Jointly built by the zone and Xidian University, the valley aims to become an innovation and technological hub in western China.

The foreign trade of Northern China's Shanxi province fell slightly by 0.2 percent to 26.45 billion yuan ($3.74 billion) in the first quarter (Q1) this year, local authorities said.

Beijing Customs said Thursday that its imports and exports in the first quarter of this year totaled 625.42 billion yuan (about $88.34 billion), down 6.2 percent from the same period last year.

New China EV incentives fresh boost for cobalt, lithium price

As a province that used to rely heavily on coal mining, Shanxi in North China is now diversifying its economy through industrial reform.

New home sales are recovering faster than expected in China.

China steel sector slows growth due to coronavirus outbreak.

China is expected to see its weakened demand for steel forge a strong recovery in the second quarter as the country's infrastructure investment and production resumption gains more momentum, the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) said Wednesday.