Shanghai Shipping Exchange said heavy rain in southern China has kept power-plant daily burn low and the peak electricity season has not arrived, slowing downstream inventory drawdown. Falling coal prices have damped purchases and traders are largely sidelined; northern anchorages have ample waiting tonnage. On July 3 the exchange's China Coastal (bulk) Composite Freight Index closed at 1,037.36, down 6.7% from the prior reading.

On July 4 local time the press office of the National Police in Mykolaiv Oblast said a passenger minibus collided with a truck in the region, killing nine people and injuring eight. Police and emergency crews have been dispatched to the scene to conduct on-site examinations and investigate the cause.

Spring Airlines resumed direct Kaohsiung–Ningbo services on the 4th using an Airbus A320, operating one roundtrip weekly on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Flight 9C8685 departs Ningbo Lishe Airport 15:30, arrives Kaohsiung 17:35; 9C8686 departs Kaohsiung 18:35, arrives Ningbo Lishe 20:35. Spring said previous travel between the cities required transfers and typically exceeded five hours; the direct service cuts one-way flight time to about two hours. Several mainland carriers have also been restoring cross-strait direct routes: China Eastern resumed Taichung–Chengdu from the 1st of this month, and Shandong Airlines expects to resume Taichung–Qingdao from the 23rd.