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Maguire: Southeast Asia is a key driver for China's clean tech exports.
Southeast Asian nations are the key drivers behind China's clean energy export boom. The region has made record purchases this year of grid equipment, clean power generation components, and electric vehicles. According to Ember, the energy think-tank, ASEAN countries have spent over $20 billion in total on clean-tech Chinese products by?2026. This total is 50% higher than the same period last year. It has?solidified Southeast Asia as the largest Asian market for Chinese clean-tech components. Southeast Asian demand is important because while Europe was the main destination for China's exports of clean-tech products in recent years ASEAN represents the next frontier. It could provide Chinese exporters with a demand boom lasting for years. BROAD BASED DEMAND ON CHINA’S DOORSTEP ASEAN is demanding a wide range of clean-tech products from China. The year-to-date purchase of solar panels, batteries, grid components and heating and cooling systems has all reached record levels. This wide-ranging demand is a positive development for Chinese exporters. They have relied heavily on advanced economies over the past few years, but they are now facing increasing trade tensions with Europe and North America which could slow down future growth. As electricity consumption, industrial activity, and energy investment all increase, the demand for Chinese-made products will also continue to grow. The economies of the region continue to urbanize at an increasing rate, industrialize more and digitize. The governments are increasing renewable energy capacity, expanding the power grids, encouraging electric vehicle adoption, and strengthening domestic manufacturing. Solar panels, batteries and EVs are all products that China produces in unprecedented quantities. Southeast Asia has become a major market for?China's clean tech output, at a moment when the access to certain developed markets is uncertain. SOLAR SHINES Export data for solar systems is one of the most obvious examples of Southeast Asia's importance for China's manufacturers. ASEAN countries have collectively spent $4.1 billion on solar panels made in China so far this season, which is a 90% increase from the same period of 2025. ASEAN accounts for 57% (of China's total exports of solar products across Asia), making it a crucial market for the solar industry. Philippines, Malaysia Indonesia and Vietnam are among the top buyers. They have nearly doubled their solar imports in 2026, compared to a year ago. The region spent just over $7 billion on energy storage batteries and about $1.6 billion on grid component imports. The region imported EVs worth $6.3 billion, and spent an additional $1.2 billion on heating and cooling systems. WORSE IMPACT Demand for clean energy components is increasing across Southeast Asia, and this has implications beyond China's manufacturing base. The trajectory of emissions will be increasingly shaped by economies in development with increasing populations, expanding industries and rising electricity needs. Southeast Asia, which has a population of around 700 million people, is the fastest growing economic bloc in the world, with an annual GDP growth rate of about 5%. According to Ember, the economic growth requires a?constantly increasing power consumption. Coal currently makes up a large part of the power mix in this region. But every shipment of solar panels, batteries, electric vehicles (EVs) and grid equipment to Southeast Asia could accelerate the deployment of low-carbon energy systems in one of the fastest-growing regions of the world. Clean-tech is no longer just about the place where products are manufactured. The story is not only about where products are made, but also how they are used. Southeast Asia, by this measure, is one of the key regions in the global transition to energy. Clean-tech imports from China are growing faster than global markets. The share of Asian demand is increasing. Its appetite spans all major segments of the clean energy economy. Southeast Asia is a key region as China looks for markets that can absorb its massive clean-tech production. You like this column? Check out Open Interest, your new essential source for global financial commentary. Follow ROI on LinkedIn, X and X. Listen to the Morning Bid podcast daily on Apple, Spotify or the app. Subscribe to the Morning Bid podcast and hear journalists discussing the latest news in finance and markets seven days a weeks.
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Poste Italiane increases Telecom Italia's offer and waives the threshold condition
Poste Italiane, an Italian financial conglomerate, increased the value of its takeover bid for Telecom Italia by EUR550 million on 'Monday. In a press release, the state-controlled group announced that it would increase its bid per share?by EUR0.30 up to EUR1.97 and, for the first, offer equity, 0.218 newly issued Poste shares, for every share of Italy's ex-phone monopoly. Poste also waived its condition that it must receive 66.67% of all outstanding shares. The offer period expires on Friday and the take-up rate has been low. Calculations based on bourse data show that Poste Italiane has secured Telecom Italia's shares, which accounted for 25% of TIM's capital as of Monday. Poste's bid was launched?in?March, as part of an initiative to create a?national champion in digital infrastructure and services. Poste announced that it would offer an aggregate maximum?cash component? of EUR3,36 billion ($3,90 billion).
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Airbus deliveries at the end of August rose by 9%
Airbus jet deliveries increased 9% in the first eight-months of 2026. The European planemaker is 'broadly on target' to meet its yearly quota, but it still has some catching up to do with the A330 after a production snag. Airbus announced in a monthly bulletin it delivered 475 jets between January and August. This is up from the 434 that were delivered in the same period last year. The total included 57 deliveries during August. The France-based company released data showing that deliveries of the A330 wide body jet resumed in August with one handover, after they had been suspended for two months in June and July due to the discovery of an A330 tail segment containing a lost tool. Airbus has delivered 11 A330s this year, a 31% decrease. Delivery of the A320 family narrowbody, which is considered to be the benchmark for all other aircraft in its class, increased by 11%. The company targets 870 deliveries by 2026, up 10% from last year's 793. In August, the?planemaker shipped 67 aircraft including eight A350F cargo planes to an unnamed customer. So far this year, the company has sold 1,157 aircraft or 1,091 when cancellations are taken into account.
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Bloomberg News reports that Europe's largest mobile operators are in discussions for a satellite-to-mobile venture.
Bloomberg News reported that?Telefonica, Orange, Vodafone Group, and Deutsche Telekom are in early talks to create a consortium for bidding on satellite spectrum, and offering direct-to mobile services. The report said that a group of 'carriers' would bid together for a?share of the 2 gigahertz airwaves the European Union has proposed to reserve for a?local operator. This plan is aimed at increasing the sovereign satellite capability. Bloomberg reported that no final decisions have been made about the consortium's bid or its plans. Vodafone and Orange refused to comment while Deutsche Telekom and Telefonica?did not immediately?respond?to requests for comments. The project would be a European rival to Elon Musk's Starlink on the continent and would align with the European Union's push to develop'sovereign satellite communications capabilities'
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NTSB updates on fatal Amazon Prime Air cargo plane accident in Miami
The US National Transportation Safety Board announced in a X post that it will be holding a press briefing on Monday at 2:00 pm EDT (20:00 GMT) to provide the latest information about the deadly crash of an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane at Miami International Airport on Sunday. Prime Air Flight 7598, which was heading to the east, overran the diagonal runway of the airport shortly before 2 pm EDT. It struck several vehicles and killed 5 people. Five others were injured, three in critical condition. The crash trapped the pilot and copilot in the plane, according to?Miami Fire Chief Ray Jadallah. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said that more than 60 units of rescue and 200 personnel responded. Jadallah said that emergency personnel were still dealing with the fuel leak as late as Sunday afternoon. In a Sunday afternoon post on X, the NTSB announced that they had "launched a Go Team" to investigate this accident. The airport immediately halted flights after the accident, but flights were resumed on Sunday evening. The incident had lingering effects for passengers flying into Miami. FlightAware, a flight tracking website, reported that by noon EDT Monday, the average delay of inbound flights was more than five hours. 232 flights were canceled over the previous 24 hours. Flightradar24, a flight tracking service, reported that the plane was a 32 year old Boeing 767-300 freighter, which had been used as a passenger aircraft by various airlines from 1994 until 2015. Photos taken after the crash show the jet with its nose down and tail up. The right side of the aircraft had what looked like scorch marks. Flightradar24 reported that the plane had been traveling at 112 knots when it left the runway.
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Hapag-Lloyd to improve $4.2 billion bid on Israel's ZIM
Hapag-Lloyd said that it is working with Israel to improve its $4.2 billion cash offer for ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, which the German shipping company announced on Monday. The proposed deal was met with 'heavy' opposition in Israel. This included 'ZIM's employees, Defence Minister Israel Katz 'and other government officials who claim that the transfer of Israel's shipping operations to a foreign firm undermines Israel's national security. Hapag-Lloyd's CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said, "We have developed an improved proposal to strengthen Israel's maritime independence and security." Habben Jansen said in a press release that "the revised proposal" will ensure Israel's access to important shipping routes including those from Asia. Hapag-Lloyd - which aims to be the fifth largest shipping group in the world - said the deal would create ZIM - a container shipping company that is owned by the Israeli private equity fund FIMI. In a similar deal, FIMI intends to?acquire a business that has 16 vessels carved from ZIM which secures 'direct global maritime links for?Israel via a new company named ZIM Israel. Hapag-Lloyd stated that it held several rounds of meetings, including with officials from the Israeli economy, finance and defense ministries to "revise structural elements of this proposed acquisition". The proposal is expected to go before the Israeli cabinet at the end of the month. Israel has a "golden stake", which gives Israel special ownership rights over ZIM. Habben Jensen stated that the agreement would also prevent foreign interference with the transport of Israel's sensitive goods, which is a "significant improvement" over the existing arrangement. Oren Caspi, Chairman of ZIM's Workers Committee, has said that he is against the proposed merger, stating that ZIM shouldn't be given to "hostile" parties. At present, ZIM shares up to 24 percent can be sold to a single investor from abroad without Israel's prior approval. Hapag-Lloyd proposed lowering the threshold to 10% in order to prevent foreign influence. For its part?FIMI has committed not to list ZIM Israel's shares outside Israel's stock exchange. Hapag-Lloyd stated that the parties had agreed to enhance shipping connections between Israel & Asia on the request of Israeli officials.
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India's Shiprocket suffers narrower loss between April and June
Shiprocket, an Indian logistics company backed by Temasek, reported a smaller first-quarter loss on Monday. This was boosted by its core shipping business. The company's earnings are its first quarterly results since August, when it raised $170 million in an initial public offering. Shiprocket is a logistics platform that offers shipping, fulfillment, payment and other services to online merchants. It competes with Delhivery, Blue Dart Express and others. The company reported a consolidated profit of?137.1 millions rupees ($1.45million) for the three months ended June 30. This is down from a loss of 180.3 millions rupees one year ago. The company reported a profit on a standalone basis, excluding subsidiaries, of 201.6 millions rupees. This compares to a loss of 89.9million rupees the previous year. Shiprocket’s core business, which includes domestic shipping, software tools and marketing solutions, saw a 28% increase in pre-tax profit to 526,9 million rupees. Revenues from the company's emerging business, which includes cargo and fulfilment as well as cross-border shipping and marketing solutions, increased by 70%. The company stated that it continues to invest into its emerging businesses which reported a pre-tax profit of 437.5 millions?rupees. Shiprocket’s quarterly revenue increased by about 34%, to?5.92 billion rupees. However, expenses rose by nearly 31%. Costs for freight handling and service have increased across the industry, as inflation and network expansion add to costs. According to a Google and Deloitte study, India's ecommerce market will grow from $90 billion to $250 billion in 2030, as consumers spend more money online.
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North Korea and Russia Open their First Road Bridge, A Symbol of Expanding Ties
North Korea and Russia opened their first bridge on Monday in a well-choreographed show of friendship. The structure spans the Tumen River and was hailed by both sides as a milestone for their growing strategic partnership. First trucks with flags trundled over the bridge's 1 km (0.6 miles) of two-lanes as Russian Premier Mikhail Mishustin, and North Korea's premier Pak Thae Song watched via video link. They addressed workers and officials from both nations. The construction of the new bridge began in April 2018 after it was decided to build the bridge during the visit by Vladimir Putin in North Korea 2024. Although there are direct rail and air links between Moscow, and Pyongyang already exists, until Monday there was no proper road connection. Since 1959, by special arrangement, planks have been placed on the nearby railway bridge, which was the sole border crossing point for decades, to allow vehicles to cross the border. "I'm convinced that the expansion of the cross-border transportation infrastructure will provide a powerful boost for the development of trade and economic, scientific and technological cooperation, and cultural exchange," said Mishustin. He said the ties between Moscow, Pyongyang and the United States were at an "unprecedented high level." The opening of the bridge was hailed as "a truly historic event." He said that the construction of the bridge wasn't just an engineering project but was "a new symbol for friendship". Mishustin stated that up to 300 vehicles could cross the bridge every day. The 'bridge' would also be connected to Russia’s federal road system and would have easy access the the transport corridor, which runs from Vladivostok in the far east to St Petersburg. The Russian government announced that trucks would immediately begin using the bridge to transport cargo. The bridge will be fully operational by the end of the year and can be used to transport passengers as well. The bridge was constructed near an existing "Friendship Bridge", which is a rail bridge that was opened in 1959, after the Korean War. The new bridge was named in honor of Yakov Novichenko. Pyongyang credits him with saving the life Kim Il Sung, North Korea's founding leader, by intercepting the grenade that was thrown towards him and other people. The ties between the two countries have strengthened since the beginning of the Ukraine war in 2022. Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops into Russia's Kursk area to repel an incursion by the Ukrainians in 2024. Mishustin referred to this in his Monday speech, saying that "the Korean Heroes who, just recently, fought side by side with our soldiers to defend Russian soil".
As the Middle East conflict escalates, airlines cancel more flights
The global air travel industry is still severely affected by the Iran War. Many people are still unable fly to their destinations as planned after major Middle-Eastern hubs such as Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi were closed.
The latest flight information is listed below alphabetically:
AEGEAN AIRLINES
Greece's biggest carrier has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut until April 22 and Erbil and Baghdad till May 24. Dubai flights have been cancelled until April 19, and Riyadh flights are on hold until April 18.
AIRBALTIC
AirBaltic, a Latvian airline, announced that all flights to Tel Aviv have been cancelled up until April 29. All flights to Dubai are cancelled until October 24, according to airBaltic.
AIR CANADA
All flights between Tel Aviv and Dubai have been cancelled by Air Canada until September 7.
AIR EUROPA
Spanish Airlines has canceled all flights to Tel Aviv from April 10 until now.
AIR FRANCE KLM
Air France has cancelled Tel Aviv, Beirut and Dubai flights until April 4, and Riyadh and Dubai flights until March 31. They have also cancelled an April 1 departure out of Dubai.
KLM has suspended flights until May 17 to Tel Aviv and Riyadh.
CATHAY PACIFIC
Hong Kong Airlines has cancelled all flights to Dubai, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi until May 31. In April, the airline will increase passenger flights from London to Paris, Zurich and London to meet the surge in demand for European destinations.
The U.S. carrier has cancelled all flights between New York and Tel Aviv, and will not resume its Atlanta-Tel Aviv service until September 5. The launch of the Boston-Tel Aviv route, originally planned for late October has been postponed until further notice.
EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES
Customers who were planning to leave Israel by April 11th had their flights, including the return flight, cancelled. The airline operates a limited number of flights between Israel and several important destinations.
EMIRATES
The UAE airline announced that it would operate a reduced schedule after a partial opening of the regional airspace.
ETIHAD AERWAYS
The UAE carrier announced that it operated a commercial flight schedule from Abu Dhabi to around 80 destinations.
FINNAIR
The Finnish airline has cancelled all Dubai flights until 29 March and Doha flights till 2 July, while continuing to avoid airspace in Iraq, Iran Syria and Israel.
FLYNAS
Saudia, the budget airline, has suspended flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah as well as Doha, Bahrain, Kuwait Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, and?Syria, until April 15th.
British Airways, owned by IAG, has extended the cancellations to Amman and Bahrain until May 31, and Doha until April 30. Flights to Bangkok and Singapore have also been added. Flights to Abu Dhabi are suspended until the end of this year.
JAPAN AIRLINES
Japan Airlines has suspended its scheduled flights between Tokyo and Doha until April 10, and Doha to Tokyo until April 11.
LOT, the Polish airline, announced that all flights to Dubai and Tel Aviv have been cancelled up until 28 March. The airline has also cancelled all flights to Riyadh and Beirut between March 31 and April 30.
LUFTHANSA GROUP Lufthansa Group, Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines have suspended flights from Dubai and Tel Aviv to October 24, and Abu Dhabi, Amman and Beirut to Riyadh. Lufthansa Cargo will be the same except for Tel Aviv, which is suspended until April 30.
Eurowings, a low-cost airline, plans to suspend its flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut through April 30, and to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Amman until October 24.
MALAYSIA AIRLINES
Malaysia Airlines has suspended all flights to Doha from April 15 until further notice.
NORWEGIAN AIR
It has delayed the launch of its Tel Aviv service to June 15 from April 1, and that of Beirut's services, respectively. The airline has cancelled all Dubai flights until April 8.
PEGASUS
Pegasus Airlines, Turkey's national airline, has cancelled all flights to Iran, Iraq, Amman Beirut, Kuwait Bahrain Doha Dammam Riyadh Dubai Abu Dhabi Sharjah and Abu Dhabi until April 13th.
QANTAS
Australia's flag airline is adding more flights to Rome and Paris in response to a surge in demand for European destinations. Flights from Perth to Singapore will be increased from daily to ten flights per day. A new?schedule' will be implemented gradually for flights starting in mid-April, and running until late July.
QATAR AIRWAYS
The airline said that it will gradually increase its flight frequencies to and from Doha, with more flights being offered to over 90 destinations.
SINGAPORE Airlines
In response to increased demand, the carrier has extended the suspension of Singapore-Dubai flights through?April 30. It also added services for Singapore-London Gatwick?and Singapore-Melbourne routes from late March until October 24, in order to accommodate the longer suspension.
TURKISH AIRLINES
Turkish Airlines has cancelled most Middle East flights up until the end March. SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa and SunExpress has cancelled flights from Dubai to Bahrain to April 30.
WIZZ AIR
Low-cost carrier has suspended all flights from Europe to Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman until the middle of September. All flights to Medina have been suspended indefinitely. (Compiled by Josephine Mason and Jamie Freed; edited by Matt Scuffham and Milla Nissi Prussak; Christopher Cushing, Sumana Nady, and Joe Bavier.
(source: Reuters)