China Development Bank Loans Argentina $10 Billion for New Metro and Rail Construction

China seems to have a direct interest in Argentinian farmland, a good reason for it to help improve transportation to and from this farmland in a very cost-efficient way (through better rail lines).

“Thanks to talks between Presidents Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and Hu Jintao, Argentina will receive $4.35 billion to renovate three freight railroad lines, including $1.85 billion to improve conditions on the Belgrano Line, which links the country to Bolivia and is an important link for the nation’s agricultural producers,” Yonah Freemark of the TransportPolitic writes.

But $4 billion for improvement of the Buenos Aires Subway and creation of a 4-corridor Metro in Cordoba don’t seem to offer any direct economic benefit to China. Yonah conjectures that Argentina must have agreed to give China some preferential trade treatment for this.

The Argentinian government has also committed to give a 15% match to the loans they receive.

China to Fund High-Speed Rail in the United States?

It is clear that China is willing to invest good money in high-speed rail and transit projects in its own country and abroad. It must see such transportation as an important solution to 21st century challenges.

While the US has committed several billion dollars for high-speed rail across the nation, it is still far behind China and Europe in this field. And many wonder if private and public entities in the US will even be able to fund the projects President Obama put $8 billion towards earlier this year. One solution, if that is the case, might be to borrow money from China.

“If U.S. companies aren’t able to provide adequate private sector support for construction programs, and if neither the federal government nor states themselves are able to develop infrastructure banks to advance such funding, foreign aid could be a realistic possibility,” Yonah writes.

“This could be seen as a significant let-down for Americans used to thinking that we should be able to fund our infrastructure using our own funds. But the opportunity for expanded global trade could be an excellent opportunity for improvements in the U.S.; there’s no reason to be worried about direct investment from abroad if it makes possible the construction of resources that we couldn’t otherwise build.”

I think this is excellent commentary. It would be great if we could fund high-speed rail projects in the US with US money, but if US companies and government can’t get the job done, getting money for these critical infrastructure projects elsewhere is better than not. High-speed rail is a good public investment and I think it is very important for future economic vitality in the US.

Sculpture Exhibition Gets Laser Treatment

LASER alarm systems will be put in place to protect dozens of artworks by Chinese and overseas artists during a sculpture exhibition from September 1 in Jing'an District.

Some of the sculptures are reportedly worth more than 10 million yuan (US$1.47 million).

The exhibition, which will last two months, has attracted world famous artists like Arman Pierre Fernandez, who created the "Horse" sculpture in front of Shanghai Exhibition Center, Philippe Hiquily, and Arne Quinze.

Sixty-five pieces will be on display at 10 locations including Jing'an Sculpture Park, Moller Villa, Jing'an Villa and Plaza 66.

Insurance for each sculpture has been purchased.

Along with the laser alarm systems, security guards will patrol sculpture locations from time to time, according to Li Zhen, a Jing'an government official.

Ebru Painter Wins 'War' against Water

Murat Elhan demonstrates his painting skill at the Expo.

ARTIST Murat Elhan is demonstrating traditional Ebru painting every day at the Turkey Pavilion.

Ebru painting, also known as the art of water marbling, is a unique technique allowing artists to draw patterns by sprinkling and brushing color pigments on a pan of water or a viscous oily solution. It originated about 1,000 years ago.

He draws under the water surface to create patterns on a piece of paper.

"You have to gain control over the colors, or the water will draw the picture instead of you," said Elhan.

The 36 year old said he took delight in waging a "war" against water, and he always wins because he knows the key to success - finding the perfect density of pigments.

"It's all about density. You can feel the density with your own hands," Elhan said.

He said skillful Ebru artists should know when to add more water into the pan as the pigments will sink due to their high density, and they should also know when to add more pigments if their low density gives the water a chance to dissolve them.

"You gain control over the colors and you can draw anything, but if the situation is well out of hand, the water will dissolve the pigments into a free style," he said.

To win the little "war" against water, Elhan said he has created a group of elite "soldiers," a term he uses to refer to his own handmade pigments, brushes, pan and sticks.

Elhan is also a well-known teacher of Ebru painting in Turkey. He has taught hundreds of students how to control the colors, passing the graceful art to younger generations.

He learned at the age of 10, simply by watching his father, who supported the family by selling his Ebru paintings.

Elhan draws everything from flowers and water waves to abstract lines and patterns. It sometimes takes six hours to finish a piece.

"The art is very open to minds, it requires so much concentration that you forget about time," he said.

Elhan will be at the Turkey Pavilion's exit from 11am to 7pm every day until the Expo ends on October 31. If you don't see him, look around for a crowd of people. He will likely be the guy in the middle of the big crowd.

Cool Tips for Hot Times

Visitors enjoy a cool moment while queuing to enter the Saudi Arabia Pavilion yesterday. The area has been equipped with sprays and covered with sunshades. The spraying system can cool the temperature by around 5 degrees Celsius and is in large demand among pavilions now that the city has entered "sanfu," the hottest time of the year.

PEOPLE can make their visit to the World Expo more comfortable during the hottest period of the summer by choosing cool pavilions, finding shady areas to rest and following the instructions of doctors.

The organizer yesterday began giving out 500,000 free fans to visitors every day at the entrance gates. A total of 25 million fans will be handed out during the summer.

The weather forecast will be broadcast on large screens across the site.

Free cooling oil and sunstroke medicine are available at the 56 Visitors Service Centers across the site. Visitors can ask volunteers for the oil and medicine.

To avoid the blistering sun, visitors can enter pavilions and restaurants or go to the second underground level of Expo Boulevard.

The joint pavilions and Theme Pavilions are good places to hide from the sun as they usually have much shorter queues.

Visitors can also go to the skating rink in the Expo Culture Center. It costs 30 yuan (US$4.43) to rent a pair of skates.

Cool pavilions

Norway Pavilion in Zone C has a mist wall to isolate itself from the hot weather outside. A popular exhibit in the pavilion features a bear paw print in the snow, which visitors can touch.

MeteoWorld Pavilion in Zone B sprays mist every 10 seconds to cool people off. The temperature around could be lowered by 6 degrees Celsius.

The Air Tree in the Madrid Pavilion in the Urban Best Practices Area can reduce the temperature beneath it by 8 to 10 degrees.

The tree is like a massive umbrella, with 100 square meters of panels able to change orientation to achieve the desired conditions. It is covered in solar panels to drive a fan to circulate air beneath.

The temperature in the Iceland Pavilion is 21 degrees, lower than the 27 degrees at other pavilions, to imitate the country's summer weather.

The cubic-shaped pavilion even looks like an ice block.

Doctor's Suggestions

Foreign visitors, especially those new to Shanghai, were suggested to rest for at least a day after arriving in Shanghai before going to the Expo. This will help them acclimatize to the weather and avoid getting sick, doctor Zhao Enhao said at a medical service station at the Expo site.

The city's health authority yesterday reminded visitors to drink more water, especially salt water when visiting the Expo in hot weather.

Also, wear light, loose clothing, a hat and sunglasses. Sun creams are also recommended.

Buildings Shake as Earthquake Strikes City

A SMALL earthquake in neighboring Jiangsu Province shook Shanghai yesterday morning.

Some people living in high-rises in Baoshan, Putuo, Yangpu districts and the Pudong New Area felt their building shake and called media outlets.

According to the Shanghai Seismological Bureau, the inshore area of Rudong County in Jiangsu's Nantong City had a 3.8-magnitude earthquake at 11:06am yesterday. The depth of the earthquake was 5,000 meters and the epicenter was 132 kilometers from downtown Shanghai.

A 4.0-magnitude quake with a depth of 12 kilometers hit the same place on July 9.

Officials said the earthquakes won't have any effect on Shanghai.

"The two earthquakes were very small," said Shou Haitao from the Shanghai Seismological Bureau. "There is no connection between them."

Prepare for Challenges of Census Now: Official

SHANGHAI faces many challenges to carry out a population census but the city will endeavor to overcome them because a successful census is crucial to making good policies for the next decade, Shanghai Vice Mayor Yang Xiong said yesterday.

"China's census could be the most difficult in the world," Yang said. "Shanghai should prepare because the city is home to roughly 19 million permanent residents, numerous people living here temporarily, and many foreigners. That's a lot of people to count."

Worldwide, more than 50 countries are carrying out or plan to conduct a census this year. The United States reported its population has surpassed 309 million and India 1.1 billion. China is expected to remain the world's most populous country.

The census is an important overview of the city's social and economic conditions, Yang said. It could provide information and guidance for future urban planning, resources development, population management and policies involving health care, traffic and social insurance.

The sixth national census starts on November 1.

For the first time, the census will also include foreigners and people from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

Disney and Miffy Kids' Shoes Fail Quality Tests

CHILDREN'S shoes featuring Disney and Miffy labels failed a recent quality test, the Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Administrative Bureau said yesterday.

The bureau tested 58 batches of shoes in local department stores and supermarkets with 24 batches failing the test. The problems centered on poor durability and excessive levels of formaldehyde, officials said.

The stores were ordered to remove the unqualified shoes.

Bobdog shoes sold at Huahai Young Supplies Co and Mckids shoes sold at Shanghai Longtrust Co were found with excessive levels of formaldehyde. The chemical substance easily evaporates in the air, and may lead to respiratory and digestive system diseases in children, the bureau said.

A pair of shoes bearing a Disney label sold at the Huaihai Young Supplies store was found to have poor durability. The tread and vamp of the shoes easily came unglued, officials said.

Another pair of shoes sold at the store and bearing the label Miffy had the same problem. In the test, the shoes came unglued on both sides.

Both brands were produced by factories in Foshan, Guangdong Province, the bureau said.

Disney Shanghai said yesterday that the company is now looking into the matter while Miffy said it was not aware of the issue. The other two companies were not available for comment yesterday

Kung Fu Disciples Really Pack a Punch

JIA Jinyan and his 30 students from Shaolin Temple, known as the home of Chinese martial arts, amazed visitors with special moves like "iron skin," "animal-like boxing" and "qigong" at the World Expo during the Henan Province Culture week, which ended at the weekend.

Although Jia and his students have lived and learned kung fu in the temple, they are not monks. They are known as disciples of Shaolin as they went to the temple only to learn martial arts. Since they are not monks they are free to eat meat and get married.

The disciples of Shaolin Temple originated during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). Li Shimin, or Emperor Taizong, the first emperor of the dynasty asked the Shaolin Temple, which helped Li become the emperor, to recruit disciples and train them to be generals for his army.

Jia, 32, was the leader of the disciples and he joked that he would be appointed a marshal if he were in the Tang Dynasty.

Jia's parents sent him to the temple to study kung fu when he was a child because he was sick frequently and had a weak body. He has remained at the temple and now teaches kung fu to newly recruited disciples.

The disciples at the Expo were about 18 years old. They studied with Jia for five years and he said their kung fu skills rate above average among all disciples and monks at Shaolin.

Some disciples at the Expo have learned some of the "Shaolin 72 Skills" that include using their fists and palms to break wooden boards or stone blocks.

One disciple can stretch himself out on five sharp spears - two against his chest, one on each leg and one on his stomach. This "iron skin" move apparently makes a human invulnerable to sword or spear. Another student can throw a needle into a glass from five steps away.

Jia said these top level skills require both talent and hard training.

Most disciples leave the temple once they reach 20 years of age. Some take jobs as security guards, others begin teaching kung fu while others go to school for further study, he said.

To make it easier for disciples to earn a living after leaving the temple, Jia added some modern combat skills into the ancient Shaolin kung fu.

City Crime Rate Declines 45%

THE crime rate has dropped 45 percent in the past three months compared to the same period last year due to public security improvements and a crackdown on crime, Shanghai police announced yesterday.

Police said they have solved more than 15,000 crimes and arrested nearly 14,000 suspects since April 15, when anti-crime and security improvement actions were launched ahead of the World Expo.

Police said 895 foreigners had been caught for either illegal residency, illegal immigration or illegal employment in the past three months.

Local police have stepped up collaboration with police departments in neighboring provinces on highway check points.

This has contributed to the detention of nearly 3,400 people suspected of committing crimes and the seizure of nearly 3,800 pieces of contraband or dangerous goods.

In the latest case, a wanted murder suspect was caught last Friday at Fengjing Toll Station in Songjiang District. He was trying to enter Shanghai with someone else's identity, police said.

The suspect surnamed Sheng walked into the check room without an identification card and pretended his surname was Liu. He told officers Liu's identification number and even provided the names of Liu's parents to prove himself.

However, an officer checked Liu's number and found Sheng was not the man pictured.

Meanwhile, thefts inside the Expo site have been cleared up after a squad of plainclothes officers was dispatched to the grounds, said Zhao Yong, deputy director of the police's criminal investigation department.

Zhao said there are no more professional gangs operating within the Expo site after the officers apprehended two theft gangs.

Zhao said the daily number of confirmed theft cases was less then one "and some reported theft cases were actually only lost items."

Some visitors have lost their cameras but have never come back to claim them, Zhao said

Shanghai Line 2 Restrictions Begin Today

Passengers wait at a station on Metro Line 13, alias the Expo line, yesterday.

PASSENGER numbers will be limited at four stations on Metro Line 2 during rush hours on workdays beginning today to ensure the whole route runs smoothly, the Shanghai Metro Operation Management Center said yesterday.

The four stations are Zhangjiang High-Tech Park, Dongchang Road, Lujiazui and Jiangsu Road.

The management center will also temporarily limit passenger flow at seven stations on Line 2, depending on real-time conditions.

The seven stations are Guanglan Road, Jinke Road, Longyang Road, Century Avenue, Nanjing Road E., Jing'an Temple and Zhongshan Park.

A daily average of 1.3 million people use Line 2, which links the city's two airports.

Officials said an increasing number of passengers have been using Line 2, now the busiest line in the city due to its extension and the increase in tourists visiting the city for the World Expo.

Several stations on the route have been overcrowded during rush hours on workdays. The huge number of commuters has threatened passenger safety, officials said.

To ensure safety, the management center will enact the following restricting:

Zhangjiang High-Tech Park Station: From 8am to 9am on workdays, no entry to the station at No. 3 and No. 5 entrances. From 5:30pm to 7pm on workdays, exiting the station via No. 2 and No. 5 entrances will be prohibited from time to time, and passengers can't enter the station at No. 3 entrance.

Dongchang Road Station: From 7:30am to 8:30am and from 6pm to 7:30pm on workdays, the No. 2 and No. 4 entrances will be closed.

Lujiazui Station: From 4pm to close on workdays and from 2pm to close on holidays, no entry at No. 1 entrance.

Jiangsu Road Station: The No. 2 and No. 4 entrances will be closed from 7:30am to 9:30am and from 5:30pm to 7pm on workdays.

Shanghai VW Boss Dies in Crash

The general manager of Shanghai Volkswagen died in a car accident on Saturday(2010-7-19)in west China's Gansu Province, the company said today.

The company confirmed the deaths of general manager Liu Jian and three other employees in Jiuquan City. They died when their car crashed with a truck after a promotion campaign.

The company issued the statement after the news broke in online vehicle forums early today. The company said they are working as usual and the service to customers will not be affected by the tragedy.

2010 Shanghai Expo

Time: May 1, 2010~Oct. 31, 2010

Theme: Better City, Better Life

Site: is located between the Nanpu Bridge and Lupu Bridge, in the waterfront area on both sides of the Huangpu River. It covers an area of about 5.28 square kilometers (about 2.04 square miles), of which 3.93 square kilometers (about 1.58square miles) is in Pudong and 1.35 square kilometers (about 0.52 square miles) is in Puxi.

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Photos of the Show in Section A

China Pavilion

Saudi Arabia Pavilion

Japan Pavilion

India Pavilion

South Korea Pavilion