税收刺激消费和投资的政策选择1

论消费引导

China will undertake nearly 10 percent of an international fusion-research project to be implemented this year.The project is called ITER and wants to demonstrate the scientific and technical feasibility of fusion power - the energy of the sun or hydrogen bomb - for peaceful use."The project aims to find a shortcut to solve our energy shortage," Luo Delong, deputy director of the ITER China Office, said at the Oriental Science and Technology Forum held in Shanghai over the weekend.He said Chinese researchers will be in charge of producing various components of the project and escorting them into Cadarache in the south of France where the ITER's key equipment will be constructed.China will inject about one billion yuan (US7.5 million) into the project, accounting for nearly 10 percent of the overall ITER investment, officials said.Other partners in the project include the European Union, the United States, Japan, India and Russia.According to Zhang Jie, a fusion-power scientist of Jiao Tong University, researchers of universities in Shanghai, including Fudan and Donghua, are conducting fusion-related studies.China will further enhance its education in the area to lift the country's overall research power.The long-term objective of the research is to harness fusion nuclear energy to help meet the future energy needs of mankind, project officials said.The aim of ITER is to show fusion can be used to generate electrical power and do the preparation work to build and operate an electricity-producing plant.The key part of the project is to develop a viable fusion-power reactor.Scientists of ITER will test a number of key technologies, including the heating, control, diagnostic and remote maintenance that will be needed for a real fusion-power station, officials said.Local experts said fusion may produce dozens of times more energy than fission, which now directs most of the world's nuclear-power plants.Fission can only be caused by uranium. However, the resource to trigger fusion can be found in ordinary substances from the sea, they said.According to the Website of ITER, the overall construction cost of ITER is estimated at five billion euros (US.37 billion) over 10 years and another five billion euros are earmarked for the 20-year operation period.The ITER organization owns the ITER device and is responsible for all aspects of the project, such as licensing procedures, hardware procurements and operation.

A shop assistant checks hundred yuan bank notes at a shop in Xiangfan, central China's Hubei province in this file photo. [Reuters]A senior U.S. Treasury official warned Congress on Thursday that a legislative drive to force China into letting its currency rise in value more quickly could backfire and do damage to the U.S. economy. Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary Mark Sobel warned a House of Representative trade subcommittee that U.S. lawmakers risked creating a perception abroad that the United States is becoming "an isolationist nation" that does deserve foreign investment. "If the United States adopts currency legislation that is perceived abroad as unilateralist, investors' confidence in the openness of our economy could be dampened, diminishing capital inflows into the United States and potentially putting upward pressure on interest rates and prices," Sobel said. However, Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Sander Levin, a Michigan Democrat, objected to the administration's description of congressional proposals as protectionist, and other lawmakers testifying on Thursday argued China's "unfair" trade practices required a strong U.S. legislative response. Two Senate committees have already approved legislation that aims to equip Treasury with new tools to pressure China into letting its yuan currency rise faster in value, which U.S. manufacturers say is necessary to eliminate an unfair price advantage for Chinese-made goods. Rep. Tim Ryan, an Ohio Democrat, said Congress should pass an even stronger bill -- such as one he has crafted with Rep. Duncan Hunter, a California Republican -- that would allow U.S. companies to seek countervailing duties against China's undervalued exchange rate. "Passage of a weak bill will only lead to many more years of inaction by the administration, loss of jobs and loss of critical U.S. manufacturing capability. We need legislation that will lead to action," Ryan said. A Republican committee member, Rep. Thomas Reynolds of New York, said there was bipartisan support for taking a tougher line with China than Treasury has followed so far. "Be ready for the fact that there's a boiling point in the Congress coming from the people of America saying we need to do better than what's happened so far," Reynolds said. After the hearing, Levin told reporters that House leaders would decide when Congress returns in September the best way to proceed with China currency and trade legislation. "I think we will look at all options," including the Ryan-Hunter bill, Levin said. He expressed confidence that Congress could craft legislation that presses China on the currency issue without violating World Trade Organization rules. But Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has made clear that he does not want the additional legislative tools and that he prefers to seek a faster pace of economic reform in China through discussion, especially in a "strategic economic dialogue" that he initiated with Beijing last December. Sobel's appearance before the House subcommittee was a bid by Treasury to wave off more legislation in Congress, where anger at China has been mounting and has helped fuel the bid to force Beijing into faster currency appreciation. "We appreciate the frustrations of Congress with the slow pace of Chinese reform. Indeed, we strongly share those frustrations," Sobel said. "Yet we continue to believe that direct, robust engagement with China is the best means of achieving progress." Paulson has just returned on Wednesday night from his fourth trip to China since taking over Treasury just over a year ago. Again he was unable to persuade Chinese officials to offer any commitment to speed up currency reforms. Paulson told reporters in Beijing that Chinese officials whom he met, including President Hu Jintao, intended to move ahead with economic reforms including on currency but that the country's economic stability was critically important. The failure to get firm Chinese promises on currency has fed into a sense in Congress that China does not play fair on trade rules. Sobel said Paulson had "conveyed a strong message about the need for far more vigorous action by China to correct the undervaluation of renminbi (RMB), take immediate action to lift the RMB's value and achieve far greater currency flexibility." China's yuan is also known as the renminbi. David Spooner, the Commerce Department's assistant secretary for import administration, echoed some of Sobel's worry that Congress's actions could rebound against the United States because they might violate global trade rules. "I must make clear that the Department of Commerce is deeply concerned that the other legislative proposals that have been advanced to date raise serious concerns under international trade rules," Spooner said, adding that could trigger a global cycle of protectionist legislation. Similarly, the U.S. Trade Representative's deputy general counsel, Daniel Brinza, warned that Congress needed to beware approving legislative proposals that did not comply with rules set by the World Trade Organization. Doing so would undermine U.S. credibility when it tries to persuade others to abide by WTO rulings, Brinza said.

Chief judge Xiao Yang has pledged to keep up the fight against judicial corruption after the nation's court system rooted out 292 judges last year because of unethical deeds. Greater efforts would be made this year to build a "clean court system", Xiao, president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), said in an interview with China Daily. "We must never relax our vigilance on corruption," he said, after he reported to the National People's Congress in early March that, last year, 292 judges were subjected to power abuse investigations, with 109 of them prosecuted. The number of judges charged with corruption was 378 in 2005 and 461 in 2004. However, Xiao, who has been SFC president since 1998, said he had ongoing fears about the "grave situation" of judicial corruption. The 69-year-old chief judge said he "lost sleep" because he was so deeply disturbed by reports of corruption, especially those involving court officials. Corruption involving judges, though in small number, damaged the image of the country's court system and undermined the credibility of the justice system. "We will continue to be serious in handling the official corruption cases," he said. In 2006, two high-level group corruption cases were reported by the Chinese court system. The first involved three top judges from Fuyang Intermediate People's Court in East China's Anhui Province, who were arrested for taking bribes since 2005. Two of the former judges were sentenced to 9 and 10 years respectively, with the other one still on trial. The second case involved five senior judges from Shenzhen's Intermediate People's Court in South China. Three of them were sentenced to jail terms ranging from 3.5 to 11 years, with the other two still on trial. Corrupt judges have disrupted the working of the court system and sometimes resulted in wrong verdicts, Xiao said. A "firewall" against corruption will be consolidated, he said, with the apex court on its way to make four important sets of rules on fee charges, court discipline, judge discipline, and court supervision. The first two sets of rules will be implemented this year, with the other two released for public comment. Of the new rules to be released, he said, court officials are barred from using their influence to seek price discounts in any transactions, to occupy properties under other people's ownership, to collect or to spend money through gambling, to have personal investment managers, or to seek benefits for their family members. Also, beginning last year, the court introduced an "anti-corruption deposit" system. If a 22-year-old court staff member deposits 500 yuan () every year and does not do anything illegal, he will get 300,000 yuan (,600) upon retirement - including his premium and reward.

安阳勃起硬度不够治疗

BRASILIA - China Wednesday called on the international community to observe the principles and framework set by the Kyoto Protocol and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.The appeal was made by Cao Bochun, vice director of the Environment and Resources Protection Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress, at the G8+5 Climate Change Dialogue forum held in this Brazilian capital."As a precondition of ensuring healthy human development, tackling climate change is today's and tomorrow's basic principle with which we should persist in confronting the problem," said Cao."Common but differentiated responsibilities" stated in the Kyoto Protocol and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change should be the basis and precondition for a rational move in handling climate change, he said.The Chinese legislator said at the forum that "China, as a responsible country, has a resolute and consistent policy in dealing with climate change."China will do its "best to boost its capability" to fight climate change based on China's reality, said Cao.The capability of the mini-thermal power plants closed by the Chinese government in 2007 as an environment-protection measure reached some 14.3 million kilowatts, he said, adding that the drive will continue.He also rebutted criticism of China's increasing greenhouse gas emissions, saying most of the critics have ignored a fact that transfer emissions account for some 30 percent of China's total greenhouse gas emissions, which means China has shifted some emission pressures from a lot of countries.The forum, initiated by then British Prime Minister Tony Blair, was established in 2005 for legislators from the Group of Eight industrialized nations - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States - and their counterparts from five emerging economies - China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa - to address the global climate issue and anti-poverty efforts.

Construction workers toil on the roof of a new building being erected in Beijing April 1, 2007. [Reuters]Stronger-than-expected economic figures have prompted a number of international economic research institutions to revise upwards their forecasts for China's gross domestic product (GDP) growth. Almost all the major economic indexes in the first two months of this year have exceeded those for the same period last year. "The country's GDP growth in the first quarter will be faster than in the equivalent period last year and also that of the previous quarter," Chen Dongqi, deputy director of the Institute of Economic Research of the National Development and Reform Commission, said. The State Information Center has adjusted its GDP growth forecast for the first quarter from 10.2 percent to about 11 percent. Despite the government last year adopting a number of tightening measures, economic growth has shown clear signs of rebounding in the past quarter. Statistics show that urban fixed-asset investment picked up moderately to 23.4 percent year-on-year in January-February, and from about 20 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, reversing the trend of a gradual slowdown since last July. Meanwhile, the trade surplus registered a massive leap of 230 percent, and retail sales were up 14.7 percent on the first two months of last year. "Industrial growth is a key driving force behind overall economic growth, and power generation is also a useful indicator," Chen said. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China's industrial output rose 18.5 percent year-on-year while industrial profits soared 43.8 percent in the first two months. Growth in power generation also accelerated to 16.6 percent year-on-year from less than 14 percent in the same period last year. Despite expectations the government will introduce another round of tightening measures soon, global investment bank, Lehman Brothers, still revised up its forecast for the Chinese economy. According to a recent report by the firm, the first quarter growth forecast has been raised from 9.8 percent to 10.1 percent, and the annual growth rate from 9.6 percent to 9.8 percent. "In the light of the stronger-than-expected figures in the first two months of this year and the likely policy responses, we have lifted our full-year growth projections for this year to 10 percent from 9.1 percent, based mainly on stronger growth in credit, investment and exports," Qu Hongbin, the chief China economist with HSBC, said. Domestic banks extended new loans of 982 billion yuan (7 billion) in the first two months of this year compared with 716 billion yuan ( billion) in the same period of 2006. The government forecast early last month that the country's GDP is to grow by about 8 percent this year. The country has just witnessed four consecutive years of double-digit growth, including 10.7 percent GDP growth last year, the fastest in a decade. The latest official forecast reflects the authorities' determination to shift the focus of economic growth from quantity to quality.

Businesses in the Taihu Lake area will have to pay heavy fees to discharge pollution into the lake and nearby waterways this year, officials from the Jiangsu environmental protection bureau said Thursday.The new regulation, approved by the State Environmental Protection Administration and the Ministry of Finance last month, is the first of its kind in the country. It will be implemented initially in Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Zhenjiang and Nanjing, all in Jiangsu Province.The move is part of a long-awaited campaign to limit the amount of pollution pumped into the region's waterways.Taihu Lake, which provides drinking water for about 30 million people in the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang as well as Shanghai Municipality, has been heavily polluted by industrial waste, pesticides and fertilizer since the 1980s.The situation deteriorated in May last year when the lake suffered from a massive blue-green algae outbreak that threatened the water supply to more than 1 million residents of Wuxi.The government closed down some 2,800 small chemical factories after the bloom appeared.The water quality in the Taihu Lake area is expected to improve as the new rule takes effect, prodding companies to clean up their operations to avoid fines, an official surnamed Gao, with the publicity and education department of the provincial environmental protection bureau, said.The new regulation includes charges of 4,500 yuan (0) per ton for increasing chemical oxygen demand, a measure of the amount of oxygen used in a chemical reaction caused by chemical waste in water, or double what it costs to treat polluted water.Seven industries, including chemicals, textiles, iron and steel-making, and paper mills, which are believed to pose the biggest threat to water safety, will be subject to the fines.Companies discharging more than their quota of pollution will face fines of up to 1 million yuan. However, those that do not use up their quotas are welcome to trade the difference with other companies.

安阳勃起不硬好治吗

BEIJING -- China and Japan on Thursday expressed the hope that bilateral ties should move headway as they staged grand activities marking the 35th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties."Chinese and Japanese politicians made strategic decision to normalize diplomatic relations 35 years ago, turning a new chapter of the Sino-Japanese ties," Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao spoke to visiting Japanese guests including former Japanese prime ministers Mori Yoshiro and Tomiichi Murayama.China-Japan relation is facing good momentum of development and opportunities, and the Chinese government will continue its friendly policy towards Japan to develop friendly neighbouring relations of cooperation, Wen said.At the grand reception with 600-odd attendance, Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan said the China-Japan ties have witnessed ups and downs during the past 35 years, and now back to normal track for development due to joint efforts by both governments and peoples."Chinese and Japanese leaders kept frequent contacts and communication in the past year, reaching important consensus on the target of peaceful co-existence, long-lasting friendship, mutual cooperation and common development, which should be cherished by both nations," Tang said."China and Japan are facing bright future and shoulder responsibilities in developing bilateral ties," Tang said.China would like to work with Japan to continuously push forward bilateral relations for long-term and stable growth based on the three political documents and keeping in mind the spirit of "taking history as a mirror and looking to the future", Tang said.Echoing Chinese leaders' remarks, Mori Yoshiro and Tomiichi Murayama said Japan-China relations enjoy great improvement and development in the past year through joint efforts of both sides, and the two countries witness sound cooperation in fields of economy, culture, sports and youth exchanges.They suggested both countries take the opportunity of the 35th anniversary to step up strategic mutual-beneficial ties, keep high-level exchanges, and facilitate cooperation in the key areas such as environmental protection and energy saving.The Japanese guests also called on to promote youth exchanges and cooperation between localities, in a bid to cement mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

The Employment Promotion Law is being revised to provide a firmer legal footing for efforts to combat the discrimination that Hepatitis B virus carriers have encountered while looking for work, a senior official said. If the revised law is passed, Hepatitis B carriers will have the tools they need to guard their right to secure fair employment and to have discriminating employers punished. Liu Danhua, deputy director of the Labor and Social Security Ministry's training and employment department, said the drafters planned to write a chapter called "fair employment" and to add an article that bans employers from refusing to hire applicants because they carry infectious viruses. She made the remarks during an online interview on www.gov.cn on Friday. At least 15,000 people participated in the online chat and left more than 600 messages for the official. Many spoke about their experiences of being rejected by employers because they are Hepatitis B virus carriers. They applauded the document released by the Labor and Social Security Ministry and the Ministry of Health in May, which called for the protection of virus carriers' employment rights. Still, some were disappointed that some employers seemed not to have heeded the call. According to the document, except for those industries barred to Hepatitis carriers because of the possibility they might spread the virus, such as food processing, employers are not to make Hepatitis screening a mandatory part of physical checkups. Medical organizations have been asked to protect carriers' privacy. But in many cities checks for theHepatitis B virus are more or less obligatory before securing employment. A college graduate from Changsha, Hubei Province, using the Web alias "jiushi3953", said he had been rejected three times by companies because he has Hepatitis B. He was worried he would never get a good job. "Almost every company in Shenzhen demands a Hepatitis virus check Please give me a chance to survive," he said. Hao Yang, deputy director of the Ministry of Health's disease control and prevention bureau, said discrimination was rooted in people's misconceptions about Hepatitis B. Many people and even some doctors think Hepatitis B virus can be transmitted while dining together or touching. Hao said this is wrong. The country is home to about 120 million chronic carriers of the Hepatitis B virus, which may lead to chronic inflammation of the liver. Carriers do not suffer, and do not pose a threat to other people.

安阳早泄阳萎及治疗方法

BEIJING - China's currency, the yuan, hit a new high against the US dollar on Thursday, following an overnight key interest rate cut in the United States.The yuan, also known as the renminbi, went up 145 basis points from the previous day to a central parity rate of 7.1853 yuan to one dollar, breaking the 7.19 mark.The Federal Reserve on Wednesday cut US interest rates by a bold half-percentage point as part of its efforts to shore up economic growth.The move came just eight days after the US central bank slashed rates by three quarters of a percentage point, leading the dollar to weaken against other major world currencies.The Chinese currency had appreciated against the greenback by about 12 percent since a new currency regime was imposed in July 2005 to revalue and de-peg it from the dollar.It had climbed 6.9 percent against the dollar in the past year, but some US critics say it remains undervalued, giving Chinese exporters an unfair advantage and resulting in the massive trade imbalance between the two countries.China was not against revaluation of the yuan, but opposed "excessively rapid" appreciation that was inappropriate to its national conditions, Commerce Minister Chen Deming said last month.Premier Wen Jiabao also said China would improve the yuan's exchange rate mechanism in a controllable and gradual manner, let the market play a bigger role in the mechanism and enhance the currency's flexibility.

The late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping pledged to keep Hong Kong's three capitalistic characteristics - horse racing, dancing and stock exchanges - intact for at least 50 years after its return. Horse racing remains popular in Hong Kong, as shown in this file photo.Edmond TangThis pledge is being upheld as the Special Administrative Region marks the 10th anniversary of its return to the motherland. Today, more Chinese mainland residents are playing the Hong Kong stock markets, attending its horse races and visiting Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong's top entertainment center. For over a century, horseracing has thrilled Hong Kong people. Race days are held on most Wednesdays and weekends from September to June. During the season, many can be seen burying their heads in newspapers at teahouses studying the form of horses. "After Hong Kong's return, horse racing has not only been retained, but has grown with the support of the central government and Hong Kong people," said Kim K.W. Mak, executive director of the corporate development department of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Mak said the jockey club is now striving to provide its best facilities for the coming 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. It will host the equestrian events. The club manages two racecourses - Happy Valley and Sha Tin - attracting more than 2 million racegoers each racing season. The club's betting turnover, exceeds HK.3 billion every fiscal year. It contributes 1.3 percent to GDP, and 10 percent of the government's tax revenue. It is also one of the 10 biggest employers in Hong Kong, employing more than 5,000 full-time workers and 20,000 part-time staff on race days. Hong Kong youngsters wave flags, hailing Premier Wen Jiabao's arrival to sign the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement in this file photo.Huo YanAs the largest charity organization in Hong Kong, the club was a major donor to the anti-SARS campaign in the spring of 2003. Today, the people of Hong Kong enjoy stability in every aspect of their lives. "We don't see any difference in our way of life after 1997," said Wong Yim-fat, a fishmonger in Hong Kong. "Though there have been hard times, we have come through it, believing things can only get better." Wong now plays the stock markets and has had some luck with the Hang Seng Index rising from 15,196 points in July 1997 to about 21,685 today. "Actually, as masters of our own society, we feel there is more freedom and opportunities following Hong Kong's return," Wong said. Wong said he is happy with his decision to remain in Hong Kong after its return and not seek to emigrate as some of his friends and relatives did. "Many of my friends who have emigrated have come back, after finding out that things have not changed," Wong said. Before 1997, many Hong Kong people were uncertain about its future and left for other countries. Official figures from Hong Kong Customs show that more than 300,000 people moved to America, Australia and Canada between 1990 and 1997. Ten years later, many returned because of Hong Kong's stability and prosperity. Renee Chu, an assistant computer officer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, was one of those who left before 1997. Following her parent's wishes, Renee left for Australia in 1990 when she was still a middle school student. "At that time, they were concerned about Hong Kong's future and wanted us to receive a better education abroad," she told Xinhua News Agency in a recent interview. After graduating from university, Renee returned to Hong Kong in 2000 as it offered better job opportunities. Hong Kong was hit by an economic downturn and an outbreak of SARS after 1997, but that did not stop the Chu family from returning. "There are always good and bad times for a place," Renee said. "My parents return to Australia from time to time," Renee said, "but their stays have become shorter. They now spend more time in Hong Kong and the mainland." Most Hong Kong people were able to gain residency abroad because of their technological skills and investments. While Hong Kong has retained its attraction for locals, it has also lured more people to its shores. Official statistics show that the number of overseas people in Hong Kong - Indians, Filipinos and British - account for 71,000 out of a population of 6.9 million. The culture of tolerance can be seen in the busy streets. There are restaurants and shops from all nations. "Hong Kong is really a very tolerant and free-spirited city. The cultural tolerance and perfect mixture is reflected in the diversity of our international visitors," said B.C. Lo, vice-president of public affairs, Hong Kong Disneyland. Hong Kong, however, has undergone some subtle changes too. This is evident in the choice of passport. Ten years after Hong Kong's return to the motherland, many Hong Kong people have abandoned their British National (Overseas) or BNO passports in favor of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) passport. According to Hong Kong Immigration Department sources, in the past 10 years, as many as 4 million, or 60 percent of Hong Kong's population of permanent residents, have applied for HKSAR passports, and the number is growing. The HKSAR government has managed to obtain visa-free access to as many as 134 countries or regions. BNO passports enjoyed visa-free access to only 114 countries. The passports are still valid. The safety ensured by Chinese embassies and consulates as well as a sense of nationalism have also been key factors in the popularity of HKSAR passports. Wong Yim-fat is of those who think HKSAR passports are not only more convenient, but also offer consular or embassy protection from the Chinese government in times of distress. "While holding a BNO passport, you felt like a second-class citizen," Wong said. "But a HKSAR passport gives you all the privilege that a Chinese citizen enjoys." According to Lu Xinhua, commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR, not only Hongkongers have enjoyed an uplift in their international status, but also the HKSAR government. During the past 10 years, the HKSAR government has joined more than 50 international, intra-government organizations and 200 international treaties with the proper identity of Hong Kong, China. "Under the Basic Law, we have tried our best to help exchanges between the HKSAR government and the international community, in order to forge its long-term prosperity and stability," Lu said.