TO THE POINT:Major economic figures in February all signaled eco- nomic downturn pressure in China in the wake ot the global credit crunch. The country"s CPI and PPI fell into negative territory, igniting jitters of defla- tion. Shrinking demand also undermined China"s foreign trade. A faster drop in exports led to the lowest trade surplus in three years. Home prices fell nationwide. The securities watchdog reversed course and issued new licenses to three qualified foreign institutional investors enabling them to invest in mainland capital markets.
By LIU YUNYUN