95% self-sufficiency urged for grains

After enjoying a decade of stable growth for grain production, China will take decisive measures to ensure its self-sufficiency rate, with enough arable land and adequate overseas cooperation in 2014.

Tuning up for 2014

The annual Central Economic Work Conference in Beijing last month attracted more international attention than usual.

Expert sidepanel

Shuang Ding,

Big players want to be in the Hefei zone

It came as no surprise when The Economist magazine named five Chinese cities as the fastest-growing metropolitan economies in the world in 2012. What was unexpected was who they were. Not Guangzhou, Shanghai or Chongqing, but places such as Baotou, Anshan and - topping the list - Hefei, the capital of Anhui province.

Recycling gathers momentum

Students help residents of Hefei's development zone take oride in their environment

IN BRIEF (Page 18)

Quotable

"We believe the markets and the Chinese government should be alarmed by the rapidly rising leverage, but we do not believe China is on the brink of a debt crisis, especially if the new leaders can take decisive measures to arrest its rising leverage."

Baby, you should see us now!

With about 20 million births in China every year, the baby products market is monster size, and the world's biggest companies in the field - P&G, Johnson & Johnson, Pigeon and the like - are all battling for a big share.

Branding success in Africa

Guanghzou-based Sunda International Trading Co, is banking on its Africa-specific brands and villa construction projects to grow profits and establish strong links in Africa.

New model to tackle excessive steel capacity

Against the background of the overcapacity problem in China's steel industry, Deutsche Bank AG says that it has, together with Switzerland's Duferco SA, an international steel dealer, arranged an $800 million structured prepayment term loan facility for Tangsteel in Tangshan, an industrial city in northeastern Hebei province.

China Mobile moves into next generation of communications

Nation's biggest telecom operator to roll out its 4G service in 340 cities this year

Shanghai to soar on FTZ wings

Shanghai's experience with the development of Pudong puts it in a unique position to manage the new national free trade zone, says Zhao Qizheng, a former deputy mayor of Shanghai and the first director of the Pudong new zone in the early 1990s.