HONG KONG -- China Three Gorges Renewables (Group), a unit of the operator of the world's largest hydroelectric power plant, surged the maximum 44% allowed Thursday morning to cap the largest domestic initial public offering by a mainland company since January 2020.

The listing of CTG Renewables, which operates wind and solar plants on the mainland, capitalized on investor interest in China's drive to fulfill President Xi Jinping's pledge last year to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

TOKYO -- India's most valuable financial technology startups are entering Southeast Asia, bringing a fresh wave of competition for a slice of the region's young shoppers.

Pine Labs, a provider of point-of-sale terminals to retailers, said it was valued at $3 billion in a funding round last month. The company recently began offering a "buy now, pay later" service to retailers in Malaysia, letting customers pay in installments with zero interest rates using their credit card. Pine Labs takes a

BANGKOK -- As the global automotive industry undergoes a radical shift toward electrification, Thailand, the manufacturing hub of Southeast Asia, is emerging as a new arena of competition for the world's leading manufacturers.

China's Great Wall Motors on Wednesday officially opened its first factory in Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor industrial zone of Rayong. It will focus on electric vehicle production for both the domestic market and export to ASEAN countries.

Great Wall is not the only big overseas company jumping into Thailand's nascent EV market

BANGKOK -- Seven international airlines will operate direct flights to Phuket in southern Thailand, starting in July, bringing foreign tourists to the resort island, with the Thai government accepting visitors vaccinated for COVID-19 without quarantines.

Thai Airways International will focus on welcoming vacationers from five European cities. Flights from Paris; Frankfurt, Germany; and Copenhagen to Phuket will begin July 2, according to the national flag carrier's chief commercial officer, Nond Kalinta. Flights from London and Zurich will resume the next day.

British

GUANGZHOU -- Tencent Holdings stoked jealousy among Chinese netizens with an announcement in late April that it had expanded a program to fund housing purchases for its employees. Workers can now receive interest-free loans of up to 900,000 yuan ($141,000) for their first home, an 80% increase in the upward limit.

"I want my company to follow their example," one commenter said.

As the rapid concentration of China's population in urban

JAKARTA -- Global investors are intensifying bets that the digitalization of Indonesia's mom-and-pop stores is the country's next big growth sector.

BukuWarung, an Indonesian startup that provides services such as digital bookkeeping and enabling digital payments for warung -- the local equivalent of mom and pop stores -- said on Thursday it has raised $60 million in Series A funding from global investors.

The infusion comes after direct rival BukuKas said in mid-May that it raised $50 million in a

HONG KONG -- A total of 715 people so far have been found guilty of charges connected to Hong Kong's mass protests that began two years ago Wednesday, as authorities crack down against dissent under the controversial national security law enacted last year.

More than 1 million had participated in the demonstrations, originally sparked by a proposed bill to allow extraditions from Hong Kong to mainland China. Though the bill has since been withdrawn, distrust in the authorities continues to simmer even as the government claims to have restored order

TOKYO -- Japanese mayonnaise manufacturer Kewpie has developed a vegetarian version of scrambled eggs that are made of soy beans, as demand for such products rise.

Kewpie plans to start selling its "Hobotama," which is translated as "almost eggs," at the end of June, to businesses such as hotels and restaurants, and schools initially, before possibly targeting mass consumers. The price of Hobotama will be three times that of wholesale scrambled eggs.

Consumers have been moving toward vegetarian and vegan options globally for health and environmental

NEW DELHI -- India's Olympic athletes will wear unbranded apparel during the July 23 to Aug. 8 Summer Games in Tokyo, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) said Tuesday, after dropping Chinese sportswear brand Li Ning as its official uniform sponsor, citing "sentiments of the people of the country."

The announcement comes amid strained ties between India and China over a border standoff that led to a deadly clash in June last year. Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in the fighting. The border skirmish has led