East Asia

Five industry sources familiar with the matter have confirmed that China has eased its limits on refined fuel exports in August for a second time. Refiners were given temporary approval to ship 2.7 millions metric tons of fuel to destinations other than Hong Kong and Macau. Due to the short timeframe for spot sales, refiners can also rollover some of their August allowances into September. The August 'programme' is expected to be 3.6 million tonnes, including shipments to Hong Kong as well as jet fuel refuelling at Chinese airports for international flights. Estimates say that the total amount of jet...

The 'China Industry Ministry' announced on Tuesday that the country has issued mandatory safety standards for vehicles equipped with highly automated or conditional driving systems. According to the new rules that will take effect July 1, 2027 an automated 'driving system' must reach a level of safety that is at least equal to a human driver who is qualified and attentive to the driving task. According to a statement from the ministry, the system must not pose unreasonable risks to road users or vehicle occupants. The standard does not apply to automated parking systems and only applies to vehicles with...

Six sources familiar with the situation said that China held direct discussions with Yemen's Houthi movement to allow its tankers to navigate through the southern Red Sea, without being attacked. The Iran-aligned group had pledged to block access to Saudi ports. The Houthis announced their 'blockade' on July 20th, opening a?new front?against U.S. allies and the Iran war? and expanding attacks on oil tankers transporting energy and other supplies beyond the Middle East. According to sources, including a senior Iranian official, Beijing asked the Houthis to guarantee safe passage for their tankers. Sources who declined to identify themselves due to...

Six sources familiar with the situation have confirmed that China held direct discussions with Yemen's Houthi Movement to allow its?tankers the freedom to navigate through the southern Red Sea, without fear of being attacked by the Iran-aligned militia. The 'Houthis' declared their blockade of the U.S. on July 20. This opened a new front in the Iran War against the U.S. According to sources, including a senior Iranian official, Beijing asked the Houthis to guarantee safe passage for their tankers. Sources who refused to be named due to the sensitive nature of the issue said that China was one of...

Typhoon Noul hit southern China early Sunday morning, bringing torrential rainfall and gale force winds to the province of Guangdong and Hong Kong. Authorities warned that heavy rains and storms would continue until Tuesday. Noul is the 12th tropical storm of the year, and the third one to strike China in this month. Authorities said that it has forced more than 700,000. people to relocate in Guangdong Province. Noul, China's strongest typhoon in 2026 so far, hit the coast of Huidong County in the southern Guangdong Province at 3:50 am Saturday (1950 GMT) as a powerful typhoon. State broadcaster CCTV...

Typhoon Noul hit southern China early on Sunday, bringing with it 'heavy rains and gale force winds in the Guangdong province and neighbouring Hong Kong. This led to the cancellation of flights at Hong Kong International Airport. Noul, or the glow of sunrise in Korean, is the third typhoon to hit China in this month and the 12th in the Pacific this year. Authorities said that it has forced more than 340,000 people to relocate in Guangdong Province. Hong Kong's?Observatory reported on Sunday that the typhoon was weakening while it moved further inland. It added that strong?gales continued to affect?much?...

These are the 'top stories' from?the New York Times?business?pages. The?New York Times has not verified the accuracy of these stories. The Florida teenager who sued Meta for claiming that the company's social media apps caused his depression and anxiety dropped his lawsuit. Sony Pictures Entertainment announced that it will reopen the Cinerama Dome, Hollywood by 2028 after a renovation. This was in response to a growing demand from younger audiences for premium movie experiences. Three U.S. Airports are the first to adopt the new "private screening" model of the Transportation Security Administration, despite the staunch opposition from the union representing...

China's Civil Aviation Authority on Monday ordered the operator of a light aircraft that crashed into Beijing’s tallest building in late August to suspend operations, ground aircraft and eliminate “major safety risks”. The pilot of a two-seater, single-engine light sport aircraft was killed in the rare crash that occurred during rush hour evening rush hours in Beijing's crowded?central business district. Local government officials have confirmed that 13 other people were injured in the crash. Local government officials said that the pilot suffered from insomnia, anxiety and had written in his diary about ending his own life. Questions remain about how...

The race to secure the critical minerals is opening up new opportunities for countries that have the fortune to possess the right deposits. The goal is to extract as much value from the metal?riches' in the earth as possible. The obvious answer is to process the ore. Smelters that convert ore to metal are not only more valuable, but also offer a path to economic and industrial development. It's a way for Western policymakers to loosen China's grip over midstream capacity in many critical metals. According to a joint study by the consultancy CRU, and the World Bank, the number...

Shipping data revealed that the number of tankers traversing the Strait of Hormuz dropped to its lowest level in two months in the last day, after renewed strikes between Iran and the U.S.?and attacks against vessels raised safety concerns. Shipping industry sources say that vessels are increasingly turning off their public AIS?transponders. This makes it difficult to count the total number of ships on the waterway. According to Kpler's analysis, based on the data available, oil and gas tanker traffic has fallen to its lowest levels since May 25. In a recent report, ship broker Gibson stated that the world...

Bamboo bridges and road?closures helped protect Taiwan's biggest terrestrial crab species when they returned to the sea during breeding season. Taijiang National Park, located in southern Taiwan's city of Tainan, is home to the largest number of mangrove land crabs on the island. During the breeding season from July to September, female crabs descend to 'the sea' to release their eggs. However, because their migration route crosses roads, they are vulnerable to being hit by cars. Taijiang National Park 'Director Chen Junshan said that the road closures, bamboo bridges and other measures have reduced roadkill -and helped increase crab numbers...

Georgia's economy minister announced on Monday that the country will be taking over full development of the country's first deep water port on the Black Sea. This is the first definite indication that the Chinese-Singaporean consortium has pulled out of the project. Anaklia Deep Sea Port, originally planned as an important infrastructure link connecting Asia with Europe a decade earlier, has been plagued by delays since the Georgian Government in 2020 canceled a contract awarded to a Western-led group?to build it. The port will be the most ambitious infrastructure project in the country to date. It aims to handle approximately...

Sinograin, China's state stockpiler, sold 67% of its 501,000 metric tons of soybeans at a second auction held in recent weeks on Wednesday. The company is trying to make space for U.S. cargoes. Sources said that soybeans from the 2022-2025 crop sold on average at a price of 4,013.5 Yuan ($594.84) a ton. Deliveries are scheduled between October and December. Sinograin's?previous Friday auction -- the largest since January -- sold about half?the 504,000 metric tons of imported soybeans?at a price of 4,033 Yuan per ton. Traders have said that they expect the stockpiler state to continue auctions in the next...

Azerbaijan's government expects the freight volume along the "Middle Corridor", a trade route, to rise 17% this year to 5.5 million tons before rising to 7 million tons in 2027. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known by the name of the corridor, connects China to European countries via Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. It also passes through Georgia, Turkey, and Georgia. Containers containing clothing, electronics, and other consumer products, as well grain, coal, ore and fertilisers are transported along this route. The corridor, with its annual capacity of over 15 million tons is still a tiny part of the rail traffic...

Sinograin, China's state-owned stockpiler, said it would auction 500,000 metric tons of?imported?soybeans this Friday. This will be the first sale of such a size since January. The market is expecting the state stockpiler free up space to receive U.S. soybeans. According to a notice issued by the National Grain Trade Centre, this sale is scheduled for 1:30 pm (0530 GMT) and will offer 504,000 tons of soybeans that were produced between 2022-2025. The 'auction' is probably to clear storage space in preparation for the purchase of 25 million metric tonnes of U.S. soya beans, said Johnny Xiang of AgRadar Consulting....

These are the most popular stories from the Wall Street Journal. The?has not checked these stories or?cannot?guarantee their accuracy. Databricks, a provider of data analytics, has raised a round of strategic funding valued at $188 billion. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that Taco Bell owned by Yum Brands would stop using shredded iceberg sourced from a supplier that has been linked with a parasitic outbreak causing a severe form of diarrhea and vomiting. Honda Motors will stop?the production?of its Prologue SUV, which is sold?in America?this?year. Honda Motors will not cancel sales immediately, but expects to continue them until...

Exxaro Resources, a South African miner, said Monday that it wants to 'transport more manganese by rail instead of road in order to reduce costs and improve efficiency at its newly-acquired assets. Exxaro CEO Ben Magara stated that the company, along with its competitors, were working together with Transnet, a state-owned firm in freight transport, to increase freight capacity. Transnet is opening up parts of its network for private investment. Exxaro reported that hauling manganese via road costs?37% higher than rail. Exxaro said that logistics costs accounted for 43% for the free-onboard costs of?the bulk minerals. Johan Meyer, Exxaro's head...

South Korean media reported that the industrial action of South Korean truckers tasked with transporting concrete could delay major expansion projects at semiconductor 'plants by SK Hynix and?Samsung Electronics. The National Ready-Mixed Concrete Transport Workers' Union has suspended deliveries throughout the Seoul metropolitan region starting Monday. It said that this work stoppage would affect?around 8,000 members, as they demanded higher rates and other changes. The Chosun Ilbo reported that the participating union members blocked deliveries from?two cement plants in Pyeongtaek on Thursday, stopping the pouring concrete at the site of Samsung Electronics's chip plant. According to South Korea's Newsis, citing...

Three sources familiar with the issue said that?tungsten and rare earths, as well as gallium, were shortlisted for the first joint stockpile of critical minerals to reduce reliance on China. One of the sources, and a third source, said that the EU was also in talks with major ports, including Rotterdam, the largest port in the Netherlands. They are looking at storing the minerals there. This is one of the most concrete measures taken by the EU to protect its economy against Beijing's dominance over the production of critical minerals, which are vital to defence, semiconductors, and energy transition. They...

Three sources with knowledge of the matter said that the European Union has shortlisted tungsten and rare earths for its first joint stockpile. The goal is to reduce its dependence on China. One of the sources, and a third source, said that the EU was also in talks with Rotterdam, the largest port in the Netherlands. This is one of the most concrete measures taken by the EU to protect its economy from Beijing, which has a 'dominance' in the production of critical minerals that are vital to defence, semiconductors and energy transition. After Beijing's export restrictions sent shockwaves throughout...

A notice published by the London Metal Exchange on Thursday showed that China's Tsingshan Group has applied to have aluminium produced at its Hua Chin joint venture in Indonesia?available for delivery?on the London Metal Exchange. Hua Chin - where Tsingshan and Huafon Group are partnered by fellow Chinese company Huafon Group - would be the only Indonesian brand of high-grade primary aluminum to be accepted by LME, after state-owned Inalum. * The application is being made as Indonesia ramps up production and exports, potentially compensating shortages caused by war in the Middle East. According to a LME notice, the second...

Australia's?AirTrunk?said Thursday that it would invest $3 billion in?building two hyperscale?data?centers?in Malaysia, doubling its existing business there. The two data centres, which will be located in Johor Bahru have a combined power of over 280 megawatts. They are also close to the existing AirTrunk data center campuses. AirTrunk said that the four data centers would have a capacity of more than 700 Megawatts and the investment value in Malaysia will be $6.8 Billion. AirTrunk CEO Robin Khuda said that the demand for cloud-based AI infrastructure in Asia-Pacific was growing faster than expected. "Our job is not only to be ahead...

Standard Chartered Bank announced on Tuesday that it had successfully arranged a $2.33billion syndicated finance facility?for a Standard 'Gauge -Railway?Project?in Tanzania. The money will be used to finance two stretches on a planned 1,219 km rail line linking the port and commercial capital of Dar es Salaam with?the lakeside town of Mwanza. The bank said that Yapi Merkezi, a Turkish company, and China's China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation would be responsible for the work. The bank added that funding was obtained from commercial banks, export credit agencies and development finance institutions. The bank said: "The construction of the Standard Gauge...

Hyundai's CEO said that it will be difficult for the automaker, due to manufacturing constraints, to quickly reallocate sales to other regions, and thus make up lost sales. The CEO of Hyundai, Jose Munoz, revealed the?new?Ioniq3 EV at the Milan Design Week, in Italy. He said that the Middle East is the market with the highest margins for the South Korean carmaker, even though it does not bring "massive" profits. Hyundai's Spanish CEO stated that the conflict in the Middle East was having an impact on the company because cars produced for this region cannot be easily redirected to other...