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☆ Two mainland China bishops to attend big Vatican meeting after tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVATICAN CITY, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Two bishops from mainland China are due to attend a major Vatican meeting next month, officials said on Thursday, a positive sign after recent tensions between the Holy See and Beijing. The two bishops were chosen by their brother bishops in China, meaning they likely had approval from the Communist government, which holds great sway over the Chinese Catholic Church. Two other Chinese bishops were allowed by the government to attend another synod for the first time in 2018 but did not stay for the entire meeting. A landmark 2018 agreement between the Vatican and China on the appointment of bishops has been tenuous at best, with the Vatican complaining that Beijing has violated it several times. Two months ago the Vatican chided Beijing for not consulting over the transfer of two bishops from one diocese to another.

Persons: Pope Francis, Anthony Yao Shun, Jining, Joseph Yang Yongqiang, Francis, Philip Pullella, Alex Richardson Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, CITY, Communist, Catholic Church, Communist Party, Catholic, Churches, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Zhoucun, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vatican, Mongolia

☆ China should step up policy support for economy- ex-PBOC head
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Vehicles drive among the buildings during the evening rush hour in Beijing's central business area, China November 21, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Sept 20 (Reuters) - China should step up policy support for the economy while promoting reforms to help achieve the annual growth target of around 5%, Yi Gang, former governor of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), said in remarks published on Wednesday. That will help China achieve the 2023 growth target of around 5%, Yi said. The government should move to boost the weak confidence of private firms and tackle local government debt risks that have hampered local authorities' ability to support growth, Yi said. The central bank should use its structural policy tools to support "rigid and improved housing demand", he said.

Persons: Jason Lee, Yi Gang, Yi, Kevin Yao, Chizu Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, People's Bank of China, Political Consultative, Thomson Locations: China, Rights BEIJING

Retail sales, a gauge of consumption, also increased at a faster 4.6% pace in August aided by the summer travel season, and was the quickest growth since May. The upbeat data suggest that a flurry of recent measures including property support policies to shore up a faltering economic recovery are starting to bear fruit. "Despite signs of stabilisation in manufacturing and related investment, the deteriorating property investment will continue to pressure economic growth," said Gary Ng, Natixis Asia Pacific senior economist. Ng said confidence remains the root of most problems requiring larger "constructive policy and regulatory changes" to boost growth momentum. For August, property investment extended its fall, down 19.1% year-on-year from a 17.8% slump the previous month, according to Reuters calculations based on NBS data.

Persons: Gary Ng, Ng, Albee Zhang, Liangping Gao, Kevin Yao, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, National Bureau of Statistics, Natixis Asia Pacific, Thomson Locations: Wuhan, Hubei province, China, BEIJING, U.S

☆ China cuts banks' reserve ratio for second time in 2023 to aid recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The headquarters of the People's Bank of China, the central bank, is pictured in Beijing, China, February 3, 2020. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) said it would cut the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for all banks, except those that have implemented a 5% reserve ratio, by 25 basis points from Sept. 15. The central bank said the weighted average reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for financial institutions stood at around 7.4% after the cut. Dan Wang, chief economist at Hang Seng Bank China, cautioned to watch for a cut in Medium-term Lending Facility (MLF) on Friday off the back of the RRR cut. "That would be more significant than the RRR cut and suggest central bank is up to something," said Wang.

Persons: Jason Lee, Wen Bin, Xu Tianchen, Dan Wang, Wang, Liangping Gao, Joe Cash, Ellen Zhang, Kevin Yao, Kevin Liffey, Alison Williams, Christina Fincher Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, Minsheng Bank, Xinhua, Economist Intelligence Unit, Hang Seng Bank China, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING

☆ China's central bank vows to support demand, price rebound
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Headquarters of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the central bank, is pictured in Beijing, China September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Sept 13 (Reuters) - China's central bank will boost demand and support a modest rebound in prices, the Financial News, a publication run by the People's Bank of China (PBOC) said on Wednesday, citing a unnamed senior central bank official. The central bank "will create an appropriate monetary and financial environment to promote effective demand in the real economy, support a moderate recovery in prices and enhance economic vitality," the official said. New bank loans beat expectations by nearly quadrupling in August from July, as the central bank sought to shore up economic growth amid soft demand at home and abroad. The central bank last cut the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) - the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves - in March.

Persons: Jason Lee, Zhou Maohua, Kevin Yao, Liangping Gao, Tom Hogue, Sam Holmes, Miral Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, Financial, China Everbright Bank, Officials, Beijing Newsroom, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING

☆ China 2023 GDP growth forecast cut to 5.0%, 4.5% in 2024 - Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Vivek Mishra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"The primary culprit is the property sector. This source of growth has now evaporated and won't be coming back," said Julian Evans-Pritchard, head of China economics at Capital Economics in Singapore. The Sept. 4-11 Reuters poll of 76 analysts, based in and outside mainland China, predicted the economy would grow 5.0% this year, lower than 5.5% forecast in a July survey. While recent data showed signs of improvement in the economy, some economists said more policy support was needed for the ailing property sector. A strong majority of economists who answered an additional question said the risks to their 2023 and 2024 GDP growth forecasts were skewed to the downside.

Persons: Julian Evans, Pritchard, Bingnan Ye, Teeuwe Mevissen, Vivek Mishra, Devayani, Anant Chandak, Veronica Khongwir, Jing Wang, Kevin Yao, Ross Finley, Sam Holmes Organizations: Capital Economics, China Merchants Bank, People's Bank of, Rabobank, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, China, Singapore, Beijing, Hong Kong, People's Bank of China, Netherlands, Bengaluru, Shanghai

☆ China think tank says India is 'sabotaging' G20 for its own agenda
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A man walks past a model of the G20 logo outside a metro station ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India, September 4, 2023. The think tank accused India of bringing geopolitical "private goods" onto the global stage, which it said would not only help the country to fulfill its responsibility as the host of G20 but also create further problems. India held two earlier G20 meetings in disputed territories -- one in Arunachal Pradesh that China also claims, and another in Kashmir, contested by Pakistan. the think tank said in a commentary published on its Wechat account. Last Sunday, reacting to news that Xi would not attend the G20 summit, U.S. President Biden said he was "disappointed" but would "get to see him".

Persons: Anushree, Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi, Li Qiang, Xi, Biden, Kevin Yao, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, Ministry of State Security, Pakistan, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Rights BEIJING, India's, Arunachal Pradesh, China, Kashmir, U.S, United States, Beijing, Heilongjiang

But analysts say more policy support is needed to shore up consumer demand in the world's second-biggest economy, with a labour market recovery slowing and household income expectations uncertain. "In general the inflation (rate) still points to weak demand and requires more policy support for the foreseeable future." DEFLATION PRESSURESCompared with the previous month, CPI rose 0.3%, picking up from 0.2% in July, the statistics bureau said. Pork prices rose 11.4% month-on-month, versus no change in July, due to the impact of extreme weather in some areas. Factory-gate deflation moderated in August due to improving demand for some industrial products and rising international crude oil prices, the statistics bureau said.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Zhou Hao, Bruce Pang, Jones Lang Lasalle, Premier Li Qiang, Kevin Yao, Joe Cash, Sam Holmes, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, National Bureau of Statistics, Reuters, Guotai, ANZ, Jones, Premier, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING, Ukraine

☆ China's Aug new yuan loans seen rebounding on policy support
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Chinese banks are estimated to have issued 1.20 trillion yuan ($163.41 billion) in net new yuan loans last month, more than triple July's 345.9 billion yuan, according to the median estimate in the survey of 20 economists. But that would be lower than 1.25 trillion yuan issued the same month a year earlier. Outstanding yuan loans were expected to grow by 11.1% in August from a year earlier, the same as in July, the poll showed. China is aiming to complete the issuance of the 2023 special local government bonds quota of 3.8 trillion yuan by end-September. In August, TSF is expected to jump to 2.46 trillion yuan from 528.2 billion yuan in July.

Persons: TSF, Li Qiang, Judy Hua, Kevin Yao, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Citi, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China

Surveillance cameras are seen near an iPhone advertisement at an Apple store in Beijing, China September 7, 2023. One of the sources said they had not yet been given a deadline to cease their iPhone use. Apple and China's State Council Information Office, which handles media queries on behalf of the government, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Bloomberg on Thursday reported that China planned to broaden the ban to state firms and agencies, citing sources. China has increasingly emphasized using locally made tech products, as technology has become a major national security issue for Beijing and Washington.

Persons: Florence Lo, China's, Tesla, Tim Cook, D.A, Davidson, Tom Forte, Yuvraj Malik, Jaspreet Singh, Brenda Goh, Alexander Smith, Shounak Organizations: Apple, REUTERS, U.S ., Staff, China's, Information Office, Huawei Technologies, Observer, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Citi, Canalys, Government, HK, Huawei, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, HONG KONG, BEIJING, Washington, U.S, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Bengaluru

☆ Slowing China services data increases need for government to cushion housing market, economist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSlowing China services data increases need for government to cushion housing market, economist saysWei Yao, head of research and chief economist for APAC at Societe Generale, discusses China's services data and why the broader picture isn't as bleak as it may seem.

Persons: Wei Yao Organizations: APAC, Societe Generale Locations: China

"There is a significant risk in the short term of financial crisis or other degree of economic crisis that would carry very substantial social and political costs for the Chinese government. By the time the global financial crisis hit in 2008-09, it had already met most of its investment needs for its level of development, economists say. To keep growth high, China in the 2010s doubled down on infrastructure and property investment, at the expense of household consumption. China has since backed away from major financial market liberalisation while plans to rein in state behemoths and introduce universal social welfare never quite materialised. "But at the same time there's a great fear of the short-term political and social risk, especially of provoking an economic crisis."

Persons: Xi Jinping's, William Hurst, Chong Hua, there's, Max Zenglein, We're, Logan Wright, Alicia Garcia Herrero, Hurst, Liangping Gao, Kevin Yao, Kripa Jayaram, Marius Zaharia, Sam Holmes Organizations: Development, University of Cambridge, International Monetary Fund, Asia Pacific, China's, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Japan, Beijing, Natixis

☆ Factbox: China's measures to shore up a faltering economy, more support expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

- China stepped up measures to boost the country's faltering economy, with top banks paving the way for further cuts in lending rates. Aug. 25 -China's cabinet on Friday approved guidelines for planning and construction of affordable housing at a meeting chaired by Premier Li Qiang. July 24- China's top leaders, at a Politburo meeting, pledged to step up support for the economy, signalling more stimulus steps. July 24 - China's state planner unveiled measures to support private investment in some infrastructure sectors and said it will strengthen financing support for private projects. July 14 - China's cabinet approved guidelines for improving the building of public infrastructure in megacities, to help support the economy and cope with future public health crises.

Persons: Premier Li Qiang, Kevin Yao, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Premier, Communist Party, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, megacities

Many economists have called on China to boost its social safety net to rebalance the economy. Yao was unswayed and would prefer consumer vouchers, which some local governments in China have issued, but in amounts too small to matter at a macro level. Local governments, while cash poor, are asset rich. Michael Pettis, senior fellow at Carnegie China, estimates that if Beijing forces local governments to transfer 1-1.5% of GDP to households, China could maintain current growth. "One of the really big conflicts is likely to be between Beijing and the local governments over how to allocate the various adjustment costs.

Persons: Erin Yao, Juan Orts, Orts, Tokyo's, Yao, joblessness, Jens Eskelund, Wang Jiliu, Wang, Michael Pettis, Laurie Chen, Kripa Jayaram, Marius Zaharia, Sam Holmes Organizations: Fathom Consulting, Communist Party, Reuters Graphics, European Chamber of Commerce, Carnegie China, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, HONG KONG, China, Beijing, United States, Hainan

☆ China cenbank says it will keep policy 'precise, forceful' to aid recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A man wearing a mask walks past the headquarters of the People's Bank of China, the central bank, in Beijing, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, February 3, 2020. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Aug 17 (Reuters) - China's central bank said on Thursday it would keep liquidity reasonably ample and keep its policy "precise and forceful" to support the country's economic recovery, amid rising headwinds. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) will "better leverage the dual functions of aggregate and structural monetary policy tools and firmly support the recovery and development of the real economy," the bank said in its second-quarter monetary policy implementation report. Markets widely expect the bank to loosen monetary policy further. China will also prevent overshooting risks of the yuan exchange rate and fend off systemic financial risks, the central bank said.

Persons: Jason Lee, Liangping Gao, Ella Cao, Kevin Yao, Toby Chopra, Hugh Lawson Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Rights, HK, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING

☆ NBA star James Harden sells out 10,000 bottles of wine in seconds on Chinese livestream
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —NBA star James Harden expressed disbelief after Chinese fans snapped up 10,000 bottles of his own-branded wine in seconds, demonstrating the massive reach of livestreaming in the country, where basketball is loved by millions. “How many bottles do you usually sell in a day … from one store?” Yang asked Harden, who replied: “A few cases.”Yang then told the star to watch how quickly they could sell them. Go!” Yang told viewers. Basketball is enormously popular in China, in no small part thanks to Chinese legend Yao Ming’s Hall of Fame NBA career. That popularity among hundreds of millions of Chinese fans translates to lucrative sponsorship deals for the league and its star players.

Persons: James Harden, Brother Yang, Harden, ” Yang, ” Harden, Harden’s livestream, Yao Ming’s, there’s, Daryl Morey, Hong Kong’s, ” Morey, ”, Morey –, “ Daryl Morey Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — NBA, Philadelphia 76ers, Tuesday, Global Times, NBA, of Fame NBA, Houston Rockets, Hong, CCTV, Rockets, Morey, 76ers, NBA.com Locations: Hong Kong, livestreaming, China, United States, Beijing

☆ SGX's strength is its ability to offer investors exposure to Asia across various asset classes: CFO
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSGX's strength is its ability to offer investors exposure to Asia across various asset classes: CFONg Yao Loong, chief financial officer of the Singapore Exchange, discusses the strengths of its "multi-asset platform."

Persons: Ng Yao Loong Organizations: Singapore Exchange Locations: Asia, Singapore

Nomura analysts were equally downbeat on China's economic outlook. Most economists see downside risk to Chinese growth but they don't expect a recession. It was the slowest growth since December 2022, and shows just how much of a challenge authorities face as they try to make consumption the key driver of future economic growth. MORE STIMULUSAsian stocks stalled at one-month lows, the yuan hit a 9-month nadir while the dollar held broadly firm after the weak Chinese data and latest policy easing measures. But we do need to lower our expectations for China's growth."

Persons: Julian Evans, Pritchard, Nomura, Nie Wen, Robert Carnell, Liangping Gao, Albee Zhang, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: National Bureau of Statistics, Capital Economics, Retail, Hwabao Trust, Investment, Reuters, ING, NBS, Nomura, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, China, Asia, Pacific

Asian stocks were down and the dollar held firm after the weak Chinese data and latest policy easing measures. Investment in the property sector tumbled 8.5% year-on-year in January-July, after shrinking 7.9% in January-June, extending its fall for the 17th consecutive month. Demand for the property sector, once a pillar of economic growth, has remained weak in recent weeks. The nationwide survey-based jobless rate climbed slightly to 5.3% from 5.2% in June. After the youth jobless rate rose to record high of 21.3% in June, NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui said at Tuesday's press conference the bureau will suspend publishing the survey-based jobless rate for the 16-24 years old from August, adding China will further improve its employment statistics.

Persons: Julian Evans, Pritchard, Bruce Pang, Jones Lang Lasalle, Fu Linghui, Albee Zhang, Liangping Gao, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: National Bureau of Statistics, Retail, Capital Economics, Jones, Investment, Communist Party, NBS, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China

The reading was also much lower than 679 billion yuan in July 2022. "China’s bank loan growth fell to its lowest in seven months in July, while broad credit growth dropped to a record low," Capital Economics said in a note to clients. Hobbled by weak demand at home and abroad, China's economic momentum has faltered in recent months despite strong bank lending in the first half. Outstanding yuan loans expanded by 11.1% in July from the year before, the lowest so far this year, compared with 11.3% growth the previous month. In July, TSF slumped to 528.2 billion yuan from 4.22 trillion yuan in June.

Persons: Florence Lo, Luo Yunfeng, TSF, Qiaoyi Li, Kevin Yao, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, People's Bank of China, Reuters, Huajin Securities, Analysts, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Beijing, Central, TSF

☆ Analysis: Latest China developer debt woes could spur policy aid, but industry downbeat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] The company logo of Chinese developer Country Garden is pictured at the Shanghai Country Garden Center in Shanghai, China August 9, 2023. China's property sector, which accounts for a quarter of the economy, has already seen a string of debt defaults by cash-squeezed developers since late 2021, with China Evergrande Group (3333.HK), the world's most indebted property developer, at the centre of the crisis. Contagion fears in the market re-surfaced last month when four high-profile developers signalled liquidity stress amid slumping home sales nation-wide. Country Garden declined to comment on the investment bank reports. JP Morgan noted that if Country Garden still defaulted after policies aiming at boosting liquidity for developers, it would show that "there is no guarantee of survival".

Persons: Aly, HONG KONG, Dalian Wanda, Garden's, JP Morgan, Evergrande, Morgan Stanley, Stephen Cheung, Clare Jim, Kevin Yao, Kim Coghill Organizations: Shanghai Country Garden, REUTERS, HK, Garden, Reuters, China Evergrande, Ocean Group, Greenland Holdings, Dalian Wanda Group, Dalian, HSBC, Communist Party, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, HK, Greenland, Beijing

☆ China's July new yuan loans seen dipping after record H1 - Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Chinese banks are estimated to have issued 800 billion yuan ($110.98 billion) in net new yuan loans last month, down sharply from 3.05 trillion yuan in June, according to the median estimate in the survey of 29 economists. But the expected new loans would be higher than the 679 billion yuan issued in the same month a year earlier. Chinese banks doled out 15.73 trillion yuan in new loans in the first six months of this year, the highest first-half number on record, central bank data showed. Outstanding yuan loans were expected to grow by 11.3% in July from a year earlier, the same as in June, the poll showed. In July, TSF is expected to fall sharply to 1.10 trillion yuan from 4.22 trillion yuan in June.

Persons: Kim Kyung, TSF, Judy Hua, Kevin Yao, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING

Coins and banknotes of China's yuan are seen in this illustration picture taken February 24, 2022. BEIJING'S DILEMMALocal government debt reached 92 trillion yuan ($12.8 trillion), or 76% of economic output in 2022, up from 62.2% in 2019. To avoid that risk, the adviser suggested all stakeholders bear some of the burden: financial institutions, local governments, Beijing and society at large. From 2015 to 2018, local governments issued some 12 trillion yuan of bonds to swap for off-balance sheet debt. For the local debt problem to stop re-occuring policymakers need to implement profound changes to how the economy works.

Persons: Florence Lo, China's, Guo Tianyong, Logan Wright, ”, Tao Wang, Guo, Rhodium's Wright, Marius Zaharia Organizations: REUTERS, Beijing, Communist Party, Central University of Finance, Economics, Monetary Fund, Reuters, Local, UBS, BBVA, Thomson Locations: Beijing, BEIJING, “, China, Lincoln

☆ Scientists have revived 'zombie' bugs and viruses before that were trapped in ancient ice. One may have been 8 million years old.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Scientists have previously revived ancient bacteria and prehistoric viruses that had been trapped. Scientists have a long record of resurrecting prehistoric viruses and ancient bacteria frozen in ice. However, as the climate crisis is melting ancient ice sheets worldwide, experts are growing concerned that prehistoric viruses could pose a risk to humanity. Other research has found 28 prehistoric viruses dating back 15,000 years in frozen ice cores. It's very difficult to keep samples pristine when extracting ancient ice, and even more difficult to conclusively date the ice.

Persons: Lonnie Thompson, Jean, Michel Claverie, it's, Birgitta Evengård, It's, hadn't Organizations: Service, Privacy, The Ohio State University, Byrd, Climate Research, Umea University, CNN Locations: Yao, Tibetan, French, Antarctica, Russia

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