Yan Yiming, a Shanghai based lawyer, filed a second request with the National Development and Reform Commission to disclose details of the governments 4 trillion Yuan ($585.5 billion) stimulus package. The request marks an unprecedented test of transparency for the Chinese government’s economic stimulus program. Details as to which projects in particular will receive funding out of the stimulus package would have important implications to investors. The spending plan is expected to be approved by the National People’s Congress within this week.
The second session of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) started this afternoon in Beijing. The CPPCC first met in 1949 and serves as China’s principal political advisory body for the government, the legislature and the juridical organs. In this year’s meeting the CPPCC is expected to focus on the economic stimulus package, economic development and social stability. The session is scheduled to conclude on March 12.
According to a recent survey conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce foreign direct investment in southern China might significantly drop this year. Total investments were expected to shrink to $6.5 billion this year, down from $11 billion in 2008. While the recent drop in demand in Western markets certainly plays a role in investment decisions the surveyed companies listed regulatory risks and a lack of incentives as the major drags on investor confidence.
Both the consumer price index and the producer price index are expected to decline in February, according to analysts. The consumer price index (CPI) might drop by as much as two percent year-on-year in February, marking the first negative growth since December 2002. The CPI is expected to continue its negative growth throughout the first half of 2009 and might regain momentum with the expected economic recovery in the second half of the year. Similarly, the producer price index (PPI) might drop four to five percent year-on-year in February, continuing its declining trend of the previous months. Despite these forecasts, fears of growing deflation in China are relatively low, with analysts pointing to the government’s stimulus package and a relaxed monetary policy.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
