At the request of China Netcom Group Corporation (Hong Kong) Limited (the "Company"), trading in the shares of the Company on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited has been suspended from 12:26 p.m. on 23 May 2008 pending possible price-sensitive information to be announced.

Yanzhou Coal, China's third largest coal miner, is the best performing Chinese stock today. The stock is up excatly 15.0% year-to-date or even better, up 75% since March 26, 2008 as the following screenshot from Google finance testifies. You may say: "Wish I had known this stock just two months ago."

Yanzhou Coal Mining Company Limited (hereafter the “Company”) has entered into a sale and purchase agreement of coal with Huadian Power International Corporation Limited (hereafter “Huadian International”) for year 2008 (hereafter the “Agreement”). Pursuant to the Agreement, the quantity of coal sales by the Company to Huadian International for year 2008 amounts to a total of 7.3 million tonnes, representing an increase of 2.5 million tonnes or 52.1% as compared with the amount sold in year 2007. Such increase in the quantity of coal sales to Huadian International is mainly due to the increased coal consumption by Huadian International resulted from its increase in the number of power generators. The net price of coal under the Agreement is RMB470.15 per tonne, representing an increase of RMB129.12 per tonne or 37.9% as compared with the price per tonne supplied in 2007, given such change in quantity of coal sales under the Agreement.

China ADRs or U.S. listed shares of Chinese companies made a remarkable comeback after hitting all time lows YTD on March 20th. As the following chart demonstrates, Chinese stocks trading in Americn stock exchanges are down by almost 15% year to date (YTD) vs. the 28% negative return measured in late March. This makes it a 13% comeback in just two months, fueling investors optimism.

Subsequent to the confirmation from China Beijing Equity Exchange in relation to the Company’s successful bidding in the open tender process for the acquisition of the Target Equity Interests in six aluminum companies, the Acquisition Agreement was entered into by Aluminum Corporation of China (“Chinalco”) and China Nonferrous Metals Processing Technology Co., Ltd. (“China Nonferrous Metals”, both Chinalco and China Nonferrous Metals are referred to as the “Transferors”) and the Company (as “Transferee”) on 21 May 2008. China Nonferrous Metals is an indirect subsidiary of Chinalco and has, prior to the Acquisition Agreement, 13.01% equity interest in Henan Aluminum.

Technically speaking we are in a bear market. Asian shares fell on March 31, Monday, posting their worst quarterly performance in over five years. The Shanghai Composite, the widest barometer for mainland Chinese companies listed in China, lost 32.1% year-to-date (YTD). The China ADR Index, the index tracking the performance of U.S. listed Chinese stocks, is down 20.7% YTD followed closely by Hong Kong’s main index the Hang Seng which shed 15.5% YTD. In comparison the DJIA lost 6.4% YTD.

Under the terms of the agreements, HSBC proposes to acquire a 43.85 per cent stake from E*TRADE Mauritius Limited, an indirectly wholly-owned subsidiary of E*TRADE Financial Corporation, and an additional 29.36 per cent from Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited (“IL&FS”). Both shareholders will receive a price of INR200 per share for their respective stakes, making a total consideration of INR10,025.5 million (approximately US$241.6 million). In addition, IL&FS will be paid, as part of a three–year non-compete agreement, INR820.1 million (approximately US$19.4 million).

As approved at the 2008 EGM of Aluminum Corporation of China Limited (hereafter as the “Company”), the Company submitted to China Beijing Equity Exchange on 12 May 2008 the application to acquire 100% of the equity interests in Lanzhou Liancheng Longxing Aluminum Company Limited, 100% of the equity interests in Chinalco Southwest Aluminum Cold Rolling Company Limited, 84.02% of the equity interests in Chinalco Henan Aluminum Company Limited, 75% of the equity interests in Chinalco Ruimin Co., Ltd., 60% of the equity interests in Chinalco Southwest Aluminum Co., Ltd. and 56.86% of the equity interests in Huaxi Aluminum Company Limited from Aluminum Corporation of China and China Nonferrous Metals Processing Technology Co., Ltd. (hereafter as “Transferors”). The equity interests of the above companies are listed on China Beijing Equity Exchange for bidding at a consideration of RMB4,174.7589 million. On 13 May 2008, the Company received the confirmation from China Beijing Equity Exchange and became the ultimate transferee of the aforementioned equity interests.

We have been bullish on Ctrip.com (CTRP) and you might well ask what’s been going on with the stock today? As you probably noticed the stock tumbled 9.24% to $57.48 on weaker 2008 Q2 forecast. We were not so much surprised by the actual results, in the last analysis of CTRP, released on 3/15/2008, analyst Lin Xu said “Snow Storm caused block of transportation and cancellations of travels which will reduce the profitability of Q1 2008, not to a large extent. Business will recover as the cold season ends.”

The Company has received a notice from China Datang Corporation (“CDC”), which holds approximately 33.73% of the total shares in issue of the Company as at the date of this notice, informing the Company that a director of the Company, Mr. Zhang Yi, will cease to be a director of the Company due to business adjustment; and that Mr. Cao Jingshan will be nominated as a director of the Company and that a motion will be proposed for the 2007 AGM in respect thereto, and the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”) has agreed that a proposed resolution to consider and approve the “Proposal to the Annual General Meeting on Adjustment of Director” (Note 1) shall be tabled before the forthcoming 2007 AGM for the consideration and approval by the shareholders of the Company.