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A person walks past the building of China’s central bank in Beijing. Chinese regulators have raised the overseas-loan leverage ratio for foreign banks in China and their joint ventures with Chinese lenders. Photo: Getty Images
Yuan

China boosts overseas-loan quotas as ‘panda bond’ issuance hits record high

Beijing’s move to lift offshore-loan quotas seen helping stabilise yuan against weaker US dollar while accommodating a surge in net financing via ‘panda bonds’.

Foreign exchange market

China trims US Treasury holdings as global ownership hits record

China GDP

China beats expectations with 5% growth in first GDP release since Iran war

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China trade

Record-setting Canton Fair under Middle East cloud as costs hit China’s exports

Manufacturers and buyers offer on-the-ground perspectives at China’s largest trade exhibition, swapping stories and predictions amid massive turnout.

Buyers browse household electrical appliances at the 139th session of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, in Guangdong province on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
Buyers browse household electrical appliances at the 139th session of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, in Guangdong province on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

‘No alternative’: Yellen defends dollar dominance, calls to preserve China trade

Former US Treasury secretary, in Hong Kong, discusses China’s ‘serious conflicts’ with other economies in trade, while warning of decoupling risks.

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China energy security

US officials claim China is ‘hoarding’ oil. What does the data say?

While US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said China is stockpiling crude amid the Iran war, the numbers suggest Beijing is facing a supply crunch.

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China GDP

Despite Iran war, China set for ‘solid’ first-quarter GDP growth: analysts

Flexible growth target means little likelihood of imminent stimulus, but focus will switch to impact of disruptions in second quarter.

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A woman selects fruit at a supermarket in Shanghai on Friday. Photo: EPA
A woman selects fruit at a supermarket in Shanghai on Friday. Photo: EPA
China exports

Chinese steelmakers team up to adjust to EU’s carbon-linked import imposts

Industry insiders say carbon costs are expected to cascade through supply chains, adding to compliance costs for Chinese exporters.

US, Israel war on Iran

Hormuz blockade: shipping body slams transit fees as 20,000 seafarers stranded

A ‘retrograde’ toll proposal by Tehran risks similar charges in other vital waterways, warns global association for merchant shipowners and operators.

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China energy security

Which countries are most vulnerable as US imposes Persian Gulf blockade?

Nomura says more than 90 per cent of the crude oil imported by Japan and the Philippines comes from the Middle East.

A customer at a petrol station in London on Monday. Photo: EPA
China GDP

IMF cuts China’s GDP growth forecast to 4.4% as Iran war hits global economy

The latest projection is 0.1 percentage lower than January’s estimate but higher than October’s.

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The IMF headquarters during the first day of the 2026 Spring Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank Group in Washington on April 13. Photo: Kent Nishimura
The IMF headquarters during the first day of the 2026 Spring Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank Group in Washington on April 13. Photo: Kent Nishimura
Banking & finance

Kazakh sovereign fund issues Central Asia’s first panda bond in ‘milestone’ sale

Samruk-Kazyna chairman says issuance marks ‘an important milestone in strengthening the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and China’.

China energy security

China turns to central Asia as US blockade in Hormuz chokes global energy flows

Chinese vice-premier to visit major gas field in Turkmenistan as Beijing aims to shore up energy security and diversify away from volatile maritime routes.

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China trade

China’s March trade

Exports from China slowed while imports surged in the first full month of trade data following the outbreak of the US war against Iran on February 28.

Photo: AFP
Asia travel

Lack of fuel reserves forces Southeast Asian flight cuts amid Hormuz crisis

Airlines are cutting flights, as dependence on Middle Eastern fuel hits operators from Pakistan to New Zealand.

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A Vietjet Airline airplane in front of a Vietnam Airlines airplane, at Noi Bai International Airport, in Hanoi, Vietnam, on May 28, 2025. Photo: Reuters
A Vietjet Airline airplane in front of a Vietnam Airlines airplane, at Noi Bai International Airport, in Hanoi, Vietnam, on May 28, 2025. Photo: Reuters
China-EU relations

Brussels must resist ‘passive’ role in US-China trade war, EU chamber urges

European companies keep becoming ‘collateral damage’ in others’ disputes, laments president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.

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Artificial intelligence

‘Doctor Doom’ Roubini turns ‘Doctor Boom’, predicting huge economic growth in US

Nouriel Roubini predicted the 2008 financial crisis – now he says an explosion of hi-tech will be unlike anything mankind has ever seen, trivialising near-term headwinds.

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China exports

China, the Iran war and the chemical suddenly stoking global supply fears

Food security is one of Beijing’s top policy goals – and that could spell trouble for countries dependent on Chinese sulphuric acid.

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An aerial photo shows workers unloading imported fertilisers at the Lianyungang port, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, on April 8. Photo: AFP
An aerial photo shows workers unloading imported fertilisers at the Lianyungang port, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, on April 8. Photo: AFP
Yuan

Yuan’s ‘golden window’ is open, former PBOC governor says as US dollar ebbs

Zhou Xiaochuan, who laid the foundation for China’s currency to go global, says Beijing can capitalise on changes in the international monetary landscape.

China’s C919 passenger plane

Exclusive | China’s C919 faces ‘final exam’ as EU pilots stay in Shanghai ‘permanently’: sources

Flight tests a ‘final exam’ to be followed by analysis, paperwork and technical verification, but ‘political considerations’ also in play.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Hyundai spearheads foreign EV comeback push in China with Ioniq brand

South Korean carmaker bets on local partnerships and technology as global brands prepare fresh push into China’s fast-moving EV market.

The new cars will be “shaped specifically for the Chinese market, integrating local technologies and partnerships”, according to Hyundai. Photo: Handout
China trade

‘Cancelling orders’ in China: Hormuz oil crisis hits transport and manufacturing

Analysts and industry insiders say higher costs are squeezing margins, with some of China’s wary industrial heartland compelled to make day-to-day purchases.

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Employees work on an assembly line producing smartphone holders at a plastic-accessories factory in China’s Guangdong province earlier this month. Rising oil prices are driving up production costs for plastic manufacturers. Photo: Reuters
Employees work on an assembly line producing smartphone holders at a plastic-accessories factory in China’s Guangdong province earlier this month. Rising oil prices are driving up production costs for plastic manufacturers. Photo: Reuters
China education

Vocational schools a new front as China backs businesses’ global expansion

Earlier programmes focused on infrastructure, but new wave is shaped by demand in e-commerce, digital services and advanced manufacturing.

Artificial intelligence

China banks buffer against AI contagions as US sweats over Anthropic’s Mythos

With Beijing prioritising financial stability, analysts say state lenders take a measured approach to generative models amid growing global cybersecurity risks.

China energy security

Why China’s green energy strategy may shield it from the Iran war oil shock

As war in the Persian Gulf triggers volatility in global oil markets, Beijing sees its energy system as a stabilising force.

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Employees work on the production line of solar panels at a workshop of Jiangsu DMEGC New Energy on February 25, 2026, in Sihong county, Suqian city, in China’s Jiangsu province. Photo: VCG via Getty Images
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