IN BRIEF (Page 24)

Trading service platform launched

The Council for Promoting South-South Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce launched the International Investment and Trading Network, a comprehensive global investment and trading service platform, on July 18. The network will provide Chinese enterprises with information on cross-border projects including infrastructure construction, overseas investment, production capacity cooperation and equipment purchases. It will also partner with Chinese embassies overseas and overseas embassies in China, world financial institutions, law firms and companies to offer professional and other services to enterprises from home and abroad.

Software copyright registrations soar

China received more than 400,000 new software copyright registrations in 2016, a year-on-year increase of 39.48 percent, according to a report. Eastern regions accounted for 80 percent of the total registrations in 2016, while western areas saw the fastest increase of 43.68 percent year-on-year, says the report from the Copyright Protection Center of China. The number of software copyright registrations in Guangdong province overtook that of registrations in Beijing, reaching first place nationally, the report says. Registrations for financial software in 2016 increased by 100.53 percent, while registrations for games, education, medicine and cloud computing software saw growth of more than 40 percent year-on-year, according to the report. China began to register software copyrights in 1992 in a bid to protect the rights of software owners.

Aston Martin recalls 111 vehicles

Aston Martin, the producer of some of the world's most expensive cars, will recall 111 vehicles on the Chinese mainland due to a faulty tire-pressure monitoring system. The affected models are imported DB11s manufactured between Nov 9, 2016, and May 26, 2017, said the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

Namibia to be briefed on exploration program

A delegation from China's tech giant Tencent as well as tech-support experts will be in Windhoek, Namibia, to brief the country on its Earth exploration program, QQ Project X, on July 21. Namibia is one of two countries selected by Tencent for the 2017 edition of the QQ Project X. Earth explorers selected to take part in the project will undertake exploration missions and share their experience on the Internet. According to Namibia's Ministry of Information and Technology, the project will essentially involve 15 Chinese youth volunteers traveling to Namibia for filming and broadcasting.

Hebei will establish industries in Nigeria

Hebei province is ready to carry out pragmatic cooperation with Nigeria's northern Kaduna state, according to a provincial official. The cooperation is aimed at creating a sister-state relationship and establishing industries in Kaduna, said Wang Xiaodong, vice-governor of Hebei province, while visiting Kaduna to sign a letter of intention with Kaduna Governor Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai. El-Rufai said Kaduna and Hebei province have a lot in common and will benefit immensely from such a partnership.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 07/21/2017 page24)