AsiaPulse News articles from January 2006

AsiaPulse News archives from January 2006

SOUTH KOREAN EXPORTS REACH RECORD HIGH IN 2005.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan. 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea's exports gained 12.2 per cent from a year earlier to a record US$284.7 billion in 2005 to mark the third straight year of a double-digit growth, a government report said Sunday. The preliminary tally...

GS MAGIC TO PRODUCE MORE HARD DISC DRIVES IN CHINA.
January 2, 2006... GUIYANG, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - GS Magic Inc, of southwest China's Guizhou Province boasted production of 225,000 mini-HDDs (hard disc drives) worth $US16.36 million in the first 11 months of 2005. The firm is also expected to produce up to...

BRAMBLES TO OFFLOAD INDUSTRIAL SERVICES.
January 2, 2006... MELBOURNE, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Logistics group Brambles Industries Ltd (ASX:BIL) will dispose of its northern hemisphere industrial services business for approximately STG133 million ($US230.01 million). Brambles Industrial Services -...

S KOREA BOURSE FORECAST TO START STRONGER IN NEW YEAR.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The South Korean bourse is expected to reopen on a strong note in the coming year on the back of hopes of a bullish market, analysts said. More attention should be paid to whether the corporate earnings to be...

SOUTH KOREA TO SELL TREASURIES IN JANUARY.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan. 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea will sell 5.5 trillion won (US$5.43 billion) worth of Treasuries in January, the Ministry of Finance and Economy said Sunday. On Tuesday, the government will auction off three-year Treasury bonds...

NORTH KOREA VOWS TO STRENGTHEN MILITARY-FIRST POLICY.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan. 2 Asia Pulse - North Korea vowed Sunday to strengthen its military-first policy in 2006 while trying to rebuild its dilapidated economy with emphasis on agriculture. In a joint editorial by its official press, North Korea also...

SOUTH KOREAN PANEL TO ANNOUNCE FINAL REPORT ON STEM CELL SCANDAL.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan. 2 Asia Pulse - An academic panel investigating South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk's stem cell research plans to release its final report around Jan. 10, a source close to the panel said Sunday. The source also said the...

EACH SOUTH KOREAN HOME SET TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE CAR IN 2006.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan. 2 Asia Pulse - Every South Korean home is expected to own at least one vehicle this year, an industry body said Sunday. South Korea's auto registration totaled 14.35 million as at the end of November, which compared with 15.53...

COPPER FOIL PROJECT GOES INTO PRODUCTION IN EAST CHINA.
January 2, 2006... NANCHANG, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - A 6,000-ton high-grade copper foil project, jointly funded by Jiangxi Copper Group and Yates Foil USA Inc, went into production recently in Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province. The official...

HYUNDAI MOTOR GROUP TARGETS 17.6PCT SALES GROWTH IN 2006.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan. 2 Asia Pulse - The Hyundai Motor Group, South Korea's dominant auto conglomerate, said Monday it will seek to boost sales by an annual 17.6 per cent to 100 trillion won (US$98.7 billion) in 2006. The conglomerate, whose two...

BSNL TO FLOAT INDIA'S BIGGEST TELECOMS TENDER.
January 2, 2006... NEW DELHI, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - State-run BSNL is set to invite bids by January 15 from equipment providers to add 60 million mobile lines, the largest ever tender in India's telecoms sector. "We shall float the tender by January 15, 2006....

TARO PHARMA, ALKEM LABS TO JOINTLY TARGET US, OTHER MARKETS.
January 2, 2006... MUMBAI, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The US-based Taro Pharmaceutical Industries has entered into an agreement with India's Alkem Laboratories Ltd to jointly develop products for the US and other markets. "We believe that this strategic arrangement...

INDIAN SECURITIES BOARD SET TO SIGN UP EXTERNAL CONSULTANTS.
January 2, 2006... MUMBAI, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Realising the need for a "re-engineering" given the challenges of the Indian capital market, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Friday said it would bring in external consultants to look into...

INDIAN HOSPITALITY SECTOR BOUNCES BACK IN 2005.
January 2, 2006... NEW DELHI, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Lower airfares and an increased focus on infrastructure development kept the Indian hospitality industry busy in 2005, as room rates hardened and occupancies soared to new highs, thanks to increased foreign tourist...

DHS COMPLETES FOUNDATION OF BIOMETRIC ENTRY SYSTEM.
January 2, 2006... (Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) US-VISIT program has completed installation of biometric entry capabilities at 104 land border ports, as...

SCIENCE TO TAKE MORE TIME IN RETRACTING HWANG'S 05 PAPER: REPORT.
January 2, 2006... NEW YORK, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The U.S. journal Science will take time a little more than the originally expected schedule to retract South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk's discredited stem cell paper published in its May issue, the New York...

BSE TO IMPLEMENT INDEX-BASED CIRCUIT BREAKERS.
January 2, 2006... MUMBAI, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The Bombay Stock Exchange on Friday said it will implement a market-wide index-based circuit breaker system on a quarterly basis. The system is applicable at three stages of the index movement either way, at 10...

SOUTH ASIAN FREE TRADE AREA BECOMES OPERATIONAL.
January 2, 2006... NEW DELHI, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), which paves the way for free trade in goods among SAARC member countries, came into effect on Sunday. As per the agreement, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will impose...

STOCKS - BOMBAY SHARES CLOSE HIGHER - DEC 30, 2005.
January 2, 2006... MUMBAI, Dec 30 Asia Pulse - India's key stock market index on Friday rung out 2005 on a positive note, settling 75 points up at a new closing peak of 9,397.93 over Thursday's close, as the NAV-based share values were lifted by foreign funds...

FOREX - US DOLLAR ENDS SOFTER AGAINST RUPEE - DEC 30, 2005.
January 2, 2006... MUMBAI, Dec 30 Asia Pulse - The U.S. Dollar ended sharply cheaper against the rupee at Rs 45.04 per dollar and the Pound Sterling also turned lower at Rs 77.51 per pound at the close of the Interbank Foreign Exchange (FOREX) market here on...

AFGHAN GOV'T GRANTS LICENSES TO 2300 COMPANIES IN 2005.
January 2, 2006... KABUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Economists said insecurity and limited facilities hampered chances of investment in Afghanistan during 2005 as compared with the year 2004. Official of the Afghanistan International Support Agency (AISA) Shikeb...

HYUNDAI MOTOR GROUP AIMS FOR 17.6 PCT SALES GROWTH IN 2006.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Hyundai Motor Group, South Korea's dominant auto conglomerate, said Monday it will seek to boost sales by 17.6 per cent this year, as part of a drive to become one of the top five automakers in the world by 2010. ...

RECONSTRUCTION SCHEME INAUGURATED IN AFGHANISTAN'S SHARAN.
January 2, 2006... SHARAN, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - A 1500 metre road and thoroughfares, rebuilt by the US-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in this Paktika capital city at the cost of US$160,000, were inaugurated on New Year Day. Paktika Governor Gulab...

CASES OF BLOOD PRESSURE ON THE RISE IN AFGHANISTAN.
January 2, 2006... KABUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The psychological impact of war, use of poor quality cooking oil and low rate of physical activities have increased cases of blood pressure across the country, the Afghan Public Health Ministry said. Abdullah...

13 RECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS COMPLETED IN AFGHANISTAN'S KUNAR.
January 2, 2006... ASADABAD, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The American civil aid agency renovated the old building of the Central Bank of Afghanistan in Kandahar while 13 new projects were completed by the National Solidarity Programme in the Khas Kunar district of the...

AFGHAN PARLIAMENT DEBATES RULES OF BUSINESS.
January 2, 2006... KABUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Nomadic Kuchi representatives in the new Afghan parliament Saturday failed to muster enough support for the formation of a commission to look into their problems. The legislature instead debated the rules of business....

ANALYSIS - FOR AFGHANISTAN, A YEAR OF UNREST AND HOPE.
January 2, 2006... KABUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Post-Taliban Afghanistan witnessed a number of developments, both negative and positive, in the outgoing year. Before ringing in the New Year, sparing a thought for 2005 will be necessary for sifting the cheerful...

ENTREPRENEURS IN AFGHANISTAN'S HERAT SEEK SECURITY.
January 2, 2006... HERAT CITY, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Herat's industrialists have underlined the need for security at an industrial park in the western province. Police officials are ready to provide paid security guards. Located 22 kilometres south of the city...

GUANGDONG GDP SET TO GROW 12.4PCT IN 2005.
January 2, 2006... GUANGZHOU, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The GDP of South China's Guangdong Province is expected to exceed 2,163 billion yuan ($US48 million) in 2005, up 12.4% over that in 2004. Fixed asset investment is expected to be 702 billion yuan, up 16.5%;...

WORK UNDERWAY ON EMBANKMENT IN AFGHANISTAN'S LAGHMAN.
January 2, 2006... MEHTARLAM, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Work has started on the embankment of a river in Alingar district in the eastern Laghman province. Spokesman for Governor of Laghman Dr Hizbullah told Pajhwok Afghan News the 525 metre bank would be building on...

S. KOREA, U.S. TO HOLD FORMAL TALKS ON RESUMING BEEF IMPORTS.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan. 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea and the United States are expected to hold formal talks on the resumption of U.S. beef imports next week, a government source said Monday. The January 9-10 talks in Seoul were called for by the U.S....

PAKISTAN'S MARBLE EXPORTS RISE 12% TO REACH US$18 MLN.
January 2, 2006... RAWALPINDI, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Exports by Pakistan's marble industry have reached US$18 million showing 12 per cent growth. Pakistan exports marble products to the Middle East, USA, China, Italy, UK and Germany. If the industry were given...

NORWEGIAN TELECOMS SERVICE ADDS MORE PAKISTANI SERVICES.
January 2, 2006... ISLAMABAD, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Norwegian telco Telenor has officially opened its GSM mobile network for commercial service in 26 more destinations, including Pakistan. This new addition has taken Telenor's total score to 200 destinations...

PAKISTAN-CHINA BILATERAL TRADE SOARS 44 PCT IN JAN-OCT 2005.
January 2, 2006... KARACHI, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Bilateral trade between Pakistan and China has surged 44 per cent year-on-year to hit US$3.4 billion in the first 10 months of 2005. According to a press statement issued here on December 29, Pakistan and China...

ORISSA GOVT TO SET UP INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PARK.
January 2, 2006... BHUBANESWAR, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The Orissa government is to set up an Information Technology park here at a cost of Rs 4.98 billion ($US110.6 million). The government had already identified 54 acres of land for the project, near the 250...

S. KOREA'S EXPORTS OF DMB EQUIPMENT LIKELY TO GROW THIS YEAR.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea's exports of digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) equipment are expected to grow this year as many nations, including China, plan to launch the wireless broadcasting service, industry sources said Monday....

S. KOREAN FINANCIAL FIRMS INCREASE PRESENCE IN CHINA.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - South Korean financial companies have bolstered their presence in China to meet growing demand for their services stemming from increased bilateral trade, according to a report Monday. As of November 2005, South...

ADVISORY - NEW YEAR HOLIDAY - JAN 2, 2006.
January 2, 2006... region will be closed today due to the New Year public holiday, including those in Australia and Japan. ASIA PULSE 02-01 1220

FOREX - US DOLLAR BEGINS WEAKER VS WON - JAN 2, 2005.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The US dollar opened at 1008.50 won Monday, down from Thursday's close of 1011.60 won. (Yonhap) 02-01 1222

STOCKS - KOSDAQ INDEX BEGINS BRIGHTER - JAN 2, 2005.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea's tech-laden KOSDAQ index began at 710.16 points Monday, up 8.37 points from Thursday's close. (Yonhap) 02-01 1230

FOREIGN INVESTORS RAISE GROWTH ESTIMATES FOR S. KOREAN ECONOMY.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - A slew of foreign investors are scurrying to raise their 2006 growth estimates for the South Korean economy, citing stronger than expected overseas demand and unlikely aggressive rate hikes, a state-run think tank said...

CREDITORS SEEK COURT RECEIVERSHIP FOR DONG AH CONSTRUCTION.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Creditors of South Korea's bankrupt Dong Ah Construction Industrial Co. seek to place the firm under court receivership in a bid to get it back on track, a state-run asset management firm said Monday. Korea Asset...

INDONESIA SET TO REPLACE PERTAMINA HEAD.
January 2, 2006... JAKARTA, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - State Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Sugiharto said the government had decided to replace Widia Purnama, president director of state-owned gas and oil company PT Pertamina. "We will replace him not...

PAKISTAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 30, 2005.
January 2, 2006... ISLAMABAD, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: DAWN: - Bhasha dam (water reservoir) be built first, says House Body - Irritants legacy of past, says Musharraf (president) - Pakistan, India will resist...

JAPANESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 2, 2006.
January 2, 2006... TOKYO, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: NIKKEI NET: - Manufacturers of consumer electronics are preparing to expand production of flat-panel television sets for sale in foreign markets, industry sources say. -...

INDIAN GOVT UNVEILS NEW MARITIME DEVELOPMENT SCHEME.
January 2, 2006... NEW DELHI, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The Indian government has finally unfurled its long-awaited National Maritime Development Programme (NMDP). The scheme aims at focussed and accelerated investment in specific infrastructure, tonnage...

MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 2, 2006.
January 2, 2006... KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE BUSINESS TIMES: - The much-delayed recovery in the manufacturing sector last year will provide a boost to the strength of the Malaysian economy this year,...

PHILIPPINE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 2, 2006.
January 2, 2006... MANILA, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: MANILA TIMES: - The murder of Pasay City Judge Henrick Gingoyon on Saturday has prompted a call for providing guns to magistrates who have been threatened with death. -...

ADVISORY - MALAYSIAN SHAREMARKET CLOSED - JAN 2, 2006.
January 2, 2006... KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The Malaysian sharemarket is closed today for the New Year's Day public holiday (observed). The bourse will reopen Tuesday. ASIA PULSE 02-01 1306

ADVISORY - SINGAPORE SHAREMARKET CLOSED - JAN 2, 2005.
January 2, 2006... SINGAPORE, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The Singapore sharemarket is closed today for the New Year's Day public holiday (observed). The bourse will reopen Tuesday. ASIA PULSE 02-01 1308

CHINA-US TEXTILE TRADE AGREEMENT GOES INTO EFFECT.
January 2, 2006... BEIJING, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The Sino-US textile trade agreement went into effect on January 1, 2006, imposing quotas on a total of 21 types of clothing and textiles from China. After seven rounds of talks, the United States and China in...

ADVISORY - AUSTRALIAN SHAREMARKET CLOSED - JAN 2, 2006.
January 2, 2006... SYDNEY, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The Australian sharemarket is closed today for the New Year's Day public holiday (observed). The bourse will reopen Tuesday. ASIA PULSE 02-01 1312

ADVISORY - SINGAPORE SHAREMARKET CLOSED - JAN 2, 2006.
January 2, 2006... SINGAPORE, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The Singapore sharemarket is closed today for the New Year's Day public holiday (observed). The bourse will reopen Tuesday. ASIA PULSE 02-01 1312

ADVISORY - TAIWAN STOCK EXCHANGE CLOSED - JAN 2, 2006.
January 2, 2006... KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The Taiwan sharemarket is closed today for the New Year's Day public holiday (observed). The bourse will reopen Tuesday. ASIA PULSE 02-01 1314

CHINA'S TAX REVENUES JUMP 20% TO HIT RECORD US$382.5 BLN IN 2005.
January 2, 2006... BEIJING, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - China's total tax revenues reached a record high of 3.0866 trillion yuan (US$382.5 billion) in 2005, an increase of 20 per cent, or 514.8 billion yuan, year-on-year. The figure, excluding Customs duties and...

SHANGHAI AIRLINES TO INCREASE FLEET BY 57 PLANES.
January 2, 2006... SHANGHAI, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Shanghai Airlines Co. Ltd will add 57 more planes to its current fleet in the forth coming five years, according to Zhou Chi, chairman of the board with the air carrier. Founded on Dec. 30, 1985, Shanghai...

CHINA CALLS OFF COAL PRICE CONTROL MEASURES VS POWER FIRMS.
January 2, 2006... BEIJING, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said here Friday that coal supply in 2006 will be enough to meet market demand, therefore the government will call off price control measures against power...

S. KOREA TO CONTINUE FINANCIAL DEREGULATION: FINANCE MINISTER.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - South Korea will continue to make efforts toward financial deregulation, which will help create conditions to encourage investments in real economic sides, the country's top economic policymaker said Monday In a...

BUSINESS WIRE DAILY BRIEFING - DEC 30, 2005.
January 2, 2006... A summary of news releases for Dec. 30, 2005, compiled by Business Wire, the global leader in news distribution. To view any of these news release on Business Wire's website, please go to www.businesswire.com. 1) Category Code: Hardware...

SSANGYONG MOTOR'S VEHICLE SALES RISE 4.2 PCT IN 2005.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Ssangyong Motor Co. (KSE:003620), South Korea's fourth-largest automaker, said Monday its vehicle sales rose 4.2 percent on year in 2005. Ssangyong Motor sold a total of 141,306 vehicles last year, the company...

CHINESE ECONOMY GROWS 9.8 PCT IN 2005: NDRC.
January 2, 2006... JINAN, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - China's economy grew 9.8 per cent in 2005, said Ou Xinqian, vice minister of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) here Sunday. The commission's previous estimate for last year's economic growth...

CHINA'S FOREIGN DEBTS RISE 8 PCT IN JAN-SEPT 2005.
January 2, 2006... BEIJING, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - China's foreign debts (excluding those of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) totaled US$267.46 billion at the end of September 2005, up 8.07 per cent over the end of 2004. Latest figures from the State Administration...

CHINA'S 1ST JOINT-STOCK COMMERCIAL BANK INAUGURATED IN TIANJIN.
January 2, 2006... TIANJIN, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Bohai Bank, the first state-level joint-stock commercial bank in China, was inaugurated on Saturday in Tianjin, a leading port city in north China. The bank was established with the approval of the State Council,...

THAI NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 2, 2005.
January 2, 2006... BANGKOK, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: BANGKOK POST: - The European aircraft maker Airbus has announced an order from Bangkok Airways for six A350 wide-body aircraft to accommodate the carrier's plans to add...

CONTAINER THRUPUT OF SHANGHAI PORT SURGES 24 PCT IN 2005.
January 2, 2006... SHANGHAI, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The cargo thruput of east China's Shanghai port reached 443 million tons in 2005, according to sources with Shanghai Port Administration here Saturday. Statistics from the administration said the thruput of...

SINGAPORE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 2, 2005.
January 2, 2006... SINGAPORE, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: THE STRAITS TIMES: - Singapore's industrial property market looks set for slow and steady growth with rising occupancies. More entrants are expected after the anticipated...

CHINESE BOURSES RECORD SHARP FALLS IN 2005 TRADING VOLUME.
January 2, 2006... SHANGHAI, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - China's two bourses in Shanghai and Shenzhen saw double-digit decreases in total trading volume in 2005. The volume of trading at the Shanghai Stock Exchange came to 5 trillion yuan (US$619.56 billion) in 2005,...

HONG KONG NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 2, 2005.
January 2, 2006... HONG KONG, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: - Japanese efforts to repair its strained regional ties have marked the start of the new year, with Emperor Akihito honouring foreign victims of...

SHANGHAI GOLD EXCHANGE ENJOYS BRISK BUSINESS IN 2005.
January 2, 2006... SHANGHAI, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - A total of 906.42 tons of gold was traded at the Shanghai Gold Exchange in 2005, with transactions totaling 107 billion yuan (US$13.3 billion), posting year-on-year rises of 36 per cent and 46.4 per cent,...

CHINA SEEKS TO ADDRESS UNEMPLOYMENT.
January 2, 2006... SHANGHAI, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - 23-year-old Du Xin idled the last day of the year 2005 in a dormitory of the Fudan University in Shanghai, waiting eagerly for possible employers to call and invite him to an interview. Du came to Shanghai, one...

STOCKS - SEOUL SHARES RISE IN MORNING TRADE - JAN 2, 2006.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - South Korean stocks saw marginal gains Monday morning as rises in Samsung Electronics and Hynix Semiconductor shares boosted the market. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 2.43 points, or...

SSANGYONG MOTOR'S VEHICLE SALES RISE 4.2 PCT IN 2005.
January 2, 2006... SEOUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Ssangyong Motor Co. (KSE:003620), South Korea's fourth-largest automaker, said Monday its vehicle sales rose 4.2 per cent on-year in 2005, helped by strong exports. Ssangyong Motor sold a total of 141,306 vehicles...

CHINESE, INDIAN LEADERS HAIL LAUNCHING OF FRIENDSHIP YEAR.
January 2, 2006... BEIJING, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Indian counterpart Abdul Kalam exchanged congratulations Sunday on the launching of the Sino-Indian Friendship Year and vowed to further develop bilateral ties and boost...

CHINA'S 1ST 100 MLN TON COAL BASE BEGINS OPERATION.
January 2, 2006... BEIJING, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - China's first 100 million ton coal production base has gone into operation in the Shenfu-Dongsheng coalfield, said the Economic Daily on Friday. The coal base, located along the boundary between Shaanxi Province...

CHINESE COS TO ISSUE US$7.5 BLN OF CORPORATE BONDS IN 2006.
January 2, 2006... BEIJING, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - China's 43 major companies will issue corporate bonds worth 60.8 billion yuan (US$7.5 billion) in 2006, the State Development and Reform Commission (SDRC) said here Friday. The issuance is expected to help these...

COAL EXPORTS IN INDONESIA'S LAMPUNG PROVINCE RISE IN JAN-OCT '05.
January 2, 2006... BANDAR LAMPUNG, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Lampung province`s coal exports in the first ten months of last year increased by 4.14 per cent in volume to 2.036 million tons compared to the same period in 2004. The provinces coal exports were up 74.50...

BEIJING'S FISCAL REVENUES EXPECTED TO SURGE 20 PCT IN 2005.
January 2, 2006... BEIJING, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Beijing's fiscal revenues are expected to top 90 billion yuan (US$11.15 billion) in 2005, up 20 per cent over 2004, the municipal finance bureau said Friday. Latest figures released by the bureau say the city's...

INDONESIA'S PKT SEES FERTILIZER PRODUCTION HIT RECORD HIGH.
January 2, 2006... JAKARTA, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - State fertilizer producer PT Pupuk Kalimantan Timur (PKT) said its fertilizer production has reached 2.665 million tons - it's highest since PKT was founded 28 years ago, the company`s executive said. "It is the...

ANALYSIS - LEADING CHINESE ECONOMIC NEWS STORIES FOR 2005.
January 2, 2006... BEIJING, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The editor-in-chief of China Daily, along with peers of 16 Beijing-based media organizations and nine economists, select China's top 10 economic news stories for 2005. A series of macro-control measures on the...

ASIANET DAILY SUMMARY - JAN 2, 2006.
January 2, 2006... AsiaNet Daily Summary - Press Releases for Monday January 2 SYDNEY, Jan 2 /AsiaNet/ - DHS COMPLETES... WASHINGTON: Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) US-VISIT program has completed the installation of biometric entry...

INDONESIAN PLANTATION FIRM LONSUM RETURNS TO PROFITABILITY.
January 2, 2006... JAKARTA, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Publicly-listed plantation company PT London Sumatra Indonesia (Lonsum) (JSX:LSIP) has reported net profit of Rp341 billion (US$34.1 million), against a net loss of Rp310 billion recorded in the previous year. ...

CORR - GUANGDONG GDP SET TO GROW 12.4PCT IN 2005.
January 2, 2006... Repeating to correct the first paragraph. GUANGZHOU, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - The GDP of South China's Guangdong Province is expected to exceed 2,163 billion yuan ($US268 billion) in 2005, up 12.4 per cent over that in 2004. Fixed asset...

GARUDA INDONESIA NOW RATED ONE OF ASIA`S WEAKEST AIRLINES.
January 2, 2006... JAKARTA, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Indonesia's national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is now rated as one of the weakest airlines in Asia, but the government is not planning to sell it, State Enterprises Minister Sugiharto said here. The minister...

COPPER FOIL PROJECT GOES INTO PRODUCTION IN EAST CHINA.
January 2, 2006... Repeating to add yuan-dollar conversion. NANCHANG, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - A 6,000-ton high-grade copper foil project, jointly funded by Jiangxi Copper Group and Yates Foil USA Inc, went into production recently in Nanchang, capital of east...