CHINA

Taiwan's government has approved a plan to allow Chinese firms to invest in the island's key semiconductor and LCD panel makers in the latest sign of deepening economic ties between the political rivals.

CNPC and Chevron have started building gas production capacity at the Chuandongbei gas field in southwestern Sichuan province, the top Chinese oil and gas firm said on Thursday, more than three years after they inked a cooperation deal.

Access to the networking site LinkedIn was disrupted in China on Thursday, following online calls on other sites for gatherings inspired by protests against authoritarian regimes across the Middle East.

A Chinese state company has tapped Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd and Guoco Group Ltd as potential investors for a fund that aims to raise up to 20 billion yuan ($3.1 billion) to develop Shanghai's Bund district, a source said on Thursday.

The Bank of Shanghai has submitted its listing application to the banking regulator and is targetting an initial public offering (IPO) this year, the Shanghai Securities News reported on Thursday, citing a government official.

China's top five banks have scrapped mortgage rate discounts for first home buyers in Beijing, the official China Securities Journal said on Thursday, as part of efforts to cool a red-hot property market.

A Chinese government study has found the European Union offered large subsidies to telecom firms in what Beijing might deem a violation of World Trade Organization rules, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Soaring oil prices will have little impact on Chinese consumer inflation, but will place considerable cost pressure on the country's manufacturers, a government adviser and ministry official said on Thursday.

Taiwan and China will hold another round of talks in late March on a plan to allow individual travellers from China to visit Taiwan, a move that many see as a huge lift for Taiwan's economy.

He Shuaixing shakes his head listening to the pitch from a job recruiter on a cold wet day in a factory district outside Shenzhen , epicentre of China's export machine.

Biogen Idec stock price can appreciate to the mid $70s based on five areas of potential upside, according to RBC Capital Markets. The brokerage upgraded its rating on shares of the biotechnology company to outperform from sector perform and increased its price target to $75 from $60.

Access to LinkedIn, a social networking site aiming for a $175 million initial public offering, was disrupted in China on Thursday, according to several Internet users.

Gold steadied near seven-week highs on Thursday, as investor fears over inflation stemming from the spike in crude oil were partially offset by pockets of profit-taking after the market's 6 percent rise this month.

Western investment banks are keen to underwrite more IPOs on China's Shenzhen exchange this year as a surging economy turns the once insignificant market into a fundraising hotbed.

A former Chinese central bank adviser and influential economist on Thursday called on East Asian economies to form a stronger alliance to deal with issues such as the United States' weak fiscal position.

China will add more than 45 airports over the next five years, bringing the total to more than 220, the country's aviation regulator said on Thursday.

Hong Kong stocks are expected to open lower on Thursday, pressured by a surge in oil prices on fears turmoil in Libya could spread to other oil exporters in the region, and declines in global markets.

In urban China, poor people (and there are many of them) still have tough, despite the country’s stellar headline economic growth.

Merger and acquisitions activity in the global mining sector is expected to accelerate in 2011, fueled by strong commodity prices and repaired balance sheets, advisory and accountancy firm Ernst & Young said on Wednesday.

Inflation did not immediately follow because of the severity of the economic recession. However, as some economists correctly predicted, it was only a matter of time. In Europe, it's starting to heat up.

The two most powerful members of the European Union (EU), France and Germany, have threatened to strike Libya with sanctions in response to Moammar Gaddafi’s brutal crackdown on protesters. Such sanctions would eventually lead to the cancellation of all economic and business ties between Libya and the EU.