PRE-MARKET HONG KONG STOCKS NEWS: HSBC (5 HK) was among the banks appointed by the UK Treasury as lead underwriters for the pilot issuance of UK digital gilts

HSBC (5 HK) - UK Treasury appointed six banks, including HSBC, Barclays, Morgan Stanley, Lloyds Bank, NatWest and RBC Capital Markets, as lead underwriters for the pilot issuance of UK digital gilts, which is expected to be completed before Q1 2027 to promote modernisation of capital markets. (AA Stocks) DeepSeek - Co. is considering doubling its latest funding round to up to USD 15bln, according to CNBC citing sources. (CNBC) Other News US and China are holding informal, preliminary discussions on reciprocal nuclear site visits, with the Trump administration planning to pursue the proposal in the coming months. (CNN) China's MOFCOM said it hopes France and Germany will uphold open cooperation and free trade, abide by WTO rules and refrain from encouraging the EU to use protectionist tools at every turn. It added that this would avoid taking the wrong path in the wrong way and ultimately backfiring on themselves. (Newswires) China and EU trade officials reportedly held a preparatory video meeting. (Newswires) China said it will monitor the UK's moves on EV tariffs and respond accordingly. (Newswires)