Flash News

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Chen Xi rejected Lai Ching-te’s so-called “Double Ten” speech, saying Taiwan is part of China and that this is the true status quo of the Taiwan Strait. Chen accused Lai of insisting on a “Taiwan independence” stance, distorting facts, hyping a so-called mainland military threat and inciting cross-strait confrontation in a bid to pursue independence by force and by relying on foreign support.

TREE NEWS reports: The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received a report of an incident involving a tanker in the Gulf of Oman. The incident involved a tanker and military forces. No further details were immediately provided.

TREE NEWS update: UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, which took place on 10 December and was fatal. Guterres issued the condemnation on 11 December.

TREE NEWS update: Guizhou Moutai’s sales company said provincial distributor associations and inheritor working departments have stopped daily operations, in line with requirements for the standardized development and operation of social organizations. The statement on October 10 followed widespread industry rumors that Moutai distributor associations across China were being dissolved en masse. Staff from Moutai’s liquor sales company confirmed the halt to multiple media outlets.

TREE NEWS reports: Most Chinese brokerage asset managers surveyed by Securities Times put equities as their top allocation priority for the fourth quarter, with bonds and commodities ranked divergently. Caitong Asset Management’s chief asset allocator Li Meicen cited relative value favoring stocks and bonds over commodities, noting most broad-based index valuations sit near the 60th historical percentile while ChiNext is around the 25th. Everbright Securities Asset Management expects the Q4 ranking equities > bonds > commodities.

TREE NEWS reports: Korean investors net bought about $22.8 million of the top 15 Hong Kong-listed stocks and roughly $7.99 million of the top 15 A-shares in the first three quarters of 2026, settlement dates Jan. 1 to Sept. 30. The Global X China Semiconductor ETF topped the list with $52.57 million in net purchases over the period.

TREE NEWS reports: Qinhuangdao 5500 kcal thermal coal (Shanxi origin) closed at 1,003 yuan per tonne on October 10, up 42.27% year-on-year and breaking the 1,000 yuan mark for a near two-year high, Wind data showed. The same day, the CCTD Bohai Rim spot reference price for 5500K coal settled at 999 yuan per tonne, up 5 yuan from the prior session and just below the threshold.

TREE NEWS update: IELTS test sessions across China were widely cancelled on October 10, with the British Council’s customer service centre saying the suspension is expected to last through October 12. Candidates received emails stating the October 10 computer-delivered test was cancelled for technical reasons, with fees to be fully refunded to their NEEA accounts within one working day. Candidates who completed part of the test on October 10 will not receive a score.

TREE NEWS update: Ma’anshan will hold its 2026 primary and secondary school autumn holiday on November 11-13, which combined with the following weekend gives a five-day break across the city, local authorities said. Hefei’s autumn break runs November 16-18, also forming five days off with the weekend of November 14-15. Four Anhui cities have now confirmed autumn break dates: Wuhu, Chizhou, Hefei and Ma’anshan.

TREE NEWS reports: Ma’anshan City will hold its 2026 autumn break for primary and secondary schools from November 11 to 13, which, combined with the following weekend, will create a five-day holiday across the city, local authorities said. Hefei City’s autumn break will run from November 16 to 18, and together with the weekend of November 14 to 15, it will also form a five-day holiday. This makes four cities in Anhui Province that have finalized their autumn break schedules: Wuhu, Chizhou, Hefei, and Ma’anshan.

TREE NEWS reports: China’s offline consumer payment value rose 2.6% year-on-year in the third quarter, 0.7 percentage points faster than the second quarter, according to preliminary indicators released on October 10 by the State Information Center under the National Development and Reform Commission. Offline payment value in September grew 3.1% year-on-year, marking a third straight month of accelerating growth, the center said.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs held a working meeting with the Shanxi provincial government on October 10. Minister Zhang Zhu and Shanxi Governor Lu Dongliang attended. Zhang said the province has placed top priority on agriculture and rural work, advancing grain production, consolidating poverty-alleviation gains, dryland farming, rural specialty industries and rural construction, with notable results.

TREE NEWS update: The US Embassy in Riyadh advised American citizens to avoid King Khalid International Airport, warning of possible travel disruptions. Government employees in Saudi Arabia are facing travel restrictions, the embassy said. The advisory did not specify a reason for the guidance or how long the restrictions would remain in place.

TREE NEWS update: The Gaosheng No. 2 tunnel on the Xi’an-Chongqing high-speed railway was holed through on Oct. 11 after a final blasting operation, the Xikun company of the Beijing-Kunming high-speed rail project said. The breakthrough lays a solid foundation for the line to open on schedule, with construction of the full route now entering a critical stage.

TREE NEWS update: The Gaocheng No. 2 tunnel on the Xi’an-Chongqing high-speed railway was holed through on October 11 after the final blasting operation, according to the Xikun company of the Beijing-Kunming high-speed railway project. This breakthrough has laid a solid foundation for the line’s scheduled opening, and construction of the entire line has now entered a critical stage.

TREE NEWS update: US President Trump said Saturday that the Houthi attack on Riyadh airport in Saudi Arabia is “unacceptable” and that he will hold talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Speaking to reporters, Trump added that “what happened to Saudi Arabia is unacceptable.” The comments followed the Yemen-based Houthi movement’s strike on the Saudi capital’s airport.

TREE NEWS update: UK Prime Minister Burnham reaffirmed full support for Ukraine in a call with President Zelensky on 10 March. The call followed a dispute between Zelensky and US President Trump over a deal involving Russian diesel. Burnham said the UK will build on new sanctions on Russia announced this week, and the two leaders agreed to meet in person within days.

TREE NEWS update: A Saudi-led coalition spokesman, Turki al-Maliki, said coalition forces intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis early on October 11 local time. The interception took place over the Al-Kharj area of Riyadh province. No casualties or damage were reported in the statement.

TREE NEWS reports: US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are leading mediation on a Ukraine peace deal, may visit Moscow within the next two weeks, Russian sources said on October 10. The reported trip would mark the latest round of US-Russia contacts over the war in Ukraine.

TREE NEWS update: Madagascar’s Ministry of Public Health said on October 10 that 274 people have been affected in a food poisoning incident at a company in the capital Antananarivo, with no deaths reported so far. Laboratory testing of samples concluded the event was a mass food poisoning case. Employees at different work sites were affected and may have eaten the same meals provided by a single canteen, the ministry said.