Officials in western Sichuan province have maintained their ban on industrial facilities using power until Thursday, when rain has been forecast, a report on Sunday said

"We can expect more geopolitical contestation in the Asia-Pacific," he said, adding that Singapore would try its best to avoid being caught up in the "major power rivalry".

Japan is considering extending the range of its missiles from 100 kilometres to 1,000 kilometres to boost its ability to strike back against China, the Yomiuri daily said.

Extreme temperatures in July caused direct economic losses of 2.73 billion yuan ($400 million), affecting 5.5 million people and 457,500 hectares of land

A Shanghai court gave Xiao Jianhua 13 years in jail, while his Tomorrow Holdings group was hit with a record 55-billion-yuan fine ($8.1 billion) for illegally siphoning public money, bribery

The Taiwanese group signed a $300m agreement with local developer Kinh Bac City to expand its facilities northeast of Hanoi, amid reports it will make the Apple Watch there

China imported 7.15 million tonnes of Russian oil last month via the East Siberia Pacific Ocean pipeline and shipped from Russian ports, but domestic demand was weaker

Some 25 out of 30 respondents in a snap poll predicted a 10-basis-point reduction in the one-year loan prime rate, which banks charge their best clients.

The company's net income fell 67% to 2.08 billion yuan, missing analysts' estimates.

The deal to build 161 mobile phone towers across the Solomons Islands will be financed via a loan from China's state-owned Exim Bank, The Age reported.

The decision to stop the buyout is the UK's latest move to protect its technological edge from Chinese ownership, The Guardian reported.

The Cyberspace Administration of China also said it supports overseas listings, and that the aim is to ensure that data is not abused by foreign governments.