Despite rumours of an upcoming re-opening of trade talks between China and the US, the US is planning to introduce tariffs on an additional $200bn of Chinese goods this week, according to a September 16 media report. This came after China’s Ministry of Commerce confirmed it had received an invitation from Steven Mnuchin, the US treasury secretary, to Liu He, one of China's vice-premiers and president Xi Jinping's chief economic adviser. However, Trump is ready to turn up the heat on China with more tariffs as early as Monday, the report noted, decreasing the possibility of the talks going ahead.
Trump himself took to Twitter to play down the likelihood of an imminent deal with China.
"The Wall Street Journal has it wrong, we are under no pressure to make a deal with China, they are under pressure to make a deal with us," he wrote on September 13. "Our markets are surging, theirs are collapsing. We will soon be taking in billions in tariffs & making products at home. If we meet, we meet?"
Meanwhile, China’s central banker told a forum the trade war would not affect the country’s reform agenda, local media reported.
“Our roadmaps and timetables for financial opening are already very clear, and we will just implement them,” he said.
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The HKEX is delaying the introduction of the investor ID system for the Stock Connect, according to an announcement on September 14, due to super typhoon Mangkhut, which tore through Hong Kong on September 16.
"Final testing has been moved by one week from 15 September to 22 September, and the rollout date from 17 September to 26 September," the bourse said in the statement.
Despite the disruptions brought about by the typhoon, Hong Kong’s stock market reopened for business on Monday.
In a separate announcement on the same day, the exchange said it had become a strategic partner associate of the World Economic Forum, the organisation which runs the yearly Davos forum in Switzerland.
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FTSE Russell will announce the results of its annual classification review on September 26, which may lead to Chinese A-shares being included to its emerging markets indexes, the firm told GlobalRMB in an emailed response to questions on September 14.
"When making a decision on a country’s classification, FTSE Russell consults with members of its country classification advisory committee, regional equity advisory committees and the policy advisory board," a FTSE Russell spokesperson wrote. "Feedback received is considered, and the annual announcement approved by the FTSE Russell product governance board."
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Following the opening of the iron ore and oil futures markets, the China Securities Regulatory Commission is preparing to open up futures contracts for purified terephthalic acid, a chemical compound used in clothing and plastic bottles, to foreigners, according to a September 16 state media report.
China will accelerate the opening up of the country's futures market and internationalise all mature futures contracts to boost its pricing clout, Fang Xinghai, vice-chairman of the CSRC, reportedly said.
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