Steel production growth in China will hold above an annual 10 percent for the next five years, Chinese research group Steelhome.cn said.

Steel demand in China, the largest metal consumer, may rise 12 percent next year on booming property and auto demand, fueling gains in prices of iron ore, China International Capital Corp. said.

China has called for wealthier nations to eliminate agricultural subsidies and give greater market access to developing countries, the Xinhua news agency reported, citing officials at a global summit on food security.

China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd. Chairman Chang Xiaobing said he expects Apple Inc.'s iPhone to become China's best-selling smart phone, countering skepticism by analysts who say the handset is too expensive.

Hong Kong's main airline Cathay Pacific was offering economy class seats Tuesday with extra legroom for up to US$100 extra per passenger.

China's wholesale vegetable prices jumped by an average of 10 percent last week as heavy snowfalls disrupted transportation, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on its Web site Tuesday.

China Merchants Securities Co. had the smallest first-day trading gain among Chinese companies this year as demand for new shares eases after more than 60 equity offerings since June.

China Metal Recycling Holdings Ltd., the country's largest recycler of scrap metal by sales, plunged in Hong Kong trading as Chief Financial Officer Wong Hok-leung resigned after saying he was denied information.

China's qualified domestic institutional investors (QDIIs) will be allowed to invest in Taiwan's stock market after a memorandum of understanding on financial regulatory cooperation between the two countries takes effect.

President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao emerged from hours of intense talks Tuesday determined to marshal their combined clout on crucial issues, but still showing divisions over economic, security and human rights issues that have long bedeviled the two powers.