TOKYO/HONG KONG -- China on Wednesday said it aims to help arrange a comprehensive conclusion to the conflict in the Middle East, hours after the U.S. stepped back from threats to bomb Iranian infrastructure and agreed with Tehran on a ceasefire.

HSINCHU, Taiwan -- The Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association is calling on the government to stockpile strategic raw materials such as helium and liquified natural gas and voicing support for the reopening of nuclear power plants amid concerns that conflict in the Middle East could disrupt long-term supplies of critical materials and energy.

TOKYO -- Governments and businesses around Asia welcomed the U.S.-Iran ceasefire but cautioned that it was far from a settlement of the conflict and expressed concerns about when pre-war shipping conditions would return to the Strait of Hormuz.

TOKYO -- Even as a ceasefire in the Iran war comes into effect, Asian governments from Japan to Southeast Asia and India are moving to spend billions of dollars in subsidies to cushion populations from the most severe impacts of the Iran war.

TOKYO -- Japan passed its largest ever annual budget on Tuesday on the back of record spending on defense and social security. The package for the fiscal year that started April 1 was formulated before the Iran war, and includes few measures to alleviate rising fuel prices. As such, there are already some voices within the government calling for a supplementary budget to help households.

TOKYO -- Japan passed its largest ever annual budget on Tuesday on the back of record spending on defense and social security. The package for the fiscal year that started April 1 was formulated before the Iran war, and includes few measures to alleviate rising fuel prices. As such, there are already some voices within the government calling for a supplementary budget to help households.

TOKYO -- Stock markets in Asia jumped on Wednesday morning as investors welcomed news of a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. Oil prices fell sharply.

MUMBAI -- The Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday held its key policy rate at 5.25%, as it assessed the impact of the U.S.-Iran war on the country's economy, partially helped by inflation that has remained below target levels.

HO CHI MINH CITY -- Vietnam will be marked as an emerging market from Sept. 21, according to index provider FTSE Russell, allowing billions in foreign funds to stream into the stock market.

ISLAMABAD -- Hours before U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday local time that he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, Pakistan stepped in to secure a two-week pause in the war, with the country's officials describing the intervention as one that helped avert a "doomsday scenario."