China's Leapmotor enters South America with Brazil, Chile launches

China's Leapmotor said on Tuesday it has entered the South American market with back-to-back launches in Brazil and Chile, including a debut at the São Paulo Motor Show. The EV maker has introduced pure-electric and range-extended versions of its C10, along with the B10, in both countries. It plans to establish 36 outlets across 27 Brazilian cities and five in Chile by the end of 2025, and later expand into Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador.

Novartis China denies county-team breakup talk, says model to shift in 2026

by CHEN Yang Novartis China on Tuesday dismissed reports that it will dissolve its county-level sales team by Dec. 31, saying it will overhaul its operating model for county-market coverage from Jan. 1, 2026. The drugmaker said it currently serves about 1,000 county-level markets and that the change will not affect its commitment to patients. Novartis said it will continue bringing innovative medicines to county regions and support efforts to raise local healthcare standards.

Cathay Pacific traffic rises 27% in first 10 months as recovery continues

Cathay Pacific Group said on Monday that passenger traffic maintained its upward momentum in October, with Cathay Pacific's passenger numbers up 29% year on year and capacity increasing 26%. Over the January–October period, the airline carried 27% more passengers than a year earlier, underscoring the steady recovery in long-haul and regional routes. Cargo demand also strengthened. Cathay Cargo's tonnage increased 6% in October, with cargo capacity up 8%. For the first 10 months, cargo volumes were 10% higher than the same period in 2024. The group's budget arm, HK Express, carried more than 680,000 passengers in October, a 32% year-on-year increase, as it expanded capacity by 34%. From January to October, HK Express recorded a 31% rise in passenger numbers.

China's top 30 cities show early signs of housing market stabilization

China's housing market showed tentative signs of steadying, with combined new- and existing-home sales across 30 major cities totaling 274 million square meters in the first 10 months of the year, roughly flat from a year earlier, data from research firm CRIC showed. Shenzhen led the improvement with a 12% rise in transacted floor area. Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou posted gains of 7%, 6% and 2% respectively. Second-tier cities also showed resilience. Hefei logged an 18% increase — the strongest among the 30 cities — while Chengdu rose 11% to 26.3 million square meters. Chongqing, Xi'an, Wuhan and Hangzhou all exceeded 10 million square meters and recorded year-on-year growth, helping underpin the broader market.

China's top e-commerce platforms notch strong Double 11 traffic gains

Daily active users on Taobao, Pinduoduo and JD.com all increased during this year's Double 11 shopping festival, as mobile shopping penetration edged higher. China's mobile shopping sector continued to expand in October, with an active penetration rate of 87.5%, up 0.6 percentage points from a year earlier, according to analytics firm QuestMobile. User engagement around Double 11 also surged, with content interaction volumes reaching 1.12 times those recorded at the 618 mid-year promotion. During the peak day of the Double 11 campaign, major general-merchandise platforms all posted solid traffic growth. Taobao recorded 508 million daily active users, Pinduoduo reached 414 million, and JD.com attracted 227 million—up 4.2%, 2.5% and 9.8% year on year, respectively.

Geely, Renault to invest US$714 million in Brazil for new low-emission models

Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin said on Tuesday that Renault and China's Geely will invest 3.8 billion reais (US$714 million) in the southern state of Paraná as the two automakers establish a local partnership to develop new vehicles. The companies said part of the funding will support Geely's zero- and low-emission platform, which will underpin two new models due in the second half of 2026. The rest will go toward updating an existing Renault model next year and launching another vehicle in 2027.

High-tech and machinery goods emerge as key drivers of China's exports

China's export structure continued to upgrade this year as machinery, electronics and high-tech goods took a larger share of outbound shipments, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui said at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on Friday that rising product sophistication and industrial upgrading are strengthening China's export competitiveness. In the first 10 months, exports of machinery and electrical products rose 8.7% year on year and accounted for 60.7% of total shipments. Integrated-circuit exports jumped 24.7% during the period, while automobile exports increased 14.3%. High-tech goods also performed strongly, with exports up 7.3%, outpacing overall export growth.

Nissan sets up China-based import-export joint venture for vehicles

At the sixth China International Import Expo on November 6, Nissan Motor announced the establishment of Nissan Import and Export (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd., the first joint venture vehicle import-export company set up by a foreign automaker in China. The new company is 60% owned by Nissan China Investment and 40% by Dongfeng Motor Group. It will oversee the export of models developed in China, with the Dongfeng Nissan N7 and Frontier Pro PHEV among the first to be shipped overseas. Dongfeng Motor Co. deputy general manager ZHOU Feng said the move marks a new phase in Nissan's China strategy — "rooted in the local market, benefiting the world."

World Openness slips marginally, emerging economies sustain momentum

by YANG Shuhongji The World Openness Index, measuring openness levels across 129 economies from 1990 to 2024, stood at 0.7545 in 2024, down 0.05% from a year earlier, according to the World Openness Report 2025 released Wednesday at the eighth Hongqiao International Economic Forum in Shanghai. Compiled by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Hongqiao Forum Research Center, the report said global openness continues to face headwinds but noted that emerging markets and developing economies are playing a growing role in sustaining openness. China's index rose from 0.5891 in 1990 to 0.7634 in 2024, reflecting its continued integration into global trade and investment. "The world's openness will rely more on emerging forces in the future,"said Liao Fan, head of the CASS Institute of World Economics and Politics.

CIIE opens with first deal topping US$100 million

The 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) kicked off on Wednesday with its first major contract, as Shanghai Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Engine Maintenance Co. signed a deal worth over US$100 million with International Aero Engines (IAE) for V2500 engine parts, Yicai reported. The agreement, concluded under the Qingpu sub-group of the Shanghai trading delegation, marks the first purchase signed at this year's expo, held Nov.5-10.