Strong Asia sales spark growth in earnings for Treasury Wine Estates

China's thirst for luxury wine gave Australia's Treasury Wine Estates Ltd a surprise earnings boost, lifting profits above expectations and allowing its CEO to predict that the Asia unit will be its biggest by 2017.

Companies show their green credentials

Industries such as chemical production and real estate have scored high marks in a recent survey

Baseball scores a home run for the children of Liancheng

Scorching sun and the telltale clink of bat and ball marked another day of baseball training for 15-year-old student Jiang Zhigui.

Educational program rolled out for breast cancer patients

China launched its first educational program tailored for breast cancer patients and survivors earlier this month.

IN BRIEF (Page 18)

Trendy tea house brand creates a stir

NenLvTea, meaning tender green tea, has already whetted customers' taste buds with its trendy Starbucks-style outlets in Southwest China.

Price needs to be right in battle against the coffee chains

Liu Yong struggles to find an affordable teahouse when he is out with his friends and colleagues. The 39-year-old English professor at a university in Chongqing is not a big coffee fan and loves a cup of China's traditional beverage.

Realtors jump onto bond bandwagon

Real estate companies are flocking to the domestic bond market to raise funds, as more lenders are offering cheaper rates and previous restrictions on issues have ended.

New home prices surge in most cities

Chinese cities where home prices rose exceeded those where they declined for the first time in 16 months in July, as authorities removed some property curbs and interest rates fell.

UnionPay spreads wings in Thailand

UnionPay International, the Chinese card payment system, and the Thai Bankers Association signed an agreement on Tuesday to make UnionPay the standard chip card for local banks across the Thai banking industry.

Policy banks get $90b cash infusion

China's foreign exchange regulator injected more than $90 billion into the country's policy banks during July to strengthen support for both overseas investments and domestic government-led construction projects.

Alibaba to expand personal finance offerings

E-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd is planning to expand the reach of its financial arm Ant Financial Services Group to provide more value-added personal wealth services, officials said.