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China Economy

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Belt and Road Initiative
Asia housing and property
US-China trade war
The Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex in Haikou, capital of Hainan province. Photo: Xinhua
China consumption

China’s Hainan hosts duty-free shopping spree under new customs regime

A flurry of activity accompanied the official establishment of the island’s tariff and tax exemptions - but will the frenzy last?

China trade

China has logged a US$1 trillion trade surplus. Where is all that money going?

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Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s oldest carmaker FAW buys US$534 million stake in EV assembler Leapmotor

Yuan

China sets yuan fixing rate at 15-month high amid offshore gains

The move follows offshore yuan briefly breaching seven-per-US-dollar mark, with analysts citing dollar weakness, seasonal factors for rally.

The People’s Bank of China set the yuan’s midpoint, or daily fixing rate, at 7.0331 to the US dollar on Monday. Photo: Getty Images
The People’s Bank of China set the yuan’s midpoint, or daily fixing rate, at 7.0331 to the US dollar on Monday. Photo: Getty Images
Infrastructure

No more empty trains: China tightens rules on subway expansions to curb debt

Rich hubs, including Ningbo and Suzhou, are hitting regulatory roadblocks as the central government prioritises fiscal discipline over infrastructure-led growth.

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China's economic recovery

Consumer demand and public services top China’s financial priorities for 2026

National fiscal work conference ends in Beijing with pledge to spur domestic market.

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Aerospace: Geopolitics

Why are rich Chinese moving private jets offshore, slumming it in budget seats?

Strict flight rules and economic headwinds are forcing scrutiny-wary tycoons to rebase aircraft in places such as Singapore or downgrade to commercial cabins.

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Two crew members walk past business jets in Shanghai. Photo: AFP
Two crew members walk past business jets in Shanghai. Photo: AFP
Electric & new energy vehicles

Dozens of Chinese EV makers under pressure to fold or trim operations: analysts

Grappling with expiring cash subsidies and tax incentives, China’s car market is forecast to see deliveries slump next year.

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China’s C919 passenger plane

Soaring to the top: China appoints first female captain for C919 flights

Promotion of former Boeing 737 pilot Yu Yue, who holds a ‘zero error’ record, called an inspiration to women across the nation.

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China consumption

Wild goose chase? France works to rouse China’s appetite for foie gras imports

French producers hope their famed pate can win a slice of China’s market, but price sensitivities and domestic competition could mean their goose is cooked.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Banking & finance

China launches venture capital fund to lead the charge on tech investment

The fund, which will put state-backed money behind early tech bets, could guide trillions of yuan in private capital to chosen sectors.

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China’s new national venture capital fund has made investments in emerging technology like quantum computing an explicit priority. Photo: Xinhua
China’s new national venture capital fund has made investments in emerging technology like quantum computing an explicit priority. Photo: Xinhua
China manufacturing

China bolsters e-cigarette regulations to smoke out non-compliance

The draft policy would cut down on excess capacity within e-cigarette sector and tighten enforcement of standards in production and export.

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China’s C919 passenger plane

China’s Comac to team up with China Eastern for bigger C919 variant, sources say

Comac’s stretched model, expected to be dubbed the C919-800, could target lucrative Asian routes and seat more than 200 passengers.

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China's economic recovery

China broadens foreign investment list in renewed pitch for overseas capital

The catalogue, which lists the sectors carrying policy incentives for overseas investors, has hundreds of new entries, many in advanced manufacturing.

China’s revised catalogue of encouraged industries has added many sectors, including medical equipment. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Consumers

From Shein to Labubu, French shoppers are buying Chinese for Christmas

This year’s wave of popularity for Chinese brands has not waned in France’s capital, with Shein’s store packed and Labubu dolls dotting trees.

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Shoppers queue for the opening of the first physical space for Chinese online fast-fashion retailer Shein in Paris. Photo: Reuters
Shoppers queue for the opening of the first physical space for Chinese online fast-fashion retailer Shein in Paris. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese SUV maker Jetour pushes localised offerings to hasten go-global drive

Jetour is already present in more than 100 countries and regions after seven years in operation.

Yuan

China’s offshore yuan breaks major benchmark as appreciation momentum builds

For the first time since 2024, the currency strengthened past the threshold of seven per US dollar – and did it again the next day.

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China consumption

Hard work, long hours fuelled China’s rise. Now, it weighs longer breaks

China, one of the world’s hardest-working countries, is adopting incentives to increase time off – and potentially boost consumer spending.

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Workers at the construction site for the main tower of Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, China. Photo: Xinhua
Workers at the construction site for the main tower of Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, China. Photo: Xinhua
Yuan

China expands digital-yuan push to Singapore and Asean trade routes

PBOC pledges to integrate e-CNY into the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, boost adoption in Southeast Asia via China’s CIPS payment network.

JD.com

Burglary of JD.com warehouse in France prompts investigation, speculation

The theft, with over 50,000 items stolen by some estimates, casts a shadow over the Chinese e-commerce giant’s first Christmas in France.

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China manufacturing

China’s Xi urges state giants to be pillars of national development

The president instructs central SOEs to drive industrial upgrading while securing critical technologies and supply chains in the face of geopolitical risks.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a global business leaders meeting he hosted in March at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo: Kyodo
Retailing

‘C-beauty’ cosmetics brands find retail expansion outside China a slow slog

‘For established domestic cosmetics companies attempting to expand abroad, progress is still in its early stages,’ CLSA’s Chris Gao says.

Mao Geping store inside the Harbour City shopping complex. Photo: Li Cao
Mao Geping store inside the Harbour City shopping complex. Photo: Li Cao
US-China trade war

‘Bad policy’: China’s drone makers to shrug off US ban, analysts say

The addition of foreign drone makers, including those from China, to a US trade blacklist is unlikely to heat up relations, observers said.

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China consumption

China vows city-specific fixes to clear housing glut, stabilise property sector

Housing minister pledges to empower local governments to buy unsold inventory and shift towards selling only finished homes with a ‘what you see is what you get’ model.

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China trade

As Germany’s trade deficit with China nears new high, analysts warn of backlash

The widening gap, fuelled by a localisation push in China and fierce EV competition, is fuelling fears of political upheaval and rising protectionist sentiment in Berlin.

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Factory workers assemble cars at a Volkswagen plant in Qingdao, in China’s eastern Shandong province, last week. Photo: AFP
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