Reuters Asia Business

(Reuters) -Smartphone shipments to the U.S. surged 30% in March as manufacturers Apple, Samsung and Motorola rushed to bring more devices into the country in anticipation of steep import tariffs, Counterpoint Research said on Wednesday. Apple alone airlifted a record $2 billion worth of iPhones from India in March, leveraging Indian suppliers Foxconn and Tata …

US smartphone shipments rose 30% in March due to tariff concerns, report says Read More »

By Andrew Silver SHANGHAI (Reuters) -German healthcare and materials group Merck KGaA has dropped a surcharge on life sciences sector orders within China following the U.S.-China agreement to pause sky-high tariffs on each other, the company said Wednesday. The agreement, announced on Monday, will see U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods fall to 30% from 145% …

Germany’s Merck drops China surcharge on orders after US-China tariff deal Read More »

(Reuters) -Ratings agency Fitch on Wednesday downgraded ratings for Chinese property company China Vanke, citing liquidity concerns amidst an ailing property sector in the world’s second largest economy. Fitch downgraded long-term foreign- and local-currency issuer default ratings (IDRs) for the embattled property developer to ‘CCC+’ from ‘B-‘. The agency also downgraded the long-term IDR for …

Fitch downgrades China Vanke further on liquidity concerns Read More »

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -China’s Xiaomi is seeing a slump in new orders for its SU7 electric sedan, analysts said on Wednesday, as the company and its charismatic CEO grapple with a growing consumer backlash that now threatens its runaway sales success. The sporty electric vehicle quickly became a hit among Chinese drivers after it was launched …

Xiaomi’s new EV orders slump in China as consumer backlash grows Read More »

By Makiko Yamazaki TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s economic advisory panel recommended investment of $400 billion to boost productivity at smaller firms, a crucial segment in the government’s quest to achieve wage growth well in excess of inflation. The panel, tasked to compile key economic policies for the government, presented a five-year plan …

Japan economic panel urges $400 billion investment to boost SME productivity Read More »