Real-time News

March 4th – The State Council Taiwan Affairs Office held a regular press conference on March 4th. Spokesperson Zhang Han stated that the DPP authorities' stubborn adherence to their "Taiwan independence" separatist stance and their deliberate provocations are the root cause of the tense and turbulent situation across the Taiwan Strait. We have repeatedly stated that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are Chinese, one family. As long as the DPP authorities recognize the "1992 Consensus" and cease their "Taiwan independence" separatist activities, cross-strait dialogue and consultation can resume, and cross-strait relations can develop peacefully. The peaceful development of cross-strait relations is conducive to enhancing the well-being of compatriots on both sides of the Strait, promoting harmony and tranquility in Taiwan society, and ensuring that Taiwan compatriots live and work in peace and contentment. It is the will of the people and an irresistible trend. Following this trend and the will of the people is the wise course of action.

The main Shanghai silver futures contract narrowed its intraday decline to 4.00%, currently trading at 21,945.00 yuan/kg.

The yield on 20-year Japanese government bonds rose 1.0 basis point to 2.965%.

March 4th - On March 3rd local time, the Cuban Attorney General's Office announced that six individuals have been formally charged with "terrorism offenses" and prosecuted in connection with the incident in which a US speedboat entered Cuban territorial waters and engaged in a shootout with law enforcement personnel. The Cuban Attorney General's Office stated that the prosecution has ordered preventative detention of the defendants.

On March 4th, the China Internet Finance Association officially released two group standards: "Classification and Coding of Digital Financial Anti-Fraud Information" (T/NIFA 34—2025) and "Technical Protection Guidelines for Data Security in Open Banking" (T/NIFA 35—2025), after being reviewed and approved by the fourth meeting of the second council.

On March 4th, the highest 7-day annualized yield of Tencent Wealth Management's "Current Account +" was 1.4620%, and the lowest was 0.8040%. The highest 7-day annualized yield of WeChat Pay's "Lingqian Tong" was 1.1450%, and the lowest was 1.0300%. The highest 7-day annualized yield of Alipay's "Yu'ebao" was 1.2210%, and the lowest was 1.0080%.

On March 4th, the National Energy Administration's Rural Revitalization Leading Group held its first meeting of 2026. The meeting emphasized that rural development should always be considered a crucial political task for the overall energy sector, urging everyone to shoulder political responsibility, deeply advance the rural energy revolution, focus on improving the power supply guarantee and comprehensive carrying capacity of rural power grids, vigorously promote the development and utilization of rural wind and solar power, expand the coverage of rural charging facilities, continue to improve clean heating in northern regions, and promote renewable energy heating in rural areas according to local conditions, thereby driving income growth for village collectives and villagers through energy development. The meeting also stressed the need to complete targeted poverty alleviation and counterpart support tasks with high quality, adhere to good experiences and practices, and continuously innovate support measures.

Market news: The U.S. Senate will vote on a war powers resolution at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday.

March 4th - The 2026 National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (NPC & CPPCC) are about to open. Lei Jun, a National People's Congress representative and founder of Xiaomi Group, mentioned that current driver assistance functions in smart cars still heavily rely on human drivers, who must maintain concentration while driving. Lei Jun called on the media to strengthen publicity and make the public aware that current driver assistance systems have not yet reached Level 4, therefore drivers must not be complacent.

According to the Financial Times, US shale oil industry executives have warned that they cannot fill the gap in Middle Eastern oil supplies disrupted by war.

On March 4th, Huo Lihui, Chief Statistician of the Service Industry Survey Center of the National Bureau of Statistics, interpreted the China Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for February 2026. Business expectations are positive. The production and operation activity expectation index was 53.2%, up 0.6 percentage points from the previous month, indicating that manufacturing enterprises have strengthened their confidence in market development after the Spring Festival. By industry, the production and operation activity expectation indices for general equipment, railway, shipbuilding, and aerospace equipment are all above 56.0%, indicating a relatively high level of prosperity, with related enterprises being more optimistic about the near-term development of their industries.

March 4th - Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that the new orders index for the non-manufacturing sector in February was 45.2%, down 0.9 percentage points from the previous month, indicating a slight decline in market demand in the non-manufacturing sector. By sector, the new orders index for the construction industry was 42.2%, up 2.1 percentage points from the previous month; the new orders index for the service industry was 45.7%, down 1.4 percentage points from the previous month. The input price index was 50.9%, up 0.9 percentage points from the previous month, indicating that the overall price level of inputs used by non-manufacturing enterprises for operating activities has increased. By sector, the input price index for the construction industry was 49.1%, down 2.9 percentage points from the previous month; the input price index for the service industry was 51.2%, up 1.5 percentage points from the previous month.

March 4th - Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that, by sector, the business activity index for the construction industry was 48.2%, down 0.6 percentage points from the previous month; while the business activity index for the service industry was 49.7%, up 0.2 percentage points from the previous month. Within the service sector, the business activity indices for accommodation, catering, and culture, sports, and entertainment were all above 60.0%, indicating a high level of prosperity; while the business activity indices for capital market services and real estate were below the critical point.

March 4th - According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, in terms of enterprise size, the PMI for large manufacturing enterprises in February was 51.5%, up 1.2 percentage points from the previous month and above the critical point; the PMIs for medium and small enterprises were 47.5% and 44.8% respectively, down 1.2 and 2.6 percentage points from the previous month and below the critical point. Looking at the sub-indices, among the five sub-indices that constitute the manufacturing PMI, the production index, new orders index, raw material inventory index, employment index, and supplier delivery time index were all below the critical point.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the composite PMI output index was 49.5% in February, down 0.3 percentage points from the previous month, indicating that the overall production and operation activities of Chinese enterprises slowed down compared with the previous month.

Japan's Ministry of Finance will auction 2.5 trillion yen in five-year government bonds on March 11.