Japan's Nikkei index fell 3.00% intraday to 64,387.67 points.

MOFCOM cited National Bureau of Statistics data showing China’s wholesale and retail GVA at 7.2 trillion yuan in Jan–Jun 2026, up 3.7% YoY and representing 10.4% of GDP. Profits at MOFCOM’s key-contact commodity wholesale markets rose 9.6% YoY in Jan–Jun; profits for industrial consumer goods increased 11.6% YoY. Above-scale retail sales: convenience stores +6.6% YoY, supermarkets +3.8% YoY; warehouse membership stores and unmanned stores posted sales growth >25%, while specialty stores and shopping-center sales acceleration continued.

In 1H, Chinese public security agencies investigated 48,000 economic and financial crime cases and recovered 12.15 bln yuan in economic losses. Filings for traditional theft, robbery and fraud fell to 307,000, down 38.9% YoY. Homicide cases dropped to a historic low. Authorities handled 1,744 organised-crime cases; public satisfaction with anti-gang efforts has risen for a third consecutive year. Telecom-fraud filings were down 15.6% YoY; authorities dissuaded 2.926 mln people from meeting suspected scammers. Telecom-fraud case counts have posted nine consecutive months of YoY decline since Oct 2025. National road-traffic safety was broadly stable; major accidents fell 8.8% YoY.