On July 7 in Kathmandu, MOFCOM deputy minister Yan Dong and Nepal finance ministry secretary Upadhyaya co‑chaired the 12th China‑Nepal Joint Economic and Trade Committee to discuss bilateral economic and trade cooperation. China said it will use the committee to promote healthy, sustainable trade and investment, prioritizing trade, investment, infrastructure and local cooperation, and to expand ties in digital and green economy sectors to advance trade‑investment integration. Beijing urged Nepal

Sources said on Tuesday a Qatar LNG carrier was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on the Oman side and suffered serious damage; crew are evacuating. An earlier source said the vessel, Al Rekayyat, was carrying LNG, was struck on the port side and issued a distress call for assistance. The extent of the damage is currently unclear.

CITIC Securities forecasts its tracked sample of listed coal firms will report average Q2 2026 net profit growth of about 31% QoQ and roughly 19% YoY in 1H 2026. It expects coking-coal and anthracite producers to show stronger earnings elasticity. Although coal prices have softened short term, seasonal peak demand should push prices up; against a backdrop of supply contraction, CITIC expects the Q3 supply-demand balance to further improve, supporting coal prices and continued QoQ sector earnings growth. It recommends names with high earnings elasticity and metallurgical-coal producers with relatively attractive valuations.