E-commerce Pioneer Goes Global

Ma yun （better known as Jack Ma）， Chairman of the Board and co-founder of Alibaba Group， has vowed to make his e-business company known to the world with its initial public offering on the New york Stock Exchange.

“Today， 15 years have passed， and weve grown so significantly and have become a household name in China，” Ma said in a promotional video. “And now， we are ready for the world to get to know us.”

Ma created the business-to-business e-commerce platform Alibaba in 1999. In May 2003， he founded retail website Taobao.com， and in December the following year， Ma launched Alipay， which is now Chinas leading third-party online payment solution.

Born in 1964 in Hangzhou， east Chinas Zhejiang Province， Ma is one of the most widely recognized representatives of Chinas Internet entrepreneurs. He was named the richest man in China earlier this year， with his wealth valued at over 134 billion yuan （$21.8 billion）.

Forgotten Toxin Plagues Chinas Air

Caixin Century Weekly September 8

Ammonia， composed of nitrogen and hydrogen， is a highly toxic chemical that easily dissolves in water. The salt substances that result from chemical reactions between ammonia， water and acids are the major factors contributing to ammonias influence on PM 2.5 （particulate matter 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter） levels. Nitrogen fertilizers and the agricultural industry contribute 90 percent of the ammonia in the environment that goes on to pollute the air.

By 2006， Chinas total ammonia emissions had already reached 9.8 million tons， and over the past two decades， China has consistently been the worlds biggest ammonia emitter.

In August， the Ministry of Environmental Protection issued technical guidelines on ammonia emissions. At the same time， however， it noted that China is still lacking the scientific and technological tools to monitor and cope with its level of ammonia pollution. The country is now unable to make an accurate estimation of its total ammonia emissions.

Even if environmental bodies are able to treat the ammonia released into the land and air， the success of this project will rely on the involvement of the agricultural industry， farmers， fertilizer producers and more. Without cooperation， it will be difficult to make a dent in the formation and spread of the chemical. However， knowing that the ammonia pollution levels in the air are above the “safe”range is the first step toward fixing the problem.

Chinese Cellphones Gain Favor

Oriental Outlook September 18

Recent statistics issued by the International Data Corp. show that the shares of Samsung and Apple in the global smartphone market dropped to their lowest in recent years in the second quarter of 2014. However， Chinese cellphone brands such as Huawei and Lenovo are on the rise in the rankings， immediately following those long-time worldwide favorites.

In 2013， the total number of cellphones produced worldwide numbered around 1.8 billion， with 1.46 billion being produced in China. In 2000， the proportion made in the country was less than 5 percent.

After experiencing rapid expansion by selling low-end， cheap phones， homegrown cellphone makers have been left to figure it out for themselves how to build up quality brands. The lack of domestically produced chips and operating systems poses a problem. It is， however， not expected to hinder the pace of Chinese cellphone manufacturing—even Samsung and Sony do not use their own chips.

No longer satisfied with the domestic market， the nations cellphone manufacturers are actively exploring the overseas market. Huawei， for instance， has already recorded sales in over 100 countries. Though domestically made cellphones have long been regarded as low-end products， these days， some Chinese brands are able to compete with their international counterparts and even surpass them in terms of quality.

Currently， competition between domestic and foreign brands is becoming even fiercer. In the second quarter of this year， Lenovo sold 13 million cellphones in the domestic market alone， replacing Samsung as the long-time favorite.

The arrival of 4G networks is finally offering Chinese producers the chance to overtake foreign brands.

Will Curtailing Classes End Corruption？

The Beijing News September 16

The past August has seen many government officials quit Executive Master of Business Administration （EMBA） classes in well-known business schools. This massive “quitting wave” is largely related to a ban issued in August forbidding officials from attending expensive training programs.

Its difficult to know whether or not these programs helped improve government officials administrative management capabilities. However， one thing is certain： They created more opportunities for officials to meet business people. In that regard， EMBA courses served as little more than incubators for corruption.

Government officials should be encouraged to continue their education， but there are many other ways for them to learn. Why go specifically to expensive business schools？ Thats likely because these officials didnt need to pay tuition with their own money. Taxpayers or companies paid it for them.

Though a large number of officials have quit these business courses under pressure from the official ban， will the connections and trade between capital and power be served？ Only when officials power is regulated and restricted by law， rendering them unable to use administrative power freely， can we expect schools to be real bastions of higher learning， instead of places that breed corruption.

LAWYER TAKES ON RAIL AUTHORITY

Earlier in September， Dong Zhengwei， a lawyer in Beijing， won his lawsuit against the National Railway Administration （NRA） over high ticket refund fees.

China Railway Corp. announced in August 2013 that the fee for a refunded ticket was to rise from 5 percent of the tickets original cost to 20 percent for tickets returned 24 hours or less before the scheduled departure time. During the Spring Festival travel rush， the fee would be 20 percent of the cost， no matter when passengers returned their tickets.

Dong demanded the NRA， which is responsible for overseeing the corporation， publicize all information related to ticket refund fees. After the NRA refused to do so， he took the administration to court in April. The NRA was ordered by the court to reconsider Dongs request.

Dong， born in 1973 in central Chinas Henan Province， has been active in legal actions regarding consumer rights， anti-monopoly drives and the disclosure of government information.

“Chinese consumers are increasingly opting for healthy foods. And thats where Chilean products come in.”

Jorge Heine， Chilean Ambassador to China， predicting China will become a main importer of Chiles foodstuffs in a decade， in an article published in a Chilean newspaper on September 16

“It is a symbol of the RMBs internationalization with a more solid basis on the European continent， and it is also a reflection of the great attention and recognition the RMB has gained from the global financial market.”

Tian Guoli， Chairman of the Bank of China， announcing the first offshore RMB-denominated bond listing by the bank on Euronext， the eurozones primary exchange， in Paris on September 15

“our mine-hunting efforts over the past three years have turned out the most remarkable results since 1949.”

Peng Qiming， Director of the Geological Exploration Department of the Ministry of Land and Resources， reporting on Chinese prospectors success in finding 451 medium-sized and large mines of natural resources from 2011 to 2013， on September 12

“The major difference between America and China is that Chinese teachers， parents， children and administrators are all on the same page and work toward the same goal.”

Reina Joa， a math teacher at New York Citys Brooklyn High School of the Arts who recently took a 10-day professional development trip to Shanghai， in an interview with Xinhua News Agency