澳洲联储主席布洛克：如有必要，委员会准备进一步提高现金利率。

Some senior U.S. officials have said they will probe Chinese AI firms for allegedly "distilling" U.S. frontier models and could sanction them for "stealing U.S. intellectual property." MOFCOM spokesperson said Beijing opposes politicizing and instrumentalizing tech and trade issues, rejects smearing and sanctioning Chinese companies on unfounded grounds, and warned such threatened measures lack factual and legal basis, represent double standards and constitute typical AI hegemonism. MOFCOM added the U.S. is ignoring that release timings for Chinese and U.S. frontier models are very close and that some Chinese models have already reached leading capabilities.

Asahi and Nikkei report Prime Minister Takaichi may ask officials as soon as Thursday to launch a consumption-tax cut for food and beverages, lowering the rate to 1% within two years; a proposal could be announced this week. Markets worry that a more expansionary fiscal stance, together with elevated oil prices, raises inflation risk. The key market question is how added spending and tax cuts would be financed and whether they would increase government bond issuance. SMBC Nikko Securities senior FX and rates strategist Rinto Maruyama said the plan could raise the fiscal-risk premium embedded in Japanese assets, which would be negative for the yen and likely push JGB yields higher—especially at the long and ultra-long end—causing bear-steepening of the curve.