2 h. ago Hotel conversions gain traction in China’s office market amid high vacancies

More economy and mid-range hotel operators in China are leasing office buildings for conversion to guest accommodation, and such flexible, mixed-use approaches are expected to increase amid a continued weakening of the office market. In some Chinese cities, the practice of multiple hotel brands co-leasing separate floors within a single building has become more prevalent, fuelled by interest from both property owners and hotel operators. In Hangzhou, the capital of eastern China’s Zhejiang...

Society

18 h. ago As Trump urges cap on credit card rates, could China follow suit for online loans?

US President Donald Trump’s call for American credit card interest rates to be capped at 10 per cent for a year has sparked a debate in China about whether Beijing should impose a similar limit on online loans. The discussion comes as many in China – especially younger people – are being enticed by credit offers amid a weak job market and a boom in online loan services. “Apps now keep luring young people into borrowing,” a finance blogger with nearly 500,000 followers wrote in a social media...

Politics

22 h. ago Scam and corruption cases spark debate in China over cryptocurrencies’ future

The seizure of enormous cryptocurrency caches in two high-profile criminal cases in China – a former head of the central bank’s digital currency research institute accused of corruption, and an alleged scam centre kingpin linked to about US$15 billion in bitcoin – have sparked questions in the country about the safety and future of virtual money. But analysts said the long-term trend for the assets, especially bitcoin, depended on institutional capital, interest rate expectations and the...

Politics

40 h. ago China dumps more US debt, buys other assets as Trump targets Powell

China trimmed its holdings of US Treasuries in November to the lowest level since 2008, diverging from a global trend that saw total foreign ownership of the debt instruments hit a record high. Analysts say the prospect of a politicised Federal Reserve chairmanship under Donald Trump’s presidency has deepened Beijing’s concerns over its exposure to American debt, with more cuts expected. Beijing’s stockpile fell to US$682.6 billion in November, down from US$688.7 billion in October, according to...

Politics

51 h. ago China’s slowing growth, bilateral tensions top American business concerns in 2026

Concerns about China’s slowing economic growth and “strained” Beijing-Washington relations rank as the top two concerns among members of the American Chamber of Commerce in China this year, according to a chamber survey released on Friday. The growth concern was raised by around two-thirds of the 368 respondents, making it the leading issue, the annual China Business Climate Survey found. Fifty-two per cent of respondents reported being profitable or very profitable last year, 6 percentage...

Events

65 h. ago China targets wealthy influencers with audits, fines as fiscal pressures rise

China has ramped up audits involving online influencers and high-wage earners, as part of broader efforts to expand tax revenue and refine the taxation system. The State Taxation Administration on Wednesday spotlighted two fresh cases involving influencers in the centrally administered city of Chongqing and in Gansu province. In Chongqing, authorities ordered an influencer surnamed Peng – who has 30 million followers and works in online video production and commercial advertising – to pay 4.15...

Events

68 h. ago China outlines packaging recycling plans to boost circular economy

China outlines packaging recycling plans to boost circular economy  Packaging Insights

Politics

69 h. ago China to cut relending rates, widen credit support for private sector and tech

China’s central bank is looking to pump 900 billion yuan (US$129.2 billion) worth of additional funds into private and technology firms, alongside slashing key policy relending rates by a quarter of a percentage point, in a fresh round of monetary easing designed to shore up the economy. The new plan includes an extra 500 billion yuan for agriculture and small businesses, said Zou Lan, a deputy governor of the bank, at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday. The bank will also expand its...

Politics

2 d. ago Nexperia and Chinese owner fight for control of chipmaker in Dutch court

The battle for control of Dutch chipmaker Nexperia entered a new phase on Wednesday, as lawyers representing the firm and its Chinese parent Wingtech Technology traded blows during a seven-hour court hearing in the Netherlands. The Enterprise Chamber – a special Dutch court handling corporate disputes – scheduled the hearing to determine whether it should order a formal investigation into alleged mismanagement at Nexperia or overturn its earlier ruling, with a verdict set to be issued by...

Events

3 d. ago China’s C919 airliner put through paces by test pilots from European aviation regulator

European aviation evaluators have begun test flights of China’s home-grown C919 airliner in Shanghai, the Post has learned, as the manufacturer of the narrowbody jet presses ahead with its bid to secure Western safety certification – a crucial step in the journey to global adoption and being able to compete with industry leaders Boeing and Airbus. Two test pilots from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have conducted verification flights, according to a source with knowledge of the...

Politics

3 d. ago Why China may buy Nvidia’s H200 chips as Trump eases curbs – and replace them later

China is likely to accept Nvidia’s H200 artificial intelligence (AI) chips following US clearance, driven by immediate demand in the country’s vast tech sector, according to analysts – though they said Beijing would push to replace them over time. The American chip giant’s second-most-advanced AI processor can be exported to China from Thursday, as long as shipments total no more than half the amount sold in the US, according to the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and...

Politics

3 d. ago Why are Chinese tourists spending less overseas than before?

Chinese tourist numbers are recovering across Asia after a pandemic-era contraction, buoyed by the expansion of visa-free policies and a stronger yuan. But one thing has not returned: the spending sprees that used to boost duty-free retailers around the world. The trend can be clearly seen in South Korea, which relied on Chinese travellers for 70 per cent of its duty-free sales before Covid-19. Around 5 million visitors from China arrived in the country during the first 11 months of 2025, a...

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Structurally hurt’: why are Chinese tourists spending less overseas than before?

Chinese tourist numbers are recovering across Asia after a pandemic-era contraction, buoyed by the expansion of visa-free policies and a stronger yuan. But one thing has not returned: the spending sprees that used to boost duty-free retailers around the world. The trend can be clearly seen in South Korea, which relied on Chinese travellers for 70 per cent of its duty-free sales before Covid-19. Around 5 million visitors from China arrived in the country during the first 11 months of 2025, a...

Politics

4 d. ago As China’s US exports plunge in 2025, Beijing banks on diversification for 2026 growth

China’s exports defied a turbulent year of trade tensions to perform better than expected in 2025, cementing a record US$1.19 trillion annual surplus as manufacturers diversified markets to offset a sharp decline in shipments to the United States. Exports grew 5.5 per cent, year on year, in 2025 to US$3.77 trillion, according to customs data released on Wednesday, higher than the 5 per cent growth projected by financial data provider Wind. Imports for the same period remained flat at US$2.58...

Politics

4 d. ago The AI boom needs electricity, but Western grids are strained. Is power China’s power?

Near the end of last year, thousands of European travellers saw their holiday plans unravel after a prolonged power outage in the Eurotunnel – the underwater train passage linking Britain and France – caused by a fault in the overhead supply. For many, this brought back memories of chaotic scenes the previous April, when rolling blackouts struck much of Portugal and Spain. The United States also suffered from multiple power outages last year, including major disruptions in California – most...

Politics

4 d. ago China's economy isn't very good, but 'is good enough for Xi': China Beige Book CEO Leland Miller

China's economy isn't very good, but 'is good enough for Xi': China Beige Book CEO Leland Miller  MSN

Economics

4 d. ago China, Canada poised to reset trade ties after Trump’s tariffs force rethink

Canada and China appear ready to kick-start trade talks after years of strained relations, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Beijing this week coinciding with both countries questioning their once stronger ties with the United States, analysts said. Carney travelled to Beijing on Tuesday for his first official visit to the country, where he will discuss trade, agriculture and energy with officials from Canada’s second-largest single-country trading partner. Liang Yan, a...

Politics

4 d. ago China’s central bank sets onshore yuan fixing at strongest point in nearly 16 months

China’s central bank strengthened the yuan’s daily fixing for a third consecutive session to a nearly 16-month high, as the currency also held firm in offshore markets despite recent US dollar strength. On Tuesday, the People’s Bank of China set the yuan’s midpoint rate, also known as the daily fixing rate, at 7.0103 to the US dollar – the strongest showing since the end of September 2024, when the rate was set at 7.0074. That official midpoint rate, however, was still weaker than that of the...

Politics

5 d. ago The US has played its hand in Latin America. Will China’s firms there cash out?

With domestic profits narrowing and production capacity expanding, China’s firms are continuing to widen their overseas footprints in search of new, more lucrative markets. In this series, we examine China Inc.’s next phase of “going global” and the complex, challenging international environment its companies have chosen to enter. In the days since Washington’s ousting and abduction of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro – an event that sent shock waves through global markets – some...

Economics

5 d. ago China prioritises export controls, supply chains to shield economy in 2026

China prioritises export controls, supply chains to shield economy in 2026  South China Morning Post

Politics