Month: April 2026

US dollar-denominated funds could face more hurdles when investing in Chinese tech and biotech companies as Beijing adopts a stricter approach to companies seeking listings via offshore incorporated vehicles. Indicative of Chinese regulators’ caution in overseeing sensitive industries, industry sources say the move ensures that any sale of assets does not escape regulatory scrutiny. And for any offshore incorporated structures that are approved, the stock regulator requires listing applicants to provide detailed explanations of foreign exchange arrangements and overseas investment procedures. Advertisement The shift comes as the China Securities Regulatory…

France and Germany have ramped up diplomatic efforts to contain the fallout from an escalating Middle East oil crisis, seeking to project European autonomy and distance themselves from the US-Israeli war on Iran. But as the conflict entered its second month, analysts said this was more about damage control than a leadership bid. They said while Berlin and Paris were at the forefront of calls for de-escalation they had limited room for manoeuvre given their security dependence on Washington. Joint American-Israeli strikes on Iran that began on February 28 have…

US President Donald Trump has claimed that ordinary Iranians were urging the US to keep bombing their own country in pursuit of “freedom”, as he renewed his warning of sweeping strikes on Iran’s critical infrastructure if negotiations fail ahead of his Tuesday deadline. Sounding triumphant after what he described as a “dangerous” operation to rescue a wounded American pilot from deep inside Iran, Trump on Monday warned that Iran could be “taken out in a night”, saying US forces had the capability to destroy major facilities within hours if a…

Whether it wraps up quickly or drags on, the repercussions of the US-Israeli war on Iran will echo for years, reshaping warfare, geopolitics, energy security and global perceptions of American tactical and strategic power. In the first of a three-part series, Mark Magnier looks at how the Iran war may alter Beijing’s approach to potential conflict over Taiwan, asymmetrical weaponry and the United States as an adversary. The US military is formidable, well-disciplined, projects deadly force rapidly and is tactically impressive. However, its drone warfare has struggled – even as…

This could help explain the gap between Beijing’s official narrative – which describes the yuan as the world’s third-largest payment currency – and readings from tracking systems such as the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (Swift). “As alternative systems emerge, Swift will be less of an accurate mirror for international payments,” said Xu Tianchen, senior economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit. Advertisement “Whether the yuan gains or loses share in Swift statistics is perhaps no longer relevant,” he said. Advertisement At the Lujiazui Forum last year, People’s Bank of…

As US President Donald Trump’s Tuesday deadline for reopening the Strait of Hormuz approached, Pakistan put forward a fresh proposal for an immediate ceasefire on Monday, offering what one analyst described as “a critical opportunity” for talks. The plan was brokered through overnight contacts between Pakistani army chief Asim Munir, US officials including Vice-President J.D. Vance and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to Reuters. It called for an immediate halt to hostilities and the reopening of the vital waterway, followed by negotiations for a broader settlement within 15 to…

A high-stakes visit to mainland China by the chairwoman of Taiwan’s main opposition party Kuomintang (KMT), during which she is expected to meet Communist Party leader Xi Jinping and promote cross-strait peace, is under scrutiny in Taipei. Cheng Li-wun is set to depart for Shanghai on Tuesday for a six-day trip, with local media reporting a possible meeting with Xi in Beijing on Thursday – the first such encounter between the two parties’ leaders in a decade. However, Cheng’s coming visit has drawn criticism from Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party…