Leukaemia stricken child gets help
台商眷属募款资助病童
By Jean Chen



On the evening of June 4, XMTSXH(厦门台商投资企业协会) held a charity party to support Li Shuqi, a 6-year-old girl from Haicang rural area who is suffering from Leukaemia(白血病).

About three hundred people from thirty businesses and local communities, including City Trend Fitness Centre, attended the party at the Crowne Plaza Harbourview Xiamen. Most of the participants went there in family groups. The students from the Xiamen International School gave excellent performances at the party.

In total, the proceeds from the activity exceeded RMB 79,000, all of which will be given to help the child.

 

 

Economics

Local enterprises make it to list of top 500 importers & exporters
我市企业跻身全国进出口500强
China's Ministry of Commerce has recently unveiled the list of top 200 exporters and top 500 importers and exporters for 2003 in China. A total of 24 Fujian-based enterprises have made it to the list of top 500, 17 of which are from Xiamen. Six Fujian-based companies appear on the list of top 200, four of which are from Xiamen.

Xiamen spared from "shortage of migrant laborers"
"民工荒"未波及厦门
In recent months, some coastal areas in Fujian Province have found it difficult to recruit workers due to a shortage of migrant laborers. Xiamen is spared from similar shortages as migrant laborers generally enjoy better wages and labor protection here, which attracts a steady stream of laborers and causes the supply to exceed the demand in the local job market.

370-plus community stores to join franchising
厦370多家社区店申请加盟
On May 10, "Community Online" franchising, a fresh form of retail business, debuted in Xiamen. As of June 2, more than 370 local community stores have applied to join "Community Online" franchising, 55 of which have been approved and will enjoy benefits from networked retailing information.

Construction projects forbidden if not energy saving
建筑不节能不准开工
Xiamen has been designated by the Ministry of Construction as a pilot city for energy-saving construction practices in the South. Construction projects, which are unable to meet energy saving criteria, will be denied commencement permission or acceptance inspection.

Xiamen to build "Industrial Capacity Databank"
厦拟建"工业能力数据库"
Local authorities are planning to build "Xiamen Industrial Capacity Databank", which will provide accurate information for enterprise supply and demand so as to help lower its business cost. In the beginning, the databank will contain dynamic information on the city's 211 high-tech enterprises. These enterprises accounted for 59.5% of the city's total industrial output last year.

Price of wild seafood likely to go up
野生海味价格可能走高
As the city enters the annual suspended-fishing period which lasts from June 1 till August 1, industry sources predict that although the suspension of fishing activities is not likely to have a major impact on the city's seafood prices, the variety and quantity of wild seafood available in the market will definitely be affected, with the prices of certain wild seafood to go up.

 

 

Society

Xiamen's air quality dropped slightly last year
厦门去年空气质量略降
The Bulletin on Environmental Status and Quality of Xiamen for 2003, which was released by the local Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indicates that last year, the air quality in Xiamen dropped slightly while the quality of sea waters and acoustical environment turned for the better. For 2003, Xiamen's air pollution index stood at 57, with a 35.4% air quality excellence rate.

National Dance Competition concludes
全国舞蹈比赛圆满落幕
The 6th China National Dance Competition concluded on the evening of June 3. Xiamen's duet dance, Bird-lets, captured the grand prize for both performance and artistic creation, and group dance, On the Other Side of the Sea, was awarded the grand prize for performance and the second prize for artistic creation.

Old fish market to be converted into modern arts museum
旧鱼市场变身现代艺术馆
The project of Xiamen Fisherman Wharf Modern Arts Museum is currently under construction. Following the scheduled completion of interior decoration by the end of this month, the museum will be opened to the public as a shining win-win example of concurrent architectural protection and environmental optimization. The previous fishy smell will be replaced by elegant, novel modern arts.

Youths from across the Straits "burn drugs"
两岸青少年虎门"销烟"
On June 3, a group of 840 youths from Fujian, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan gathered in Humen to set ablaze 165kgs of drugs in a solemn "Say-No-To-Drugs" ceremony. It was reportedly the first time that youths from these five areas had joined hands in anti-drugs publicity campaigns.

Japanese wartime periodicals uncovered in Minhou
闽侯发现日军侵华画报
A farmer in Minhou has been reported to be keeping a total of 28 glossy Japanese wartime periodicals. These well-protected periodicals have been turned in to the Minhou County Museum. Experts say that the set of periodicals, whose contents involved Xiamen, carries much historical significance and is very rare in China.

Donations to Red Cross to receive tax breaks
向红十字会捐赠可享税收优惠
The Fujian Provincial Ordinance on the Red Cross will enter into force on August 1, under which individuals and entities donating to the Red Cross will be entitled to varying degrees of tax breaks. The Customs and Entry && Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau will simplify procedures for disaster-relief materials donated by overseas organizations and individuals and provide them with tax reductions or exemptions.