Last week, China issued the 2022 version of the Catalog of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment, with a goal of strengthening the supply chain and accelerating technology upgrades in chipmaking, biomass technology, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

As China's imports of Chinese medicine material grow this year, Beijing recently announced that it will allow two types of plant imports from Laos, both of which can be used in the making of Chinese medicine.

A district government in Shenzhen has rolled out new measures to support the development of cross-border e-commerce, focusing on "attracting investment, supporting logistical and technological development, strengthening financial services," and other areas, using incentives such as rewards, subsidies and other policy tools.

An Ireland-based company called Seagate confirmed that it received a letter from the U.S. government about violating U.S. export controls related to sales to Chinese firms.

Chinese government agencies recently announced that they will raise the consumption tax for e-cigarettes, both domestic products and imports.

China's planning agency released a series of measures to support foreign investment in key sectors, including advanced manufacturing and modern services.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz seems to be sending friendly signals toward Beijing ahead of his state visit early next month, with the latest effort being help in crafting a compromise on a Chinese company's purchase of a minority stake in a container port in Hamburg.