CHINA

Chinese bank lending surged in the first week of 2010, a state newspaper reported on Monday, adding to the concerns fueled by blockbuster trade data for December that the world's third-largest economy is overheating.

Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd expects an investigation into loss making fuel-hedging in its Vietnamese joint venture airline to run for months after two executives were barred from leaving the country.

Asian stocks hit a 17-month high on Monday as a strong rebound in China's exports raised investor optimism about Asia's economies while the dollar suffered its biggest loss in six weeks after poor U.S. jobs data.

Federal Reserve monetary policy is unlikely to pushed off course by December's surprising job losses, a senior Fed official said on Monday.

Asian stocks rose to a 17-month high on Monday as a strong rebound in China's exports raised optimism about the region's economic outlook as the dollar suffered following weak U.S. jobs data.

Chinese banks made about 600 billion yuan ($88 billion) in new loans in the first week of 2010, the Economic Information Daily reported on Monday.

Eleven Chinese brokerages including Citic Securities Co and Haitong Securities Co will vie to be included in a pilot program for margin trading and short selling following a nationwide test run in 2008, the China Securities Journal reported on Monday, citing an unidentified regulator.

The U.S. dollar fell on Monday, extending losses after posting its biggest loss in six weeks after U.S. jobs data disappointed, while the Australian dollar soared on the back of strong export numbers from China.

Growth in China's exports and imports last month blew past expectations, providing fresh evidence of the vigor of the economy and strengthening the case for Beijing to let the yuan start climbing again.

China will extend active fiscal policies aimed at countering the global economic slowdown into 2010, the nation's finance minister said, warning that departing too early from those policies could damage the economy.

Once you've seen one walking trail you've seen 'em all? Not in these eight cases, where you'll tramp on unusual surfaces and wander through some curious lands.

China ended 2009 with record monthly imports of crude oil and soybeans and a strong appetite for iron ore and copper, while its aluminium and steel sectors saw a welcome increase in export volumes.

China ended 2009 with record monthly imports of crude oil and soybeans and a strong appetite for iron ore and copper, while its aluminum and steel sectors saw a welcome increase in export volumes.

Growth in China's exports and imports last month blew past expectations, providing fresh evidence of the vigor of the economy and strengthening the case for Beijing to let the yuan start climbing again.

Growth in China's exports and imports last month blew past expectations, providing fresh evidence of the vigor of the economy and strengthening the case for Beijing to let the yuan start climbing again.

China vowed on Sunday not to let foreign speculative investment affect the property market, the latest expression of official concern that real-estate prices are racing ahead too fast.

Aluminum Corp of China has denied that it is in talks to sell its stake in mining giant Rio Tinto, local media reported on Saturday.

Lenovo Group Ltd is wading into the smartphone market with a thin, touchscreen device based on Google Inc's Android operating system, following the footsteps of PC rivals like Dell Inc and Acer Inc.

Chinese photovoltaic cell maker Solarfun Power Holdings Co Ltd said on Friday it would increase its production capacity this year, anticipating higher demand.

Canada-listed coal miner SouthGobi Energy Resources has secured Asia's top sovereign wealth funds, China Investment Corp (CIC) and Temasek, as cornerstone investors in its planned $400 million Hong Kong IPO this month, a source told Reuters on Friday.

China Investment Corp, a $300 billion wealth fund, may be weighing up a bid for state-owned Chinalco's stake in mining giant Rio Tinto in what would be its boldest move yet into natural resources.