Month: September 2023

Philippines Vows to Remove China’s Floating Barrier at South China Sea Lagoon

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The Philippines said Monday it will work to remove a floating barrier that China placed to prevent Filipino fishing vessels from accessing a disputed South China Sea lagoon. “The placement by the People’s Republic of China of a barrier violates the traditional fishing rights of our fishermen,” Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said in a statement. The Philippine coast guard said the barrier, which was put in place Friday in the Scarborough Shoal area, is depriving Filipino fishermen of their livelihood. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the…

China’s state investment arm said to be planning US$14 billion fund to support strategic new industries

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China Reform Holdings, a government arm that invests in and trades equity stakes of small state-owned companies, plans to set up a fund to channel at least 100 billion yuan (US$13.7 billion) to strategically important emerging industries in the country, according to a report by China Business News. If confirmed, the move would mark the latest efforts by Chinese state-owned funds to pump money into areas that Beijing has deemed vital, following the establishment of initiatives such as the China National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, also known as the…

Young political prisoner dies of heart attack in Myanmar prison

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A 21-year-old political prisoner who was sentenced to a long term in Myanmar’s Insein Prison died of a heart attack at the weekend, sources close to the family told Radio Free Asia on Monday. The prison authorities informed family members about the death of Min Hein Khant on Sunday evening and they went to the Yangon prison to see the body. A source close to the family said Min Hein Khant was in good health before his arrest, but he was severely tortured during interrogation and did get treated for…

Today’s Top News: White House Issues Shutdown Warning, and More

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The New York Times Audio app is home to journalism and storytelling, and provides news, depth and serendipity. If you haven’t already, download it here — it’s available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter. The Headlines brings you the biggest stories of the day from the Times journalists who are covering them, all in about 10 minutes. Hosted by Annie Correal, the new morning show features three top stories from reporters across the newsroom and around the world, so you always have…

Junta troops kill 28 militia members in Myanmar’s Sagaing region

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Junta troops ambushed and killed 28 People’s Defense Force members in Sagaing region’s Myinmu township, witnesses told Radio Free Asia on Monday. The dead include 20 members of the Black Eagle defense force, five members of the  Myaung Revolution Army, two members of  People’s Security Group-Myinmu and a 14-year-old boy connected with the anti-junta militias, a People’s Security Group official told RFA Burmese. A local who saw the bodies said that some were shot dead, but others died after their limbs were cut off. “They were shot in their heads…

Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen’s popularity hit by #MeToo and egg scandals

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Tsai’s job approval rating dropped 10.4 percentage points to 38.4 per cent in September, from 48.8 per cent last month, according to the latest survey results, released on Monday by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation. It was her worst polling since she stepped down as head of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party in late November, taking the blame for the DPP’s serious setback in the 2022 local government elections. The Taipei-based independent polling agency, which is known for its impartial stance, found disapproval of Tsai rose to 48.2 per cent,…

Unanswered questions over Peng Shuai show power of sport has its limits | Sean Ingle

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Where is Peng Shuai? For a brief moment during the Winter Olympics last year I had an answer, of sorts, to that deeply troubling question. For there she was, suddenly and without warning, at the Big Air final, watching the Chinese‑American superstar Eileen Gu soar and spin through the Beijing sky to take gold. At first I wondered from my vantage point in the press stands whether it was really Peng. The presence of the International Olympic Committee president, Thomas Bach, and a swarm of photographers, answered that. Soon images…

Thrill-seeking drone owners and their hackers under threat of jail amid China’s national security fears

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“Some people seek thrill and adventure; removing the height restrictions and flying over the limits can sound very tempting,” Luo said. “It’s not that Beijing has some restrictions; Beijing is all about restrictions. [Drones are] prohibited in the entire urban area of Beijing so you will have to go to [suburbs like] Yanqing or Miyun if you want to fly one.” Taking video of your friends at the Great Wall does not reflect the requisite criminal intentJames Zimmerman, lawyer in Beijing However disabling the flight blocks, the courts have ruled,…

Global Impact: does ‘golden week’ offer China a chance to show that its economy is back on track?

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But more is still needed to bring overall growth back to a resilient and balanced trajectory. Advertisement Foreign businesses are also craving a new menu from the Chinese government to regain reopening momentum, urging tangible steps to address unfair competition and the lack of policy clarification in national security and cross-border data transfer regulations. EU chamber in China lays out ideas to spur growth, hits at self-reliance push In particular, it called on Beijing to dial down the push of tech self-reliance to avoid a backlash in the supply chain…

China drastically cuts seafood imports from Japan in wake of Fukushima water release

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Chinese seafood imports from Japan have plummeted following Beijing’s ban on marine products from its neighbour in response to the discharge of wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Imports fell by 67% in August from the same month a year earlier, to about ¥3bn ($20.2m), the public broadcaster NHK said, citing data from Chinese customs. The decision by Beijing and Hong Kong to suspend all imports of Japanese marine products in late August has sparked a diplomatic row and a rise in anti-Japanese sentiment in China, with Japanese…