China

This paper commences with an overview that provides the following observations: economic growth eased slightly in the second half of 2006, as strong external trade ... Show More + offset much of the impact of slower investment; near-term prospects remain broadly favorable; China's internal macro challenges remain manageable, but the external imbalance is on the rise; while growth has been impressive in recent years, in the medium-term China will increasingly rely on new sources of growth; and the third national financial work conference held in January set out directions for major financial sector reform. The paper goes on to list: recent economic developments, economic prospects and policies, financial sector policies and developments and corporate sector policies and developments. Show Less -

This issue of the China Urban Development Quarterly includes the following headings: good investment climate in cities promotes harmonious society; urban planning e... Show More + volving with times; highlights of the Third World Urban Forum; from Vancouver to Nanjing -- World Urban Forum; China City Development Strategy (CDS) Program; the Fifth International Water Congress, Beijing, September 2006; Reducing wastewater pollution -- the Nanning case study; professionalizing city management through certification -- practice in India; and Liaoning Medium Cities Infrastructure Project message from Mr. Xu Weiguo, Executive Vice Governor, Liaoning Province. Show Less -

This China Project and Development Facility (CPDF) newsflash includes: recent business highlights -- Private Enterprise Project for China (PEP-China) Partners' Meet... Show More + ing held in Chengdu on December 7; International Symposium on Small Business Lending in Hefei; microfinance institution (MFI) pilots in Inner Mongolia and Sichuan approved by the authorities; PEP-China helped to put financial institution insolvency framework on the policy agenda; credit training successfully delivered to Xi'an City Commercial Bank (CCB); Property Law approved by NPC Standing Committee; Sichuan Environmental Compliance Project completed; North Andre Linkages Program starts implementation; mid-term review of China Development Marketplace Program concluded; China Utility-Based Energy Efficiency (CHUEE) provides training to partners; Business Edge Management Training Program expanded in 2006; newly developed training courses for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); Sichuan value chain studies (pork and electronics) findings echoed by municipality; visitors to PEP-China; people among us -- Wang Hengfu, Operations Officer, Access to Finance; and coming up soon. Show Less -

This China Project and Development Facility (CPDF) newsflash includes: recent business highlights -- Private Enterprise Project for China (PEP-China) Starts 2nd Cyc... Show More + le or Extension beyond Sichuan; PEP-China and National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) release findings of a survey on SME Financing; NPC Drafting Group meets again to review Leasing Law; PEP-China working to Set Up Greenfield Microfinance Institution (MFI) in Nanchong; second phase of secured transactions reform in China launched; examination syllabi on risk management and financial planning published; business plan for Nanjing City Commercial Bank (NCCB) small business lending completed; Xi'an City Commercial Bank (CCB) Credit Risk Management Project launched; launch of China Corporate Governance Portal website; Dairy Linkages Project benefits dairy industry in SW China; China Utility-Based Energy Efficiency (CHUEE) Program Orientation Session held in Beijing; survey on the sustainability performance of Chinese enterprises completed; local business trainers receive training by international experts on training needs analysis and coaching; Doing Business 2007 How to Reform launched in China; sub-national Doing Business Study to be launched; eco-tourism VCA kick-off; Sichuan Cluster Development Project conducted field work; visitors to PEP-China; people among us -- Junxiu Liu (Jenna), Team Assistant, CHUEE; and coming up soon. Show Less -

This paper commences with an overview that provides the following observations: economic growth and credit expansion in the first quarter of 2006 have surprised on ... Show More + the upside; prolonged strong foreign exchange inflows continue to complicate monetary policy; sustained rapid growth is expected to continue; more policy action is needed to keep credit and investment growth in check, mitigate external imbalances, and to entrench the rebalancing of growth patterns; in the medium term, rebalancing growth requires structural measures. The paper goes on to list: recent economic developments, economic prospects and policies, and corporate sector policies and developments. Show Less -

Message from the Chairman and Director. Announcements. News and views from the Alliance chairs. Promises made and kept: an interview with Dr. Marilyn Warburton. B... Show More + usiness unusual. Transforming the cassava industry in Nigeria. Groundnut revolution in India. News from the Science Council chair. Making Africa more fruitful : the World Agroforestry Centre domesticates wild fruit trees in Southern Africa. A mountainous success. African dryland farmers benefit from improved crop varieties. Strategic partnership combines generation challenge program and global crop diversity trust. Responding to HIV and AIDS in Africa's fishery sector. Dietary diversity promoted for better nutrition. Wheat improvement program for dry areas. Show Less -

This China Project and Development Facility (CPDF) newsflash includes: recent business highlights -- value chain analysis launched in Sichuan; CHUEE energy efficien... Show More + cy project signing; Environmental Compliance Project launch meeting in Nanchong; West China Dairy Linkages Project being implemented; final events of the China Development Marketplace; Xinjiang to learn from IFC-CPDF experience in small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) management training; roundtable discussion on banking certification; symposium on secured transactions reform in China; IFC-CPDF supports microfinance initiatives in China; IFC-CPDF delivers training to Chengdu CGC; visitors; people among us -- Guofang Liu, business development officer; news from the region -- Sichuan to become automobile manufacturing base; SM shopping mall to debut in Chengdu; and coming up soon. Show Less -

The note particularly discusses economic growth in China, which has been higher than expected, in part due to more rapid domestic demand growth. Reversing the patte... Show More + rn of the first half of 2005, domestic demand appears to have rebounded in the third quarter-reflecting both stronger investment and stronger consumption-while the contribution of net external trade declined. Recent developments point to a very slight moderation of growth in the coming year. Under current circumstances therefore, more rapid growth in credit and investment would be unwelcome. Changing the pattern of growth is high on the agenda. The 5th plenary session of the 16th Central Committee of the CPC held in October discussed changing China's pattern of growth, moving to growth that is less resource-intensive, to more "knowledge-driven" (that is, through higher efficiency), and more equally-shared opportunities. Show Less -

The CPDF newsflash includes: Recent business highlights. Visitors to IFC-CPDF. People among us. News from the region. Coming up soon.

When China's payments system -- arguably the world's most modern -- is fully operational, it may make that nation the world's most financially competitive. China's ... Show More + payments system which has been underway since 1990 is based on a fully centralized fiber-optic network that funnels all payments through the People's Bank of China. While it is still being rolled out across China's vast interior, the system, when it's fully functional, will allow the People's Bank -- the Chinese central bank -- to know, intra-day, what is going on in its financial system. Among its most impressive features is the concept of a single shared data communications network. Not only does all credit and debit card payments transaction information travel over the network but many large employers have been paying their employees via payment cards instead of with cash or checks. Chinese institutions quickly recognized the advantages of cooperating when making large investments in technology-based infrastructure whilst recognizing that competition can still exist by offering value added services that take advantage of the features and functions offered by the common infrastructure. Show Less -