Plan may not go ahead

China, the world's second-biggest energy consumer after the United States, may be held back in its plans to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals by a shortage of supplies, a government official said.

While one LNG terminal has been built and is in operation and the construction of two more will start soon, "the rest will struggle to secure supplies," said Zhang Guobao, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission.

Linux use could hit 21m

Ni Guangnan, an academic with the Chinese Academy of Engineering and an advocate of the Linux operating system, told the 2006 China Open Source Software Summit in Beijing that the installation of Linux operating systems could reach 21 million this year, with the government's requirement that all computers sold in China must have a genuine copy of operating systems.

Linux, often compared with Microsoft Windows, is based on open source code, which is believed to be cheaper and more secure.

Academy established

Motorola has established a ServiceOne Academy in Beijing, as part of its efforts to improve service quality management.

Co-established by Motorola North Asia Mobile Devices and Motorola University, the academy has a series of courses aimed at first-line service personnel, technical personnel, logistics personnel and service management personnel. The academy for the first time will systematically introduce the Motorola Six Sigma quality control method, which is widely employed in Motorola factories.

SHANGHAI

Suning to expand

China's second-largest electronics retail chain, Suning Appliance Co Ltd, said yesterday it planned to increase its network by between 180 and 200 stores every year until 2010 to fight off growing competition.

Suning plans to add about 30,000 staff every year in line with this expansion, Chief Executive Sun Weimin told reporters. The company currently has about 400 stores and 80,000 staff around China.

BoCom to promote VP

China's Bank of Communications (BoCom) plans to appoint vice-president, Li Jun, as the bank's new president, banking sources said yesterday.

The appointment had won the support of the bank's top shareholder, the Ministry of Finance, the sources said. The board was expected to vote this week to confirm the appointment, the sources said. BoCom plans to file an announcement of the appointment with the Hong Kong stock exchange by the holiday period at the start of October, the sources said.

HANGZHOU

Fair to open in October

The Fifth International Fair for Investment and Trade in Changxing, East China's Zhejiang Province, is scheduled to be held between October 8 and 11, officials from Changxing announced in Hangzhou yesterday.

The event is expected to attract hundreds of officials from China and foreign countries such as Japan and South Korea, as well as entrepreneurs from Fortune 500 companies like Coca-cola, Bayer and Mitsubishi.

HONG KONG

1st half profit doubled

Tianjin Port Development Holdings Ltd, which raised HK$1.25 billion (US$161 million) in an initial public offering in May, said its first-half profit more than doubled on China's rising trade.

Net income rose to HK$204 million (US$26.12 million), or a basic earnings per share of 16 HK cents (2.05 US cents) the company said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange yesterday. Sales rose 15 per cent to HK$487 million (US$62.36 million).

(China Daily 09/13/2006 page10)

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