9 h. ago China offers tax refund to French cognac makers amid EU brandy probe: source

Beijing has extended an olive branch to French cognac producers by promising a “significant” tax refund if they cooperate with its anti-dumping investigation into European Union brandy sold in China, according to an industry source with knowledge of the matter. Major brands Hennessy, Martell and Rémy Martin have been offered the terms, said the person, who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the issue. To qualify, producers must agree to Beijing’s demands, commit to a minimum selling...

Economics

4 d. ago Hungry for savings? Hong Kong restaurants, shops offer July 1 anniversary deals

Hong Kong consumers can expect to enjoy deals and discounts at more than 8,800 stores and restaurants as part of celebrations to commemorate the 28th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese rule on July 1, amid a sluggish economy. The Hong Kong Catering Industry Association said more than 3,800 food and beverage establishments would provide discounts on the occasion, while the city’s Retail Management Association said 5,000 stores would kick off a two-month shopping festival on the same...

Economics

5 d. ago ‘Hotbed of opportunity’: Premier Li says China’s economy offers ‘certainty’

China will continue to be a land of opportunities and an engine of global growth and stability, even as the world faces rising geopolitical challenges and uncertainties, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s (AIIB) Annual Meeting in Beijing. “China remains the country that contributes the greatest impetus to global economic growth, and the most significant source of certainty for world peace and development,” he said on Thursday. Li’s remarks came a day...

Politics

5 d. ago China's consumption push will support global growth, Premier Li says

China's consumption push will support global growth, Premier Li says  Reuters

Politics

5 d. ago China’s Premier Li: China will take forceful steps to boost consumption

China’s Premier Li: China will take forceful steps to boost consumption  Forexlive | Forex News, Technical Analysis & Trading Tools

Politics

5 d. ago Address by China Premier Li Qiang to the Annual Meeting of New Champions 2025

Address by China Premier Li Qiang to the Annual Meeting of New Champions 2025  The World Economic Forum

Politics

6 d. ago Not just manufacturing: Li Qiang vows China will be major consumption power

Premier Li Qiang has pledged that China will become a “consumption powerhouse” capable of fuelling domestic and global growth, even as he acknowledged the country was grappling with a slump in cross-border investment and persistent trade tensions. Speaking at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Tianjin on Wednesday, Li reiterated Beijing’s commitment to boosting demand in the world’s second-largest economy and defending globalisation. “This will make China a mega-sized consumption...

Politics

6 d. ago China’s premier vows to ‘open its doors wider’ to trade and tech industry

China’s premier vows to ‘open its doors wider’ to trade and tech industry  Financial Times

Politics

1 week ago Premier urges China’s Jiangsu to embrace ‘higher development expectations’

As Beijing looks to shore up China’s economic growth amid mounting challenges, Premier Li Qiang has called on Jiangsu province, a key manufacturing hub on the country’s east coast, to step up its efforts in technology, trade and consumption. During a three-day visit to the province from Monday, Li emphasised the importance of embracing innovative development, stimulating effective demand, fostering entrepreneurship, and deepening reform and opening up to support China’s sustained economic...

Politics

2 w. ago Moutai, China’s premier liquor brand, may find austerity rules hard to swallow

China’s premier liquor distiller Kweichow Moutai – a brand that had, over decades, become synonymous with sumptuous feasts – is heeding a renewed mandate for austerity from Beijing, distancing its products from the extravagant hard-drinking lifestyle with which it had been linked in the public consciousness. Management at the company, valued at 1.86 trillion yuan (US$258.73 billion), has pledged to comply with strictures stressing thrift – guidelines that have helped to remove Moutai’s expensive...

Politics

2 w. ago China’s top baijiu maker faces sobering reality as austerity trims profits

China’s premier liquor distiller Kweichow Moutai – a brand that had, over decades, become synonymous with sumptuous feasts – is heeding a renewed mandate for austerity from Beijing, distancing its products from the extravagant hard-drinking lifestyle with which it had been linked in the public consciousness. Management at the company, valued at 1.86 trillion yuan (US$258.73 billion), has pledged to comply with strictures stressing thrift – guidelines that have helped to remove Moutai’s expensive...

Politics

2 w. ago Chinese premier says officials must adapt to ‘complex and severe’ situation

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has urged the nation’s officials to improve their ability to anticipate challenges and accurately implement policies amid a turbulent geopolitical environment. “At present, the task to comprehensively promote the Chinese path to modernisation with high-quality development is heavy and difficult, with the external situation remaining complex and severe,” he said on Wednesday, as reported by state-run news agency Xinhua. During this difficult period, officials needed to...

Politics

3 w. ago Chinese premier urges faster tech applications amid US export controls

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called for a push to speed up the application of new advances in science and technology, as the country accelerates efforts to break its dependence on US tech and develop a world-leading industrial base. In a State Council meeting on Monday, Li called the application of new technologies the “last mile” of innovation, as it links innovation and industry and is important in driving new products and services, state-run news agency Xinhua reported. The premier’s comments...

Politics

3 w. ago US and China begin crunch trade talks in London amid simmering tensions

Top economic officials from China and the United States have kick-started a crucial round of trade talks in London, as the world watches closely to see if the two sides can agree to roll back their “chokehold” controls over critical minerals and advanced technologies. The Chinese and American delegations – led by China’s vice-premier, He Lifeng, alongside US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer – met Monday afternoon, local...

Events

3 w. ago US vows reprieve on some tech export restrictions as talks with China begin in London

Top economic officials from Washington and Beijing have launched a high-stakes round of trade talks in London, with a senior White House official signaling soon after the start that the US will ease some tech export restrictions on China, adding that he expected the Chinese government to ramp up rare earth mineral exports to American markets. The Chinese and American delegations – led by China’s vice-premier, He Lifeng, alongside US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard...

Politics

3 w. ago China to send Vice Premier He Lifeng to UK for U.S. trade talks (SP500:S&P Complete Indices)

China to send Vice Premier He Lifeng to UK for U.S. trade talks (SP500:S&P Complete Indices)  Seeking Alpha

Politics

3 w. ago China vice premier to meet US delegation for trade talks: Beijing

China vice premier to meet US delegation for trade talks: Beijing  The Economic Times

Politics

3 w. ago China to send vice premier He Lifeng to Britain for US trade talks

China to send vice premier He Lifeng to Britain for US trade talks  Reuters

Politics

3 w. ago 1880 Hong Kong members offered alternative club, but ‘not what we signed up for’

Members of 1880 Hong Kong, a Singapore-based private club that recently shut down after only seven months in operation, have been offered a luxury lifeline by landlord Swire Properties. The club told members on Thursday that they would be able to have joining fees waived for The Refinery, a club in Swire’s Taikoo Place that is operated by The Peninsula, and a food and drink credit would be provided. But the announcement did not appear to have pacified members, with some preferring a refund of...

Politics