Export order

XUZHOU Construction Machinery Group Co. (XCMG), a leading Chinese machinery manufacturer, is having 972 units of construction equipment shipped to South America, the company said Friday.

According to XCMG, the delivery that includes excavators and loaders marked China’s largest single machinery export order in the past five years, which will contribute to the stability of the global supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bank deposits

THE country’s bank deposits in foreign currencies increased by US$129.7 billion in the first half of this year, a senior official said Friday.

By the end of June, the balance of foreign-currency bank deposits had surpassed US$1 trillion, Wang Chunying, deputy director and spokesperson of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, told a press conference. Wang attributed the increase in foreign-currency deposits to the surplus of trade in goods. .

Diamond imports

THE value of diamonds imported through the general trade of the Shanghai Diamond Exchange (SDE) reached a record high in the first half of the year, Shanghai Customs announced Friday.

The diamond imports registered a hefty bounce in the first half of 2021, totaling 10.5 billion yuan (US$1.6 billion), four times over the same period of last year and an increase of 45.3 percent over the same period of 2019.

Mortgage loan rates

THE central bank has ordered lenders in Shanghai to raise the rate of mortgage loans for first-time homebuyers to 5 percent from 4.65 percent, media reported, as the government ramps up efforts to rein in the property sector.

The Shanghai branch of People’s Bank of China (PBOC) also told banks in the city to raise the mortgage loan rate for people who are buying second homes to 5.7 percent from 5.25 percent in Shanghai.