China's cross-border receipts, payments hit record high in H1

China's cross-border receipts and payments handled by banks on behave of clients in the first half of this year hit a record high of 9.2 trillion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year rise of 21 percent, according to data released by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Friday.

Li Bin, spokesman and also deputy director of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, said that the scale of foreign-related economic transactions maintained strong momentum, with the Chinese yuan playing an increasingly prominent role in cross-border settlements.

"China's cross-border receipts and payments hit a record high. In the first half of the year, banks handled cross-border receipts and payments totaling 9.2 trillion U.S. dollars on behalf of clients, a year-on-year increase of 21 percent, marking a record high for the same period in history. Among them, the share of the Chinese yuan in cross-border payment and receipt transactions was 52.9 percent, up 1.3 percentage points from the full-year level of 2025. In the first half of the year, the total scale of foreign exchange settlement and sales by banks reached 2.9 trillion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 24 percent, also a record high for the same period in history. These figures demonstrate that China's foreign-related economy has maintained a sound development momentum, and cross-border trade and investment have become more active," said Li.

China's cross-border receipts, payments hit record high in H1

China's cross-border receipts, payments hit record high in H1

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Saturday that participation in the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York is Iran's "legal right."

"Being present in New York holds absolutely no appeal for Iran's representatives. However, it is a stronghold that must not be abandoned. Iran's participation in the UNGA's session is a legal right, not a favor to be granted to us by someone. Iran is one of the UN's 50 founding members," Baghaei said in an interview with state-run IRIB TV.

"It is our duty as the Iranian nation's representatives to attend this major international event to make the world hear the Iranian people's rightfulness," he said, accusing "the other side" of employing every available tool to prevent the Iranian delegation's participation.

Such "obstructionism and negative propaganda" will never make Iran back down from its legitimate right to participate in the session and articulate its positions, he said.

The United States said it would issue visas to Iran's "core delegation" for the UNGA "consistent with our host country obligations," according to a statement by the U.S. State Department on Thursday.

"The delegation is smaller than last year," the statement said.

Iran says participation in UNGA session its "legal right"