Busy time ahead for logistics firms

Shanghai free trade zone offers good growth prospects for global majors

Foreign firms still favor east side

Despite rising costs in recent years, China's eastern region remains a strong attraction for foreign investors, thanks to its well-developed industrial facilities and infrastructure, as well as easy access to the domestic market, businesspeople say.

Investment growth triple that of GDP

China's outbound investment is expanding almost three times as fast as the nation's GDP, and the emphasis is shifting away from resources and toward the service sector and industry, a private equity firm said in a report on Dec 18.

New-age outlook in age-old Hunan

The factory floor in Changsha reverberates with the thunderous rumble of mysterious machinery, relentless robotic arms turning out enough building material every 72 hours to make an entire skyscraper. Somewhere in Russia, and in parts of Africa and South America, the pieces of prefabricated concrete wall the factory spits out will become offices and homes.

Quotable

"Central bank operations recently have already been in the direction of tightening. Monetary policies won't be any looser next year, in the broad policy frame of 'deleveraging'."

IN BRIEF (Page 18)

On the right road back to nature

On the banks of Liuye Lake in Changde, where the morning mist hangs over water as clear as a looking glass, Ma Fengchi smiles at the world his generation made for their children. His 65-year-old son, Ma Jianshi, smiles with him.

Mining a rich seam

Big-ticket mining projects are helping Chinese machinery makers consolidate their presence in Africa and offset losses from dwindling demand in developed markets.

Power giants work on local touch

Often criticized in the Western media for their role in Africa, Chinese companies have begun making changes to improve their image on the continent.

Bosses on a charm offensive

The day has finally arrived when a job seeker in China is in a position to tell a would-be employer, "You'll have to win me over." Paradoxically, it comes at a time when unemployment is relatively high.

Official warns on export outlook

There's little cause for optimism about China's exports in 2014, because demand in both developed and developing countries is growing too slowly to boost purchases of the nation's products, a commerce official told China Daily.

NGOs balancing out government aid

Foundations can help raise funds for developing nations: expert