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Risks in Chinese Bank System [CH] [de]
20.07.10, Peter Fischer, NZZ
A report released on Wednesday by Fitch, the credit ratings agency, said Chinese banks were increasingly engaging in complex deals that hid the size and nature of their lending, obscuring hundreds of billions of dollars in loans and possibly even masking a coming wave of bad real estate and infrastructure loans.

China Plans Weather Insurance to Help Farmers [CN] [en]
20.07.10, Hu Yuanyuan, China Daily
China may roll out its first weather insurance coverage before the end of the year to help farmers cope with economic losses from natural disasters. Global losses from natural disasters in 2010 could be three to five times what they were in 2009, said Thomas Hess, chief economist of the world's second-largest reinsurer, Swiss Re. Economically advanced nations tend to purchase more insurance coverage, which helps to finance the costs of reconstruction. Less developed economies can also benefit from insurance coverage, especially if the public and private sectors.

Bank of China Plans Capital Increase [CH] [de]
2.07.10, NZZ
The Bank of China, the fourth biggest financial institute of the People's Republic of China plans to make a captial increase of about 9 billions Swiss francs. The Bank of China already replenished its capital of 6 billions Swiss francs last June.

UBS AG Asia Investment Banking Chairman Henry Cai has Resigned [CN] [en]
2.07.10, China Daily
David Chin, Asia-Pacific co-head of investment banking at UBS AG, will serve as the Swiss bank's interim head of China investment banking, after high-profile dealmaker Henry Cai quit. Cai's resignation takes the number of high-profile exits from UBS's Asian operations to three in the past two months. UBS's domestic China business, which includes the local capital markets franchise UBS Securities, is led by Zhao Ju, who succeeded Cai as chairman of China investment banking when he was promoted to the wider Asia role last year.

Counting the Cost of Rising Wages in Chinese Industry [CN] [en]
30.06.10, China Daily
While China's economy continues to expand at a rapid pace, the wages of its tens of millions of migrant laborers have not increased at the same rate. The recent suicides at electronics manufacturer Foxconn and the strikes in a number of auto parts factories have led to rapid rises in wages as well as hot debate across the country as to how this new trend will impact on the Chinese economy. Economists said that although this trend will continue, foreign companies are unlikely to move out of China due to the many other advantages that the nation offers them. Wang Tao, head of China Economic Research, UBS Securities, shares her view among other experts.

Swiss RE Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors Mathis Cabiallavetta attends the Lujiazui Forum [HK] [cn]
26.06.10, Phoenix News
Co-organised by the Shanghai Municipal Governement and the People's Bank of China, the Lujiazui Finance Forum was held in Shanghai from the 25 to 26 of June. The forum on the topic "Structural Adjustment and Financial Reform After the Crisis", initiated discussions on how to further explore the potential changes and developments in the economy and financial world during the post-crisis era. Present at the Lujiazui Forum was also the Swiss RE Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors Mathis Cabiallavetta.

Geoff Riddel, CEO of Asia-Pacific and Middle East Zurich Financial Services Group attended the Lujiazui Forum in Shanghai. [HK] [cn]
26.06.10, Phoenix News
Chairman of Global Corporate and CEO of Asia-Pacific and Middle East, Zurich Financial Services Group, Geoff Riddel attended the discussions on the topic "Structural Adjustment and Financial Reform After the Crisis" during the Lujiazui Forum held in Shanghai from 25 and 26 June.

Experts Favor Gradual Stimulus Exit [CN] [en]
23.06.10, Ding Qingfen and Wang Bo, China Daily
China must gradually phase out stimulus policies and focus on boosting domestic consumption to maintain its strong growth momentum amid rising inflation and the unfolding European debt crisis. China unveiled a 4 trillion yuan stimulus package and directed nearly 9.6 trillion yuan of new lending into the market last year to prop up the slowing economy amid the global financial crisis. The mammoth stimulus has effectively bolstered economic growth, but also led to side effects like rising inflation and asset bubble risks. "The extent to which the yuan appreciates and helps in checking inflation would also help in delaying other tightening policies," said Wang Tao, chief economist with UBS Securities.

The Promised Relaxation of the Yuan Widely Welcomed [CH] [fr]
22.06.10, Pierre-Alexandre Sallier, Le Temps
The return to a rate of semi-flexible exchange opens - very gradually - the way for an assessment for the renminbi. The markets are already seeing a shift in favor of Western industrial that does not necessarily undermine China.

Housing Price Falls Likely as Cooling Measures Bite [CN] [en]
12.06.10, China Daily
Measures to rein in China's soaring home prices are beginning to see results, and price declines are expected in later half of the year, say economists and market watchers. "People are not expecting these measures to do immediate wonders on the market..., but if policy support continues, a price decline can be expected," said UBS Securities economist Wang Tao. The downturn would put no short-term pressure on construction, as the government was focusing more on building affordable homes, which would offset a decline in construction of commercial housing, said Wang. "Construction activities will eventually be influenced by the cooling measures and slow down six months later, while market demand for construction materials will fall at the same time," she said.

CTF said to Buy $40m of Goldwind HK Shares [CN] [en]
5.06.10, China Daily
Chow Tai Fook Nominee Ltd, controlled by the family of Hong Kong tycoon Cheng Yu-tung, will buy $40 million in shares of a stock offering of Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co, said two people with direct knowledge of the transaction. China International Capital Corp, Citigroup Inc and Credit Suisse Group AG are managing the sale.

Credit Suisse Expands China Sales, Trading Team [CN] [en]
20.05.10, China Daily
Credit Suisse said on Wednesday it has made eight high-level appointments in fixed income sales and trading for its onshore China business. "Our China onshore business represents one of the biggest growth opportunities along our route to becoming a dominant emerging markets franchise in Asia," said Carsten Stoehr, Credit Suisse Head of Fixed Income Asia Pacific. "These hires, all based in Shanghai, demonstrate Credit Suisse's continued commitment to developing its China Fixed Income business and broadening our client footprint," Stoehr said.

Summer Davos Forum Attracts Record Number [CN] [en]
14.05.10, Rong Xiaozheng and Cui Jiaxiao, China Daily
Around 173 participants from 34 countries and regions have registered to take part in the Tianjin 2010 Summer Davos Forum, including dozens of Fortune 500 companies, international financial institutions and major media. This is the largest number of registered participants in the past three meetings. Swiss private bank Pictet & Cie is among the list of participants. The WEF is a Geneva-based non-profit foundation best known for its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland and it also organizes the "Annual Meeting of the New Champions" in China. Additional information on http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/m/tianjin/e/2010-05/14/content_9857382.htm.

CPI Rise May Signal Bank Tightening [CN] [en]
12.05.10, Wang Xiaotian, China Daily
April consumer prices rose at the fastest clip in 18 months, which could result in banks' reserve ratio being raised in June and interest rates in the next quarter, analysts said. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that the consumer price index (CPI) rose 2.8 percent year on year, 0.4 percentage points higher than in March. According to Lu Zhengwei, a senior economist with Fuzhou-based Industrial Bank, the government target of keeping annual inflation within 3 percent "could still be achievable". Wang Tao, chief economist at UBS in China, predicted that government measures would start to work and be reflected in May data.

Thales Ordered to pay Taiwan €630 Million [CN] [en]
5.05.10, China Daily
Huang vows to pursue Lafayette slush funds in 1990s ship scandal. Taiwan's top prosecutor said Tuesday he will continue to pursue kickbacks related to a 1990s frigate deal after an international court made an important ruling on the case. Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming said he will ask Swiss authorities to continue to freeze hundreds of millions of dollars in an alleged slush fund held in Swiss bank accounts by Andrew Wang, who brokered Taiwan's purchase of six Lafayette frigates from France in 1991 for $2.8 billion.

China's CPI May go up 3.1% in Q2 [CN] [en]
29.04.10, Zhao Tingting, China Daily
China's CPI in the second quarter may rise 3.1 percent from the same period of last year, the Oriental Morning Post reported Monday, citing the Lang Run Forecast. The Lang Run Forecast was based on the weighted average of projections from 23 institutions, including the CCER, Morgan Stanley, the State Information Center, China International Capital Corp, Citigroup, CITIC Securities, HSBC and UBS Securities.

China: Third Shareholder in World Bank [CH] [fr]
27.04.10, Alain Faujas, Le Temps
The countries member of the World Bank reached an agreement Sunday to increase the voting rights of emerging and developing countries.

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