Quotable

In the future, vehicles could be self-driven and controlled by smart systems. We have set a target to commercialize our operations in the next three years."

Wang Jin, senior vice-president of Baidu Inc, who says the company has set up a new business unit focusing on research and development in self-driving technology and plans to mass-produce self-driven cars within five years.

"Reform comes at a price. The revamp of major SOEs will first involve shutting down excessive industrial capacity, laying off people, and painful debt restructure. All of these will weigh on the economy in the short term."

Hong Hao, chief strategist at investment bank Bocom International Holdings Co in Hong Kong, commenting on reform of state-owned enterprises.

"The real numbers and total volume from China will not change much. Adidas is not taking away any production sites."

Sabrina Cheung, senior director of corporate communications for Adidas Group in China, after the sportswear giant announced it would start sourcing more products from countries like Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia to offset higher labor costs in China.

(China Daily European Weekly 12/18/2015 page19)