China has fired back at critics of its trade imbalances at a Group of 20 gathering, reports the South China Morning Post. The rebuttal comes from the central bank, which denied that Beijing deliberately pursues trade surpluses, while also vowing that it would not weaponize the yuan to boost exports.

In the face of concerns over export reliance, People’s Bank of China governor Pan Gongsheng said the country remained committed to expanding domestic demand. “Addressing global imbalances requires all countries to promote their own structural reforms,” Pan was quoted as saying during the two-day G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors.

Pan’s remarks came amid renewed scrutiny over China’s trade surplus, which hit a record $1.2 trillion last year. Speaking publicly after the G20 meeting, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called China’s current account surplus “unsustainable” and cited opposition from Beijing as the reason the group failed to issue a unanimous statement.

Beijing has warned the US that it will retaliate if Chinese companies are included in any significant expansion of the Trump administration’s new secondary sanctions relating to Iran, reports the Financial Times.

The measures unveiled by US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent targeted companies based in Hong Kong and mainland China but stopped short of listing large Chinese financial institutions. 

Any serious increase in US sanctions on China, which buys 90% of Iran’s oil, would risk exploding the relationship only a month before presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet in Washington.

CK Hutchison has launched international arbitration proceedings against ​Panama and is seeking damages of more ‌than $1.5 billion for the “destruction” of its investments in Panama, reports Reuters.

CK Hutchison said Panama breached an investment protection treaty after ​a series of measures over the past ​two years that culminated in the “destruction of the ⁠concession contract for the ports of Balboa and ​Cristóbal and takeover of the port terminals”.

The conglomerate, owned by Hong ​Kong’s richest man, Li Ka-shing, has been caught ​in a diplomatic tussle since US President Donald Trump objected ‌to ⁠Chinese ownership of ports along the Panama Canal, followed by Panama’s cancellation of its port concessions in the country.

China’s marriage registrations fell 7.5% year on year in the first half of 2026, reports the South China Morning Post. The drop underscores the demographic challenges authorities face as they step up efforts to encourage nuptials and childbearing.

About 3.28 million couples in China tied the knot between January and June, down 264,000 from the same period last year, according to data released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Wednesday. Divorce registrations also rose 3.9% to 1.38 million.

Marriage registrations are closely watched in China as they typically serve as a strong indicator of birth trends in the following year, with extramarital births still considered taboo in many parts of the country. Last year, births fell to a record low of 7.92 million, down by about 10 million from the 2016 peak, as the country’s population declined for a fourth consecutive year.

China’s former Premier, Zhu Rongji has died at the age of 97, reports the South China Morning Post. He shook up the centrally planned economy, overhauled the state-owned business sector, fought corruption, revamped the tax system and secured China’s entry to the World Trade Organization–changes that some economists say brought about a historic transformation in China’s economic system, ushering in a modern state and making it an integral part of the world economy.

His straight-talking, no-nonsense style earned him a host of nicknames–including “iron-face Zhu”, “no-nonsense leader”, “problem solver”, “fire-brigade captain”, “crisis manager” and “troubleshooter”.