China is aiming to triple the number of patents it files by 2020 as Beijing looks to boost the country's high-tech economy in areas from agriculture to pharmaceuticals, according to a notice from the central government on Sunday.
Asia/Pacific
China abolishes rare earth export quotas
China has scrapped a quota system aimed at restricting exports of rare earths, a group of 17 metals used in high tech sectors, as it moves to comply with a World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling last year, official Chinese media reported on Monday.
India's Micromax plans up to $500 million IPO
Micromax Informatics, India's second-largest smartphone maker, plans to raise as much as $500 million through a stock market listing in its financial year beginning in April, the Economic Times newspaper reported on Saturday.
Japan December final manufacturing PMI shows sustained growth
Japanese manufacturing activity showed sustained growth in December, a survey showed on Monday, suggesting domestic demand continues to recover after the economy fell into a surprise recession last year.
Oil prices hits fresh five-and-a-half-year lows; Brent below $56
U.S. crude and Brent futures dropped to fresh 5-1/2-year lows on Monday as worries about a surplus of global supplies amid weak demand continued to drag on oil markets.
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Chinese online game developer Perfect World Co Ltd (PWRD.O) said it received a go-private proposal from founder and Chairman Michael Yufeng Chi at $20 per ADS, valuing the company at nearly $1 billion.
Hyundai Motor Co (005380.KS) and affiliate Kia Motors Corp (000270.KS) aim to lift global vehicle sales by 2.5 percent in 2015, as capacity constraints and a weak market recovery set up the South Korean pair for their slowest expansion in 12 years.
South Korean authorities have found evidence that a low-risk computer "worm" had been removed from devices connected to some nuclear plant control systems, but no harmful virus was found in reactor controls threatened by a hacker.
Private equity firm BC Partners [BCPRT.UL] said on Wednesday it will sell a 40.25 percent stake in its supermarket chain Migros (MGROS.IS) to Turkish conglomerate Anadolu Endustri Holding AS.
Huawei Technology Co Ltd's [HWT.UL] smartphone sales rose by almost a third to $11.8 billion in 2014, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters, showing the Chinese telecoms firm's continued ascent in the global handset wars.
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Thursday that all its new smart television products launched in 2015 will be powered by the Tizen operating system, marking a fresh effort by the company to increase the usage of the software platform.
Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said the bank has various tools left if it were to ease monetary policy again, stressing its determination to hit its inflation target in the next fiscal year.
China's factory activity sputtered in December, underlining the challenges facing the country's manufacturers as they fight rising costs and softening demand in a cooling economy.
Chinese conglomerate Fosun International Ltd is making its first foray into the U.S. insurance market and buying property and casualty insurer Meadowbrook, a deal that it said would help it secure funds for further acquisitions.
