Shanghai Daily news

Bridgestone corp said yesterday that it has received approval from the Chinese government to build a technical center beside its existing tire plant in Wuxi in Jiangsu Province.
The us$14 million facility, Bridgestone (China) Research & Development Co, will be responsible for testing raw materials supplied to the company's Chinese tire factories, according to a statement issued by Japan's biggest tire maker.
The center, expected to go into operation next July with some 20 employees, will be Bridgestone's fourth technical center worldwide in addition to facilities in Tokyo, Rome and Akron in the US state of Ohio.
Tokyo-headquartered Bridgestone now has three factories in China, the world's third-largest auto market behind the United States and Japan. Tires for passenger cars are manufactured in Wuxi and Tianjin in Hebei Province, and truck and bus tires are made in Shenyang, Liaoning Province. The company is also building a fourth tire plant in Huizhou in Guangdong Province.
"Bridgestone will create a consistent system from development to production and sales to enable quick response to the diverse needs of the Chinese market," the company said.
The new technical facility will be wholly owned by Bridgestone (China) Investment Co, the tire maker's US$68 million investment arm in China, which was formed in Shanghai last October.
Last month, the company said it would add 750 outlets in China by 2010, bringing the total to 5,600.
Rivals, including Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co and France-based Michelin also said they plan to raise the number of branded retail stores by the end of the year.