➲ Foreign trade white paper

The State Council Information Office in December released a white paper titled China's Foreign Trade, highlighting the country's achievements in boosting foreign trade and contributing to the world economy. The white paper says that China will refocus the development model of foreign trade because low-cost advantages for export-oriented industries have been "greatly" weakened as the costs of labor, resources, energy and other production factors spiral upward.

➲ Auto sales boom

China's private carmaker Chery Automobile Co. said its overseas sales in the first 11 months of 2011 hit a new record with a robust 79.7 percent growth. The carmaker sold 149,462 cars overseas in the January-November period. Chery's global sales hit 55,616 units in November, meaning it remains the best-selling domestic brand. This included 13,906 units sold overseas.

➲ Greener paper

China's major paper producers aim to lower the energy and resources consumed to turn out a ton of paper by 18 percent at the end of 2015 from the level in 2010. In a written proposal signed by nearly 100 paper makers released in December, they pledged to fulfill their social responsibilities and push for greener industrial development. During 2011-15, the industry also aims to lower water use by 18 percent. COD of major pollutants will decrease 10 percent.

➲ Stricter rules for charity

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Civil Affairs are now soliciting public opinion on new rules that will require domestic charities to hire accounting firms to audit their financial statements and publish reports, according to a joint statement issued by the two ministries. These requirements will also apply to certain donation programs, such as campaigns that account for more than 10 percent of the donations a foundation receives and fund raising related to natural disaster relief. The new rules are expected to come into effect on January 1, 2012.

➲ Tariff reductions

According to General Administration of Customs, China's import tariff reductions since the country's World Trade Organization (WTO) accession a decade ago have amounted to 57.07 billion yuan ($9 billion) by the end of October of 2011. In the first 10 months of 2011, tariff reductions under a slew of preferential trade arrangements amounted to 18.51 billion yuan ($2.9 billion). After China became an official member of the WTO in December 2001, it established 16 free trade areas with 29 countries and regions, and carried out 10 free trade agreements and three preferential trade arrangements.

➲ Agreement signed

China's Ministry of Commerce has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Bank of Beijing Co. Ltd. to support small and micro-sized enterprises facing financing difficulties. Under the terms of the agreement, in the next five years the lender will provide 10 billion yuan ($1.58 billion) in special credit line for small and micro-sized businesses supported by the ministry. Meanwhile, the ministry will build up the financing platform and pilot policies and improve the credit rating system for the businesses.

➲ Satellite development

China will develop the third-generation Fengyun series of weather satellites to monitor meteorological changes more accurately and to help tackle climate change. According to the China Meteorological Administration, the satellites will also collect data and images of atmospheric temperature, humidity and wind with higher definition and accuracy than previous satellites, which will support more reliable weather forecasting. China has launched 11 Fengyun weather satellites over the past 40 years. Six are currently in operation.

➲ Training for teachers

China will train 450,000 teachers from vocational schools during the 2011-15 period, as the country looks to have a bigger talent pool of skilled workers to back its industrial restructuring, according to a plan promulgated by the Ministry of Education. The training will include sessions to help teachers design better curriculum and adapt their teaching style to the demands of the market. Some teachers will be sent into the business world so they can improve their teaching skills through practical experience, according to the ministry.

➲ Tightened control

The Ministry of Environmental Protection announced a list of the first 15 rare earth metal enterprises that have passed the ministry's environmental protection check. The enterprises were selected from 84 companies that passed inspections by environmental watchdogs in 14 provincial divisions, according to the ministry. China currently has more than 300 enterprises working in the rare earth metal industry. Environmental protection departments across China will not accept environmental impact assessment reports on any new rare earth projects unless they are submitted by enterprises that are on the list.

25 Billion M3

China's natural gas imports January-October of 2011

4.2%

China's CPI in November of 2011

 1.3 Million [+]

Tibetan farmers out of poverty 2001-10 

$1.5 Billion

China-Tanzania trade for the first three quarters in 2011

$2.7 Billion

Botswana to use purchasing power in poverty purge