➲ Protecting Overseas Workers

The Ministry of Commerce is calling for China's export of labor services to be better regulated, as Chinese enterprises expand quickly overseas and an increasing number of workers are sent abroad. "According to the country's first regulation of exported labor, the ministry will work with other related government organizations and local governments to establish a means of cooperation and stronger supervision of enterprises that send workers abroad," said Chen Deming, Minister of Commerce, recently. In June, China issued a set of rules to regulate export of labor and protect workers' rights abroad. The regulations took effect in August.

➲ Olympic Pin Badges Contract

Beijing Huajiang Culture Development Co. Ltd. has secured a contract to provide Olympic pin badges for the 2016 Olympic Games, with a partnership agreement signed in London in early August. Beijing Huajiang, also known as Honav, has been awarded the license to become the official provider of pins for the Olympic and Paralympic Games by the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee. Honav Chairman Jack Chen pledged that his company is embracing the opportunity to be part of the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

➲ PMI New Low

The manufacturing sector in China expanded at its slowest pace in the past eight months, with the purchasing managers index (PMI) easing to 50.1 percent in July, according to data released by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing and the National Bureau of Statistics in August. PMI in July was 0.1 percentage point lower than that in June, but it suggested the manufacturing sector is still expanding even though the growth has slowed down.

➲ Mobile Phone Exports Soar

China exported about 457 million mobile phones in the first half of the year, an increase of 17.7 percent year on year, according to a report from China International Business.  The sales of the exported mobile phones reached $35.8 billion in the period, up 36.1 percent over the same period last year. Analysts expect the country to export more than 1.05 billion mobile phones this year, with a transaction amount of about $80 billion.

➲ Business Big Online

An increasing number of Chinese enterprises have taken to the Internet to do business more effectively and efficiently in light of the current economic downturn, according to data from the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) recently. The number of Chinese websites using ".cn" domain names in the first half of this year was up 460,000 from the end of 2011, marking the fastest biannual growth since 2008, according to CNNIC. Of those newly-added ".cn" websites, about 71 percent were domestic companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises. This shows that a number of small and medium-sized enterprises are beginning to promote their brands and services through the Internet.

➲ Electronics Expo

The 2012 Suzhou Electronic Manufacturers Exposition will take place in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, from October 18 to 21, offering IT businesses a platform to display their technologies. The city is ready to welcome more than 500 companies, including some of the biggest names in the industry, such as Lenovo Group Ltd., China Mobile Ltd. and AsusTeK Computer Inc., at the exposition, which is the 11th of its kind. Suzhou is home to more than 9,000 IT companies and has been crowned "China's Silicon Valley."

➲ Soybean Imports Up

China's monthly soybean imports rose to a two-year high of 5.87 million tons in July despite an ongoing drought in the United States that has pushed up global soybean prices since mid-June, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs. In the first seven months, China imported 34.92 million tons of soybeans, up 20.1 percent year on year. Analysts expect China's soybean imports to drop in coming months following a rebound in global food prices.

➲ Boost Logistics Sector

The Ministry of Commerce will start implementing a modern logistics technology project this year to reduce distribution costs and expand domestic consumption. Nine cities, including Guangzhou, Wuhan and Lanzhou, were selected as pilot cities for the ministry's initiative. At the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15), China will strive to have network coverage of common deliveries, above 40 percent in major cities, to reduce the equivalent volume of freight transport by at least 30 percent, according to a document published on the ministry's website.

13.1%

China's retail sales up year on year in July

116.4 square meters

The average living area per household in China 2011

$1.7 Billion

China's non-financial direct investment in Africa in 2011

44.9%

FDI rise in first half of 2012 in Tunisia 

$133 Million

The United Nations Children's Fund in need of to help Democratic Republic of Congo's women and children