MNI China Press Digest, April 8: Housing, SMEs, Trade Talks

     BEIJING (MNI) - The following lists highlights from China press reports on

Monday:

     The recent bounce in the housing market may not lead to a robust rebound of

the real estate, and media should not speculate on the recovery, according to

the Financial News, a newspaper run by the PBOC in an op-ed piece today. The

paper said it is normal for both turnover and prices to pick up in March,

recovering from a low base following Chinese New Year in February. Continued

speculation will continue to put short-term pressure on housing demands,

dampening the healthy development of the market, the newspaper said.

     The State Council has issued guidance to increase rediscounting support for

small and micro-sized enterprises (SMEs), helping them to discount small bills

valued no more than CNY5 million. Medium and small sized banks, including new

internet banks, will be included in the refinancing program aimed at expanding

lending to SMEs. Additionally, a loan to a small company of no more than CNY10

million will be recognized as qualifying collateral for the medium-term lending

facility, according to a statement on the government website Sunday.

     China and the U.S. have made progress on intellectual property protection,

non-tariff measures, services, agriculture, trade balance and implementation

mechanisms, Xinhua News Agency said Sunday following last week's latest round of

trade talks. Both sides decided to further negotiate on the remaining issues

through various means, Xinhua said.

--MNI Beijing Bureau; +86 (10) 8532-5998; email: wanxia.lin@marketnews.com

--MNI London Bureau; tel: +44 203-586-2225; email: les.commons@marketnews.com

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