Passenger car sales at Ford Motor's China joint venture will likely rise by close to 50% in 2009, partly due to government incentives for purchases of small vehicles, according to Nigel Harris, general manager of the joint venture.

The announcement followed a pledge on Wednesday from the US to cut its emissions by 17% by 2020, provisional on the passage of domestic legislation.

A recovery is coming in 2010 but many things about it remain uncertain, according to a survey. One consistent finding is that the Chinese market opportunity is the key to growth.

Intel is now completing its first chip-fabrication plant in China; it will lag the technology used by other factories by two years, but the factory will still affect local know-how.

Taiwan's economic minister Shih Yen-hsiang met his Chinese counterpart behind closed doors in Singapore Sunday to work out an agenda for bilateral talks on a proposed bilateral economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA).

Price pressure, caused by overcapacities in the worldwide solar panel business are exerting pressure on the solar panel value chain.

The growing influence of Brazil and China in the world economy received further recognition this week when the most commonly used benchmark for emerging-market stocks increased the weighting of companies in those nations.

China's National Bureau of Statistics says the country's latest economic data shows it is well on track to meet its target of 8% growth this year. The statisticians also see evidence in the data that Chinese consumers are starting to make more of a contribution to economic growth here.

Taiwan Vice Premier Eric Chu has said a breakthrough in the negotiations with Beijing on cross-strait financial regulation was expected in a matter of days.

In January, China's exports to its Southeast Asia neighbors counted for around one third of that to the EU. Eight months later, China's exports to Asean countries had grown to the equivalent of about half of exports to the EU.

China is launching its long-awaited Nasdaq-style stock market in the southern city of Shenzhen. Twenty eight small- and medium-sized enterprises are expected to debut on the new exchange.

The International Monetary Fund has warned Asian nations not to withdraw their stimulus spending too soon.

The Obama administration has made increasing US exports a key part of its strategy to reduce unemployment and is moving on several fronts to do that, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke has said.

Japan's exports fell by the smallest margin in 10 months in September, showing a deep slump in the world's second-largest economy may be easing.

Figures just published suggest China exceeded its target for economic growth for the first time in 2009 in the third quarter.

IBM has struck its second major chip deal in China, leaving some to wonder if Big Blue is handing over technology to that nation without thinking about the possible consequences. Thanks to IBM, the Chinese foundry vendor will ramp the 45nm technology in 2010 - a possible bad sign for its rivals.

Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou said on Monday the island has not considered allowing the island's LCD firms to make large panels on the mainland for now, saying it will only cautiously export its technology expertise to China.

President Ma Ying-jeou suddenly realized it needed to focus on matters closer to home.

Beijing's four-trillion-yuan (US$586 billion) stimulus package, unveiled in November 2008, "has played a very good role in the recovery of the Chinese economy," said Xiong Bilin, a vice director general of the National Development and Reform Commission.

China says both exports and imports fell in September from a year earlier but at a slower pace than previously.

South Korea must diversify its export markets in order to achieve a sustainable expansion of overseas shipments and prepare for the possibility of another global economic crisis, according to a government report.