Li Qiang News

US stock-index futures climbed in early Asia trading on signs that the next round of President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs could be more measured than had previously been suggested. S&P 500 futures rose, Japanese shares fluctuated between gains and losses in early trade, while Australia’s market fell. The dollar was softer against major peers, while the 10-year US Treasury yield advanced.

China's State Council unveiled on Sunday a 'special action plan' to boost domestic consumption, featuring measures including raising residents' income and setting up a childcare subsidy scheme. The plan comes as levels of consumer demand have suffered various setbacks in recent years, due to factors like COVID-19 disruptions and a long property slump, chilling the propensity of households to spend and adding to deflationary trends. Expanding domestic demand It was issued to all regions and departments to «vigorously boost consumption, expand domestic demand in all directions, improve consumption capacity by increasing income and reducing burdens,» a report from the Council said. The plan comes a week after Chinese Premier Li Qiang's work report to the National People's Congress which focused on boosting household spending to cushion the impact of weak external demand. Pressure has been building on Chinese officials for consumer-focused stimulus measures to fend off deflationary pressures and reduce reliance on exports and investment.

Xi Jinping has declined an invitation to visit Brussels for an summit to mark the 50th anniversary of EU-China diplomatic ties, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Beijing told EU officials that Premier Li Qiang would meet the presidents of the European Council and Commission instead of Xi, the FT said, citing two people familiar with the matter whom it did not identify. The Chinese premier usually attends the summit when it is held in Brussels, while the president hosts it in Beijing, but the EU wants Xi to attend to commemorate half a century of relations between Beijing and the bloc, the newspaper said. Tensions between Brussels and Beijing have grown since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with the EU accusing China of backing the Kremlin, the FT said. Last year, the European Union also imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports. «Informal discussions are ongoing, both about setting the date for the EU-China summit this year and the level of representation,» an EU official told the newspaper, while the Chinese ministry was quoted as saying it did not have any information to provide on the matter.

BEIJING — China's latest move to boost consumption isn't meant to jolt all kinds of spending.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. China’s consumer prices nosedived in February, in a sign of stubborn disinflationary pressures, ending a year’s run of tepid price growth and underscoring the challenges policymakers face in stimulating domestic demand as trade tensions intensify.

BEIJING — The undercurrent of China's annual parliamentary meetings this week is U.S. trade tensions — and how Chinese technology is offsetting that pressure.

China is keeping its economic growth target at «around 5%» for 2025 despite a looming trade war with the United States and other headwinds. The target for GDP growth was announced Wednesday in a report being presented by Premier Li Qiang at the opening session of the National People's Congress, the annual meeting of China's legislature. It gives an indication of how ambitious the government is about boosting growth in challenging economic times. The IMF has projected China's economy will grow 4.6% this year, down from 5% in 2024, according to Chinese government statistics.

State-run Pakistan International Airlines has resumed direct flights to Europe following a decision by the European Union’s aviation safety agency to lift a four-year ban over safety standards

China's top leaders have pledged to loosen monetary policy and provide more support for the slowing economy

Leaders and top officials from an international group founded to counter Western alliances have met in Pakistan’s capital, with Moscow and Beijing announcing they will boost cooperation

China’s Premier Li Qiang has inaugurated a Beijing-funded airport built in restive southwestern Pakistan as he arrived for a regional security meeting in the capital, Islamabad

China has agreed to assist Vietnam on cross-border railway development and take steps to expand agricultural imports from its smaller neighbor

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top officials during his second trip to China in a year and a half that comes during a spat over electric cars

The war, largely a grinding artillery and drone battle across the fields, forests and villages of eastern Ukraine, escalated on Aug. 6 when Ukraine sent thousands of soldiers over the border into Russia's western Kursk region. For months, Ukraine has also fought an increasingly damaging drone war against the refineries and airfields of Russia, the world's second largest oil exporter, though major drone attacks on the Moscow region — with a population of over 21 million — have been rarer.

Meloni hopes to implement past agreements and try new forms of cooperation.

China and Bangladesh are reaffirming their ties during a visit by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Beijing as tensions rise in the region over territorial disputes and resources

Tesla's best-selling Model Y was included in a list of electric and plug-in hybrid models that a local government in China can purchase as a service car, according to the official Chinese media outlet the Paper on Thursday. It was the first time Tesla's cars have been made eligible for government purchases in China, the Paper added. China's eastern Jiangsu provincial government published 56 batches of new energy vehicle procurements for use as service cars by party, government and public organisations in a government statement on June 6.

China’s premier has defended open markets and the importance of green technologies for stabilizing global growth as he opened a forum with political and business elites in northeastern China

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim rejects the notion that China’s dominance is to be feared

Chinese Premier Li Qiang is set to talk with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim with the two countries due to ink new cooperation pacts on digital economy and green development as they mark 50 years of diplomatic relations

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has ending his Australian tour in the west coast city of Perth where he focused on China’s investment in critical minerals, clean energy and busines links