Flash News

TREE NEWS update: Iran’s army spokesman Akraminia said on the 16th that new weapons systems have been put into service and that the country’s defensive capabilities are stronger than during the US-Israel-Iran war. He said Iran shot down several US drones in recent weeks and that the army, under the defense ministry, drew up and carried out new operational and equipment plans. He added that the army and the Revolutionary Guard’s aerospace force have held joint drills.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Ecology and Environment and State Administration for Market Regulation held a joint meeting with more than 30 major automakers to tighten management of vehicle product design, R&D and testing verification. Companies were told to implement a quality-improvement campaign, firmly resist irrational competition and hold the line on product safety.

TREE NEWS update: China’s State Council executive meeting approved a draft decision to amend and repeal parts of certain administrative regulations. Fourteen regulations, including the implementation rules of the Archives Law, will have some provisions amended, while four others, including the rules on liability limits for inter-port passenger shipping, will be repealed. The meeting announced the decision on Friday.

TREE NEWS reports: Bank of America strategist Michael Hartnett expects risk aversion to dominate markets over the next three to four weeks, citing rising real yields, the US midterm elections and AI-themed trades. He said this summer’s “extreme bullish sentiment” has ended, with global bonds selling off pushing inflation-adjusted real yields to 3%. Hartnett’s team expects the Fed to hike rates in October to “restore credibility,” and sees a rising chance of a Democratic wave in November’s midterms.

TREE NEWS update: Premier Li Qiang chaired a State Council executive meeting that discussed and approved in principle a draft amendment to China’s Price Law. The draft revision to the pricing legislation now moves forward in the State Council’s legislative process. No further details on the amendment’s contents were disclosed in the announcement.

TREE NEWS update: Chinese Premier Li Qiang chaired a State Council executive meeting that identified artificial intelligence as a key variable shaping future development. The meeting said China should proceed from its complete industrial system, rich application scenarios and strong engineering capacity, with emphasis on using real-world deployment to pull technology innovation and on deepening and expanding the “AI Plus” initiative.

TREE NEWS update: Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining met Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher in Shanghai on October 16. Chen said the two port cities have deepened cooperation in trade, technology, ports, education, culture and tourism since forming their sister-city tie, and called for closer exchanges on green shipping, smart ports, technology innovation and resilient city building as the partnership marks its 40th anniversary.

TREE NEWS update: People’s Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng met European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, European Commission Economy and Productivity Commissioner Dombrovskis and Eurogroup President Pierrakakis during the IMF/World Bank annual meetings. The talks covered China-EU macroeconomic and financial policy as well as monetary and financial cooperation between the two sides.

TREE NEWS update: Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining met Apple Executive Chairman Tim Cook in Shanghai on October 16. Chen said the AI technology boom brings new opportunities for global companies in the city and invited Apple to deepen cooperation on smart device supply, innovation ecosystems and AI development, pledging a market-oriented, law-based and international business environment.

TREE NEWS update: Pakistan’s foreign ministry on 16 October released a joint statement by the foreign ministers of 18 countries strongly condemning and rejecting Colombia’s decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem. The statement said the move violates relevant UN Security Council resolutions and undermines international efforts toward a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.

TREE NEWS update: Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, attended the opening of the 2026 World Vocational and Technical Education Development Conference in Tianjin on 16 [month] and delivered a speech. He also met with foreign political figures attending the conference.

TREE NEWS update: Xi Jinping inspected Ulanqab city in Inner Mongolia on the 16th, saying green development is integral to high-quality development. He called for coordinating high-quality development with high-level protection, integrating conservation and systemic management of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grasslands and deserts, and advancing carbon reduction, pollution control, greening and growth together. He said China must stay on a path of ecological priority and green development.

TREE NEWS update: China and Vanuatu held the second round of negotiations on upgrading their economic partnership agreement in Beijing from October 12 to 16. The two sides held in-depth consultations on trade in goods, rules of origin, trade in services, intellectual property and practical cooperation, and made substantive progress. The talks mark a further step in advancing the bilateral economic partnership.

TREE NEWS update: A court in Lanzhou, Gansu province, sentenced six people on Oct. 16, 2026 over the production and sale of toxic, harmful food in a kindergarten lead-poisoning case. Li Huifang received life imprisonment, lifetime deprivation of political rights and confiscation of 500,000 yuan in personal property; Zhu Jinglin was jailed for 15 years and fined 300,000 yuan. Four kitchen staff — Niu Aiyuan, Wen Yafang, He Xuxia and An Chunling — received terms of six to eight years plus fines.

TREE NEWS reports: Italy’s trade surplus narrowed to €1.773 billion in August, down sharply from €8.24 billion in the previous reading. The figure marks a steep month-on-month contraction in the country’s goods trade balance.

TREE NEWS update: A group of small and mid-sized Chinese banks have raised deposit rates, with some city commercial banks, rural commercial banks and private banks offering up to 2.1% annual interest on five-year fixed deposits. The adjustments come as net interest margins across the industry remain at historic lows, producing targeted rate hikes on medium- and long-term products in certain regions.

TREE NEWS reports: US equity funds drew another $39 billion in a single week, putting them on pace for a record annualized inflow of $636 billion this year, Bank of America said in a report. The figures reflect sustained investor demand for US stocks.

TREE NEWS reports: The British pound extended its gains against the US dollar on Thursday, rising 0.5% to touch a three-week high. The move extends sterling’s recent upward run versus the greenback, with the pair reaching its strongest level in three weeks.

TREE NEWS update: The People’s Bank of China has drafted new rules governing bond issuance in the interbank bond market and opened them to public consultation. The regulator said the measures are intended to standardize issuance practices, maintain market order and support high-quality development of the bond market. The consultation period and the full text of the draft were not specified in the notice.

TREE NEWS update: Douyin announced it will allow Hefei San Zhi Yang Network Technology Co. to cancel its original accounts on the platform, register new ones, post content and resume operations, after the Hefei Municipal Market Supervision Administration said the company’s rectification met requirements. Douyin suspended the accounts in September 2024 and urged the company to rectify and handle consumer after-sales compensation.