It is the third joint venture Carrefour has launched in China this year. The French retail firm also set up supermarket joint ventures in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan province,and in Harbin, capital of northernmost Heilongjiang province, earlier in the year.

　　Sources from Guangzhou General Merchandise Group say that underthe agreement, Carrefour will control 65 percent of the stake in the new joint venture, while the Guangzhou company will take up 25percent, and the remainder will be held by a Taiwan-based firm.

　　An official in charge of commercial affairs in Guangzhou city, capital of Guangdong, believes that the new joint venture will help promote retailing in this southern Chinese city.

　　Carrefour, which now operates 28 supermarkets across China, will open eight more in the country later this year and hopes to double the number of similar shops by 2004, according to firm sources.

　　Carrefour purchased a total of 1.5 billion U.S. dollars worth of commodities from China last year and the volume is expected to double this year.

(Xinhua News Agency June 27, 2002)