It came as no surprise recently to read that the Chinese yuan, or renminbi, as it is also widely known, is set to replace the Japanese yen to become the fourth international currency within two years.
David Kynaston believes many underestimate just how Hong Kong has transformed itself over the past 35 years.
Anyone even marginally involved in commodities will be aware that last year's Qingdao port incident had an immense impact on the worldwide financing trade for metals. More than a year after the discovery of large-scale collateral fraud involving warehouse receipts for metal stored at Qingdao port in Shandong province, which had been pledged multiple times as collateral to raise finance, Chinese and international banks continue to take a dim view of lending to the copper industry, and the metals sector as a whole.
For many people the words fasting and self-denial conjure up negative images, ones of pallid, listless bodies and of hard-to-bear sacrifice that are out of tune with the zeitgeist of the me generation.
Fan Zhihong, a nutritionist and a member of the board of directors of the Chinese Nutrition Society, and an associate professor of nutrition and food safety at the China Agricultural University in Beijing, says:
We are in a bustling restaurant in downtown Beijing - or it could be any other Chinese city, town or village, for that matter. This evening the din of chatter mixed with soft music wafts through the warm summer's air, and the preoccupation of almost everyone seems to be matters oral: biting, chewing and swallowing the copious amounts of all kinds of food that has been delivered to their tables.
My stomach was rumbling, and seeking a word of advice from one of my friends seemed like the best move.
The world is awash with diet plans, many with exotic names and all offering advice on how to keep trim, fit and healthy. Among them are detox, Dr Atkins, Dukan, grapefruit, Israeli Army and South Beach, and the list goes on and on. Here are half a dozen that are prevalent on Chinese-language websites:
The renminbi's depreciation will put short-term pressure on European exports, but will not have a long-term impact, European business leaders and experts said.
Sportswear firm benefits from measures to cut expenditure
Asian stocks rose, with the benchmark index climbing from a seven-month low, as China's currency stemmed its plunge after the central bank signaled support.
Shunfeng International Clean Energy Ltd, the Hong Kong-based solar company controlled by billionaire Zheng Jianming, agreed to acquire a majority share of United States-based solar manufacturer Suniva for $57.8 million.
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