Some ethanol plants in China have suspended production due to the high cost of corn coupled with low ethanol prices. The tightness of the corn market is blamed on traders stockpiling corn in the expectation of higher prices. Government concern that China's ethanol producers are jeopardising China's food supply is also dampening prospects for the sector...    more »

More about piracy. But this time its Chinese companies that are concerned about protecting their brands. The China Trademark Association (CTA) recently set up an alliance with a group of leading Chinese brand-name manufacturers to help protect Chinese trademarks overseas..   more »

Beijing made a rare official response to the concerns about Chinese seafood, the latest in a lengthening list of defective Made in China products that includes tyres, toothpaste and petfood. Instead of sitting back and exhorting others to clean up their act, western retailers and brand-name manufacturers can exploit these consumer concerns to their advantage...    more »

CCID Consulting has produced a league table ranking China's technology parks by factors such as policy environment, industrial environment, environmental issues and innovation. Overall, the top three locations in China for making semiconductors are Suzhou IC Industry Park , Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park and Beijing Economic-Technological Development Zone...   more »

Talent management has emerged as one of the biggest challenges for multinationals operating in China so its good to see that western firms are now taking this problem a lot more seriously. PwC, the professional services firm, is the classic "people" business and so it knows more than most about the problems of recruiting and retaining top staff...   more »

New York has opened a tourist office in Shanghai, thus becoming the latest in a lengthening list of countries and cities trying to attract China's growing number of globe-trotting tourists. Nevertheless, the US does not yet have "approved destination status" and while that bureaucratic barrier remains, NYC along with the rest of the US, knows it has its work cut out trying to attract Chinese tourists...   more »

2007 is the "Year of Spain in China" and Spain is pulling out all the stops to promote its culture, language and institutions -- and, of course, Spanish business. While trade links between the two countries have been pretty limited to date, around 300 Spanish companies have now established a presence in China and the Spanish-Chinese business summit, held this week in Beijing, sought to project a more modern image of both countries' economies...   more »

[INTERVIEW] The size and growth potential of China's consumer banking market has attracted many foreign players. But according to a new survey commissioned by First Data International, foreign banks would be wise to take the long-term view on China as the short-term outlook for profits in these markets is less certain...   more »

EngagingChina has long believed that great opportunities lie in China for western providers of testing and quality assurance services. So its good to see this thesis confirmed by the latest trading update from Intertek, a UK-listed provider of quality and safety services...   more »

In what seems a classic case of an industry fallen victim to its own success, Chinese manufacturers of DVD players are struggling to survive in a market that has matured almost overnight. Tumbling prices and a hefty foreign patent burden threaten the survival of many smaller players and the opportunities promised by high-definition DVD are still some years away.. .   more »