Photo: Xinhua
The numbers making news around China during the week of Mar 4, 2013
$114.3 billion
China’s defense budget for 2013 – a 10.7 percent increase from 2012. Andrew S. Erikson
9.3 percent
Amount that an index of real estate developers fell on the Shanghai stock market Monday - the largest drop since June of 2008. This came on the heels of a decision late Friday to try to slow house price rises, with the government imposing higher down payments and mortgage rates, and stricter enforcement of a 20 percent capital gains tax on property transactions. Wall Street Journal
$321,200
Amount of money reportedly saved by the “Two Sessions” going paperless.BBC
90
Number of National People’s Congress members that are on a list of China’s 1,000 richest people published by the Hurun Report. This is up from 75 last year. Bloomberg
30 percent
Proportion of China’s red wine market held by foreign brands. This is up from 10 percent five years ago. Economic Observer
$161 billion
Amount China’s banks extended in new loans during the first two weeks of 2013 – nearly 15 percent the target for the entire year. China Economic Review
70 percent
Proportion of China’s mobile market now made up of smart phones. Xinhua
$1.63 billion
The surplus the U.S. came out with in 2011 in solar, wind and smart grid technology trade with China. The Economist