Mainland A-share metals sector rose; Rongjie Shares hit the daily limit, while Yongshan Lithium, HUAYOU NICKEL BRAND, Yuanhang Precision, TTANQT LITHIUM and Hanrui Cobalt advanced.

China's summer grain procurement has reached peak season: the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration said on Aug. 24 that industry purchasers have cumulatively bought more than 90 million tonnes of wheat. Southern early indica rice is hitting the market. Since August, authorities have activated minimum purchase-price contingency plans for early indica rice in Jiangxi and Hunan and for wheat in Henan to provide a policy floor and stabilise market expectations. The administration said it will combine market-based procurement with policy stockpiling, monitor rainfall, direct provinces to strengthen drying and storage to cut post-harvest losses, optimise procurement timing, and deepen producer-buyer coordination to keep grain sales smooth and markets stable.

At the mid-session close Hong Kong shares were weaker: the Hang Seng Index fell 2.09% and the Hang Seng TECH Index dropped 3.84%. Internet and large-cap tech names led losses — Alibaba (09988.HK) down near 10%, Baidu (09888.HK) and Xiaomi (01810.HK) down about 4% each, Tencent (00700.HK) down nearly 3%, Meituan (03690.HK) and JD (09618.HK) also lower. Memory semiconductor, optical-communications and PCB-related stocks underperformed; MINIMAX-W (00100.HK) fell over 9% and Zhipu (02513.HK) dropped more than 8%.