China and Switzerland have completed negotiations on upgrading their free trade agreement (FTA), China's Ministry of Commerce said Friday. Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and Guy Parmelin, president of the Swiss Confederation and head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, jointly announced the completion of the negotiations and signed a memorandum of understanding in Bern on Thursday.

China has always opposed the European Union (EU)'s abuse of unilateral tools such as the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) to target Chinese companies, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday. Spokesperson He Yadong made the remarks when commenting on China's latest order that no organization or individual may comply with or assist in implementing the EU's cross-border investigation measures against Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com. China's Ministry of Justice determined on Wednesday that the EU's recent cross-border investigation into JD.com under the FSR constituted unlawful extraterritorial jurisdiction.

The China Gold Association (CGA) has issued a solemn statement, firmly opposing the recent move by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to add several Chinese gold enterprises to the so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List," which bars goods produced by these enterprises from entering the United States. In its statement, the association stresses that the so-called "forced-labor" allegations concerning Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China are entirely fabricated. It adds that China's gold industry strictly abides by laws and regulations, protects all legitimate rights and interests of its employees, and ensures full compliance and transparency throughout the entire mining development process. The association said the U.S. restrictions, based on a presumption of guilt, are essentially an attempt to politicize human rights and pursue trade protectionism.

China on Tuesday announced a decision to revise its regulations regarding housing provident fund management, in the latest effort to adapt the long-standing housing finance system to a property market entering a new development phase. The revised regulations, set to take effect on Sept. 20, will expand the scope for withdrawals, improve the efficiency of fund management and related services, strengthen risk prevention, and extend coverage to a broader range of workers, among other measures. The revision marks a significant update to the housing provident fund system, which has been in place for more than two decades and covers about 180 million workers. Experts said the move is expected to help unlock housing demand and support a more stable property market over the longer term.