Hong Kong stocks fell to a nearly three-month low on Wednesday, reports the South China Morning Post. This comes as surging oil prices fuelled bets that rising energy costs would stoke inflation and cripple global growth. The Hang Seng Index closed 2% lower at 25,249.48, the lowest since December 16. The Hang Seng Tech Index lost […]
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The escalating conflict in Iran has disrupted Chinese car shipments to the Middle East, reports Caixin. The situation is paralyzing Chinese business operations in Iran and threatening the viability of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a crucial transshipment hub. A source at a Chinese state-owned automaker told Caixin that his company’s business in Iran has […]
Zhejiang Petrochemical Corp, a major Chinese refiner backed by Saudi Aramco, is shutting a 200,000-barrel-per-day unit, reports Reuters. The refinery is bringing forward maintenance in response to the Middle East conflict’s impact on crude supply, it said on Tuesday. Separately, another Chinese refiner backed by Aramco, Fujian Refining and Petrochemical, or FREP, shut its 80,000 bpd […]
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Birthrate blues
With China’s primary school enrolment rate for 2025 down 10% from the previous year, and for sure falling ever faster, the shadow of the demographic steamroller is getting ever longer. Just 14.617 million children enrolled in primary schools across the country, and projections see that number halving over the next six years. 2025 also saw […]
Chinese technology companies that have rapidly expanded across the Middle East are facing disruptions to their operations in light of the Iran conflict, reports the South China Morning Post. Baidu, WeRide and Meituan are among companies halting operations or instituting remote work, as some Chinese nationals seek to escape the region. Baidu, which began operating its Apollo robotaxi […]