Jack Perkowski tells China Money Podcast that he is bullish on environmental and energy efficiency technology, health care and the financial services sectors in China.

Beijing, China (February 02, 2012) /ChinaNewswire.com/ — In a bold refutation of prominent China doomsayers including New York University professor Nouriel Roubini and hedge fund manager Jim Chanos, Jack Perkowski, a.k.a. Mr. China, tells China Money Podcast now is a great time to invest in China because the Chinese government will ensure its economy staves off a crash scenario.

"There are a lot of opportunities in China. It's still very early in the game," says Perkowski. “Those predicting a hard landing didn't take into account of the fact that the Chinese government has all of the monetary and fiscal tools at its disposal."

Perkowski, founder and managing partner at China-focused merchant bank JFP Holdings Ltd., has twenty years of experience investing on the ground in China. He came to China in the early 1990s and founded ASIMCO Technologies Ltd., now one of the largest independent auto component manufactures in China. That pioneer journey made him one of the most successful Western businessmen in China and gained him the moniker, Mr. China. He made the above comments while being interviewed on the latest online episode of China Money Podcast.

Among all the investment potentials, Perkowski favors environmental and energy efficiency technologies, health care and the financial services sector.

"Anything relating to the environment (that) helps improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions (and so on) will be big opportunities, (and) health care, one of the last big industries that's being opened up for outside investors," says Perkowski.

"The whole financial services sector will be huge," Perkowski goes on saying. "China still has a 50 percent savings rate and the insurance sector is growing at 25 percent a year, not because the Chinese are in love insurance but because they look at insurance as another place to put their savings."

Those who predict that China will inevitably suffer a hard landing, defined as an annual growth rate below 7.5 percent, underestimate the resources available to the Chinese government to manage the economy.

"China needs to grow at somewhere between 7 to 9 percent (annually) to have an economy to absorb all of the new workers every year," says Perkowski. Therefore, with social stability top on their mind, China's leaders will do everything to ensure growth does not fall beneath that key level.

After selling ASIMCO Technologies Ltd., then with sales of over US$500 million, to Bain Capital in 2009, Perkowski founded Beijing-based JFP Holdings in the same year. JFP Holdings helps global companies on their China strategies and assists Chinese companies to develop their global footprint.

About China Money Podcast
China Money Podcast is a top rated audio talk show series focused on investing in China. With prominent guests ranging from China-focused fund managers, economists to analysts, the podcast is widely followed by the investment community in and outside of China. Hosted by Nina Xiang, a Beijing-based veteran financial journalist, the podcast is the source of insights on-the-go for any investors interested in investing in China. The show is available as a free audio download from http://www.ChinaMoneyPodcast.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Belinda Wang
  China Money Podcast
  +85281917129
  

Find the original news article here:http://www.prweb.com/releases/china-money-podcast/jack-perkowski-finance/prweb9158219.htm

Beijing, China (November 25, 2011) /ChinaNewswire.com/ — Jim Rogers, Chairman of Rogers Holdings and a famed investor, says he sees more trouble ahead for the world economy in the next few years, and is shorting shares in various markets.

"I mainly short shares around the world," says Rogers. "I have shorted American technology companies, I have shorted European stocks and shorted emerging market stocks."

Rogers made the comment while talking to China Money Podcast (http://www.ChinaMoneyPodcast.com), a top-rated audio program focusing on investing in China.

Long known as a China Bull, Rogers turned pessimistic about China's economic future in light of the on-going economic malaise in the U.S. and Europe. "I don't see a resumption of the bull market in many places in the world until we have the next economic problems in the US, which will be fairly soon," says Rogers.

Having moved to Singapore in 2007 to be closer to the investment opportunities in China, Rogers warns investors to be cautious on China's property bubble. But he also points out that investors should differentiate China's property bubble with that of the U.S. "China's property market has a price bubble, but not a credit bubble the US had," says Rogers.

The outspoken author of a number of best selling books, including A Gift To My Children, is a firm believer of the Chinese currency's long-term potential. "The Renminbi will go massively higher over the next few decades," says Rogers, who goes on to warn U.S. politicians, who have repeated blasted China for manipulating the RMB, to be careful of what they wish for.

"Manipulation is the wrong world. (China) has a managed float. Once the Chinese currency is freely convertible and freely traded, you are going to have a lot of people leaving the U.S. dollar and going into the RMB. Then the U.S. is going to lose its status as the world's reserve currency."

Though the intellectually intense investor believes that China should allow the RMB to rise faster against the dollar, he says it is China's currency, and China should be the one making the decisions.

"If someone called up the American government, and went into the press everyday and said to America this is what you have to do with your currency, America would be furious. America would be shrieking, yelling and probably dropping bombs on that country," says Rogers.

– About China Money Podcast –

http://www.ChinaMoneyPodcast.com

China Money Podcast is a top rated audio talk show series focused on investing in China. With prominent guests ranging from China-focused fund managers, economists to analysts, the podcast is widely followed by the investment community in and outside of China. Hosted by Nina Xiang, a Beijing-based veteran financial journalist, the podcast is the source of insights – on-the-go – for any investor interested in investing in China.

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Belinda Wang
  China Money Podcast
  +85281917129
  

Sanya, China (November 24, 2011) /ChinaNewswire.com/ — At the award ceremony of running through November 15 at New York City, The International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS) announced winners of the 31st annual Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design, Honorees were selected by a panel of industry experts from a field of more than 150 projects representing 24 countries. The InterContinental Sanya Resort was awarded Best Bathroom, Best Spa, and Best Hotel Design- Resort. The Awards are sponsored by Interior Design and HOTELS magazines with the 96th annual IHMRS.

"It is our great honor that InterContinental Sanya Resort had been awarded as the ‘Best Bathroom, Best Spa, and Best Hotel Design- Resort" said Mr. Geoffrey Ryan, the General Manager of InterContinental Sanya Resort. "We are very happy that the industry experts, audiences, and the guests like our distinctive eco-friendly property design, superior facilities, friendly services and the incredible beautiful environment. The entire team of InterContinental Sanya Resort is committed to exceed our guests' expectations.

Opened in July 2010, InterContinental Sanya Resort occupies one of the most beautiful locations – Xiao Dong Hai in Sanya, surrounded by sandy beaches and green mountains, offers guests picturesque views from every room. Beautiful water features and water gardens throughout the Resort create a serene yet stylish ambience. The Resort offers 343 sea view rooms including 24 beachside villas & 12 executive suites, and guests can lounge in 5 swimming pools, dine in 8 restaurants and bars, unwind in our soothing SPA InterContinental or choose from 1 ballroom and 7 inspiring meeting rooms.

For this awards more information please visit: http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/154000320/4053787.html.

About InterContinental Sanya Resort
InterContinental Sanya Resort is owned by Luhuitou Tourist Area Development Co., Ltd. Sanya and managed by InterContinental Hotels Group, the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms. For more information on InterContinental Sanya Resort and its facilities, please visit www.intercontinental.com/sanya or call 400 886 2255 for reservations.

About IHG
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms. IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, over 4,400 hotels and more than 645,000 guest rooms in over 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognised and respected hotel brands including InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites, and also manages the world's largest hotel loyalty programme, Priority Club Rewards with 48 million members worldwide.

IHG has nearly 1,400 hotels in its development pipeline, which will create 160,000 jobs worldwide over the next few years.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Emma Gao
  Director of Marketing Communications
  Phone:+86 898 8861 8888 Ext.8240
  Mobile:+86 137 0753 9200
  Fax:+86 898 8861 7666
  E-mail:yangemma.gao@ihg.com
  

Shanghai, China (November 22, 2011) /ChinaNewswire.com/ — Over the next ten years, the Chinese government will invest more than Yuan 100bn (US$15bn) in subsidising the country's industry and infrastructure for environmentally friendly and alternative fuel vehicles. Around Yuan 60bn will be invested in developing energy-saving technologies, with the remaining funds to be used for the creation of an infrastructure capable of supporting energy saving vehicles in certain cities.The Chinese car industry is maturing and follows other big manufacturers in their investment on electric mobility. The state supports this move by having set an official goal of 500,000 Chinese plug-in hybrids and electric cars produced by the end of 2011. To facilitate this goal, China launches a nationwide programme to install large electric vehicle charging stations. China is on track to lead deployment of this infrastructure in the coming years.

According to MIIT Telematics has been listed as one of the major project in China during the 12th Five-Year Plan period. The future investing will foucs on automotive electronics, information and communication and software solutions. It is expected that total market value of China Telematics industry will be more than 10billion USD and China will be the largest market for telematics services. However the telematics segment in China is still far from fully developmed owing to the lack of industry involvement and integration. Especially, the progress of consumer telematics development is laggard in China.

China 2012 Electric Vehicle Forum garthering 200+ OEMs, Enterprise decision makers and China government officers, focusing building Chinese style sustainable EV infrastructure , Telematics technology, and strategic plan.

We building a precious communication platform of technology exchange, business partnership and market development.

Conference Website: www.chinaevforum.com/2012/index.asp.

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Ale Xu
  Tel: +86 21 5180 7955
  Fax: +86 21 5180 7791
  Email: ale@being-consulting.com
  

Los Angeles, California (December 22, 2011) /ChinaNewswire.com/ — Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Grammy award-winning artist will.i.am and Americans Promoting Study Abroad (APSA) joined students at Mendez Learning Center on Monday to announce a star-studded concert in Beijing on Dec. 17 to build support for the State Department's 100,000 Strong Initiative to promote study abroad in China.

Los Angeles is the latest city to throw its support behind 100,000 Strong, a program launched in 2010 to dramatically increase the number of American students studying in China over the next four years. The Beijing concert, through the support of generous corporate sponsors, will help 100,000 Strong raise the money necessary to send U.S. students to China.

"Los Angeles couldn't be more pleased to partner with 100,000 Strong," Mayor Villaraigosa said. "This program will create life-changing opportunities for our Los Angeles' young people to travel to a new country, learn about a new culture and meet new friends."

Will.i.am, the front man for The Black Eyed Peas, will headline the Dec. 17 concert along with several other prominent Chinese and U.S. artists including apl.de.ap, also of The Black Eyed Peas, the Bucky Johnson Band and singer-songwriter John Legend. Legend is a nine-time Grammy award winner.

Will.i.am met with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in July to announce his support for 100,000 Strong. At the meeting, Clinton formally announced that will.i.am would serve as a goodwill ambassador for the program.

"Having come from the Los Angeles area, I know first-hand how important programs like 100,000 Strong can be," will.i.am said. "The opportunity to study abroad in China would be a dream realized for so many young people who may not otherwise have had the chance to see what else the world has to offer."

Also joining Mayor Villaraigosa at Monday's event: Carola McGiffert, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and Director of 100,000 Strong, Mendez Engineering and Technology Principal Alex Avila, teachers and students from Mendez high school, Ted Dean, Co-Chairman of APSA and representatives of Cinequest.

Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell said of L.A.'s partnership: "We are thrilled that Mayor Villaraigosa has embraced this very important initiative. The more support we get from our nation's mayors, the closer we are to sending 100,000 American students to China over the next four years."

In addition to Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Seattle have agreed to serve as partner cities for 100,000 Strong.

Americans Promoting Study Abroad (APSA) runs full-scholarship programs for U.S. high school students from underserved communities to study in Beijing, focusing on language acquisition, cultural understanding, leadership development and exposure to international careers. It is organizing the December concert with the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation Beijing and with the support of the State Department on 100,000 Strong.

"We are excited to partner with the City of Los Angeles on this important initiative" said APSA's Ted Dean. "We also are excited to be announcing a new partnership with Cinequest to develop a U.S.-China youth film collaborative program that will deliver even more opportunities for LA public high school students to travel to China and work with their counterparts on creative projects."

Cinequest, which helps educate young people about technology and movie-making, will partner with APSA to organize collaborative film projects involving L.A. public high school students and Chinese students.

The 100,000 Strong Initiative is a public-private partnership; to date, private corporate and foundation donors have pledged more than $11 million towards the Initiative. The Chinese government has offered 20,000 scholarships for U.S. students. To learn more about the 100,000 Strong Initiative, visit www.state.gov/100Kstrong.

CONTACT INFORMATION

• APSA: Erin Billings
  ebillings@bgrpr.com
  202-285-4528

  State Department: Carola McGiffert
  McGiffertC@state.gov
  202-647-1029

  Mayor Villaraigosa: Rachel Kruer
  rachel.kruer@lacity.org
  213-978-0741
  

Beijing, China (November 21, 2011) /ChinaNewswire.com/ — In 2011, the internet business in China has pursued the upsurge of going public which took place in 2010. With companies including renren, qihoo360, netqin, jianyuan, 21vianet, tudou are all going public abroad, the Chinese internet business has become the high light of the Chinese economy. Beside that, other companies, which have been developing along with the growth of Chinese internet, such as tencent, alibaba, baidu, also did great jobs in 2011.

This year, 2011, is the Chinese Year on internet, is the year of Chinese Hero on internet. With the world-wide economic crisis and the American Credit Rating going down, China stood out and got to the top of the international market.

To witness the existence of the Local Hero of Chinese internet, the 9th Chinese Internet Economic Forum 2011 is to begin on December 8th. This forum is an annual grand gathering which hosted by and Information Research Center of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Under the main topic "China – Hero", the forum will emphasize the Chinese opportunities, new ideas of CEO, and have a further discussion on topics such as life on line service, mobile internet and cloud computing, E-Business and e-payment, internet advertisement and marketing. Government official, seniors and experts on internet, advertisers are all invited to this gathering. That will conclude and look forward to the direction on this business as well as provide a stage for resource integration.

This forum will launch a voting of "China – Hero", and announce the Top 100 E-business Website in China, and also "mobile internet award 2011", "e-payment award 2011", "Chinese web advertisement award 2011", "Chinese internet celebrity 2011", "the most popular IT products 2011". That brought the forum the widest involvement and the highest attention.

It's the time to witness the heroes of internet! Here, JW Marriott, Beijing China, on December 8th ,2011, let’s celebrate it together.

Organization: , Information Research Center of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences;Time: December, 08, 2011 (Thursday);Location: JW Marriott, Beijing China; Web: www.ciweekforum.com

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Business Cooperation, Mr. Glare XU
  Tel: +86-010-65240311
  Cell Phone: 86+13683277123
  Email: hqxu@ciweek.com

  Media Cooperation: Miss Gao Ran
  Tel: +86-010-65249988-5103
  Email: rgao@ciweek.com
  

Beijing, China (October 28, 2011) /ChinaNewswire.com/ — Shangri-La restructured its signature Golden Circle (GC) loyalty programme a year ago to allow both staying and non-staying guests to earn and redeem Golden Circle Award Points (GC Award Points). Since the relaunch, the awards programme has attracted more than 288,000 new members, bringing the total membership to over 2 million guests who have earned more than 635 million GC Award Points in the year. Golden Circle now includes over 500,000 members from mainland China.

"I believe it is safe to say that the success of the new Golden Circle programme has exceeded our own expectations and we are particularly pleased to see so many of our Chinese guests joining," said Wee Kee Ng, director of corporate loyalty and partner marketing. "The feedback we have been given is that our guests appreciate that we recognise and reward them every time in every Shangri-La hotel, resort, Kerry or Traders hotel no matter whether they are staying in the hotel or not." To mark the anniversary of the enhanced Golden Circle, Shangri-La announced the launch of the new exclusive members' magazine, Inner Circle, on 25 October 2011.

Inner Circle is an interactive multi-language magazine website www.innercircle.shangri-la.com, which provides travel inspiration and insider knowledge on the ultimate Shangri-La destinations through travel features, interviews and news. Linked to a monthly e-newsletter, the site aims to provide a new means of regular communication with members of Shangri-La's Golden Circle. With user commenting areas across the site and live feeds into social media platforms, Inner Circle allows members to share their travel experiences and recommendations.

Divided into six sections, the site provides the latest travel tips to inspire even the most seasoned globetrotters.

News: The news section provides regular communication with Golden Circle members, on topics such as new hotel openings, awards, information on the latest refurbishments, benefits and special announcements from Shangri-La hotels and resorts across the globe.

Destinations: Every month, the destination section provides readers with insights into new travel destinations – from exploring the jungle with orang-utans in Borneo to shopping for modern art in Shanghai.

Inspiration: The inspiration section seeks to provide readers with a new take on a well known destination – focusing every issue on travel-related passions (such as gourmet experiences, adventure pursuits or health and wellness retreats) and seeking insider information from people in the know. Therefore, whether editors are quizzing the chef at Shangri La Hotel, Paris about the ultimate gourmet experience or trekking with mountaineers in Guilin for a genuine adrenalin rush, this section seeks to inspire readers to broaden horizons and explore their interests.

Top 10: The Top 10 section is an area where readers can browse for their next adventure. Leveraging the imagery from all Shangri-La, Kerry and Traders hotels across the globe, every issue this section features a rundown of 10 amazing sites, sounds or experiences, providing a place for readers to "window shop" for their next Shangri-La destination.

Your Circle: Your Circle provides the interactive heart to the Inner Circle website, where Golden Circle members can share their own travel stories.

Members are encouraged to submit their travel articles and photography to this area, and every month, two contributors (one English-language submission and one Chinese-language submission) are published on Inner Circle and win a complimentary two-night stay in an Executive Suite at one of the Shangri-La group's hotels.

Heart Talk: The renowned travel writer Siew Hoon Yeoh is an integral part of Inner Circle with her travel column Heart Talk, where she shares her monthly musings in a one-woman mission to spread her love of travel as she treks across the globe.

Inner Circle is accessible to non-members on a "read only" basis. For commenting and feedback, readers are invited to join Golden Circle, which is free and open to anyone over the age of 18. To join, visit Golden Circle's dedicated website, www.goldencircle.shangri-la.com, where members can also manage their profile, set their preferences, check and redeem points.

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, one of the world's premier hotel companies, currently owns and/or manages 72 hotels under the Shangri-La, Kerry and Traders brands, with a room inventory of over 30,000. Over almost four decades, the group has established its brand hallmark of "hospitality from the heart." The group has a substantial development pipeline with projects in Canada, mainland China, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Mongolia, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Turkey and United Kingdom.

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Judy Wang
  Director of Media Relation, China
  Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts
  Tel: (86 10) 6505 3293
  Fax: (86 10) 6505 3274
  E-mail: judy.wang@shangri-la.com
  

Beijing, China (October 21, 2011) /ChinaNewswire.com/ — As a testament to the appeal of China as a premier travel destination, Virtuoso, Imperial Tours, Abercrombie & Kent Asia, and host hotels Raffles Beijing Hotel and The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong will welcome 128 executives from Virtuoso's top 67 travel agency members from the United States, Canada, Mexico, The Caribbean, South America and Australia for the Virtuoso Chairman's Recognition Event. The network represents $9.6 billion in annual travel sales, and the Chairman's Recognition Event honors 2011's top performers within Virtuoso's elite membership of 330-plus travel agencies located in 20 countries. The event will take place October 16-22, 2011.

Virtuoso rewards its top revenue producers, its most engaged members and travel agencies with the most improved sales with a trip befitting of the upscale travel they typically plan. The itinerary provides an exclusive glimpse into China few have had the privilege to see, and allows these professionals to experience the genuine flavor and style of the destination. Virtuoso's Chairman's Recognition Event occurs annually in some of the most exciting, colorful and vibrant locales in the world, most recently Kenya (2010), Scotland (2009), India (2008), Prague (2007) and Peru (2006) – and now China in 2011.

"At Virtuoso, we believe exploring the world and its tremendous diversity creates unequalled opportunities to refocus travelers on what's important – the ability to create shared experiences and memories," commented Matthew D. Upchurch, CTC, CEO of Virtuoso. "Our Chairman's Recognition Event serves to inspire our top-performing travel advisors, and ultimately their clientele, by providing a rare look at the very best ways to experience all that a destination has to offer. Their first-hand accounts of these unique locations help sustain the cycle of travel," he added.

The Virtuoso Chairman's Event program will allow guests to participate first-hand in exclusive and enriching experiences that distinguish China by combining the country's historic culture with more modern influences.

Highlights of the Virtuoso itinerary in Beijing and Shanghai include

Beijing
Welcome lunch at, and hosted by, Park Hyatt Beijing
Welcome reception and dinner at Raffles Beijing Hotel, hosted by Fairmont Raffles Hotels
Lunch and expert briefing on Contemporary Art In China at, and hosted by, the Opposite House
Cocktails and a private dinner at the Garden of Harmonious Interest in the Summer Palace, hosted by Aman Resorts
A lunch banquet at the Great Wall, hosted by St. Regis Beijing
Cocktails and dinner at the Water Cube, hosted by Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts
Exclusive historic, cultural and educational excursions within Beijing, operated by Imperial Tours

Shanghai
Welcome Reception and Dinner at FLAIR in The Ritz Carlton Shanghai, Pudong, hosted by The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company
Private lunch at Swatch Art Peace Hotel
Private dinner and reception at Mme. Eleonora Huang’s stunning 93rd floor Shanghai Loft at the Park Hyatt Shanghai, hosted by Park Hyatt Shanghai
Private reception and lunch at Grand Hyatt Shanghai, hosted by Hyatt Hotels
Gala cocktail reception and dinner at The Peninsula Shanghai overlooking The Bund, honoring the “Roaring Thirties” of Shanghai, hosted by The Peninsula Hotels
Exclusive historic, cultural and educational excursions within Shanghai, operated by Abercrombie & Kent Asia

About Virtuoso
Virtuoso is the industry's leading luxury travel network. This by-invitation-only organization comprises over 330 agencies with more than 7,200 elite travel specialists in 20 countries in North and South America, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, as well as over 1,300 of the world's best travel providers and premier destinations. The network's member agencies generate over 9.6 billion dollars annually in travel sales, making the group the most powerful in the luxury travel segment. Their relationships with the finest travel companies provide the network's affluent clientele with exclusive amenities, rare experiences and privileged access. Virtuoso is the exclusive network of travel services and benefits provided by MasterCard® for participating World Elite MasterCard programs. For more information, please visit www.virtuoso.com.

To view Virtuoso's latest video content, visit http://www.youtube.com/user/VirtuosoTraveler.

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Misty Ewing
  Virtuoso – Director, Public Relations
  Phone: 212-588-8242 or 206-484-8022 (mobile)
  E-mail: mewing@virtuoso.com
  

Sichuan, China (May 25, 2011) /ChinaNewswire.com/ — A high-powered delegation of Marriott International executives led by President Arne Sorenson recently visited the Pingwu County of Sichuan Province in China to see for themselves the first-year performance of its "Nobility of Nature"
programme – an ambitious fresh water conservation programme. The Marriott senior executives acknowledge that it is essential to build on the project's current success and provide bigger support to the fresh water conservation endeavors of China.

Announced in Spring 2010 at the World Expo Shanghai, the "Nobility of Nature" is a collaboration between Marriott International and Conservation International to support fresh water conservation and assist rural communities with sustainable business that put less stress on the environment.

Marriott International has been investing USD500,000 seed money to the "Nobility of Nature" programme. The fund is used to provide grants, training, resources and community development for local villages in Sichuan Province where the world's largest water source is located. The Guanba Village in Pingwu was one of the first sites to receive the support of "Nobility of Nature". The funding helped provide bee hives, state-of-the-art bee farming knowhow and other infrastructure for the Guanba Bee Farming Cooperative.

Heritage of Serving Communities
The members of the Marriott delegation include Arne Sorenson, Asia Pacific President and Managing Director, Simon Cooper; Asia Pacific COO Craig Smith; Regional Vice President – Marketing, Dominic Sherry; Executive Vice President Global Communications & Public Affairs, Kathleen Matthews and Managing Director of JW Marriott Hotel Beijing Robert Fabiano, as well as eight associate representatives from the Marriott hotels in mainland China and Hong Kong. The group visited the Guanba Village as well as the Wanglong wild panda conservation park in Pingwu.

"As I travel the world, I see how important social responsibility is to our guests, customers, associates and of course to our communities," said Sorenson. "The Nobility of Nature programme in China is a great example of this approach. Marriott International extends its 'Spirit to Serve' concept practiced in our hotels for some eight decades, to embrace the integration of social responsibility and sustainability in our business strategies."

Sorenson added that it was important to engage eight associates from Marriott hotels in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Guangzhou and Hong Kong in this visit. "They will become the ambassadors of the Nobility of Nature to promote the importance of water conservation to their colleagues, guests, family members and friends," he continued.

Sweet Taste of Success
For generations the bee farmers of Guanba village adopted the traditional methods of bee farming which were not very efficient. For instance, a bee hive could only produce 10 kg of honey a year. In addition, the farmers could only sell the honey to local wholesaler at a cheap price of about RMB16 per kg because of a lack of marketing know-how.

With the assistance and grant offered by the "Nobility of Nature" programme, the Guanba Bee Farming Cooperative replaced most of the old-fashioned one-piece type of bee hives with the advanced multi-slide ones. The new hive can produce 20 to 25kg of honey every year.

The Cooperative has also appointed a full-time patrol inspector to ensure that the water resources nearby are well protected. According to its farmers, clean water is pivotal to the well-being of floral plants which in result will lead to quality honey. The Guanba honey is made from some 15 different kinds of flowers and is sweeter than those produced in other areas.

In order that the Guanba honey can be marketed at a price that matches with its exceptional quality, Marriott International advised the Cooperative to apply for organic food certification last summer. It also invited Wuxi Chengbao Foods Co. Ltd, Marriott International’s preferred juice vendor in China, to support this initiative. Chengbao offered the Cooperative with counsel on certification application and helped design a trendy packaging for the Guanba honey for free.

In October 2010, the Guanba honey in a brand-new outlook was available for retail sale in the entire hotel network of Marriott International in China. The newly designed packing of Guanba’s honey features a stylish jar, a wrapping strip highlighting its 100% organic nature, as well as a tag that details the story of Nobility of Nature and the Guanba Bee Farming Cooperative.

"Marriott International has an enormous network of some 60 hotels in China, more importantly, our guests also support sustainability. Through marketing the Guanba honey in our hotels, this helps ensure our first Nobility of Nature project a huge success," said Simon Copper. "It turns out that our guests are very pleased to take part in this meaning initiative, and enjoy this sweet, 100% organic and quality honey."

The proceeds of selling the Guanba honey in Marriott hotels are used to provide further support to the development of the Cooperative. When meeting the Marriott International senior executives, the Guanba villagers had a nice surprise as they were told that part of the proceeds would be used to purchase a truck for them. The truck will bring a lot of mileage in increasing the operation efficiency of the Cooperative.

Marriott International and Conservation International are now reviewing the application of a second project target to be supported by the "Nobility of Nature" program.

About Marriott International, Inc
Marriott International is a leading lodging company with more than 3,400 lodging properties in 70 countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, the Autograph Collection, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; licenses and manages whole-ownership residential brands, including The Ritz-Carlton Residences, JW Marriott Residences and Marriott Residences; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, USA and had approximately 137,000 employees at 2009 yearend. It is recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the best companies to work for, and by Newsweek magazine as one of the greenest big companies in America. In fiscal year 2009, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of nearly $11 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com For the latest company news, please visit www.marriottnewscenter.com

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Rachel Liu
  Paradigm Communications
  Tele：10 – 85800783 – 16
  Fax：10 – 85800753
  Mobile：13810518539
  Email：rachelliu@paradigm.com.hk

The Asian Institute of Management Ramon V. del Rosario Center for Corporate Social Responsibility (AIM-RVR Center), principal host of the conference, is returning to Kuala Lumpur after six years. The last time it was held in Kuala Lumpur was in 2004.

Recognized as being the largest and most significant conference on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Asia, the 2009 conference recently concluded in Manila with 494 delegates. 473 delegates attended in Singapore in 2008, and 550 delegates attended in Ho Chi Minh City in 2007. For this year, over 400 business executives and other CSR stakeholders from more than 30 countries are expected to attend the conference in Kuala Lumpur.

The AFCSR in Kuala Lumpur aims to highlight innovative programs and best practices in CSR by corporations operating in Asia and to promote CSR as a key strategy in addressing social needs and concerns; to showcase corporate innovation in CSR in Asia and among Asian firms; to promote new thinking and standards on CSR as a strategy; and to build a network of CSR practitioners across Asia. The event is extremely well-supported and attended not only by senior business executives from Asia, but also by major NGOs throughout the Asian region.

The 2010 Asian Forum is co-presented by the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and Intel as Strategic Partners.

The event co-chairmen are Mr. Ramon R. del Rosario, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Advisors, Ramon V. del Rosario, Sr. AIM Center for Corporate Social Responsibility (AIM-RVR Center); Ybhg. Tun Dato' Seri (Dr.) Ahmad Sarji Bin Abdul Hamid, Chairman of Permodalan Nasional Berhad; and Tan Sri Dato' Dr. Lin See Yan, Chairman/CEO of LIN Associates Sdn Bhd.

AFCSR's notable partners include: ActionAid International Vietnam, ASEAN Foundation; Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium; Asia Society; Baltic Management Development Association (BMDA); Business Ethics Institute of Malaysia (BEIM); Business in the Community-UK; Center for Development and Integration – Vietnam; Center for International Business Ethics (CIBE) – China; Centre for Social Markets – India; Chinese Federation for Corporate Social Responsibility (CFCSR); Community Business – Hong Kong; Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry; Council for Better Corporate Citizenship – Japan; CSR Europe EFMD; Euro-China Centre for Leadership and Responsibility at China-Europe, International Business School (ECCLAR at CEIBS), Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI); Habitat for Humanity International; Indonesia Business Links; International Business Leaders Forum; Kenan Institute Asia; League of Corporate Foundations – Philippines; Makati Business Club; Management Association of the Philippines; Management Institute for Social Change – Malaysia; National Center for Sustainability Reporting – Indonesia; Pacific Asian Consortium for International Business Education and Research; Philippine Business for Social Progress; Population and Community Development Association of Thailand; PPM Institute of Management – Indonesia; Responsible Business Initiative – Pakistan; Singapore Compact for CSR; and Women in Sustainability Action (WISA).

For additional information on AFCSR, please visit the AFCSR website at www.asianforumcsr.com for conference updates.

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Vianca Bocalan
  Exedra Events
  Tel: (632) 812-6289
  Fax: (632) 819-3752
  viancabocalan@exedraevents.com
  www.asianforumcsr.com

It is a great day out for all the family with a barbeque, fish & chips, bouncy castle, shadow puppet show and lots of side stalls and entertainment.

The event is supported by Dulwich College, Virgin Atlantic and Subway. The supporters and Care for Children share the responsibilities to the local communities. The yearly event organized by Care for Children is aim to bring familiarity in expat families and local Beijing people as well as create a Fun Day for the children.

After ten years of working to improve the lives of thousands of disadvantaged children across China, it enables Care for Children's work to develop further in new and exciting ways, providing assistance to some of the most vulnerable members of Chinese society.

More info please visit www.careforchildren.com

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Tel: 84702735-616

Shanghai International Hospital is a comprehensive, international standard healthcare organization conveniently located in Pudong Jing Qiao area in Shanghai. As part of the Huashan Hospital, one of the nation's highest-level medical teaching and research centers, Shanghai International Hospital provides our patients with the best medical expertise and clinical service. Shanghai International Hospital is also a world class medical care provider with extensive experience as the official provider of many international events such as 2008 Olympic Games and APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Shanghai.

Shanghai International Hospital is equipped with state of the art medical technologies including CT, MRI, Color Doppler, Cyber knife, Intraoperative navigation system, DSA, etc.; 200 general beds, 20 ICU beds, 20 CCU beds, 12 emergency observation beds, 11 high standard operation rooms and a comprehensive health screening centre; and our laboratory equipments are one of the best in Asia with the world leading brands. The system is accredited by CAP.

Our hospital has specialties in Internal Medicine, Surgery, Ophthalmology, ENT, Dermatology, Oncology, Oral surgery, GYN and Neurosurgery.

The opening of our Outpatient Medical Services will provide Family Medicine, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. All other specialty and inpatient services will be available in the near future and is currently available on an on-call basis.

Patient assistance is available for medical records, treatment plan, language translation, health education, and direct billing. We have arranged direct payment system contracts with global insurance companies and dedicated account representatives will assist you and your family with medical details before, during and after a patient's visit to our hospital.
Quality at our hospital is about the patient's experience — from the first phone call to the appointment. Ask for our friendly services: deposits and payment information; cost estimates and updates for medical services; and assistance in contacting patients' insurance providers.

Our team of international staff has extensive experience in medical treatment and patient care. All medical professionals have been selected based on their specialty expertise. They are highly respected in their respective specialties and many of whom have practiced overseas to bring the best practices in caring for our patients.
We are fully committed in providing you with customized medical care and a comprehensive range of services to meet all your medical needs in a safe and professional environment. Welcome to the Shanghai International Hospital!

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Ms. Jennifer Kung
  E-mail: Jennifer.kung@hhp.org.cn
  http://www.hhp.org.cn
  Tel: 021-3871-9999 ext 2803

Beijing, China (February 08, 2010) /ChinaNewswire.com/ — Care for Children was one of the first international NGOs on the scene to help with various relief efforts following the devastating earthquake in Sichuan in May 2008. As part of a long-term commitment to support child welfare development in the region, Care for Children agreed to fund a re-building project in the city of De Yang.

The project plans are for a training and resource centre for the management and development of foster care, special education needs, and support for street children in the region. The project plans received local government approval in April 2009, following which Care for Children made an initial deposit of RMB 1,500,000. In November 2009, the project received national approval from the City Planning & Construction Bureau. Tenders to contractors have been submitted, and construction work will commence following Chinese New Year holiday period, 2010.

Following a visit to De Yang in May 2009, Ms. Zhang Ziyi expressed her personal interest in supporting long-term, sustainable initiatives for the development of child welfare in the region and pledged her foundation's support at that time.

With the approval of the local government to begin work, Ziyi Zhang Foundation has committed to donate US$400,000 towards the construction of the De Yang Children's Centre, and becomes one of the biggest sponsors of this project.

Care for Children is very pleased that the Ziyi Zhang Foundation has committed to financially support the De Yang children's re-building project with a donation of US$ 400,000. The donation will be transferred to Care for Children within three weeks of the ground-breaking ceremony.

Care for Children is excited about the potential this project has to transform thousands of children's lives, and make a positive impact on the development of child welfare in De Yang, Sichuan, and the surrounding region. Care for Children is very grateful for the significant contribution of Ziyi Zhang's foundation to make this project possible.

About Care for Children
Care for Children exists to relieve hardship, distress and sickness in abandoned and orphaned children in China by the introduction of strategic initiatives in child care practice, at the request of, and in cooperation with, the Chinese national and local children welfare authorities. To date, Care for Children's National Foster Care Project has trained staff from over 220 orphanages across 38 project sites in 27 provinces, and has helped place thousands of Chinese children into local Chinese long-term foster families as an alternative to institutional care.

About Ziyi Zhang Foundation
Ziyi Zhang Foundation is a non-profit charity organization, created in May 2008 by Chinese actress Ms. Zhang Ziyi to respond to the needs of her community in the wake of the Sichuan Earthquake. It is a 501(c)(3) charity registered under the laws of California, USA.

The theme of this summit is to discuss strategies in developing the best business model and new business partnership in delivering mobile financial services to the mass market.

Highly-regarded speakers representing the mobile operators, banks, mobile transfer networks, mWallets and "interoperability hubs", handset manufacturers, technology and equipment providers will share their latest efforts in launching m-commerce services and the key challenges facing them at this summit.

Mr Paolo Baltao, G-Xchange, Inc.'s Product Group and International Remittance & Banking Business Development Head of Globe Telecom, Philippines, Mr Delwar Hossain Azad, Head, Financial Services of Grameenphone, Bangladesh and Anthony Perkins, Head of Technology of WING, Cambodia will be sharing their success stories in launching Mobile Remittance/Mobile Money Transfer & Microfinance Services at this M-Commerce World Summit 2010.

Companies/organisations representing the M-Commerce Ecosystems will be speaking at this conference: Mohamed A Kazi, Channel Head-Mobile Banking, Absa Bank, South Africa; Paradorn Wichayapinyo, Marketing Manager, Advanced mPAY, Thailand; Nitin Chittal, Vice President, Retail Banking-Alternate Channels, Axis Bank, India; Frédéric Schepens, Executive Vice President, Strategic Business Development, Belgacom ICS, Belgium; Mohammad Jakirul Islam, Project Coordinator mCommerce, Citycell, Bangladesh; Thivanka Rangala, Group Chief Commercial Officer, Dialog Telekom PLC, Sri Lanka; Paolo Baltao, G-Xchange, Inc.'s Product; Group and International Remittance & Banking Business Development Head, Globe Telecom, Philippines; Delwar Hossain Azad, Head, Financial Services, Grameenphone, Bangladesh; Michael Becker, VP Mobile Strategies, iLoop Mobile, USA; Silvester Prakasam, Director (Fare Systems), Land Transport Authority, Singapore; Andrew Parker, Business Development Manager, M.Com, New Zealand; Anthony Panal Petalcorin, Senior MIS Manager, Microenterprise Access to Banking Services / Regional Manager, Mindanao, Philippines; Kate Zilla-Bâ, COO, Mondato, USA;Bharat Bhatia, Regional Director, India, SAARC and South East Asia, Motorola,India; Chakaprani GK, Director – Emerging Markets, Nokia Financial Services, Nokia, India; Matthew Talbot, Vice-President, mCommerce, Sybase 365, Singapore; Louie Stojanovski, Director of Regional Operations, Asia Pacific, Messaging LOB, Syniverse Technologies, Inc., Australia; Dan Armstrong, Managing Consultant, Takashi Mobile / Co-Founder, Rabo Mobiel B.V., The Netherlands; Arief Hamdani Gunawan, Senior Officer-Regulatory Management, Telkom Indonesia, Indonesia; Lalit Sinha, Deputy General Manager, DIT, Union Bank of India, India; Thor Hauge, Vice President, Digital Ventures, Western Union; Anthony Perkins, Head of Technology, WING, Cambodia.

There will be a pre-conference workshop on 16 March 2010 on "Mobile Marketing", Advertising and Commerce Workshop: Tools for Navigating the Industry Ecosystem – A Hands-On and In-Depth Study of Mobile Marketing Best Practices, Industry Ecosystem Structure, Players and Business Models' to be led by: Michael Becker, VP Mobile Strategies, iLoop Mobile, USA and a post-conference workshop on "How to Build and Calculate A Successful Business Case for Mobile Banking?" to be led by: Andrew Parker, Business Development Manager, M.Com, New Zealand.

The summit website is : http://www.symphonyglobal.com/index.php/event/page/m-commerce.

About Symphony Global
Symphony Global is a business media and consulting company that aims to provide the best networking platforms for global business connections.

All our events are research-driven with direct contacts with major industry stakeholders to ensure that they meet their needs and keep up to the industry trends and developments. SG Conferences offer you an unrivalled opportunity to network with your peers within your areas of business and ultimately develop the best business partnership for future business expansion. Our workshops and masterclasses provide an informative and interactive forum for developing latest techniques and skills.

Take advantage of SG services and products to keep up-to-date with the latest developments within your industry.

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Contact:
  Phyllis Goh, senior conference manager
  Symphony Global Pte Ltd
  65-6221 8119
  Email: Phyllis.goh@symphonyglobal.com
  http://www.symphonyglobal.com

Hanoi, Vietnam (January 18, 2010) /ChinaNewswire.com/ — Mobile phone usage in Vietnam is big and getting bigger. From pre-teens to over-60s, it seems everyone in Vietnam has a mobile phone, or even two. In fact, mobile phone ownership in Vietnam is far higher than that of developing neighbors; 74 percent of people in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi own a mobile; over half (58 percent) of the urban population and a third (37 percent) in rural areas. That's quite an astonishing figure when compared to China and India, two countries developing at a rapid pace.

Vietnamese consumers are resilient and despite the global economic crisis, they remain relatively positive. Vietnam consumers are ranked the 9th most confident worldwide, according to a recent Global Consumer Confidence study released.

The Vietnam Mobile & Broadband International Summit 2010 will be held March 25-26, 2010, in Hanoi. This is a great opportunity to learn about some of the following areas: Key Development initiatives for Telecommunications sector in Vietnam; Current state of play for foreign partners and qualitative methods; Local specific case studies for Value Added Services;3G optimization strategies; Case Examples from mature markets in Europe & Asia; Pricing Strategies; Technology perspectives & developments : Wimax vs LTE vs SAT; Finance & Investment opportunities explored; Mobile / Carrier Applications stores lifecycle planning.

For further information, please contact:
http://www.unistrategic.com/index.php/component/option,com_eventlist/Itemid,4/did,380/func,details/

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Contact:
  Saint Panputra
  Email: saint@unistrategic.com
  Tel:+65-6825-9625
  Fax:+65-6776-2120