Grow More Productive Rice

China expanded the acreage of super high-yield rice by almost 14 percent to 5.33 million hectares this year in a bid to produce more food for its growing population, an agricultural official said recently.

Zhang Fengtong, Director of the Science and Education Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, said the average yield of early super rice per hectare in Shanggao County in Jiangxi Province, east China, was 7,297.5 kg, 948 kg more than non-super rice strains.

The super rice strains led to high yields and better economic returns for growers, said Zhang at a meeting on demonstration projects of super rice strains in Jiangxi Province.

The super rice strains have enabled rice growers in Shanggao to get an additional 1,605 yuan from each hectare, said Zhang.

First Offshore Wind Power Station

The China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) will complete the construction of a wind power station some 60 km offshore, which will be the first of its kind in the country, said General Manager Fu Chengyu.

The wind power station will have an installed capacity of 1,500 kw and be located in the Bohai Bay, said Fu, a delegate to the17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), on the sidelines of the event.

The CNOOC is more an energy company than a pure oil company, said Fu. It will focus on new sources of energy, renewable energy and energy conservation technologies.

"The national development mode decides the development of our company," Fu said.

Rumor Denied

Chinese government officials have quashed rumors that 30 centrally administered state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are to be fully listed on the stock market by 2010.

The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) has issued a statement saying it did not know how the rumors started, and warning the public against listening to rumors.

Reports have said the 30 enterprises, all giants, including China National Nuclear Corporation and China Minmetals Corporation, which control the country's strategic resources, will be fully listed before 2010.

The SASAC statement said the listing schedule of each SOE was based on its own business situation and the SASAC had never conducted any studies on full listing or schedules.

So far, 23 central SOEs have listed their main businesses. "We will continue to promote the listing of central enterprises that meet required standards," the watchdog said.

Branch Out

The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) plans to open a subsidiary in the United States, as part of its going-global strategy, which also involves Russia, Australia and the Middle East, ICBC Chairman Jiang Jianqing said on October 17.

"Preparations have been going on smoothly. We hope to receive approval from American authorities as early as possible," said Jiang, a delegate to the ongoing 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, at a news briefing.

Jiang said the ICBC would open a branch in Russia next month, take over a bank in Sydney and start another two new branches in Dubai and Doha respectively. However, he didn't reveal investment details.

Six More Subways Planned

Beijing's urban planning authorities have approved planning permission for six new subway lines on which work is scheduled to begin by the end of the year.

The six new lines --- the No.6, 8 and 9 lines, the second phase of the No.10 line, and the Yizhuang and Daxing lines, have a total length of 152 km, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning. They will be completed in 2012.

Beijing currently has five subway lines in operation, with a total length of 142 km.

"The city aims to raise the proportion of citizens choosing public transport from the current 30 percent to 45 percent by 2015, and the subway passenger volume will increase to 8 million a day from the current 2.2 million," said the commission's Zhou Nansen.