Topic 1:

China's poultry sector has recorded losses of more than 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) since reports emerged of a new strain of bird flu two weeks ago, the country's National Poultry Industry Association said. Authorities have slaughtered thousands of birds and closed live poultry markets in Shanghai and Beijing in an attempt to reduce the rate of human infection.

Aiyinsitan: if the government slaughtered thousands of birds in order to allay growing fears, why not copy Hong Kong's example and give subsidies to farmers? After all, they have made sacrifices and have no idea about where their future livelihoods will come from.

Lurenjia: How many antibiotics have the livestock and poultry industry used? It is very possible that the evolution of the virus is attributed to its misdeeds.

Wuchangshidai: I think the loss is exaggerated. Why has the price of eggs sold in my neighboring market risen instead of dropping?

Tiwenwangzi: Instead of slaughtering birds, the government should accelerate the development of vaccines otherwise the loss could continue to rise to 100 billion yuan.

China's economic recovery unexpectedly stumbled in the first three months of 2013, with slowing factory output and investment spending forcing analysts to start slashing full-year forecasts. The country's economy just grew 7.7 percent in the first quarter from a year ago, slower than the 7.9 percent level in Q4 2012, and below many financial institutions' forecasts of 8 percent.

Yunyishang: Why has the 7.7 percent growth made Chinese people so pessimistic, contributing to an anxious mood among stock market investors? The United States and Europe have a much slower growth but their stock markets are much more robust. Why?

Chuyichu: At least 7.7 percent growth is OK. And the general outlook is that it should not be too difficult to achieve the government's 7.5 percent growth target. The point is China's GDP growth is rough. The structural problems should be addressed.

Buxiu: Judging from other indicators such as railway cargo and electricity output, the actual growth rate could be much lower than 7.7 percent. The marginal return of boosting M2 supply is falling. A more positive monetary policy could only lead to more of a bubble.

All The information is from Sina Weibo

(China Daily 04/22/2013 page14)