China issues 9-bln-yuan sovereign bonds in Hong Kong

Chinese Ministry of Finance on Wednesday issued this year's fourth batch of renminbi (RMB) sovereign bonds worth 9 billion yuan (about 1.26 billion U.S. dollars) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

The issuance includes two-year, three-year and 10-year bonds, each worth 3 billion yuan (about 419 million U.S. dollars).

This marks the 16th consecutive year of RMB sovereign bond issuance in Hong Kong, bringing the total issuance to over 300 billion yuan (about 41.94 billion U.S. dollars).

The Ministry of Finance plans to issue a total of 55 billion yuan (about 7.69 billion U.S. dollars) in RMB sovereign bonds in six batches in the HKSAR this year.

The first three batches, totaling 32 billion yuan (about 4.47 billion U.S. dollars), have already been successfully issued.

China issues 9-bln-yuan sovereign bonds in Hong Kong

China issues 9-bln-yuan sovereign bonds in Hong Kong

China issues 9-bln-yuan sovereign bonds in Hong Kong

China issues 9-bln-yuan sovereign bonds in Hong Kong

Russia and Ukraine exchanged 206 prisoners of war on Saturday, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

"A total of 103 Russian servicemen who were taken prisoner in the Kursk region have been released. In exchange, 103 Ukrainian prisoners of war have been transferred," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

All the exchanged Russian soldiers are now in Belarus, where they are receiving the necessary assistance. The United Arab Emirates facilitated the exchange through humanitarian mediation, it added.

Ukrainian authorities said on Saturday that this was the second exchange in two days.

In a Telegram post, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that 103 Ukrainian military personnel, including 21 officers, had been released.

Russia, Ukraine swap war prisoners