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Byline: JAMES T. AREDDY; Ellen Zhu contributed to this article. SHANGHAI -- Stemming a rise in unemployment has fast become China's Job No. 1. The government is increasingly positioning itself [...]

Byline: JAMES T. AREDDY; Ellen Zhu, Bai Lin and Denis McMahon contributed to this article. SHANGHAI -- If China's exchange rate policy is a speedometer for the government's move toward [...]

Byline: MEI FONG; Ellen Zhu contributed to this article BEIJING -- China's government-sanctioned trade union has strengthened its foothold in McDonald's Corp., a move that illustrates the increasing involvement by [...]

Chinese regulators are planning to sell $300 billion in state-owned shares that create 2/3 of the market capitalization of China. Traditionally these shares have been non-tradeable put are now to go on the block. Speculation has created a market rally with the stock market climbing by ten percent since February 2nd, 2005.

Andes Petroleum Corp., a joint venture of Chinese oil companies that includes the China National Offshore Oil Corp. , acquires Canadian firm EnCana Corp.'s Ecuadorian oil and pipeline assets.

The article presents a travel journal of a 1,700-mile long trip by road across the northern part of China. According to the article, the sale of over 4.2 million cars in China has increased investments in government highways. The author took the trip with a group of other individuals in the Chery A1, which is a Chinese built vehicle designed to sell in China and be exported to other markets.

The article discusses cricket fighting in China. Traditionally a seasonal event, Xu Moxiao has stirred controversy by trying to stage bouts throughout the year. Betting on cricket battles is illegal but very popular. A good, tough fighting cricket can sell for thousands of dollars. Seeking an edge, some cricket breeders feed hormones to their charges.

The article discusses China's health-care system. Although care is almost universal, it is marked by poorly-trained and equipped providers, rising drug costs, and inadequate health insurance. Starting in 2009 China will spend $120 billion as part of a ten-year initiative aimed at providing a basic level of care to all citizens by 2020.

The article discusses economic conditions and business enterprises in China. Corporations which previously were dependent on exporting their products to the U.S. are attempting to market them to Chinese consumers, a result both of China's increased prosperity, which has also increased consumption, and the decline in U.S. consumption caused by the recession.

The article reports that Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. has successfully recruited Chery Automobile Co.'s product-development chief. Beijing Automotive hired Gu Lei to head up its effort to develop a new brand of passenger cars. The firm seeks rapid growth that would enable it to survive consolidation in the domestic automobile industry that has been encouraged by the Chinese government.

The article discusses Chinese automobile manufacturer Geely Holding Group Co. Although small, Geely is one of China's few independent car makers, and is considered a leading candidate to acquire the Volvo operations from Ford Motor Co. Some believe Geely will begin exporting cars to Europe and the U.S. within five years.

The article discusses Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. Before purchasing the Hummer brand of automobile from General Motors Corp., Tengzhong was a relatively obscure manufacturer of heavy commercial vehicles. Chief executive Yang Yi hopes to make Hummer a global brand and significantly increase its sales in China.

The article discusses difficult job prospects for new college graduates in China. A slumping economy coupled with growing numbers of graduates has created an oversupply of job seekers. Additionally, many colleges and universities have grown at rapid rates and offer their students an education of questionable quality.

The article discusses the automobile industry in China. In January, 2009 car sales in China exceeded those in the U.S. for the first time. Car manufacturing is split among dozens of firms in China, and a weakening global economy could cause some to merge and others to go out of business. Cheng Bin of the Shuanghuan Automobile Co. noted that it would be an accomplishment if his firm could survive through 2009.

The article discusses the impact on parents of a May, 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province, China. Many parents whose only child was killed in the quake are trying to conceive again. Some parents who had vasectomies or tubal ligations following the one child allowed under China's one-child policy are having those procedures reversed.

The article discusses the impact of an economic slowdown in China. As factory shutdowns increase substantial numbers of unemployed migrant workers are returning to their rural homes. Labor unrest in the form of strikes and protests has become more common. The Chinese renminbi has fallen against the U.S. dollar amid expectations of a possible devaluation.

The article discusses reaction in China to a music album from the band Guns N' Roses entitled "Chinese Democracy." The government has discouraged record distributors from ordering the album. The band remains popular with many music fans in China, although some resent the political commentary implied by the album's title.

The article discusses Chen Yanqing, a weightlifter on China's Olympic team who will compete in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Chen was identified as having promising athletic talent at the age of 11, when she left home to attend a government-supported sports school. Her family has derived substantial economic benefit from Chen's success as a weightlifter.

The article discusses challenges faced by firms in China that manufacture goods for export. Rising prices for raw materials and labor, as well as more vigorous enforcement by Chinese officials of labor and environmental regulations, have cut into profit margins and forced businesses to raise their prices.

The article discusses fledgling entrepreneurial endeavors that have sprouted up in China's Sichuan Province in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake on May 12, 2008. Guided by a spirit of self-reliance, residents are starting up barber shops, bars, retail stores, and other small businesses. The new businesses are helping to lure refugees back to the area.

The article examines the automobile industry and trade in China. The country's economic boom means that many consumers are trading up to larger, more expensive automobiles. This is good news for foreign manufacturers such as Toyota and General Motors who have manufacturing plants in China in partnership with Chinese firms. China's overall auto industry, however, which concentrates on producing cheaper cars, may suffer.

The article discusses heparin manufacturer Shenzhen Hepalink Pharmaceutical Co. of China. Shenzhen is the largest supplier of heparin to the U.S. in the wake of Baxter International's recall of a blood thinner that contained heparin manufactured by a different company. The Shenzhen plant observes strict safety precautions and has been audited or inspected numerous times.

The article profiles Ma Chen, a woman from Taizhou, China who is leading a movement to educate autistic children in China. With the help of friends, Chen has raised $200,000, opened three schools, and enlisted the aid of autism experts. A discussion of Chen's plans to develop a plot of land for autistic children so that they will have a working farm when they are grown, and of problems her plans have seen with the Chinese government because of a lack of official supervision, is presented.

The article reports on the growth of the Chery Automobile Co., which is China's largest independent vehicle maker. A discussion of the company's plans to eventually compete against some of the world's largest automobile manufacturers with its inexpensive cars and sports utility vehicles is presented. A deal Chery made with Chrysler LLC to sell a series of small cars made by Chery under the American automobile maker's Dodge brand is discussed.

The article reports on an increase of hospitals in China that are offering an expensive, irreversible, and controversial brain surgery called ablative surgery, which is typically a last resort for mental illness in other countries, as a way to treat the mentally ill. A discussion of complications the surgery can cause, and of cases where patients became worse following the surgery, is presented.

The article focuses on an increase in competitive spirit which has been seen in October of 2007 in China's National Space Administration. The administration, which is competing with Japan to become the first Asian nation to put a man on the moon, is scheduled to launch a rocket from the southwestern province of Sichuan into lunar orbit on October 24, and if it is successful it will be an important step in beating Japan to the moon.

The article reports on the astounding 2007 financial success of China's stock market, and concerns which have been raised because of it. Industry analysts feel that the success is s bubble which could burst and harm the country's economy even though the success is leading to the development of a class of investors that is helping make the economy more market driven. A discussion of American firms that are seeing financial gains as a result of their involvement in the stock market is presented.

The article reports on a lack of confidence among Chinese consumers in 2007 over the safety of the country's food and drug supplies and the government's ability to monitor it which resulted from China's decision to continue selling Chinese products which have been found to be dangerous or unhealthy by other countries including the United States. A discussion of the continued sale of a toothpaste made with a poisonous chemical that was pulled from the U.S. stores is presented as an example.

The article reports on a 2007 expansion of China's Navy being accomplished with the purchase of war ships, which has resulted from increased economic growth in the country and China's growing ties with the world economy and its dependence on imported products. A discussion of reaction to the expansion which was seen in Washington, D.C. is presented.

The article discusses the production of fireworks in Liuyang, China, the "Fireworks Capital of the World." The area takes pride in the fact that Li Tian invented fireworks in the area over 1400 years ago. The area produces over half the globally exported fireworks. Safety of workers is taken seriously, with work areas protected by blast walls and clear access to safety provided for workers.

The article reports on a product recall related to a defect which may be present in 450,000 automobile tires in the U.S. that have been imported from China. The tires, which were distributed by Foreign Tire Sales Inc. of Union, New Jersey and sold under the brands Westlake, Telluride, Compass and YKS either lacked a safety feature designed to make them more durable or had it in an insufficient degree.

The article focuses on the rescue of hundreds of former captives called slave workers in China, that was accomplished by police as part of a broad assault on brick factories and coal mines in two of China's provinces. A discussion of the impact the rescue and media coverage about it may have on the 2008 Olympics is presented.

The article reports on the effects a slump in the sale of clothing at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is having on clothing suppliers in China, including Boshan Linen Garments Co. that supply Wal-Mart. A discussion of the factors that have led to Wal-Mart's slump, including rising gasoline prices, and business problems that have resulted in an increase in unsold goods, is presented.

The article reports on the attempts by activists, led by Marina Apers, to keep the 17th-century Belgian village of Doel from destruction. Doel is threatened by a planned expansion of the Port of Antwerp in Belgium. Apers has European Union environmental laws, Doel residents, squatters and Gypsies in her favor and international shipping as an opponent.

The article reports on an increase of government auctions of illegally acquired goods seen in many cities in China including Hefei.The goods have been seized from corrupt officials. A crackdown on corruption by the country's government has led to the acquisition of many luxury items including Rolex and Omega watches, fur coats and gold jewelry. The government run news agency feels that the auctions will be a strong deterrent to corruption and will boost the determination of the Communist Party.

The article reports that China is having a record number of text messaging on cell phones as they celebrate the New Year in 2007. The fifteen-day celebration of the New Year traditionally involves visiting family and friends. The practice of "door hopping" is centuries old. However, some people claim that their circle of acquaintances is so large, that text messaging is the best they can do to honor their obligations.

The article discusses economic activity in China, which shows a rally on the Shanghai SE Composite, the country's benchmark stock-market index. The factors contributing to the bull market, which has brought China's stock markets to their highest level in two years, include the communist government's announcement that initial public offerings will be allowed. An overview of yesterday's market activity is given for Tokyo, London, Mumbai, Seoul, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

The article observes that Chinese businesspeople are using feng shui to choose new names. Name changes are increasingly common in China amid a business boom and a resurgence of feng shui, an ancient Chinese art. Feng shui focuses on helping people achieve health, prosperity and harmony through the layout of buildings, furniture arrangement and the bestowing of names. Scholars believe that in recent years possibly more than a million Chinese have changed their given names. The number of feng shui masters specializing in name change is increasing rapidly.

This article looks at the state of health insurance for workers and residents in China. An example is given to illustrate the high cost of medical care in China and the limitations of China's government-sponsored health insurance. More than two-thirds of China's 1.3 billion people have no insurance at all, and many can not afford medical care. Problems with insurance coverage have become a crisis for the country's burgeoning urban middle class, eating into to support for the ruling Communist Party. As recently as the late 1970s, the government controlled the entire hospital system, employed all doctors, and provided universal health care coverage. But the system broke down in the 80s as market-style reforms took root and left millions without jobs or insurance. China's new health-insurance model, a program called Basic Medical Insurance, requires all employers to provide employees with some coverage for both routine medial problems and more serious illnesses, however the plan does not cover family members.

This article looks at the increasing popularity of giving Chinese knockoffs of name-brand goods as Christmas gifts. Louis Ederer, who has represented Nike Inc. and Tommy Hilfiger Corp. in counterfeit cases, says that it has become cool and trendy to buy knockoffs. Many of the Chinese factories making the knockoffs are located near factories making the real thing. The increase in direct flights to and from the U.S. and China and the improvement in the quality of the counterfeiting have helped the counterfeit business. INSET: Too Good to Be True.

Focuses on the efforts of credit-card companies to woo potential customers in China. Examples of the free products given to a Chinese consumer who uses credit cards from the China Construction Bank and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank; Statistics indicating that credit card use in China has room to grow; Statistics indicating incomes are rising in China as are the number of credit cards issued; Amount of money committed by foreign investors to Chinese banks; Efforts of HSBC Holdings PLC and Royal Bank of Scotland PLC to invest in China's banks.

The article focuses on the decision of developing nations to join the Western ones in criticizing what they say are unfair protectionism policies of China to aid its factories become the world's top exporters.

The article reports on the support of Chinese media and Internet users for the execution of British national Akmal Shaikh for alleged drug smuggling on December 29, 2009, which they considered as a victory for the Chinese justice system. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and activist groups reportedly showed their anger at such sentence. Also noted is the assertion of the Supreme People's Court regarding the lack of proof about claims that Shaikh had mental illness.

The article reports on the blizzard that hit China in November 2009, which dumped heavy snow in the nation's northern part. As of November 13, at least 650 million U.S. dollars in damage has been caused by the storm, according to the government. The Beijing Weather Modification Office denies allegations that its cloud seeding effort is the reason for the intensity of the storm, claiming it had not seeded clouds in the past week.

The article reports on the increase in level of confidence of the Chinese government in the economic recovery of the country in 2009. The gross domestic product (GDP) of the country rose by 8.9%, compared with the third quarter of 2008. The economic recovery is said to have been driven by an inflow of cash from the state-controlled banking system. The profits of companies in China have began to increase again for the first time since the start of the economic crisis.

The article reports on the commencement of a series trials on the alleged conspiracy of senior police officials with local gangsters to run rackets in Chongqing, China on October 12, 2009. Hundreds of government officials, police officers and alleged gang members were arrested by authorities in a crackdown on organized crime in the municipality. Among the crimes being investigated are bribery and extortion. Chongquing Public Security Bureau deputy director Wen Qiang is cited as one of the most notable arrest.