Friday, August 30, 2013 A3 Beam me up LEADING THE NEWS K-pop stars are embracing hologram COMMERCE Oil giants technology to reach a wider audience > L I F E C 7 banned Unwelcome guest Create your dream home Health headache from new Aquino cancels visit to China: Chic, stylish furniture Migraines can cause INVESTMENT TEAMS TO BE REINED IN Beijing says he was never and accessories for permanent brain damage projects invited in the first place discerning buyers and raise risk of strokes Commerce Ministry targets extravagance by delegations sent Foreign direct investment is a Previously, investment jun- key economic indicator used to kets were believed to be immune > LEA D ING T HE N EWS A 3 > 20-PAG E SPE CIA L REP O R T > WORLD A15 to Hong Kong and Macau to seek investment for their regions gauge officials’ performance, and from the campaign against offi- Beijing makes state ................................................ dozens of delegations from local cial extravagance. overstated the number of partici- His remarks followed the flag- governments flock to Hong Kong The The People’s Daily said busi- energy companies pay Daniel Ren pants and the value of deals ship newspaper’s harsh criticism every year to seek such invest- ness delegations stayed in five- [email protected] phenomenon the price for failing to signed during their promotional on Monday of investment dele- ments. star hotels and invited business- activities. gations travelling to Hong Kong. Yao admitted that the delega- reflects a severe men to expensive restaurants, meet pollution targets The Ministry of Commerce has “They were desperate to get This was the first time that a tions played a positive role in level of spending as much as 1,000 yuan pledged to rein in extravagance abig number of foreign business- Communist Party mouthpiece spurring the nation’s economic (HK$1,260) per head for a break- ................................................ by local government delegations people attending the events and had fired a salvo at such invest- growth and creating jobs. fast meeting. artificiality and Eric Ng and Li Jing sent to Hong Kong and Macau to re-signed agreements which had ment-promotion practices. But he added: “As superficial- It is also an open secret that drum up investment, following a previously been sealed to shore People’s Daily also said anti- ity and lavish spending charac- extravagance government officials on these highly critical article about such up the total transaction value,” graft officials would investigate terised such investment promo- delegations snap up luxury items China’s largest oil and gas pro- MINISTRY SPOKESMAN YAO JIAN trips in People’s Daily. Yao said, according to a state- and punish those who outra- tion activities, it is necessary to for their own use during the trips. ducer, PetroChina, has been PUBLISHED SINCE 1903/VOLUME LXIX/NO 240 Friday, August 30, 2013/See live updates at www.scmp.com Yao Jian , a ministry ment on the ministry’s website. geously wasted money on trips, enhance oversight of the Yao said the ministry was barred from expanding its refin- SUBSCRIPTION COPY spokesman, told a press confer- “The phenomenon reflects a because their behaviour tainted practices.” drawing up guidelines governing ing and chemical production ONLY – NOT FOR SALE ence that Beijing was aware of the severe level of artificiality and the government’s image. The People’s Daily article and investment delegations that capacity. overblown nature of business extravagance.” Over the past three decades, the remarks by Yao were fresh would require local governments The Ministry of Environmen- CORRUPTION DIGEST delegations visiting Hong Kong He added that the ministry Beijing has encouraged local signs that the central leadership to focus on foreign-funded tal Protection said yesterday the and Macau, pointing out that would do its utmost to avoid governments to look outward to is stepping up efforts to cut down projects to ensure that funds energy giant had failed to meet its some local governments had wasting public funds. attract foreign investment. on extravagance. were used properly. target for cutting chemical oxy- gen demand (COD) – a measure Woman in gang rape of organic pollutants from waste claim accused of lying water in rivers and lakes. SYRIA The fresh blow came after it A woman who says she was Nanning emerged this week that three of raped by the son of PLA singers its senior officials were being in- was accused of lying to police in vestigated by Beijing authorities order to blackmail the youth. Li expo trip for alleged discipline violations. Guanfeng’s lawyer described the Another state energy giant, TARGET AT THE TOP alleged victim as “an unmarried China Petroleum & Chemical snub for woman with promiscuous (Sinopec), missed its target for re- sexual relationships”. > CHINA A5 ducing nitrogen oxide emissions. Zhou Yongkang Senior leaders Bo Xilai ally of Aquino The ministry said it had halted all environmental impact ap- ICBC, Bank of China provals for construction of refin- facing inquiry endorse move ex-security tsar President urged to eries and chemical plants by the post higher profits two companies as well as over- visit China at more haul and expansion projects, Two of China’s four big banks conducive time; trade apart from those that would posted higher second-quarter upgrade fuel quality, conserve profits even as the economy minister to go instead energy and cut pollution. slows. Industrial and Xinhua, citing data from the Commercial Bank of China ................................................ ministry, reported that Petro- made a profit of 69.6 billion yuan China’s COD emissions fell 0.08 Raissa Robles in Manila (HK$88.2 billion), up 12.5 per per cent last year, short of its tar- Teddy Ng cent on last year. BOC said its get of a cut of 0.6 per cent, while net profit was 40.9 billion yuan, Sinopec’s nitrogen oxide dis- up 17 per cent. > BUSINESS B1 China has asked Philippine Presi- charges grew by 1.28 per cent, dent Benigno Aquino to post- against its goal of zero growth. pone a visit next week for the In a comment piece, the (Clockwise from left) Zhou Abe speaks out on opening of a trade fair, Manila Communist Party mouthpiece Yongkang visiting his alma said yesterday, an unprecedent- People’s Daily said some of mater, Suzhou Middle School, in Fukushima leak ed snub by Beijing as relations PetroChina and Sinopec’s oper- late April – believed to be his sour over territorial disputes in ating units were still implement- last public appearance; with Bo Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo the South China Sea. ing emission standards from 17 Xilai at the NPC in March; and in Abe said problems at the “China’s request was for the years ago, and that some had uniform. Photos: SCMP Pictures crippled Fukushima plant could president to visit China at a more faked pollution data. not be left to the operator to conducive time,” Department of Sinopec and PetroChina said resolve and promised his Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul they would strive to meet pollu- ONLINE government would play a bigger Hernandez told the South China tion control requirements and scmp.com/zhouyongkang role in stopping leaks of highly Morning Post in reply to whether that the ban would not affect Chart the life and times radioactive water. > ASIA A11 Aquino had been specifically their operations in the short of Zhou Yongkang in an asked to drop his China visit. term. A PetroChina spokesman interactive timeline Hernandez said Chinese said projects already approved Maid injuries ‘probably Foreign Minister Wang Yi would be enough to meet de- ................................................ relayed the request to Foreign mand for the next few years. Hebei province. According mittee member – retired or sitting investigation into Zhou and his province, where Zhou was top managers at the company not self-inflicted’ Secretary Albert del Rosario on Yesterday’s release by the Staff Reporters to sources familiar with the – has been investigated for eco- family began circulating on the party boss from 1999 to 2002. have been named as being under Wednesday night, hours after ministry of last year’s pollution leadership’s thinking, President nomic crimes since the end of the internet even before he retired In June, former deputy Si- investigation in recent days. Injuries a maid says were caused President Aquino himself an- control records for 31 provinces Top Communist Party leaders Xi Jinping and his admin- Cultural Revolution nearly 40 from his party position at the chuan governor Guo Yongxiang It is understood the new by her employers were unlikely nounced his trip to Nanning and administrative regions and have agreed to open a corruption istration are determined to use years ago. party’s national congress in – a former secretary to probe will centre on Zhou’s time to have been self-inflicted, a to head the delegation to eight energy giants directly under investigation into former security the case to galvanise the anti- Sources said top leaders made November. Zhou – was detained. in Sichuan and at CNPC. doctor told a court yesterday. the China-Asean Expo, where the the control of Beijing came at a tsar Zhou Yongkang , one graft campaign. the decision in view of the rising The speculation increased in Authorities also revealed this In particular, investigators And he said scars indicated she Philippines is this year’s “country sensitive time for PetroChina. of China’s most powerful politi- No Politburo Standing Com- anger inside the party at the scale December, when party graft week a probe into China National > CONTINUED ON A3 had been tied up. Earlier the of honour”. PetroChina said on Wednes- cians in the past decade. of the corruption problem and investigators began detaining Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), maid claimed she was bound to Trade Secretary Gregory day that three of its senior offi- The move against Zhou – a the vast fortune that Zhou’s fam- dozens of cadres and business- which Zhou joined as a senior > RETURN HARDER A6 a chair for five days while the Domingo will represent the pres- This “citizen journalist” image from Syria is said to show UN inspectors collecting samples during the third day of their investigation into chemical weapons attacks.