Monthly Archives: June 2015

Business, China, culture, Environment, News, World News

Jiangxi’s Vice Governor Zhu Hong attends tourism promotion fair in Stockholm

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By Xuefei Chen Axelsson

STOCKHOLM, June 25(Greenpost)–Vice Governor Zhu Hong of Jiangxi Provice, East China has attended the tourism promotion fair in Brommavik Hotel in Stockholm.

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(Front left, Mr Liu Shaohui, manager of Brommavik Hotel and President of Stockholm Chinese Association, right, Magnus Gustafsson from Karmmar, behind standing: Zhu Hong, Vice governor of Jiangxi Province)

He spoke at the meeting about Jiangxi’s beautiful scenery.

“Jiangxi’s scenery is very special because it has many special mountains and rivers. The landscape is really spectacular.” said Zhu Hong.

The famous revolutionary site Jinggangshan mountain is one of them. The Lushan Mountain is also a famous conference resort. Chairman Mao used to have meeting there.

The Tengwang Pavillion is another famous tourist site even famous since Tang Dynasty when famous poet Wang Bo wrote his famous prose  the Preface of Tengwang Pavillion.

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(Right, Wang Jianrong exhibits Dala Horse to Zhu Hong, middle.)

Wang Jianrong, President of Swedish Chinese Federation of Industry and Commerce expressed welcome to Zhu Hong.

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(Left: Guo Yanhang talks with Zhu Hong.    Photo by Xuefei Chen Axelsson)

Guo Yanhang, couselor at the Chinese Embassy in Sweden also spoke at the fair.

“I think talking about Jiangxi, man cannot help thinking of Jingdezhen town where famous China came from. Jiangxi is China’s name card due to its fine china. I used to visit Jiangxi and it was really beautiful and impressed me so much.” Guo said.

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IMG_7709During the meeting, the two sides signed a couple of agreements for future cooperation.

About 40 people from various Chinese associations or companies including China-Europe Cultural Association and Green Post attended the meeting.

中国新闻, 国际新闻, 头条要闻, 文化卫生, 瑞典新闻, 瑞典生活, 科技教育

你“大姨妈”来了吗？

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北欧绿色邮报报道（记者陈雪霏）－－总部设在日内瓦的供水和卫生合作理事会日前提出一个新的合作项目，那就是针对女童月经期卫生与健康的话题进行讨论和知识传播。

在中国，女生之间的一个委婉语就是，奥，你大姨妈来了或者是“你大姨妈来了吗？” 如果来了，那么，不上体育课也可以有理由了。不做剧烈运动很正常。妇女在社交场合应酬，如果大姨妈来了，也会感觉非常不方便。

这个问题，在70年代的农村，老一辈人很多人使用旧布替代卫生纸，因为那时候，不用说卫生巾，就是卫生纸都没有。

当今，由于经期卫生和健康问题，造成人均每年有12天不能工作。这样，即使在北京上海这样的大城市，所造成的生产力损失在2014年达17亿美元。

在非洲，据说，还有很多贫困人口在用布，纸和粘土解决问题。真的难以想象是怎么解决。

供水和卫生合作理事会目前打破沉默，直接提出女性的隐私，以提醒女孩注意经期卫生与健康。他们去年底在海南举行了有关这个问题的研讨会，对于女性的卫生健康意识的提高起到了一定推动作用。

昨天，在沃尔沃环球帆船比赛中，供水和卫生合作理事会与瑞典对外援助部和中国的爱生雅组织一起支持女帆船手参赛，目的是宣传卫生意识，同时举行研讨会，讨论如何在全球范围内，加强女性经期卫生和健康意识。降低疾病传播。

据统计，全世界有8亿妇女时时经历着经期，但其中有数百万妇女没有体面的厕所可上。没有纯净水，没有肥皂。卫生巾太贵，买不起，或者就是没有，因此，造成的感染影响女童上学，影响妇女工作。

Business, China, culture, Environment, News, World News

WSSCC supports hygiene, health and well-being in China

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Stockholm, June 25(Greenpost)– WSSCC, a UN organization for water and sanitation has stretched its hand to help Chinese women to pay attention to hygiene and health during their menstrual period.From left to right: Archana Patkar, WSSCC Programme Manager for Networking and Knowledge Management; Ulf Söderström, President SCA Asia Pacific; Kersti Strandqvist, Senior Vice President Sustainability, SCA; and Cynthia Yu, Marketing Associate Director, Vinda International. Photo credit: Ana Caroline de Lima

Some 76% of Chinese women are uncomfortable in a social setting — a dinner with friends or family, for example – while having their period, participants learned today at a special seminar hosted by the global hygiene company SCA and its affiliate Vinda International together with WSSCC.

The seminar, “Hygiene Matters 2014” focused on the findings of a recent survey of the same name and assembled 30 people, including representatives of elderly welfare associations in seven Chinese cities, to the SCA Pavilion in Sanya. The pavilion is hosting a range of events during the two-week stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race in this southern coastal city.

Archana Patkar, WSSCC Programme Manager for Networking and Knowledge Management, discussed the links between hygiene, aging and disability at the Hygiene Matters Workshop in the SCA Pavilion. Photo credit: Ana Caroline de Lima

WSSCC’s Archana Patkar, Programme Manager for Networking and Knowledge Management, was one of three keynote speakers at the event. She joined Ulf Söderström, President SCA Asia Pacific; Kersti Strandqvist, Senior Vice President Sustainability, SCA; and Cynthia Yu, Marketing Associate Director, Vinda International.

Ms. Patkar discussed the links between hygiene, aging and disability. She noted that for men, and particularly for women, there are distinct hygiene-related needs that coincide with the human lifecycle, from birth to old age and including periods of disability, both physical or mental, that most people eventually encounter.

“We must unlock dignity for all people in all the stages of their lives,” said Ms. Patkar. “For women and for men, this means not being afraid to talk about issues linked to childbirth, puberty, menstruation, menopause and old age, including incontinence.” Do public facilities, for example, consider lifecycle differences, she asked, such as lower wash basins which can be reached by wheelchair-bound people?

Kersti Strandqvist, Senior Vice President for Sustainability at SCA, presented results emanating from the 13-country Hygiene Matters Consumer Survey conducted in 2014. Photo credit: Ana Caroline de Lima

Ms. Strandkvist and Mr. Söderström gave global and Chinese results emanating from the 13-country Hygiene Matters Consumer Survey 2014. The survey is designed to glean insights which can be used to raise awareness among decision makers, experts and the general public on hygiene and health, as well as improve the quality of the company’s products, 80% of whom are women.

Ulf Söderström, President of SCA Asia Pacific, revealed that personal hygiene, according to one of many survey responses, was the greatest worry of growing old in China. Photo credit: Ana Caroline de Lima

In China, personal hygiene, according to one of many survey responses, was the greatest worry of growing old – with issues such as elderly incontinence ranking higher than sickness, Mr. Söderström said.

“Compared to other surveyed countries, Chinese people are quite worried of becoming ill due to poor hygiene – more than half of the respondents worry often or always. In China, SCA and Vinda aim to strengthen the possibility of improved hygiene for people everywhere by providing innovative solutions to the market that improve the quality of life for millions of people; from developing professional nursing services to championing elderly education and providing assisted living expertise,” said Mr. Söderström during the presentation of the local survey results.

There are also economic impacts, Ms. Strandkvist revealed. As people live and work longer, untreated incontinence reduces quality of life and causes enormous costs to society by reducing working people’s productivity an average of 12.6 days per year. In addition to this, caregiving relatives lose in average 3.7 hours work per week while attending to their relative. In just Shanghai, Beijing and Guangdong, this value loss is estimated at USD 1.7 billion in 2014.

Whether the issue is incontinence or menstrual hygiene, Ms. Yu said the aim for SCA and Vinda International is to “raise awareness about the connection between hygiene, health and well-being, and to strengthen the possibility of improved hygiene for people everywhere.”

Cynthia Yu, Marketing Associate Director at Vinda International, underlined the organisation's aim to raise awareness about the connection between hygiene, health and well-being, and to strengthen the possibility of improved hygiene for people everywhere. Photo credit: Ana Caroline de Lima

Since November 2014, SCA, a leading global hygiene and forest products company, and WSSCC have teamed up in an innovative public-private partnership to break the silence around menstruation for women and girls around the world. In connection with the all-female Team SCA’s participation in the around-the-world Volvo Ocean Race, WSSCC and SCA (a member of the UN Global Compact) are campaigning for greater attention to the issue, as well as hosting educational and training events designed to leave practical skills in the stopover sites.

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, WSSCC, SCA, Vinda International and the Office of Women and Children Affairs of Hainan Provincial Government will conduct a menstrual hygiene teacher training, as well as an educational workshop with school girls in the capital city of Haikou. Photo credit: Ana Caroline de Lima

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, the two partners together with Vinda International and the Office of Women and Children Affairs of Hainan Provincial Government will conduct menstrual hygiene teacher training, as well as an educational workshop with school girls in the capital city of Haikou. Similar activities took place last November with The Volunteer Centre, a local NGO, in Cape Town, South Africa, for young girls from local townships.

At any given moment, 800 million women around the world are menstruating, and in many countries, millions of them are left to manage their periods with unhygienic solutions such as cloth, paper or clay, and without access to private toilets, water or soap. Sanitary products like pads are unaffordable or unavailable, and urinary or reproductive tract infections are common. As a result, girls miss valuable days in school, and women are unable to work, stifling productivity and advancement.

Source  WSSCC website

Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson

China, Chinese circle, culture, Environment, News, World News

WSSCC and SCA help Chinese girls to break the silence on menstruation

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The Great Aunt: WSSCC and SCA help Chinese girls to break the silence on menstruation

Stockholm, June 25(Greenpost)–While the girls from countryside didn’t know how to describe their period, girls in the city for example in Beijing got an euphimism for menstruation, that is Dayima or the Great Aunt.

It was true that women used clothes to deal with their period because there was no paper before 1970s in the countryside in China.  Many women who were born in the 1950s and 1960s said they were not aware of it when their period came for the first time.

But now the situation changed for the better. Thanks to SCA and WSSCC program, girls from Haikou got more knowledge about this private matter.

In a safe and supportive environment, thirty girls from Haikou, China, sat down on February 5 to talk with each other and learn from experts about an important but little discussed topic that will impact their lives for the next 40 years: menstruation.

The girls, aged 10 to 12, participated in a menstrual hygiene management (MHM)training session organized by SCA and WSSCC through their public-private partnership on the issue. The training session was supported by the General Office of Women and Children Affairs of Hainan Provincial Government, as well as Vinda International, one of China’s largest tissue companies. The training took place at the Hainan Provincial Population and Family Public Service Center.

SCA and WSSCC have entered into their collaboration aiming at breaking the stigma and silence that surrounds menstruation.

At any given moment, 800 million women around the world are menstruating, and in many countries, millions of them are left to manage their periods with unhygienic solutions such as cloth, paper or clay, and without access to private toilets, water or soap. Sanitary products like pads are unaffordable or unavailable, and urinary or reproductive tract infections are common. As a result, girls miss valuable days in school, and women are unable to work, stifling productivity and advancement. In China alone, estimates are that there are some 350 to 400 million women of menstruating age.

In the MHM session, local women trained by WSSCC taught the girls about their bodies, the importance of good hygiene during menstruation and to feel pride in what happens naturally every month. The local women were given a full day of pre-training on Feb. 4 , which will enable them to continue to spread the knowledge and achieve sustainable change.

“The health and well-being of a nation is very much connected to the health and well-being of its women and girls,” said Chen Jinling, Deputy Director of the General Office of Women and Children Affairs of Hainan Provincial Government. “We are happy to support this workshop, which has done much to raise awareness of menstrual hygiene management and has provided nearly 30 girls, and their friends, with very important information for their own futures.”

With the group of women trainers – who included doctors, teachers and community volunteer organizers – and later with the students, the session provided an opportunity to discuss in clear terms what usually is done euphemistically. It was said how the monthly period is often explained away as “the Great Aunt”, or “the thing”, or “my routine holiday”, or “the typhoon”.  Some cultural practices and beliefs in China linked to menstruation include in many places, including Hainan, girls having their period cannot go with their families to worship their ancestors. Or, there are beliefs that they should not go swimming, or eat chocolate (because Chinese traditional medicine suggests that some foods help or hinder the circulatory system, and that sweet foods will make you bleed more).

“Breaking the silence [around menstruation] requires knowledge and leads to real change,” said Archana Patkar, Programme Manager, WSSCC. “Today’s training went very well and it shows that the WSSCC/SCA partnership will leave a positive and lasting imprint for girls and young women in Haikou while also raising awareness of menstrual hygiene issues globally. We’re grateful to the Hainan Provincial Government for welcoming and supporting us in this work.”

Kersti Strandqvist, SCA’s SVP Sustainability described the partnership as a valuable tool to make a difference. “We want to move from well-meaning words to real action. To meet the young girls today is also a means for us to adjust our products and trainings to their needs and strengthen them in their role as women. For us at SCA it is inspiring and motivating when we see how we make a difference in these girls’ lives!”

WSSCC has a multi-faceted approach to menstrual hygiene management, and other equity issues.

Source   WSSCC

Editor  Xuefei Chen Axelsson

Business, News, World News

H & M Six-month report shows increases

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H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB Six-month report

STOCKHOLM, June 25(Greenpost) Due to well-received collections for all brands in the H&M group, the H&M group’s sales excluding VAT increased by 23 percent to SEK 86,143 m (69,970) during the first six months of the financial year. In local currencies the increase was 12 percent.
Profit after financial items amounted to SEK 13,158 m (11,129), an increase of 18 percent. The group’s profit after tax increased to SEK 10,066 m (8,458), corresponding to SEK 6.08 (5.11) per share, an increase of 19 percent.

Sales in the period 1 June – 23 June 2015 increased by 14 percent in local currencies compared to the same period last year.

H&M’s first store in Macau was very well received on its opening in June.The H&M group plans a net addition of around 400 new stores for the financial year 2014/2015. In total, H&M will expand its retail stores into five new markets in 2015, Taiwan, Peru, Macau, South Africa and India.

Starting from July 2015, H&M Beauty will gradually be launched in 900 H&M stores in 40 markets as well as online.

“The strong sales development has continued for all our brands with a sales increase in SEK of 23 percent excluding VAT during the first half-year. Including VAT, this means that sales in the first half amounted to more than SEK 100 billion, ” said CEO Karl-Johan Persson.

Profits have also developed well in the first half-year, with an increase of 19 percent – this despite the fact that the increasingly strong US dollar has resulted in increased purchasing costs and that we have continued to increase our long-term investments compared to last year.

In March and April we also opened eight new H&M online markets – Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary and Belgium – which were all very well received. With the opening of H&M shop online in Switzerland in the autumn, H&M will have 22 online markets.

In parallel with our online expansion, we are continuing to open stores at a fast pace.

“We are aiming to open approximately 400 new stores net this year. We have had many successful openings so far this year. For example, the opening in Lima, Peru, is one of our strongest ever when it comes to sales. Other places where we have also had great store openings include New York’s Herald Square – we opened the group’s largest store in terms of floor space here in May – and Macau, where we opened in June. Later in the second half of the year we are looking forward to opening in two interesting and large markets – India and South Africa, where we will open in New Delhi and Cape Town.” he said.

H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (publ) was founded in Sweden in 1947 and is quoted on Nasdaq Stockholm. H&M’s business idea is to offer fashion and quality at the best price in a sustainable way. In addition to H&M, the group includes the brands COS, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday, & Other Stories as well as H&M Home. The H&M group has more than 3,600 stores in 59 markets including franchise markets. In 2014, sales including VAT amounted to more than SEK 176.6 billion and the number of employees was more than 132,000. 

 

Business, News, World News

Svenska H&M Sexmånadersrapport visar ökning

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H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB Sexmånadersrapport

STOCKHOLM, den 25 Juni (Greenpost)–Svenska kläder jätten H&M ABs första sexmånadersrapport visade ökningar, enligt press medellande  från H&M.

H&M omsättning exklusive moms ökade med 23 procent till 86143 million SEK.

Resultatet efter finansiella poster uppgick till 13158 million SEK, en ökning med 18 procent.

Koncenens resultat efter skatt ökade till MSEK 10066, en ökning med 19 procent.

  • Försäljningen under perioden 1 juni – 23 juni 2015 ökade med 14 procent i lokala valutor jämfört med motsvarande period förra året.
  • H&M:s första butik i Macao fick ett mycket bra mottagande vid öppningen i juni. För räkenskapsåret 2014/2015 planerar H&M-koncernen ett nettotillskott om cirka 400 butiker. Sammanlagt tillkommer fem nya H&M-butiksmarknader under 2015: Taiwan, Peru, Macao, Sydafrika och Indien.
  • H&M Beauty lanseras succesivt i 900 H&M-butiker på 40 marknader samt online med start under juli 2015.

”Den starka försäljningsutvecklingen har fortsatt för alla våra varumärken med en försäljningsökning i SEK om 23 procent exklusive moms under första halvåret. Inklusive moms innebär det att försäljningen för första halvåret uppgick till drygt 100 miljarder SEK, kommentade  Karl-Johan Persson, vd

Vi har också haft en bra resultatutveckling under första halvåret, med en ökning om 19 procent. Detta trots att den allt starkare US-dollarn har gett ökade inköpskostnader och att vi fortsatt att öka våra långsiktiga satsningar jämfört med föregående år. Dessa långsiktiga satsningar kostar nu men vi ser dem som avgörande för att bygga ett ännu starkare H&M. Bland annat investerar vi mycket i att kunna vara en naturlig del i kundernas allt mer digitaliserade värld där gränsen mellan att handla online och i fysiska butiker blir allt mer flytande. Vårt mål är att ge kunderna en shoppingupplevelse där online och butikshandel är tätt sammanvävda, vilket stärker vårt kunderbjudande ytterligare.

Under mars och april har vi också öppnat åtta nya H&M-onlinemarknader; Polen, Portugal, Rumänien, Tjeckien, Bulgarien, Slovakien, Ungern och Belgien – vilka samtliga har fått ett mycket bra mottagande. Med öppningen av H&M shop online i Schweiz under hösten kommer H&M att ha 22 onlinemarknader.

Parallellt med vår online-expansion fortsätter vi att öppna butiker i snabb takt. Totalt sett siktar vi på att öppna cirka 400 nya butiker netto i år. Vi har haft många framgångsrika öppningar hittills i år. Till exempel är öppningen i Lima i Peru, en av våra försäljningsmässigt starkaste någonsin. Andra städer där vi också har fått fina mottaganden är i New York, där vi i maj öppnade koncernens till ytan största butik vid Herald Square samt i Macao som vi öppnade i juni. Vi ser nu fram emot att under senare delen av andra halvåret öppna på två intressanta och stora marknader – Indien och Sydafrika, där vi öppnar i New Delhi och i Kapstaden.

Så vi har en intensiv höst framför oss då vi även kommer att lansera vår senaste satsning H&M Beauty, som successivt rullas ut i 900 butiker på 40 marknader och online med start under juli. H&M Beauty erbjuder ett brett sortiment av make-up, hår- och kroppsprodukter – där även en premium-linje och en conscious-linje med Eco-certifierade hållbara produkter ingår. H&M Beauty är ett exempel i raden av satsningar som vi gör för att ytterligare bredda H&M:s produktutbud.

Vi har idag ett starkt kunderbjudande med alla våra varumärken; H&M, COS, & Other Stories, Weekday, Monki och Cheap Monday, som alla har sin egen identitet som kompletterar varandra väl. Detta gör att H&M-koncernen kan erbjuda många olika stilar och trender i olika prisklasser. Tillsammans delar våra varumärken passionen för mode och att erbjuda kunderna mode på ett hållbart sätt. Vårt hållbarhetsarbete är en mycket viktig del i vårt kunderbjudande och har så varit under många år. Eftersom hållbarhetsarbetet genuint genomsyrar vårt dagliga arbete och de beslut vi tar – är det naturligt att det nu också finns med i H&M:s affärsidé: mode och kvalitet till bästa pris på ett hållbart sätt.”

 

 

News, World News

HeForShe campaign launched in Sweden

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HeForShe launched in Sweden

 Stockholm, June 24 (Greenpost)–On 18 June, the United Nations global HeForShe campaign for gender equality was launched in Sweden, according to Swedish government website www.regeringen.se.
The objective is to show that gender equality is not a women’s issue, but an issue for women and men alike. Prime Minister Stefan Löfven’s message was that more men need to take a stand for gender equality and that he will personally take the lead and implement a broad agenda for greater gender equality in Sweden.
  • Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
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    Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women

    Photo: Martina Huber/Government Offices

  • Prime Minister Stefan Löfven
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    Prime Minister Stefan Löfven

    Photo: Martina Huber/Government Offices

    The Government is now focusing on three measures in gender equality work: gender-equal working conditions, more women at the top in business and the public sector, and gender-equal health.

  • “Few areas in society have such great potential for development as gender equality. A vital part of Sweden’s success story, its growing economy and Swedes’ personal freedom has been that regardless of gender, people can increasingly work, get an education and make their voices heard. Now it is important for this success story to continue,” says Mr Löfven.

Leading representatives of the UN, the business sector, trade unions, civil society and responsible ministers discussed the topic ‘What responsibility do men have in promoting greater equality between women and men?’.

Those participating in the launch included Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, Executive Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Minister for Children, the Elderly and Gender Equality Åsa Regnér and Dr Denis Mukwege.

“We have ensured that the Government Offices is gender-equal in terms of the politically appointed positions and we are now moving forward to build the world’s first gender-equal government administration,” says Mr Löfven.

The Prime Minister emphasised that gender equality is first and foremost a matter of the equal worth and rights of all people. But it is also a means of increasing growth, productivity and employment.

“Increased gender equality is a tool in the Government’s employment agenda to achieve the lowest unemployment rate in the EU. Gender equality is as ethically right as it is economically smart. For this reason it is the way forward for Sweden,” says Mr Löfven

杂文，评论

谈谈信任的问题

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陈雪霏

前年两会期间我问了个问题，结果上了头条，把我自己吓住了。从那以后，我几乎不怎么再说话了。回去朋友说我比较二儿，也有说我学中医的，脉号得准。也有说我吃饱了撑的。总之，2000多个评论，让我感觉写本书都够了。但我没写，因为我知道，我的任务就是推动一下，向正确的方向迈进。上了正确轨道还需要时间。说多了，人家会有腻烦和逆反心理，谁都一样。

但两年的时间过去了，如果我再什么都不说，就真正失业了。或者就成了一个躯壳，不能发挥应有的作用，这不是我想要的。我的目标是工作到80岁嘛，那么，就必须继续发挥点儿作用，说出我想说的话。

我这个人是喜欢诚信的。我也对信任我的人非常感动。同时，我也容易相信别人。其实，在我工作的时候，有一个英国同事，他说，你谁都不能相信。只能相信你自己。他那时在中国呆得很舒服，但天天抱怨中国的不如意。我们有时会想，你觉得不好，走人吧。因此，即使你不喜欢，也不能整天抱怨。何况你还做着贡献呢！

但是，信任是因为我信任，我说话算话。没有能力，我不打保票。但是，信任在东西方的背景下就比较难，因为文化不同，人们有固定的成见。但是，一般情况下，一开始还是信任的。只是到后来，你觉得总是有些事情要隐瞒，或者不说，或者有意想不到的变化。慢慢的信任感就失去了。

因为人们不知道你的最终目的，所以，就不容易信任。另外，由于我们一直有被动和追赶的心理，因此我们总是想超越，想超越又不想直接告诉对方，因此，给人的感觉就是有秘密在背后。这样，就让人很难产生信任感。

我能理解，有时，一个人可能不是纯心违约，但是，在大背景下，无能为力了。但这就需要及时沟通，适当调整目标和期望值，不断地修整，不断地交流。否则，就会被人说成是骗子。

因此说，一旦信任失去了，是很难挽回的。信任也是对一个人能力的肯定。不信任，不是不信任你这个人，而是不信任你的能力。

杂文，评论

我也谈谈毕节的儿童问题

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陈雪霏

我这个人喜欢谈远方的问题，因为别人不知道，如果我谈身边的华人问题，会触动每个人的神经，说好了，高兴，说不好了，不高兴。而且他们就在你身边，弄不好，会让人睡不着觉。说远方，不痛不痒，有问题，他们也找不着我。所以比较安全。就像以前只谈国际问题，随便谈，不牵涉任何个人利益，就不用太操心。因此，我喜欢远方，喜欢虚无缥缈，喜欢诗，喜欢柏拉图式的爱情。

或者也不是不喜欢现实，而是喜欢逃避现实。但有些事情是很难逃避，例如，毕节四个儿童喝药死亡的事情。小时候，我们村的妇女有喝药的。后来，我们归结为妇女地位不高。中国自从实行一对夫妻一个孩以后，孩子的地位上升到了小皇帝的地位。不能说不高。但是，在贵州，笔者1996年去采访过一次，当时一位负责计划生育的女干部就指出来了。她说，你重视教育，但不重视计划生育，这里尤其是贫困边远地区，三四个孩子的家庭非常普遍。当地妇女也说，由于没有优生，假如第一个不健康，就要生第二个，第二个是女孩，就要生第三个。总之，孩子多。

现在中国总的形势是一个孩子是大多数了，有兄弟姐妹的不多了，因此，很多人渴望有兄弟姐妹，因此，对这种多子女家庭实行宽容态度，还有的认为这样是生产更多廉价劳动力的办法。

但根本问题是这个社会的发展出现了严重的贫富分化。富裕的人值钱多，贫穷的人值钱少，于是，一个贫困的人很容易失去生命。例如，煤矿工人，一次事故一条命，20万，家里还因此改善了条件。但是，人们对感情，亲情，活着的生命似乎给忽略了。

毕节这个四个孩子的爸爸以为他每个月给孩子钱，他们就能活。一个13岁的男孩子，要照顾三个妹妹，一天两天可以，长期如此，那是怎样的生活呢？在我们村里，有一位瘸子大哥，他娶了个盲人媳妇。他们有三个儿子，尽管他们是那样的境况，但是，三个儿子却都生活得不错。尤其是大儿子，学习好，还考上了师范学校，最后成为一名老师。这是因为他们有父母的爱。尽管没那么多钱，但是他们有父母的爱。他们有继续努力的愿望。

可是，相反，如果没有父母在身边，没有亲戚朋友的关爱，孩子们感受不到爱，就会产生严重的自卑心理。13岁的时候，有的孩子渴望去远方，可以离家出走。有的孩子自闭或者自尊心太强，喝药，这是有可能的。我的一个儿时要好的朋友同学，我们经常一起去放鸭子，晚上接鸭子。她唱歌唱得非常好，但是，妈妈骂她骂狠了，她就喝药了。

有时我们怪孩子不懂事，但是，在18岁以前，属于青春期，确实有很多心理上的和生理上的问题，需要家长，老师和社会来注意。如果没有人关爱，很有可能产生自闭，自卑的心理。甚至在18岁左右谈恋爱期间，不被爱，也会产生自杀的心理，这种事情也发生过。

因此，我认为，钱是很重要，但是，钱也不能完全解决问题。一个健康的社会是需要人人平等，互相关爱，都要有尊严，不要因为一些人有钱就更傲气，没钱就很自卑或低气。

纵观中国的发展，新中国建立后的30年，毛泽东的意思就是要人人平等，但副作用是平均主义盛行。后30年，市场经济盛行，生产力是发展了，但是，大家都忙着赚钱，把国有资产变成私有财产，这个过程却剥夺了大多数人的财产，而让少数人获得了更多的利益。这样产生的后果，必然出现贫富分化。这就需要从制度上，进行二次分配。对弱势群体给予照顾。

一个社会如果能够公平，有正义感，社会就会稳定，就会安定团结。不公平，贫富差距大，富人出事可以用钱买，那就不会稳定，就会出亡命徒。

好在，自从习李新政以来，习李王反腐的决心和力度受到很多人的称赞，让人看到了希望。连不可救药的雾霾问题，也在积极治理。希望经过一段时间的努力和人民群众的共同努力，能够产生积极效果。

对父母，我想说，既然养了，就要好好待他们，不要溺爱，也不要冷落，自然生长，让他们对大自然，对父母有敬畏之心。

对社会，我想说，我们每个人也都有责任贡献和服务这个社会，同情弱者是一种高尚的品德，但也不要给人怜悯的感觉，而是要平等对待，热情对待周围的人。

对老师，我想说，老师也应该平等地对待学生，不要觉得谁谁谁家长官大或者谁有钱或者谁学习好就偏向。我非常感谢我的英文老师李玉平，在我英语水平不是很高的情况下，依然平等地对待每个同学，给每个同学回答问题的机会。那时，我经常因为自己回答不出来而眼泪在眼珠里转，但我心里非常感激他，而且，非常努力要赶上。事实证明，他的平等待人，也造就了我这个英语毕业生。

对当地领导，我想说，你们应该多走访，耐心对待这些有困难的人。改革开放实际上是在头十年重视农村，但后二十年几乎不管，免税是对的，但补助几乎还是没有。同时，以前的文化设施也都消亡了。因此，农村没有文化氛围。社会学家李来来早就指出了农村社会的贫困与凋敝。她曾经指出在贵州老人带孩子，父母去打工，造成孩子呆板的现象。

因此，即使在农村，也应该继续弘扬文化氛围。搞好环境卫生。形成健康氛围。否则，中国还会败在农村。不重视农村，我们其实就失去了根。

Business, China

Spotlight: China’s growth brings fresh opportunities for world economies

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PETERSBURG, Russia, June 19 (Greenpost) — China’s economic growth will bring new development opportunities for the world, especially for cooperation in Euro-Asia regions, a Russian official said here Thursday.

Boris Titov, chairman of the Russian part of the China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development, said in an interview with Xinhua that “China’s economic momentum is unstoppable and its growth will bring fresh development opportunities for world economies including Russia.”

China has become the world’s second largest economy by nominal total gross domestic product (GDP), Titov noted, adding that the most prominent characteristic of China’s economic “new normal” is the transformation of its economic development mode.

Under the “new normal” status, the export-driven economy will now need to refocus on boosting domestic consumption, which will unleash the full potential of China’s economy.

However, Titov said, a substantial amount of Chinese investment will find its way to markets around the world as the country’s economy keeps growing.

China’s Silk Road Economic Belt initiative is conducive to the infrastructure development of the countries concerned in the Euro-Asia region, he said, adding that benefit-sharing is the most prominent characteristic of this strategy.

“The strategy will do nothing to harm the interests of the countries concerned. Instead, it will help these countries develop their own economies, and that is why the strategy gets very strong support from them,” Titov said.

As for bilateral cooperation, Titov said that energy is a key area of Russia-China economic cooperation, and the two countries’ cooperation in the area of small- and medium-sized businesses is also quite promising.

Titov said that a Russian-Chinese forum on small- and medium-sized businesses was successfully held in Beijing in April, adding that China’s economic growth will give impetus to the development of Russia’s small- and medium-sized businesses and will also help the country exit the recession at an earlier date.

According to official statistics, China’s investment in Russia has been growing steadily over the past few years. Chinese direct investment in Russia, including those via third countries, totaled 33 billion U.S. dollars by 2014.

At the 19th Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) which opened on Thursday, a group of Chinese and Russian companies officially signed a contract on jointly conducting the pre-construction survey and design of the Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway.

The 770-kilometer railway is a key infrastructure development project for Russia. It is estimated to cost more than 20 billion dollars. Upon completion in 2018, the rail link will dramatically reduce the travel time between Moscow and Kazan from 14 hours to three and a half hours. Moreover, it will become part of the planned Beijing-Moscow high-speed transport corridor.

Besides the high-speed railway, China and Russia are also working on such large-scale cooperation projects as cross-border natural gas pipelines, the development of large, wide-body airplanes and a development strategy for the Far East region.

Both China and Russia have injected more and more financial resources into these cooperation projects. The central banks of the two countries signed a currency swap agreement worth 150 billion RMB or 815 billion rubles (24 billion dollars) last October. The amount of RMB currency used in bilateral trade settlement at the Russian branch of Bank of China grew more than six times last year, according to branch chief Zhao Lianjie.

The National Development Bank of China, a state-owned bank for financing overseas investment by Chinese companies, has signed cooperation agreements with three major Russian banks in May to finance large-scale cooperation projects and the development of the Far East region.

China and Russia have also stepped up financial cooperation on such multilateral platforms as the Silk Road Fund and the Asia Infrastructure Development Bank.

Under the direct guidance of top leaders of both countries, investment and financial cooperation have become a new growth point for the China-Russia all-round strategic cooperation partnership. Two-way trade is expected to top 100 billion dollars this year after reaching an all-time high of 95.3 billion dollars in 2014.

Source   Xinhua

Editor   Xuefei Chen Axelsson

Business, China

China Focus: Key China-U.S. dialogue set for next week

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China Focus: Key China-U.S. dialogue set for next week

BEIJING, June 19 (Greenpost) — High-ranking officials from China and the United States will meet next week in Washington D.C. to discuss issues ranging from security to the economy and people-to-people exchanges, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

The two countries have decided that the seventh China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and the sixth China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE) will take place on June 23 and 24, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said.

The S&ED will be co-chaired by Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi, who will act as special representatives of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, who will act for U.S. President Barack Obama.

The CPE will be co-chaired by Vice Premier Liu Yandong and Kerry.

“China is ready to work with the United States to implement the consensus reached by their leaders, enhance strategic communication, promote mutually beneficial cooperation, properly handle differences, so as to push for new progress in the building of a new model of major power relationship,” said Lu.

The CPE will discuss cooperation in education, science and technology, culture, health, sports, women and youth, according to the spokesperson.

The S&ED and CPE, among more than 90 dialogue mechanisms between China and the United States, have become the most important regular platforms between the two countries, gathering dozens of influential officials in fields ranging from trade and finance to diplomacy and defense.

“The coming S&ED and CPE will help enhance mutual understanding and build trust, promote cooperation and make preparations for President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States in September,” Assistant Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang said on Friday.

Xi accepted U.S. President Barack Obama’s invitation for a state visit during a phone conversation in February.

It will be Xi’s first state visit to the United States since he became president in 2013.

“This year’s strategic dialogue will cover a wide range of topics,including bilateral, regional and global issues of common concern,” Zheng said.

Hot topics include climate change, China-U.S. interaction in the Asia-Pacific region, management of differences and sensitive issues, United Nations and multilateral issues, science and innovation, green ports and ships and the illegal trade in animals and plants.

Ahead of the strategic dialogue, Chinese and U.S. representatives of the military and related departments will meet to discuss security, Zheng said.

“The major task for the economic dialogue is to reach agreement on economic issues and create a good environment for the presidential summit in September,” China’s vice finance minister Zhu Guangyao said.

At the economic dialogue, officials will have in-depth discussions on macro-economic policy and restructuring, promoting trade and investment and stabilizing and reforming the financial market, according to Zhu.

As the world’s two largest economies, the United States and China are increasingly economically interdependent, with their trade volume hitting 550 billion U.S. dollars last year.

U.S. investment in China has amounted to nearly 100 billion U.S. dollars, while Chinese investment in the United States has also grown, official data indicates.

“Increasing China-U.S. economic cooperation is not only in tune with the requirements of the two peoples, but also a reflection of two countries’ efforts to shoulder their responsibilities as world powers,” Zhu said.

The fact that the CPE and S&ED are being jointly held in the United States for the first time this year shows the seriousness in which the two sides are aiming to build their new-model relationship, according to Chinese Vice Minister of Education Liu Limin.

He said people-to-people exchanges are irreplaceable and he is looking forward to the upcoming consultation.

A range of China-U.S. events will take place in America during the Chinese leaders’ time there.

Liu Yandong will address a forum for university presidents of the two countries. Twenty-six Chinese university chiefs and 23 from the United States are scheduled to attend.

As this year marks the 70th anniversary of victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and also victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Chinese Embassy to the United States will hold a joint exhibition to commemorate cooperation between China and the United States in World War II, Liu Limin said.

Liu Yandong will deliver a speech at a dialogue with female leaders from the two countries.

She will attend a seminar aiming to help African countries improve their healthcare systems and the opening ceremony of a competition for young technology enthusiasts.

According to Liu Limin, one of the achievements of the CPE is expected to be a plan for China to invite 100 American youth leaders to visit China for a study tour in the coming five years.

The coming activity will follow a U.S. visit by Fan Changlong, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, earlier this month. Fan said during the trip that the the two nations “should take the higher ground to look into the future and gain perspective on regional and international issues”.

His U.S. meetings saw discussion of a “mutual trust mechanism” covering encounters in the air, building on such mechanisms for land-based and maritime encounters, Zheng said.

The main goal of Fan’s visit was to create “a positive atmosphere” for Xi’s September U.S. visit, according to Guan Youfei, director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the National Defense Ministry. Enditem

Source   Xinhua

Editor    Xuefei Chen Axelsson

 

Business, China, News, World News

China relaxes e-commerce investor rules for foreigners

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China relaxes e-commerce investor rules for foreigners

BEIJING, June 19 (Greenpost) — China has decided to give foreign investors greater freedom in the booming e-commerce industry by allowing them to fully own e-commerce companies in the country, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced Friday.

The MIIT said in a brief statement that it would open up the online data processing and transaction processing businesses to foreign investors.

The new policy will enable more foreign companies to compete with local firms, thereby driving the sector to higher standards, the MIIT said.

The move is an expansion of a pilot scheme launched in January in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

Currently, China’s lucrative e-commerce business is dominated by big homegrown firms. The e-commerce market hit 13.4 trillion yuan (2.2 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2014, and China is aiming to almost double the value of the sector in two years. Enditem

Source Xinhua

Editor    Xuefei Chen Axelsson

Business, China, News

China allows foreign equities to have 100pct stake in online data processing and transaction processing biz

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China allows foreign equities to have 100pct stake in online data processing and transaction processing biz

BEIJING, June 19 (Greenpost) — China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released a circular on Friday that foreign equities could have 100 percent stake in the country’s online data processing and transaction processing business (operating e-commerce).

The move signals that the Chinese government has gradually lifted its restrictions on foreign equities’ access to the e-commerce sector, which can help create a competitive environment for the business and promote its development.

Online data processing and transaction processing business is one of the value-added telecom businesses, which need a business license granted by the government.

In January 2015, MIIT decided to allow foreign equities to have 100 percent stake in the online data processing and transaction processing business in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone (FTZ). (Edited by Zhang Yuan, zhangyuan11@xinhua.org)

 

Source  Xinhua

Editor   Xuefei Chen Axelsson

Business, China, Indepth, News, World News

China Focus: Chinese shares in biggest weekly drop since 2008

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China Focus: Chinese shares in biggest weekly drop since 2008

BEIJING, June 19 (Greenpost) — Chinese shares plummeted on Friday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 6.42 percent to finish at 4,478.36 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index lost 6.03 percent to close at 15,725.47 points.

The major Shanghai index dived by 13 percent from the previous week, in the biggest weekly drop in seven years. Nearly one thousand shares on the two bourses slumped by the daily limit of 10 percent.

During Friday’s trading, losers outnumbered winners by 903 to 25 in Shanghai, and by 1,295 to 96 in Shenzhen.

Combined turnover for the two bourses shrank to 1.29 trillion yuan (210.23 billion U.S. dollars) from Thursday’s 1.5 trillion yuan.

Stocks relating to nuclear power, transportation, medical care, online education, mobile games and reform of state-owned enterprises were the biggest losers.

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Company dived by the daily limit of 10 percent to close at 17.77 yuan per share. Shanghai Electric Group Company lost 9.98 percent to end at 17.23 yuan.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China’s Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, dived 5.41 percent to end at 3,314.98 points.

Analysts attributed the plunge mainly to four factors. Firstly, new listings of stocks, especially large-cap shares have kept drawing money away from the market.

On Thursday, Chinese securities trader Guotai Junan Securities Co., Ltd. became the largest domestic IPO in nearly five years after launching on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The company will sell up to 30.1 billion yuan (4.92 billion U.S. dollars) at 19.71 yuan per share, according to its IPO prospectus filed with the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Tuesday.

Secondly, market regulator the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) last week banned illicit loans for stock purchases, and announced that margin trading outside the brokerage system would be strictly punished. It is estimated that the move will prevent around 500 billion yuan from entering the market.

Thirdly, companies need to settle their account balance and complete payment to banks in the middle of the year, resulting in a shortage of funds and hence the fall of the major index.

Last but not least, the stock market has posted dramatically large gains since the beginning of the year, with the ChiNext Board index rising 170-percent rise at its peak without a proper callback, until the current correction comes.

Analysts warned that the biggest threat to the market is the high-rate rise, and the current nosedive could help release accumulated risks.

The Chinese stock market has seen an impressive rebound since the second half of 2014 after being stuck in the doldrums for about six years.

The major Shanghai index closed at fresh seven-year highs for several consecutive days last month, before posting another nosedive on record turnover on May 28.

On June 5, the major Shanghai index surpassed the 5,000-point landmark for the first time in over seven years, jumping to 5,023.1 points. Enditem

Source Xinhua

Editor  Xuefei Chen Axelsson

Business, China, Energy, Green-tech, News

NDRC to propose plan on construction of global logistics channel

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NDRC to propose plan on construction of global logistics channel

BEIJING, June 19 (Greenpost) – China’s top economic planner – the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on its website on Friday that it intended to come up with a plan on constructing the grand global logistics channel to solve the major problems troubling Chinese companies.

NDRC made the decision at a recent symposium which China Railway Corp. China Petrochemical Corp (Sinopec Group), China Merchants Group, SinoTrans&CSC Holdings Co., Ltd., COSCO Group, China Post Group, and S.F. Express and China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing were asked to attend to report their progresses and difficulties in “going global” in logistics sector and give suggestions for constructing the global logistics channel.

The NDRC said it would propose a feasible plan on this regard after further study of advices from these businesses. (Edited by Duan Jing, duanjing@xinhua.org)