AsiaPulse News articles from January 2007

AsiaPulse News archives from January 2007

S. KOREA, U.S. TO HOLD TALKS ON BEEF IMPORTS NEXT YEAR.
January 1, 2007... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea and the United States are likely to hold talks early in 2007 to discuss the recent rejections of U.S. beef shipments, South Korean officials said Sunday. The meeting, called a "technical consultation",...

S. KOREA'S CENTRAL BANK URGES STABILITY IN HOUSING MARKET.
January 1, 2007... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea's central bank will move to sustain the pace of economic growth and stabilize consumer prices next year, while keeping a close eye on the housing market, the governor of the Bank of Korea (BOK) said Sunday....

S. KOREA'S INVESTMENT IN FOREIGN OIL, GAS TO TOP US$2BLN IN 2000.
January 1, 2007... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - South Korean companies' investment in overseas gas and oil reserves is expected to surpass US$2 billion next year, the government said Sunday. According to the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, the...

CHINA'S COAL OUTPUT SET TO RISE IN 2007.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China's production of coal is estimated to reach 2.3 billion tons in 2006, rising about 7.5 per cent over 2005, according to Pu Hongjiu, vice-president of the China Coal Industry Association. Pu forecast that...

CHINA'S CAR SALES FORECAST TO RISE 20PCT IN 2007.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China's sales of cars are forecast to increase by about 20 per cent in 2007, and the price will drop by about five per cent. Industry experts held that sales of passenger vehicles in China would maintain a...

BUSINESS ON CHINA FUTURES MARKET RISES 29PCT IN 2006.
January 1, 2007... DALIAN, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China's futures market concluded a total of 449.48 million contracts in 2006, rising 29 per cent year on year, and transaction value topped 21,004.7 billion yuan ($US2.69 billion), jumping 56 per cent, according to...

CHINA SET TO BECOME WORLD'S 3RD-LARGEST AUTO GIANT.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China's automobile production and sales are set to exceed seven million units in 2006 and China will overtake Germany to become the world's third-largest automobile producer. China's automobile industry will...

NORTH KOREA VOWS TO STRENGTHEN MILITARY POWER IN 2007.
January 1, 2007... SEOUL, Jan. 1 Asia Pulse - North Korea vowed Monday to continue to uphold its military-first policy that has helped it develop nuclear weapons and strive to rebuild its moribund economy. In a joint newspaper editorial that summed up its...

INFOSYS TO SPEND MORE ON TRAINING IN 2007.
January 1, 2007... BANGALORE, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - In order to meet huge demand for skilled manpower, software major Infosys has said it will spend Rs 8 billion ($US181.3 million) on training programmes this year. "The IT industry is committed to creating...

BANGLADESHI FIRM SETS UP NEW GARMENT COMPANY.
January 1, 2007... DHAKA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - A Bangladeshi company named Rhythm Dressmakers Limited will set up a garment firm in the Karnaphuli EPZ by investing $US2.536 million. The planned garment-manufacturing unit is estimated to annually produce...

INDIA'S CURRENT ACCOUNT DEFICIT WIDENS TO $US6.9BLN.
January 1, 2007... MUMBAI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - India's current account deficit widened to $US6.9 billion in the second quarter of this fiscal year, compared to $US3.6 billion in the year-ago period, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Thursday. The...

INDONESIA GOVT GIVES GREEN LIGHT FOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANT.
January 1, 2007... JAKARTA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Indonesian government will soon issue a regulation on licencing nuclear reactors, paving the way for the construction of a nuclear power plant by 2010, an official said. "The State Secretariat has verbally...

INDONESIAN TELKOM PROJECTS 47PCT GROWTH IN FLEXI-PHONE SERVICES.
January 1, 2007... JAKARTA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - State-run telecommunications company PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia has projected a 47 per cent growth (6.023 million) in Flexi phone connections (SSF) in 2007, up from 4.1 million SSF this year, a spokesman said. ...

INDONESIAN, S. KOREAN CENTRAL BANKS SIGN SECOND SWAP AGREEMENT.
January 1, 2007... JAKARTA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Bank of Korea and Bank Indonesia have signed a second bilateral swap arrangement (BSA), allowing the two countries to secure short-term loans from each other through a rupiah-for-dollar or won-for-dollar swap to...

MEFCOM AGRO SET TO RAISE STAKE TO 25PCT IN INDO-AUSTRALIAN JV.
January 1, 2007... MUMBAI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Mefcom Agro Industries (BSE:511276) said it is to raise its stake to 25 per cent in the equity capital of the Chennai-based Gypcrete Building India (GBIL), a manufacturer of energy-saving building materials. The...

US, INDIA SET UP WORKING GROUP TO BOOST TRADE IN LEGAL SERVICES.
January 1, 2007... WASHINGTON, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - India and the United States have set up a working group to promote greater interaction between legal professionals and to facilitate trade in legal services between the two countries. Announcing the formation...

CHINA'S STEEL INVENTORY SWELLS IN 2006.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China's steel production hit 424.93 million tons in Jan.-Nov., up 24.8 per cent year on year, according to a report by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on Dec. 28. Along with the rising...

HONG KONG'S COFCO INTERNATIONAL CARRIES OUT INTERNAL RESHUFFLE.
January 1, 2007... HONG KONG, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - An internal reshuffle by COFCO International (HKSE:0506K), the Hong Kong-listed vehicle of China's largest foodstuff trader China National Cereals, Oils & Foodstuffs Corporation (CNCOFC), was proceeding as planned,...

INDONESIA'S CEPU BLOCK DELAYS LAUNCH OF OPERATIONS.
January 1, 2007... JAKARTA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Cepu block in the border area of Central and East Java will start turning oil only in the first quarter of 2009, one quarter later than originally scheduled. The block, operated by ExxonMobil and state-owned...

AUSTRALIA LOOKS TO STEADY GROWTH ON COMMODITIES BASE IN 2007.
January 1, 2007... SYDNEY, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The new year is shaping up as another year of steady growth as the economy continues to cash in on the global commodity price boom. High and rising household debt will keep the domestic economy in low gear, but...

AUSTRALIAN BANKS LOOK TO SUSTAINED GROWTH IN 2007.
January 1, 2007... MELBOURNE, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Australia's big four banks look set for another year of sustained growth, although the financial institutions may be stretched to match the record annual profits already achieved. Lending growth remains...

JAKARTA BOURSE POSTS THIRD-FASTEST GROWTH RATE IN ASIA.
January 1, 2007... JAKARTA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) recorded a 55.3% increase in the composite price index (CPI) this year, the third-fastest in Asia, after those of the Shanghai and Shenzen stock exchanges. The steep rise...

TURKEY'S KORDES GLOBAL ACQUIRES BRANTA MULIA.
January 1, 2007... JAKARTA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Kordes Global of Turkey had acquired 51.29% of publicly listed tire cord producer PT Branta Mulia at a price of around US$51 million, an official of the Indonesian company said. Branta Mulia Director Andry...

SOUTH KOREA'S EXPORTS FORECAST TO REACH $US360BLN IN 2007.
January 1, 2007... SEOUL, Jan. 2 Asia Pulse - Exports are expected to remain South Korea's main growth engine, with overseas shipments likely to reach US$360 billion in 2007, government officials and private economists say. This projection comes despite...

UNCERTAINTY SURROUNDS 2007 SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENTIAL RACE.
January 1, 2007... SEOUL, Jan. 2 Asia Pulse - A year of presidential polls started in South Korea, but utter unpredictability reigns in the nation's political community. The widespread uncertainty stems mainly from a long list of presidential hopefuls, which...

YEAR OF THE PIG SIGNALS WEALTH AND HAPPINESS.
January 1, 2007... SEOUL, Jan. 2 Asia Pulse - Koreans who experienced financial and other problems in 2006 are pinning their hopes on the upcoming year of the pig, known as the guardian of wealth and happiness. This year is exceptional as it is the year of...

FOREIGN INSTITUTIONAL INVESTMENT IN INDIA SLIPS IN 2006.
January 1, 2007... MUMBAI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Overall foreign institutional investment (FII) in the Indian equity market slipped to below billion in 2006 - far below the 2005 level - due to selling by FIIs to the tune of Rs 10.5 billion ($US237.4 million) on...

INDIAN FOREX RESERVES RISE LATE IN 2006.
January 1, 2007... MUMBAI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - India's forex reserves went up by US $714 million to stand at $US176.233 billion during the week ended December 22, as against $US175.519 billion during the week ended December 15. The reserves were up down by...

TAIWAN'S FIRST LADY OUT OF HOSPITAL AFTER COLLAPSING AT TRIAL.
January 1, 2007... TAIPEI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - First lady Wu Shu-jen was released from National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) on Sunday, 16 days after low blood pressure caused her to faint during the first hearing of her embezzlement trial. NTUH...

TAIWAN EASES RULES ON INVESTMENT IN FOUNDRIES ON MAINLAND.
January 1, 2007... TAIPEI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan authorities eased a restriction on local wafer foundries' investment in China Friday, by allowing them to produce eight-inch wafers using 0.18 micrometer technology there. The decision was announced...

TAIWAN PREMIER URGES CHIPMAKERS TO INCREASE DOMESTIC INVESTMENT.
January 1, 2007... TAIPEI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang urged local semiconductor manufacturers Saturday to replace their old production facilities and increase their investment in Taiwan, now that the government has relaxed its...

TAIWAN BEGINS BUILDING MOBILE WIRELESS ONLINE ENVIRONMENT.
January 1, 2007... TAIPEI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan will start its "Mobile Taiwan" program at the beginning of 2007 in an effort to build a "boundless" Internet communication network on the island to facilitate mobile and wireless online services, the Council...

TAIWAN'S 2007 WHALE SHARK FISHING QUOTA CUT TO 30.
January 1, 2007... TAIPEI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Council of Agriculture (COA) has decided to cut the country's whale shark, Rhincodon typus, fishing quota for 2007 to 30 from this year's 60 to underscore its commitment to fishery resources conservation, an...

LOW EMPLOYMENT, HOME PRICES TO WEIGH ON SOUTH KOREA'S ECONOMY.
January 1, 2007... SEOUL, Jan. 2 Asia Pulse - Despite brisk growth last year, concerns are mounting over what lies in store for the Korean economy in 2007 as low employment and soaring house prices are feared to drag domestic spending further below previously...

INDIA'S EXTERNAL DEBT RISES IN SEPT 2006.
January 1, 2007... NEW DELHI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Higher External Commercial Borrowings, NRI (non-resident Indian) deposits and short-term debt pushed up India's external debt by 3.3 per cent to .5 billion in September 2006, compared to the previous quarter. ...

INDIAN REGULATOR EYES SMES, INVESTOR PROTECTION IN 2007.
January 1, 2007... MUMBAI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - With stock markets booming and the Sensex reaching close to the 14,000 level as 2006 draws to an end, regulator SEBI is widely expected to push investor protection funds and working toward bringing small and medium...

S. KOREA'S R&D BUDGET TO RISE TO US$10.48 BLN IN 2007.
January 1, 2007... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The South Korean government said Monday that it will allocate 9.76 trillion won (US$10.48 billion) to research and development in 2007. The sum represents an annual gain of 9.6 per cent or 853.4 billion won, the...

STOCKS - NEW YEAR'S DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY - JAN 1, 2007.
January 1, 2007... SYDNEY, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Due to the New Year's Day public holiday, a number of Asian bourses are closed today. Normal trading should resume in most tomorrow. ASIA PULSE 01-01 1307

SOUTH KOREAN NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 1, 2007.
January 1, 2007... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The following are the top headlines in major Korean newspapers on Jan 1. Vernacular dailies: - Admit difference and seek coexistence: New Year message (KYUNGHYANG SHINMUN) - S. Koreans want a president...

CROSS-STRAIT VISITS VIA 'MINI THREE LINKS' TOTAL 278,000: DGBAS.
January 1, 2007... TAIPEI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - People from both side of Taiwan Strait made 278,000 visits via the "mini three links" in the first 10 months of this year, an increase of 18.3 per cent over the same period of last year, according to Directorate...

VODAFONE SHAREHOLDERS DIFFER ON HUTCH-ESSAR BID.
January 1, 2007... LONDON, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - British telecoms giant Vodafone's plans to acquire India's fourth-largest mobile operator Hutch-Essar has received mixed reactions from some of its key shareholders, with a few of them raising concern over the high...

TAIWAN'S DECLARED LAND VALUE FOR 2007 UP 4.11% ON AVERAGE.
January 1, 2007... TAIPEI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is set to promulgate Jan. 1 the declared value and declared prices of land around the country for 2007, with declared land value increasing 4.11 per cent on average and declared land...

U.N. CHIEF BAN CALLS FOR S. KOREA TO PLAY WIDER ROLE OVERSEAS.
January 1, 2007... UNITED NATIONS, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Ban Ki-moon, who is set to begin his first day in office as the U.N. Secretary-General on Jan. 2 here, called for his home country South Korea to play a larger role in the international society. The...

NT DOLLAR MUST BE ONLY CURRENCY CIRCULATING IN TAIWAN: OFFICIAL.
January 1, 2007... TAIPEI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan cannot allow China's currency, the renminbi, to circulate in Taiwan and must insist that the New Taiwan dollar be the only currency used in its territory to symbolize national sovereignty, Taiwan's top monetary...

CHINA URGED TO BEEF UP SERVICES TRADE.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on December 28 published the Report on Service Trade Development in China, urging China to seize the opportunities occurred in current service trade transfer. The report points...

NATURAL GAS PURIFYING PLANT TO BE BUILT IN CHINA.
January 1, 2007... CHENGDU, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) will invest 500 million yuan ($US64.04 million) to construct a large natural gas purifying plant in Longyi County of Southwest China's Sichuan Province. The plant,...

EU'S THREE NEW TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO HIT CHINA'S EXPORTS.
January 1, 2007... HANGZHOU, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Zhejiang Provincial Economic and Trade Commission on December 28 issued a pre-warning that the European Union (EU) will successively implement three technical trade barriers in 2007 and 2008, which may hit China's...

HITACHI INVESTS IN NEW MACHINERY FIRM IN EAST CHINA.
January 1, 2007... HEFEI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - A foundation stone was laid on December 28 for the TCM Anhui Machinery Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of Japan's Hitachi TCM Corporation, in the Hefei Economic and Technology Development Zone in East China's Anhui province....

CHINA'S POWER SUPPLY, DEMAND SEEN TO BE BALANCED IN 2007.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The supply and demand of electric power in China will be balanced in 2007 though regional imbalances with tight supply in some regions and oversupply in some others will also appear, according to a forecast made by...

CHINA'S NONFERROUS METALS SHOW BRIGHT PROSPECTS FOR 2007.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Despite the fact that economic growth worldwide is slowing down, China, which accounts for over 50 per cent of the world's demand for metals, is expected to report a fast growth economy in 2007. As a result,...

CHINA'S EXPORT OF NICKEL RISES SHARPLY IN JAN-NOV.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - In the first 11 months of last year, China's export of nickel and its products reached 240,000 tons, valued at US$430 million, increasing 36.8 per cent and 47.5 per cent respectively year on year, according to the...

CHINESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 30, 2006.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of yesterday's newspapers: PEOPLE'S DAILY - Chinese President Hu Jintao on December 29 said he hoped the Hong Kong people would sustain their sound development and continue to contribute to...

CHINA IMPORTS LESS COPPER SULPHIDE CONCENTRATE AT HIGHER PRICE.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China imported 3.245 million tons of copper sulphide concentrate in January-November 2006, down 12 per cent year on year, involving a trade volume of US$5.39 billion, up 63.1 per cent year on year, according to...

BANK OF EAST ASIA TARGETS 40PCT OF PROFITS FROM MAINLAND.
January 1, 2007... HONG KONG, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Benefiting from deregulation of the financial market on the Chinese mainland, business on the mainland will contribute 30-40 per cent of the total profit of the Bank of East Asia in the coming five years, Dr. Hon...

SMEs ACCOUNT FOR 60% OF CHINA'S TOTAL IMPORT AND EXPORT.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Ou Xinqian, vice chairman of China's National Development and Reform Commission, revealed that China's small and medium-sized enterprises contributed to 60 per cent of the country's total import and export in 2006...

CHINA'S CENTRAL BANK TO FURTHER TIGHTEN MONETARY POLICY IN 2007.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - As ample fluidity is expected to last, analysts hold that the People's Bank of China, China's central bank, will continue to strengthen fluidity control in 2007 by employing such tools as central bank bills and the...

CHINA'S CHERY AUTO TO ACT AS OEM PRODUCER FOR CHRYSLER GROUP.
January 1, 2007... WASHINGTON, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China's Wuhu-based Chery Automobile Co. Ltd. will act as an OEM producer for the United States automaker Chrysler Group, a subsidiary of the German-based DaimlerChrysler. The models involved in the deal will...

CHINESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - DEC 31, 2006.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Dec 31 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: PEOPLE'S DAILY: - Chinese President Hu Jintao and other leaders of the country on December 30 watched Beijing Opera in Beijing to celebrate the New Year. - Chinese...

TENCENT, CHINA MOBILE TEAM UP ON MOBILE SERVICES.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China's leading Internet IM (instant messenger) service provider Tencent (HKSE:0700) has signed an MOU with China's largest mobile operator China Mobile Ltd. (HKSE:0941) on cooperation in providing mobile IM service...

TURNOVER ON SHANGHAI FUTURES EXCHANGE HITS RECORD HIGH.
January 1, 2007... SHANGHAI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Turnover on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) hit a historic high in 2006, according to SHFE statistics. Combined turnover of copper, aluminum, rubber and fuel oil transaction reached 12,610 billion yuan...

JOB CREATION, BIZ INVESTMENT KEY GOALS FOR S. KOREA IN 2007.
January 1, 2007... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Creating more jobs and boosting business investment are key goals for South Korea in 2007, the country's top economic policymaker said Monday. In a press conference to mark the start of the new year, Minister of...

CHINA'S INDEX FUNDS POST 125.87% JUMP IN VALUE FOR 2006.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Riding the wave of the ever-rising Chinese stock market, index funds have turned in a rosy scorecard for the year 2006. Of the country's 311 funds ending 2006 trading on December 29, 31 index funds reported the...

CHINA SOFTWARE SECTOR IDENTIFIES FOUR GROWTH AREAS.
January 1, 2007... HANGZHOU, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Embedded software, basic software and information security software have been identified as key development fields for China's software industry for the 2006-2010 period, according to a national software work...

CHINESE NOT ALLOWED TO BUY QDII PRODUCTS WITH FOREIGN CURRENCY.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Resident individuals in the Chinese mainland are not allowed to buy QDII (Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor) products of commercial banks directly with foreign currency cash. Instead, they are only allowed to...

INVESTMENT IN TIANJIN BINHAI NEW ZONE TO TOP US$128 BLN.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - A number of large projects were launched in Tianjin Binhai New Zone in 2006, the first year when the zone was incorporated into the State Development Strategy as a whole. It is expected that investment in the zone...

CHINA TO RAISE TAXES ON USE OF VEHICLES, SHIPS.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Chinese government will raise taxes on the use of vehicles and ships from January 1, according to a new regulation published on Sunday. The upper limit for vehicle tax is to double, bringing the annual tax...

CHINA DEALS WITH 30 HEAVILY INDEBTED SECURITIES FIRMS.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China has dealt with 30 heavily indebted securities firms since 2004, said the China Securities Regulatory Commission on Thursday. Of the total, 24 were closed or dissolved. The rest were subject to other...

CHINA'S CITIC ACQUIRES KAZAKHSTAN OIL ASSETS FOR US$1.91 BLN.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China's CITIC Group announced on Sunday that it has successfully acquired the Kazakhstan oil assets of Canada's Nations Energy Company Ltd. for US$1.91 billion. It is the third largest overseas oil acquisition...

CHINA CONSTRUCTION BANK ACQUIRES BANK OF AMERICA (ASIA).
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China Construction Bank (CCB) (SEHK:0939), one of the country's "Big Four" state-owned commercial banks, announced it has completed the acquisition of Bank of America (Asia) Ltd, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank...

CONSUMPTION GROWS FASTER THAN INVESTMENT IN GUANGDONG.
January 1, 2007... GUANGZHOU, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China's economic powerhouse Guangdong Province saw consumption grow more rapidly than investment in the first 11 months of 2006, said sources with the local statistical bureau on Friday. It is the first time...

CHINA TO LICENSE AUTO EXPORTS.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China has decided to license auto exports this year to prevent domestic car makers getting into cutthroat competition and to weed out companies that cannot make the grade, Xinhua learned here on Saturday. The...

GROWTH OF CHINA'S A-SHARE MARKET TOPS WORLD IN 2006.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Hushen 300 Index, which tracks some of the top values on China's yuan-denominated A-share market, posted the highest growth of any stock market in the world in 2006 with a 121 per cent rise, China Securities...

CHINESE BANKING GIANT ICBC ACQUIRES 90% OF INDONESIAN LENDER.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) (SSX:601398, SEHK:1389), the country's largest bank, has signed an agreement with Indonesian lender Bank Halim to acquire a 90 per cent stake in the latter,...

SHENZHEN BOURSE POSTS 164% LEAP IN 2006 SHARE TRANSACTIONS.
January 1, 2007... SHENZHEN, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Share transactions totaling 3.27 trillion yuan were made on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange last year, a record high. The statistics represented a rise of 164.02 per cent from a year ago. Stamp tax generated by...

CHINA DOUBLES AUTO EXPORTS IN 2006.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China's auto exports hit a record high of 340,000 units in 2006, more than double 2005's figure, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC). Sedan exports topped 90,000 units, a 200 per cent increase on the...

N.KOREAN NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT TO BRING REWARDS: S.KOREAN MINISTER.
January 1, 2007... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - North Korea can expect to improve ties with the U.S. and get energy and other aid simultaneously with its moves to dismantle its nuclear program, South Korea's foreign minister said Monday. The remarks by Song...

ASIANET DAILY SUMMARY - JAN 1, 2007.
January 1, 2007... AsiaNet Daily Summary - Press Releases for Monday, January 1 SYDNEY, Jan 1 /AsiaNet/ - PRICE ASSESSMENTS... NEW YORK: Platts, the world's leading energy information provider, will not publish spot price assessments for America's...

N.KOREA CALLS ON JAPAN TO APOLOGIZE FOR WWII SEXUAL SLAVERY.
January 1, 2007... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - North Korea on Saturday renewed its call for Japan to apologize for its colonial-era practice of forcing Korean women to provide sex for its military. The criticism is one of the repetitive accusations both from...

S. KOREA ISSUES WARNING IN WAKE OF SADDAM HUSSEIN'S EXECUTION.
January 1, 2007... SEOUL, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - South Korea called on its diplomatic missions abroad on Saturday to take extra safety precautions following the execution of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, Foreign Ministry officials said. The advisory was...

JAPANESE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 1, 2007.
January 1, 2007... TOKYO, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: NIKKEI NET: - "Reticent wealth holders" are now beginning to assert their presence in Japan's economy. - Nissan Motor Co. (TSE:7201) will build a factory in India to...

CHINA'S LCD TV MARKET LIKELY TO SEE PRICE DIVE IN 2007.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - China's LCD TV (liquid crystal display television) market is likely to see further sharp price slide amid robust production and sales growth in 2007, following a 50 per cent plummet in 2006. Analysts predict...

INDIA'S CAPITAL MARKETS CONTINUE FLAMBOYANT JOURNEY IN 2006.
January 1, 2007... MUMBAI, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Indian capital markets continued their flamboyant journey for the fifth successive year in 2006 and the bellwether Sensex entered into the elite 10k-club, rewriting history in many spheres. The country's...

PHILIPPINE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS - JAN 1, 2007.
January 1, 2007... MANILA, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - Highlights of today's newspapers: MANILA TIMES: - The Philippine economy made some impressive gains in 2006, culminating in the early repayment of debt but the benefits have yet to trickle down to ordinary...

DEMAND FOR PETROCHEMICALS REMAINS STRONG IN CHINA.
January 1, 2007... BEIJING, Jan 1 Asia Pulse - With the rapid development of the national economy, the demand for oil and chemical products in China is still strong. It is predicted that the output value of petrochemical industry will grow 15 to 20 per cent...