to 4.29 million people who were diagnosed with cancer and
2.81 million fatalities. The number of cancer patients is expected to increase steadily
in the upcoming years thanks to the growing and greying population. The number
is pessimistic and to make matters worse, most cancer cases could be prevented. It is
crucially important for the Chinese public to lead a healthy life, including quitting
smoking, having a balanced diet and doing more exercise. In China, behavioural
research on the prevention of chronic diseases including cancer has only just started
in recent years and lags far behind that of infectious diseases including sexually trans-
mitted diseases such as HIV. Official studies also show that the difficulties of cancer
prevention lie in China’s vast rural areas where public health services are inadequate.

The Chinese public have become ardent followers of poetry
programmes and historical dramas overnight. As the TV competi-
tion Chinese Poetry Conference drew record viewing figures
recently, another programme, The Reader, where contestants
read aloud passages from their favourite books or poems, also
gained popularity. The Qin Empire, a historical TV series, garnered
unprecedented discussion, and has been seen as a resurgence
of serious drama thanks to the policy of backing the promotion
of traditional culture, the changing of the public’s mind on
aesthetics, and the growing antipathy towards the pomp-
ous programmes built around “little fresh meat,” a common
nickname for young good-looking men. It will take time to prove
whether the resurgence of historical programmes is a u-turn
from the worship of consumerism, or the beginning of diversified
choices, or just another passing fad.


ChinaReport, Chinese Edition
March 27, 2017


Historical Resurgence

Free download pdf