Roundup - 09/01/2010

• 12 miners have been killed in a fire at a coal mine in Jianxi. The fire broke out at the Miaoshang mine in Xinyu city on Friday afternoon. According to a district government statement has suggested that the fire was caused by the short circuiting of underground cables. The Miaoshang mine was in the process of doubling its production capacity to 60,000 tonnes to meet China's rocketing demand. China's vast energy needs have led to rapid development of coal production at the expense of safety. At least 671 people died in accidents at coal mines in 2009.
  
  
  
• Fears of unrest in Xinjiang have risen after the stabbing of a Uighur man in Shenzhen. The unnamed man was stabbed to death at a Xinjiang restaurant by a Han Chinese man. Seven Han men were later arrested in connection with the murder. A row in a factory between Han and Uighur workers in nearby Shaoguan last June led to rioting in Xinjiang which left at least 197 people dead.
  
  
  
• Xie Zhenhua, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, has said that China had achieved its goals at the Copenhagen summit by ensuring that the aid of rich countries is not tied to external reviews of China's progress. He welcomed to US$100 billion in aid promised by 2020 as a stepping stone for negotiations, adding, 'next time, we can talk about when will they pay the money and how much each country will pay.'
  
  According to Mr. Xie, China is already well on its way to cutting its carbon intensity by 20% over the five years to 2010. He claims that at the end of 2009 carbon intensity had already been cut by 16%. China has pledged to cut carbon intensity by 40-45% on 2005 levels by 2020. The guidelines outlined in the next five year plan, covering 2011-2015, will be key to the achievement of this goal.
  
  
  
• Li Zhuang, previously a lawyer defending an organised crime boss, has been sentenced to two and a half years in jail. Gong Gangmo turned in his lawyer in the hope that he would receive leniency in his own case. He claimed that Li Zhuang told him to lie about being tortured in police custody.
  
  The case is causing a stir among China's legal community. The sentence, which comes amid a massive crackdown on organised crime, is aimed at discouraging lawyers from breaking the law in defence of their clients. However, there are concerns that, in the rush to secure prosecutions, the rights of China's defence lawyers are being eroded. Some are even concerned that defending a client is tantamount to collaboration in the crime.
  
  Li Zhuang is appealing his sentence.
  
  
  
• China has overtaken the US as the worlds largest market for cars. According to the China Passenger Car Association sales soared from 6.4 million units in 2008 to 10.26 units in 2009. This has been partly due to China's stimulus package, a car trading scheme provides between 3,000 and 6,000 RMB when replacing an old car. The government plans to enlarge this scheme in the coming year by providing between 5,000 and 18,000 RMB per vehicle.
  
  The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers has said that over 100 new models will be released over the coming year while Sinotrust, an automobile industry consultancy firm, has predicted further rapid growth with total vehicle sales reaching 15.13 million units in 2010.
  
  
  
• Taibei-based Next Magazine has claimed that a Taiwanese company sold sensitive nuclear material to Iran after a request from China. According to the report, a Taiwanese company bought 108 pressure transducers from Switzerland and then exported them to Iran after an online order from China on behalf of an Iranian oil company. The report quotes an unnamed source who says that China has 'secretly shipped critical components' to Iran in spite of its public claims to be unwilling to provide Iran with sensitive technology.