Daily News March 17, 2014

Ongoing Problem on Coal

China's geothermal energy could replace coal，China Daily

China's geothermal energy potential roughly equals 853 billion tons of standard coal, and has the potential to replace coal in energy consumption, the country's energy regulator said on Thursday.

Environment and Pollution

China vows to clean up 60 pct of cities by 2020, Reuters

China pledged on Sunday that it will make sure that 60 percent of its cities meet national pollution standards by 2020, with pressure growing to make cities liveable as hundreds of millions of migrants are expected to relocate from the countryside.

Panasonic to offer 'pollution premium' to employees in China, Business Insurance

Employees of Japan-based Panasonic Corp. sent to China are to receive a wage premium to compensate for the dangerous air pollution in China, Agence France-Presse reported.

Planting forests across Beijing could help combat pollution, China Dialogue

Urban forests can play an important role in making cities nicer places to live and have cooling, pollution-reducing effects, says Jun Yang, from the Center for Earth System Science at Tsinghua University

Crops and Food Security

China's thirst for milk gives U.S. dairy farms a boost, Latimes

American dairy farmers see an opportunity as demand booms in China. In a Nevada town, a new factory will produce milk powder just for export.

United Dairy Power boss targets massive Chinese market, The Australian

The Hong Kong entrepreneur who now controls Australia's largest privately owned milk processing company, United Dairy Power (UDP), wants to use it as a springboard to break into the multi-billion-dollar powdered milk market in China.

HK bans import of poultry products from Netherlands city, Xinhua Net

The import of poultry and poultry products from Dronten of the Netherlands to Hong Kong has been banned under the threats of avian influenza, Hong Kong's Center for Food Safety announced Monday.

Trade

Chinese imports continuing to drive U.S. soybean prices – for now

For the first time in a long time, the corn market is looking at large rather than dwindling carry-in stocks, and Brazil and Argentine seem to be getting their soybean production back on track.