Sanlu Ex-boss Gets Life for Milk Scandal
Former chairwoman and general manager of Sanlu Group, the dairy production plant at the centre of China's melamine-tainted milk scandal, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday for producing and selling fake or substandard products. Two other defendants were sentenced to death and another one received a death sentence with probation.

China's Mobile Giants to Invest $25 Bln in 3G in 2009
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technologies announced on Thursday that China's three leading mobile operators are expected to invest 170 billion Yuan (24.87 billion U.S dollars) this year, in building China's third-generation mobile communication networks.

China's Industrial Output Rises 12.9% in 2008
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Thursday that China's industrial output rose by 12.9% in 2008, therefore 5.6% less than the previous year. Tang Min, deputy secretary of the China Development Research Foundation, forecasts that the economy should begin to improve in the second or third quarter of 2009, when the effects if the 4 trillion Yuan stimulus package will start to be felt.

China Fixed-asset Investment up 25.5% in 2008 
The NBS also announced yesterday that China's fixed-asset investment rose by 25.5% year-on-year to 17 trillion Yuan (2.52 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2008, a growth rate of only 0.7% more than the previous year. The Chinese Academy of Sciences predicted in a report that fixed-asset investment would continue in a slow pace in the first two quarters of 2009, but would take off in the third quarter.