ASIA: China has said Hong Kong will suspend extradition treaties with Britain, Canada, and Australia after they took similar steps over the territory’s controversial new security law. The Foreign Ministry spokesman accused the countries of “gross interference in China’s internal affairs.” Earlier this month, US lawmakers approved sanctions in response to the law, targeting banks […]

ASIA: China’s economy returned to growth in the second quarter after a deep slump at the start of the year, but unexpected weakness in domestic consumption underscored the need for more policy support to bolster the recovery after the shock of the coronavirus crisis. Gross domestic product (GDP) rose 3.2% in the second quarter from […]

ASIA: The US has announced new visa bans on senior Chinese officials involved in restricting access to foreigners to the sensitive region of Tibet and reaffirmed its support for “meaningful autonomy” for Tibetans. In retaliation, China has announced that I will impose visa restrictions on US personnel who exhibit egregious behavior toward Tibet, said Chinese […]

ASIA: China has warned the UK not to interfere with Hong Kong following Beijing’s imposition of a sweeping new national security law. Ambassador Liu Xiaoming said the UK’s offer of a path to citizenship for up to three million Hong Kongers amounted to “gross interference.” British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab rejected the accusation. Earlier, a […]

ASIA: The US Senate has approved a final version of legislation that would punish China for moves that lawmakers fear will crush democratic freedoms in Hong Kong. The move by lawmakers comes as China has passed a controversial national security law for Hong Kong that lends Beijing sweeping new powers over the semi-autonomous city. The […]

ASIA: A new strain of flu that has the potential to become a pandemic has been identified in China by scientists. It emerged recently and is carried by pigs, but can infect humans, they say. The researchers are concerned that it could mutate further so that it can spread easily from person to person, and […]

ASIA: China’s Oppo canceled the live online launch of its flagship smartphone in India on Wednesday after a border clash between the two countries that has renewed calls from local Indian trader groups to boycott Chinese goods. The clashes risk souring sentiment for big Chinese investors who were eyeing the Indian market and already faced […]

ASIA: Twitter has removed more than 170,000 accounts from its platform after the social media site found state-linked influence campaigns from China focusing on Hong Kong protests, Covid-19, and the US protests in relation to George Floyd. The company announced on Thursday that 23,750 core accounts, and 150,000 “amplifier” accounts that boosted the content posted […]

ASIA: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that he would not be intimidated or give into coercion when asked on Thursday whether Australia would keep taking hits on exports from major trading partner China. “We are an open-trading nation, mate, but I’m never going to trade our values in response to coercion from wherever it […]

According to a recent survey conducted by the Institute for Economic Research (Ifo), German companies plan to reduce investments by 50% this year due to the lingering effects of the coronavirus. In fact, 28% of companies reportedly already canceled investments. The manufacturing sector, the heart of the German economy and therefore the entire Eurozone, purportedly […]