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![EU, Singapore conclude negotiations for landmark Digital Trade Agreement](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The agreement aims to build trust, ensure predictability for businesses, and remove barriers to digital trade
![Apple’s China smartphone shipments fall 6.5 percent as local players dominate: Report](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Vivo reclaimed the top spot in China with 13.1 million smartphone shipments, capturing a 19 percent market share
![Is Japan facing a profound demographic crisis as its population drops by over 500,000 in 2023?](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20768'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The country’s birth rate hit a record low of 730,000 in 2023, while deaths reached a record high of 1.58 million
![China’s central bank lends at lower rates for second time this week](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Central bank issued $27.5 billion in one-year loans under its medium-term lending facility operation at 2.30 percent
![India to invest $24 billion in job creation over next five years, $131.51 billion on long-term infrastructure projects](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20664'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
"India's economic growth continues to be the shining exception and will remain so in the years ahead," the minister said
![China’s fiscal revenue fell 2.8 percent YoY to $1.62 trillion in H1 2024](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20682'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A breakdown of the data showed that the central government collected around 5 trillion yuan in fiscal revenue
![PetroChina joins COP28’s oil & gas decarbonization charter](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
With the addition of PetroChina, the charter's signatories now represent more than 42 percent of global oil production
![Beijing foreign trade volume hits record-high $256.61 billion in H1 2024](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Emerging industries stood out as key contributors to export growth in Beijing, accounting for 27.8 percent of city's total exports
![China cuts lending rates to boost economic growth following weaker Q2 GDP data](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
One-year loan prime rate (LPR) declined to 3.35 percent, while the five-year LPR was reduced to 3.85 percent
![Over 40 percent of Japanese firms remain hesitant to adopt AI: Survey](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20682'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Data showed that 24 percent of companies have implemented AI, and 35 percent plan to do so in the future
![Japan targets record 35 million foreign visitors in 2024](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
From April to June, foreign visitors spent a quarterly record of around 2.1 trillion yen
![Japan posts first trade surplus in three months in June at $1.4 billion](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
During the first six months of 2024, Japan’s trade deficit declined by more than half to $21 billion
![Singapore Airlines passenger numbers rise 13.8 percent to 9.6 million in Q1 2024](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Airline's load factor in June declined 3.2 percentage points month-on-month to 87.4 percent
![IMF revises up South Korea’s 2024 growth outlook to 2.5 percent, cites stable global expansion](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
However, the IMF has slightly lowered its 2025 growth forecast to 2.2 percent
![China sees surge in foreign tourism with visa-free policies, diverse payment options](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
14.64 million foreign nationals entered China through various ports during the first six months of the year
![IMF cuts Japan’s 2024 growth forecast to 0.7 percent, sees 1.0 percent expansion in 2025](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20680'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Fund expected consumption boost from wage increases
![China’s industrial output rises 5.3 percent in June, slows on weak domestic demand](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Retail sales rose 2 percent in June, slowing significantly from a 3.7 percent expansion in May
![South Korea’s car exports surge to new $37 billion high in 2024, driven by hybrid and electric demand](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20710'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The number of cars exported totaled 1,467,196 units, up 3.2 percent over the same period
![India’s exports rise 5.4 percent to $65.47 billion in June, set to reach $800 billion](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
India's goods trade deficit narrowed to $20.98 billion in June from $23.78 billion in May
![South Korea’s average car export prices hit record high of $25,224 in H1 2024](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The combined value of automobile exports in South Korea rose to $37 billion in the first half of 2024
![China launches its first e-visa in Shanghai](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The e-visa, or electronic visa, is the digital version of the traditional paper visa
![South Korea’s ICT exports rise for eight consecutive month, reach $21.05 billion in June](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
ICT exports totaled $108.9 billion, the second-highest figure for the period
![Pakistan secures new $7 billion loan program from IMF](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20680'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
This agreement, Pakistan's 24th IMF bailout, now awaits approval from the IMF's executive board
![China’s central bank likely to hold medium-term lending rate steady next week](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20683'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Weak Chinese currency has remained a major concern limiting any easing to the central bank's monetary policy