UPDATE 1-PRESS DIGEST - China - April 24
(Adds items)
BEIJING/SHANGHAI, April 24 (Reuters) - Chinese newspapers available in Beijing and Shanghai carried the following stories on Thursday. Reuters has not checked the stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
CHINA DAILY (www.chinadaily.com.cn)
-- France's popularity among Chinese has dropped significantly, a survey showed. Respondents said their perception about French attitudes toward the Beijing Olympics had severely dented their impression of the country. As many as 60 percent of them said they had "a growing dislike for France".
-- The country will do more to become a leading destination for international students, riding a wave of a growing number of foreigners coming to study in recent years. The government has earmarked 500 million yuan in scholarships for foreign students this year, up 40 percent from 2006.
PEOPLE'S DAILY
-- Northeastern provinces face a serious threat of forest fires, with little rainfall and high temperature are forecast for the coming month.
-- The government said it will step up efforts to rescue and publish ancient Tibetan literature and archives.
SHANGHAI SECURITIES NEWS
-- The cut in the stock trading tax is expected to have a major impact in restoring investor confidence. Analysts say the Shanghai Composite Index .SSEC will probably rebound to the 4,000-point area, after which the outlook for corporate profits will determine market direction.
-- The Shanghai Stock Exchange released details of how it will supervise off-market block trades. It is encouraging the use of such trades for sales of shares freed up by the expiry of lock-up periods, in order to reduce the negative impact of such sales on the market.
-- The Securities Association of China has asked its members to establish internal systems to detect and report money-laundering.
-- After years of declines, Chinese car prices appear to be starting to rise because of climbing raw materials prices. Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co (600418.SS) has raised the price of one of its major car series by 5,000 yuan ($715), becoming the first company to publicly announced a price hike for an entire series.
-- The head of Shanghai's state assets commission has called on companies controlled by the city government to use the capital markets to raise funds and expand. Shanghai's 71 state-controlled listed companies are expected to receive injections of at least 70 billion yuan worth of assets from the state over the next two and a half years.
CHINA DAILY (www.chinadaily.com.cn)
-- France's popularity among Chinese has dropped significantly, a survey showed. Respondents said their perception about French attitudes toward the Beijing Olympics had severely dented their impression of the country. As many as 60 percent of them said they had "a growing dislike for France".
-- The country will do more to become a leading destination for international students, riding a wave of a growing number of foreigners coming to study in recent years. The government has earmarked 500 million yuan in scholarships for foreign students this year, up 40 percent from 2006.
PEOPLE'S DAILY
-- Northeastern provinces face a serious threat of forest fires, with little rainfall and high temperature are forecast for the coming month.
-- The government said it will step up efforts to rescue and publish ancient Tibetan literature and archives.
($1 = 6.98 yuan)
