Cement earnings rise

ANHUI Conch Cement Co, China's largest maker of the construction material, reported a 52 percent jump in first-half net income as surging product prices and larger sales offset increases in coal and electricity costs.

Anhui Conch's net income rose to 897.1 million yuan (US$118 million), or 0.65 yuan a share, from a restated 589.9 million yuan, or 0.46 yuan a share, a year before, it said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The cement maker, whose shares are also quoted on the Shanghai bourse, prepared the numbers under international accounting standards.