At the regular press conference on March 9, Shanghai Municipal Government spokesman Jiao Yang introduced the following issues and answered reporters' questions.
Shanghai will ban the use of hogwash or animal wastes to feed livestock and fowl. Those breaking the ban will be severely punished. Also, local departments will soon offer a series of measures to standardize the city's labor market in order to better protect workers' rights.

Shanghai Radio 990: Standardizing and adjusting the layout of breeding livestock and poultry is likely to cause a decline in the number of such breeding animals. Will it lead to a price increase?

Jiao Yang: You reporters might think it would cause price increases, but in our point of view, prices usually fluctuate with market changes of demand and supply. Shanghai is the main market for selling, not producing livestock and poultry products. Before the layout changes, more than half of such products in the city came from other cities and provinces; after the changes, the number of breeding poultry in Shanghai will decline while that from other places will increase and claim more of the local market. Costs in breeding livestock and poultry outside the city are much lower than in Shanghai, so even when you add transportation costs, prices will not be higher than those of locally-produced ones. Therefore, the existing market structure with its larger distribution will curb the price increase of such products and finally satisfy the demand of local residents.

East Radio Station: First question: Macau has already resumed the production of live poultry. Can you tell me whether or not Shanghai will continue to supply live poultry? How will the local government guarantee the health safety? Second question: Shanghai will establish an information record system for livestock and poultry. Can you tell me how to ensure the authenticity of these records?

Jiao Yang: Shanghai will further standardize the management of the local poultry market by adhering to modernized methods of production and distribution. We will currently continue to prohibit the supply of live poultry in the market, and local departments are busy working on a
long-standing and efficient management system to meet not only the demand of local citizens, but also the local distribution structure and food health regulations as well.
How to ensure the authenticity of the records is really a large and practical issue. Shanghai will implement poultry breeding on a regional basis and conduct supervised testing. It means that the city will further standardize the development of mid and large-size breeding fields for livestock and poultry, restrict small fields, and increase guidance for farmers breeding such animals. Our management principal is to improve administration on a regional basis and by adopting a responsibility-based system. The Shanghai Municipal Agricultural Commission will be in charge of the city-level supervision and management work, and the district or county-level commission will be responsible for the district or county-level work. Government authority is required to give full play to its functions in management, inspection and guidance.

Hong Kong Phoenix Satellite TV: In foreign countries, when housekeepers are injured at employers' home, employers will undertake both economic and legal responsibilities. As of June, Shanghai will provide an insurance system for migrant workers injured accidentally. Can you tell me whether a new relationship will be established between employers and housekeepers? What role will the government play in the system, and will the government or the insurers make final decisions?

Jiao Yang: Our new insurance system for migrant workers will be guided by the government and implemented based on the market mechanism. Government should give free rein to their leadership functions. There are three kinds of relationship in the existing local labor market: first is a standard labor relationship including full-time and hourly-paid employment with both employers and employees meeting certain requirements of the Labor Law; second is a special labor relationship with the employees being retirees or workers assigned by certain labor service firms; third is civil affairs labor relationships such as a family employing housekeepers and other informal employment. The third relationship is not included in the adjustment scale of the Labor Law. Shanghai will operate the accidental insurance mode on a commercial basis. Although the 30 yuan (US$3.6) annual premium is not high, it can guarantee the security of local housekeepers.

Real Estate Times: There are more and more pet owners in residential quarters. Some raise chicks and others ducks. My question is that has the municipal government included this issue in its administration? And has it drafted any measures about it? Recently when a bird flu case was reported in the city, property management companies and neighborhood committees posted notices that any chicks or ducks raised in the quarters would be slaughtered. Do they have the right to do so and what's your comment on this? Not long ago, property management companies provided a lot of jobs. Some 108,000 jobs. To reduce labor costs, some companies are hiring migrant workers. How about the benefits of these employees, considered illegal workers, are they protected?

Jiao Yang: The first two questions don't fall in the scope of the Poultry Administrative Measure (draft) we released today. These measures are meant to better the local poultry industry. As for poultry and pigeons raised by local residents, Shanghai's sanitation management regulation has strict restrictions. Residents aren't allowed to raise poultry. As for the rights of the property management companies and neighborhood committees to slaughter the birds, I think there are two occasions. On the first occasion, when a public health emergency case occurs, governments of all levels can switch to the emergency response system and authorize the relevant departments to take temporary emergency measures. It's also the case in other countries. The purpose is to protect the people. On the second occasion, the levels of government increase regular supervision and carry out the laws and rules. For example, residents must abide by the sanitation management regulations and not raise poultry.
As for the illegal workers, I think it's abnormal. Shanghai has a series of managing measures governing migrant workers. We will increase supervision to crack down on this kind of illegal employment and have the migrant workers normally and legally employed.

Shanghai Daily: There are reports that Shanghai will set up a petroleum exchange. Are there any details about the timetable? Some overseas media report that 32 Asian countries are in Shanghai discussing building a road network throughout Asia and that there will be a road system connecting China and Turkey. Can you offer some information about this?

Jiao Yang: I haven't heard about the reports you mentioned. Neither do I have any information about them. After the conference, our spokesperson for that division may help you with information about the issues.

Shanghai Overseas Chinese News: Recently, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau is making a broader inspection of out-of-city licensed automobiles in the city. Does that indicate that Shanghai is preparing to curb cars from getting licensed in other cities? What's more, is there any possibility of a price reduction for Shanghai's private car license plates in the short term?

Jiao Yang: As for your question, there are some reports that 15 cities are uniting to curb cross-city auto plate licensing. As far as we know, automobile administrative departments of 15 cities in the Yangtze Delta Area held a meeting in mid February to build a delta regional auto management system. At the meeting, they studied the pending road security regulations and exchanged information on traffic management and regional cooperation. But they haven't reached the agreement of jointly banning cross-city auto plate licensing. For this issue, Shanghai's relevant departments are still making surveys and doing research. As for the price reduction of auto plates, it relates to the supply volume. Shanghai won't open up the supply, because the local traffic congestion is still serious. The city issues plates via a no-base-price auction. To date, the policy won't change.

Shanghai News Times: First question: There are more than 4,000 poultry farms in Shanghai. Since the new Poultry Administrative Measures (draft) began to rule on forbidden areas, control areas and raising areas for the farms, how many farms will be closed down after the new rules are enacted? How many livestock will disappear? Second question: what are the detailed contents of the insurance for migrant workers?

Jiao Yang: In the planning of the areas for raising poultry, there're no strict standards on how many farms will be planned in each area or what percentage of the farms will be closed down. The Shanghai Agricultural Commission is planning to verify the draft measures, as for which areas are forbidden from poultry raising, which are restrictive and which proper. All these measures need to be verified. We encourage development of big-and-medium-sized farms, while the small farms will gradually disappear. As for how many will go, it all depends.

The second question. According to the insurance policy unveiled on September 1 2002 for migrant workers, all businesses are required to employ migrant workers in a standard and legal manner. They must participate in the insurance program and are forbidden from reducing the benefits of the laborers. The enterprises must pay the insurance in full sum and the workers are insured for injuries on work, in-hospital medical treatment and pension. Workers will be awarded a warrant for a pension if their employers pay the insurance for one year. If the employers don't abide by this regulation, they are regarded as illegal and the labor security department will order them to make up the unpaid insurance. For those refusing to pay the premiums, they can be sued and the judicatory departments will order them to pay. But all the above cases are on the condition that the employer is legal. If it's not legal, there's another rule. For more details, you can visit the website of the labor security department.

Xinhua News Agency: During an interview we learned that more than 4000 households of out-of-town farmers live on poultry feeding farms in the Shanghai suburbs. Most of whom are in jeopardy now for several reasons: many of the farms are small, thus will be shut down according to the new regulations. The farmers came to Shanghai in 1980's, but their hukou (residential certificates) are still in their hometown. Their children were born and raised in Shanghai, and are of school age now. But the kids cannot attend local schools since they haven抰Shanghai hukou.) The farmers have resided in Shanghai for so long that there are no croplands left for them in their hometowns if they go back. What measures will Shanghai government take to help them out of this dilemma?

Jiao Yang: That's a big question. The new regulations on poultry and farm livestock applies to all farming households instead of to a certain group. So all farmers, either local or out-of-town, should abide by that regulation. As for the education and cropland issue, they are related to inter-provincial issues, and need to be discussed in other circumstances.

Takungpao (Hong Kong): A newspaper in Hongzhou reported yesterday that the Shanghai-Hangzhou maglev will be extended to the World Expo site from the current Long Yang Road Station. Will you reveal the details on the project and its process? Another question is, upon the implementation of CEPA, Hong Kong people are permitted to set up individual business in Guangzhou. Will Shanghai follow Guangzhou's example in this aspect?

Jiao Yang: First I should clarify that construction on Shanghai-Hangzhou maglev has not started yet. We've noticed this report and alerted the related departments to this issue. The answer is there is no firm decision now, and it is being left to the State Council to decide whether the maglev will be built at all. Shanghai will certainly obey and support the decision of the central government. The emphasis is that the issue involves two cities and provinces, and needs to be judged by the State Council.

To answer your second question: cooperation between Hong Kong and Shanghai runs within the CEPA infrastructure. To date Shanghai issued no regulations on Hong Kong people founding individual enterprises locally. But we're also watching closely whether the cooperation will be extended to a wider field.

Oriental Morning Post: I have a follow-up question on the previous one raised by Xinhua News Agency. The material says there are over 3000 small-scale livestock and poultry farms in the breed-banning area. Will all of these farms be shut down? If so, what will the government do with the farmers? Will they be absorbed by the larger farms?

Jiao Yang: To date, boundaries for breeding, controlling and banning zones for livestock and poultry feeding are determined, but detailed measures and practices are not worked out yet. Officials from the Shanghai Agriculture Commission are present at today's conference; you may consult them for details.

Shanghai Evening Post: Currently all employees have the same standard hourly rate in Shanghai. Does the standard apply to interns? The situation of wages paid not on time occurs frequently. Does it indicate the existing reporting and supervising system in not strict enough? Is it necessary to impose severer punishments on violators?

Jiao Yang: The standard hourly rate applies to all in terms of working hours, labor protection and minimum hourly rate. All employees, either local, out-of-town, or overseas, are equally protected by the regulations.
Previously we tackled the late payment of wages through a report-then-supervision practice. It works to some extent, but lacks initiative. If the employee doesn't report the case, the problem might not be discovered. Now the labor and social security department adopts a more effective method--A task force and a supervision network has been set up, covering all districts and communities. Therefore, the wage problem can be detected and solved sooner.

Wen Wei Po (Hong Kong): It's said the Planning Commission of Zhejiang Province is doing a feasibility investigation on the (Shanghai-Hangzhou) maglev. Is the Shanghai government doing similar study now? What is the process?

Jiao Yang: I've emphasized that the decision should be made by the Sate Council and the State Development Planning Commission. Shanghai will carefully follow and support the decision. As for the situation in a neighboring province, I've no right to comment.