Onshore yuan closed at 6.7382 per U.S. dollar at 16:30 on Aug 17, up 39 pips from the previous trading session.

China's National Bureau of Statistics said electricity generation by industrial enterprises above designated size was 943.9 billion kWh in July, down 0.1% YoY, with a daily average of 30.45 billion kWh. Jan–Jul cumulative generation was 5,698.5 billion kWh, up 3.0% YoY.

A wildfire in eastern Belgium remained uncontained as of the 16th and was spreading toward the German border, forcing evacuation of some German residents. Belgian local government data cited by Refinitiv said the fire, which began in a nature reserve on the 14th, had burned 3,000 hectares by the 16th. The European Forest Fire Information System said it is the largest wildfire on record in Belgium.