China issues 9-bln-yuan sovereign bonds in Hong Kong

Chinese Ministry of Finance on Wednesday issued this year's fourth batch of renminbi (RMB) sovereign bonds worth 9 billion yuan (about 1.26 billion U.S. dollars) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

The issuance includes two-year, three-year and 10-year bonds, each worth 3 billion yuan (about 419 million U.S. dollars).

This marks the 16th consecutive year of RMB sovereign bond issuance in Hong Kong, bringing the total issuance to over 300 billion yuan (about 41.94 billion U.S. dollars).

The Ministry of Finance plans to issue a total of 55 billion yuan (about 7.69 billion U.S. dollars) in RMB sovereign bonds in six batches in the HKSAR this year.

The first three batches, totaling 32 billion yuan (about 4.47 billion U.S. dollars), have already been successfully issued.

Russia reported continued strikes on Ukrainian facilities, while Ukraine claimed to have destroyed Russian facilities, according to reports released by both sides on Saturday.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a briefing Saturday that in the past day, Russian forces struck Ukrainian forces' manpower and equipment assembly points in 148 locations, destroying infrastructure at one military airfield and one fuel depot.

The Russian air defense forces shot down four US-made HIMARS missiles and 104 drones belonging to the Ukrainian military.

On the same day, the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated on social media that on Thursday, Ukrainian forces targeted a military facility of the Russian Armed Forces in Oryol Oblast, destroying a facility used by the Russian military to store, maintain, and repair drones.