Open for business.

BYLINE: BY STEPHANIE NALL

China has firmly grabbed the title of the world's factory and doesn't seem willing to give it up. Shipments of electronics, clothing and automobiles are streaming out of factories in the world's most populous nation.

Companies from the U.S. and other parts of the world are eager to invest in the nation, not just in factories _but in other sectors as well. Indeed, foreign direct investment in China during the first seven months of 2007 reached $36.9 billion, 11 percent above the total for the comparable period in 2006, according to Goh Hung Song, vice president of government affairs and business development in China for APL Ltd.

One of the latest U.S. companies to jump into business in China is National Retail Systems, which in August announced a partnership with Sinotrans, China's largest logistics provider, to offer factory-to-store freight control from inland China production to retail stores throughout the U.S.

"Because the United States and Europe are such important trading partners with China, we must seek business partners in these regions that fit …