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China: Raising fuel prices, raising tempers

Categories: East Asia, China, Economics & Business, Environment, Governance, International Relations, Protest

As China's economy continues to grow, so too do the kinds of complaints that come with modern life [1]. And while gas prices are kept lower than can be found in many other countries, two prices hikes in the last year alone have left many of China's rapidly-growing middle class grumbling, and taking to their blogs.

Journalist-blogger Zhao Mu takes a very close look at China's petroleum industry and the government's role in managing it and doesn't like what he sees [2] in his May 27 post ‘There's a saying: There's a reason for the sudden rise in China's gas prices':

有此一说:中国汽油猛涨的真正原因

There's a saying: There's a reason for the sudden rise in China's gas prices

在国际原油价格回落和人民币升值的背景下,国家发展与改革委员会再次提高成品油销售价格。北京地区93号汽油再创历史最高价位。有关方面对此的解释是,上次涨价没有调整到位,我们成品油销售价格仍旧低于国际市场,今后将考虑国际市场情况和社会承受能力继续推进价格调整。谎言是多么的的圆满,但是,我们早就有各种手段来论证,这是明目张胆的欺骗。

Against the backdrop of falling international crude oil prices and the revaluation of the renminbi, the National Development and Reform Committee has once again enhanced the sales price of refined oil. Prices for #93 gasoline in greater Beijing are at an historical high. The explanation from the parties concerned is that the previous price hike had been set low, that our prices for refined oil were still lower than the international market price. From now on both the conditions of the international market and the price society is able to withstand will be considered in continuing price adjustments. The rumors have circling around, but from the start we've been able to counter each one. Clearly they are just brazen deceit.

一、中国进口的石油没有达到60美圆的(2005年发改委公布大是51美元)。国际市场达到60美圆的是北海清质石油,其质量是世界上最好的,而中东地区、南美、俄罗斯出口的石油是无法达到60美圆的。而中国大量进口的是低质高含硫石油。据著名的经济情报杂志分析,国际油价在54美圆时,中国进口的石油价格大多在30美圆左右。普遍认为,中国是世界上最大的劣质石油买家。

1. China's oil imports have not reached USD 60. The Development and Reform Committee announced in 2005 a price of USD 51. The international market price of USD 60 is for that of North Sea oil. The quality is the best in the world, but the oil exported from the Middle East, South America and Russia are not able to reach this price. That and China's high-volume imports are of low-grade, high-sulfur oil. According to analyses of well-known economic magazines, when the international oil price was at USD 54, the price of most of China's oil imports were at about USD 30. It's generally understood that China is the world's largest buyer of low-grade oil.

二、美国与中国石油价格比较。美国平均每升93号油大概是人民币4.7元,可是人家那是加了30%的燃油税,并且人家公路没有收费,高速公路也基本不收费或者收费很低。而北京的类似汽油销售价格已达4.24元,实际价格高于美国。如果有关方面说,中国成品油价格远低于国际市场,更将被下面的例子驳斥的体无完肤。海关宣布上半年查获的走私案件中,成品油、香烟等位居前三名。既然中国成品油便宜,那应该是从中国向国外走私才对,为什么要从国外向中国走私?过去查获的特大走私案件,都与走私汽油柴油等成品油有关,可见内外差价巨大,吸引走私者挺而走险。

2. Comparing American and Chinese oil prices. The average price for a litre of #93 oil in America is around RMB 4.7, although they've added a 30% fuel tax, and most people don't pay road fees. Highways are basically the same, otherwise the toll fees are quite low. Similar gasoline in Beijing sells for RMB 4.23, when in fact the price is higher than in the U.S. If the concerned parties say China's oil prices are far below the international standard, then they will be denounced and refuted by the following example. Customs announced that in smuggling cases over the last six months, refined oil and cigarettes tied for third place. Since China's refined oil is so cheap, shouldn't it be being smuggled out of China? Why would it be smuggled from abroad into China? All the major smuggling cases which have been exposed in the past have all been of gasoline and diesel. Obviously the price difference between inside China and outside must be huge to bring smugglers to take such dangerous risks.

三、石油企业报表显示利润巨大。中国石油化工股份成为香港上市公司中最挣钱的,报道说利润接近千亿元,而其年经营额在5000亿元左右,利润空间已相当可观,利润率非常可观。以净资产收益来分析,即使是风光无限的房地产,其优质上市公司净资产收益为5%到10%为主,而中国石化的净资产收益,根据其2004年年报为17.32,其加权平均的净资产收益为20.32%。大家说这是不是很惊人!是房地产行业优质上市公司平均水平的三倍,是房地产上市公司平均水平四倍多。这才是惊人的暴利证明!我不久前与燕山石化公司的人士接触,他们去年的利润超过40亿元,总结因素是价格高、市场好。可见,中国石油企业是很不错的业绩,怎么还有长期亏损的说法,这不是欺负老百姓没头脑么?

3. Oil enterprises reports show huge profits. Sinopec became the most profitable of all companies listed in Hong Kong. Reports show returns in the hundreds of billions of renminbi, and its annual turnover at around five hundred billion renminbi. Their profit space is already quite considerable, and profit margins extremely so. With an analysis of the net assets income, even the hottest of the hot high-grade real estate companies, when listed on the market, primarily see a net profit of 5-10%. But according to its 2004 annual report 17.32, Sinopec's weighted average net profits for were 20.32%. People, tell me, is this astounding or what? That's three times higher than the average high-grade listed real estate company, and four times higher than the average real estate company. Now this is astounding proof of sudden huge profits! Not long ago I was in touch with the people at Yanshan Petrochemical Co.; their profits last year exceeded four billion yuan, the main reason being the prices are high and the market good. As you can see, Chinese oil corporations have achieved some great results, so how is it that they've had such a longterm negative view? Could it be they're deceiving the brainless common folk?

四、上游垄断掠夺下游竞争性行业,扭曲经济结构肆无忌惮的涨价,使中国经济和宏观调空的复杂局面加剧。可怕。成品油涨价,因为你是垄断,但下游产业却是竞争性行业,不能涨价。比如公交和出租车,关系群众生活,其价格调整要经过严格审批,油价从2元涨到4元多,公交价格和出租车价格并没有什么提高,可见,油价上涨只能消化在成本和政府补贴中。汽车制造业是国家寄希望的产业,但消费环境不良,加上油价上涨,更是雪上加霜。老百姓近两年的工资并没有显著增长,翻倍上涨的油价让大家很难受。可见,这是赤裸裸的掠夺,扭曲中国经济结构,增加了所谓的膨胀压力。尽管,中石油的滚滚暴利,让国家,同时也让某些不可明说的利益群体欢欣鼓舞,但是,这种危害中国经济的掠夺经济思路,将贻害中国经济的健康发展。

4. A rivalrous profession: monopolize upstream and plunder competitive industry downstream, distort economic structures, unscrupulously raise prices, intensify the complex aspects of Chinese economic and macroscopic regulations. Terrible. Hike gas prices because you have a monopoly, when competitive industry downstream cannot. For example, for public transportation and taxis, relative to lives of the masses, whose prices must undergo a strict examination to gain approval, the price of oil just rose from two yuan to four, but bus price and taxi rates were not raised. You can see, hiking gas prices can only be absorbed through cost and government subsidies. The automotive industry is the one in which the country has the most hope, but the consumer environment is not good. Add to that the gas price hike, and it doesn't look to be getting better any time soon. The common folk's wages haven't seen any marked growth over the last two years, so the doubling of gas prices hasn't been easy for anybody. As you can see, this is naked pludering, distortion of China's economic structure, an increase of so-called bulging pressure. Although SinoPec's sudden explosion in profits has left the state and certain unmentionable communities dancing with joy, this kind of hurtful mentality of plundering China's economy will only harm China's healthy economic development.

我观察大家对油价上涨虽然知道是中石油/中石化捣鬼,但是不知道要点!我在这里澄清一下!石油是战略物资,国内的油田都是这两个集团垄断的。只有他们有开采和销售权利。近几年国家进口石油越来越多,今年会达到1.5亿吨。进口石油消费的比例越来越大,岂不是两大集团就没有话语权了??放心。关键的石油进口权还是只有两大集团所有。国内的炼油企业就算是油价再便宜,也无法自主进口,只能从两大集团买他们加价进口的原油。

I've noticed that most people are aware that the gas price hike is PetroChina and Sinopec's hanky-panky, but do they know the key points? Let me fill you in. Oil is a strategic material. Domestic oil fields are monopolized by the two large corporations. Only they have mining and selling rights. State imports of oil over the last few years have been increasing; today amounts already to 150 million tons. The proportion of imported oil being consumed is increasing. How could it be that these two large corporations don't have final say?? Don't worry. Key control over imported oil still rests with these two large corporations alone. Even if oil was cheaper, domestic oil refining corporations don't have the freedom to import it; they can only only buy crude oil from these two large corporations at a jacked-up price.

这样两大集团对内把持油田,对外把持原油进口权。国内原油价还不是他们说得算?国内的炼厂,包括两大集团自己的炼厂是在亏损,那是因为原料石油(无论国产还是进口)的价格是两大集团定的!两大集团自己的炼厂亏损无所谓,反正在贸易/开采环节已经有足够惊人的利润了!!而且炼厂亏损的情况可以成为汽油涨价的借口,掩人耳目。于是我们就这样因为所谓的炼厂亏损,口袋的钱被淘空!!!!

Internally, these two large corporations dominate oil fields, and externally dominate power over crude oil imports. Are domestic crude oil prices determined by them? Domestic refineries, including the two large corporations’ own refineries, are all losing money, the reason being that the price of raw petroleum (regardless of whether it's domestic or imported) is set by these two large corporations! It's no big deal if the two large corporations’ own smelteries are losing money; in any event, those involved in the trading and mining already have profits enough to leave one dumbfounded! Further, refineries losing money could just be used as an excuse for the price hike. And then because the so-called refineries are losing money, thus will our pockets be stripped clean!

石油是工业血液,现代基础工业的王道!!两大集团在上游敲骨吸髓,危害的是整个国家竞争力甚至国家安全!!90#油从今年3月份的3.18上涨到7月份的4.06,快一块钱了,还不到半年!! 到底有多少物流企业破产阿?到底有多少企业背上沉重的运费成本阿?无耻的抢劫!!2004年两大集团净利润2000亿,咱们国家gdp才多少?11万亿,各行业综合净利润最多按照5%算,也就5000亿。可见40%的国家利润都是两大集团的!大家伙都在给两大集团打工呢!!

Oil is the blood of industry, modern industry's king! The two large corporations are upstream sucking marrow out of bones, while what's being hurt is the competitiveness and security of the nation! From March last year until July, #90 oil rose from 3.18 to 4.06 yuan. Nearly one whole yuan, all within half a year! Is the plan to see how many enterprises can be made to go bankrupt or what? Or to see how many corporations can carry the weight of these transportation costs? Shameless robbery! These two big corporations had a combined profit in 2004 of two hundred billion yuan. And how much is our country's GDP? Eleven trillion. The combined profits of the various industries only comes to five percent at most, of five hundred billion yuan. You can see that forty percent of the nation's profits belongs to these two large corporations! Everyone's workin’ for these two large corporations!

有人会问,油田是国家人民共有的,这两大集团虽然垄断,毕竟是中国自己的企业,为什么这样丧心病狂的掠夺财富不顾危害国民生机?其实这两大集团都是海外上市企业!!所有权和资本不是纯粹国家的了。资本是贪婪的,对利润的追求是永远也不会满足的。看到这里,国内油价未来的走势相信每个看过帖子的人已经很清楚了。

Some of you might ask, since oil fields belong to the state, and these two large corporations have a monopoly, in the end don't they too still belong to the state? Why then does this mad plundering of wealth not seem to hurt the nation's vitality? Actually, these two large corporations are listed overseas. The property and capital does not come from the state. Capital is greedy; its profit demands can never be satisfied. If you've read this far, I believe you should be very clear already about the future trends of China's oil prices.

我很担心国外投资者利用两大集团的垄断地位掠夺中国人民的财富。从这个角度讲,两大集团已经站在人民的对立面上了!!有时候看到纺织厂的女工虽然一天12小时的拼命干活,居然连500块钱的工资都得不到,原因是有的工厂因为纺织原料涨价(非棉的纺织品大部分是石油变得)或者停产/或者破产。心情真是无法描述。前一阵子还听说北京有的哥为了多跑出点钱过劳死…真不知道中石化/中石油有2000亿的纯利还叫嚣亏损要求涨价的嘴脸是什么麽样??那2000亿人民的血汗钱又有多少进了原本已经很富裕的老外口袋里!!无论如何,两大集团正在挤垮国内非自有的炼厂,同时也正在挤垮社会上的非自有的加油站。如果现在的情况不得到改变,两大集团的目的很快就会完全实现。

I'm quite worried about overseas investors using these two large corporations’ monopoly position to plunder the Chinese peoples’ fortunes. Speaking from this perspective, the two large corporations are already standing on the opposite side of the people. Sometimes you can see female textile mill workers with twelve-hour shifts every day, and can't even get their five hundred yuan in pay—the reason being some factories, due to increases in weaving materials (the majority of non-cotton textiles are made with petroleum) stop production or go bankrupt. My frame of mind is really hard to describe. A short while ago I heard of one taxi driver in Beijing who worked himself to death taking extra shifts to make more money…I really don't know how Sinopec and PetroChina can have two hundred billion yuan in net profits and, claiming to still be losing money, call for a price hike. Of that two hundred billion yuan of people's hard-earned money, how much of it is going into to those already-rich foreigners’ pockets? In any event, the two big corporations are in the process of crushing those domestic refineries which aren't yet theirs. At the same time they are also in the process of crushing all the gas stations around which don't yet belong to them. If the current situation doesn't change, the goal of these two large corporations will very quickly be realized.

可能有人问,目前发改委已经批了19个非国营的公司可以进口石油。其实私营企业进口石油除了要有进口权,还要有配额,2005年非国有进口配额一共才0.1亿吨,根本没有影响市场!而且两大集团除了因为自己是国有公司,进口不受限制之外,还注册了非国有企业,也在这19家里面混,用他们的实力抢占绝大部分配额!!太狠了!!关于私有企业石油进口权/配额计划具体详情大家可以查询国家商务部网站看看!!

Maybe some people will ask, at present the Development and Reform Committee has already approved nineteen non-state-owned companies to import oil. In fact, for private enterprises to import oil, except for needing to have import rights, they also have quotas. Import quotas for non-state-owned enterprises in 2005 totalled only ten million tons; never affected the market at all. Not only that, these two big corporations, except for themselves being state-owned companies, and having no limits on imports, still registered non-state-owned enterprises, included among those nineteen companies, using their strength to rob and seize the majority of the quotas. Too ruthless! For concrete details regarding import rights and quotas of privately-owned enterprises, everyone can check out the National Department of Commercial Affairs website and see!

我是业内人士,所以知道两大集团的要害!注意到很多人误解油品涨价的原因,实在看不过去了,才发言的。可惜我不是记者,否则早就揭他们的老底了。谢谢大家帮顶,大家有工夫就转贴,不要让整个社会被两大集团”炼油厂亏损/加油站亏损”的幌子骗了!

I work within this industry, that's why I know the goods on these two big corporations. I noticed many people misunderstood the reasons for gas prices being hiked, and that's why I spoke up. It's just too bad I'm not a journalist, or else I could have exposed them earlier. Thanks everyone for the support. Spread the word if you have time. Don't let the whole of society be deceived by these two big “everything's going bankrupt” camouflaged corporations.

And a small selection of comments from readers:

美国作为最腐朽的资本主义国家,尚且有反垄断法进行制约。

America is the most rotten capitalist country. Even with anti-monopoly laws it still places restrictions.

看得我流眼泪了~如此缜密的数据分析,我理解到,什么是万恶的社会了.还有什么好说的!牧老师真伟大~谁在敲我们的骨吸我们的髓?哈哈,那是万恶的旧社会~

Seeing this made me cry. Such a careful data analysis. I've realized just what an evil society is. I have nothing good to say! Teacher Zhao is really great! Who's sucking the marrow out of our bones? Ha! That's the evil old society.

本来很气愤,结果看完了更气愤

First I was angry. After reading this I'm even more so.

Hexun blogger aw98, while not as prominent as Zhao, has written a shorter but equally informed and passionate post [3] which, as the four pages of comments seen following show, speaks with a certain voice on a particular issue that many netizens are able to identify with:

油价涨到何处是个头?

When will gas prices ever stop rising?

May 24, 2006

距上次涨价60天,又涨,俺们认了,因为上上下下左左右右方方面面都在说,长期以来,中国成品油与国际原油价格倒挂,再不涨价,石油公司要罢工不干了。涨价总是让人不高兴的,所以,这一次干脆就涨得狠点,骂也就骂了。上次是每吨涨250元,这次是每吨500元,依然倒挂,那些业内人士、权威人士都这么说。

Just sixty days since the last hike, prices are hiked again. I know, because everywhere you look people are saying, that China's refined oil and international crude oil prices have been kept down for a long time already, and if the prices don't get hiked the petroleum companies will go on strike. Price hikes make everyone unhappy. That's why this time the prices got hiked up hard and you can curse if you want to. Last time it was an increase of two hundred and fifty yuan per ton; this time it's five hundred. And still too low, say the professionals and experts.

那么现在俺们与国际接轨的话,到底相差多少呢?其实,全世界各国的油价都不一样,英国就差不多是美国的2倍,因为人家的零售油价里都加上了燃油税。

Then if we want to meet international standards, just how big is this different? Actually, every country's gas prices are different. England's is almost twice as much as America's; because within everyone's retail gas price is included a fuel oil tax.

俺昨天在MSN上专门咨询了一个在美国纽约上班的朋友,(丫是南京人,在美国已呆了十多年),他告诉俺,纽约现在的油价,93号汽油是一加仑3.5美元,1美式加仑=3.785升,按1美元折合人民币8元计算,美国现在的93号汽油是7.40元/升。

Yesterday on MSN I consulted a friend who's now working in New York (He's from Nanjing, been in America more than ten years already). He told me the price of gas in New York right now for #93 gasoline is USD 3.5 per gallon. One American gallon equals 3.785 liters. With eight renminbi for one American dollar, the price of #93 gasoline in America right now is 7.40 yuan per liter.

而现在以93号汽油北京市的价格5.09元/升,来比较,显然还有较大的上升空间,相信这一点让俺们的发改委、让俺们的石油公司等非常高兴,还没接轨呢。但是,俺们还是要思考一些东东。美国的油价已经包括燃油税在里面了,人家不用再交养路费啥的了,而且国内许多高速公路都是免费的。如果把俺们现在汽车除了保险费用以外的其他七七八八的费用加上去,折合到油价里面,该是什么价了?再思考一个问题:美国佬的整体收入是多少?俺们的收入是多少?难道俺们收入是人家的1/10,买相同的车比人家贵,汽油价要同一价,才叫国际接轨?

But now the price of #93 gasoline is just RMB 5.09 per liter. In comparison, there evidently remains a rather large space for further increases. This, I believe, makes our Development and Reform Committee and our oil companies extremely happy; there's still a ways to go. But, we still need to consider some things. America's gas prices already include fuel tax; people don't need to pay any more road maintenance fees. Not only that, but many highways there are free. Insurance fees aside, if you took other random automotive costs and included them with the price of gas, what kind of price would that be? Let's think about one more problem: how much are American wages? How much are ours? It's hard to believe that being brought in line with international standards means that with a salary a tenth of theirs, we'll have to buy the same cars at higher prices and gas which is of the same rate.

去年9月,那个每年要搞财富排行榜的福布斯曾预言,国际原油市场将会在一年内崩盘,油价最终将大跌至每桶35美元的价位。他认为,石油价格从几年前的25至30美元一桶上涨到目前的水平,通货膨胀以及中国和印度需求的增加只是其中很小一部分原因。他认为,目前的石油价格是一个”十足的投机泡沫”,石油价格飙升原因是投机资本。北美几乎没有一个对冲基金不在原油期货上投机,这使得石油价格形成泡沫。目前进入石油市场的游资至少达到了8万亿美元。这些资本为推动石油价格飙升发挥了关键作用。福布斯”大胆的预测”,在未来12个月内,原油价格将会跌至每桶35美元的价位。

In September last year, Forbes predicted that the international crude oil market would collapse within the year, that the oil prices would eventually plummet down to USD 35 per barrel. Inflation as well as increased Chinese and Indian demand, it said, are only a small part of the reason oil prices have soared from just USD 25 to 30 a few years ago to the current level. The present petroleum price, it said, was a pure and simple investment bubble. The reason oil prices float upwards is because of investment capital. North America practically doesn't have a single hedge fund that's not speculating on crude oil futures, leading to the oil price bubble. Idle funds sitting in the oil market at present amount at least to eight trillion dollars. This capital has played a key role in giving impetus to oil's dramatic price rise. Forbes’ fearless forecast shows that within the next twelve months, the price of crude oil stands to drop to USD 35 yuan per barrel.

现在看来,福布斯人算不如天算,因为他们那个脑袋也被门夹过的总统,在把伊拉克拖下战火以后,又瞄上了产油大国伊郎。这颗定时炸弹不引爆,就成了炒家们让油价永不回落的理由。有时真怀疑布什是不是自己也入股了原油期货投机。

It now appears that Forbes’ calculations were trumped by divine design, because their close-minded president, after having dragged Iraq into the throes of war, has now set his targets on the great oil-producing nation of Iran. Even if this ticking time bomb never were to go off, it will still become the reason why spectators never let gas prices go down again. Sometimes I wonder whether Bush himself has bought shares speculating on the future of crude oil.

早就有人指出了,高油价也是美国针对中国的一个阴谋,美国在有意催升油价,一方面为本国石油公司的利益,另一方面也是想以此为武器,让中国不堪承受,从而遏止中国经济增长的势头。

Somebody pointed out early on that high gas prices are part of an American plot to get China. By intentionally pushing up gas prices, on one hand it's to benefit their own oil companies, and a weapon on the other, to break China and suppress the momentum behind China's economic growth.

但俺们的有关部委的头头脑脑们意识到这一点了吗?俺们能否如坚守人民币不升值一样,坚守油价不涨价呢?因为毕竟,俺们的汽油不是全靠进口,国家应该算算这笔账,是全面放开整个中国经济承受涨价而带来的负面影响及损失大,还是咬住牙关不涨价,国家花钱填补进口倒挂付出的代价大?现阶段低油价比高油价更适合中国经济健康发展吧?

But have heads of our relevant ministries and commissions realized this? Like whether or not we can hold our ground on not raising the price of of the renminbi; can we hold our ground on not raising the price of gas as well? Because after all, our gasoline does not entirely depend on imports; the state should take this into account. What would be greater: the negative influence and great losses that fully opening up China's economy would bring? Or fighting tooth and nail against the price hike and the money the state would pay to keep prices of imports low? Are the current low gas prices more conducive to China's healthy economic development than higher prices?

但是,俺们的国家发改委副主任说了,”成品油价格上调有利于大家重视节约,发展替代能源。”得,按照这种思路和这个放之四海而皆准的真理,一切涨价都是顺理成章理所当然的了!
有车一族们,准备好,今年年底前,93号油肯定爬上6元。这与美国还是有1.40元的差距。另外,这也必须保证美国不打伊郎这个大前提,如果美国再来一场战争,每桶100美元,140美元也不会奇怪,到时一接轨,黑黑,就是每升10元,15元了!

But, as the assistant director of the National Development and Reform Committee has said, “higher refined oil prices leads people to consider using less, and to develop alternative energy sources.” Right…keeping with this line of thinking and one-size-fits-all-truth, it goes without saying that the next logical step would be to raise the price of everything! Those of you who have cars, get ready because before the end of this year the price of #93 gasoline for sure is going to go up to six yuan. This would still be less than in America. Further, this is just if America doesn't attack Iran. If America does have another war, prices of USD 100 or even 140 per barrel wouldn't be strange at all. When the time comes—ha!—it'll be ten or even fifteen yuan per liter!

什么,不买车了?这怎么行呢,俺们的汽车工业还是要支持的,车价还会便宜,便宜到你心动,买回去就不怕你不用了。贵?就这个价,要的就是你的这个消费!挤公交,太挤太累吧?骑自行车?城市摊大饼越来越大,你骑不动了吧?买电动车?黑黑,以不环保不安全的理由,许多城市都在禁止,逼你买车,逼你消费!让俺们来祈祷和平吧,祈祷伊郎这个临时炸弹早日拆除引线,祈祷有关部门挖潜,把一些规费降下来,祈祷不要因为油价的没完没了接轨上涨而引起通货膨胀。

What? You're not gonna buy a car? How is that any good? Our automotive industry needs support, and car prices will go down. Down far enough to change your mind. Once you get one, don't worry, you'll use it. Expensive? That's the price. If you want it that's how much you'll have to pay! Take the bus? Too tiring and cramped, right? Ride a bike? The city is spreading out like a pancake. And if you ride til you drop? Buy a scooter? Ha! To protect the environment and because of safety, many cities have banned them. Forcing you to buy a car. Forcing you to spend! Let's pray for peace, pray that this timebomb Iran defuses itself soon. Let's pray that the relevant departments dig deep and send down some price controls. Pray they don't keep on raising gas prices and cause inflation.

行文至此,再加一句感想——真想去挖个地窖——囤积燃油,这是包赚不赔的投资啊!

I'll stop here, but add one more sentiment: hording oil, this is one investment that will never pay off!

Comments

写的太好了。如果按照发改委官员的意思,油价上涨可以避免浪费,那么,为什么不将大米调整为100元/公斤呢?粮食的浪费现象十分严重也十分普遍

Well-written. If what the Development and Reform Committee official says is true and a gas price hike can prevent waste, then why not raise the price of rice to one hundred yuan per kilogram? Wasting of food is quite severe and common.

工资何时和美国接轨?

When will wages get in line with America's?

有车的在我国还不到1%,怎么涨他们也比咱强,可以拉进点贫富差距,让咱们平衡点,公交出租不涨就行啊

Car owners don't even make up one percent of the population. If prices are raised higher for them, the gap between rich and poor will be drawn a bit closer, make us a little more equal. Just don't raise bus or taxi fares!

油价放开,政府今后通过调节供需来调控油价. 但首先要做的是征收燃油税.以税补民.

Loosening restrictions on gas prices, from now on the government will have to adjust supply and demand to regulate gas prices. But first of all there needs to be a levy on fuel. Tax people for the people.