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On August 26, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee met with Peking University Party Secretary He Guangcai to exchange views on promoting cooperation between Hong Kong and the Mainland in higher education, cultivating international talent, and strengthening scientific research collaboration. Lee stated that the Hong Kong SAR government is accelerating the development of the Northern Metropolitan Area and has reserved ample land for the planning of a university town. Through quality improvement and expansion, the government aims to enhance higher education, scientific research and innovation, and talent training facilities to attract more high-level international talent to Hong Kong. During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on the development model of the Northern Metropolitan University Town. Lee was greatly encouraged by Peking University's strong support for deepening cooperation between Beijing and Hong Kong in higher education. He pointed out that he looks forward to Peking University and Hong Kong universities continuing to deepen cooperation through the Beijing-Hong Kong University Alliance, further promoting complementary advantages between the two universities, and cultivating more globally competitive high-level talent for the country and Hong Kong.

On August 26, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian held a regular press conference. It was reported that China announced President Xi Jinping's attendance at the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. What message does China hope to convey through its attendance at the summit? Lin Jian stated that during this year's Bishkek Summit, President Xi Jinping will exchange in-depth views with leaders of participating countries on deepening cooperation in various fields within the SCO under the new circumstances, as well as on major international and regional issues. He will also make plans and arrangements for guiding the SCO's high-quality development and participating in the reform and construction of the global governance system. China is willing to work with all parties to further consolidate consensus at the Bishkek Summit, jointly write a new chapter of cooperation, and make positive contributions to promoting the security, stability, development, and revitalization of countries in the region and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

The chart shows that at 22:00 Beijing time on August 26, there will be large foreign exchange options contracts for Euro, Japanese Yen, British Pound, and Australian Dollar expiring, including 6 contracts with strike prices exceeding 1 billion. Please manage your risks.

The governor of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, said an industrial facility in the region was damaged in a drone attack.

A member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee said on Wednesday that Iran would take preemptive action if its adversaries’ rhetoric escalated into serious threats.

Israel Defense Forces: The Rear Command app recently issued an alert regarding rocket and missile attacks in the Kibbutz Alumim area. This alert was issued due to a miscalculation. There is no suspicion of a security incident.

The yield on UK two-year government bonds fell to 4.303%, a two-week low.

Hyundai Motor: The rollout of software-defined vehicles is not expected to be further delayed.

On August 26th, it was reported that in July, total electricity consumption in China exceeded 1 trillion kilowatt-hours again, with electricity consumption for internet data services increasing by 40% year-on-year. Computing power is becoming a significant source of new electricity consumption. In August, the peak electricity load of a smart computing center in Changshu, Jiangsu Province, increased by over 70% compared to the same period last year. The peak electricity load of the computing power industry reached 200,000 kilowatts, accounting for approximately 4.1% of the city's total electricity load. The State Grid Changshu Power Supply Company stated that the computing power industry contributed nearly half of the city's increased electricity load, accounting for approximately 49%, reflecting that computing power load is gradually replacing seasonal air conditioning load as the core driver of electricity consumption growth this summer. In July, the electricity consumption of 106 computing power centers in Jiangsu Province exceeded 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours, a year-on-year increase of 31%, with supercomputing and smart computing centers accounting for over 80% of the total.

On Wednesday, August 26, the German DAX 30 index opened down 20.99 points, or 0.08%, at 26,264.07; the UK FTSE 100 index opened up 4.14 points, or 0.04%, at 10,890.30; the French CAC 40 index opened up 31.73 points, or 0.38%, at 8,470.93; the Euro Stoxx 50 index opened up 16.42 points, or 0.25%, at 6,472.05; the Spanish IBEX 35 index opened up 61.85 points, or 0.31%, at 20,118.45; and the Italian FTSE MIB index opened up 56.69 points, or 0.11%, at 52,777.00.

The Bank of Thailand: The Monetary Policy Committee unanimously voted to keep interest rates unchanged.

Dubai International Airport (DISA) reported on August 26 that passenger traffic fell by nearly a third in the first half of the year due to disruptions caused by the war in Iran, but expects demand to recover in the second half. DISA stated that passenger traffic reached 13 million in the second quarter, bringing the total for the first half of the year to 31.5 million. Despite a rebound in traffic in May and June, first-half traffic was still 31% lower than the record level set in the same period last year. The war in Iran has led to a global readjustment of air routes, repeatedly disrupting DISA. In May, the airport announced it had postponed its target of 100 million annual passengers by one year due to the significant drop in passenger traffic. Major Middle Eastern airlines Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad Airways have all reduced operations and adjusted their international route networks to accommodate increased travel demand during the war. Several European airlines have also suspended flights to multiple destinations in the region and avoided the airspace of several Gulf states.

On August 26, the Chinese Embassy in Nepal issued a statement saying that flash floods struck the Rasuwa region on the China-Nepal border in northern Nepal at approximately 9:00 AM local time. The Chinese Embassy immediately activated its emergency response mechanism, promptly ascertained the situation of Chinese citizens and businesses in the affected area, and urged the Nepalese government and relevant agencies to provide full assistance.

August 26th - According to the Guangdong Branch of the General Administration of Customs, in the first seven months of this year, the import and export volume of comprehensive bonded zones (including cross-border industrial zones and bonded areas) in Guangdong Province reached 1.05 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 32.3%, setting a new record for the same period in history and surpassing the trillion-yuan mark two months earlier than last year. While Guangdong's foreign trade has exceeded one trillion yuan for two consecutive months, the province's comprehensive bonded zones continue to play a driving role, contributing 23.3% to Guangdong's foreign trade growth in the first seven months of this year.

On August 26, Hu Zhenjiang, Deputy Director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, met with Airbus Group's Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Commercial Airplanes, Mr. Marard, in Beijing. The two sides exchanged views on Airbus's business development in China and further strengthening cooperation in aviation safety, aircraft airworthiness, and maintenance support capabilities.

Hyundai Motor expects that the production of the Atlas humanoid robot will not have a significant impact on profits in 2030.

According to Interfax news agency, grain shipments at the Novorossiysk grain terminal in Russia have been suspended following a drone attack in August.