China’s newly opened Pinglu Canal handled more than 1 million tonnes (1.1 million short tons) of cargo in its first month of operation, giving the country’s southwestern hinterland more direct access to international markets, particularly in Southeast Asia. The milestone was reached on October 17, when a laden cargo vessel passed through a key lock on the canal in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, heading towards Qinzhou Port on the Gulf of Tonkin, known in China as the Beibu...

China’s Yangtze River Delta grew faster than the national economy in the first three quarters of the year, accounting for about a quarter of national output – a performance analysts said would help lay the foundation for Beijing to meet its annual national growth target. But they also cautioned that exports and hi-tech manufacturing alone could not sustain longer-term growth without a recovery in sluggish domestic demand. The combined gross domestic product of Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and...