Day: January 2, 2024

China jobs: further cracks appear in iron rice bowl as bus operator ponders asking staff to become entrepreneurs

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For staff who have been working in the company for 10 years or more, they can apply for unpaid leave for up to two years to form their new business, according to the document. China’s civil service in high demand as record 2.83 million apply for exam Staff confirmed the existence of the document, but said the decision was not official as the company was still soliciting suggestions from employees, according to Chinese media reports. The move was widely perceived on Chinese social media as disguising lay-offs – as the…

N Korea vows military strength expansion in message to S Korean President

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UPDATED at 1:26 a.m. ET on 2024-01-03 North Korean leader’s powerful sister sent a rare New Year message to the South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol, claiming that Seoul’s hardline policy was only providing justification for Pyongyang’s development of its self-defense military capabilities. “I wholeheartedly welcome President Yoon’s announcement of his commitment to make unique contributions to the rapid advancement of our nation’s military strength in the new year,” said Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, as cited by the North’s state-run Korean Central…

China’s sluggish approval of data exports leaves companies struggling

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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese politics & policy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. China has approved only about a quarter of applications to export data since the introduction of new data security laws, dealing a blow to businesses struggling to navigate a slowing economy and increased tensions between Washington and Beijing. Under a law that came into force in September 2022, government approval is required for cross-border data transfers by companies with more than 1mn registered users, a low threshold in…

Sister of North Korean Leader Derides South Korea’s President but Praises Predecessor

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SEOUL, South Korea —  The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has derided South Korea’s conservative president for being “foolishly brave” but called his liberal predecessor “smart” — rhetoric likely meant to help stoke domestic divisions in South Korea. Her statement Tuesday came as a response to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s New Year’s Day address, in which he said he would bolster South Korea’s military capability and enhance its alliance with the U.S. to cope with North Korea’s evolving nuclear threats. Since taking office in…

Singapore’s Clandestine Cats Can Soon Legally Call City-State Home

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SINGAPORE —  Sunny prides herself on being a law-abiding Singaporean citizen, but for the last three years, she’s been hiding a feline fugitive called Mooncake. The fluffy ragdoll lives with Sunny in defiance of a 34-year-old law banning cats in the government-built apartments that house the vast majority of Singaporeans. Luckily for Mooncake, Singapore plans to scrap the ban later this year, freeing Sunny from the threat of a $3,007 fine or her pet’s potential eviction. “Cats are so much quieter than dogs. If they allow dogs, I don’t understand…

China’s capital rolls out no-no list for officials dealing with Beijing’s entrepreneurs, but more needed to tackle ‘sore points’

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China’s capital city has released the country’s first so-called negative list to regulate behaviour by government officials when dealing with entrepreneurs, as part of the latest attempts to reinvigorate private sector confidence and kick-start economic growth. The document by the municipal commission for discipline inspection in Beijing listed 10 categories of wrongdoing, including neglecting businesses’ needs, inaction or inertia in serving businesses, selective law enforcement, unlawful interference and abuse of power. Acceptance of gifts, junkets, company shares and paid part-time work were also included as being forbidden in the document,…

‘Wealth for Green’: Australian family office Twynam Group to raise US$50 million for Hong Kong, Greater Bay Area decarbonisation fund

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The asset manager’s interest in Hong Kong comes as the city pursues parallel goals of becoming a hub for both green finance and family offices, the corporations set up by wealthy families to manage investments, succession and philanthropy. Jonathan Green (left), investment director, and Johnny Kahlbetzer, CEO, of Twynam Group, pose in Wan Chai on December 20, 2023. Photo: Edmond So Kahlbetzer and Twynam’s investment director, Jonathan Green, came just before the holidays to meet with Hong Kong family offices and other professional investors to promote Twynam’s Earth Fund, an…

Taiwan’s ‘cat warrior’: former US envoy Hsiao Bi-khim hopes to be next vice-president

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The woman hoping to be Taiwan’s next vice-president is a self-proclaimed “cat warrior” who says she will be able to deliver the “global vision” needed to tackle tensions with China. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) hopes that Hsiao Bi-khim, who until November was the Taiwanese envoy to the US, will be able to convince voters to back the DPP in the high stakes presidential election on 13 January. A political veteran, Hsiao, 52, came up with her own nickname when she was sent to Washington – with her four…

Internal Conflict in Myanmar Proves to Be a Challenge for China

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Washington —  Regional experts believe China’s recent efforts to mediate between the Myanmar junta and ethnic rebels on its northern border are motivated mainly by self-interest but unlikely to have a significant impact on the conflict. China’s goals in convening the peace talk between the military and the Three Brotherhood Alliance, conducted most recently in Kunming on December 20, is two-fold, according to the experts: to eliminate cyberfraud operations victimizing Chinese citizens and to stabilize trade across the China-Myanmar border. “So, the economic interest or the border trade is being…

Police in Vietnam detain YouTube activist for days without informing family

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Police in Hanoi have detained a former member of a YouTube channel on which videos about those who had suffered injustices were posted, his wife told Radio Free Asia on Tuesday. Authorities apprehended Phan Van Bach, a former member of the CHTV channel, an independent television channel on YouTube specializing in social injustice issues, from his home in the capital’s Dong Da district on Dec. 29. They have held him for five days without informing his family, his spouse Nguyen Thi Lieu said.   Bach, 48, was involved in the…