FLIGHTS TO THE HEARTLAND: A cargo flight from China lands at Lambert International Airport in St. Louis, the United States, on September 23. The first cargo flight from Shanghai to St. Louis marked the establishment of a link between China's financial hub and the U.S. heartland (ZHANG BAOPING)

Green Investment

China will invest 2 trillion yuan ($313 billion) to promote the low-carbon economy over the next five years, according to Xie Zhenhua, Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

The investment will help reduce energy consumption per unit of GDP in China by 16 percent by the end of 2015 compared with the 2010 levels.

Xie said China will develop circular economy projects, establish 100 demonstration bases for resource comprehensive utilization and launch low-carbon pilot programs in five provinces and eight cities during the next five years.

Machinery Industry Up

China's machinery industry experienced expanded growth in both output and sales volumes in the first eight months this year, said Wang Ruixiang, President of the China Machinery Industry Federation.

During the January-August period, the industry's output grew by 26.42 percent to reach 10.66 trillion yuan ($1.67 trillion), while sales volume increased by 26.16 percent to stand at 10.4 trillion yuan ($1.62 trillion), said Wang.

Between 2001 and 2010, the industry's total output value grew from 1.44 trillion yuan ($225 billion) to 14.38 trillion yuan ($2.25 trillion), registering an average annual growth rate of 25 percent on the heels of a series of policies issued by the State Council, which aimed to stimulate and invigorate the development of the country's equipment manufacturing industry.

But Wang warned that China still has a long way to go before achieving its goal of being a country with a strong and competitive machinery industry.

Sino-Arab Trade

To achieve the goal of $200-billion trade volume by 2015 is an important topic for participants of a forum of the Second China-Arab States Economic and Trade Forum held in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region on September 21-23.

More than 400 officials, investors, contractors, entrepreneurs and executives from China and the Arab countries attended the forum.

The economic and trade cooperation between China and the Arab countries has achieved positive progress in terms of trade, project contracting, labor cooperation, two-way investment and personnel training.

By the end of 2010, trade volume between China and the Arab countries had totaled $145.42 billion with an average annual growth of nearly 30 percent since 2004, and mutual direct investment added up to more than $5.5 billion, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Shale Gas Exploration

China will encourage investment into the exploration and development of shale gas to diversify its energy sources, said Che Changbo, deputy head of the oil and gas resources strategic research center of the Ministry of Land and Resources.

Che said competition will be introduced in the development of shale gas, adding that the government will speed up making laws on managing the resource and improve technological standards on its exploration and development.

Shale gas is an important unconventional source of natural gas. Most of China's shale gas reserves are in the country's south and northwest.