Flash News

TREE NEWS update: China’s Transport Minister Liu Wei met Seychelles Transport, Ports and Civil Aviation Minister Véronique Laporte in Beijing, the two sides exchanging views on issues of shared interest. Liu thanked Seychelles for attending the Global Sustainable Transport Forum (2026) and said China will deepen maritime cooperation, share shipping logistics and green low-carbon experience, and boost civil aviation exchanges. This year marks 50 years of China-Seychelles diplomatic ties.

TREE NEWS reports: Hong Kong stocks closed lower, with the Hang Seng Index down 0.29% and the Hang Seng Tech Index down 0.41%. Technology shares led the decline, as GigaDevice fell more than 5%, while Cambridge Technology and YOFC each dropped over 4%.

TREE NEWS reports: WTI crude rose 1.5% intraday to $93.58 a barrel, while Brent crude also gained 1.5% to trade at $99.62 a barrel. The move puts the international benchmark within striking distance of the $100 mark.

TREE NEWS update: The Shanghai Stock Exchange held another round of on-site research visits for international investors, bringing nearly 20 asset managers from the UK, France and Singapore to Shanghai-listed tech companies. The visits coincided with the end of the 2026 half-year earnings disclosure period and focused on first-half results and medium- to long-term plans, part of efforts to draw overseas medium- and long-term capital into the market.

TREE NEWS update: Bank of England Deputy Governor Lombardelli said policy is increasingly likely to require tightening if high energy prices persist without clear evidence of falling inflation or weakening economic activity. She said wage growth remains too high to be consistent with the inflation target, while adding that monetary policy should not react mechanically to energy price swings and remains restrictive.

TREE NEWS update: Norges Bank said its policy rate increases are helping to bring inflation down, and that it stands ready to raise the policy rate further if the inflation outlook makes that necessary. The central bank gave no new rate level or date in the statement.

TREE NEWS reports: The London Metal Exchange reported mixed inventory movements across its base metals warehouses. Zinc inventories rose by 8,325 tonnes, nickel gained 300 tonnes, while copper fell 1,325 tonnes, lead dropped 1,850 tonnes and tin slipped 85 tonnes. Aluminium stocks were unchanged.

TREE NEWS update: Norges Bank raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 4.50%, matching market expectations. The move lifts Norway’s policy rate to its highest level in the current tightening cycle, as flagged by the central bank’s own guidance.

TREE NEWS reports: Germany’s Ifo business expectations index came in at 90.4 for September, beating the 89.3 forecast and up from 89.1 in the previous month. The reading points to improving sentiment among German businesses as expectations outpace economists’ estimates.

TREE NEWS update: The foreign ministers of Iran and Ukraine held talks on the situation in the Middle East and Europe, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported. No further details of the discussions were disclosed.

TREE NEWS update: A Taliban spokesperson said on the 24th that a Pakistani airstrike on Afghanistan killed four civilians, adding that Kabul would respond. Pakistan has not commented on the claim, and no further details on the location or timing of the strike were given.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of National Defense accused Japan of using the so-called ‘existential crisis situation’ as a pretext to accelerate ‘remilitarization,’ spokesperson Senior Colonel Jiang Bin said at a regular press briefing. He made the remarks in response to a question marking the 95th anniversary of the September 18 Incident, citing continued Japanese politicians’ rhetoric over Taiwan and the U.S.-Japan-Australia ‘Orient Shield 26’ drills across Japan. Jiang urged the international community to guard against what he called Japan’s ‘new militarism.’

TREE NEWS reports: China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said 15.502 million new market entities were registered nationwide in the first eight months of the year, including 6.001 million enterprises, 9.474 million self-employed businesses and 27,000 farmer cooperatives, the regulator said at its third-quarter press briefing. The figures cover the January-to-August period.

TREE NEWS update: Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Senior Colonel Jiang Bin said head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic role in China-US military relations, and Beijing is willing to work with Washington to implement the two leaders’ consensus on military affairs. He called for stronger communication and dialogue, practical cooperation, and proper management of differences, so that military ties stay stable and healthy and support a constructive strategic stability relationship.

TREE NEWS update: China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said it inspected 1.246 million electronic pricing scales this year under a “look-back” campaign on market order, finding 8,544 substandard scales and opening 6,096 cases for measurement violations. The figures were disclosed at the regulator’s third-quarter press conference.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will accelerate construction of next-generation communications networks, Vice Minister Yu Xiaohui said on September 23 at the opening of the 2026 China International Information and Communication Exhibition. The plan includes advancing broadband toward dual 10-gigabit speeds, building low-orbit satellite internet systems, expanding and upgrading computing facilities, and strengthening computing-network coordination and interconnection.

TREE NEWS update: China has led the drafting of 214 international standards so far this year and submitted 318 proposals, up 40% year on year, the State Administration for Market Regulation said at its third-quarter briefing. The country’s conversion rate of international standards remains above 95%. One landmark result cited was the international standard on distributed multi-energy systems led by China, marking progress in standardizing smart-energy technology globally.

TREE NEWS update: China and the US held their eighth round of economic and trade consultations in New York, reaching consensus on implementing existing agreements, reciprocal tariff arrangements, and establishing trade and investment councils, China’s Ministry of Commerce said. Vice Premier He Lifeng and Treasury Secretary Bessent held their first AI dialogue under the bilateral trade mechanism. The two sides will keep close communication on follow-up work.

TREE NEWS update: Ningbo issued seven tranches of local government bonds on a single day, raising a combined 120.8119 billion yuan. The largest tranche was a 10-year general bond of 72.6619 billion yuan at a 1.6900% coupon; the longest was a 30-year special bond of 17.200 billion yuan at 2.2200%. Tenors also included 15-year toll-road and 10-year shantytown special bonds.

TREE NEWS update: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on September 23 that he will speak at the UN General Assembly to defend Israel and the actions of the Israeli military. His address is scheduled for September 24 local time. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is also set to speak the same day, by video.