China Business Daily

25 June 2026 · 15:49 CST · Daily intelligence brief

This edition draws on 28 reports across 12 Chinese outlets.

At a Glance

  • Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) breaks 3,000 points for the first time, rising for eight consecutive weeks, as China’s exports to the US surged 35.6% year-on-year in May ahead of new US tariff measures on July 24. 21st Century Business Herald, 2026-06-25.
  • Trip.com Group shares plunged 12.1% to a year low after warning Q2 revenue growth would slow to 3%–8%, despite strong Q1 results and a 65% jump in international platform bookings. m.21jingji.com, 2026-06-25.
  • 75 foreign institutions have applied for QFI qualification so far this year, a record pace, as overseas investors accelerate access to China’s capital markets. China Daily, 2026-06-25.

Top Stories

Trade

  • Shipping costs rise for eighth consecutive week; exporters pressured by constant price adjustments · covered by 2 outlets
    • The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) reached 3121.69 points on June 18, rising for the eighth consecutive week since April, according to the Shanghai Shipping Exchange (上海航运交易所). 21st Century Business Herald, 2026-06-25.
    • Spot rates from Shanghai to the US West Coast were $5,683 per FEU and to the US East Coast $6,873 per FEU as of June 18, according to the same exchange. 21st Century Business Herald, 2026-06-25.
    • China’s exports to the US grew 35.6% year-on-year in May to 390.3 billion USD, according to the General Administration of Customs (海关总署). m.21jingji.com, 2026-06-24.
    • The United States will implement a new round of tariff measures on July 24. 21st Century Business Herald, 2026-06-25.

Policy

  • Financial regulator issues new rules to govern AI safety in financial institutions · covered by 1 outlet

    • The National Financial Regulatory Administration (金融监管总局) issued the ‘Guiding Opinions on the Safe Development and Application of Artificial Intelligence in Banking and Insurance’, requiring financial institutions to establish a full lifecycle management system for AI applications. People’s Daily, 2026-06-25.
    • High-risk applications, including those involving fund transactions, credit approval, underwriting claims, and generative AI scenarios directly related to customer interests, must strengthen access management. People’s Daily, 2026-06-25.
    • Personal data such as name, ID number, phone number, and bank card number cannot be used for training generative AI models. People’s Daily, 2026-06-25.

  • Regulator guides insurance industry to handle summer grain claims · covered by 2 outlets

    • From January to May 2026, national agricultural insurance claims paid 370 billion yuan, benefiting 12.09 million households, according to the National Financial Regulatory Administration (国家金融监督管理总局). m.21jingji.com, 2026-06-25.
    • Grain crop insurance paid 6.047 billion yuan, benefiting 5.4631 million households, of which wheat insurance paid 3.093 billion yuan, benefiting 3.4342 million households. People’s Daily, 2026-06-25.
    • The regulator held a video scheduling meeting with 8 major summer grain producing provinces and 8 major property insurance companies. m.21jingji.com, 2026-06-25.

Company

  • Trip.com shares plummet 12% on Q2 revenue warning, hit year low · covered by 2 outlets

    • Trip.com Group (a Chinese online travel platform) stock price fell 12.1% to 310.8 HKD per share on June 25, with a market cap of 222.5 billion HKD. m.21jingji.com, 2026-06-25.
    • Q1 2026 net revenue was 16.2 billion yuan, up 17.03% year-on-year; adjusted EBITDA was 4.8 billion yuan, up 14%. m.21jingji.com, 2026-06-25.
    • Trip.com Group expects Q2 2026 net revenue growth to slow to approximately 3%–8% year-on-year. m.21jingji.com, 2026-06-25.

  • Longi Green Energy executive: solar-storage integration key to energy independence · covered by 1 outlet

    • Developing renewable energy is a strategic choice for local economic growth and energy independence, according to Longi Green Energy (a solar module manufacturer) chairman and general manager Zhong Baoshen (钟宝申). People’s Daily, 2026-06-25.
    • Energy storage should focus on combining with solar power to enable on-demand use of green electricity. People’s Daily, 2026-06-25.

Markets

  • Banks raise margin for precious metals deferred contracts, tighten retail business · covered by 4 outlets

    • ICBC (Industrial and Commercial Bank of China) raised the margin ratio for personal precious metals deferred contracts to 140% on June 18, and will stop proxy Shanghai Gold Exchange personal precious metals auction trading from July 24. m.21jingji.com, 2026-06-25.
    • Bank of China raised margin for gold deferred contracts to 120% and for silver to 119.91% on June 24. Caixin, 2026-06-23.
    • London gold price fell about 10% in June and about 25% from its January high. m.21jingji.com, 2026-06-25.

  • QFI applications surge as foreign institutions accelerate China market entry · covered by 1 outlet

    • As of June 24, 75 foreign institutions have applied for QFI qualification this year, according to the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC). China Daily, 2026-06-25.
    • As of end of May 2026, a total of 981 institutions have been approved for QFI qualification, and 50 institutions have obtained approval this year, a record for the same period. China Daily, 2026-06-25.
    • QFII shareholding increased from 92.73 billion shares at end of Q4 2025 to 138.56 billion shares at end of Q1 2026, according to Wind. China Daily, 2026-06-25.

  • ICBC halts personal precious metals trading as gold price falls; multiple banks adjust · covered by 2 outlets

    • ICBC announced it will suspend its agency personal precious metals bidding trading business of the Shanghai Gold Exchange starting from July 24, 2026. Securities Times, 2026-06-23.
    • Affected contract varieties include Au99.99, Au100g, Au99.95, PGC30g, Au(T+D), mAu(T+D), Ag(T+D), Au(T+N1), Au(T+N2), etc. Securities Times, 2026-06-23.
    • After the closure, holding customers’ abilities to close positions, sell, and withdraw physical goods will be restricted. Securities Times, 2026-06-23.

  • Top brokerages release H2 2026 outlook; market seen returning to multiple themes · covered by 2 outlets

    • China Galaxy Securities’ Yang Chao believes the market may return to a multi-main-line parallel trend in the second half of the year, with large-cap and small-cap stocks potentially balancing and gradually tilting toward large- and mid-cap leaders. Securities Times, 2026-06-24.
    • Yang Chao suggests focusing on three main lines: AI infrastructure, cyclical and manufacturing sectors, and dividend-paying stocks. Securities Times, 2026-06-24.

Property

  • Tech wealth drives luxury housing demand as new rich snap up high-end properties · covered by 2 outlets
    • Post-90s buyers accounted for 31% of Shenzhen luxury home transactions (total price over 10 million yuan) by end of 2025, according to Leyoujia Research Center (乐有家研究中心). m.21jingji.com, 2026-06-25.
    • In Q1 2025, Shenzhen sold 168 luxury homes with total price over 30 million yuan, a year-on-year surge of 154.55%, according to CRIC (克而瑞). m.21jingji.com, 2026-06-25.
    • Ao Ying Century Mansion’s first launch of 86 units achieved a daily sales volume of 2.06 billion yuan, with one unit attracting 27 groups of lottery buyers. m.21jingji.com, 2026-06-25.

Macro

  • New consumption trends highlighted at industry event · covered by 2 outlets
    • The ‘Fuzai’ AI companion toy has sold over 250,000 units as of April this year, according to Shanghai Luobo Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. CEO Sun Zhaozhi (孙兆治). Xinhua, 2026-06-25.
    • The compound annual growth rate of smart toy companies in the past three years is 35.1%, and about 78.8% of those companies were founded within the last 5 years, according to Tianyancha (天眼查). Xinhua, 2026-06-25.
    • China’s AI toy market is predicted to reach 85 billion yuan by 2030, according to the China Commercial Industry Research Institute (中商产业研究院). Xinhua, 2026-06-25.

Also Reported

Further developments selected for today’s brief; tap a source to read the original.

Sources

28 source articles across 12 Chinese outlets. Each story below lists the outlets that corroborate it; click any source to read the original.

Shipping costs rise for eighth consecutive week; exporters pressured by constant price adjustments — 2 outlets

Financial regulator issues new rules to govern AI safety in financial institutions — 1 outlet

Trip.com shares plummet 12% on Q2 revenue warning, hit year low — 2 outlets

Banks raise margin for precious metals deferred contracts, tighten retail business — 4 outlets

QFI applications surge as foreign institutions accelerate China market entry — 1 outlet

ICBC halts personal precious metals trading as gold price falls; multiple banks adjust — 2 outlets

Tech wealth drives luxury housing demand as new rich snap up high-end properties — 2 outlets

Longi Green Energy executive: solar-storage integration key to energy independence — 1 outlet

Regulator guides insurance industry to handle summer grain claims — 2 outlets

New consumption trends highlighted at industry event — 2 outlets

Top brokerages release H2 2026 outlook; market seen returning to multiple themes — 2 outlets

Bank of China fined for tax evasion of 2.367 billion yuan — 3 outlets

Central bank digital currency aims to reshape cross-border payments with lower cost, inclusivity — 2 outlets

6G accelerates space-terrestrial networking; multiple players compete for opportunities — 1 outlet

China’s exports accelerate on new products — 1 outlet

Methodology: stories are clustered across Chinese outlets and ranked by breadth of corroboration and recency. Reporting is descriptive only and is not investment advice. Compiled 25 June 2026 15:49 CST.

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