China's marine tourism warmed in 1H2026: marine passenger volume rose 4.6% YoY and passenger turnover increased 5.4% YoY, the Ministry of Natural Resources said on Aug 3. With consumption shifting from sightseeing to immersive, diversified experiences, operators are rolling out ship-to-shore night cruises in Xiamen, integrated 'sea+' offerings in Qingdao, and sailing, leisure fishing rafts and kitesurfing products in Dongshan Island and Pingtan, Fujian.

Citigroup and Barclays strategists said yen appreciation could strengthen Asian currencies with high yen correlation, naming the South Korean won, Singapore dollar and Thai baht as the most likely beneficiaries. Japan and the United States previously intervened in FX markets to support the yen after it fell to multidecade lows. As of Monday the yen had risen over 4% vs the dollar in the past three trading days; the won, baht and Philippine peso each gained at least 0.7% over the same period. Barclays said recent USD/JPY intervention may have been coordinated and its spillovers to Asian FX could exceed historical correlations, potentially further lifting yen‑sensitive Asian currencies in the near term, particularly if the dollar weakens. Barclays also flagged that Fed chair Kevin Warsh’s relatively dovish press conference last week helped push the dollar lower, providing additional support for Asian currencies.

CSRC Chairman Wu Qing said at the HKEX on Aug. 3 that the CSRC and Hong Kong counterparts are accelerating preparations to include RMB equity trading counters and REITs in the Shanghai-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect.