Flash News

TREE NEWS update: The Kremlin said there is currently no basis for holding peace talks on Ukraine. The statement, carried by Interfax, gives no indication of when or under what conditions negotiations might become possible. Moscow did not elaborate on what would need to change for talks to proceed.

TREE NEWS update: Legal & General plans to cut roughly 10% of its workforce as part of an efficiency drive, the UK insurer and asset manager said. The reduction affects about one in ten employees across the group. No further details on timing or cost savings were given.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology called for accelerating carbon peaking across the industrial sector at the 2026 national green and low-carbon development conference held September 23 in Yichang, Hubei. The ministry said the 15th Five-Year Plan period will implement the industrial green and low-carbon development plan, strengthen policy and standards, and improve green manufacturing and resource recycling systems.

TREE NEWS update: The People’s Bank of China will conduct overnight reverse repo operations from Sept 28 to Oct 8, using fixed-rate, quantity-based tenders, with a daily cap of 1 trillion yuan. The central bank said the move is aimed at better matching short-term liquidity demand in the banking system. The operations span the National Day holiday period.

TREE NEWS update: Chinese President Xi Jinping departed Beijing on the afternoon of September 23 aboard a special aircraft for a state visit to the United States at the invitation of US President Donald Trump. Accompanying him are his wife Peng Liyuan, Politburo Standing Committee member and Central Committee General Office director Cai Qi, and Politburo member and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

TREE NEWS update: Shanghai launched “Hu Yang Bao,” a city-specific commercial pension product, at a briefing in the city. The product requires a minimum investment of 100 yuan and offers term-based principal protection, a locked account, smoothed returns and a death benefit, designed to support long-term retirement savings and long-term management of pension funds.

TREE NEWS update: Topsperity Securities (Debang Securities) said Yin Tao, 49, has taken over as party secretary and chairman. Yin, currently a deputy general manager at Shandong Financial Group, replaces Liang Lei, who had held both roles concurrently. The change was disclosed in the company’s board personnel notice.

TREE NEWS reports: The Asian Development Bank raised its 2026 growth forecast for developing Asia-Pacific economies to 5%, up from the 4.9% estimate issued in July, according to a supplement to its Asian Development Outlook 2026 published on the 23rd. The revision reflects a brighter outlook for the region, the ADB said in the report.

TREE NEWS update: AstraZeneca said it will partner with UNICEF and 60 non-governmental organizations to launch a new five-year phase of its adolescent health program. Cumulative investment is expected to exceed $100 million by 2030, the company said. The program targets improving adolescent health in more than 60 countries.

TREE NEWS update: China’s National Health Commission said at a press conference in Beijing that breast disease screening methods should be chosen individually, with ultrasound and mammography being the most commonly used imaging tools. Liu Miao, chief physician at Peking University People’s Hospital, said mammography is best at detecting small, dense calcifications, while ultrasound is convenient and better at revealing internal tissue structure. The choice of examination should vary from patient to patient.

TREE NEWS update: Qingdao issued special-purpose local government bonds across four maturities: 10-year bonds totaling 65.5 billion yuan at a 1.7300% coupon, a 15-year tranche of 250 million yuan at 2.0300%, a 20-year tranche of 1.427 billion yuan at 2.2200%, and a 30-year tranche of 2.384 billion yuan at 2.2500%. The 30-year sale drew a bid-to-cover multiple of 32.01 times against an expected 2.24.

TREE NEWS update: A full-chain motorcycle production base for Zhangxue Motorcycle, planned for annual capacity of 500,000 units, has officially landed in Chongqing’s Liangjiang New Area, according to the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology. The project covers 186.5 mu and will build a complete motorcycle production system spanning in-house engine development, core component manufacturing and final vehicle assembly and testing. At full production, it is expected to generate annual output value in the tens of billions of yuan.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs said the number of charity organizations nationwide has reached nearly 16,000, up 69% from the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan, with charitable trusts at 3,002, a 5.2-fold increase. Vice Minister Hu Haifeng said charity organizations spend about 150 billion yuan a year on elderly, child, disability and poverty relief, education and healthcare. During the 15th Five-Year Plan, the ministry will both promote and regulate the sector.

TREE NEWS update: Shanghai will roll out 200 consumption-promotion events across all 16 districts during the 2026 Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays, the city’s Commerce Commission said. Spanning shopping malls and retail brands, the campaign covers six themes including brand discounts, global cuisine, debut launches, guochao cultural products, sports events and countryside leisure, linking goods and services consumption.

TREE NEWS update: Hang Seng Indexes Company unveiled eight new indexes, including the Hang Seng Semiconductor Industry Index, the Hang Seng Tech Composite Index and the Hang Seng Tech Composite LargeCap Index. The tech composite gauge measures the overall performance of technology companies on the Hong Kong securities market, while the large-cap version tracks large-cap technology names only.

TREE NEWS update: Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission on September 23 published a strategic action roadmap to support the city’s first Five-Year Plan and the 2026 Policy Address, setting out short-, medium- and long-term measures to drive high-quality development of Hong Kong’s capital markets and reinforce its competitive edge as an international financial centre. The roadmap also aims to align with the national 15th Five-Year Plan, strengthening Hong Kong’s role in China’s financial opening.

TREE NEWS reports: China’s agricultural exports have grown for five consecutive years through 2025, with exports reaching 492.03 billion yuan in the first eight months, up 4.2% year on year, the General Administration of Customs said. Vegetables and edible fungi, aquatic products, and dried and fresh fruit and nuts were the main categories. Shandong province exported 114.05 billion yuan, up 5.5%, accounting for 23.2% of the national total and ranking first nationwide for 27 straight years.

TREE NEWS reports: The onshore yuan closed at 6.7065 per US dollar at 16:30 Beijing time, down 46 pips from the previous official close. The pair also ended 60 pips weaker than the prior overnight session close. The move marks a softer finish for the Chinese currency against the dollar.

TREE NEWS update: Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on September 22 that she had concluded a meeting with US President Donald Trump, held on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly general debate in New York. Rodriguez said the two sides discussed strengthening bilateral relations and advancing cooperation in strategic areas including energy, mining and security, as well as other issues of mutual concern. The White House schedule listed the meeting as closed-door.

TREE NEWS update: China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs will coordinate a comprehensive, science-based response to population aging, Minister Li Changguan said at a State Council Information Office press conference on the “15th Five-Year Plan” theme. The ministry will combine meeting the needs of older people with addressing population aging, working alongside relevant departments, Li said.