There may be 14 foreign firms approved to set up R&D centers in Taiwan this year, including those to be publicized by Elpida and Corning soon, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

Rare earth metals are sprinkled in a vast number of the things that make the modern world go round - from iPods to windturbines, electric car engines to flat-screen TVs and smart-bombs. The reason you'll hear a lot about them is 1) because China currently controls 93-97% of the world's production and 2) because China is enforcing strict new quotas on the exports of rare earths which is pushing up global prices sharply.

Solar energy and wind power will be strategic industries leading Korea's economy, with the government deciding to invest 40 trillion won in the renewable energy field by 2015 in partnership with the private sector so they can take the place in the nation's economy semiconductors and shipbuilding had in the past.

Japan's machinery orders, a closely watched indicator of future business investment, unexpectedly jumped due to one-time purchases in August 2010, marking the third straight month of growth, the government said on October 13.

Russia applied to join the WTO's predecessor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade or GATT, in June 1993 but remains the biggest economy outside the trade body and has previously accused the US of holding up its bid.

A trade pact between China and Taiwan, widely seen as the most significant agreement since civil war divided them in 1949, has come into effect.

China's deputy trade envoy, Chong Quan, rejected complaints that Beijing intentionally boosts its trade surplus by promoting exports while holding down imports. Speaking at a trade forum, Chong repeated promises to boost imports of resources and high-tech equipment and to ease costs for importers but announced no new initiatives.

Many high-technology companies have run afoul of the US' Export Control System, which regulates the overseas sales of items that can be put to use for military or intelligence-gathering purposes.

Mobile phone customers will have to present ID when purchasing a phone number from Wednesday, in the latest campaign by the government to curb the global scourge of spam, pornographic messages and fraud on cellular phones.

Now it's official. Taiwan's legislature on late Tuesday night approved the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, the landmark trade deal between China and Taiwan.

Xinhua News Agency announced it has signed a framework agreement with China Mobile Communications to establish an Internet search engine company. It did not reveal when the company will be founded and how much capital will be invested in it.

The trade surplus for July 2010 grew to US$28.7 billion, well ahead of the US$20bn recorded in June and significantly more than analysts' forecasts. The data reflected a continued strong increase in exports, but the pace of growth in imports slowed sharply.

Rescuers in north-west China are continuing a frantic search for more than 1,100 people missing after a huge landslide. On Monday evening (August 9) the death toll jumped to 337 - and officials say that figure is expected to rise.

SMIC, China's largest foundry chipmaker, is close to receiving tens of millions of dollars from the China government in a move that could help its earnings this year.

According to reports, the German interior ministry has asked government departments to avoid using BlackBerry because of a "dramatic increase in cyber attacks", and instead opt for Simko devices offered by Deutsche Telekom.

The greenback fell as much as 0.83% against the Japanese yen to 84.73 yen on August 11, before paring back some of those losses to trade around 85.37 yen.

If you really want to go undercover in the global economy, and manipulate it to your own ends...

"...it is not China bailing out Spain but without doubt, the Chinese involvement was helpful," according to a banker.

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) said in a statement it plans to sell up to 1.5 billion new shares at HK$0.52 each to its largest shareholder, state-owned Datang Telecom Technology & Industry Holdings, whose stake in the chip foundry will rise to up to 19.06%.

There have been a number of positive developments regarding wage growth and government stimulus that will help move China forward towards a more consumption-oriented economy. But keep in mind that China is a save-first economy, so 20-25% wage inflation doesn't instantly equal 20-25% more consumer spending.

Several lawmakers were injured on July 7 as rival politicians clashed on the first day of a parliamentary debate on a controversial new trade pact with China.

China's central government has approved proposals to establish a national-level new-energy demonstration city in Turpan in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, and the first low-carbon demonstration township in the Jujiapu Financial District of Tianjin.

Korea-China free trade talks will start next year, according to a senior Chinese government official.

Until recently, Google automatically redirected Chinese users to its unfiltered search site in Hong Kong to get round censorship issues. The firm has said it will now stop this after Beijing warned it could lose its licence to operate in the country.

China has come under increasing international pressure to allow the yuan to appreciate. The US in particular has argued that the weak yuan gives Chinese exporters an unfair competitive advantage.

ASIF chairman Javier Anta said the government proposed limiting the hours of output for which a solar plant could receive subsidies, instead of cutting the subsidies for plants themselves.

STMicroelectronics said it plans to hire more workers to expand one of its two plants in China, defying higher operating costs as the government orders companies to increase employee pay.

But analysts said China would still limit the appreciation so as not to damage its export-led economy.

Chinese authorities announced plans on June 19 to make the exchange rate more flexible, while ruling out a large, one-off move in the exchange rate.

Taiwan and China on June 14 launched a new flight between Taipei and Shanghai that will cut the time travellers spend on their journey, according to officials. Three airlines from Taiwan and one from China will service the route, which links Sungshan airport, in downtown Taipei, and Hongqiao airport in Shanghai.

The company will "definitely go into" China with a Taiwanese chipmaker by as early as 2012 and seek support from the China government, said Elpida's president Yukio Sakamoto in an interview. It is also accelerating plans to add a second manufacturing plant at Rexchip Electronics.

Germany's upper house is unlikely to pass cuts to solar incentives on Friday, so a mediation committee would be needed to resolve the matter, government sources told Reuters on Thursday.

Protesters in Taiwan's capital scuffled with police on June 3 and threw chairs at an official building where discussions were under way on a proposal for a referendum on a planned trade pact with China. The administration of President Ma Ying-jeou has been pushing for the pact, known as the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, saying it will boost growth and employment.

South Korea's won fell the most in more than a year and the nation's stocks slumped following a report by a defector group that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il ordered the military to prepare for conflict.

Many South Koreans joke they inhabit "the Republic of Samsung." But a one-time insider at the powerful Korean conglomerate has launched a scathing attack on his former employer, saying Korean politicians and media turn a blind-eye to the company's misdeeds.

Chinese authorities may announce a currency policy change before the second US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in May.

Beijing residents and developers will be able to apply for government subsidies totaling 200 million yuan to install solar water-heating systems in residential and public buildings.

China-based Huawei is considering negotiating a "mitigation agreement" with the US government - as Alcatel of France did when it bought Lucent in 2006 - in order to show its willingness to co-operate with the US. It is making the lobbying push in preparation for a potential bid for a unit of Motorola.

Several scholars, rights activists and journalists working on China and Taiwan issues have reported that their Yahoo e-mail accounts have been hacked into, in the latest internet incident involving China since Google's decision to stop censoring its Chinese site.