CHINA

Talks aimed at reining in North Korea's nuclear programmes ended on Sunday to allow delegates to return to their home countries to discuss a "nuts and bolts" joint statement with their governments, the U.S. envoy said.

A row that began a year ago when Taiwan rejected Chinese crabs containing a banned substance has spread to other imports from pork to wheat.

Is The New China's Investment Agency the Road to Riches?

Over 100 American multinational companies and a number of trade organizations petitioned Congress to reject protectionist legislation against China in Thursday.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is expected to rise by 4.6 percent this year and by around five percent in the first half of 2008, according to a forecast by the Research Bureau of the People’s Bank of China.

Network equipment maker 3Com Corp said on Friday it will be bought by private equity firm Bain Capital Partners for $2.2 billion in a deal that will also give China's Huawei a minority stake.

China welcomed more overseas investment to develop the country's hi-tech industry, a senior official said on Thursday.

The world's major powers will try to narrow their differences on tougher sanctions against Iran when they meet on Friday in New York, seeking to keep up pressure on Tehran to curb its nuclear program.

Communications equipment maker 3Com Corp has struck a deal to be bought by China's Huawei Technologies and private equity firm Bain Capital for more than $2 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

Hotel operator Marriott International Inc said it planned to quadruple its hotels in China to 100 in the next five to six years to tap growing demand for tourism and business.

HSBC Holdings, Europe's biggest bank, is entering insurance markets in China and Taiwan as part of its broader strategy to tap the fast-growing Asian region.

Russia is unlikely to support new U.N. sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program until after the U.N. atomic watchdog's latest study of Iran's activities, which may not be completed until December, the French foreign minister said on Thursday.

The luxury unit of Nokia has started selling a phone designed jointly with Ferrari for about 18,000 euros ($25,400) at its stores in London, Paris, Hong Kong and Singapore, it said on Thursday.

The Internet in China is not as restricted as sometimes believed in the West, with most controls actually coming from sites practicing self-censorship, an academic who studies the Chinese Web said on Thursday.

The U.S.-sponsored meeting of major emitting countries is aimed at supporting and accelerating the U.N. process on climate change, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice insisted on Thursday.

China Shenhua Energy, the country's biggest coal producer, raised 66.58 billion yuan ($8.9 billion) in China's largest domestic IPO after pricing the share offer at the top of an indicative range.

The United States rejected on Wednesday Iran's claim that its nuclear program is a "closed" matter and said it would keep pushing for fresh U.N. Security Council sanctions that are resisted by China and Russia.

Cisco Systems Inc said on Tuesday that it will cooperate with the Haier Group, China's largest manufacturer of household appliances, to build networking systems for home and individual users, as well as expanding the Chinese and international markets.

China Shenhua Energy, the courntry's largest coal producer, has attracted a record 2.67 trillion yuan (US 355.6 billion) in subscriptions for its A-share innitial public offering (IPO),according to the China Securities Journal.

Top U.S. nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill said on Wednesday North Korea could move ahead to "disable" its nuclear arms programmes by the end of this year, adding it was important to remain focused.

Russia unveiled its first all-new airliner since the fall of the Soviet Union on Wednesday, hoping to curb dependence on oil and gas exports and restore pride in its teetering aviation industry.