BizChina

Hainan Airlines is set to launch its first direct flight route between China and London, with a new non-stop service linking the UK capital and Changsha in Hunan province.

The Chinese carrier said, starting on March 23, three of its Boeing 787 passenger jets will depart each week from Changsha Huanghua International Airport and arrive at London’s Heathrow Airport before making the return journey.

A Chinese company has topped the European Patent Office's 2017 patent-filing league table for the first time, according to results announced on Wednesday in Brussels.

Chinese telecoms giant Huawei filed 2,398 patents, more than second and third placed Siemens and LG.

In 2016, the Dutch electronics company Philips filed more patent applications than any other company, followed by Huawei and Samsung.

Midea Group's robotic arm, in Germany, KUKA AG, will expand production capacity of robots and robotics systems in China, as the country's demand for the machines has been booming recently, according to a senior manager of the company.

"KUKA is working closely with Midea to look for business opportunities," said Wilfried Eberhardt, chief marketing officer of the company. "We will soon double the production capacity in China as the demand for robotics is increasing in the country."

Internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd is looking to establish a clear lead over rivals in China's livestreaming market with latest investments of over $1 billion in the industry's top firms.

YY Inc, a leading livestreaming social media platform in China, on Thursday announced that its subsidiary Huya Inc has secured series B financing from Tencent to the tune of $461.6 million.