BEIJING: Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, arrived in Beijing to begin an official visit to China that runs from April 12 to April 14, with both sides framing the trip as a step to deepen bilateral relations and expand cooperation across priority sectors. China’s foreign ministry said the visit is taking place at the invitation of Premier Li Qiang, while Abu…

BEIJING: China’s automobile industry posted a sharp rebound in March, with production rising to 2.917 million units and sales reaching 2.899 million units, according to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Output jumped 74.4% from February and sales increased 60.6% from the previous month. From a year earlier, however, production slipped 3.0% and sales edged down 0.6%, showing that the strong monthly rebound came against…

SEOUL: The Bank of Korea held its benchmark interest rate at 2.50% on Friday, extending a pause that began in July 2025 and marking a seventh straight policy meeting without a change, as policymakers weighed rising inflation pressure, weaker growth risks and heightened market volatility. The decision by the seven-member Monetary Policy Board was unanimous, and the central bank said uncertainty tied to developments in the Middle East had…

BEIJING: China’s consumer inflation rose 1.0% in March from a year earlier, official data showed on Friday, easing from February’s 1.3% increase as spending cooled after the Lunar New Year holiday period. On a month-on-month basis, the consumer price index fell 0.7%, reversing February’s 1.0% rise. For the first quarter, consumer prices were up 0.9% from a year earlier, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, keeping inflation positive…

ISLAMABAD: Gold prices held steady on Thursday as investors weighed a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire, preparations for talks in Islamabad and a fresh round of U.S. inflation data that could shape the Federal Reserve’s next move on interest rates. The metal stayed range-bound after a volatile week in which easing fears over a wider regional conflict competed with renewed concern that higher energy costs could keep price pressures elevated and…

TOKYO: Japan posted a current account surplus of 3.93 trillion yen, or about $24.8 billion, in February, as strong returns on overseas investments helped offset softer trade-related gains and a continued shortfall in services. Preliminary balance of payments data released by the Ministry of Finance showed the surplus was nearly unchanged from a year earlier, edging down 0.1%, but rose sharply from a revised 931.0 billion yen in…

BEIJING: China’s foreign exchange reserves fell to $3.3421 trillion at the end of March, official data showed on April 7, as a stronger U.S. dollar and weaker prices for major global financial assets weighed on the value of the country’s reserve holdings. The March total was down $85.7 billion, or 2.5%, from the end of February, reversing the increase recorded a month earlier and marking one of the sharper…