CPPCC Members Concerned About skyrocketing Property Prices
Concerns about skyrocketing property prices are expected to be at the center of the debates during the Guangdong Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which opened yesterday (January 28). Members urged the Guangzhou government to take concrete measures to lower prices during the new year. Our journalist Liang Chunmei has the details:
Chen Zhilie, a CPPCC member, said rising residential property prices in Guangzhou are forcing high-quality and skilled professionals, both domestic and foreign, to stay away from the city:
 " I think for white collars, the "sandwich class", the government should build more low-rent housing and allow more people to benefit from it."
In addition, he suggested that speeding up the construction of inter-city rail connections is another solution:
" in the long run, if we can continue to build subway lines and inter-city rail connections, it will definitely influence the real estate market. For example, in Shenzhen's Nanshan district, property prices are over 20,000 yuan per square meters. If a railway is built between Dongguan's Human district and Shenzhen, people can find houses for only 5000 to 6000 yuan in Dongguan and travel to Shenzhen to work which would only takes about 40 minutes."

photo from:dayoo.com

Guangzhou Airport Bonded Logistics Center starts operation
The Guangzhou Airport Bonded Logistics Center, the first of its kind in Guangdong, started operating yesterday (January 28). This center enjoys favorable policies approved by the central government, including international transshipment, bonded storage and simple processing or dispatching. Goods transiting through the bonded logistics center can be declared or transferred directly at the center.
 

China to adopt new house expropriation rules
A draft regulation on the expropriation of houses and associated compensation was made public today (January 29). The draft spells out the conditions, due process and compensation in the case of an expropriation intended for public interest, such as national defense, key national projects related to energy, transportation and education. The draft guarantees that compensation should be no less than the market price of a similar house. The draft stresses that no violence or other illegal means, such as cutting off the water or power supply to these houses can be employed.