Briefly

CIFTIS 2021 ends on record-setting note

The six-day 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services, which concluded in Beijing on Tuesday, achieved record-breaking success, showed data from the Ministry of Commerce. An unprecedented 1,672 projects or deals were signed. These included 642 construction projects, 223 investment deals, 200 agreements, and 139 product launches. Over 12,000 enterprises from 153 countries and regions registered online and offline.

High-speed railway makes further progress

Construction of a 289.8 kilometer-long high-speed railway linking East China's Anhui and Jiangxi provinces received a new boost when precast box girders spanning an existing railway were erected on Tuesday. The box girders, erected over the 18th, 19th and 20th piers of a super large railway bridge on the Nanchang-Jingdezhen-Huangshan High-speed Railway, traverse the existing Hangzhou-Huangshan railway and were built by State-owned China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group. The high-speed railway is scheduled to start operation in September 2023 with 10 stops. Trains on this line are expected to reach a top speed of 350 kilometers per hour. The railway is expected to help boost local tourism and economic growth.

Lotus plans to take on Porsche in country

British sportscar maker Lotus plans to open up to 70 showrooms in China by 2024 and start production at its new Wuhan factory next year to ramp up competition with rival Porsche, Chief Executive Feng Qingfeng said on Tuesday. Premium and luxury car sales are growing in China as the COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions leave consumers in the world's biggest car market with more money to spend.

China Daily - Agencies