Beijing - Electronics company Siemens said Thursday its sales and new orders in China grew by 19 per cent each - twice the growth rate of the country's economy.

Richard Hausmann, head of the Germany-based conglomerate's China subsidiary, told journalists in Beijing that sales surged to 57 billion yuan (8.3 billion dollars) and new orders to 65.5 billion yuan in the business year through September 2008.

"In face of a global economic downturn I am glad that the results of our China operations again contribute significantly to our global performance," he said.

Beijing - Electronics company Siemens said Thursday its sales and new orders in China grew by 19 per cent each - twice the growth rate of the country's economy.

Richard Hausmann, head of the Germany-based conglomerate's China subsidiary, told journalists in Beijing that sales surged to 57 billion yuan (8.3 billion dollars) and new orders to 65.5 billion yuan in the business year through September 2008.

"In face of a global economic downturn I am glad that the results of our China operations again contribute significantly to our global performance," he said.

"Such figures are even more remarkable given the fact that in 2008 Siemens underwent one of the largest reorganizations in the history of the company."

Beijing  - China and the United States Thursday began economic talks centered on the global financial crisis amid fears of a spat over currency levels.

At the fifth Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED), US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is expected to pressure China to let its yuan rise against the dollar, as an undervalued yuan gives Chinese exporters an unfair advantage.

Chinese media, however, stressed Thursday that a rapid rise in the yuan could do the global economy more harm than good.

The two-day meeting will focus on cooperation to deal with the financial crisis and strengthen the Sino-US economic partnership, said Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan, who co-chairs the meeting with Paulson.

Brussels - The European Union is to crack down on imports of foods which contain soya products and consignments of baking powder from China in a bid to stop food contaminated with the toxin melamine reaching Europe, officials in Brussels said Wednesday.

The EU's executive, the European Commission, "will take measures to ban the import from China of food for infants and young children containing soya and soya products, after high levels of melamine were recently found in Chinese soy bean meal," a statement said.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong's flagship airline Cathay Pacific was Wednesday facing a rebellion from its 7,000-strong cabin crew over an offer of unpaid leave to offset the effects of the economic slump.

The airline last week offered all cabin crew unpaid leave of between two weeks and 12 months because of a downturn in business brought about by the global financial crisis.

Pilots on the airline, which earlier this year recorded its first operating loss since 2003, are also being offered unpaid leave with immediate effect as routes are trimmed.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong has the safest roads in Asia with less than one fatality every two days last year, the head of a government committee said Wednesday.

The city recorded 160 road deaths last year, the lowest level in Asia and the seventh-lowest in the world, said Hong Kong Road Safety Campaign Committee chairman Lawrence Yu.

The figure was also the third-lowest death toll recorded in the former British colony in the past 49 years, even though roads in the city of 6.9 million are becoming busier.