ASIA: Chinese short-video and live-streaming app Kuaishou filed for an initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, CNBC reported. The offering is reportedly expected to raise $5 billion. Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Securities, and China Renaissance are the underwriters, according to the filing. Video game streaming aside, analysts say the video apps […]

ASIA: China has barred non-Chinese travelers from the UK, Belgium, and the Philippines, imposing new border restrictions in response to the worsening Covid-19 pandemic. The Chinese embassy in the UK said on Wednesday that China’s borders were now closed to those arriving from the UK, including those with valid visas and residence permits. The measure, […]

ASIA: Chinese President Xi Jinping tried to re-assure international businesses that the nation is committed to open trade, amid concerns that the new ‘dual circulation’ strategy will mean the world’s second-largest economy is set to become more insular. Xi speech was closely watched, given the backdrop of the U.S. election result and the shock withdrawal […]

ASIA: Ant Group’s highly anticipated IPO has been suspended following a meeting between the company’s billionaire co-founder Jack Ma and regulators in China, an abrupt move that threatens what was due to be the largest share sale in history. The Shanghai Stock Exchange said in a statement on Tuesday that it had postponed the company’s […]

ASIA: Australia’s former ambassador to China, Geoff Raby, has warned Australia is likely to keep suffering economic harm from “repeated rounds of Chinese economic coercion,” and needs to find a way to reset the relationship. He said Seafood exporters are the latest industry group to report disruptions in accessing the Chinese market, and thus Australia […]

ASIA: China’s gasoline demand could hit a peak around 2027, according to a new report from Goldman Sachs. Demand could fall by around 6 percent from that peak by 2030. However, Goldman Sachs does not see crude oil demand hitting a peak this decade, “due to sustained non-OECD economic growth.” In the next five years, […]

  ASIA: Chinese leaders met Monday to formulate an economic blueprint for the next five years that is expected to emphasize the development of semiconductors and other technology at a time when US is cutting off access to US technology. President Xi Jinping’s government is working to promote self-sustaining growth supported by domestic consumer spending […]

ASIA: Some Chinese banks have phased out the use of the “counter-cyclical” factor in the pricing mechanism of the yuan’s central parity rate against the greenback, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System (CFETS). Market-making banks have made the move on their own initiative based on their judgment of economic fundamentals and market situations, […]

ASIA: China appears to have comprehensively lost the international battle for hearts and minds over its handling of coronavirus with most people believing it was responsible for the start of the outbreak and was not transparent about the problem at the outset. The findings come from the YouGov-Cambridge Globalism Project, a survey of 26,000 people […]

ASIA: China said Monday that it would impose sanctions on American companies — including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Raytheon — that have been involved in selling weapons to Taiwan. Speaking at a press conference Monday, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijian called on the United States to stop selling arms to the […]