NEW AMBASSADOR TO DPRK

Li Jinjun， former deputy head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China（CPC） Central Committee， was appointed ambassador to the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea （DPRK） in mid-March. Li is the second Chinese ambassador to the DPRK chosen from the International Department， following Liu Hongcai， who ended his five-year mission in February and has returned to his post in the department.

Li was born in 1956 in Jiangyin， east Chinas Jiangsu Province. He studied German at Shanghai International Studies University in the early 1970s and once studied overseas in Germany. He had been working in the International Department since 1975. A seasoned diplomat， he served as ambassador to Myanmar from 2001 to 2005 and ambassador to the Philippines from 2005 to 2007.

China sent its first ambassador to Pyongyang in 1950. Li is Chinas 17th envoy to the neighboring DPRK.

The Rise and Fall of Rongsheng

Caixin Century Weekly March 9

Founded by real estate stalwart Zhang Zhirong， China Rongsheng Heavy Industries Group Holdings Ltd. was once Chinas largest private shipbuilding company. In November 2010， it became the highest valued mainland private company listed on Hong Kong Stock Exchange that year.

In 2011， despite the global economic slowdown， Rongsheng received 39 new orders with a contract value of $1.81 billion. Despite this， it faced multiple problems. Many ships failed to be finished on time because of poor management. This constitutes a breach of contract， under which condition the buyer can relinquish the ship and seek compensation.

To protect his image and credit rating， Zhang placed many new orders through his business partners and friends. From mid-2011 onward， Rongshengs stock plummeted， falling below HK$1（$0.13） in September 2012. After multiple missed deadlines， banks began to withdraw credit. By that time， Rongsheng was already deeply embroiled in debt troubles. Aside from financial institutions， the company owed its suppliers a large sum of money.

In April 2014， the Jiangsu provincial financial regulatory body formed a debt optimization team to address Rongshengs liquidity woes. In the following month， the local government met with China State Shipbuilding Corp. （CSSC） to discuss possible restructuring. However， CSSC declined to purchase Rongsheng owing to its debt and the quality of its vessels. The future of Rongsheng looked uncertain until it announced a plan to turn itself into an energy company named Huarong in March this year.

Consumers Association Turns 30

Oriental Outlook March 26

The China Consumers Association， the countrys first national organization for defending consumers rights， was founded on December 26， 1984.

During its first decade， the organizations workers relied solely on their enthusiasm and persistence. No consumer protection legislation existed back then to support their endeavors. On January 1， 1994， the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests was finally put in place. Since its inception， the association has handled over 14.8 million complaints， 93.87 percent of which have been resolved， retrieving over 13.8 billion yuan （$2.2 billion） for consumers in the process.

The association facilitated the first product recall in China in 2000. In that year， two types of Pajero were found to have faulty brakes by customers in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Yunnan Province. The association requested that Mitsubishi Corp. recalled the problematic series， comprising 75，000 cars in total， at its own expense and made a public apology to Chinese consumers.

In an era when online shopping and shopping abroad enjoy ever-increasing popularity， the association is faced with new challenges. The revised Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests， which came into effect last year， recognizes the China Consumers Association as a nonprofit social organization. The law also clarifies its duties， which include guiding consumption， participating in the formulation of relevant laws and regulations and carrying out public interest litigation. It is hoped that the organization will continue to break new ground in consumer protection.

Gutter Oil-Based Jet Fuel

Legal Daily March 23

Chinas first commercial flight using biofuel flew from Shanghai to Beijing on March 21. Hainan Airlines Boeing 737-800 used a “half and half”mixture of traditional jet fuel and biofuel， developed from used cooking oil， known as “gutter oil” in China.

In recent years， illegal trade in gutter oil has represented a public health hazard. Not only can its use in the aviation industry contribute to low-carbon flight but also be regarded as a boon for food safety.

The biofuel used by Hainan Airlines on this occasion was developed by state-owned oil and gas giant Sinopec and passed strict testing from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Although the technology involved in transforming gutter oil to biofuel is reliable， other problems stand in the way of the practice. One of them is that production costs for biofuel from gutter oil are higher than conventional jet fuel. If the same price was charged for both forms of fuel， oil refiners would inexorably operate at a loss. If the price of cooking oil-based fuel was higher than conventional jet fuel， airliners would have to shoulder the extra cost.

To boost the use of cooking oil-derived fuel， subsidies are required. Also， the ban on the unlicensed collection and use of gutter oil and its return to the dining table should be strictly enforced.

CHINESE BASKETBALLS ADOPTED SON

U.S. basketball player Stephon Marbury led the Beijing Ducks to their second successive Chinese Basketball Association （CBA） title， their third in the four years since the former NBA heavyweight joined， on March 22. He was also voted the CBA Finals Most Valuable Player （MVP）， which， in addition to his Regular Season MVP and All-Star MVP awards， makes him the first foreigner to have scooped all three of the CBA accolades in a single season.

Marbury was born in 1977 in New York City. He started his career as a professional basketball player in 1996 and played for a total of six NBA teams from 1996 to 2009. In January 2010， Marbury joined the CBAs Shanxi Brave Dragons. From there， he went onto the Beijing Ducks. In April 2014， he was proclaimed an “honorary citizen” of Beijing. Marbury has claimed that he has found peace and success in his adopted hometown.

“Chinas economy can continue to deliver solid growth as long as the government makes steady progress on its reform agenda， which can elevate productivity.”

Shang-Jin Wei， Chief Economist of the Asian Development Bank （ADB）， upon the release of an ADB report that predicts Chinas economy will account for 32 percent of world growth in 2015

“Its necessary to set up a professional law enforcement team that understands U.S. laws and is proficient in English.”

Zhang Xiaoming， an official with the Ministry of Justice， recently indicating that China will strengthen cooperation with the United States on major legal cases aimed at repatriating former corrupt officials now residing in the United States

“China has a working population of more than 900 million and boasts over 70 million businesses， which together contain enormous creativity.”

Lian Weiliang， deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission， hinting that China will strengthen efforts to promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation nationwide

“This doesnt portend impending Armageddon because of a collapse of confidence in the political system. It just means people in China are richer and more of them can do these things now.”

Kerry Brown， Executive Director of the China Studies Center at the University of Sydney， refuting U.S. scholar David Shambaughs recent claim that the emigration of elites is one of the indications of the “coming Chinese crackup”