Month: September 2023

China looks to relax cross-border data security controls

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Receive free Cyber Security updates We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest Cyber Security news every morning. China has moved to water down some of its tough cross-border data controls amid complaints from foreign businesses and a teetering economy. The Cyberspace Administration of China unveiled rules on Thursday evening which look to clarify and simplify the transferring of data out of the country for ordinary business activities.  Beijing’s move to walk back part of its burdensome regime comes amid efforts to reassure foreign businesses concerned…

FirstFT: US accuses China of mounting an ‘undeclared information war’

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Receive free China updates We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest China news every morning. This article is an on-site version of our FirstFT newsletter. Sign up to our Asia, Europe/Africa or Americas edition to get it sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning Good morning. The US has accused China of trying to create a “community of digital authoritarians” in a report designed to convince other countries that Beijing is mounting a global propaganda effort as part of an “undeclared information war”. The…

Soaring palm oil prices prompt long lines in Myanmar

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The price of edible palm oil in Myanmar has soared in recent months to more than five times what it was prior to the February 2021 military coup, leading to long lines around the country. A staple commodity in Myanmar, where it is used to cook, the cost of palm oil is a barometer for inflation and the health of the wider economy, which has become progressively worse since the takeover amid fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, international sanctions and junta mismanagement. In 2020, before the coup, the price of…

US diplomat: ‘We’re in an undeclared information war’

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China spends billions of dollars each year in efforts to achieve “dominance” in global information flows, a new U.S. government report says, with the aim of furthering its propaganda so countries “subordinate their economic and security interests to Beijing’s.” Released Thursday by the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, which is tasked with countering foreign propaganda, the report also accuses Beijing of seeking to censor news around the world that “contradicts its desired narratives” on Taiwan, its human rights record, the South China Sea and its overseas development loans. The report…

China Uses ‘Deceptive’ Methods to Sow Disinformation, U.S. Says

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The State Department accused China on Thursday of using “deceptive and coercive methods” to shape the global information environment, by acquiring stakes in foreign newspapers and television networks, using major social media platforms to promote its views and exerting pressure on international organizations and media outlets to silence critics of Beijing. The accusations, detailed in a report by the department’s Global Engagement Center, reflect worry in Washington that China’s information operations pose a growing security challenge to the United States and to democratic principles around the world by promoting “digital…

Cambodian garment workers’ monthly minimum wage nudged up to US$204

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Cambodian garment workers will see their monthly minimum wage inch up US$4 to $204, but the workers and labor union officials said the bump up won’t be enough to offset rising living costs. The 2 percent raise is about enough for a worker to buy breakfast and lunch at a Cambodian street stall. A typical month’s rent for a small apartment in the capital Phnom Penh starts at about $100. The government’s 51-member Minimum Wage Council voted Thursday to lift the wage by just $2, but newly appointed Prime Minister…

US accuses China of launching global information war

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Receive free US-China relations updates We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest US-China relations news every morning. The US has accused China of trying to create a “community of digital authoritarians” in a report designed to convince other countries that Beijing is mounting a global propaganda effort as part of an “undeclared information war”. The state department’s report listed Beijing’s efforts to shape the global information arena, ranging from censorship and propaganda to pushing authoritarianism and exploiting international organisations. “The [People’s Republic of China] employs…

El Niño, India rice export ban cause food security fears in SE Asia

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In many Southeast Asian languages the word “rice” is used to mean “to eat” or “have a meal” because it is the lifeblood of the region. The grain provides 50% to 70% of the calorie intake for Southeast Asia’s people and the region accounts for 30% of the world’s rice harvest. But the staple food is becoming out of reach for tens of millions of people in Southeast Asia as rice prices have shot up more than 40% since late 2022. The increase is blamed on top exporter India banning…

China’s manipulation of media threatens global freedoms, says US report

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China is manipulating global media through censorship, data harvesting and covert purchases of foreign news outlets, according to a new report from the US state department, which warned the trend could lead to a “sharp contraction” of global freedom of expression. The report released on Thursday found that Beijing had spent billions of dollars annually on information manipulation efforts, including by acquiring stakes in foreign media through “public and non-public means”, sponsoring online influencers and securing distribution agreements that promote unlabelled Chinese government content. The Chinese embassy in Washington did…

Thailand’s Bruised ‘Move Forward’ Party Vows to Make Waves From Opposition

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Bangkok, Thailand —  Lawmakers in Thailand’s Move Forward Party say they will be a serious parliamentary opposition force despite being blocked from leading the government and losing their party leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, to a legal charge. And they insist that the long-term “tug of war” for greater democracy is theirs to be won. The party earned 14 million votes in a May election in a country fed up with the army-backed conservatives who ran politics and the economy since a 2014 coup. Despite emerging as the largest party in parliament,…