➲ Corn-processing limit

According to Chinese Agriculture Minister Han Changfu, China will curb the amount of corn used in producing industrial chemicals to reduce the increasing pressure on grain supplies. The minister said the government aims to contain further processing of corn in non-food and non-livestock industrial usage.

➲ Private sector boost

China is working on more detailed rules to promote the development of the private economy, said Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the press conference following the conclusion of the annual parliamentary session this March. Among industrial enterprises, the private sector has exceeded the state-owned sector in the number of firms, output value, total assets and number of employees. However, the state-owned sector still holds the country's economic lifeline, the premier said, though it has a lower proportion in the total economy. Wen said that China will unswervingly boost the joint development of both the state-owned economy and the private sector.

➲ Fees scrapped

The China Banking Regulatory Commission, the People's Bank of China and the National Development and Reform Commission have jointly announced that 34 kinds of bank service fees will be scrapped from July 1 this year to raise the efficiency of banking services. The fees for opening and closing personal savings accounts will be canceled, and information-checking services will be free. Financial institutions should inform clients of the relevant fees beforehand and offer them right to choose services, according to the regulator.

➲ Energy plan

China's energy development strategy for the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) will focus on a structural adjustment of its energy resources, according to the National Energy Administration (NEA).The new plan will cover several plans to develop petroleum gas, electricity and new energy. Deputy Director of the NEA Qian Zhiming said the plan will urge domestic energy companies to acquire key technologies and industries, to speed up the restructuring of the energy business and to support development of new energy resources.

➲ Yuan settlement

The People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, announced in March that it will further expand trial yuan settlement in cross-border trade across the country this year. The market demand for yuan cross-border use is expected to climb, along with the closer integration between China and the global economy. China expanded the pilot program for yuan settlement in cross-border trade to 20 provinces in 2010. By the end of the year, the program had been expanded to over 67,000 exporters from the original 365.

➲ 4G years away

China plans to adopt the commercial use of 4G technology "in three to five years," providing the first official timetable for its move to the next generation telecom service, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. China's top telecom regulator states that the country will not launch a national commercial 4G service until 2014. The 4G, which can provide a connection speed more than 50 times faster than the current 3G network, is regarded as the next growth engine for the world telecom market, as it can draw huge investment in network construction and services development.

➲ EDZ planned

A plan to establish an ocean economic development zone in east China's Zhejiang Province has been approved by the State Council, China's cabinet. The Zhejiang Ocean Economic Development Demonstration Zone will focus on logistical services combining a trade platform, sea-land transport networks, and a finance and information-support system.

➲ Imported goods highlight

Imported goods will again be a highlight at the China Import and Export Fair in April. Known as the Canton Fair, the trade mart has been held in Guangzhou of Guangdong Province every spring and autumn for 54 years. The fair is now regarded as one of the best markets for overseas companies to find buyers. At the 108th Canton Fair last autumn, more than 500 enterprises from 43 countries and regions across the world showed their products in the imported goods zone, attracting more than 88,000 buyers from China and overseas.

➲ Soybean self-sufficiency

China will be able to raise its self-sufficiency rate in soybeans to 30 percent within three years, in light of great potential and a growing market, according to the China Soybean Industry Association. China imported 54.8 million tons of soybeans in 2010, the largest volume in its history, compared with 15.2 million tons of domestic production, General Administration of Customs data showed. The country's self-sufficiency rate currently stands at 22 percent. The association said that to raise the self-sufficiency rate to 30 percent is achievable with greater policy support from the government and increasing production capabilities.

Numbers:

32.2%

The year-on-year growth rate of foreign direct investment into China this February

 $15.2 billion

The money China will spend over the next decade supporting the development of new energy and energy-saving vehicles.

7ØØ

The number of aircraft Africa needs over the next 20 years

 $27.4 billion

Expected sales of luxury items in China in 2015

14%

Ghana's GDP set to grow in 2011