Business news for Mon, 24 Dec 2007 & with words department+long-term. 2 news.

GOVERNMENT subsidy support for meat production will be stable even when pork prices fluctuate, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. Speaking at an online press conference, Zeng Xiao'an, deputy director of the MOF's Department of Economic Development, said the government would take subsidies for piglet keepers into a long-term mechanism framework. "It does not matter whether pork prices are rising or falling, the supportive policies will be successive," said Zeng. "We will only adjust the strength of the policies based on real conditions," Zeng said when asked about the policies' time limit. To combat escalating inflation, China pledged to draw up a series of measures, including more subsidies for farmers. From July next year to the end of June in 2009, subsidies for each reproductive female piglet will be raised from 50 yuan (US$6.75) to 100 yuan, said Zeng. Also, the central government will allocate 2.5 billion yuan next year to support the

ALCATEL-LUCENT will pay US$2.5 million to settle charges that it violated US anti-bribery laws by paying for hundreds of trips taken by Chinese officials to secure millions of dollars in contracts. The trips were provided between 2000 and 2003 by Lucent Technologies, prior to its 2006 acquisition by Alcatel SA, according to a US Justice Department statement. Lucent footed the bill for approximately 315 trips for Chinese officials, including sightseeing trips to Las Vegas, Disneyland and the Grand Canyon, the department said. The company paid a US$1-million fine to the Justice Department and US$1.5 million in civil penalties to settle a separate complaint by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The recipients were officials with Chinese state-owned telecommunications companies considered important to securing new business. "Alcatel-Lucent China hasn't further comment on the issue, and we will sustain a healthy and long-term relationship with Chinese government officials