Briefly

Automobile sales rise 8.6% last month

Automobile sales rose 8.6 percent year-on-year to 2.25 million units in April, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed on Wednesday. During the January-April period, automobile sales rose 51.8 percent on a yearly basis to 8.75 million units. Last month, sales of passenger vehicles increased 10.8 percent on a yearly basis to 1.7 million units. In the first four months, sales of passenger vehicles rose 53.1 percent on a yearly basis to 6.79 million units.

China-Europe cargo service to be improved

The China-Europe cargo service will be improved to spur the development of cross-border e-commerce, according to a three-year action plan released at the Fifth Silk Road International Exposition that opened on Tuesday. China will set up a green service mechanism for cross-border e-commerce firms via the China Railway Express (Chang'an), with more new routes developed to facilitate international cargo flows, the plan states. Efforts will be made to support countries intending to construct pavilions for e-commerce products in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, while overseas warehouses will be established in a bid to help reduce costs for enterprises.

Xinhua