CGTN: How China opens its door wider with island-wide special customs operations in Hainan FTP Leave a reply The island-wide special customs operations at the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) in south China were officially launched on Thursday. CGTN published an article highlighting how the port’s preferential policies will further stimulate business investment, facilitate cross-border flows of goods and production factors, and position Hainan as a key hub connecting domestic and international markets.  BEIJING, Dec. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in south China’s Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), the world’s largest FTP by area, allowing freer entry of overseas goods, and expanded zero-tariff coverage and more business-friendly measures. Hearing a work report on the FTP in early November, Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed the special customs operations as a landmark move to expand high-standard opening up and promote an open world economy. He called for efforts to better facilitate cross-border flows of factors of production and strive to create a first-rate business environment. The idea of establishing the FTP was first proposed in 2018. Since then, multiple preferential policies – including duty-free shopping and low corporate income tax – have been introduced to make the business friendly FTP gradually take shape. Starting on Thursday, the share of zero-tariff products in the Hainan FTP will surge from 21 percent to 74 percent, with the number of tariff-free items expanding from about 1,900 to 6,637, covering nearly all production equipment and raw materials. Lan Zhenzhen, president of public affairs for L’Oréal North Asia and China, is optimistic about the company’s growth following Thursday’s launch. “As China’s largest free trade pilot zone, Hainan FTP houses the world’s largest single duty-free store and is a major global shopping destination,” Lan said. “In the future, L’Oréal will

New feather in cap for Hong Kong’s legal hub Leave a reply HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 December 2025 – Another international law-related organisation has unveiled plans to set up a regional base in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). The General Assembly of the Italy-based International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) decided (December 11) on the establishment of its UNIDROIT Asia-Pacific Liaison Office (the Office) in the HKSAR, further strengthening the city’s positioning as a centre for international legal and dispute resolution services. It will be UNIDROIT’s first regional presence outside Rome in the 100-year history of the independent intergovernmental organisation, which works to modernise and harmonise private international law, especially commercial law. The International Institute for the Unification of Private Law will establish its Asia-Pacific Liaison Office in Hong Kong China has been a member of UNIDROIT since 1986, while the HKSAR has participated in the work of UNIDROIT as part of the Chinese delegation. The Office is expected to open at the Hong Kong Legal Hub in the second half of 2026, coinciding with UNIDROIT’s centenary celebrations next year. Its presence in Hong Kong could also contribute to facilitating coordination and creating synergies among the “three sisters of private international law”, namely UNIDROIT, the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) and United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). The Legal Hub, located in the city’s central business district, already houses a number of international law-related organisations and institutions, including HCCH Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) and the DoJ (Department of Justice) Project Office for Collaboration with UNCITRAL. In recent years, the DoJ has been collaborating very closely with UNIDROIT, including co-organising biennial Asia-Pacific International Private Law Summit in the HKSAR since 2022 and joint seminars in

ZEISS concludes fiscal year 2024/25 with solid growth Leave a reply Revenue totaled almost 12 billion euros, with EBIT at 1.552 billion euros. The segments once again presented a mixed picture. Targeted resilience measures and investments in innovative strength are the key to the future. Mixed picture in all four segments Targeted resilience measures continued Expenditure on research and development still high at 15% of revenue Current outlook challenging OBERKOCHEN, GERMANY – Newsaktuell – 18 December 2025 – The ZEISS Group concluded fiscal year 2024/25 with solid growth. Revenue increased to 11.896 billion euros (prior year: 10.894 billion euros, up 9%), and earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) reached 1.552 billion euros (prior year: 1.444 billion euros), giving an EBIT margin of 13%. The result, particularly the mixed picture in the four segments, reflects the increasing geoeconomic and geopolitical challenges that the company faced in the past fiscal year. Andreas Pecher, President and CEO of the ZEISS Group “ZEISS is still operating in a dynamic and challenging business environment,” said Andreas Pecher, President and CEO of the ZEISS Group. Geopolitical tensions, trade barriers, and the conflicts between the major economic regions intensified further in fiscal year 2024/25. This directly impacted the willingness of industry to invest, as well as consumer confidence. “There was increased uncertainty in the markets in the past fiscal year. This required us to adapt strategic activities and strengthen targeted resilience measures,” Pecher explained. Segment development   Revenue (in billion euros) Fiscal year 2024/25 Fiscal year 2023/24 Change (adjusted for currency effects) Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology 5.055 4.122 +23% (+23%) Industrial Quality & Research 2.334 2.369 -1% (0%) Medical Technology1 2.704 2.611 +4% (+6%) Consumer Markets 1.569 1.541 +2% (+4%)  1Not identical to the Carl Zeiss Meditec Group The full press release can be found at www.zeiss.com/newsroom This

‫إعلان قطاع النفط وتجارة التجزئة في تايلاند عن تحقيق نتائج قوية في الربع الثالث من العام مع زيادة هامش أرباح النفط واعتماد Café Amazon على ركيزة أرباح قطاع التجزئة Leave a reply بانكوك، تايلاند – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 ديسمبر 2025 – حققت شركة PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Limited (OR) ، أكبر شركة تجارة وقود بالتجزئة في تايلاند ومشغل لسلسلة Café Amazon سريعة التوسع أداءً ماليًا مستقرًا في الربع الثالث من عام 2025، يعكس تعزيزًا لهامش أرباح الوقود وإدارة منضبطة للتكلفة وزخم متواصل في شركتها في قطاع التجزئة والتعامل مع العملاء وجهًا لوجه. السيد إم إل بيكثونغ ثونغياي المدير التنفيذي لشركة PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Limited (OR) حققت الشركة أرباحًا قبل الفائدة والضريبة والاستهلاك وسداد الدين (EBITDA) 4.88 مليار بهت, بزيادة قدرها 7.2% عن الأشهر الثلاث السابقة بينما ارتفع صافي الربح من 17.1% إلى 2.61 مليار بهت. خلال الأشهر التسع الأولى من العام تضاعفت أرباح شركة OR تقريبًا عن نفس الفترة من عام 2024 لتصل إلى 9.23 مليار بهت، مدعومة بزيادة 24.5% في الأرباح قبل الفوائد والضريبة والاستهلاك وسداد الدين (EBITDA) تصل إلى15.9 مليار بهت. تحقق نمو العائدات على الرغم من انخفاض أسعار النفط عالميًا للتأكيد على قدرة شركة  OR على تعزيز الربحية من خلال الكفاءة التشغيلية ومحفظة أعمال أكثر توازنًا. كان أحد أبرز الأحداث في الربع الثالث هو التحسن المستمر في هوامش الوقود. ارتفع متوسط الربح الإجمالي لكل لتر في كل من البنزين والديزل، مما يشير إلى ما تعتبره OR عودة إلى دورة أكثر استقرارًا وصحة في سوق بيع الوقود بالتجزئة في تايلاند. وقد استكمل هذا الزخم الطلب المتزايد على وقود الطيران والتوسع المطرد لشبكات OR الوطنية Station PTT ومحطات شحن EV Station PluZ، التي تعمل الآن في أكثر من 1,300 موقع. وتعزز هذه التطورات مجتمعة استراتيجية الشركة طويلة الأجل لتعزيز كل من البنية التحتية للنقل والطاقة النظيفة. كما حقق قطاع كماليات