Good morning, and welcome to Wendesday’s Asia Links
Overnight
S&P500: +0.98%, FTSE100: +0.76%, HSI: +0.68%
Pharma and funeral stocks rally as investors ride China’s covid wave (FT)
China moves to boost foreign investment, trade as covid measures adjusted (People’s Daily)
India’s Paytm to buy back $103m in stock after post-IPO plunge (Bloomberg, LiveMint)
US lawmakers unveil bipartisan bid to ban China’s TikTok (SCMP)
China planning $143bn chip push (Taipei Times)
Crypto platform Binance sees withdrawals of $2.6bn in last 24 hours (Straits Times)
Hong Kong ditches covid-tracing app and ban on travellers visiting bars (FT, SCMP)
China underworld floods to Thailand-Myanmar river border (Nikkei Asia)
Thai authorities seize $290m from online gambling network (Bangkok Post)
New Zealand to phase in near-total tobacco ban from next year (BBC)
K-pop star Jin from BTS begins military service (BBC, Reuters)
Karu Research, the global fashion brand run by an Indian schoolboy (WSJ)
Hawaii’s ‘last princess’ Abigail Kawananakoa dies aged 96 (BBC)