* Alibaba, JD.com vie for merchant ties as e-commerce growth slows

China will maintain its long-standing commitment to reform and opening up, Premier Li Keqiang told a group of visiting foreign chief executives on Thursday, adding that restrictions on access will be relaxed in more areas of the economy.

Commodities trading firm Noble Group is set to take a small stake in ambitious Australian rare earths developer Arafura, raising its exposure to strategic minerals critical to high-tech industries and electric vehicles.

* BOJ stands pat but Fed stance seen prompting easing elsewhere

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Japan's Nikkei rose on Thursday and hovered at six-week highs after the U.S. Federal Reserve signalled it was ready to cut interest rates to support the economy, but gains were gapped by a stronger yen.

Delta Air Lines Inc said it was not expecting flight cancellations as a result of a technical glitch that had affected booking, check-in and boarding services.

* Policymakers see stronger case for lower rates -Powell (Recasts lead)

A gauge of global stock markets edged near this year's peak while benchmark U.S. Treasury yields and the dollar dropped after the Federal Reserve signalled possible interest rate cuts later this year.

* Imports of select critical minerals: https://tmsnrt.rs/2Iqmo36