Day: December 17, 2022

Seoul: North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile Off East Coast

Chin@Strategy

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA —  North Korea launched a ballistic missile Sunday off its east coast, South Korea said. South Korea’s Joint Chief of Staff said the launch was made Sunday morning local time but gave no further details. The launch came three days after North Korea said it tested a “high-thrust solid-fuel motor” for a new strategic weapon, a development that could allow it to possess a more mobile, harder-to-detect arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach the U.S. mainland. In recent months, North Korea has test-fired a barrage…

Taiwan to Fine Foxconn for Unauthorized China Investment

Chin@Strategy

TAIPEI —  Taiwan’s government said on Saturday it would fine Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics maker, for an unauthorized investment in a Chinese chip maker even after the Taiwanese firm said it would be selling the stake. Taiwan has turned a wary eye on China’s ambition to boost its semiconductor industry and is tightening legislation to prevent what it says is China stealing its chip technology. Foxconn, a major Apple Inc. supplier and iPhone maker, disclosed in July it was a shareholder of embattled Chinese chip conglomerate Tsinghua Unigroup.…

Beijing Sees COVID-Linked Deaths After Virus Rules Eased

Chin@Strategy

BEIJING —  Outside a funeral home in eastern Beijing, dozens of people were bundled up in parkas and hats against the freezing temperatures Friday evening as workers in full protective suits wheeled out coffins one by one. When an employee with a clipboard shouted the name of the dead, a relative trundled up to the coffin to examine the body. One of the relatives told The Associated Press their loved one had been infected with COVID-19. Deaths linked to the coronavirus are appearing in Beijing after weeks of China reporting…

Attacked with knives and acid, Cambodian artist calls for arrest of 2 assailants

Chin@Strategy

A Cambodian artist living in Thailand has called on authorities in the two countries to arrest and bring to justice two foreign nationals believed to be Polish who attacked her with a knife and acid last month in a case that has gotten widespread attention in Thailand. The motive for the assault on Ny Sreyroth, 30, is unknown and the suspects remain at large. Thai police are investigating the case and believe the men have fled to the Philippines. Ny Sreyroth was attacked on Nov. 1 in Pattaya, a resort…

Australian Communities Brace for Christmas Floods

Chin@Strategy

SYDNEY —  Floods in the state of South Australia are forecast to be the worst since 1956, after official analysis showed when waters are expected to peak. Thousands of properties are expected to be inundated. This week the Australian military was brought in to help with evacuations and flood preparations. This is a slow-moving disaster as floodwaters bear down on South Australia. The flooding is caused by vast amounts of rain that have fallen in the eastern Australian states of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, over the past three…

In backing US tariffs on China, big trade unions are doing more harm than good

Chin@Strategy

In opposition, the US Chamber of Commerce, the largest business lobby in America, released a press statement. It read: “301 tariffs hurt American families paying higher prices for everyday goods and small businesses that need to import product to meet consumer demand.” The second phase of the USTR tariffs review, however, seeks public opinion via an electronic portal that opened last month. This is open to all viewpoints and infuses a fresh perspective. From small business owners to local branches of labour unions, grass-root voices have submitted comments on supply…

Biden, Xi Move to Stabilize US-China Relations

Chin@Strategy

Leaders of the United States and China agreed to maintain open lines of communication after their first in-person talks since Biden became U.S. president. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the November G-20 summit in Bali. But after years of tension over issues including trade and Taiwan, many expect frictions will persist. State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching has the report. VOA

Asia Fact Check Lab: Are 70,000 master degree holders in China delivering food?

Chin@Strategy

In Brief Amid public concerns about the gloomy job market in China, a 2021 claim that more than 70,000 master’s degree holders in China worked in food delivery began circulating on the internet. China’s official media outlets dismissed the figure as misinformation and “typical rumor.”  However, Asia Fact Check Lab’s research found that the widely circulated estimate is credible. The Chinese Cyberspace Administration in contrast used misinformation in its effort to debunk the claim and calm anxiety aroused by domestic job shortages. Context  Unemployment is a hot topic in China.…

China puts zero Covid behind it with ‘new phase’ of living with the virus

Chin@Strategy

“The virus has become weaker and we have become stronger,” it said on Saturday. 11:33 Trace, test, lock down, repeat: Three years under China’s zero-Covid strategy The declaration from the work conference, which took place on Thursday and Friday, said the country had new priorities in the “new phases of Covid prevention and control”. Advertisement “The country should improve Covid response measures in accordance with the development of the pandemic and implement the measures in the new phase of pandemic control in a serious manner, to ensure medical treatment and…