ASIA: The Chinese yuan advanced to its strongest level since 2018 as it defied attempts by the central bank to slow its gains amid an improving outlook for China’s economy. The currency rose as much as 0.3% to 6.4114 a dollar, the strongest since June 2018, after breaching its previous year-to-date high of 6.4245 reached […]

ASIA: The International Monetary Fund said on Thursday the recent jump in COVID-19 cases in India posed downside risks to the Fund’s April forecast for 12.5% growth in India’s economic output in fiscal years 2021 and 2022. The IMF will revisit that forecast when it issued a fresh World Economic Outlook in July, IMF spokesman […]

ASIA: China has “indefinitely” suspended key economic dialogue with Australia, the latest in a growing diplomatic rift between both countries. The relations between two countries have been on the decline since Australia called for a probe into the origins of the virus and banned Huawei from building its 5G network. In a statement on Thursday, […]

ASIA: U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said on Wednesday she expects to engage “in the near term” with Chinese officials to assess their implementation of the “Phase 1” trade deal between the two countries, with the outcome to influence the fate of Washington’s punitive tariffs on Beijing. Tai told that she respects the need for […]

ASIA: China urged the Philippines on Tuesday to observe “basic etiquette,” and eschew megaphone diplomacy after the southeast Asian nation’s foreign minister used an expletive-laced Twitter message to demand that China’s vessels leave disputed waters. In a statement, China’s foreign ministry urged the Philippines to respect the nation’s sovereignty and jurisdiction and stop taking actions […]

ASIA: A report published by group of analysts says that the “peak” of China’s economic growth has already passed or will soon do so and momentum will only “wane” further for the remainder of the year, after slowing domestic and overseas demand led to lower-than-expected sentiment in the manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors in April. The […]

ASIA: The US and China have long had a tumultuous relationship, but now Beijing has said that it would like to remain diplomatic partners with the US so long as the nation respects its domestic policies. “It is normal for China and the US to have some differences, but the key is to have mutual […]

ASIA: President Joe Biden proposed a sweeping new $1.8 trillion plan in a speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, pleading with Republican lawmakers to work with him on divisive issues and to meet the stiff competition posed by China. He said, “China and other countries are closing in fast,” adding that he […]

  ASIA: Japanese retail sales rose at the fastest pace in five months in March as consumer demand recovered from the huge hit it took from the coronavirus pandemic last year. The world’s third-largest economy has emerged from last year’s slump on an export recovery, though a glacial vaccine rollout and a resurgence in infections […]

ASIA: China is set to report its first population decline since records began in 1949 despite the relaxation of the government’s strict family planning policies, which was meant to reverse the falling birth rate of the world’s most populous country. The latest Chinese census, which was completed in December but has yet to be made […]