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Li’s disappearance follows a series of unexplained personnel shakeups that have roiled the upper ranks of China’s ruling Communist Party this summer, including the ousting in July of former Foreign Minister Qin Gang. The Financial Times reported that the US government believes the defense minister has been placed under investigation, citing American officials. Li, who was sanctioned by the US in 2018 over China’s purchase of Russian weapons, is still listed as China’s defense minister, one of its five state councilors, and a member of the party’s powerful Central Military Commission (CMC). Beijing has never issued an explanation for Qin’s removal nor said that the former minister was under investigation. China’s State Council Information Office has not replied to queries from CNN on the matter.

Persons: Li Shangfu’s, Wu Qian, “, China’s, Qin, Li, Wu, Xi Jinping, they’ve, Li Shangfu, Antony Blinken Organizations: Beijing CNN, Defense Ministry, Communist Party, Foreign, Qin Gang, People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, CNN, Reuters, Communist, Street Journal, The Financial Times, Central Military Commission, Development Department, State, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times Locations: China, Beijing, Washington, United States

☆ China central-bank adviser proposes structural reforms to revive economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Paramilitary police officers stand guard in front of the headquarters of the People's Bank of China, the central bank (PBOC), in Beijing, China September 30, 2022. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Sept 24 (Reuters) - China has limited room for further monetary policy easing, and it should pursue structural reforms such as encouraging entrepreneurs rather than counting on macroeconomic policies to revive growth, a central bank adviser said on Sunday. "More importantly, we will again miss the opportunity for structural reforms." Liu proposed on Sunday a new round of structural reforms that could aid the economy immediately, while also injecting long-term growth momentum. Liu said on Sunday that China should give clearer recognition to private businesses' status, both ideologically and politically.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Liu Shijin, Liu, Jamie Freed Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, People's Bank of China's, U.S, Bund Summit, Development Research Center, State Council, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Shanghai

Newly installed Foreign Minister Qin Gang vanished with scant explanation in July, the same month as an abrupt shake-up of the military's elite Rocket Force, which oversees China's nuclear arsenal. China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday. PROXIMITY ISN'T PATRONAGERegarding Defence Minister Li's disappearance and investigation, a ministry spokeswoman told reporters on Friday she was not aware of the situation. With corruption long permeating China's military and state institutions, some analysts and diplomats believe Xi's anti-graft crackdowns mark political purges across the Communist Party. If Li's fate "reflects Xi's increasingly inward focus, it is not good for those of us who want greater openness and lines of communications with China's military," said one Asian diplomat.

Persons: Xi Jinping, GIANLUIGI, Xi Jinping's, Li Shangfu, Qin Gang, Drew Thompson, Thompson, Li's, Li, Helena Legarda, Alexander Neill, Zhang Youxia, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Ja Ian Chong, Chong, Greg Torode, Martin Quin Pollard, William Mallard Organizations: Rights, Reuters, Foreign, Rocket Force, Pentagon, National University of Singapore, State Council and Defence Ministry, People's Liberation Army, PLA, Communist Party, Mercator Institute for China Studies, Hawaii's, Military Commission, Washington, U.S . Defence, Pacific ., East, South China Seas, Thomson Locations: Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, Rights BEIJING, India, China, Russia, Belarus, Beijing, Jakarta, Berlin, Singapore, Washington, Asia, Pacific, Taiwan, South, East China, South China, Hong Kong

☆ Chinese defence minister under investigation for corrupt procurement
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The investigation into Li relates to procurement of military equipment, according to a regional security official and three people in direct contact with the Chinese military. Eight senior officials from the Chinese military's procurement unit, which Li led from 2017 to 2022, are also under investigation, according to two of the people in direct contact with the military. Reuters' detailed examination of the allegations against Li and the timing of the probe is based on interviews with sources who interact regularly with senior Chinese political and defence leaders, and regional officials with close knowledge of Chinese politics. The Financial Times reported on Friday, citing U.S. officials, that the U.S. government believes Li has been placed under investigation. Chinese officials initially said Qin's absence was also due to health reasons.

Persons: Li Shangfu, Li, U.S . State Department didn't, Japan Rahm Emanuel, Qin Gang, Qin, Xi Jinping, Lloyd Austin, Katerina Ang, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Reuters, Foreign Ministry, State Council, Defence Ministry, Financial Times, U.S, U.S . State Department, Beijing, Qin, Liberation, Rocket Force, Support Force, U.S . Defence, Pentagon, Thomson Locations: Beijing, Japan, U.S, Tokyo, Russia, Belarus, Vietnam, Hanoi, China, United States, Singapore

☆ U.S. Diplomat Questions Whether Chinese Defence Minister Under 'House Arrest'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Rahm Emanuel wrote: "1st: Defense Minister Li Shangfu hasn't been seen or heard from in 3 weeks. Now: He’s absent from his scheduled meeting with the Singaporean Chief of Navy because he was placed on house arrest???" China's foreign and defence ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters exclusively reported on Thursday that Li had abruptly pulled out of a meeting with Vietnamese defence leaders last week. These moves have raised questions from analysts and diplomats about a lack of transparency and unpredictable decision-making in China's leadership.

Persons: Yukiko Toyoda, Tian, Rahm Emanuel, Li Shangfu hasn't, William Shakespeare's, Li, Singapore Rahm, Sean Wat, Dong Jun, Qin Gang, Lun Tian, Martin Pollard, Xinghui, John Geddie, Neil Fullick Organizations: Twitter, Defense, Navy, Reuters, Financial Times, Singapore, PLA Navy, Liberation, Rocket Force Locations: Tian TOKYO, BEIJING, U.S, Japan, Vietnam, Denmark, Tokyo, Beijing, Singapore, China, Xinghui Kok

Hong Kong CNN —China on Tuesday unveiled a plan to deepen integration between the coastal province of Fujian and self-governing Taiwan, touting the benefits of closer cross-strait cooperation while sending warships around the island in a show of military might. The document, hailed as a “blueprint” of Taiwan’s future development by Chinese experts cited in state media, comes at a delicate moment in cross-strait relations as Taiwan gears up for its presidential election in January. Ahead of Beijing’s release of its integration plan, a Chinese aircraft carrier and around two dozen Chinese warships were spotted gathering in waters near Taiwan this week, according to Taiwanese authorities. Fujian, a province of 40 million people on the western side of the Taiwan Strait, is the closest to Taiwan both geographically and culturally. In Tuesday’s directive, Beijing pledges to further speed up integration between the city of Xiamen and Kinmen – which are only a few miles apart.

Persons: Wang Ting, ” Wang, “, China’s, Kinmen, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Communist Party’s Central, State, Communist Party, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council, CNN, Times Locations: Hong Kong, China, Fujian, Taiwan, Beijing, Kinmen, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Matsu, Taipei

☆ North Korea marks 75th founding anniversary
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[14/22]Read moreShare this photoA Chinese delegation led by Liu Kuk-jung, vice-premier of the State Council and member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, who is visiting North Korea to participate in the celebration of its 75th founding anniversary, place flower baskets in front of the statues of North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung and former leader Kim Jong Il, at Mansudae hill,...

Persons: Liu Kuk, North, Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il Organizations: State Council, Political, Central Committee of, Communist Party of China Locations: North Korea

CNN —Public schools in France have been turning away students for breaking a new national ban on the abaya, a long, robe-like garment often worn by Muslim women, as a rights group filed an appeal against the prohibition. A total of 67 girls returned home rather than remove their abayas, Education Minister Gabriel Attal told CNN affiliate BFMTV on Tuesday. The ban has its legal foundation in a law passed in 2004 banning the wearing of “conspicuous” religious symbols in schools. “They say that the abaya is a religious dress, but it’s not at all, it’s not a religious dress, it’s a traditional dress, it’s a dress that all girls wear, both veiled and non-veiled, and so it’s a bit of a problem,” she said. French President Emmanuel Macron has defended the ban, saying it is not “stigmatizing” anyone but “people who push the abaya” are.

Persons: Gabriel Attal, Attal, Musulmans, Vincent Brengarth, ”, Stephane Mahe, Brengarth, Nabil Boudi, it’s, Luke, Julie, Denis, Emmanuel Macron, Hugo Travers, Macron Organizations: CNN — Public, CNN, BFMTV, State Council, Reuters, ADM, Agence, France Presse Locations: France, France’s, Nantes, Villette, Lyon, Paris, Seine

It is likely to be the biggest of three funds launched by the China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, also known as the Big Fund. Its target of 300 billion yuan ($41 billion) outdoes similar funds in 2014 and 2019, which according to government reports, raised 138.7 billion yuan and 200 billion yuan respectively. China's finance ministry is planning to contribute 60 billion yuan, said one person. Backers of the Big Fund's previous two funds include the finance ministry and deep-pocketed state-owned entities such as China Development Bank Capital, China National Tobacco Corporation and China Telecom. INVESTMENT MANAGERSThe Big Fund is considering hiring at least two institutions to invest the new fund's capital, said the three people.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Florence Lo, China's, Julie Zhu, Kevin Huang, Yelin Mo, Roxanne Liu, Sumeet Chatterjee, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: U.S, China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, Big Fund, Washington, Information Office, Ministry of Industry, Information Technology, REUTERS, China Development Bank Capital, China National Tobacco Corporation, China Telecom, Big, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, HK, Hua Hong Semiconductor, Memory Technologies, IC, China Aerospace Investment, China Aerospace Science, Technology Corporation, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, BEIJING, China, Beijing, U.S, Japan, Netherlands

REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHONG KONG, Sept 1 (Reuters) - China is set to take further action including relaxing home-purchase restrictions as it scrambles to tackle a deepening crisis in its massive debt-riddled property sector, four people familiar with the matter said. They plan to act as existing policies failed to sustain a sector rebound earlier this year, the people added. The property sector accounts for roughly a quarter of the world's second-largest economy. However, it is in the throes of an unprecedented debt crisis that market participants fear could spread throughout the financial sector at home and beyond. They also reduced the downpayment ratio to no lower than 20% for first-home buyers and no lower than 30% for second-home purchases.

Persons: Aly, Morgan Stanley, Julie Zhu, Jane Xu, Sumeet Chatterjee, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, Regulators, Council, Information Office, Reuters, Housing, People's Bank of China, National Administration of Financial, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, HONG KONG, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou

The attacks are forcing Russian tourists to reconsider their plans. Popular destinationCrimea has always been popular with Russian tourists, many of whom remember vacationing there during Soviet times. After Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year, a number of countries closed their doors to Russian tourists. Crimea suddenly became one of the few sunny beach destinations Russian tourists could still visit without having to spend a lot of money. The attack was frightening enough to scare away many of the Russian tourists who had still been planning to come.

Persons: Oleksii Reznikov, Svitlana, “, ”, Olga Maltseva, hasn’t, Iryna Vereshchuk, Putin, ” Svitlana, Vladimir Konstantinov, ATOR, ” Reznikov, Reznikov, Volodymyr Zelensky, –, ” Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Kyiv’s, “, Getty, Crimean Ministry of Resorts, Tourism, Russian Union of Travel Industry, Ukraine’s, Moscow, European Union, Association of Russian, Kyiv, Security Service of Ukraine, State Council of, Russian, Fleet, Crimean Human Rights Group Locations: Crimea, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Moscow, Russia, Russian, St . Petersburg, AFP, Yalta, Kerch, EU, Europe, Turkey, Sochi, Republic of Crimea, Crimean, Sevastopol, Kyiv

☆ China halves stamp duty on stock trades to boost flagging market
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An electronic board shows Shanghai and Shenzhen stock indexes, at the Lujiazui financial district, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Shanghai, China October 25, 2022. REUTERS/Aly Song/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING/SHANGHAI, Aug 27 (Reuters) - China halved the stamp duty on stock trading effective Monday in the latest attempt to boost the struggling market as a recovery sputters in the world's second-biggest economy. The finance ministry said in a brief statement on Sunday it was reducing the 0.1% duty on stock trades "in order to invigorate the capital market and boost investor confidence". Along with the finance ministry move, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) is rolling out measures to shore up market confidence in investing in listed companies. China's leaders vowed late last month to reinvigorate the stock market - the world's second largest - which has been reeling as the post-pandemic recovery flags and a debt crisis in the property market deepens.

Persons: Aly, Xie Chen, CSRC, China's, Judy Hua, Joe Cash, Li Gu, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Shanghai Jianwen Investment Management, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Regulators, Ministry of Finance, State Council, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, Shenzhen, China, Rights BEIJING, SHANGHAI, Beijing

☆ Exclusive: China plans to cut stamp duty on stocks by up to 50% to revive confidence-sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The proposal to reduce the current 0.1% stamp duty on securities trading suggested a cut of either 20% or 50%, which would be the first such reduction since 2008, the two people said. China's securities regulator also met with representatives from top Western asset managers on Friday to reassure them about the country's economic prospects, Reuters reported citing sources. China's fiscal revenue totalled 20.37 trillion yuan ($3.02 trillion) last year, with 276 billion yuan or 1.35% contributed by stamp duty on securities transactions, official data showed. Earlier this month, Bloomberg first reported Chinese authorities were considering cutting the stamp duty on stock trades. "Cutting stamp duty doesn't solve the problems that hamper China's economic growth."

Persons: Aly, Xie Chen, Huang Yan, Huang, Sumeet Chatterjee, Lincoln, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Regulators, Ministry of Finance, State Council, Information Office, of Finance, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Shanghai Jianwen Investment Management Co, Bond, Reuters, Bloomberg, Shanghai QiuYang, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, HONG KONG, BEIJING, Beijing, Hong Kong

☆ Exclusive: China plans to cut stamp duty on stock trading by up to 50% to revive sentiment-sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The proposal to reduce the current 0.1% stamp duty on securities trading suggested a cut of either 20% or 50%, which would be the first such cut since 2008, the two people said. The CSRC also said stablising the stock market was a priority. "A cut in stamp duty (on stock trading) can help decrease investment cost and boost trading activity," analysts at broker Topsperity Securities said in a note. "Compared with previous policy measures, a cut in stamp duty may have a stronger effect in repairing investor confidence. Earlier this month, Bloomberg first reported Chinese authorities were considering cutting the stamp duty on stock trades.

Persons: Sumeet Chatterjee Organizations: Ministry of Finance, State Council, Information Office, of Finance, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Bond, Reuters, Topsperity Securities, Bloomberg, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, BEIJING, headwinds, Beijing, Hong Kong, Lincoln

☆ China plans to cut stamp duty on stock trading by up to 50% to revive sentiment
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Chinese authorities are planning to cut the stamp duty on domestic stock trading by as much as 50%, three people with knowledge with the matter said, in a further attempt to revitalize the country's struggling stock market. The proposal to reduce the current 0.1% stamp duty on securities trading suggested a cut of either 20% or 50%, which would be the first such cut since 2008, the two people said. The quantum of the cut, which has not been reported before, is likely to be set at 50%, they said. The State Council Information Office, which handles media queries on behalf of the government, did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment. The Ministry of Finance and the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or CSRC, did not immediately respond either.

Organizations: Ministry of Finance, State Council, Information Office, of Finance, China Securities Regulatory Commission

☆ Funerals in China cost so much money that Beijing is encouraging digital cemeteries
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Beijing is encouraging digital burials instead of traditional ones, Bloomberg reported. What is a digital burial? Since the start of 2023, more than 500 digital plots like these have been sold in Beijing, Bloomberg reported, citing Beijing Jiuli Digital. Beijing is not the only city where digital burials are gaining traction. Digital burials save space, too.

Persons: Fu Shou Yuan, Fu Shou Organizations: Bloomberg, SunLife, Morning, The State Council, Beijing Jiuli Digital Locations: Beijing, China, Shanghai, SunLife, United

Economists say China needs measures to boost consumption and business confidence, such as tax cuts or government-funded consumption vouchers, but add that unlike previous slowdowns, there is no quick fix. Wang's comments came after weak economic activity data on Tuesday fuelled concern that China is heading for a deeper, longer slowdown. The private sector accounts for 60% of gross domestic product and 80% of urban employment, officials say. But there is a growing disconnect between officials calling for investment and a sweeping national security crackdown that is denting business confidence, diplomats in China say. One example was a recent anti-espionage law, accompanied by raids on some foreign consultancy firms, that sent waves of anxiety through the foreign business community.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Tingshu Wang, Joe Biden, Biden, Xi, Christopher Beddor, Wang Wenbin, Wang's, Lee Smith, Baker Donelson, Xu Chenggang, Xu, Laurie Chen, Yew Lun Tian, Martin Quin Pollard, John Geddie, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, GAP, State, U.S . Department of Commerce, Stanford University's Center, Chinese Communist Party, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, U.S, loggerheads, Taiwan

REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File photoBEIJING, Aug 13 (Reuters) - China's State Council issued guidelines on Sunday that it said would further optimize the country's foreign investment environment and attract more foreign investment. The State Council said in a document containing 24 guidelines that authorities should increase protection of the rights and interests of foreign investors, including strengthening enforcement of intellectual property rights. The document also announced guidelines to increase fiscal support and tax incentives for foreign-invested enterprises, such as temporarily exempting withholding income tax for foreign investors' reinvestment of their profits into China. The State Council said it would explore a "convenient and secure management mechanism" for cross-border data flows. Reporting by Andrew Hayley and Ethan Wang; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Andrew Hayley, Ethan Wang, Andrew Heavens, Bernadette Baum Organizations: National People's Congress, REUTERS, State, The State Council, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING

☆ China PMI: factory sector contracts for fourth straight month, raising urgency for more stimulus
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —China is preparing to announce new stimulus for its stumbling economy after the vast factory sector contracted for a fourth straight month, and a gauge of activity in its services sector slipped to a seven month low. The official manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), which measures activity level in the manufacturing sector, came in at 49.3 in July, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday. That result was slightly up compared with 49 in June but the index has nonetheless contracted each month since April. The official non-manufacturing PMI, which looks at activities in the services and construction industries, fell to 51.5 from 53.2 in June. “China’s official PMI data provides little encouragement that the economy is turning the corner,” said Robert Carnell, regional head of research for Asia-Pacific at ING Group.

Persons: Stringer, “, ”, Robert Carnell, Xi Jinping, Carnell Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, National Bureau, Statistics, PMI, Getty, ING Group, National Development, Reform Commission, Ministry of Industry, Information Technology, State, Information, Ministry of Commerce, Capital Economics Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Hangzhou, China's, Zhejiang, AFP, Asia, Pacific

BEIJING, July 31 (Reuters) - China's manufacturing activity fell for a fourth straight month in July while the services and construction sectors teetered on the brink of contraction, official surveys showed on Monday, threatening growth prospects for the third quarter. Construction sector activity for July was its weakest since COVID-19-related workplace disruptions dissipated around February, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed. The non-manufacturing PMI, which incorporates sub-indexes for service sector activity and construction, dropped to 51.5 from June's 53.2. "Meanwhile, we're seeing improvements in inventory levels, suggesting that with destocking nearing its end, China's manufacturing sector bottomed out in the second quarter," he added. "Unless concrete support is rolled out soon, the recent downturn in demand risks becoming self-reinforcing."

Persons: Xu Tianchen, Julian Evans, Pritchard, Joe Cash, Sam Holmes, Edmund Klamann Organizations: National Bureau, Statistics, Communist Party, PMI, Economist Intelligence Unit, destocking, China, State, Capital Economics, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China

☆ 'Not found': China's ex-foreign minister is gone but wait for explanation goes on
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Yew Lun Tian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

BEIJING, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Hours after China's top legislature convened a special meeting last week to remove foreign minister Qin Gang, photos and mentions of the 57-year-old started disappearing from his former ministry's website. China named veteran diplomat Wang Yi to replace Qin, but gave few further clues on the reason for the change. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Thursday said Beijing will release information in a timely matter regarding Qin and opposes "malicious hype". The foreign ministry removed all online traces to its former chief protocol officer Zhang Kunsheng who was found guilty of corruption and using his position of power to obtain sex in 2016. He then made a triple jump from director of protocol to U.S. ambassador and then to foreign minister and state councillor in five years, bullet-train speed by China standards.

Persons: Qin Gang, Qin, Gang, Xi Jinping, Wang Yi, Mao Ning, Ian Johnson, Wu Qiang, Wu, Xiao Yaqing, Zhang Kunsheng, Mao Zedong, Mao, Xi, Xi's, Alfred Wu, Lee Kwan, Yew Lun Tian, John Geddie Organizations: Foreign Ministry, State, Information Office, Council, Foreign Relations, Industry, Committee, Communist, Xinhua, Lee Kwan Yew, of Public Policy, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Beijing, Washington, Singapore, Lincoln

☆ China's State Council issues measures to expand consumption
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, July 31 (Reuters) - China's State Council on Monday issued measures to restore and expand consumption in the automobile, real estate and services sector, aiming to give full play to the "fundamental role" of consumption in economic development. In an interview with state broadcaster CCTV published on Monday, unnamed officials from the National Development and Reform Commission said it will take the summer, Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays as an opportunity to expand holiday consumption. Last week, policymakers at a Politburo meeting pledged to step up policy support for the economy amid a tortuous post-COVID recovery, focusing on boosting domestic demand, signalling more stimulus steps. The world's second-largest economy grew at a sluggish pace in the second quarter as demand weakened at home and abroad. Reporting by Liangping Gao and Ryan Woo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Liangping Gao, Ryan Woo, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: State, National Development, Reform Commission, Thomson Locations: BEIJING

“In the age of AI, where data is the new oil, China is the new Saudi Arabia”, venture capitalist Lee Kai-fu declared in 2018. Washington may soon tighten export restrictions to China by targeting AI semiconductors, according to the Wall Street Journal. A slowing economy and brutal price war in the fiercely competitive cloud market will only make monetising AI products harder. China’s AI moment has arrived, only with far less promise than initially hoped. China wants to become a world leader in AI by 2030, according to a 2017 roadmap released by the State Council.

Persons: Lee Kai, OpenAI's, Xi Jinping, Goldman Sachs, Robin Li, Baidu’s, Bernstein, SenseTime, Xi, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Saudi Arabia ”, OpenAI's ChatGPT, European Union, Baidu, HK, Nasdaq, Washington, Wall Street, Nvidia, AMD, Microsoft, CloudWalk Technology, Cyberspace Administration, China, State, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, Republic, Saudi Arabia, United States, Beijing, York, Shanghai

At least one person drowned in the province of Rizal in the wake of the typhoon, the national disaster agency said. But authorities issued land warnings for several counties and cities in southern Taiwan including the major port city of Kaohsiung. Railway services between eastern and southern Taiwan will be suspended from Wednesday evening. More than 300 people have been evacuated in southern and eastern Taiwan as a precaution as Doksuri was expected to bring up to 1 metre (3.3 feet) of rainfall there. A Level II emergency response implies an oncoming typhoon could severely affect the country, according to the state council's national emergency plan for flood control and drought relief.

Persons: Doksuri, Talim, Karen Lema, Bernard Orr, Yimou Lee, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Reuters, Weather Bureau, Railway, Meteorological Centre, South China Sea, Meteorological Administration, Guangzhou Daily, Central Meteorological Administration, Thomson Locations: MANILA, BEIJING, TAIPEI, Philippines, Taiwan, China, Cagayan province, Rizal, Philippine, Kaohsiung, South, Fujian, Guangdong, Manila, Beijing, Tapei, Shanghai

Hong Kong CNN —China has promised to throw its weight behind private businesses, just days after a slew of economic data showed growth momentum had slumped. The measures include promises to break down barriers to market access for private firms, to “fully implement” a system of fair competition and to strengthen enforcement of anti-monopoly laws. “We believe that the … pivot from the top level is real, but it’s not enough to bring back the animal spirit among private companies,” Larry Hu, chief China economist at Macquarie Group, wrote in a research note. That pledge had marked a major shift from leader Xi Jinping’s years-long effort to rein in private businesses, which were perceived as too powerful and disorderly. The Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index closed 0.7% higher, after falling in several previous trading sessions.

Persons: “, Larry Hu, Xi Jinping’s, Premier Li Qiang, Li, ”, Ma, Lei Jun Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Communist Party, State Council, Macquarie Group, ”, Investment, Premier, Alibaba, Tencent, Nasdaq, Dragon Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, New York, Dragon China, Shanghai

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