☕️ Good morning, friends,

Excellent news for anyone flying to the United States: at airport security you no longer have to take off your shoes.

Could that be one reason why Shanghai welcomed 45 % more foreign tourists in the first six months of this year than in the same period last year?

What do our subscribers over at Lufthansa think? Drop us a line!

🚀 Benchmarks

🔢 Facts & Figures

15

That’s how many initial public offerings were announced in Hong Kong’s tech-focused AI sector in the first quarter of 2025.

668

That’s how many orders Boeing logged in the first half of the year, marking its best monthly figure in 18 months.

100,000

That’s the amount of ultra-fast charging stations China plans to build by 2027 to enhance its EV charging

Top Bit: ✈️ Comac C919 chips away at the Airbus-Boeing duopoly

After just a three-week pause, U.S. supplier GE Aerospace may once again ship engines to China’s state-owned jetmaker Comac. That clears the way for continued production of the C919 medium-haul aircraft, whose order book already tops 1,000 units. Low-cost carrier Ryanair is openly exploring a purchase—provided the price comes in well below that of the Airbus A320neo.

Details

🚀 Engine go-ahead: Washington has lifted the licence freeze imposed in June, allowing GE Aerospace to resume deliveries and Comac to restart production immediately.

📈 Order boom: More than 1,000 firm C919 orders—almost all from Chinese airlines—keep the assembly lines busy through the late 2030s.

💶 Price edge: Ryanair signals interest if Comac can price the jet 10–20 % below the Airbus A320neo—a true shot across the bow.

🛩️ Model family: A stretched 240-seat version and a shortened high-altitude variant are already on the drawing board.

🌍 Trade thaw: After moves on chips and ethylene, this is the third U.S. tech-easing step toward China within days.

Why it matters

• Market structure: A strong third-party entrant could break the decades-long Airbus-Boeing duopoly.
  

• Supply chains: The licence reinstatement highlights mutual dependence despite the trade dispute.
  

• Price pressure: Cheaper C919 deals would boost airlines’ bargaining power worldwide.

Background

Founded in 2008, Comac is already counting on a home market that represents one-fifth of global aircraft demand.

Roughly 40 % of its components still come from the United States and Europe.

With Airbus and Boeing booked solid through the end of the decade, Comac sees an opening to pitch a fully certified C919 family worldwide. If its long-haul C929 project also succeeds, the aviation sector would have its first new major player in decades.

📊 All Details & Data: Business Insider, Reuters, CNBC

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Head Of The Day

🇸🇬 Forrest Li

💡 From indebted MBA student to digital entrepreneur: Born in China, Li moved to Singapore carrying roughly USD 100 000 in debt. There, he launched a small online-gaming start-up that quickly attracted millions of users. Today his company, Sea, earns its money through e-commerce and digital payments.

👉 Lesson learned: Sometimes a negative bank balance is the best motivation to create something big.

Market Bit: 🏎 Porsche Falters Worldwide—U.S. Remains Turbo Market

Details

✈️ Global deliveries: 146,391 vehicles in H1 2025 (-6 % YoY) — China down 28 %, Europe ex-Germany -8 %, and the home market even -23 %.

🇺🇸 North America shines: +10 % to 43,577 units — stronger supply, tariff buffer, and hot demand for the 911 and Cayenne keep sales roaring.

⚡ Plug-in share rises: 36 % of all Porsches sold have a plug, with nearly one-quarter of those pure BEVs; the new Macan Electric is the main driver, outselling its combustion versions.

🚙 Model shift: Macan remains the bestseller (39,167 units), Cayenne -23 %, Taycan -6 %; the 718 line sinks double-digits as EU combustion variants phase out.

Why it matters

• China slowdown: Premium importers are squeezed by local EV players and aggressive price wars—Porsche is a bellwether for all German luxury brands.
  

• U.S. profit buffer: The sales jump confirms that pricing power in high-tariff markets remains intact and props up margins while Asia softens.
  

• EV transition pressure: A higher electric share sounds positive, but it costs billions for batteries and software—without growth in China, the ROI gets harder.

👉🏻 Full Story: WSJ, Reuters, Stuttgarter Nachrichten

Top Reads

💥 China allegedly targeted a German aircraft with a laser in the Red Sea: During the EU mission “Aspides,” a Chinese warship reportedly aimed a laser beam at a German reconnaissance plane. Berlin reacted sharply and summoned the Chinese ambassador. Full story.

📱 Hikvision allowed to continue in Canada for now: After security concerns led Canada to halt the Chinese surveillance tech firm's operations, a court has temporarily approved ongoing business. The company stresses protecting Canadian clients and plans legal action against the ban. Full Story.

📈 Tokyo exchange uses AI for financial data search: Japan Exchange Group launches an AI service in 2025 to help investors query financial info from 4,000 listed companies. This speeds up analysis and creates new revenue opportunities. Full Story.

Optional Reads

South Korea: BTS Agency Hybe is setting up an Indian subsidiary to export K-pop model to a market of 1.4 billion people. More on that.

Vietnam: The central bank aims to curb inflation and support growth to outweigh US tariff threats. More on that.

Indonesia: The country plans a $34 billion deal to boost US purchases ahead of July 9. More on that.

🥠 Fortune Cookie

🤖 VR chef across 1,800 km: An engineer in Shenzhen slips on a VR headset, and thousand kilometres away in Shandong a robot mirrors his every move—flipping a steak to the millimetre and sprinkling salt with almost human finesse.

What looks like fun is actually trail-blazing: in future, patients may no longer have to travel the globe for specialist surgery. Even at distances of several thousand kilometres, surgeons could operate remotely via robotic avatars.

See you tomorrow,

Thomas, Michael & the Team of asiabits.

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