Zhuhai border inspection’s Hengqin checkpoint said that from its opening on Aug 18, 2020 through Aug 17, 2026 it processed more than 110 mln cross-border passengers and about 13 mln vehicle trips. Annual average growth rates were 37.5% for people and 35.1% for vehicles. Hengqin has become one of the busiest cross-border channels in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area.

A-shares opened slightly lower: Shanghai Composite down 0.08%, Shenzhen Composite Index down 0.08%, ChiNext Index down 0.25%. The priciest A-share IPO this year, N Pinzhun, surged 488.61% on its debut, pushing the share price above 1,000 yuan.

State Administration for Market Regulation registration bureau head Du Linya said at a briefing on July 18 that, as of end-July this year, registered individual businesses in China's lower-tier markets exceed companies by a ratio of 209:100—well above the 85:100 ratio in first- and second-tier cities. There are more than 78 mln such individual businesses, about 86% engaged in services-related sectors.