Covid restrictions and the worst heatwaves in decades weighed on China's factory activity, which continued to fall in August, according to data released by the statistics bureau on Wednesday.

China stocks slipped again on Tuesday amid concern about Covid restrictions, but markets in Japan, Australia and India all climbed higher. Eyes are now on US data on Friday.

The Solomon Islands has suspended entry of foreign navy vessels to its waters after US and UK ships on an illegal fishing patrol were rebuffed after trying to make port stops last week

Epidemic prevention and control policies are putting the economy at risk, the Anbound Research Centre said in a rare act of public criticism of the ruling Communist party.

The group committed a "series of severe crimes," which included raising the annual return rate above markets levels, to 13%-18%, in order to attract depositors, a local security bureau said.

China's spending on "public safety" more than doubled over the past decade and reached $210 billion in 2020, and that outlay was 7% higher than its (official) defence spending

Bilateral deal with South Korea is a move to attract investment to develop the electric vehicle and batteries industry, while most Southeast Asian nations, China and Australia are in RCEP

Analysts say ramping up curbs in major trade centres like Shenzhen, Dalian and Chengdu in the southwest could have far more serious impacts than lockdowns in smaller cities.

CASC lauded the “complete success” of the mission boosting China’s “space transportation technology from one-time use to repeated use”

Huaqiangbei market in Shenzhen, which houses thousands of shops selling key components like microchips and telephone parts to manufacturers, will be shuttered until Sept 2

Home prices in the city eased 1.6% last month from June and have now dropped 4.5% so far this year.

The yuan has lost 2.5% against the dollar this month and is on course for its biggest monthly drop since April when Covid lockdowns were imposed in Shanghai and other cities