Categories
Brief Economics & Policy Economics & Trade

EU and China officials to meet in Paris to diffuse trade tensions

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic will meet China’s international trade envoy, Li Chenggang, in Paris on Thursday, reports the South China Morning Post. This comes as the sides look to defuse tensions that have pushed them to the brink of a trade war. The officials will meet on the sidelines of an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development […]

Categories
Brief Consumer Economics & Policy Law & Regulation Politics & Society

EU investigates JD.com’s $2.6 BN bid for Germany’s Ceconomy

EU investigates JD.com’s $2.6 BN bid for Germany’s Ceconomy The European Commission is launching an in-depth investigation into Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com’s €2.2 billion ($2.6 billion) bid to acquire German electronics retailer Ceconomy, reports the South China Morning Post. This comes amid mounting tensions between Brussels and Beijing. A preliminary investigation showed that the Chinese firm could have received […]

Categories
Brief Economics & Policy Law & Regulation Tech, Media & Telecom Transport & Logistics

Chinese robotaxi firms expand fleets despite regulatory pause

Leading Chinese autonomous driving startups are expanding their robotaxi fleets despite a temporary regulatory tightening sparked by a mass vehicle failure in March, reports Caixin. Pony.ai reported a fleet of more than 1,700 vehicles as of May 24, up by roughly 250 cars from two months earlier. The company also upgraded its 2026 fleet target from […]

Categories
Brief Economics & Policy

China says GDP growth for Q1 hit 5% mark

China’s economy grew 5% year-on-year in the first quarter, reports the South China Morning Post citing data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The figure beat market expectations despite the global impact of the US-Israel war in Iran. The closely watched GDP growth figure, released by the NBS on Thursday, beat the 4.86% forecast by […]

Categories
Brief Consumer Economics & Policy

China’s retail sales miss forecasts for Q1

Consumption slowed in China at the end of the first quarter, reports Caixin. This comes as weaker income growth and a declining propensity to spend pointed to fragile domestic demand. Retail sales of consumer goods rose 1.7% year-on-year in March, missing the 2.2% average forecast in a Caixin survey and slowing from the first two months […]