IN BRIEF (Page 18)

Auto

Effect of Toyota backlash fades

Toyota Motor Corp, the world's biggest carmaker, reported a monthly sales increase in China for the first time since January as it ramped up production in the country. Deliveries in the world's biggest vehicle market climbed 0.4 percent to 79,000 units last month from 78,700 a year earlier. The gain in May deliveries follows increased production by Japanese car makers in China a month earlier, signaling a consumer backlash is fading over a territorial dispute between Asia's two largest economies.

Investment

Google invests in South African solar project

Google closed its first renewable energy deal in African last week, investing $12 million in a solar energy project in South Africa. According to an announcement on Monday by Photon International, total investment in the Jasper solar project by the search-engine giant hit $260 million for a 96-megawatt solar photovoltaic plant developed in the Northern Cape. Google gave credit to supportive polices for renewable energy in the biggest economy in Africa, which had the highest growth rate in clean energy investment last year.

Great Wall resists industry slowdown

Great Wall Motors, China's largest sport utility vehicle producer, defied the industry slowdown last year, according to a report in Chinese business publication Caixin. The company sold 620,000 vehicles, up 28 percent year-on-year, way higher than the industry average increase of 4.3 percent, Caixin said. Its share price more than doubled on the Shanghai bourse in 2012, marking the largest increase among China's publicly held automakers, the magazine said.

Home away from home for Germans

Taicang county has become home to more than 180 German enterprises with a total investment of $1.5 billion, since the first German company Kern Liebers settled in the county, in East China's Jiangsu province, in 1993.

Boasting the largest number of German enterprises, the Taicang Economic Development Zone is among the most attractive investment destinations in China for German companies.

More than 90 percent of the German companies in Taicang have kept expanding.

Intelligent transport system by 2015

China is tipped to build an intelligent transport system by 2015 to tackle traffic congestion. The government may prioritize the development of intelligent signals for public transport in an effort to boost traffic efficiency, said Wu Zhongze, chairman of the China Intelligent Transportation Systems Association.

Branding

Global future seen for Chinese names

Chinese companies are looking at a promising future where domestic brands will become famous internationally, according to the chief executive of the world's largest advertising company. In a recent interview with Xinhua, Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP, said China's great size offers its domestic business a big advantage that can be used as a platform to grow their firms into global brands.

Energy

Coal price rebound likely if imports blocked

The price of Chinese coal is poised to rebound from its lowest level in more than three years as the government prepares to ban lower-quality imports, mainly from Indonesia. The price may recover as much as 8 percent should the measure be approved, according to analysts, including Fenwei Energy Consulting Corp, Credit Suisse Group AG and Haitong International Securities Group Ltd. Prices are reported to have fallen as low as 600 yuan ($98; 75 euros) a metric ton this week.

China Daily-Agencies

(China Daily Africa Weekly 06/07/2013 page18)