China

Yicai Global | English | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | UndeterminedEconomic Growth

The ASEAN+3 region, comprising the 10 ASEAN members along with China, Japan, and South Korea, is projected to experience stronger economic growth in 2026 than previously forecasted. The ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) updated its outlook, predicting a 4 percent expansion in 2026 following 4.3 percent growth in 2025, marking a 0.2 percentage point upward revision for both years. China’s growth forecast was similarly raised to 4.6 percent in 2026 from the earlier estimate, supported by macroeconomic policies, resilient exports, and investment in high-tech manufacturing.

The region’s economic resilience is attributed to strong technology demand and robust foreign direct investment inflows into sectors such as advanced electronics, electric vehicles, and digital services. Semiconductor exports in the region grew by 21.7 percent in the second half of 2025, driven by demand related to artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure. The global purchasing managers’ index for electronics new orders showed improvement in December 2025, indicating continued export growth. Regional equity markets have also gained since October 2025, boosted by momentum in artificial intelligence despite concerns about US tariff policies.

Despite more balanced risks overall, AMRO identified ongoing uncertainties and downside risks, particularly linked to unpredictable US trade policies and potential expansions of protectionist measures. A significant slowdown in technology demand, possibly caused by market corrections or delays in AI adoption, could adversely affect regional exports, given the sector's cross-border ties. AMRO emphasized the importance of policy readiness to manage shocks in the short term, while encouraging diversification of growth drivers and deeper regional economic integration to enhance long-term resilience.

Xinhua | English | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | UndeterminedTech Development/Adoption

Hong Kong is taking a proactive yet cautious approach to developing digital assets, emphasizing the principle of "same activity, same risk, same regulation" to ensure responsible and sustainable market growth. Since 2023, Hong Kong has licensed 11 virtual asset trading platforms and plans to introduce a stablecoin licensing regime later this year. The government has also been a leader in tokenization, issuing three batches of tokenized green bonds totaling about 2.1 billion U.S. dollars.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan highlighted the synergy between finance and technology, noting that digital assets improve transparency, efficiency, inclusiveness, and risk management in financial services. These innovations also support better capital allocation to the real economy. Chan's remarks were made during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, where he also met with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to express Hong Kong and China's strong support for free trade, multilateralism, and WTO reform efforts.

Additionally, Chan held discussions with senior officials from various economies, international organizations, and business leaders to promote Hong Kong's latest developments and strategic advantages as an international financial center.

Jaw-Hwa International Patent & Trademark & Law Offices | English | AcademicThink | Jan. 23, 2026 | UndeterminedBizdev-Partnering

The Israel Patent Office (ILPO) and the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) established a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program, effective January 2, 2026, following a Memorandum of Understanding signed on November 17, 2025. This bilateral arrangement allows applicants with favorable examination results from either office to request accelerated examination at the other office.

To utilize the PPH between Taiwan and Israel, applications must share the same earliest filing date. The Israeli patent application must have at least one allowable claim, and all claims in the Taiwanese application must correspond to those allowable claims. Additionally, the Taiwanese application must not have received a first Office Action but must have a notice indicating that substantive examination will begin.

Required documents for a PPH request include ILPO office actions and their translations into Chinese or English, although applicants may omit these if accessible via the Israel Patents Search system. Translations of prior art references cited by ILPO are not necessary. Applicants must also submit a claim correspondence table mapping Taiwanese claims to allowable Israeli claims. Further inquiries can be directed to the provided email contact.