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China has agreed to import all varieties of apples from the United States, the US Department of Agriculture said on Jan 18.

The green light for the shipments follows an agreement signed by the USDA and China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine in San Francisco, California on Jan 25.

"The efforts will result in high quality, fresh US apple varieties being made available to consumers in China and boost sales for American apple producers," said Tom Vilsack, the US secretary of agriculture, in a statement.

Sina Weibo among most preferred brands

The British independent brand researcher Superbrands recently released its list of China's most preferred brands this year that included Kjeldsens Butter Cookies of Denmark, Royal Philips of the Netherlands, China's cookware company Super, Chinese social media website Sina Weibo, among others.

The result is based on a survey of thousands of Chinese consumers across more than 200 cities in the country about around 130 different product categories, including consumer services, durable goods, electronics and apparel.

"We aim to develop an undisputed award platform to serve Chinese consumers and inform them about the history and values of some of their preferred brands," says Arnaud Debane, general manager of Superbrands China.

The company came to China in 2011 to focus on the growing consumer market and the emergence of Chinese brands on the global stage.

Startup to vie for $500k in seed money

Rumarocket, a Shanghai-based startup, will represent China in the Seedstars World Final Competition on Feb 4 in Geneva.

The startup, a talent management platform, will compete against 35 startups from emerging markets in a pitch for a $500,000 equity investment.

In 2014, more than 1,500 startups applied to participate in the competition. Seedstars World hosted local competitions in 36 countries to find the best locally grown startups. Last September, Rumarocket was voted the best startup at the China regional event.

Volkswagen initiates major recall

Imported and locally produced Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche automobiles with 3.0-liter V6 TFSI engines are set to be recalled on March 20 because of a faulty seal in the fuel injection system.

According to the companies on Jan 23, the faulty seal may produce fumes or create fire hazards in extreme circumstances. The companies will recall 61,046 vehicles in total.

FAW-Volkswagen Automotive Co Ltd, Volkswagen (China) Sales Co and Porsche (China) Sales Co filed the recall plan on Jan 23 and will replace the components in the fuel injection system free of charge, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

Volvo China sales outperform 2014 target

Volvo China saw a sales growth of 32.8 percent in 2014, outperforming its annual sales target of 800,000 units, according to the company.

The company reportedly reached a monthly sales high in December, moving 8,461 vehicles.

The carmaker's best-selling model in China was the locally produced SUV XC60, with 32,831 units sold, 21.2 percent more than in 2013. More than 23,300 units of the another China-made model, the S60L sedan, were sold in 2014, while the V40 and V40 Cross Country sold more than 100,000 combined.

China Daily

(China Daily European Weekly 01/30/2015 page18)