China's central government Thursday urged more efforts to boost vegetable output, ensure market supply and to stabilize vegetable prices.

Both the market and the macro-control measures must be used to tackle the problems in big cities of sharp changes in vegetable price, the State Council, China's Cabinet, said Thursday in a statement on the government website www.gov.cn.

Manufacturing in China rebounded in August, easing fears of a steep correction to the economy, analysts said.

The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), a major indicator of economic activity, rose to 51.7 percent in August, up 0.5 percentage points from the July figure, and reversed a three-month fall in the growth rate, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said on Wednesday.

The index considers 50 to be a benchmark figure and the dividing line between economic expansion and contraction. Anything above 50 indicates expansion.

Economists have been concerned about a slowdown, especially when US growth dropped to 1.6 percent in the second quarter, from a previous estimate of 2.4 percent in July.

Neither is news on the job front in the European Union good with the unemployment rate hitting an almost two-decade high.

Policy aimed at cracking down on spam scourge

Mobile phone customers will have to present ID when purchasing a phone number from Wednesday, in the latest campaign by the government to curb the global scourge of spam, pornographic messages and fraud on cellular phones.

Foreigners will also need to register with their passports or other ID in order to subscribe to mobile phone carriers.

Firms lead the way in job creation, but still face heavier tax burden

China's top 500 private companies have surpassed State-owned enterprises in many indicators, especially tax payments and employment creation, according to a report from the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce.

Li Ning ups the stakes by signing US basketball star Evan Turner

Li Ning Co Ltd, China's leading sportswear brand, has raised the stakes yet again in its battle with global leaders Nike Inc and Adidas AG.

The Beijing-based company announced last week it had signed up National Basketball Association star Evan Turner, set to play for the Philadelphia 76ers next season, in a multi-million dollar endorsement deal.

The coup adds to Li Ning's galaxy of stars, which already includes Boston Celtics' player Shaq O'Neill.

It also brings a further edge to the battle in what is emerging as one of China's fastest growing retail markets.

The country's sports apparel market is set to nearly double from its 2009 value of 59.2 billion yuan to 114.8 billion yuan in just three years, according to the Shanghai-based China Market Research Group (CMRG).

Cosmetics company shows off its sustainable colors with new report

The L'Oreal Group, the largest cosmetics corporation in the world, doesn't just bring beauty to its Chinese customers; it puts a good face on society at large.

Leading sportswear makers are readjusting the marketing strategies of their brands in China with two of the top sellers moving into lower-tier cities in order to be more competitive.

Nike Inc, the best-selling global sports brand, which is expecting record sales growth in China this year, is launching a range of low-priced products across the country rather than just focusing on high-end buyers.

A similar drive is also being undertaken by Adidas AG, another major overseas sportswear brand in China. Managing Director Christophe Bezu said the company's strategy was to maintain its strong position and spread its influence throughout new areas of the country.

"We are planning to introduce low-priced products in the second-tier, third-tier and even fourth-tier cities in China to appeal to more Chinese consumers," said Charlie Denson, president of Nike, during a teleconference.

Home furnishing giant Ikea, which is speeding up its expansion in China, plans to open four new stores across the country over the next two years.

The Swedish company will open its second store in Shanghai next year and welcome customers to stores in Tianjin, Wuxi, and its second store in Beijing in 2012, according to Gillian Drakeford, Ikea China's retail president.

Companies and organizations from China and South Africa on Tuesday signed over a dozen cooperative documents at a business forum, according to the South African Embassy in Beijing.

The documents, involving projects in areas such as solar power, mining, telecommunications, insurance and finance, were signed at a business forum attended by visiting South African President Jacob Zuma.

China on Tuesday said it intends to consolidate radio and television networks under a single national cable television network company.

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) said the new company will come up by the end of the year and will further expand into new businesses like mobile TV and online videos.

Shenzhen, China's first special economic zone (SEZ), plans to explore new economic development methods as well as improve its citizens' happiness index in its future, Shenzhen Party Chief Wang Rong said on the eve of preparing for the SEZ's 30th anniversary.

The economic zone will restructure its economic pattern and take the scientific development path to build itself into an international metropolitan, capable of competing with Hong Kong, Singapore as well as big cities in the US and Europe, Wang told reporters Tuesday at a news briefing.

He also said making Shenzhen people feel happier is another important goal besides maintaining GDP growth, admitting that compared with some inland cities, Shenzhen has not done as well in offering security for young people working in the city.

Yacht owners in China tend to keep a low profile, both to conceal their wealth and protect their privacy.

"A yacht is like a mobile home: You don't want to invite crowds to visit your home, right?" said Dong Yongquan, president of the Qingdao International Yacht Club, which has been operating the Qingdao Olympic Marina since the end of the 2008 Olympic sailing events.

A security door gives access to a floating dock where hundreds of yachts bob in the water and tanned sailors, many wearing blue and white shirts, mill about.