MOFCOM spokesman He Yadong said at a routine press briefing on the 28th that heavy rain and flooding in southern China since the start of the flood season has prompted the ministry to step up sourcing and coordinate inventories with key supply firms in affected and surrounding areas to ensure household essentials. He said the national essential-goods market is currently operating normally and supplies are sufficient.

Australia Q1 private new capital expenditure rose 14.6% YoY, up from 7.8% in the prior period.

May 28 — China’s Defense Ministry said at a regular briefing that Xi and Putin met in Beijing and issued a joint statement committing to deepen military ties. The statement pledges to consolidate traditional military friendship, boost military-to-military trust, enhance cooperation mechanisms, expand joint exercises and maritime and air patrols, and strengthen coordination in bilateral and multilateral forums to address shared risks and uphold regional and global security. The ministry reiterated that the relationship will follow principles of non‑alignment, non‑confrontation and not targeting third parties, and said China will implement leaders’ consensus, offer mutual support on core interests and major concerns, and push strategic military coordination to a higher level.