Asia

China’s Chang’e-6 probe takes off from the moon with first samples from lunar far side

Probe made technological breakthroughs, including the lunar retrograde orbit design and control technology

$1.3 trillion to lift China’s tourism sector as domestic travelers flock back

In 2019, Chinese tourists spent $248 billion abroad, accounting for 14 percent of global tourism spending

China’s Xinjiang begins operating world’s largest solar plant

The solar plant will generate about 6.09 billion kilowatt hours of electricity each year

China’s new home prices rise 0.25 percent in May, maintain 9-month positive trend

The central bank's $138 billion support in May helped prop up the real estate sector

China leads affordable EV charge as global transition faces challenges: Report

This is primarily driven by the near price parity between battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in the country

Japan spends record $62 billion to prop up yen amid currency volatility

This amount exceeds the nearly 9.2 trillion yen Japan spent on yen-buying, dollar-selling operations in late 2022

South Korea records 8th straight month of YoY export growth, reaching $58.1 billion in May

Imports declined 2 percent year-on-year to $53.1 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $4.96 billion

Google to invest $2 billion in data center and cloud region in Malaysia

The data center will power services such as Search, Maps, and Workspace, and will help deliver AI services

Japan to launch digital national ID card ‘My Number’ on iPhones

Japan aims to include driving licenses into the system by March 2025

Asia-Pacific labor markets recover, 87.8 million people out of work: Report

Unemployment in the region's labor market to remain stable at 4.2 percent in 2024 and 2025

IMF revises China’s 2024 growth projection to 5 percent amid robust Q1, policy interventions

China's economy saw robust 5.3 percent growth in Q1 driven by strong exports

Japan develops world’s first wooden satellite, potential launch in September

"LignoSat" is expected to be launched into space aboard a SpaceX rocket from the United States

India to buy back $4.81 billion worth of government bonds: RBI

Last week, the central bank accepted bids to buy back 52.7 billion rupees worth of bonds

Japan maintains global top creditor status, net external assets reach record $3 trillion

This growth was driven by a weaker yen and overseas corporate acquisitions, which boosted the value of Japan's foreign assets

Korea, Japan, China hold trilateral summit, issue joint statement for collaboration in 6 key sectors

Countries agreed to support discussions to speed up negotiations for a trilateral free-trade agreement

China launches third semiconductor industry fund with $47.5 billion capital

China established the first phase of the semiconductor industry fund in 2014 with a capital of 138.7 billion yuan

South Korea launches space agency KASA, plans moon landing in 2032

The new space agency began operations with about 110 people, and will fill its 293-strong workforce in phases

Profits of China’s major industrial firms rise 4.3 percent to $288.49 billion in first four months of 2024

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics reported that this growth rate was the same as that registered in the first quarter

Vietnam’s YoY industrial production up 6 percent in Q1 2024

The manufacturing and processing sector grew by 6.3 percent, contributing 5.5 percentage points to the overall increase

China power sector achieves $16.5 billion in completed clean energy projects in Q1 2024

The magnitude of clean energy projects currently under construction in China surged to 512.05 GW during the quarter

China’s outbound direct investment surges to $47.41 billion in first 4 months of 2024

This represents an 18.7 percent increase compared to the same period last year

UAE announces plan to invest $10 billion in Pakistan

In January 2023, the UAE agreed to roll over an existing $2 billion loan and provide an additional $1 billion to Pakistan

China issues $5.5 billion worth of 20-year treasury bonds

China plans on issuing 20-year, 30-year and 50-year ultra-long-term national treasury bonds this year