Nation to speed up modernizing farm sector

    THE government will speed up e-commerce development for the agriculture sector, according to an action plan released Friday.

    China will establish sound e-commerce infrastructure and policies while nurturing a batch of influential agricultural e-commerce brands in the next three years, according to the joint plan from the ministries of agriculture and commerce and the National Development Reform Commission. The action plan maps out 20 specific targets including connecting e-commerce platforms to develop agricultural business and expanding market channels to facilitate agricultural e-commerce growth.

    VW China JVs ‘unaffected’ by emissions scandal

    TWO Chinese joint ventures of Volkwagen AG said the German automaker’s admission of using software to skirt diesel emissions tests in the United States did not affect the cars they make or sell in China, the world’s biggest auto market.

    FAW-Volkswagen, a joint venture with FAW Car Co. Ltd., said in a statement dated Thursday that the matter did not have any impact on the cars it sells in China under the Volkswagen or Audi brands. Shanghai Volkswagen, a joint venture with SAIC Motor Corp. Ltd., also said that it had checked production and sales records and found its vehicles were also unaffected. In China, gasoline is a more popular fuel than diesel.

    Airbag problem prompts Mazda recall

    CHINA FAW Car Co., maker of some Mazda models in China, is recalling 280,000 Mazda 6 sedans due to an airbag problem, according to China’s top quality watchdog.

    The affected cars were manufactured between March 29, 2003 and Dec. 29, 2008, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said Friday in a statement. Inflators in the driver’s and front passenger’s frontal airbags could rupture when the airbags open during an accident.