BUSINESS
December 19, 1998 | MAGGIE FARLEY, TIMES STAFF WRITER
The New Century has arrived, and it is made in China. At the new General Motors plant here, the first Chinese-made Buick rolled off the assembly line recently, heralded by trumpets and 1,700 cheering auto workers. Forty dignitaries--from the mayor of Shanghai to the U.S. ambassador to China--autographed the gleaming white hood with a thick black pen. John F. Smith Jr., GM's chairman and chief executive, signed his name with a flourish and added simply: "#1."
NEWS
March 25, 1997 | ELIZABETH SHOGREN, TIMES STAFF WRITER
Launching the highest-level official U.S. visit to China since the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown of 1989, Vice President Al Gore arrived here Monday, and a grateful China thanked the United States by signing two major deals with American companies. Gore and Chinese Premier Li Peng witnessed today's signings of a $685-million order for five Boeing Co. 777-200 passenger jets and an agreement with General Motors to create a $1.3-billion joint venture to produce 100,000 Buicks a year in China.
BUSINESS
March 10, 1997 | Times Staff and Wire Reports
General Motors Corp. and a Chinese corporation are expected to sign a $1-billion contract setting up China's largest mid-size automobile production venture, state-run media reported. The State Council, China's Cabinet, approved the planned joint venture last month, and it now awaits approval from the Foreign Trade Ministry, the China Daily Business Weekly said. The venture between Detroit-based GM, the world's largest auto maker, and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.
BUSINESS
October 31, 1995 | Times Staff and Wire Reports
GM Signs Pact for China Joint Venture: The Detroit auto maker said it signed a "base agreement" for a car-building venture that could exceed $1 billion in total investment. The General Motors Corp. announcement marked the first official confirmation that it had beat archrival Ford Motor Co. for the hotly contested deal with China's state-controlled Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. Word of GM's victory had begun circulating last week.
BUSINESS
October 25, 1995 | MAGGIE FARLEY, TIMES STAFF WRITER
While the presidents of China and the United States met in New York to repair rocky relations between the two nations, General Motors Corp. and a Shanghai company prepared to seal a mammoth deal that shows that U.S.-Chinese commercial ties, at least, are right on track. Industry sources confirmed that the American auto giant has won a $1-billion-plus agreement to build mid-size cars in China in what would be one of the highest-profile U.S. investments here ever.
BUSINESS
October 24, 1995 | Times Staff and Wire Reports
China Reportedly Picks GM for Car Venture: Chinese automobile industry officials will pick General Motors Corp. over Ford Motor Co. as their partner in a venture to build sedans in China, the Asian Wall Street Journal reported, citing an unnamed Chinese official. The project, a joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp., which could be worth up to $1 billion, was China's most-prized joint venture. Executives at GM and Ford did not comment. U.S.