U.S.-based Starbucks Coffee Company signed memorandum of understanding deals in China to assist local farmers to develop better sustainability practices.

Herbalife Ltd. held a ground-breaking ceremony in Changsha, Hunan, for its state-of-the-art extraction facility for botanical extracts, powders and pure compounds to be used in its inner and outer nutrition products.

In line with China's policy of developing rural tourism, it is learned that the Tianjin Municipal People's Government will set up a special fund to support the development of tourism villages.

News from a meeting of Tibet's Political Consultative Conference held in Lhasa is that Tibet plans to build 400 rural retail stores in the autonomous region's agricultural and pastoral areas to address the problems of the local population in purchasing commodities.

According to statistics from the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics, the country's total retail sales increased by 14.8% in April 2009.

According to Pierre Bertholat, vice president for Carrefour China and president for Carrefour South China, the company plans to open five to ten new stores in South China cities, including Guangzhou and Shenzhen, in 2009.