China's top economic planning agency publicized four price
manipulation cases on Saturday and said it had uncovered more than
70 similar instances during 2007 as part of a nationwide price
overhaul.
The announcement was in Guangzhou during a national price
inspection work conference.
The cases included:
This past February, 104 kindergartens in Cangnan County, in
eastern? Zhejiang Province, conspired to raise nursing and
lunch fees by more than 30 percent. These kindergartens have been
ordered to refund 3.45 million yuan (472,300 U.S. dollars) in fees
and pay fines of 105,000 yuan.
The Chengdu cITY Medicine Chamber in southwestern Sichuan
Province met four times between July and September to ask 19 member
drug stores to sell three medicines at the maximum government
retail price.
A bean product producer in Jingzhou City, in central Hubei
Province,? conspired with local sales agents to increase the
prices of four kinds of bean products by 20 percent last
August.
The Shijiazhuang City Car Washing Association in northern Hebei
Province in May ordered 189 car washing bays to raise service
charges.
"To stabilize prices and regulate the market order, the
government will stress price inspection in 2008, especially in the
education, medical and real estate sectors," Bi Jingquan, deputy
chief of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said
on Saturday.
The consumer price index (CPI), a major gauge of inflation,
surged by an 11-year-high of 6.9 percent in November and 4.6
percent in the first 11 months, primarily driven by surging food
prices, which have become a key concern for the government and
citizens.
(Xinhua News Agency December 30, 2007)