Third-party payment systems enabling theft

BEIJING - About a year ago, a man surnamed Song, a programmer in Shenzhen, received a mysterious call and lost 280,000 yuan ($43,460) via Alipay, one of China's most popular online payment platforms. This was odd as Song did not have a single penny in his Alipay account. It turned out the swindlers had taken three steps to transfer his loan via Alipay's micro-loan provider Ant Micro.

Eye care firm surges 430% in first week

C-Mer Eye Care Holdings Ltd surged 58.27 percent, or 5.67 points, to finish at HK$15.4 ($1.97) on Thursday, as the Hong Kong medical services company announced plans to step up investment on the Chinese mainland.

China Express IPO approved

China Express Airlines Co Ltd, China's only airline focused on regional operations with both passenger and freight air transportation, received approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission this week for a potential initial public offering.

Ziroom secures $621m financing, reflecting investors' hopes

Ziroom, a Chinese online apartment rental platform operator, has secured $621 million in first round financing, a reflection of investors' high hopes for the country's expanding rental market - especially for the young migrants to large cities.

5G phones could debut in late 2019

The nation will step up its push to commercialize fifth-generation mobile communication technology, with 5G-ready smartphones likely to come out in late 2019, experts said.

Domestic firms team up with UK partner on graphene

China and the United Kingdom may soon become the world's biggest producers of graphene, following an agreement to manufacture it in eastern China.

Regulators issue tighter rules on blockchain stocks

Share prices of blockchain-related companies on China's A-share market plunged on Wednesday after the Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses announced tightened regulations to crack down on irregularities and avoid risks.

Wanda helps lift ethnic villagers out of poverty

Chinese property development giant Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties Co Ltd allocated its second 50 million yuan ($7.7 million) poverty-alleviation fund to the poverty-stricken population in Danzhai county, Southwest China's Guizhou province on Jan 12.

HNA project flies volunteers home for free

It used to take about four days for Sun Bo'en, 24, a volunteer who teaches at the country's most remote school in the southwestern region, to reach home in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province in the north, for Spring Festival, which falls on Feb 16 this year.

M-grass steps up efforts to ease fodder shortage in Inner Mongolia

Inner Mongolia M-grass Ecology and Environment (Group) Co Ltd, an ecological environment engineering company, has donated 20,000 metric tons of grass, worth 20 million yuan ($3 million), to help herdsmen in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region tide over fodder shortage in the winter season.

IN BRIEF (Page 18)

Internet reshaping fitness industry

The omnipresent internet is reshaping the fitness industry and pushing it to become more accessible, affordable and customized.