CHINA

Toyota Motor Corp. on Monday started production at its new plant in Tianjin, China, putting it in the lead of all Japanese automakers in terms of production capacity in China.

Dell Inc.(NASDAQ: DELL) said yesterday it plans to start selling its personal computers through Wal-Mart Stores Inc.(NYSE: WMT) in North America next month, departing from the direct-to-consumer business model it was founded on.

Japan is the global leader for innovation, with Switzerland, the United States and Sweden trailing behind, according to a new study.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made an offering to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine during a Shinto festival in late April, a chief Cabinet official revealed Tuesday, reigniting a dispute among Japanese leaders, some who believe the act may harm foreign relations.

The world's No. 3 PC Maker, Lenovo Group Ltd., is expanding its reach into the small and medium-sized business retail market, announcing Thursday that select computer models will be available at over 300 Best Buy for Business stores.

Hynix Semiconductor Inc.'s remarkable performance in the lucrative memory market for DRAM surpassed all but one of its rivals, as it rose to take second place in market share growth and revenue in the fourth quarter, and all of 2006.

Dunkin' Brands Inc. opened its first Dunkin' Donuts store in Taiwan on Wednesday as part of the company's larger push to expand into China.

Online auction firm eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) is shutting down its main Chinese web site and is launching a joint venture with a local partner, marking a strategic shift as the U.S. company tries to penetrate China's market.

China's LCD-TV market is poised for a sharp growth, with one research firm expecting a 49 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) into 2010.

Cisco Systems announced that it has made an investment of US$50 million in China Communications Services Corporation Limited (CCS), on Thursday, making the firm the largest foreign investor in the Chinese telecom company.

Smartphone sales over the next few years will be driven by emerging applications a new study finds, with different world regions seeking different mobile functionality.

Environment ministers from over 180 nations gathered on Friday in Nairobi to mark the end of a two-week UN climate summit. Delegates agreed to review the Kyoto Protocol in 2008 in order to expand the fight against global warming beyond 2012.

China supply levels are in line with demand needs, noted a report released on Tuesday, however policymakers remain concerned over its short term macro imbalance which results from its swelling trade surplus which skyrocketed to$24 billion in October and has urged reforms to be implemented.

Research released on Friday shows that the PC market in Asia is seeing heavy growth this year, with shipments expected to rise 15 percent off healthy notebook gains.

Reports say leader regrets earlier test and would negotiate again if U.S. eases financial pressure.

Domestic airlines in China switched to electronic air travel tickets on Monday, but will continue to use paper tickets in a few situations.

China's electronic industry growth is slowing, one market research firm said on Thursday, leading to a reduced demand for semiconductors.

IBM, provider of information technology services and products, announced on Thursday that it will relocate its global procurement headquarters to Shenzhen, China, expanding on the company's initiative to become more efficient.

Zhang Yin, 49, the woman who founded Nine Dragons Paper Industries Co., Ltd., was named the richest person in the Chinese mainland with a worth of 27 billion Yuan ($3.4 billion), according to the Huran Report. It was the first time a woman had made it to the top of the list since it began keeping track in 1999.

The number of China IPTV subscribers is expected to surpass ten million by 2011, increasing four-fold, according to one research firm.

Despite recent massive recalls of batteries by major PC manufacturers, the world wide battery demand is projected to rise at nearly 7 percent per year, reaching $73.6 billion by 2010.