IN BRIEF (Page 14)

Sluggish trade hits orders

China Communications Construction Co, the world's biggest port builder, said slumping global trade has hurt demand for port machinery and building orders. "Falling trade is affecting port construction, this is a reality," Chairman Zhou Jichang said in Beijing, adding the company is "studying and considering" listing assets in the mainland. Global trade may shrink for the first time in three decades this year, according to the World Bank.

Delayed payment allowed