Welcome to Your Week in Asia.
China holds its most important political meetings of the year in Beijing this week, Barcelona hosts the telecom industry’s biggest annual event and Singapore plays host to an aviation forum.
In Hong Kong, Chinese bubble tea giant Mixue Group goes public, South Korea launches a new trading exchange while the Japanese and U.K. economy ministers are expected to meet in Tokyo.
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MONDAY
Bubble tea IPO
China’s biggest bubble tea chain Mixue Group debuts on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange after a share sale that was oversubscribed by thousands of times more than it had offered. The group, which has over 45,000 locations, had aimed to raise HK$3.45 billion ($442.9 million) with most of the proceeds earmarked for supply chain upgrades.
Spain telecom expo
MWC Barcelona, the biggest annual event for the telecommunications industry, kicks off on Monday. The four-day event will welcome some of the biggest names in mobile networks and devices, satellites and more, including Huawei and Xiaomi of China, Japan’s SoftBank and SK Hynix of South Korea.
TUESDAY
Chinese political meetings
Beijing plays host to key political meetings with the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country’s top political advisory body, and the legislative National People’s Congress (NPC) both holding their annual meetings. Premier Li Qiang is expected to announce economic growth and budget targets, as markets watch for signs of how Beijing will move to boost domestic demand and navigate U.S. trade tensions.
U.S. defense official
Elbridge Colby, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for undersecretary of defense for policy, testifies at the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing. Colby will be a key figure in the administration for Asia policy.
South Korea’s new exchange
South Korea launches its first alternative stock trading system with longer trading hours and lower fees, a move aimed at luring more investors. Nextrade will offer trading services from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., challenging the Korea Exchange which has been the country’s sole bourse since 1956.
Singapore aviation forum
The city state hosts the inaugural Business Aviation Asia Forum & Expo (BAAFEx), with more than 50 participating companies including Boeing Business Jets, Dassault Aviation and Honeywell. The three-day event will alternate with the biennial Singapore Airshow, one of Asia’s largest industry expos.
Earnings: SEA
WEDNESDAY
GDP: Australia
THURSDAY
Monetary Policy: Malaysia, Turkey
Earnings: JD.com
FRIDAY
Japan-U.K. economy ministers
Japan and the U.K.’s economy ministers are slated to meet in Tokyo for what’s been dubbed a first-of-its-kind “two-plus-two” dialogue — typically a regular meeting of foreign and trade ministers. The pair are likely to commit to strengthening economic ties in the wake of growing uncertainty over Washington’s trade policies.
China trade
China publishes trade data for January and February after robust growth in December’s export figures. Businesses front-loaded orders ahead of a possible tariff hike before Trump took office in January. China usually releases the combined data due to shorter working days during the Lunar New Year holiday.
