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South Korea’s most iconic food is enjoying record demand overseas, yet at home a growing share of the kimchi served in restaurants and increasingly in household kitchens is made in China, according to the latest trade data and industry analysts.The Korea Customs Service has reported that from January to October, South Korea exported US$137.39 million worth of kimchi, a 2 per cent increase over the same period last year, but imported US$159.46 million, up 3.1 per cent.This has left the country with a kimchi trade deficit of US$22.07 million – an increase of more than 10 per cent year-on-year.Officials expect…

UBTech Robotics, one of China’s top robot manufacturers, said on Tuesday it had secured a major contract to deploy humanoids at border crossings to perform tasks such as guiding travellers, conducting inspections and handling logistics, as the country intensified efforts to apply robotics in the real world.The company has struck a 264 million yuan (US$37 million) deal with a humanoid robot centre in Fangchenggang, a coastal city in the southern autonomous region of Guangxi, which shares a border with Vietnam. The project features the industrial-grade Walker S2, a model launched in July that was billed as the world’s first humanoid…

The use of e-banking and online transactions is steadily rising in Pakistan; however, adoption remains limited when viewed across the overall population. There are those who prefer cash because they find it difficult to use digital payment methods, or believe it comes with a higher risk of fraud. How Visa is tackling a surge in online financial fraud in Pakistan On the other hand, some individuals consider carrying cash risky given the law and order situation in the country, and choose digital payments instead. Meanwhile the government of Pakistan has taken significant initiatives to accelerate the digitalization of the economy…

Thailand’s navy will deploy an aircraft carrier to the flood-stricken south, as public outcry mounts over the government’s response to a crisis that has hit about 2 million people and left an entire southern city under water.Heavy late monsoon rains, compounded by the La Nina climate pattern, have battered Southeast Asia for weeks, with scores killed in floods and landslides in central Vietnam and Thailand, and floods now striking south into Malaysia.Five days of continuous rains have pounded the south of Thailand, where the province of Songkhla has been declared a disaster zone and its capital Hat Yai, a city…

An electric vehicle production plant set up by NexGen Auto, a Pakistani subsidiary of the Nishat Group, has begun production, months ahead of its planned launch. “The plant was initially expected to start production by March 2026, but it has already started production in November,” Zayan Babar, an Investment Analyst at Arif Habib Limited (AHL) told Business Recorder on Tuesday. The development came into light during a corporate briefing session of Nishat Power Limited (NPL) held today, which was attended by Babar. During the briefing session, NPL management shared it will invest up to Rs2 billion in NexGen Auto (Private)…

The maker of tea drinks and soy milk posted interim revenue of HK$3.23 billion (US$415 million) and a net profit of HK$172 million, a 1 per cent year-on-year increase. The figures contrasted with the company’s performance for the full financial year ended March, when revenue rose 1 per cent and net profit surged 102 per cent.“It is difficult to say,” said CEO Roberto Guidetti, when asked about expectations for demand on the mainland market.Vitasoy has been offering 10 to 15 per cent discounts for its tea products since November 2024 and has increased promotional expenses for its soy milk products.Guidetti…

Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal on Tuesday inaugurated third edition of International Food and Agriculture Exhibition, FoodAg 2025, at the Expo Centre Karachi. The three-day event, running from November 25-27, 2025, brings together over 500 exhibitors and more than 850 international buyers from over 80 countries under the theme “Harvesting Innovation, Cultivating Sustainability.” The exhibition is organized by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) under the Ministry of Commerce. After the ceremonial curtain raise, the commerce minister toured the exhibition halls and interacted with exhibitors and viewed the diverse range of products on display, the Press Information Department…

Total revenue for the Hangzhou-based company reached 247.8 billion yuan (US$34.8 billion) for its financial second quarter ended September 30, beating the consensus estimate of 245.2 billion yuan by Bloomberg-polled analysts. That was more than the 2 per cent growth rate in the previous quarter.Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders fell 52 per cent to 21 billion yuan from 43.9 billion yuan a year ago, primarily due to the decrease in income from operations. Still, that fared better than the 9.2 billion yuan estimate by analysts.“We have entered into an investment phase to build long-term strategic value in AI technologies…

Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) said it had received the fifth installment of Rs 7.725 billion from Power Holding (Private) Limited (PHL) under the government’s circular debt settlement plan. Pakistan’s largest E&P firm disclosed the development in a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) today. “As previously disclosed, the total interest amount of Rs 92 billion is to be repaid in twelve equal monthly installments, commencing July 2025,” read the notice. The OGDCL said that the receipt of this installment, being one of twelve equal monthly installments, reflects continued progress under the government’s initiative to address circular…

Shenzhen-based Huawei listed the Kirin 9030 as the processor for the 12-gigabyte random access memory (RAM) version of the Mate 80 Pro, while its Kirin 9030 Pro version is built into the 16GB RAM Mate 80 Pro, the Mate 80 Pro Max and Mate 80 RS models, according to the official website for the company’s latest flagship handsets.The series’ basic Mate 80 model, however, runs on the older Kirin 9020 processor.At the live-streamed launch on Tuesday, the chairman of Huawei’s consumer business group, Richard Yu Chengdong, claimed a 42 per cent performance improvement by the Mate 80 Pro and Pro…