China will deepen reform of the institutional framework for promoting foreign investment this year, according to a government work report submitted Thursday to the country's top legislature for deliberation. Greater efforts will be made to attract and utilize foreign investment in the 2026-2030 period, according to a draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) also submitted Thursday. The country will continuously optimize the foreign investment environment, improve services and support for foreign investors, and foster new strengths in attracting foreign investment, said the draft outline. It also pledged to guide foreign investment to flow more to areas such as advanced manufacturing, modern services, new and high technology, as well as energy conservation and environment protection.

Hong Kong's financial system remains robust and continues to operate smoothly despite heightened external volatilities, Paul Chan, financial secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, said in a blog post on Sunday. Total bank deposits in Hong Kong exceeded 19 trillion Hong Kong dollars (about 2.43 trillion U.S. dollars) to date, Chan said. He highlighted that Hong Kong's stock market performed well in January, citing that the benchmark Hang Seng Index gained nearly 7 percent month on month to close at 27,387 points on Friday, with average daily turnover surging 90 percent from a year ago to over 272 billion Hong Kong dollars.