134 Konbanwa, Everybady!

Sato, a Japanese student, goes to a smiling class in Beijing. (S=Sato; T=teacher) S: Konbanwa, evali-badi! (everybody!)(The whole class laughs.) Ha!Ha!Ha! T: What on earth is that? S: Wow! You see. It

China's Inflation Eases to 6.2 pct in August

China's inflation eased in August from a three-year high as the country's economy cooled and global uncertainties lingered. The National Bureau of Statistics says the consumer price index, a main gauge of inflation, slowed to 6.2 percent in August, c

China's No.2 automaker's net profit down 4.6 pct in 2011

SHANGHAI, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Dongfeng Motor Group Co., China's second largest carmaker, said Tuesday its 2011 net profit fell 4.6 percent year on year to 10.48 billion yuan (1.7 billion U.S. dollars). Sales revenue rose 7.4 percent year on year to

Spanish bank predicts 26-pct unemployment for country in 2013

MADRID, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- The unemployment rate would reach 26 percent in Spain according to a report released on Thursday by the Spanish bank BBVA. The rate is above of the current figure of 24.63, the Spanish media reported. Job losses would be 0.

China's July auto sales rise 8.2 pct

BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- China's auto sales rose 8.16 percent year on year to 1.38 million vehicles in July, slowing from 9.9 percent in June, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said Thursday. Auto output hit 1.44 million uni

Volkswagen 2010 sales in China up 37 pct

SHANGHAI, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Europe's largest carmaker, Volkswagen AG（大众汽车公司）, said Friday that it had sold 37 percent more vehicles on the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong in 2010, compared to sales in 2009. With 1.92 million vehicles

China cuts GDP growth to 7.5 pct in 2012

BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- China sets its GDP growth target at 7.5 percent this year, down from 8 percent in 2011, according to a government work report to be delivered by Premier Wen Jiabao at the parliament's annual session Monday. This is the fi

China's PMI rises to 50.5 pct in Jan

China's Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), a preliminary readout of the country's manufacturing activity, rose to 50.5 percent in January of 2012, the highest level since October, indicating that a slowdown in the world's second-largest economy may be

China's CPI growth dips to 4.1 pct in December 2011

BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 4.1 percent year-on-year in December, down 0.1 percentage point from November on falling non-food prices, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Th

China targets 7.5-pct GDP growth

BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government announced Tuesday that its GDP growth target will remain around 7.5 percent this year to leave room for economic restructuring. The target is intended to help create jobs and improve people's well-b

China 2012 growth eases to 7.8 pct

BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's economic expansion slowed to 7.8 percent year on year in 2012 amid external jitters and domestic woes, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed Friday. The growth rate, the weakest expansion in a decade,

China's Nov. industrial output rises 10.1 pct

BEIJING, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- China's industrial production growth continued to accelerate in November, indicating that the nation's economy is rebounding after seeing its lowest expansion pace in more than three years. China's value-added industrial o

China's premier says 7.5 pct GDP target not low

BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Premier Wen Jiabao said Wednesday that the 7.5 percent GDP growth target for 2012 is a result of the government's proactive macro-control and can not be viewed as low. China's GDP has reached 47 trillion yuan (7.46 trill

China's fixed-asset investment up 20.7 pct

BEIJING, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- China's fixed asset investment rose 20.7 percent year on year to 32.62 trillion yuan (5.18 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first 11 months of 2012, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Sunday. The growth rate stood u

Revenues of China's software industry up 25.4 pct

BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The software industry garnered more than 1.3 trillion yuan (205 billion U.S. dollars) in revenues in the first seven months of this year, up 25.4 percent year on year, government data showed Monday. The fast revenue growt

China's fiscal revenue up 14.7 pct in Q1

BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- China's fiscal revenue in the first quarter of the year rose 14.7 percent from the same period last year to hit nearly 3 trillion yuan (475.81 billion U.S. dollars), the Ministry of Finance said Friday. The growth, thoug

Beijing tourism revenue up 15 pct during holiday

BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Beijing reaped 3.88 billion yuan (617.8 million U.S. dollars) in tourism revenue during this year's seven-day Spring Festival holiday, up 15 percent year on year, local authorities said Friday. China's capital city receiv

Film, TV spending rises 16 pct in Hollywood North

VANCOUVER, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Film and TV production spending in Canada's British Columbia, which won the reputation of Hollywood North for its place in North America's film and TV industry, rose by 16 percent during 2011, according to data released

Chinese SOE profits down 11.6 pct Jan-June

BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The profits of China's state-owned enterprises (SOEs) fell 11.6 percent year on year to 1.02 trillion yuan (161.4 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2012, showed data released on Monday. On a monthly basis, the SO

China's March PMI rises to 53.1 pct

BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China's Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), a preliminary readout of the country's manufacturing activity, rose for four consecutive months to the highest level since October, indicating the economy is on path of steady grow