Networking at the Local level

On a snowy wintry day in late March, a Chinese flag flew high outside the rural Welsh county of Flintshire's local government offices alongside the Welsh and English ones. Standing underneath the flags to welcome their Chinese guests was a large group of locally respected figures and government officials, including a sheriff and a lord.

Chinese wave, European swathe

Sino-European ties are being given a very local touch

Quotable

"Acquired technology is absolutely a different concept from technology gained through research and development."

IN BRIEF (Page 14)

Double benefit in manufacturing

China's senior political adviser has proposed closer integration with the economies of African countries by moving some of the country's labor-intensive manufacturing industry to the continent.

Doing what they Doudou best

It may even spread across the continent, as the show's Chinese broadcaster StarTimes is providing new digital TV services in 13 countries in Africa.

Multinational scholars

Chinese students are becoming an increasingly important source of revenue for Britain's financially squeezed universities, but experts say there is more the education institutions can do to market and recruit in China.

Something special in Shenzhen

It used to be a poor fishing village, but in little more than 30 years it has developed into a bustling metropolis with a population of 12 million. The southern coastal city of Shenzhen, neighboring Hong Kong, is best known as the nation's first special economic zone, a testing ground for the country's reform and opening-up.

A beacon for the private sector

Shenzhen's economic reform policies have set it apart from other cities

Quotable

"We should improve the relevance and flexibility of macroeconomic policies to properly manage hot money flows, and take measures to ensure the stability of overall pricing levels."

IN BRIEF (Page 14)

Comfort zone for companies

Several African countries are embarking on a new drive to attract investment from China, using a method that China itself has used so effectively to achieve economic success over the past 30 years.