Commodity trade gets fillip

Editor's Note: In this fourth part of the special series on the new free trade zones being set up across China, we look at the China (Zhejiang) Pilot FTZ at Zhoushan, which started operations on April 1.

Quotable

"Ten years ago, people said e-commerce would not take off in China. But as soon as you overcome the payment barrier, consumers here are so much more ready than in other countries to take it on."

IN BRIEF

The race to lure talent

In just a few short years, China has gained a reputation as the global center for innovation and adoption in financial technology.

Partnership is proving fruitful

Over the past decade, the first quarter of the year has always presented a bag of mixed fortunes for Kenya's small-scale farmers.

Spare parts market holds promise for companies

Chinese manufacturers of auto parts and accessories have set their sights on the promising African market in a bid to grow their market share.

Car2go expects to rev up expansion

The car-sharing market in China is about to experience explosive growth in the coming three to five years, and Car2go China Co - the Daimler-owned car-sharing business - is strategically prepared to ride the market boom, its CEO says.

SOEs pledge more cuts to production capacity

BEIJING - China's central state-owned enterprises have pledged to continue to cut production overcapacity in some industrial sectors, aiming to reduce steel capacity by 5.95 million metric tons and coal by 24.73 million tons.

Housing restrictions take hold

Measures this year across China to rein in speculative investments in the property sector and skyrocketing home prices appear to be "effective", insiders say.

Products adjusted for higher exports

By adapting its strategic plans to economies related to the Belt and Road Initiative, Taiyuan Heavy Industry Co Ltd, a heavy machine manufacturer, is confident of realizing its export target of 2 billion yuan ($289 million; 266.7 million euros; ￡225.9 million) this year, up from 1.36 billion yuan last year, according to its executives.

New energy cars gain momentum

As Chinese people show a growing interest in new energy vehicles, industry insiders are urging carmakers to make technological progress to remain competitive and to change their sales and after-sales policies to boost consumption.

Genertec pursues 'strategic shift'

Three decades ago, the state-owned conglomerate China General Technology established a humble office in London to aid the transfer of industrial technologies between China and European economies.