Blurring the lines

2012-11-23 09:08

Nolan Virgo, a British teacher from Crawley, in southeast England, feels that in many ways Lanzhou reflects "the real China".

Going naturally with the flow

2012-11-23 09:08

The world's leading water services provider, the French company Veolia, is savoring the latest development of Lanzhou New Area as it expects to tap into an increased demand for water supply.

Oil chief knows the drill for M&As

2012-11-23 09:08

Shortly after Fu Chengyu became chairman of China Petroleum and Chemical Corp, or Sinopec, the world's second-largest oil company, the company assigned him an interpreter for a meeting with foreign guests - only to find that their 61-year-old head could speak English fluently.

Scrolling down the catwalk

2012-11-23 09:08

Investing in high fashion in current economic climate carries equally high risk, and many companies are looking to China's new money as the safest gamble.

Ritzy, not glitzy

2012-11-23 09:08

Despite what Marilyn Monroe sang and millions would have you believe, diamonds are not a girl's best friend, a conference of women leaders was told recently.

A trip of enlightenment

2012-11-23 09:08

The first time Dardanio Manuli went to China, many of his friends and colleagues thought he was mad. It was the autumn of 2003 amid scare over SARS pandemic.

Stamp of intent

2012-11-16 11:23

Foreign certification firms are finding myriad opportunities to help Chinese exporters sell abroad.

Open for business

2012-11-16 11:23

Even though the majority of Chinese people still drink instant coffee that can be made for 1 yuan (16 US cents; 0.13 euros) per cup, some of the world's most expensive coffee machines are available in the Chinese market.

Quotable

2012-11-16 11:23

"In a very short period of time we have seen a marked increase in the number, and value, of payments companies are sending to China through the renminbi."

IN BRIEF (Page 14)

2012-11-16 11:23

On your mark, get set, sell

2012-11-16 11:23

Call it marketing gamesmanship or chalk it up as a simple and honest approach to consumers, but Lenovo, the Chinese electronics multinational, is leading the pack in China by pushing for more environmentally conscious certifications.

Gateway to Europe

2012-11-16 11:23

Though it lags Germany and the UK in the investment stakes, France is fast emerging as the destination of choice for Chinese investors in a host of sectors.

Bank breaks out

2012-11-16 11:23

The world's largest bank by market value, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, is accelerating its European expansion by tapping into new business areas such as private and investment banking.

Getting the best of rivals is a delicate operation

2012-11-16 11:23

For Christophe Papillon, leading a Chinese company to compete with some of the big names in the medical equipment industry is a demanding task, and selling Chinese products in France can be even more challenging.

Clouds of doubt darken trade outlook

2012-11-16 11:23

As the European Union has lowered expectations for its economy, China's trade relationship with its largest trading partner looks gloomy for the rest of this year, and all of next, analysts say.

Crunch cereal deal

2012-11-16 11:23

This month, with the gobbling up of Britain's iconic Weetabix brand, Chinese food companies can be said to have planted their feet under the dinner table of the international market.

Giving China's wine-bottling ways a twist

2012-11-16 11:23

The use of screw caps in the wine industry has in recent years gained a wider acceptance throughout the world. From reds to whites to sparkling wines, companies are slowly turning away from putting a cork in.

Making it all work in the real world

2012-11-09 10:05

Mechanical engineering student Wu Xiangbo was looking forward to his first part-time job, hoping to gain some practical experience along with the extra cash. "Ideally, I wanted some job related to my major in manufacturing," says the 22-year-old vocational training college student in Jinan, capital of Shandong province in East China.

Practically speaking

2012-11-09 10:05

No matter how loud they talk tactics on the baseball field, there's a good chance the Tongji University team won't be understood by their opponents.

Quotable

2012-11-09 10:05

"We hope we can work on some good railway projects in the UK."