2010年8月31日 星期二

遠比你們的老牌

去看看台灣公共場所的擺設
老子台灣這兒的中國牌子
可遠比你們的老牌


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-----大陸學者:後ECFA兩岸應建立政治互信2010-09-01 中國時報 【李文輝/綜合報導】  針對ECFA(兩岸經濟合作架構協議)簽署後的兩岸關係,在一場近日於北京舉行的兩岸關係研討會上,多位大陸重要涉台學者指出,ECFA簽訂後,兩岸共識薄弱、互信不足的結構性問題也日益凸顯。建立兩岸政治互信已經成為當務之急。  大陸全國台灣研究會昨日在北京舉辦主題為「兩岸關係:共同利益與和諧發展」學術研討會。兩岸近五十名學者齊聚北京。  社科院台灣研究所副所長朱衛東表示,破解眾所關心的政治難題,需要在兩岸階段性目標上做文章,一目標是營造條件、一目標是增進互信。具體而言,相互尊重和顧及彼此的利益關切,不能挑戰雙方都認可的核心利益-「一個中國」。  福建社科院現代台灣研究所研究員吳能遠指出,建立兩岸政治互信的內涵有三:明晰意圖、增進共識、對話協商。有必要建立更為明確的兩岸關係和平發展共識,然後簽署基本互信(行為準則)協議;建議兩會籌組兩岸關係和平發展的協調委員會,有效磋商處理相關問題。  中國人民大學教授黃嘉樹表示,國民黨主席馬英九月前透過吳伯雄轉達給中共總書記胡錦濤的十六字箴言中,「正視現實」就是堅持先經後政、先易後難,應與「累積互信」同步進展。最關鍵的是,雙方在「一個中國」問題上形成的政治互信。  中國社科院台灣研究所研究員王建民認為,兩岸關係在簽署ECFA後,已進入新的關鍵期,「厚植共同利益」與「尋求共同發展」應成為未來兩岸關係發展的重要目標。  上海社科院台灣研究中心祕書長王海良表示,他個人希望在二○一二年「九二共識」誕生廿年之際,兩岸能求同化異,達成一個新的超越政治障礙、攜手邁向和平協議的共識-「一二共識」。

遲來的不法道歉

感言敢言 (3)



遲來的不法道歉

前幾天是馬英久先生以總統名義參加錢穆先生逝世20周年度
他重新說起21?年前陳水扁等當議員時攻擊錢先生非法佔用公產的事件
錢先生當年的禮遇並沒有法律依據 所以兇嫌其實是當年的國民黨或蔣介石先生
馬總統這一說法是無知的
媚俗的

Singapore renews effort to rein in property prices

亚洲各国纷纷给楼市降温

金融时报》 凯文•布朗 新加坡报道
字号
背景

Singapore yesterday moved to cool its property market for the third time in a year, amid worries that low interest rates and rapid economic growth are generating a bubble in much of Asia.

由于担心低利率和经济快速增长正在亚洲许多地方引起泡沫,新加坡昨天采取行动,一年内第三次为其房地产市场降温。

The island state’s announcement follows similar moves by Hong Kong, Australia and China.

在这个岛国发布公告前,香港、澳大利亚和中国也采取了类似行动。

South Korea, however, said at the weekend that it wanted to boost its property market to shore up the troubled construction industry. The government eased mortgage lending rules for low-income home buyers and extended tax breaks.

然而,韩国在周末表示,将提振其房地产市场,以支持困境中的建筑业。当地政府放松了低收入家庭的按揭贷款规定,并提供减免税优惠。

Singapore’s action follows concern about the role of speculators in a 38 per cent rise in average private residential prices for the year to June 30. This took price levels above the previous peak in June 1996.

在截至6月30日的一年中,新加坡私人住房平均价格上涨38%,超过在1996年6月时达到的此前最高点。新加坡担心“炒楼客”推高了房价,因此推出最新举措。

The government said it would impose a 3 per cent tax on resales within three years, up from a previous one-year period. It also raised the minimum required deposit on second homes from 20 per cent to 30 per cent of the purchase price.

新加坡政府表示,将对三年内的房屋转售征税3%,而先前这个期限为一年。同时,它将二套房最低首付要求从购房价格的20%提高到了30%。

Analysts said the authorities appeared most concerned about the affordability of government-built flats, which provide homes for about four-fifths of Singaporeans. The Housing Development Board resale price index, which tracks sales of these properties, rose 4.1 per cent in the three months to June.

分析师表示,政府似乎最为担心的是人们是否负担得起由政府兴建的公寓——约五分之四的新加坡人住在这样的公寓中。在截至6月的三个月中,追踪这些房地产销售情况的新加坡建筑发展局(Housing Development Board)“转售价格指数”上涨了4.1%。

Chua Yang Liang, head of south-east Asia research at Jones Lang LaSalle, a consultancy, predicted that quarterly price growth would slow to 1-2 per cent for public sector resale properties, and 2-3 per cent for private homes.

咨询公司仲量联行(Jones Lang LaSalle)东南亚研究负责人蔡炎亮(Chua Yang Liang)预计,公屋转售的季度价格增长率将放缓至1%-2%,私人住房将放缓至2%-3%。

Lien Hsien Loong, the prime minister, said that Singapore’s objective was “to make sure [that] in the long term Singaporeans can own their homes and afford [them], and it will be a gradually appreciating asset”.

新加坡总理李显龙(Lien Hsien Loong)表示,新加坡的目标是“确保长期来看,新加坡人能拥有自己的住房,供得起(这些住房),而且房子将成为一种逐渐升值的资产。”

The ruling People’s Action party is expected to call an early election within six months to capitalise on the country’s recovery from the global financial crisis.

执政的人民行动党预期将在6个月内要求提前选举,在新加坡从全球金融危机中复苏后“趁热打铁”。

Hong Kong raised minimum deposits for upmarket properties earlier this month and released additional land for development following price rises of about 45 per cent since January 2009.

在香港,房地产价格自2009年1月以来已经上涨了约45%。本月早些时候当地政府提高了高档房地产最低首付款比例,并释出额外土地用于开发。

In April, Australia reinstated restrictions on foreign investment in residential property, following months of complaints that foreigners were pushing up prices.

澳大利亚在4月份恢复了对外国人投资于对居住性房地产的限制。之前数月里,许多澳大利亚人抱怨是外国人推高了房价。

China’s efforts to cool its property market are probably the toughest, but they also include scope for flexibility at the local level where the rules are enforced.

中国给房地产市场降温的措施或许是最强硬的,不过在地方层面,这些措施的执行有一定的灵活空间。

The general view is that Beijing will keep its policy measures in place until there are clear signs that prices have fallen, partly because it would lose credibility if it reversed its stance too soon.

总的看法是,在有明确迹象显示价格出现下跌前,中国政府将保持其政策措施不变,部分是因为,太快逆转立场可能会导致政府失去信用。

Some developers have predicted efforts to cool the market, such as a property tax, if prices fail to drop. Xia Bin, an adviser to the Chinese central bank, said at the weekend that policy would not be relaxed in the short term.

一些开发商预计,如果价格不下跌,那中国政府将推出如物业税这样的措施来给市场降温。中国央行顾问夏斌周末表示,短期内中国楼市政策不会放松。

Additional reporting by Song Jung-a in Seoul, Geoff Dyer in Beijing and Peter Smith in Sydney

英国《金融时报》宋京雅(Song Jung-a)首尔、杰夫•代尔(Geoff Dyer)北京、彼得•史密斯(Peter Smith)悉尼补充报道

译者/李裕

2010年8月30日 星期一

北市油水令人「見獵心喜」



花農挺花博 與郝同喊「加油」

聯合新聞網 - ‎10小時之前‎
花博新生高花價爭議,讓花博成為爭議焦點。昨天近廿個花農團體代表齊聚力挺花博,與台北市長郝龍斌高喊「花博加油」口號,郝龍斌說出「可以不支持郝龍斌,但不可以不支持花博!」 有關花博花價爭議,台北市科長遭記過,市議員賴素如昨在市政總質詢中質疑市府「大官調查, ...

權利金縮水 花博:流標二次 只好降價

聯合新聞網 - ‎10小時之前‎
針對綠營北市議員質疑花博紀念品採購案圖利廠商民聲公司,台北市長郝龍斌昨回應說,花博絕無圖利廠商或是獨厚任何媒體,所有採購案都依程序公開招標,若外界質疑歡迎提出證據檢舉。 陳雄文說,紀念品採購案權利金九十七年第一次公開招標時適逢金融海嘯,當時原訂權利金八 ...

3颱毀掉花博? 黃偉哲:搞不好有人希望颱風來...

NOWnews - ‎2小時之前‎
高喊颱風不要來,民進黨籍立委黃偉哲:要保全花博證據![圖:記者康仁俊攝] 針對台北市政府舉辦花博卻傳出恐有弊端,面臨颱風來襲,民進黨籍立委黃偉哲今(31)日批評,台北市政府把第二預備金拿去辦花博,「現在颱風來了,要拿什麼救災?是不是要跟中央再申請第二預備 ...

花博結束將廢中山足球場球員嗆:我要踢足球!

NOWnews - ‎1小時之前‎
台北市議員吳思瑤指出,花博結束之後,中山足球場將走入歷史,作為經濟部的「台灣精品展示館」,郝市府根本是乞丐趕廟公,花博搞死中山足球場。(圖/記者林修卉攝) 花博民怨再添一樁!民進黨台北市議員吳思瑤今(31)日指出,中山足球場目前已封館作為花博「爭豔館」 ...
國際足球場被郝龍斌踢掉了 郭正典 台灣日報新聞網版權所有

花博驅趕遊民? 北市府澄清

公視新聞 - ‎44分鐘之前‎
從上週三開始,台北市政府驅趕在萬華龍山寺週遭的流動攤販、流鶯和遊民,令遊民大為不滿,被驅趕後沒多久,又走回來,跟警方大玩抓迷藏,遊民懷疑這跟花博有關,而市府表示,這絕對跟花博無關,也沒有下達驅逐令,純粹是希望還給市民一個乾淨的行走空間。 ...

花博止血 郝全面檢視花卉採購標案

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五都選舉倒數三個月 北市長選戰郝龍斌成敗看花博

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「郝」頭痛台北下大雨花博館也下小雨

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綠再爆:花博花價貴1倍_權利金亂降

中時電子報 - ‎12小時之前‎
花博展館內的花價貴市價一倍!台北市議員李文英、周柏雅昨召開記者會,指出由捷運工程局代辦的「圓山公園區展示花種及換展維護工程」,十五元的草花採購價格,竟高於市府公園處表定價七元逾一倍!台北市產發局長陳雄文稍晚澄清,十五元包括種植、運送、保固等成本,價格並 ...
花風暴/圓山園區 多花逾千萬 台灣日報新聞網版權所有

郝龍斌推銷490元花博衫藍議員也拒買

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台北市花卉博覽會即將在年底豋場,郝龍斌強力推銷花博衫,把腦筋動到市議員身上,祭出團購大優惠,只要買1萬件就可以打折,所以原本1件售價490元,就可以用250元的優惠價格購買,不僅綠議員覺得賺很大,連藍營市議員汪志冰也拒買。 國民黨市議員汪志冰表示,一般批發的圓 ...

蘇:別扯東扯西 蔡:郝要說清楚

  • 2010-08-31
  • 中國時報
  • 【羅融/台北報導】
 ▲民進黨新北市長參選人蔡英文30日出席「青年志工團感恩早餐會」,有關郝龍斌陷入的花價風暴,蔡英文表示,民進黨不會對此事「見獵心喜」。(季志翔攝)

 ▲民進黨新北市長參選人蔡英文30日出席「青年志工團感恩早餐會」,有關郝龍斌陷入的花價風暴,蔡英文表示,民進黨不會對此事「見獵心喜」。(季志翔攝)

 北市花博及新生高架道路工程爭議繼續延燒台北市長郝龍斌的選情。民進黨主席蔡英文指出,在國家財政困難的情況下,任何層級的政府使用公共資源都要特別小心,民進黨不會對此事「見獵心喜」,希望郝龍斌能將事情說清楚。蔡英文強調,蘇貞昌的魄力、執行力,與豐富的政治經驗,一直是台北市長的最佳人選,選民一定看得出來。  台北市長參選人蘇貞昌則表示,台北市政府應誠實面對問題,態度最重要,不要扯東扯西,又說是選舉操作,還講選舉的話、關心自己的選票。他強調,新生高架道路的問題,在兩年多前就發生,花博的問題最近也發生,現在還在談選票選舉,就自私了一點。對於這是否會威脅國民黨的雙子城策略?蔡英文說,「恐怕要國民黨自己去判斷」,她並不清楚雙子城策略到底是什麼,候選人最重要的是表現出自己足以擔任市長的優質性,而不是創造出假的、表面的合作意象。

"富市長"弊端連環爆



現在已經知道目前捷運公司董事長 當時的"富市長"


被動員挺花博/花農當場嗆︰不挺郝


〔記者林恕暉、黃忠榮/台北報導〕台北市政府昨天找來花農、園藝、景觀業者,與台北市長郝龍斌一起呼口號宣示力挺花博,但部份業者直言,「支持花博、不支持郝龍斌」,業者說,花博園區內至少有兩千人負責植栽,請款卻被推三阻四,最近媒體報導植栽報價問題,有些人擔心被牽連,不想做了,讓在座官員尷尬。台北市議員徐佳青說,郝市府從執行到驗收的過程,出現各種不同層次的問題,買主還被賣方嫌,郝龍斌最大的問題就是聽不到真話,永遠無法針對事件做正確的反應。

徐佳青說,北市府花錢原本應該是老大,結果主客易位,還被賣方嫌,郝龍斌真是「賠了夫人又折兵」!她還說:「我實在對郝龍斌深表同情!」

花博營運總部總執行長陳雄文解釋,花博工程有一套驗收程序,例如花的長度規格不合,他的同仁就不敢付錢,由此可知台北市政府公務員是多麼依法行政,這不是故意刁難。

郝龍斌昨與花農、園藝、景觀、植栽業者召開記者會,呼籲不要唱衰花博,並找來北市議會國民黨團書記長秦儷舫等多位議員陪同,一起高呼「花博加油」口號。

亞洲花店協會理事長林秀德表示,他們到場「是挺花博、不是挺郝龍斌」。北市園藝花卉商業同業公會理事長林俊宏也表明,花農是「支持花博、不支持郝龍斌」。

林俊宏直言,園藝業者從事花博施工六個月,「有領到市府錢者,幾乎零啦」,「領錢是千挑、百挑、萬挑,挑到差一點沒給他下跪而已」,種花的人不懂契約,有些條文沒看得很清楚,等到請款時,市府官員把條文拿出來,說要做什麼事,當業者第二天送來了,又說要做另一件事,讓他們幾乎賺不到錢,「我們對市府怨言滿大的」。

活動結束後,林俊宏對媒體說,花博園區目前至少有兩千人進行植栽、園藝、排水整土等工作,但最近媒體報導新生高、花博問題,讓他們「心裡毛毛的」,有些業者、工人說不想做了,怕被牽連進去。


郝扯!花f錢博攬會

郝扯!花博紀念品五千萬權利金「不見了」
【記者李桂馨台北報導】花博植栽浮報造成北市府公帑損失一千六百萬,接著花博紀念品「中國製」以及網購退貨機制也引發爭議,但更糟的是,原來這項採購案原設定的八千萬權利金(市府收入),竟然在招標三次(流標二次)之後,一下子縮水變成三千萬。台北市議員顏聖冠痛批,郝龍斌的花博根本就是「隨便花」,連紀念品授權的標案,都可以毫無理由賤賣,更可惡的是受稽核單位全以「爾後加強注意改善」,就輕鬆卸責。

顏聖冠昨(30)日召開記者會,出示一份由臺北市政府採購稽核小組所提出的監督結果及缺失改善表,針對「2010臺北國際花卉博覽會紀念品設計暨營銷計畫委託服務案」,內容不僅羅列許多缺失,更讓有圖利廠商之嫌,其中最嚴重的包括紀念品的權利金竟能在三次招標中,一路由八千萬、六千萬降到三千萬,還是市政府主動「降價」,而且竟由第一次被評為不合格的民聲文化得標。

顏聖冠(圖右)指出,根據稽核委員在報告中指直這項採購案「實已妨礙採購效益」(涉及違反政府採購法第六條),稽核委員認定,「採購金額及預算金額,查無明確依據,且各次招標該等金額差距頗巨」。

根據報告,這項採購案於97年12月3日第1次招標公告時,採購金額為8000萬元,第2次在98年2月公告,金額降為6000萬元以上,到了2月13日又更改公告,又由改為3000萬元以上,一路修正,全無章法。

報告中指出,權利金之所以一路修正,產發局解釋主要是因為參觀人數基準由600萬人下修為400萬人,而下修的原因官員聲稱是「怕權利金門檻過高,廠商無法負荷」、「花博知名度未普及」、「景氣下滑」等理由。這和郝龍斌市長在今年七月市政報告中,將參觀人數由600萬人提高至800萬人,簡直大異其趣,「根本就是郝膨風,欺騙台北市民」。

顏聖冠說,更吊詭的是,報告中直指主辦單位產發局雖然列出計算公式,但依第1次公告的公式計算,包括logo、吉祥物授權,場地使用費等,權利金應為6869萬元,但產發局卻粗列為8000萬元,相差達1131萬(15%),被稽核委員指為「缺乏依據」;而第2次公告中,場地使用費再因面積、單價變更,由3269萬降為2618萬,但卻以2000萬元概估,「完全沒有根據,亂算一通」。

報告中還揭露,權利金的「降價」完全是由市府主導,「廠商未以書面或電話意見反映」,事實上,依照得標廠商第一次投標時的企劃書估算,參觀人次也是估列500萬人次,最後卻是市府自動降為400萬人次,再以每增加100萬人次,增加700萬元權利金的方式計算。

也就是說,就算花博參觀人數有幸達成郝市府後來宣稱的「800萬人次」,市府的權利金收入最多也只有5800萬,和第2次公告的6000萬差了200萬,和第1次公告的8000萬更是差了2200萬!顏聖冠批評,這已經不是「行政缺失」,根本是變相圖利廠商!

更離譜的是,報告還指出得標商「民聲文化」第一次投標時的企劃書,報價的回饋金(即本案之權利金)是市府採購的8000萬元,但卻被評選為未達合格門檻而廢標,第3次投標回饋金降為3000萬,兩次投標差價竟然達到5000萬元,這樣還能夠擊敗競爭者,被評選為「最優勝廠商」,簡是是荒謬!

而第1次投標與第3次投標的企劃書,經顏聖冠比對,除了預算部分外,兩份企劃相似度至少達90%以上,但第一次不合格,第三次卻得標,更令人懷疑評審委員會是否「亂評一通」!

此外,第2、3次投標的其他廠商提出的預估收入總金額,在1億3180萬元與2億4907萬元之間,但得標廠商預估收入總金額只有1億2750萬元,是所有廠商中最低的,一樣是相當不合理。

顏聖冠批評,依照「最有利標」的精神,市府明明可以採行預估收入總金額最高的廠商,再拉高權利金,市府原先開出的8000萬回饋金條件或許就能保住,但市府卻寧願少收5千萬,也要把標案給第1次被評為不合格的廠商,「根本毫無道理」。

顏聖冠質疑,唯一的解釋是,所謂「最有利標」是對郝市長的選舉有利,對廠商有利,就是對市民不利;因為得標廠商是媒體關係企業,因此這5000萬元的回饋金大降價,就變相成了郝龍斌的「媒體公關費」;否則權利金少了這麼多,稽核小組早就提出缺失,為何政風處不敢辦,郝龍斌竟也視若無睹?也難怪民眾質疑廠商的中國製T-Shirt售價偏高,市府卻連吭都不敢吭。

稽核小組在報告中還舉出多項疑點,包括本案5月19日決標,但卻到6月19日才公佈,廠商照理應於決標15日內繳納5%的履約保證金,也因此「意外」得到寬限期,直到7月16日才訂約,7月28日才繳納保證金,被稽核小組質疑有遲繳、違約之嫌! 

此外稽核委員也指出,產發局未提出工作小組名單及初審意見,評委名單及開會通知保密也有瑕疵,整個發包過程相當粗糙。

針對議員質疑,花博營運總部商業服務中心副執行長陳晶卉則是解釋,招標時確有廠商反映權利金太高,且當時面臨金融風暴,但不方便出示初審意見,此外兩度廢標也是評審委員決定,她無法代為說明。

陳晶卉解釋,之所以會發生權利金降低、計算不清楚,以及和預估參觀人數減少,主要也是因為「臺灣以前都沒辦過這麼大型的活動」,也擔心沒有廠商來投標。對於廠商兩次標案高度雷同的部分,陳晶卉則沒有做說明,僅強調主辦單位與評審的專業考量,是提供消費者最好品質的服務。

顏聖冠也當場要求政風處應儘速查明。政風處黃兆祥科長則表示,今年2月分政風處就已經針對部分花博採購案進行了解,至於本案可能涉及違法的部分,政風單位將進行清查。

顏聖冠指責,花博亂花錢問題太大,郝龍斌被迫大動作成立「廉政肅貪中心」,相信未來還有不少「生意」上門,這件個案讓市府少了5000萬權利金,卻要全部的台北市民來承擔,郝市府還要說這是「簡單疏失」嗎?顏聖冠要求,不管廉政會也好、政風處也好,面對紀念品權利金標案疑點,應立即比照新生高架浮報案徹查,該移送就要移送,而不是再多找幾個「陳科長」出來墊背。2010/08/30

中國隱現人口問題

國隱現新的人口問題

如果擁有過少的人口看起來對中國不是一個緊迫的問題﹐那麼請再想一想。

即將成為問題的並非絕對人口數量﹐而是工薪族人口。如同更發達的國家一樣﹐中國的人口開始老齡化﹐這一趨勢由於80年代末開始實行的計劃生育政策逐漸加劇。2015年似乎將成為一個轉折點:據世界銀行(the World Bank)預計﹐2015年至2020年期間﹐中國的工作年齡人口平均每年將會下降0.1%。

也就是將會出現這樣一種情況﹐逐漸減少的工薪族人口將要養活不斷增長的老齡人口。中國的年齡撫養比率在2010年為39%﹐2015年將會達到40%。聯合國數據顯示﹐到2025年﹐比率將會達到46%。

確實﹐這些比率與某些西方國家相比並不算高﹐並且在一段時間內仍會保持低於全球平均水平。日本的年齡撫養比率為56%﹐到2025年將達到69%。美國的比率為50%﹐2025年將上升至58%。

然而﹐中國的人口紅利正在趨於弱化﹐這將會影響中國的經濟。除了會減緩全要素生產率﹐它還是世界銀行對中國年增長率進行預測的主要因素﹐據估計﹐2015年中國的年增長率將會下降至7.7%﹐2020年將會跌至6.7%。2009年為8.7%。

這就意味著﹐中國可能會逐漸喪失其亞洲發展最快的經濟體的地位。摩根士丹利(Morgan Stanley)的經濟學家們預計印度的年增長率將在2013年至2015年之間超過中國。

上述人口發展趨勢開始對投資者產生影響的一個方面是﹐它將如何改變中國的家庭支出方式。保健和旅遊等行業專為老年人提供產品和服務的供應商很有可能是最後的贏家。相反﹐年輕的成年人即使開始有更多的收入﹐其可支配收入也將會因為需要照顧年老的親人和為自己將來儲蓄而變得頗為拮據。

Andrew Peaple

2010年8月29日 星期日

AIG to Decide on AIA Pre - IPO Sale

灣《工商時報》週一報導﹐如果台灣監管機構駁回由中策集團有限公司(China Strategic Holdings Ltd., 0235.HK, 簡稱﹕中策集團)和博智金融控股有限公司(Primus Financial Holdings Limited)組建的財團提出的收購申請﹐由卡塔爾投資局(Qatar Investment Authority)和

日本Firix Partners Co.組建的財團考慮以25億美元的價格競購美國國際集團(American International Group Inc., AIG, 簡稱AIG)旗下南山人壽保險公司(Nan Shan Life Insurance Co., 簡稱﹕南山人壽)。《工商時報》是援引該卡塔爾財團發言人王世榕的話作出上述報導的。

報導援引王世榕的話稱﹐卡塔爾財團已請投資銀行家與AIG接洽﹐表達收購南山人壽的意願。

記者未能立即聯繫到中策集團和王世榕就此置評。

AIG to Decide on AIA Pre - IPO Sale By Next Week: Sources


at 3:09 a.m. ET

HONG KONG (Reuters) - American International Group Inc is expected to decide by early next week whether to enter formal negotiations with strategic investors for its Asian life insurance business, AIA, sources familiar with the process told Reuters on Wednesday.

That AIG has set a deadline for the strategic bidder process shows that the company may go ahead with plans to list AIA on the Hong Kong stock exchange in the fourth quarter of 2010, a deal that could raise about $15 billion, without an outside investor taking a stake beforehand.

Some Chinese investors have expressed interest in buying stakes in AIA ahead of the IPO. But expectations are running low for the pre-IPO auction to lead to a big deal due to the limited time available.

"The IPO train is moving quite quickly. That means there is limited ability to stop for a strategic investor to come on board and do due diligence and negotiate price," one source familiar with the process said.

An AIG spokeswoman was not available for immediate comment.

The sources declined to be identified since the discussions were private.

The offering would make it the largest ever Hong Kong IPO and would allow AIG to use the proceeds to pay back the U.S. government for its massive 2008 rescue package.

Strategic buyers offer confidence to prospective IPO investors, as they are long term holders. Strategic investors also help set a valuation benchmark for the IPO.

Most major Western banks that took strategic stakes in Chinese financial groups before their IPO binge five years ago made huge profits on the stakes, although little strategic coordination occurred in return.

CHINESE INTEREST

Three to four separate consortiums, made up of Chinese investors, have approached AIG with proposals to take stakes in AIA ahead of the IPO, one source said. Some consortiums have indicated taking between 10-30 percent stakes in AIA, sources said.

Sources however said that AIG is solely focused on the IPO and the strategic investors are not critical to the listing process.

China Life Insurance Co Ltd, Ping An Cinda Asset Management Fosun Group, Hony Capital (an investment arm of Legend Group, parent of Lenovo Group), and Alibaba.comLtd, are among the parties that have expressed interest in buying a strategic stake in AIA, media reports have previously said.

AIG is set to name Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as the

AIG is set to name Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as the joint global coordinators for the IPO, sources have previously told Reuters.

Usually, pre-IPO stakes are sold at a discount to the IPO valuations and that then sets a benchmark for the public offering. A large pre-IPO investment will make it easy for AIG and its advisers to sell the rest of the offer to traditional institutions and mutual funds.

(Reporting by Denny Thomas; Editing by Ken Wills)


AIG to Decide on AIA Pre - IPO Sale

灣《工商時報》週一報導﹐如果台灣監管機構駁回由中策集團有限公司(China Strategic Holdings Ltd., 0235.HK, 簡稱﹕中策集團)和博智金融控股有限公司(Primus Financial Holdings Limited)組建的財團提出的收購申請﹐由卡塔爾投資局(Qatar Investment Authority)和

日本Firix Partners Co.組建的財團考慮以25億美元的價格競購美國國際集團(American International Group Inc., AIG, 簡稱AIG)旗下南山人壽保險公司(Nan Shan Life Insurance Co., 簡稱﹕南山人壽)。《工商時報》是援引該卡塔爾財團發言人王世榕的話作出上述報導的。

報導援引王世榕的話稱﹐卡塔爾財團已請投資銀行家與AIG接洽﹐表達收購南山人壽的意願。

記者未能立即聯繫到中策集團和王世榕就此置評。

AIG to Decide on AIA Pre - IPO Sale By Next Week: Sources


at 3:09 a.m. ET

HONG KONG (Reuters) - American International Group Inc is expected to decide by early next week whether to enter formal negotiations with strategic investors for its Asian life insurance business, AIA, sources familiar with the process told Reuters on Wednesday.

That AIG has set a deadline for the strategic bidder process shows that the company may go ahead with plans to list AIA on the Hong Kong stock exchange in the fourth quarter of 2010, a deal that could raise about $15 billion, without an outside investor taking a stake beforehand.

Some Chinese investors have expressed interest in buying stakes in AIA ahead of the IPO. But expectations are running low for the pre-IPO auction to lead to a big deal due to the limited time available.

"The IPO train is moving quite quickly. That means there is limited ability to stop for a strategic investor to come on board and do due diligence and negotiate price," one source familiar with the process said.

An AIG spokeswoman was not available for immediate comment.

The sources declined to be identified since the discussions were private.

The offering would make it the largest ever Hong Kong IPO and would allow AIG to use the proceeds to pay back the U.S. government for its massive 2008 rescue package.

Strategic buyers offer confidence to prospective IPO investors, as they are long term holders. Strategic investors also help set a valuation benchmark for the IPO.

Most major Western banks that took strategic stakes in Chinese financial groups before their IPO binge five years ago made huge profits on the stakes, although little strategic coordination occurred in return.

CHINESE INTEREST

Three to four separate consortiums, made up of Chinese investors, have approached AIG with proposals to take stakes in AIA ahead of the IPO, one source said. Some consortiums have indicated taking between 10-30 percent stakes in AIA, sources said.

Sources however said that AIG is solely focused on the IPO and the strategic investors are not critical to the listing process.

China Life Insurance Co Ltd, Ping An Cinda Asset Management Fosun Group, Hony Capital (an investment arm of Legend Group, parent of Lenovo Group), and Alibaba.comLtd, are among the parties that have expressed interest in buying a strategic stake in AIA, media reports have previously said.

AIG is set to name Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as the

AIG is set to name Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as the joint global coordinators for the IPO, sources have previously told Reuters.

Usually, pre-IPO stakes are sold at a discount to the IPO valuations and that then sets a benchmark for the public offering. A large pre-IPO investment will make it easy for AIG and its advisers to sell the rest of the offer to traditional institutions and mutual funds.

(Reporting by Denny Thomas; Editing by Ken Wills)


A Sikh Temple Where All May Eat, and Pitch In

MRITSAR JOURNAL


Lynsey Addario for The New York Times

All faiths are welcome to eat a free lunch daily at the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for Sikhs, in Amritsar, India. More Photos »


Multimedia

AMRITSAR, India — The groaning, clattering machines never stop, transforming 12 tons of whole wheat flour every day into nearly a quarter-million discs of flatbread called roti. These purpose-built contraptions, each 20 feet long, extrude the dough, roll it flat, then send it down a gas-fired conveyor belt, spitting out a never-ending stream of hot, floppy, perfectly round bread.

Soupy lentils, three and a third tons of them, bubble away in vast cauldrons, stirred by bearded, barefoot men wielding wooden spoons the size of canoe paddles. The pungent, savory bite wafting through the air comes from 1,700 pounds of onions and 132 pounds of garlic, sprinkled with 330 pounds of fiery red chilies.

It is lunchtime at what may be the world’s largest free eatery, the langar, or community kitchen at this city’s glimmering Golden Temple, the holiest shrine of the Sikh religion. Everything is ready for the big rush. Thousands of volunteers have scrubbed the floors, chopped onions, shelled peas and peeled garlic. At least 40,000 metal plates, bowls and spoons have been washed, stacked and are ready to go.

Anyone can eat for free here, and many, many people do. On a weekday, about 80,000 come. On weekends, almost twice as many people visit. Each visitor gets a wholesome vegetarianmeal, served by volunteers who embody India’s religious and ethnic mosaic.

“This is our tradition,” said Harpinder Singh, the 45-year-old manager of this huge operation. “Anyone who wants can come and eat.”

India is not only the world’s largest democracy, it also is one of the most spiritually diverse nations. It was born in a horrific spasm of religious bloodshed when British India was torn in two to create a Muslim homeland in Pakistan. Yet from the moment of its independence, India has been a resolutely secular nation and has managed to accommodate an extraordinary range of views on such fundamental questions as the nature of humanity, the existence of God and the quality of the soul.

Indeed, few places in India demonstrate so clearly the country’s genius for diversity and tolerance, the twin reasons that India — despite its fractures and fissures — has remained one nation.

Sikhism, which emerged in the Punjab region of India in the 15th century, strongly rejects the notion of caste, which lies at the core of Hinduism.

The Golden Temple, a giant complex of marble and glittering gold that sits at the heart of this sprawling, hectic city near the border with Pakistan, seeks to embody this principle. Nowhere is it more evident than in the community kitchen, where everyone, no matter his religion, wealth or social status, is considered equal.

Guru Amar Das created the community kitchen during his time as the third Sikh guru in the 16th century. Its purpose, he said, was to place all of humanity on the same plane. At the temple’s museum, one painting shows the wife of one of the gurus serving common people, “working day and night in the kitchen like an ordinary worker,” the caption says.

Volunteerism and community support are other central tenets of Sikhism expressed in the langar. When the Mughal emperor Akbar tried to give Guru Amar Das a platter of gold coins to support the kitchen, he refused to accept them, saying the kitchen “is always run with the blessings of the Almighty.”

Ashok Kumar, a Hindu with a scraggly beard, has been coming to the kitchen for the past five years — all day, almost every day — to work as a volunteer. “It is my service,” he explained, after reluctantly taking a very brief break from his syncopated tray sorting.

A white rag covered his head, and his hands were bound like a boxer’s. His job is to man the heavy bucket that receives the dirty plates and bowls. He is the last man on a highly organized line that begins with collecting the spoons, dumping out any leftover food, then loading giant tubs of dirty dishes bound for the washing troughs.

Plates and bowls fly at him, but he never misses a beat, using a metal plate in each hand to deflect the traffic into the tub. Plates go around the rim, while bowls get stacked in the middle.

Mr. Kumar used to be a bookbinder.

“I feel happy here,” he said when asked why he had given up his old life.

Indians of all faiths come here to find a measure of peace largely unavailable in the cacophony of the nation’s 1.2 billion people. Like the thousands of pairs of shoes left at the temple gates, the chaos and filth of urban life are left behind at the marble entrances.

The temple is a world of cleanliness and order — where the wail of the harmonium and the shuffling of bare feet are the only sounds, and every square inch is scrubbed many times a day.

It has not always been a peaceful place. A Sikh insurgency, which sought a separate homeland for Sikhs in Punjab, tore at India’s heart in the 1970s and ’80s. In 1984, Indira Gandhi, then the prime minister, ordered a bloody raid on the temple. Hundreds of militants were hiding there, and many were killed. The temple was also damaged. Sikh bodyguards later assassinated Mrs. Gandhi to avenge the attack on the temple.

Despite this history, Sikhs remain resolutely a part of India’s mainstream, holding leading positions in the arts, government and business. India’s current prime minister,Manmohan Singh, is a Sikh.

Pankaj Ahuja, who owns a medical supply shop in Rajasthan, was visiting the temple for the third time, this time bringing his wife and son, who had never been before. They took the Golden Temple Express train, and were sleeping in the pilgrims’ dormitories, which are also free. The family is Hindu, but the temple has a special significance for them nonetheless.

“You have lots of religious places in this country,” said Mr. Ahuja’s wife, Nikita. “But the kind of peace and cleanliness you find here you won’t find anywhere else.”

Back home, cleaning floors would be considered degrading for someone of her status — people of low caste usually do such work. But here, Mrs. Ahuja happily scrubs floors.

“In normal life, I would ask, ‘Why should I do this?’ It is shameful to clean floors,” she said. “But here, it is different.”

Indeed, she never gives a moment’s thought to who prepared the food in the kitchen, even though in India’s highly stratified caste traditions such matters are vital.

“It is more than food,” she said of the meals that she had eaten at the community kitchen. “Once you eat it, you forget who is cooking, who is serving it, who is sitting next to you.”

Anil Kumar, a 32-year-old Hindu, was up to his elbows in soapy water at one of the washing troughs.

“At home, I would never do this,” he said with a laugh. “It is my wife’s work.”

But he said he tried to come for at least an hour every day to wash dishes. “It is not a question of religion,” he added. “It is a question of faith. Here I feel a feeling of peace.”

Hari Kumar contributed reporting.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: August 29, 2010

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated in which century Guru Amar Das was the third Sikh guru. It was in the 16th century, not the 15th.