Inflation is unlikely to reach the heady levels seen in 2006-2008 because the economy is showing no signs of overheating, prominent economist Fan Gang said in comments published Sunday.

Although food prices have been rising, the gains have not been that large compared to the 2006-2008 period, Fan, a former adviser to the People’s Bank of China, told a forum in Shanghai, according to the People’s Daily.

“In 2006-2007, the domestic economy was overheating, but the current economic growth is more stable,” said Fan, who heads the National Economic Research Institute, a Beijing think tank.

China’s economic growth in 2011 is expected to stay strong, driven by a recovery in business investment, higher exports and property investments, he added.

Beijing had said that inflation this year will average no more than 3 percent, but that target is likely to be surpassed after consumer prices rose 4.4 percent in the year to October, the fastest pace in 25 months.

In the first 10 months, the Consumer Price Index was 3.0 percent higher than in the same period of 2009.

China is now considering raising its inflation target for 2011 even as it is campaigning to reassure consumers that price pressures will remain in check.

Alert to the social and political unrest that inflation has periodically stoked, the government has taken steps to keep a lid on prices and manage inflation expectations. These include ordering local governments to prevent speculative funds from driving up prices of a wide range of products and increasing supplies of food and energy – the main drivers of inflation.

Learn Chinese, Learn mandarin, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About Chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, HSK, HSK exam, Chinese Exam Preparation, China Business, China Travel, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing

As part of a government push to promote the development of private hospitals in China, foreign businesses will gradually be permitted to establish privately owned medical institutions.

The changes are part of an initiative forwarded Friday by the State Council, China’s cabinet, in a document about promoting the development of such institutions.

Previously, foreign inclusion in China’s medical sector required the setting up of joint ventures, where foreign capital could reach a maximum of 70 percent of the total investment, according to a report in People’s Daily Online.

The announcement states that the sector will be slowly opened to qualified foreign capital, as limits are relaxed on foreign share ownership in the jointly invested medical facilities.

Central and local government authorities will streamline application procedures and requirements, the document noted. Joint-venture hospitals would still be able to get approval from provincial authorities, while solely foreign-owned hospitals must be approved by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Commerce.

“Foreign capital can’t afford not to (take advantage) of the lucrative Chinese market,” said Wang Jishan, vice president of the People’s Hospital of Peking University.

According to Wang, Chinese make 5.4 billion visits to doctors each year, and some 130 million stay in hospitals for treatment annually.

Foreign capital is not the only beneficiary of the new policy. Private capital in China is also being encouraged to tap into all kinds of medical institutions.

According to the announcement, private funds will enjoy preferential treatment when medical resources are adjusted or increased in a region. Social funds will also be encouraged to participate in the restructuring of public hospitals.

Analysts all agree that the new policy is favorable news to the medical industry.

Zhou Rui, a medical industry analyst with China Jianyin Investment Securities, said that by introducing more competition, industry efficiency and service quality could be improved.

“Foreign hospitals tend to enjoy more advanced managerial expertise. By the introduction of foreign capital, management skills for Chinese hospitals could be improved,” Wang said.

According to Wang, the new policies not only bring more options for consumers, but also more opportunities for doctors.

“Mobility would increase among doctors. And the salary of doctors would also see an increase,” added Wang, noting the income gap between Chinese and foreign doctors.

Learn Chinese, Learn mandarin, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About Chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, HSK, HSK exam, Chinese Exam Preparation, China Business, China Travel, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing

The motion for dismissal of a lawsuit concerning Green Dam, a Chinese Internet-filtering software, has been denied by the US District Court in the Central District of California, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

The developers of Green Dam, Zhengzhou Jinhui Computer System Engineering Ltd and Beijing Dazheng Human Language Technology Academy Ltd, both declined to comment, when contacted by the Global Times.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology required the installation of Green Dam software in all computers put up for sale starting July 1, 2009.

However, the installation was made optional just two months later as pressure mounted from international companies and Chinese citizens.

According to previous report by Bloomberg’s BusinessWeek, Cybersitter LCC, a California-based software maker, brought a lawsuit to federal courts in Los Angeles on January 6, seeking $2.2 billion in damages.

The company alleged that Green Dam had stolen its software code.

Personal computer makers Sony, Acer, BenQ, Asustek, Lenovo and Haier are also involved in this case, as Green Dam was ordered to be installed on their products.

These computer makers claimed that, given the fact that most of the suit-related companies are in China, bringing the case before a US court was a questionable move.

Learn Chinese, Learn mandarin, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About Chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, HSK, HSK exam, Chinese Exam Preparation, China Business, China Travel, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing