Day: April 13, 2026

China’s export growth softened and imports rose considerably in March, as disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz drove up transport costs and energy prices. Exports rose 2.5 per cent year on year to US$321.03 billion in March, according to data released by China’s General Administration of Customs on Tuesday. The reading fell short of the 4 per cent growth forecast by economists polled by the financial data provider Wind. Advertisement Imports grew by 27.8 per cent to US$269.9 billion over the same period, surpassing the Wind poll’s 5.62 per cent…

Jet fuel shortages and surging prices are forcing flight cancellations across the Asia-Pacific, a squeeze that could intensify after the United States began controlling oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz following failed peace talks with Iran. Tehran’s effective closure of the strait – a chokepoint for about 20 per cent of global oil supply – is hitting regional airlines, particularly in countries without strategic energy reserves, analysts said. Jet fuel reached nearly US$198 in the week ending on April 10, about double pre-war levels, according to the International Air…

As the new Communist Party chief of China’s southern manufacturing hub Shenzhen, Jin Lei is facing his first major test as the city prepares to host the Apec leaders’ summit in November. Beijing is seeking more cooperation with the bloc in areas like artificial intelligence, and the key regional forum is an opportunity to show the potential in tech-driven Shenzhen, where Jin took the helm last month. In recent weeks, the 56-year-old economist and former Sichuan official has been focused on preparations for the gathering, including tackling a long-standing problem…

A leading European business association in China has urged Brussels to avoid becoming a “passive recipient” of US-China trade negotiations, as European firms scramble to navigate Beijing’s export controls. In a report released on Tuesday, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China asserted that the EU must take the lead in discussions affecting its interests, while urging Beijing to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to export controls. “We’re in a situation where Europe simply cannot wait,” said Jens Eskelund, the chamber’s president, at an earlier media briefing. “It’s regrettable that…

China’s reported decision to halt sulphuric acid exports, together with the failure of peace talks between the United States and Iran over the weekend, risks driving prices higher and disrupting global mining and fertiliser supply chains that have few readily available alternatives. Beijing had indicated it would halt shipments of sulphuric acid from May, according to reports from Acuity Commodities and Bloomberg, though no official announcement has been made. Economists said food security sat atop Beijing’s agenda and that the move would hit some countries especially hard. “Administrative controls are…

Faltering confidence in the US dollar has handed China a “golden window of opportunity” to promote the global use of its currency, according to a former head of the Chinese central bank. “The core driving force behind the current changes in the international monetary system is the United States’ own policy choices,” Zhou Xiaochuan was quoted as saying in a report published on Sunday by the New Economist, a Chinese think tank. He cited the broad application of American tariffs, the frequent use of the dollar in sanctions, and geopolitical…

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) stocks rallied against a falling broader market in Hong Kong on Monday, as strong export data and rising oil prices bolstered the appeal of battery-powered and hybrid cars while a coming wave of model launches sparked hopes of a domestic demand recovery. Nio surged 6.6 per cent to HK$52 as of the noon trading break, while BYD climbed 5.6 per cent to HK$111, the highest since October 2. Chery Automobile rose 1.3 per cent to HK$32.72, while Xpeng advanced 0.5 per cent… South China Morning Post

China’s tea-drink market, with estimated annual sales of 370 billion yuan (US$54.2 billion), has become yet another example of involution as brutal price competition threatens to expel thousands of unprofitable small players. The dire scenario represents a rude reminder to those who hope to strike it rich by investing in a fast-growing business in mainland China’s vast consumer market, which abounds with boom-to-bust cycles. “Bubble tea is a dynamic market, and it is never easy to make money… South China Morning Post