LinkChinese UK News

A local newspaper, Birmingham Mail, has published 600 copies of a special edition with the front page in Chinese, to mark the launch of a new business forum by the city council, together with the Chinese ambassador, Fu Ying.

The headline of the front page is printed in Chinese is “中国与伯明翰的见面” (China Meets Birmingham), although the translation is awkward. This was obviously first written in English and then translated to Chinese, in a somewhat mechanical way.

The “Message from the editor” was translated into Chinese and printed side by side. Editor Steve Dyson said: “We are proud of this initiative by our city, and are pleased to help by providing the story in Mandarin so that our own Chinese community, as well as business chiefs back in mainland China, can see how serious we are about doing business.”

News source: Holdthefrontpage.co.uk

 

From Associated Press:

BEIJING (AP) - A Chinese city has halted construction of a chemical plant after residents sent more than 1 million mobile phone text messages protesting possible pollution dangers, news reports said Thursday.

The $1.4 billion facility being built by Tenglong Aromatic PX (Xiamen) Co. Ltd to produce the petrochemical paraxylene was planned for the booming southeastern port of Xiamen, the Xinhua News Agency and newspapers said.

“The city government has listened to the opinions expressed and has decided, after careful deliberation, that the project must be re-evaluated,” a deputy mayor, Ding Guoyan, was quoted as saying.

The plant was to be located 10 miles from the center of Xiamen, a center for Taiwanese and Hong Kong investment. The nearest homes were about a mile away, according to news reports.

Full report (from The Guardian)

 

The Guardian newspaper reports that the traditional textile industry base of Northwest of England may be revivied, aimed by a joint development project by UK and China. Wigan borough council has agreed with Chinamex, a stat-owned body and a local property developer, to develop a brownfield site at Westwood Park on the edge of Wigan.

The Textiles City project will see Chinamex to take on up to 2m sq ft, half for manufacturing, half for research and development. Chinamex hopes this project will creat a manufacturing base closer to European customers.

Wigan has long history of established textile industry since 19th century. However it started to decline from early 20th century, being unable to compete cheaper markets. The last cotton mill closed in 1980.

The Guardian reports (by Helen Carter):

Almost 27 years after the last cotton mill closed its doors in the northern industrial town, synonymous with George Orwell’s The Road To Wigan Pier, Chinese investors are proposing a new manufacturing hub for cotton.

Chinamex, a state-owned body which helps Chinese companies expand overseas, has agreed with a property developer and Wigan borough council to develop a brownfield site at Westwood Park on the edge of the town.

The Textiles City project is being viewed by Chinamex as an opportunity to create a manufacturing capability closer to European customers.

According to those close to the project, Chinamex has agreed to take on up to 2m sq ft, about half of which will be used for textiles manufacturing. The remaining space will be used for research and development and as a showcase to demonstrate China’s manufacturing.

 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched a new consolidated Chinese-language Web site as part of its ongoing effort to provide environmental information in English, Spanish and Chinese.

The new site compiles EPA Chinese-language materials on a wide variety of issues from lead poisoning prevention, energy efficiency, and clean water to proper management of pesticides. At the moment most of the contents are in Traditional Chinese (繁体中文), but EPA promises more contents in Simplified Chinese (简体中文) will be added soon.

The site also serves as a valuable tool in delivering important health and environmental information to the Chinese-speaking community, both here in the U.S. and worldwide, to help protect local communities as well as the global environment.

(more…)

 

The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO) published a new guide ‘China, an Enforcement Roadmap’ (PDF file), which offers guidance to the Chinese Intellectual Property protection and enforcement system.

Aimed at businesses currently or intending to operate in China, the guide offers practical and effective help on how to protect and enforce intellectual property rights, using the current Chinese system.

Welcoming the launch at a business breakfast in Beijing today Andrew Cahn, Chief Executive of UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) said, “As the Chinese economy develops more business opportunities are emerging and increasing value is being placed on Intellectual Property (IP) rights. This new booklet helps prevent businesses from making costly mistakes by providing a better understanding of the Intellectual Property enforcement systems and key contacts in government and enforcement agencies.”

 

The iconic London Taxi also known as Black Cab will be made in China for the China and US markets. British Manufacturer Manganese Bronze signed a joined venture deal worth £53 millions with China’s Geely Group to produce 20,000 London Taxis (each will cost about 250,000 yuan/$32,000) a year from 2008 in China. A golden version of London Taxi is to be shown at the Shanghai Auto Show (words on the number plate: Classic Taxi 经典出租车).

Forbes reports :

Chinese automaker Geely Group unveiled a flashy gold version of London’s black taxi cabs at the Shanghai Auto Show over the weekend, and it hopes that the iconic symbol of the British capital will strike gold when it hits the road in China and the United States.

Geely inked a joint venture agreement with Britain’s Manganese Bronze in October to produce about 20,000 London cabs a year from 2008 onward.

The alliance allows Manganese Bronze, which makes about 3,000 vehicles a year in the U.K., to expand sales overseas from a cheaper production base, and it has helped Geely Group upgrade its technology and product quality.

Read full report from Forbes