Briefly

Service outsourcing grows 12% in H1

China's service outsourcing industry posted a steady expansion in the first half of this year, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed. Chinese firms signed service outsourcing contracts worth about 987.5 billion yuan ($146.2 billion) in the first half, up 12.3 percent year-on-year. The executed contract value came in at 645.4 billion yuan during the period, with a year-on-year increase of 14.3 percent. Outsourcing refers to hiring an outside party to carry out services or produce goods typically undertaken by in-house employees.

Gansu first-half foreign trade up 25%

Northwest China's Gansu province saw its foreign trade exceed 32.58 billion yuan ($4.82 billion) in the first half, up nearly 25 percent year-on-year, according to local Customs. During the period, the province's exports rose 49.4 percent year-on-year to 6.16 billion yuan, while imports increased 20 percent to 26.42 billion yuan. The province's foreign trade volume in May and June was particularly robust, with a year-on-year surge of 89.8 percent and 47.6 percent, respectively.

Xinhua - China Daily