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ING

ING: A leading Dutch multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Amsterdam. It offers a comprehensive range of products including retail, direct, commercial, investment, wholesale, and private banking, alongside asset management and insurance services. Serving individuals, SMEs, and large corporates globally, ING is recognised for its digital banking leadership and strong commitment to sustainability. Its overall business focus is on empowering clients financially, leveraging digital innovation. Its chief Greater China economist, Lynn Song, highlighted the property sector’s crucial role for household balance sheets.

A worker assembles a carbon fibre bicycle at a production workshop in China’s Shandong province. Photo: Xinhua

China manufacturing

China’s factory activity improves in August, but stays in contraction

The PMI index was up last month to 49.8 from 49.2 in July, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics.

31 Aug 2026 - 12:05PM

US Federal Reserve

US Treasury bond buy-back reinforces gold debasement trade ahead of Jackson Hole

25 Aug 2026 - 10:26AM

Banking & finance

Japan’s yen is falling yet again. What could Washington and Tokyo do next?

19 Aug 2026 - 9:05PM

China exports

Why US, EU curbs on Chinese power inverters risk upending green supply chains

As Western governments move to end dependence on world’s top producer, analysts warn rapid decoupling could drive up costs and derail projects.

2 Aug 2026 - 5:00PM

Staff members assemble inverters at an industrial park in Tongxin county in Wuzhong, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region, on February 20, 2025. Photo: Xinhua

Yuan

China’s offshore yuan hits 3-year high as Beijing signals policy support

Politburo’s pledge to stabilise growth and boost capital markets helps drive rally, reinforced by days of relatively strong reference rates by the central bank.

31 Jul 2026 - 7:38PM

China manufacturing

China’s manufacturing sector falters in July as growth momentum cools

Beijing faces renewed pressure to ramp up support as PMI falls to 49.2, a day after leadership signalled it would accelerate fiscal spending.

31 Jul 2026 - 9:44PM

The Philippines

Is it all economic doom and gloom for the Philippines?

The energy crisis and turmoil in the Senate are among factors threatening the Philippine economy’s recovery, observers warn.

24 Jul 2026 - 5:19PM

A vendor carries bottles of cooking oil to sell at a market in Quezon City, the Philippines, on July 7. Photo: EPA

China manufacturing

The next rare earths? Why US fears another Chinese manufacturing advantage

China’s production of drug inputs has boomed in recent years, increasing market share and prompting fears of weaponisation in Washington.

16 Jul 2026 - 12:34PMvideocam

China trade

China’s trade surges in first half of 2026, extending growth streak

Exports rose by 27 per cent year on year and imports grew by 36 per cent last month, both beating projections.

14 Jul 2026 - 5:08PM

Aviation

China restricts low-altitude aviation near Beijing after plane crash: analyst

Additional screenings now required for pilots to access parts of the capital, affecting mountain tours and Great Wall flights, industry insider says.

10 Jul 2026 - 9:00AM

People gather near the Citic Tower in Beijing on June 26 after a small plane struck the building. Photo: AFP

China inflation

China’s factory gate prices rise in June amid brief Iran war respite

The producer price index rose for a fourth month in a row amid a momentary ceasefire, though consumer price increases missed expectations.

9 Jul 2026 - 5:28PM

A worker arranges products in a store in Beijing last month. Photo: AFP

China consumption

China faces economic balancing act: AI, exports boom while consumers stay home

Two high-level meetings show that Beijing is aware of economic imbalances as Politburo prepares high-stakes growth assessment next month.

30 Jun 2026 - 6:00PM

China economy

China’s factory activity rebounds in June but weak domestic demand lingers

The world’s second-largest economy registered robust trade growth this year, with May exports skyrocketing 19.4 per cent year on year.

30 Jun 2026 - 1:17PM

China’s private sector

Hong Kong draws royalties giant as mainland China biotech licensing heats up

Royalty financing offers new cash source as global investors pursue Chinese drug breakthroughs despite US pressure, Royalty Pharma says.

30 Jun 2026 - 11:00AM

Royalty Pharma is scouting the Asia-Pacific region for innovative biotechnology start-ups with late-stage pharmaceutical pipelines. Photo: Shutterstock

Wealth Report

HKEX looks beyond IPOs to build a broader investment ecosystem

HKEX is expanding its product suite with new fixed-income, derivatives and connectivity offerings, giving global investors more ways to gain exposure to China’s markets.

29 Jun 2026 - 1:30PM

The 55km Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is an example of the Greater Bay Area’s substantial infrastructure assets that could appear on the menu of options for foreign capital in the future. Photo: Xinhua

China’s private sector

Bigger, fewer, tougher: the new era of China-US biotech partnerships

China’s biotech boom continues to attract Western drug makers even as Washington expands investment and technology controls.

21 Jun 2026 - 9:30AM

US-China relations

Delta adds Shanghai flights amid thaw in China-US relations

Carrier says LA-Shanghai service is being expanded ‘in response to customer demand’.

17 Jun 2026 - 10:43PM

China trade

After US-Iran deal, tanking oil prices, analysts see ‘grey area’ for China firms

‘There’s still uncertainty on the longevity of this deal’, ING analyst says as traders wait to see if sanctions will be lifted while weighing potential for Israeli interference.

15 Jun 2026 - 11:00PMvideocam

A tanker is seen unloading imported crude oil at a terminal port in China’s Shandong province on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

China’s private sector

Which company could become the Chinese Pfizer? Here are analysts’ top picks

A boom in outlicensing agreements leads to a debate over which Chinese firms may be first to break into overseas markets with own brands.

7 Jun 2026 - 7:00PM

US-China trade war

The next tech war? Why biotech may become a new US-China battleground

China’s biotech industry is rapidly moving up the value chain, prompting fears in the US and calls for tighter controls.

2 Jun 2026 - 7:00PMvideocam

China’s private sector

China’s biotech boom drives surge in home-grown innovative drug approvals

Domestic firms dominate China’s drug approvals amid jump in spending and out-licensing deals as regulator speeds path to market.

27 May 2026 - 9:00PM

Chinese biotech firms struck a record US$60 billion in cross-border licensing deals in the first quarter of 2026. Photo: Getty Images

China-Russia relations

Putin left China, with no pipeline deal. Why is the valve still closed?

Though this week’s China-Russia summit featured many agreements, none progressed the long-delayed Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline.

23 May 2026 - 6:45AMvideocam

China consumption

HSBC cuts China retail sales forecast by nearly half on property, job pressures

Consumption is facing renewed pressure as a weak labour market and diminishing returns from subsidies cloud outlook, the bank says.

22 May 2026 - 7:17PM

China food security

How China and Kazakhstan plan to boost food security through trade

The agreement highlights Beijing’s push to rewire agricultural supply chains, as it seeks to reduce vulnerability in global markets.

22 May 2026 - 6:00PM

China property

Rising used home prices in China’s major cities during April fan stability hopes

With first-tier cities seeing price upticks, analysts are optimistic that the struggling property sector is showing signs of bottoming out.

18 May 2026 - 5:01PM

Shanghai led the way among China's first-tier cites for secondary home price rises in April. Photo: AFP

Banking & finance

Investors bet CK Hutchison is exiting a mature sector at right time – once again

Disposal of VodafoneThree adds to Li family’s record of cycle-savvy moves, with investors weighing where war chest will flow next.

12 May 2026 - 7:00AM

For decades, the Li family, which controls CK Hutchison, has built a reputation for exiting businesses near the top of market cycles, according to analysts. Photo: Sam Tsang

Artificial intelligence

China’s AI drive seen widening wealth gap, testing ‘common prosperity’ push

With Beijing’s ‘AI-plus’ plan looking to grow the nation’s digital economy, experts warn that hubs could further outpace rural regions, fuelling inequality.

10 May 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

China exports

China, the Iran war and the chemical suddenly stoking global supply fears

Food security is one of Beijing’s top policy goals – and that could spell trouble for countries dependent on Chinese sulphuric acid.

13 Apr 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

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