EYE-CATCHING: The SUV CS75, the first mid-sized car model by Chinese auto maker Chang'an Automobile, is on display at the 65th Frankfurt Auto Show on September 11, in Frankfurt, Germany. As the only Chinese auto maker at the show, Chang'an showcased six car models during the two-day event (LUO HUANHUAN)

Treasury Futures

China re-launched trade of its Treasury bond (T-bond) futures on September 6, 18 years after banning it following a multi-billion-yuan trading scandal.

Three five-year T-bond futures contracts were traded on the Shanghai-based China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX), and closed higher during the first trading day.

The nation introduced T-bond futures in 1992 on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The trading was halted in 1995 after Wanguo Securities, then the nation's largest brokerage, conducted illegal trading of a government bond futures contract, which led to multi-billion-yuan losses and the bankruptcy of the company.

CFFEX Board Chairman Zhang Shenfeng told Xinhua News Agency that the re-launch came at a time when institutional investors have greater demand for risk-hedging tools amid more frequent fluctuations of interest rates.

It marked the second financial future product on the CFFEX after the exchange launched stock index futures trading in April 2010.

China's outstanding T-bonds stand at around 7 trillion yuan ($1.14 trillion), ranking second in Asia and sixth worldwide.

Analysts said the reintroduction is part of government efforts to encourage the development of the T-bond market, offer protection against market volatility and advance interest rate reform.

Solar Power Giant

China is expected to overtake Germany to become the world's largest generator of solar power this year, said Zhang Xiaoqiang, Vice Minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, at the Summer Davos forum held in Dalian, Liaoning Province, on September 11.

The nation's installed photovoltaic power capacity as of December 2012 was 6.5 million kilowatts (kw), according to the China Electricity Council. China will add at least 10 million kw of capacity every year from 2013 to 2015, according to the State Council.

The rapid growth will enable China to have a total installed solar capacity of 35 million kw by 2015.

Zhang also said that the country's wind power capacity has grown rapidly. Last year, wind power generation exceeded that produced by nuclear reactors, and it ranked 10th worldwide.

Emerging Tourists

The number of inbound tourists from emerging markets surged year on year in July, while visitors from developed countries continued to decline, according to National Tourism Administration (NTA) data.

The number of visitors from Viet Nam, Thailand and India grew 13.86 percent, 11.29 percent and 10.78 percent, respectively, in July. Tourists from Mexico grew 6.42 percent, according to the NTA.

Visitor numbers from the Unites States, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Canada dropped, NTA data showed. The slow economic recovery in developed countries led to decreasing tourist numbers from these nations.

Tourism industry experts said China should work harder to attract visitors from emerging markets, including the other four economies of the BRICS group—Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa.