????1 Book hails ideas that built city
????2012 saw the release of a new, English-language edition of “Top 10 Concepts of Shenzhen,” an exhaustively researched, collaboratively authored book that digs into the history of fundamental concepts that fueled the dramatic development of this young, booming city over the past three decades. The book’s original, Chinese-language edition was published in May 2011 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. The book’s English-language edition, translated by Shenzhen Daily staff, had its first printing in September this year.
????Author of Jiang Zemin’s biography Robert Lawrence Kuhn wrote the edition’s preface. Five foreign readers, including scholars from four countries, were invited to a Nov. 28 symposium organized by the Information Office of the Shenzhen Municipal Government, Shenzhen Daily and Shenzhen Press Group Publishing House to share their views and thoughts about the book and their unique experiences in the city.
????2 Incentives unveiled for Qianhai area
????THE 15-square-kilometer Qianhai area, on Shenzhen’s west side and an hour’s drive from Hong Kong, was chosen as an experimental business zone for better interaction with Hong Kong’s financial and modern service industries, the State Council announced July 6.
????Qianhai, labeled South China’s Manhattan, will be developed over the next eight years on reclaimed land and will serve as an experimental zone for offshore yuan transactions.
????3 Local fairs go global
????THE 14th China Hi-Tech Fair brought 2,976 exhibitors and 3,132 investors from 67 countries and regions to Shenzhen, marking increases in the number of participating multinational companies and in the combined exhibition area for overseas enterprises and individuals. The total transaction volume at the 8th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair reached a record high of 143.3 billion yuan (US$23 billion) in May. The 11th Conference on International Exchange of Professionals attracted more than 7,000 institutions and enterprises from more than 80 countries and regions. The 2012 World City Symposium was held in Shenzhen on Nov. 18. Twenty-nine guest speakers, including 13 from overseas, shared their visions and insights with more than 500 people from government offices, enterprises and higher-learning institutions.
????4 SZ to vie for ‘World Book Capital’ title
????INVITED by UNESCO, a Shenzhen delegation led by Wang Jingsheng, head of the Shenzhen Municipal CPC Committee’s publicity department, visited UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris on Oct. 11. While meeting with UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, Wang said Shenzhen will strengthen cooperation with UNESCO and bid for the title of “World Book Capital” in 2015.
????5 Expats receive friendship awards
????MORE than 1,000 expatriates who live or work in Futian District gathered at Shenzhen Concert Hall on the night of Dec. 2 to enjoy live music and fellowship at the invitation of the Futian District Government. The night also marked the first awarding of the Futian International Friendship Awards. Twelve expats, from fields including manufacturing, finance and modern service, received an award.
????6 U.S.: Huawei, ZTE pose threat
????THE U.S. House of Representatives’ Intelligence Committee said in a draft report released Oct. 8 that China’s top telecom gear makers should be shut out of U.S. markets because potential influence from the Chinese Government poses a security threat. U.S. intelligence must stay focused on efforts by Shenzhen-based Huawei Technologies and ZTE to expand in the United States, and must inform the private sector about their purported espionage threats, committee leaders said. Huawei and ZTE both rejected the allegations, saying the U.S. House committee intends to set up trade barriers to Chinese companies in the name of national security.
????7 Apple pays $60m over iPad trademark
????APPLE Inc. agreed to pay US$60 million to Proview Technology (Shenzhen) in July, in order to continue using the iPad name for its popular tablet computer on the Chinese mainland.
????Proview’s claim to the iPad name on the Chinese mainland first made headlines last year, when Proview petitioned to ban iPad sales on the mainland until its lawsuit had been resolved or a settlement reached.
????8 Residents allowed to visit Taiwan as individual tourists
????SHENZHEN became one of 10 more mainland cities approved to allow residents to visit Taiwan as individual tourists, in a deal reached in April.
????Taiwan first opened the door to individual tourists from mainland cities June 28, 2011.
????9 Athletes win gold at London Olympics
????RACE walker Chen Ding of Shenzhen won the gold medal in the men’s 20km race walk Aug. 4 at the 2012 London Olympics, setting a new Olympic record with a time of 1 hour, 18 minutes and 46 seconds.
????He Zi, another athlete from Shenzhen, won a gold medal in the 3-meter springboard synchronized diving competition at the Olympics.
????10 Crackdown on parallel traders
????IN a three-month antismuggling operation that started in September, the customs agencies of Shenzhen and Hong Kong joined hands to crack down on the phenomenon known as parallel trading, uncovering 1,232 cases and effectively deterring parallel traders who profit by evading import taxes charged by customs authorities.
