Beijing, Feb 8 - That's a scratch that will cost her dear, and she feared much more. But a woman in China is "relieved" she would have to pay only 188,000 yuan ($29,800) for a tiny-winy scratch her car caused to a Rolls-Royce.

The woman surnamed Zhu hit the luxury sedan with her Honda Accord in Zhejiang province Jan 31, the Shanghai Daily reported citing a media report.

Beijing, Jan 30 : China's largest electric vehicle (EV) charging and battery swapping station has been put into operation in Beijing, Xinhua reported quoting sources in the city's power supply authorities.

Located in the eastern Beijing's Chaoyang district, the Gaoantun charging station can charge up to eight vehicles simultaneously and it takes only four to six minutes to swap a battery of an EV.

Beijing, Jan 23 - China's crude steel output increased 8.9 percent year-on-year to 683.27 million tonnes last year, 0.4 percentage points slower than the growth rate of 2010, according to the latest data provided by the country's top economic planner.

Last year's steel output helped China secure its title as the world's largest steel producer.

Beijing, Sep 27 - Chinese social networking company Renren Inc. announced Tuesday that it will buy 56. com, an online video-sharing site in China, for $80 million.

The takeover of 56. com, a website where users can upload, view and share videos, marked the first major acquisition by Renren since it went public on the New York Stock Exchange in May, reported Xinhua.

The deal is expected to completed in the fourth quarter, Renren said in a statement.

Renren is one of China's largest social-networking websites.

Beijing, Sept 14 : Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has said that China today is a fully open market economy.

Xinhua quoted Jiabao, as saying that the nation is pursuing a `win-win strategy' of opening-up to increase the openness of the country''s economy.

He further said that since joining the World Trade Organization in 2001, China has speeded up its efforts to change the pattern of conducting foreign trade.

Beijing, Sept 10: Pakistan would have faced the combined military might of the United States and India, had it not allowed American troops on its soil to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan after the 9/11 terror attacks, former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has said.

Musharraf reflected on the choices he faced after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks in America, and his decision to turn Pakistan into a frontline state in the US-led "war on terror".

Beijing, Sept 6 : China has denied sending weapons to Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi during the final months of his regime, saying `it does not allow any actions that contravene UN resolutions'.

"Chinese companies have not provided military products to Libya in any direct or indirect form," the China Daily quoted Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu, as saying.

"Chinese companies did not sign arms sales contracts and they did not export military products to Libya," Yu said.

Beijing, Aug 27 :Though Gaddafi's fate remains unknown, his era has "undoubtedly come to an end". However, Libyans should remain cautious about the country's future as there were tremendous difficulties ahead, China's state-run Xinhua news agency said in a commentary.

The Libyan rebels and NATO - "having chosen the most violent means to effect change" - have put an end to the 41-year rule of Muammar Gaddafi after fully taking control of the capital, Tripoli, it said.

Beijing, Aug. 25 : China''s economic development is facing unprecedented challenges amid worldwide financial uncertainties resulting from the risk of debt default by some developed economies, analysts said.

"The effect of high US sovereign debt is likely to reduce consumer demand, so China''s exports may experience rapid decline in the coming months," the China Daily quoted Xia Bin, an academic adviser to the People''s Bank of China (PBOC), China''s central bank, as saying.

Beijing, Aug 25: Analysts have warned that China''''s economic development is facing challenges amid worldwide financial uncertainties in the wake of debt default risk by some economies, including the United States and the European Union.

However, they have predicted that China's economy will maintain a relatively steady, high growth due to its maneuverable economic policy.

Beijing, August 22 : The Chinese economy will grow by 9.28 percent this year if the United States avoids a double dip recession and eurozone clears a debt crisis, a report has said. According to economists from China''s Xiamen University and the National University of Singapore, who brought out the report also said that the country will have a GDP growth of 8.91 percent, Xinhua reports.

Beijing, Aug 22 : China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC), the country's largest oil and gas producer, has terminated six exploration projects in Libya and Niger amid ongoing political turbulence in the two nations, a media report said Monday.

The termination of the six projects run by Great Wall Drilling Co. (GWDC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNPC, is estimated to cause a 1.2 billion yuan ($187.51 million) loss to the company, higher than losses incurred during the 2009 financial crisis, Xinhua reported citing the Securities Daily.

Beijing, August 16 : China’s inflation rate is likely to rise from its existing 5.7 percent to 6.2 percent in the third quarter, a state think tank has predicted.

China should continue to take measures to cool the economy, the State Information Center said in an overview of the economy published in the China Securities Journal.

“China must tolerate a moderate cooling in the economy,” the think tank under China''s National Development and Reform Commission, said in its report.

Beijing, Aug 6 - Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co. will recall a total of 760,515 vehicles sold in China over potential automatic transmission problems, China's quality watchdog said.

The automobiles being recalled will include the company's Accord, Odyssey and Spirior models, Xinhua reported citing the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

Honda's two joint ventures in China - the Guangzhou Honda Automobile Co., Ltd. and the Dongfeng Honda Automobile Co. Ltd. - will launch the recall Aug 8.

Beijing, March 19 - China's central bank said Friday it will raise the
banks' reserve requirement ratio by 50 basis points from March 25 - the
third hike this year.

This will be the ninth reserve requirement ratio hike by the People's
Bank of China since 2010. The latest move is to soak up liquidity to
check inflation, China Daily reported.

As per the new plan, major banks will have to set aside 20 percent of
their reserves and small and medium-sized banks will have to keep 16.5
percent of their deposits in reserve.

Beijing, Jan 29 - Chinese television star Yao Chen has been named the "microblog queen" for having more than five million followers on the country's popular Twitter-like online social microblogging website.

Yao had five million fans on her microblog t. sina. com. cn/yaochen Friday afternoon, and the number grew by another 3,744 in the following one and a half hours, Xinhua reported.

The 32-year-old actress rocketed to fame in 2006 for her role in the popular sitcom "My Own Swordsman". She also starred in a successful television series "Lurk screened" in 2008.

Beijing, Nov 30 - Automobile giant Volvo has said it would recall 18,848 vehicles in China to repair manufacturing defects.

The recall beginning Monday will cover Volvo XC60, C30 2.0, S40 and S80L models in China due to defects in their airbag, engine software, and cooling systems, China's quality watchdog said in a statement.

Xinhua reported that some Volvo XC60 models will be recalled for an airbag assembly issue that could result in the airbag failing to deploy or deploying improperly.

Beijing, July 1 - Japanese car-maker Honda has decided to recall its Civic and Stream models sold in China due to airbag defects, fearing it could cause injury to the vehicle occupants, China's quality inspection authorities said.

The recall, to begin July 19, will cover two models - the 2001 and 2002 versions of the Civic and the Stream - which were produced between August 2000 and July 2002, Xinhua reported citing a statement from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).

Around 70 people have reported ill after recently eating at the restaurant in Shuian Shanba, a holiday resort in the suburbs of Beijing.

According to the health functionaries, the people showed symptoms of unsettled stomach and vomiting after having midday meal at the restaurant.

The majority of the ailing people were admitted to local hospitals and nine of them, comprising a 2 year old kid, were shifted to a hospital in Beijing.

The Chinese government has been warned by a scholar who advises leaders on dealing with social unrest its hard-line policies are creating dissent.

The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that a speech delivered Dec. 26 by Yu Jianrong, a senior member of the Institute of Rural Affairs of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, recently appeared on Web sites in China. He was pointedly critical of policies embraced by President Hu Jintao.