China becomes world’s biggest exporter
• Germany overtaken in list of top trading nations
• Chinese economy on track to grow by 9.5% in 2010
“China completed a resurgent 2009 with a huge rise in exports establishing China as the world’s biggest exporter, ahead of Germany, for the first time. The juggernaut Chinese economy also revealed record monthly imports of crude oil and a vast renewed appetite for iron ore and copper.
Trade in December, according to figures from China’s customs office, showed a massive 17.7% year-on-year jump in exports, dramatically outpacing a forecast for 4% growth. The huge increase came after 13 months of decline.
Crude oil imports averaged more than 5m barrels a day for a month for the first time in December, up by more than a fifth from November, as the country sucked in raw materials at a faster pace than expected.
Imports jumped by 56%, pushing China’s overall trade surplus in the month down by 4% from November instead of the expected 3% increase.
While some experts said much of the increase was due to seasonal factors and quirks in commodities markets, it appears that the strength of demand from China is signalling a further rise in global trade during 2010.
Imports of unwrought copper rose by more than a quarter from November to 369,368 tonnes, more than expected, while copper scrap imports jumped an even bigger 46%. Soya bean imports hit a record 4.78m tonnes in the month, with a surge in supplies from the United States and Brazil. Exports of aluminium and finished steel were also up strongly. China’s economy is predicted to grow 9.5% in 2010, topping last year’s expected figure.
The figure will be welcomed by business leaders who argue that China needs to shrug off the effects of the downturn if global trade is to recover. China is widely seen as a key engine of growth, especially as the US economy remains in the doldrums, with rising unemployment and many of its major manufacturing industries still badly hit.
However, the increased consumption of raw materials is likely to fuel criticism that China is failing to meet its environmental obligations. A dash for growth is seen as incompatible with the need to minimise burning fossil fuels and felling rainforests. Open-cast copper mining and soya bean farming on previously protected rainforest, have been top of environmental concerns for several years.
The development research centre of the state council, a leading thinktank, said China’s economy would remain robust as market-driven investment picked up while government-led stimulus spending slowed. It said real estate investment would buoy growth, while inflationary concerns remained mild.
China is understood to have bought oil contracts in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries to secure oil supplies ahead of a boom in manufacturing. US and Brazilian farmers are also understood to be ready to increase supplies of Soya beans as domestic demand from the meat industry, which uses soya beans as a feedstuff, soars to record levels.
Adding to environmental concerns, China’s steel mills undertook a massive production drive in 2009, partly in response to a $585bn government stimulus plan. Disregarding a 60% collapse in the export market, they produced almost half the world’s steel in 2009.”
This is in today’s Guardian, 15 years ago I once said in a conversation about politics that we needed to beware of China in the future, I was laughed at!
January 10th, 2010
Today the south was hit by snow bigtime, 16 inches in places we however had barely 1 inch. But it snowed all day but was thawing as fast as it was falling so no real accumulation except in the odd sheltered spot. As the temp dropped it continued to snow and settle but it wasn’t heavy and then soon stopped, how crap. -2 outside now so all slush has gone crusty with a thin layer of snow over, wierd. So I rang work in the morning anticipating chaos trying to get in and told them I would work from home on the code emailed the day before. I dug out my development board, eventually found the serial lead. Dwonloaded the software and off I went…trying to write code to the micro, no chance, everything else worked fine, it compiled no problem, the software eventually found the dev board on the serial port and it seemed to write but came up with some odd error message which did my head in for 2 hours so I went to Maplins to buy a new Microcontroller, but they didnt have any, web only! Sod ’em. Im now getting quite bored writing this so I feel sorry for anyone reading it, so I’ll do us both a favour and bog off to bed…night.
January 6th, 2010
I need something to distract me from going mental so here I am writing this. After completing the schematic and printed circuit board layout for the “new pressure transducer,” I carried converting my DCEM test jig design to surface mount, then I started looking through some technical forums and came across a question about noise cancellation for a drill that some bloke is using and annoying the neighbours in the process. After reading some totally daft responses I began working out the wavelengths of certain frequencies of sounds and how they would travel to formulate an argument against using conventional noise cancelling methods used in cars and planes that had been recommended… A brief pause and I realised what a completely f***ing pointless venture this was not to say how bloody sad I must be. So I stopped, closed the browser and twiddled my thumbs before writing this, what I am going to do when I’m finished I have no idea, there’s only one way to find out, bye.
October 29th, 2009
Aaah peace and quite. I’m chilling on a Saturday afternoon, it’s raining outside and the house is empty except me and my sleeping daughter. Had a little extra work recently which is good news although I don’t want too much as I need time such as now. I need to sort my antenna for 2 meters, have the bracket etc., but don’t have the aerial, that gives me the idea to go to Maplin and buy some bits to build one 🙂
October 24th, 2009
I’m feeling a little claustrophobic, I need time to drift. A walk on a windy day amidst fallen leaves uninhibited by time, to lay on the downs and stare at the stars or to wonder infront of an evening sunset and watch the dusk patterns shift as the spectacle gently fades behind the horizon. There’s a difference between needing to have to make time for these things compared to just being there, you cannot soak in nature’s marvel sitting behind a desk or laying in a room with the curtains pulled. Maybe I should think alternately about what I do from day to day?
October 20th, 2009
Multitasking Damages Your Focus
A Wired Magazine article discusses tests performed by Stanford scientists that suggest frequent multitaskers experience decreased cognitive ability even when not actively multitasking–having trouble ignoring irrelevant information, organizing their working memory, and switching between multiple tasks. This suggests that multitasking is actually increasingly bad for you, although the article notes that this study proves only correlation and not causation.
Your Serial Processor (Your Brain) Can’t Actually Multitask
Dave Crenshaw, a time-management expert, calls multitasking, switch-tasking in his book The Myth of Multitasking. Your brain tricks you into thinking you are multitasking by switching very quickly between tasks. He argues that this switching makes it difficult for your brain to focus effectively on any individual task. Although it seems impressive that you are juggling so much, no single task will be done well.
I’ve argued this point for years!
October 7th, 2009
Having been signed off for a week by the old Doc I have kind of moped about a bit getting in the way and upsetting Lisa’s routine. I have been known to be a little spontaneous so this quite possibly wont be the last time routines go out the window, or why not have complete randomness as a matter of routine? I did say to work I would be back in Thursday but was told to ride out my sicknote in case anything happened to me, is that anything to do with Health and Safety or are they just being nice? Whatever the reasons I’m back tomorrow without a doubt.
What’s the matter with me? Essentially nothing, except I’m struggling with certain areas, my diet for one which is a downward spiral, I need to be on top of that to be able to organise it, do you see the potential for failure there? If I eat a regular diet my mood differs, I become a little glum and melancholy and see life as drudgery specifically in areas of responsibilty, I certainly lose my vitality. So I’ve needed the time to get back on top of things which seems to have been worthwhile, all I need to do now is sort out the people at work.
October 4th, 2009
Melancholy: Despite having a negative connotation, melancholy can be viewed as a gift. Instead of being viewed as a trait of the depressed and unfortunate, melancholy can also be seen as a trait of philosophers, prophets, artists, poets, and heroes. Melancholy is a window into ourselves. It allows us to think, ponder, reflect, imagine. If you are able to embrace this phase rather than being swallowed by it, find peace in the momentary pause and look for the gifts left to you by introspection and sensitivity. – Bridgette Guerzon Mills
October 4th, 2009
Terence McKenna had a point, the laws of physics could actually change and how they change would be impossible to anticipate. Who’s to say they haven’t changed before from a previous state, the Big Bang for instance? How about this, there was a complete transformation of the laws of physics all those billions of years ago, about the time of the so called “Big Bang?” If so it would be impossible for us humans to perceive how the Universe was actually created and would leave no thread of evidence to what existed before… ring any bells?
October 3rd, 2009
I had an interesting post to write as I made a comment about something somebody said tonight that got me thinking, only I forgot the original statement. But the answer was, “This is why I take what religious people have to say with a pinch of salt.” Have you ever been in a conversation where you know the other party is talking crap, but you don’t argue with them through common courtesy, professional interest, or because you actually like the person and don’t want them to think you’re an arse? This deviates a little from my original script, I do listen to religious people, and I do listen to politicians, and I do listen to the right and the left, I read China Today, Aljazeera and Reuters, as well as The Times. But I am on the fence, Iran are dangerous, and having seen Lybia’s Gadaaffi infront of the UN? well what can I say?!!! One of Notradumus’s interpretations were that some mad twat coastal with the Meditteranean will be the first to use a nuclear weapon. Iran (or North Korea) maybe developing their capacity to produce a nuclear arsenal for their own purposes, Iran have quite clearly dictated the eradication of Israel. To be honest, if I was an Israelie, I would be shitting my pants, but who’s to say they wont sell their warheads on to rogue states, if the price is right.
September 28th, 2009
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