UPDATE 1-PRESS DIGEST - China - May 21

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BEIJING/SHANGHAI, May 21 (Reuters) - Chinese newspapers available in Beijing and Shanghai carried the following stories on Wednesday. Reuters has not checked the stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

CHINA SECURITIES JOURNAL

-- The Shanghai Stock Exchange will bar listed companies from suspending trade in their shares for more than 30 days due to pending merger and acquisition deals.

-- China set mininum prices for wheat purchases by the state reserve bureau in six producing provinces for 2008.

SHANGHAI SECURITIES NEWS

-- CITIC Securities (600030.SS) plans to invest a further 50 million yuan ($7.17 million) in its futures unit, increasing its registered capital to 150 million yuan.

-- China Railway Group (601390.SS)(0390.HK) on Tuesday collected 74.39 million yuan in receivables from China Railway Hongda Asset Management Co, which was split off from China Railway before its initial public offering.

FINANCIAL NEWS

-- Chinese insurers so far have offered 18 million yuan ($2.6 million) of compensation to their clients who suffered losses in last week's earthquake in Sichuan.

-- China's securities watchdog has set up a special group to improve the country's securities and futures information data base.

CHINA DAILY (www.chinadaily.com.cn)

-- Most of the dams damaged in the Sichuan earthquakes are still safe but face risks from added pressure from heavy rain and possible aftershocks in the next few days, officials from Sichuan province said.

-- Beijing saw a marked drop in the number of overseas tourists in April, down by 5.3 percent from a year ago, according to official statistics. Officials say the drop is due to Beijing's tightened business visa requirement and safety concerns ahead of the Olympic Games.

-- Many Sichuan- and Chongqing-based auto manufacturers have returned to regular production following the earthquake, with the exception of Brilliance Auto's Mianyang base, where production remains suspended.

PEOPLE'S DAILY