Month: December 2023

Xi: China Will ‘Surely Be Reunified’ With Taiwan

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Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a New Year’s address that China would “surely be reunified” with the self-ruled territory of Taiwan, renewing Beijing’s threat to militarily take over the island but setting no timetable for gaining control. Xi’s remarks came just ahead of Taiwan’s January 13 presidential and parliamentary elections that China has described as a choice between war and peace. William Lai, who currently serves as vice president from the ruling Democratic People’s Party, is the presidential front-runner, but China considers him a “separatist” and has accused him…

Xi Jinping says Chinese business having ‘tough time’ in new year message

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China’s president, Xi Jinping, acknowledged in his new year’s message that “some enterprises had a tough time” in 2023 as data showed a weakening of factory production deepened this month, but he vowed to step up the pace of the economy’s recovery. Speaking on TV, Xi said: “Along the way, we are bound to encounter headwinds. Some enterprises had a tough time. Some people had difficulty finding jobs and meeting basic needs.” The world’s second-biggest economy’s recovery remains sluggish, held back by a severe property slump, lacklustre global demand and…

Best of 2023: Chinese investors scrambling to sell overseas properties tops most-read China economy stories

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Read the full story here. 2. China’s shipping containers pile up at overcrowded port as overseas orders dwindle (Ji Siqi – February 20, 2023) Empty containers at Yantian Port in Shenzhen. Photo: Ji Siqi Although the Lunar New Year holiday ended weeks ago, not all truck drivers in Shenzhen are back to work. On the expressway heading towards Yantian International Container Terminal, several trucks with no containers on their long trailers can be seen parked on the roadside, part of a static convoy that stretches nearly a kilometre (0.62 miles).…

Seoul Records Heaviest December Single-day Snowfall in Decades

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Seoul —  The South Korean capital, Seoul, received the biggest single-day snowfall recorded in December for more than 40 years Saturday but there have been no reports of any weather-related deaths or injuries. The country’s weather agency said Sunday that 12.2 centimeters (4.8 inches) of snow fell on Seoul the previous day, the heaviest since 1981. The Korea Meteorological Administration said a heavy snow advisory was issued for Seoul’s entire area Saturday before it was lifted later in the day. It said other parts of South Korea also received snow…

Xi Jinping uses new year message to sound warning to Taiwan

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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese politics & policy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Chinese President Xi Jinping has used his annual new year address to the nation to sound a warning to Taiwan’s voters days ahead of the island’s presidential election, while highlighting his country’s technological prowess and economic strength. In the televised speech on Sunday evening, Xi said the “reunification” of Taiwan and China was a “historical inevitability”. He added that “compatriots” on both sides of the Taiwan Strait must…

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledges reform in future-focused New Year’s address

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But new industries had to be ready before older ones were phased out so the country’s economic recovery could be consolidated and long-term economic stability reached. 11:11 The reasons behind China’s high youth unemployment rate The reasons behind China’s high youth unemployment rate Throughout the address carried by all state broadcast media, the president painted a picture of a resilient economy, saying it had weathered storms to “strengthen its body and bones” and maintained growth momentum in the past year. Although generally upbeat about the past year, the president admitted…

Women and children suffer amid Myanmar’s civil war

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As Myanmar’s civil war approaches its third year, intensified fighting across the country this year between ruling junta forces and resistance fighters has destroyed villages and parts of towns, displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians, most of whom are women and children.  The number of internally displaced persons, or IDPs, reached more than 1 million this year, nearly 11,000 of whom fled to neighboring India and Thailand, according to a United Nations report. “The lives and properties of our people were destroyed,” said Zin Mar Aung, foreign affairs minister under…

Taiwan considers joining ICC to deter potential China invasion

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Taiwan’s government is considering joining the international criminal court, in part to increase deterrence of a Chinese attack or invasion. Supporters also say it would help universalise the international legal system, which has a low presence in Asia, and increase Taiwan’s global participation at a time when Beijing works to keep it as isolated as possible. The court was established by the Rome statute, which defined four core international crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression. It has operated since 2002, prosecuting dozens of alleged war…

New Zealand’s Auckland Is First Major City to Ring in 2024 as War Shadows Celebrations Elsewhere 

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Auckland has become the first major city to ring in 2024, with thousands cheering a fireworks display sprouting from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, and a downtown light show. This year’s New Year’s Eve celebrations are overshadowed by the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, which have cast a pall over festivities and heightened tensions across parts of the world. Many cities are deploying extra security and some places have canceled New Year’s Eve events altogether. In Auckland, light rain throughout Sunday had cleared as forecast by midnight over…

Is China reaching the limits of its air pollution control efforts?

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The past decade has seen a positive shift in data but recent nationwide smog alerts raise the question: has China reached the limits of its air pollution control efforts? 01:29 Beijing hit by thick smog as it struggles to improve air quality for ‘green’ Winter Olympics Beijing hit by thick smog as it struggles to improve air quality for ‘green’ Winter Olympics Environmentalist Ma Jun, from the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE), said China’s decade-long efforts to improve air quality had paid off, with pollution from excessive emissions…