• China lends Nigeria Dollars 2bn in exchange for oil talks. • Ft com site : China oils Nigeria talks with loan

Nigeria is estimated at 3 billion US dollars.
"I hope this forum will open up opportunities for even more productive engagement between our two peoples," added Yar'Adua.
At the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao, Yar'Adua arrived here Wednesday night for a four-day state visit to China, the first since he assumed office in May 2007.
Source: Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 0846 gmt 29 Feb 08
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Document BBCAPP0020080229e42t0015p
Nigeria_hopes_to_strengthen_economic_ties_with_China:_Nigerian_President'>Nigeria hopes to strengthen economic ties with China: Nigerian President
261 words

29 February 2008

Xinhua News Agency

XNEWS

English

(c) Copyright 2008 Xinhua News Agency
BEIJING, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria hopes to strengthen its economic and trade cooperation with China with the highest-level visit yet, visiting Nigerian president Umaru Yar'Adua said here Friday when addressing the China-Nigeria Business Forum.
"Nigeria attaches great importance to Nigeria-China economic relations, which can be reflected in the level of this visiting delegation to China," said Yar'Adua to more than 300 businessmen from the two countries," this delegation is of the highest level since Nigeria declared independence in 1960."
Major Nigerian government officials, such as the minister of finance, foreign minister, minister of energy, minister of transportation and two governors and some leading businessmen in Nigeria's banking and industrial sectors are with this delegation.
Yar'Adua said Nigerian and Chinese businessmen could cooperate in fields such as oil and gas, agriculture, manufacturing, solid minerals, telecommunications, infrastructure, power generation, and the financial and capital market.
He said power generation is one of the most important departments for his government.
Trade between the two countries reached 4.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2007, compared to 3 billion U.S. dollars in 2006, while Chinese investment in Nigeria is estimated at 3 billion U.S. dollars.
"I hope this forum will open up opportunities for even more productive engagement between our two peoples," added Yar'Adua.
At the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao, Yar'Adua arrived here Wednesday night for a four-day state visit to China, the first since he assumed office in May 2007.
Document XNEWS00020080229e42t003h8

China: Wen Jiabao meets Nigerian president, UK FM; says aid to Africa 'selfless'
460 words

29 February 2008

02:59 AM

BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

BBCAPP

English

(c) 2008 The British Broadcasting Corporation. All Rights Reserved. No material may be reproduced except with the express permission of The British Broadcasting Corporation.
Text of report by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency)
[Dispatch by reporter Xu Song: "(Foreign Affairs) Wen Jiabao Meets Separately With Nigerian President and British Foreign Secretary"]
Beijing, 28 Feb (Xinhua) -State Council Premier Wen Jiabao met today with Nigerian President Yar'Adua at the Hall of Purple Light in Zhongnanhai. Wen Jiabao said: China attaches importance to Sino-Nigerian relations and regards Nigeria as China's important partner for cooperation in Africa. China and Nigeria, both as developing countries, are striving to advance economic and social development. Further strengthening of Sino-Nigerian relations is beneficial to the two countries and is of important significance to enhancing South-South cooperation. China is willing to continue to work hard with Nigeria to deepen the mutually beneficial cooperation of the two countries.
Wen Jiabao stated: In recent years, China and Nigeria have achieved outstanding results in cooperation in areas such as energy and telecommunications. It is hoped that on this basis, the two countries can strengthen planning, tap potential, and expand cooperation in the fields of agriculture, infrastructure, and manufacturing industries. Wen Jiabao said: At present, African countries are striving to explore a development path suitable for their own national conditions and have achieved positive results. China feels happy for this. China's aid to Africa was selfless, and its objective is to strengthen Africa's ability of self-development. We will continue to work with African countries, including Nigeria, to comprehensively implement the action plan adopted during the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and strive to benefit the Chinese and African people.
Yar'Adua said: The peoples of Nigeria and China enjoy a brotherly friendship, and the bilateral relations have developed smoothly. The two countries have constantly expanded and deepened the bilateral relations and multilateral cooperation in various fields. There are broad prospects for cooperation. Nigeria holds that continuously expanding mutually beneficial cooperation with China is conducive to achieving the economic development objective of Nigeria. Nigeria is willing to make joint efforts with China to further expand pragmatic cooperation of the two countries, and it welcomes Chinese enterprises to actively participate in Nigeria's oil and gas depletion and infrastructural building, so as to bring the Nigerian-Chinese strategic partnership to reach new levels.
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi was present at the meeting.
On the same day, Wen Jiabao also met with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and exchanged views with him on the bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common concern.
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and others were present at the meeting.
Source: Xinhua news agency domestic service, Beijing, in Chinese 1405 gmt 28 Feb 08
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Document BBCAPP0020080229e42t000b6

Dow Jones Asia-Pacific Top Stories Sked For February 29
2,016 words

29 February 2008

02:14 AM

Dow Jones International News

DJI

English

(c) 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Following are the top Asia-Pacific stories featured on Dow Jones Newswires as of 0700 GMT. Not all stories appear on all wires. Please direct any questions or comments to [e-mail].
MACRO/FOREX/FIXED INCOME:

=2ND UPDATE: JAPAN CONSUMPTION RISES IN JAN; OUTLOOK UNCLEAR
Japanese consumer spending logged its biggest rise in three and a half years in January despite rising prices and stalled jobs growth, data released Friday showed, suggesting some parts of the economy are holding up. (published 0429 GMT)

=UPDATE:JAPAN OTA: VIEW ECON RECOVERY CONTINUING UNCHANGED
Japanese Economy Minister Hiroko Ota said Friday that the country's economy is continuing its recovery despite some recent weak data. (published 0127 GMT)

=UPDATE: AUSTRALIA PRIVATE-SECTOR CREDIT AT 20-YEAR HIGHS
Australian private sector credit growth slowed slightly in January but remained close to its fastest pace since the boom days of the late 1980s, keeping the Reserve Bank of Australia on track to raise interest rates next week. (published 0217 GMT)

CHINA REGULATOR WARNS LARGE BKS OVER LIQUIDITY,DEFAULT RISKS
China's banking regulator said Thursday it has urged the country's large state-owned banks to raise their efforts to prevent liquidity risks and loan defaults this year. (published 0217 GMT)

INDIA BUDGET: TO UP DEFENSE SECTOR SPENDING BY 10% NEXT FY
India's federal government proposes to spend INR1.05 trillion on the defense sector during the next fiscal year beginning April 1, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said Friday. (published 0655 GMT)

INDIA BUDGET: TO MANAGE CAPITAL INFLOWS "MORE ACTIVELY"
The Indian government will take adequate steps to manage capital inflows, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said Friday in Parliament while presenting the federal budget for the fiscal year starting April 1. (published 0553 GMT)

INDIA BUDGET: TO WAIVE ALL LOANS TO MARGINAL, SMALL FARMERS
India's federal government has proposed to waive all loans to marginal and small farmers with effect from December 2007, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said Friday. (published 0632 GMT)

JAPAN JANUARY HOUSING STARTS DOWN 5.7% ON YEAR
Japan's housing starts fell 5.7% in January from a year earlier to 86,971 units, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Friday. (published 0513 GMT)

JAPAN JANUARY CONSTRUCTION ORDERS DOWN 2.5% ON YEAR
Total construction orders received by Japan's 50 leading domestic contractors fell 2.5% on year to Y938.5 billion in January, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Friday. (published 0514 GMT)

=DATA SNAP: INDIA FY3Q GDP +8.4% ON YEAR VS +8.9% PVS QUARTER
The Indian economy grew 8.4% in the October-to-December quarter from a year earlier, with the manufacturing and construction sectors driving growth, data issued Friday by the Central Statistical Organization showed. (published 0529 GMT)

=DATA SNAP: INDIA WPI +4.89% ON YEAR IN WEEK ENDED FEB 16
India's inflation rate rose to 4.89% on year in the week ended Feb. 16 from 4.35% a week earlier, data issued Friday by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed. (published 0629 GMT)

CHINA FIN MIN: FISCAL POLICY TO BOOST STABLE ECON DEVT-PAPER
China will keep a prudent fiscal policy to maintain stable and rapid economic growth as well as basically stable consumer prices, the official People's Daily reported Friday, citing Finance Minister Xie Xuren. (published 0111 GMT)

TRADERS SUSPECT MALAYSIA CENTRAL BANK BUYS US DLR AT MYR3.188
Malaysia's central bank appears to have placed bids Wednesday to stop the U.S. dollar from falling further as it hit its lowest levels in more than 10 years against the ringgit, two traders based in Kuala Lumpur said. (published 0340 GMT)

=UPDATE:NZ'S JAN TRADE DEFICIT NZ$320M, DROUGHT HURTS EXPORTS
New Zealand posted a goods trade deficit in January, reversing from a surplus the month before, as exports were hurt by an ongoing drought. (published 0026 GMT)

THAI CENTRAL BANK CUTS SAVINGS BOND ISSUE TO THB30B
The Bank of Thailand said Friday it cut its issue of savings bonds to THB30 billion from THB50 billion. (published 0521 GMT)

VIETNAM SELLS VND700B OF 2-YR GOVT BONDS, 3-YR BONDS UNSOLD
Vietnam's State Treasury sold all of the VND700 billion of two-year government bonds it offered in an auction Thursday but failed to offload any of the VND300 billion of three-year bonds also offered, a treasury statement said. (published 0512 GMT)

VIETNAM JAN-FEB FDI PLEDGED UP FIVEFOLD TO $3.582 BLN-OFFICIAL
Vietnam licensed 73 new foreign direct investment projects worth $3.582 billion in the first two months of this year, a fivefold increase on year, a government official said Friday. (published 0408 GMT)

CHINA NATL PENSION FUND END-2007 ASSETS OVER US$70B - XINHUA
China's social security fund had assets of more than US$70 billion at the end of last year, compared with less than $10 billion at the end of 2001, the first full year of its operation, the official Xinhua News Agency reported late Thursday, citing Dai Xianglong, the recently appointed head of the national pension fund. (published 0048 GMT)

AUSTRALIA GOVT DELAYS ROAD USER CHARGE HIKE TO JAN. 2009-MIN
Australian Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday federal and state governments will delay planned increases in road user charges for heavy vehicles, as policymakers attempt to check accelerating inflation pressures. (published 0313 GMT)

KIRIN HOLDINGS PLANS TO SELL Y200B BONDS EARLY MARCH-SOURCE
Japan's Kirin Holdings Co. plans to sell a total of Y200 billion of corporate bonds via four tranches in early March, a source close to the matter said Friday. (published 0455 GMT)

THAI PTT MULLS ISSUING AROUND $400M-$500M BONDS IN 2H - EXEC
Thai oil and gas conglomerate PTT PCL is considering issuing bonds worth around $400 million to $500 million in the second half of this year, a company executive said Friday. (published 0249 GMT)

SUNTEC REIT SELLS S$250M IN 5-YEAR CONVERTIBLE BONDS
Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust Friday said it sold S$250 million in five-year convertible bonds with a conversion premium of 23%. (published 0013 GMT)

PAKISTAN FOREX RESERVE $14.137 BLN IN WEEK ENDED FEB 23
- Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves rose to $14.137 billion in the week ended Feb. 23 from $14.080 billion the previous week, the State Bank of Pakistan said. (published 0449 GMT)

=FOCUS: RISING JAPAN FOOD PRICES COULD HURT WORLD'S #2 ECON
Food prices are climbing in Japan, and that's causing concern that Japanese consumers might cut back on other purchases in order to keep the cupboard well-stocked. (published 0605 GMT)

=ASIA FOREX:DLR FALLS TO 2YR 9MO LOW VS YEN; MAY FALL TO Y102
The dollar dropped to a two-year-and-nine-month low against the yen while also falling to a historic low against the swiss franc in Asia Friday after events in the U.S. overnight reinforced the view that the country may be facing a recession. (published 0548 GMT)

=PREVIEW: INDONESIA FEB CPI LIKELY +0.61% ON MO; +7.40% ON YR
Indonesia's inflation rate this month is likely to have been milder than in January due to a moderation in the increase of basic-food prices, economists said. (published 0458 GMT)

=MONEY TALKS: THE TOP 8 THEMES FOR CURRENCY MARKETS IN MARCH
Currency traders might not exactly have a knife at their backs, but they may still want to Beware the Ides of March. (published 2358 GMT)
EQUITIES:

=3RD UPDATE: CENTRO PROPERTIES POSTS 1H NET LOSS OF A$1.11B
Centro Properties Group, which is struggling to pay A$5.4 billion in debt, Friday posted a net loss of A$1.11 billion in the six months ended Dec. 31 because of writedowns on investments. (published 0438 GMT)

=2ND UPDATE:NZ MIN REJECTS TELECOM AMENDED PLAN,WANTS CHANGES
The New Zealand government Friday rejected an amended separation plan from Telecom Corp. Of New Zealand and requested the company to make changes, saying the proposal failed to meet all regulatory requirements. (published 2337 GMT)

MFS DIVERSIFIED RENEGOTIATING DEBT COVENANT WITH BANKERS
MFS Diversified Group requested a suspension of its stapled securities from trade Friday, saying it is in talks with its bankers about renegotiating a covenant on some of its debt. (published 2327 GMT)

=UPDATE: ALLCO'S RUBICON PPTY TRUSTS TO SELL A$2.1B ASSETS
Allco Finance Group Ltd. said Friday that three of the listed property trusts it manages will sell up to A$2.1 billion of assets in total after running into funding difficulties. (published 0258 GMT)

=UPDATE: TOSHIBA, IHI DENY IN TALKS OVER ENERGY OPS TIE
Toshiba Corp. and IHI denied Friday that they were in talks over forming a comprehensive energy business tie-up after a report said they were planning to create an integrated energy business with combined annual sales of about Y1 trillion. (published 0049 GMT)

FIRST GEN TO SELL PART OF FIRM HOLDING 60% STAKE IN PNOC-EDC
Philippine power producer First Gen Corp. Friday said it plans to sell part of a unit which recently acquired a 60% stake in PNOC Energy Development Corp., the Philippines' largest geothermal company by assets. (published 0215 GMT)

=UPDATE: MIRABELL, BELLE INTERNATIONAL UP ON TAKEOVER PLAN
Mirabell International Holdings Ltd., a footwear maker and retailer, rose more than 10% in Hong Kong early Friday, after its bigger rival Belle International Holdings Ltd. offered to take over the company for up to HK$1.67 billion . (published 0316 GMT)
HDFC BANK, CENTURION BANK OF PUNJAB BOARDS OK MERGER
HDFC Bank, India's second-largest private sector bank by assets, Friday said its board has approved the merger of Centurion Bank of Punjab Ltd. with itself. (published 0344 GMT)

LG.PHILIPS LCD SHAREHOLDERS SET TO GET FIRST DIVIDEND
LG.Philips LCD Co. shareholders will likely soon be paid their first dividend since the company listed in 2004, thanks to a strong performance in the final quarter of last year. (published 0628 GMT)

KT FREETEL AIMS TO BUY OVERSEAS MOBILE SERVICE CO IN '08
[ 29-02-08 0714GMT ]
South Korea's KT Freetel Ltd. Friday said it wants to buy a stake in an overseas mobile service provider this year as part of its efforts to find new sources of revenue. (published 0201 GMT)

SAMSUNG HEAVY TO FORM KRW100B FUND TO HELP OIL SPILL VICTIMS
Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Friday said it will set up a KRW100 billion fund to help residents in areas hit by an oil spill in December last year. (published 0333 GMT)

=2ND UPDATE: AGL TO MEET FY GUIDANCE, RETAIL WEIGHS ON SHARES
Putting a first-half loss down to "accounting nonsense", Australia's AGL Energy Ltd. said Friday that it is on track to meet full-year guidance, despite a slight drop in retail electricity customers and a 6.5% fall in operating profit that weighed on shares. (published 0415 GMT)

=UPDATE: DELL EXPECTS DOUBLE-DIGIT ASIA SALES GROWTH IN 2008
Computer maker Dell Inc. expects to see double-digit sales growth from Asia-Pacific and Japan for 2008, a senior executive said Friday. (published 0444 GMT)
ENERGY/COMMODITIES:

NIGERIA'S DANGOTE TO INK $2B CEMENT DEAL WITH CHINA - SOURCE
A unit of Nigerian commodities giant Dangote Group will sign a $2 billion contract Friday with a Chinese construction company for seven cement plants to be built in India and Africa, said a person familiar with the situation. (published 0212 GMT)

BHP & ANTAM TO INVEST $2.5B IN INDONESIA NICKEL OPS -REPORT
BHP Billiton is set to develop two mining projects in Halmahera and West Papua, with estimated investment of more than $2.5 billion, the Jakarta Post reported Friday. (published 0358 GMT)

=UPDATE: SAMSUNG TO HELP OIL SPILL VICTIMS WITH KRW100B FUND
South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Friday said it will set up a KRW100 billion fund to help residents in areas hit by an oil spill in December last year. (published 0540 GMT) [ 29-02-08 0714GMT ]
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Document DJI0000020080229e42t0009a
Dockwise Ltd - Annual Report 2007 Dockwise Ltd. online available
586 words

28 February 2008

01:36 PM

Market News Publishing

MNEWSP

English

Copyright 2008 Market News Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved
DOCKWISE LTD. ("DOCKF-0") - Annual Report 2007 Dockwise Ltd. online available Dockwise Ltd.: Annual Report 2007. Bermuda, 28 February 2008
Please be advised that as of 28 February 2008, CET 16:00 hrs. the Annual Report 2007 of Dockwise Ltd. is available on the company's website www.dockwise.com under tab "News".
About Dockwise Ltd./the Dockwise Group
Dockwise Ltd. has a workforce of more than 1200 people both offshore and onshore. The company is the leading marine contractor providing total transport services to the offshore, onshore and yachting industries as well as installation services of extremely heavy offshore platforms. The group is headquartered in Bermuda with amongst others operational offices in Breda, The Netherlands. The group's main commercial offices are located in The Netherlands, the United States, China, Korea, Australia and Nigeria. The Dockwise Yacht Transport business unit is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale and has offices in France and Italy. The Dockwise Shipping network is supported by agents in Japan, Singapore, Spain, Argentina, Australia and Italy.
To support all of its services to customers, the group includes three engineering centers in Houston, Breda and Shenzen, manufactures specific motion reduction equipment such as LMU (Leg Mating Units) and DMU (Deck Mating Units) and owns a fleet of 22 purpose built semi-submersible vessels of which currently 17 are operational and 5 will become operational during 2008.
Dockwise shares are listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under ticker DOCK.
For further information: www.dockwise.com
This document contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the business, financial performance and results of the Company and/or the industry in which it operates. Forward-looking statements concern future circumstances and results and other statements that are not historical facts, sometimes identified by the words "believes", "expects", "predicts", "intends", "projects", "plans", "estimates", "aims", "foresees", "anticipates", "targets", and similar expressions. The forward-looking statements, contained in this document, including assumptions, opinions and views of the Company or cited from third party sources are solely opinions and forecasts which are uncertain and subject to risks. A multitude of factors can cause actual events to differ significantly from any anticipated development. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiary undertakings nor any of its officers or employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does any of the foregoing accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the opinions expressed in this document or the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments.
No representation or warranty (express or implied) is made as to, and no reliance should be placed on, any information, including projections, estimates, targets and opinions, contained herein, and no liability whatsoever is accepted as to any errors, omissions or misstatements contained herein, and, accordingly, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiary undertakings nor any such person's officers or employees accepts any liability whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from the use of this document.
Note not for publication: For further information, please contact:
Analysts Fons van Lith [phone] (