Peanut export：9%↑in H1

China＇s exports of peanuts rose 9 percent year on year in the first half of this year, but the total export value fell because of lower prices paid for the commodity, an official said on July 29.     

Retail sales： 17.9% ↑ in Q1

China＇s retail sales, the main gauge of consumer spending in the world＇s fastest-growing economy, rose 17.9 percent year on year to RMB 3.64 trillion （US$532.56 billion） in the first quarter this year, the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS） said on April 15.     

Decline of US Investment in China Should Not Be a Trend

At the routine press conference of the Ministry of Commerce ,(MOFCOM)on May 17, it was released that the investment from the US to China from January to April witnessed decline.During the period, 475 companies were set up, down by 3.85% year on year and the real investment amount was US$1028 million, decreased by 28% year on year. On June 15, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) officially released the utilization of foreign investment in China from January to May in 2011.According to Yao Jian, the spokesman of MOFCOM, the investment from US to China from Januaryto May continued to be in decline, with the total investment for the past five months in 2011 as USS1285 million, down by 24.12% year on year.In contrast, in the same period, the investment from ten Asian countries (regions) including Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and South Korea reached US$41,236 billion, an increase of 29.28% year on year, and the investment from 27 EU countries amounted to US$2,929 billion, an increase of 9.02% from the previous year.     

Urban fixed asset investment： 26.1% ↑ in first 4 months

Urban fixed asset investment in China for the first four months this year rose 26.1 percent to RMB 4.67 trillion （US$684.4 billion） year on year, the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS） announced on May 11.     

GDP:9.9%↑

China's gross domestic product(GDP)grew 9.9 percent year on year to RMB 20.163 trillion(US＄2.96 trillion)in the first three quarters of this year,the Na- tional Bureau of Statistics(NBS)said on October 20. The growth rate was 2.3 percentage points lower than the same period of last year,or 0.5 percentage points lower than the first quarter of this year.     

China＇s imports, exports continue falling, but rate eases

China＇s imports and exports continued falling year on year in June, but the pace of decline eased, the General Administration of Customs announced on July 10.     

Chinese Demand for Gold Surges

Chinese demand for gold is surging and the annual demand in 2011 hit 761.05 tonnes (t).This amount is up 33.2 percent over the previous year according to recent data released by the China Gold Association. From gold jewelry to gold bars,Chinese demand for gold saw a boom in various fields in 2011.Among them,the consumption of gold jewelry amounted to 456.66t,a 27.9 percent increase over 2010.The consumption of gold bars increased to 213.85t,up 50.7 percent year on year and the consumption of gold coins hit 20.80t,up 25.2 year on year.The consumption of gold used in industry reached 53.22t,a 12.3 percent increase year on year.     

CPC shuts its fuet-oit unit at Taoyuan Refinery in Taiwan or maintenance

Zhao Tiechui, the Secretary for State Administration of Coal Mine Safety announced on October 11 that in the first 3 quarters of this year, the national coal output hit 2.442 billion tons, with a year-on-year increase of 1Z2%; and the mortality rate was 0.783, dropping by 13.9% year on year.     

China＇s industrial output grew 5.1↑in Q1

China＇s industrial output grew 5.1 percent year on year in the first quarter, down 11.3 percentage points from the first quarter of 2008, the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS） said on April 16.     

Net profit of China＇s largest property developer up 30% in first nine months

China Vanke, the country＇s largest property developer by market value, said on October 25 that it raked in a net profit of RMB 2.96 billion （US$433.38 million） in the first three quarters of this year, up 29.9 percent year on year.     

GDP：6.1%↑in Q1

China＇s economy expanded by 6.1 percent year on year in the first quarter, official data showed on April 16.     

China Telecom＇s net profit down 27.5% in H1

China Telecom Corp, Ltd., China＇s largest fixed line service provider, said on August 27 that net profits fell 27.5 percent from a year earlier in the first half of this year on losses of fixed-line subscribers and increased costs on mobile services. Net profits stood at RMB 8.41 billion （US$1.23 billion U.S. dollars） in the first half, excluding gains from fees collected from installation of fixed lines. Earning per share was RMB 0.1, the company said in its statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Revenue rose 14.8 percent year on year to RMB 102.55 billion from January to June. The company said it didn＇t plan to pay an interim dividend, but would consider the matter at the end of the year.     

Urban fixed-asset investment： 30.5%↑ in first 4 months

China＇s urban fixed-asset investment in the first four months rose 30.5 percent year on year to RMB 3.71 trillion （US$543.2 billion）, the National Bureau of Statistics announced on May 12.     

Chlna＇s petrochemical output value hits RMB 5.9 trln in Jan-Nov

China saw the total output value of the petrochemical industry decline 3% year on year in the first 11 months of this year to RMB 5.94 trillion, said Feng Shiliang, deputy secretary-general of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association.     

China scores record deals at MIPTV despite global economic downturn

The import and export of electronic and information products in China went down 30.3 percent year on year in the first two months, data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed on April 3.     

CPI： 1.5%↓ in April

China＇s consumer price index （CPI）, the main gatige of inflation, fell 1.5 percent year on year in April, the National Bureau of StatistiCs （NBS） said on May 11 .     

CPI： 1.4% ↓ in May

China＇s consumer price index （CPI）, the main gauge of inflation, in May fell 1.4 percent year on year, the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS） announced on June 3.     

Guangzhou port cargo： 12% ↑ in H1

Growth of China＇s foreign exchange reserves are slowing as the total reached US$2.4543 trillion by the end of June, up 15.1 percent year on year, the People＇s Bank of China （PBOC）, the central bank, announced on July 11.     

China＇s fixed asset investment：28.8%↑in Q1

China＇s fixed asset investment in the first quarter rose 28.8 percent year on year to RMB 2.81 trillion（US$411.4 billion）, the National Bureau of Statistics （NBS） announced on April 16.     

Bi-Weekly Watch

Coal imports: 114% ↑ from January to May China's coal imports surged 114.3 percent year on year to 68.98 million tonnes in the Jan.-May period on the back of strong industrial demand, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said on July 5.