Hong Kong
Asian markets rose Friday as trade hopes were given a boost by Donald Trump’s economic aide saying “enormous progress” had been made in talks with China, easing recent concerns that they were stumbling.
Hong Kong enjoyed a much-needed leg-up after a bruising week but sentiment remained fragile after the city endured another night of violent protest, with the transport network partially shut down and many businesses closed for a fifth day.
The broad regional gains came after top White House adviser Larry Kudlow that the long-awaited mini trade deal with China was on track as part of a wider pact. “The deal is not complete but we’ve made enormous progress,” he told reporters, adding that the talks were “coming down to the short strokes”.
His comments follow a week of unease about the much-vaunted talks, after Trump dismissed Chinese claims of a plan to roll back tariffs as the negotiations progress, while reports said Beijing was uneasy about some aspects of the developing deal.—AFP
