The Chinese currency, the yuan, lost 0.52 percent of its value against the U.S. dollar in August as the market confidence for the U.S. economy picked up.

But still, guards are necessary against speculative capital, which may come roaring back later this year, said Wen Bin, a senior analyst at the Bank of China Ltd.

Auto Blossoms

For global auto giants reeling from the overwhelming industry fallout, the Chinese market is truly a silver lining.

General Motor (GM) said its August sales in the United States dived 24.9 percent from one year ago to 185,176 units while in China sales surged 19.2 percent to 181,625 units.

Ford Motor Co.'s China subsidiary and joint ventures sold 44,047 units in August, skyrocketing 24 percent from a year earlier. In its home market, Ford's sales volume plunged 10.7 percent year on year to 157,503 units in August.

Ford attributed its strong sales growth in China to robust demand for the Ford Focus, one of the best sellers in its class, and the new Ford Fiesta, which China lists in its fuel-efficient vehicle directory.

"We hope to accelerate this growth momentum with new investments that expand our product portfolio and distribution channels in China," said Robert Graziano, CEO of Ford Motor China.

China toppled the United States earlier this year from its decades-long position as the world's largest auto market. The unprecedented boom is expected to continue as the economic take-off boosted income, making cars a new "must have" for numerous families.

Crossing the Straits

Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Holdings debuted on the Taiwan Stock Exchange on September 8, becoming the first mainland company to list on the island's bourse.

The Singapore-listed shipbuilder raised around $141 million by selling 240 million Taiwan depository receipts (TDRs). The TDRs are tradable securities issued by enterprises outside Taiwan. The rights and obligations of TDR holders are the same as those of common stockholders. Each receipt represents 0.5 common shares of the company.

On the first trading day, its share price closed at 20.1 New Taiwan dollars ($0.63), surging 6.91 percent from the offering price of 18.8 New Taiwan dollars ($0.59).

Yangzijiang, based in Jiangyin, east coastal Jiangsu Province, is the fourth largest shipbuilder on the Chinese mainland. It produces a range of commercial vessels, container ships, bulk carriers and multipurpose cargo vessels. Its sales revenues came in at 10.6 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) in 2009, surging 44 percent from one year ago.