China: prepare for a slowdown

For the world’s second largest economy, 2011 was filled with many ups and downs – not just related to the declining stock market or the sluggish real-estate sector, but for everyone.

Globe: what weather will 2012 bring?

Will the world end in 2012? The supposed Mayan prediction has many scared.

Ensuring stability – Annual economic conference to map out 2012

“Stable” is going to be a keyword for the country’s economy next year, if voices from the annual Central Economic Work Conference last week are to be believed.

Police probing blast at Apple supplier

(AP) – Shanghai police are investigating the cause of an explosion over the weekend that injured dozens of people at the factory of a Shanghai supplier to Apple Inc.

Referee admits accepting bribes

(AP) – A Chinese soccer referee has admitted in court to taking bribes to fix local and international matches, including a 2007 friendly game involving Manchester United, Xinhua reported Tuesday.

China becomes world patent leader

(Reuters) – The country became the world’s top patent filer in 2011, surpassing the US and Japan as it steps up innovation to improve its intellectual property rights track record, a Thomson Reuters research report showed on Wednesday.

Decade in WTO

China’s decade in the World Trade Organization (WTO) thrust the country into the top spot in industries ranging from textiles to cars.

A brake on gov’t cars

The new regulation, signed last month by several ministries, requires government bodies across the country to spend less and buy more fuel-efficient vehicles, the Wall Street Journal reported.

When homes become affordable

The country’s housing prices fell for the first time this year in October, a sign that efforts to cool the country’s surging property market are working, according to Reuters.

APEC leaders make strides in Honolulu

The global press attending the annual Asia Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) may have been disappointed by this past weekend. They waited outside hoping to get a shot of leaders in casual wear, as in years past, state heads have been seen in ponchos or silk tunics.