China

On February 14, the Philippine government filed a diplomatic protest against China after a Chinese coast guard vessel pointed a military-grade laser at the Philippine Navy ship BRP Malapascua in the West Philippine Sea. The incident occurred earlier that day. The protest was delivered to the Chinese embassy on Tuesday, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Spokesperson Teresita …

Monday, February 6th, was the first time in three years that all border gates were fully reopened without COVID-19 limitations. Tens of thousands of travelers traveled between mainland China and its special administrative territory of Hong Kong. China stated last week that cross-border travel between the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao will resume in full on February 6, removing current …

Singapore is experiencing an inflow of ultra-wealthy Chinese families seeking refuge from the Chinese Communist Party, who view them with growing distrust. Recent Beijing crackdowns on internet billionaires and tax-averse celebrities, as well as three years of zero-COVID policy that ended only this month, have prompted many wealthy Chinese to seek refuge abroad. According to AFP sources, several of the …

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a trip to China that had been scheduled to begin on Friday (Feb. 3), following the tracking of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon flying across the United States in what Washington termed a “clear infringement” of US sovereignty. Officials said that military officers debated firing down the high-altitude surveillance balloon on Wednesday, but …

Next week, when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets his Chinese counterpart in Beijing, there will be numerous points of contention, including Taiwan, chips, and trade. How can the world’s two largest economies avoid a resurgence of the Cold War? In August of last year, when then-US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, China conducted unprecedented military …

Graduate student Zayn Zhang, like many wealthy Chinese, believes that Singapore may be a great place to park his family’s fortune. His wife is searching for a $4 million to $5 million (S$5 million to S$7 million) penthouse while he studies at a university in the Asian financial capital in hopes of obtaining permanent residency. “Singapore is wonderful. It is …

After cruising to victory in her opening qualifying match at the WTA Thailand Open on Saturday, January 28, at the True Arena in Hua Hin, Alex Eala moved closer to advancing to the main event of the tournament. The young woman, who is just 17 years old, defeated Han Xinyun of China by scores of 6-1 and 7-6 (6) to …

On Tuesday, Swatch Group shares reached their highest point in over two and a half years after the world’s largest watchmaker predicted a rebound in luxury demand from China. The manufacturer of high-end Omega, Tissot, and Longines timepieces as well as its own mass-market plastic watches reported that January sales in China had already surpassed the high levels observed in …

China stated that the worst was over in its fight against COVID-19 prior to what is set to be the biggest travel day in years on Friday, January 20, a huge movement of people that has stoked worries of a new outbreak. State media reported late on Thursday, January 18 that Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who oversees China’s virus response, …

Chinese drugmakers scrambled to produce anti-fever medications and other COVID-19 therapies on Thursday, January 19, after President Xi Jinping expressed concern over the flow of holiday tourists to rural regions unable to deal with surprise outbreaks. Xi’s remarks came little over a month after his administration unexpectedly scrapped his “zero-COVID” rules, which had mainly protected China’s 1.4 billion people from …