Syrian state news agency says Syria Petroleum Company reported an explosion on the gas export pipeline at the Jabusa gas plant, cutting gas flows. Preliminary investigation attributes the blast to deliberate sabotage; no casualties reported.

A-share bank stocks outperformed the broader market, with CITIC Bank up more than 4% and Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of Nanjing, Bank of Chengdu, Chongqing Rural Commercial Bank and Bank of Chongqing each rising over 2%.

At an Aug. 19 briefing, asked about a U.S. push to recruit signatories to a Joint Declaration on AI partnership, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said China opposes forcing countries to choose sides or forming camps on AI. He said states may select partners based on national conditions, urged abandoning zero-sum thinking, called for respect for digital sovereignty, and advocated jointly building a fair, reasonable global AI governance framework to make AI a driver of shared prosperity and common security.