Airline stake talks

China Development Corp refused to comment on reports it is considering buying a stake in Asiana Airline, the second-biggest airline in South Korea. Taiwan's Commercial Times said Taiwan's largest investment firm was optimistic about the outlook for the airline, which is owned by Korea's Kumho Group. In the wake of currency devaluations and stock market slumps across Asia, China Development, the investment arm of the ruling Kuomintang party, has been on a buying spree which included a stake in Thailand's Bangkok Bank and the formation of a fund to invest in emerging Malaysian firms.