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‘No challenges can stop China’s progress’ Xi Jinping says in 75th anniversary speech

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China’s President Xi Jinping speaks during an awards ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sept. 29, 2024, ahead of China’s National Day.

Adek Berry | Afp | Getty Images

BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that no challenges can stop the country from moving forward and reiterated Beijing’s reunification aims with Taiwan.

He was speaking at a reception commemorating the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, which was founded on Oct.1, 1949.

“The path ahead will definitely see challenges,” Xi said, before calling on the country to overcome uncertainties and risks. “No challenges can stop China’s progress.”

The comments were translated by CNBC from a Chinese state media broadcast.

The brief speech, aired during the state broadcaster’s daily evening news program, noted that Xi and other top Chinese leaders entered the reception shortly after 5 p.m. local time on Monday.

Mobius: China represents 30% of the Emerging Market Index."

About 3,000 people, including foreigners, attended the event in Beijing, according to state media.

During his speech, Xi emphasized the need to unify under the Chinese Communist Party’s leadership and reiterated Beijing’s “firm opposition” to Taiwan “separatist” activities, while calling for both sides to increase economic and cultural cooperation.

He cast reunification with Taiwan as an inevitable development of history — something he has said previously.

Beijing considers the democratically self-ruled island as a part of its territory.

No mention of trade tensions

Tensions between China and the U.S. and Europe have increased over the last several years, with Western nations increasing tariffs and restrictions on Beijing’s access to advanced technology.

Xi did not mention specific countries or trade conflicts in his Monday speech, instead portraying China as upholding globalization. He broadly thanked “friendly” countries and supporters of China’s development.

He also emphasized Beijing’s claim to Greater China by saying “national rejuvenation” was the hope of Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and all Chinese peoples.

The Beijing leader added that China would “spur” the development of Hong Kong and Macao — both self-governed regions which are ruled by Beijing under the “one country, two systems” principle.

In a 2019 speech commemorating the PRC’s 70th anniversary, Xi had said that no force could sway China’s development, amid festivities involving a military parade and large-scale celebrations. Events for the 65th anniversary were more subdued.

Xi’s speech comes at a time of uptick in Chinese markets in recent weeks, with major mainland Chinese and Hong Kong stock indexes recently surging to their highest in more than a year after authorities announced plans to support economic growth. On Thursday, a high-level meeting led by Xi called for halting the real estate decline, and for strengthening fiscal and monetary policy.

While the People’s Bank of China has cut rates in the last week, the Ministry of Finance has yet to announce additional fiscal support.

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Swiss government proposes tough new capital rules in major blow to UBS

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A sign in German that reads “part of the UBS group” in Basel on May 5, 2025.

Fabrice Coffrini | AFP | Getty Images

The Swiss government on Friday proposed strict new capital rules that would require banking giant UBS to hold an additional $26 billion in core capital, following its 2023 takeover of stricken rival Credit Suisse.

The measures would also mean that UBS will need to fully capitalize its foreign units and carry out fewer share buybacks.

“The rise in the going-concern requirement needs to be met with up to USD 26 billion of CET1 capital, to allow the AT1 bond holdings to be reduced by around USD 8 billion,” the government said in a Friday statement, referring to UBS’ holding of Additional Tier 1 (AT1) bonds.

The Swiss National Bank said it supported the measures from the government as they will “significantly strengthen” UBS’ resilience.

“As well as reducing the likelihood of a large systemically important bank such as UBS getting into financial distress, this measure also increases a bank’s room for manoeuvre to stabilise itself in a crisis through its own efforts. This makes it less likely that UBS has to be bailed out by the government in the event of a crisis,” SNB said in a Friday statement.

‘Too big to fail’

UBS has been battling the specter of tighter capital rules since acquiring the country’s second-largest bank at a cut-price following years of strategic errors, mismanagement and scandals at Credit Suisse.

The shock demise of the banking giant also brought Swiss financial regulator FINMA under fire for its perceived scarce supervision of the bank and the ultimate timing of its intervention.

Swiss regulators argue that UBS must have stronger capital requirements to safeguard the national economy and financial system, given the bank’s balance topped $1.7 trillion in 2023, roughly double the projected Swiss economic output of last year. UBS insists it is not “too big to fail” and that the additional capital requirements — set to drain its cash liquidity — will impact the bank’s competitiveness.

At the heart of the standoff are pressing concerns over UBS’ ability to buffer any prospective losses at its foreign units, where it has, until now, had the duty to back 60% of capital with capital at the parent bank.

Higher capital requirements can whittle down a bank’s balance sheet and credit supply by bolstering a lender’s funding costs and choking off their willingness to lend — as well as waning their appetite for risk. For shareholders, of note will be the potential impact on discretionary funds available for distribution, including dividends, share buybacks and bonus payments.

“While winding down Credit Suisse’s legacy businesses should free up capital and reduce costs for UBS, much of these gains could be absorbed by stricter regulatory demands,” Johann Scholtz, senior equity analyst at Morningstar, said in a note preceding the FINMA announcement. 

“Such measures may place UBS’s capital requirements well above those faced by rivals in the United States, putting pressure on returns and reducing prospects for narrowing its long-term valuation gap. Even its long-standing premium rating relative to the European banking sector has recently evaporated.”

The prospect of stringent Swiss capital rules and UBS’ extensive U.S. presence through its core global wealth management division comes as White House trade tariffs already weigh on the bank’s fortunes. In a dramatic twist, the bank lost its crown as continental Europe’s most valuable lender by market capitalization to Spanish giant Santander in mid-April.

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