Month: September 2023

Chinese Dissident in Transit at Taiwan Airport Pleads for Help in Seeking Asylum

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TAIPEI, Taiwan —  A Chinese dissident known for regularly commemorating the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square fled to Taiwan on Friday and pleaded for help in seeking asylum in the United States or Canada. In a video he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Chen Siming said he was in the transit area at Taoyuan International Airport to escape Chinese political persecution. “The Chinese police’s stability maintenance methods directed towards me were becoming more and more cruel and crazy,” he said in his post. “They…

How will Biden’s hi-tech pledges to Hanoi affect China’s role in Vietnam and global supply chain?

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Washington’s latest pledges to hi-tech industries in Vietnam could further move the Southeast Asian nation up the manufacturing value chain, signalling a resolute de-risking from Beijing and subsequently threatening China’s industry dominance. While it is not likely to push China out of supply chains in the short term, many analysts warn that Beijing’s tactic of using its Southeast Asian neighbour as a re-export centre may receive further scrutiny. Last week US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo further discussed with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh how to advance their comprehensive strategic…

The Big Number: $1,199

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One of the biggest changes — along with better cameras, smaller borders around the screen and the ability to record 3-D video — is the phone’s new charging ports. Gone are the company’s signature Lightning versions. In their place are USB-C ports, which are nearly ubiquitous in non-Apple devices and are now required by European regulators with the aim of reducing electronic waste and saving customers money. Mark R Cristino/EPA, via Shutterstock NYT

Will Russia and China Agree to the Power of Siberia 2? 

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Advertisement There are reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will announce an agreement to build the Power of Siberia-2 natural gas pipeline as early as October, during Putin’s planned visit to China. Construction of the pipeline appears unlikely but can’t be ruled out.  The Power of Siberia 2 pipeline faces daunting financing, technical, and economic challenges. Over the long term, China’s natural gas demand will face severe pressure from renewables and heat pumps, especially in the wind- and solar-rich north. If the pipeline is built,…

Apple’s iPhone 15 draws long lines in China despite competition from Huawei

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Local customers piled into Apple’s flagship store in Beijing’s famed shopping district of Sanlitun, one of 45 official outlets in the country, to try out the four new models. On JD Daojia, a grocery delivery platform under e-commerce giant JD.com that said it had partnered up with more than 4,600 Apple resellers, sales of the iPhone 15 series in the first two hours of launch were up 253 per cent from last year’s iPhone 14 series, according to a social media post by affiliate Dada. Orders coming from lower-tier cities…

Thailand Removes Visas for Chinese Visitors to Boost Tourism

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BANGKOK —  Starting next week, Chinese nationals will be able to visit Thailand without a visa, as part of new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s strategy to boost the country’s economy. Beginning September 25, nationals from China and Kazakhstan can enter the kingdom under a temporary visa exemption scheme for 30 days. The waiver is due to expire at the end of February. The prospect of more tourism has excited hotel groups and professionals, who hope Thailand will welcome more visitors from China. “China pre-pandemic used to be one of our…

Vietnamese NGOs shy from UN engagement fearing government reprisal

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Vietnamese humanitarian and non-governmental organizations are increasingly less inclined to work with the United Nations due to fear of reprisal from their government, according to a new report by the global body’s human rights agency. NGO activities are restricted in Vietnam, where criticism of the one-party state is not tolerated. Groups must register with the government and are strictly monitored by authorities. In its 2022 U.N. in Vietnam Annual Results Report submitted to the 54th U.N. General Assembly that’s going on in New York currently, the U.N. Office of the…

Rohingyas face prison-like conditions in Bangladesh camps: report

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Nearly two-thirds of Rohingya respondents have reported that moving around in Bangladesh refugee camps is more difficult than what they encountered in Myanmar, the country they were forced to flee, a youth advocacy group said in a study released Friday. The Youth Congress Rohingya (YCR), a refugee-led advocacy organization, placed some of the blame on the Armed Police Battalion, the force primarily responsible for security at the Cox’s Bazar-area camps, for poor conditions faced by about 1 million refugees in the camps. “The government movement restrictions are violently enforced by…

Calls for China to cut US Treasuries persist despite 14-year low

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A former adviser to China’s central bank has said the country has “too many” US Treasury bills, even as its holdings have been trimmed to a 14-year low. The comments from Yu Yongding, an outspoken economist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, came as a growing number of academics and advisers openly express worries about the safety of China’s overseas assets. Instead of accumulating US dollars through its massive export machine and investing them back via low-return US Treasuries, Yu said emphasis must be shifted to imports as the…