Africa is emerging as fertile ground for Beijing’s drive to make the yuan a major international currency and reduce reliance on the US dollar, as an increasing number of financial institutions deepen their integration with China’s payment network.

Following talks in Beijing between Central Bank of Libya Governor Naji Issa and People’s Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng last month, the country’s banks are set to join China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), an alternative to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial

Hong Kong’s immigration chief has rejected claims that world‑class snooker players are using a local talent scheme primarily to cut their tax bills, saying zero‑tax Middle Eastern destinations would be more logical if avoidance were the only goal.

Director of Immigration Benson Kwok Joon‑fung stressed on Sunday that the city’s public safety, convenient transport and education system appealed to global talent, pushing back against criticism in a televised interview after snooker icon Jimmy White recently became Hong Kong’s latest high‑profile resident.