Chinese police on Saturday began wide-scale, rigorous interrogations of Tibetans arrested for protesting a dam project, beating some of them so badly that they required medical attention, three sources told Radio Free Asia. On Friday, RFA reported exclusively that police had arrested more than a 1,000 Tibetans — both Buddhist monks and local residents — of Wangbuding township in Dege County of Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province, in central China. The detainees were “slapped and beaten severely each time they refused to answer important questions,” one source told…
Day: February 24, 2024
Malaysia PM decries ‘China-phobia’ among US and western allies
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Malaysia’s prime minister has condemned a rising tide of “China-phobia” in the west, as south-east Asian countries navigate the challenges and benefits of tensions between Washington and Beijing. Anwar Ibrahim questioned why Malaysia would “pick a quarrel” with China, its largest trading partner, in response to US criticisms of his country’s ties with Beijing. “Why must I be tied to one interest? I don’t buy into this strong prejudice against…
Chinese scientists invent method to transform salty soil into fertile farmland as Beijing pushes food security
Farmers in Wuyuan over-irrigate their farmland with water from the nearby Yellow River throughout the year, causing the water table to rise and salts in the soil to migrate upwards. The arid climate means the salts are not diluted by rain, so the soil gradually builds up a thick layer of salt. Salt can’t halt China’s food security push as saline soils yield vast harvests Li, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and his team have come up with an innovative solution to address the poor soil…
Chinese investors struggle to hold on to property abroad as soaring rates, weak domestic economy make mortgages unaffordable
These dynamics seem to be playing out for a number of Chinese home owners in Australia, where the central bank has hiked interest rates on 13 occasions since 2022. 10:45 Chinese investors offloading overseas properties Chinese investors offloading overseas properties In the popular Sydney suburb of Bondi, known for its famous beach, one Beijing resident had bought a two-bedroom apartment for A$1.3 million (US$848,000) in 2015, according to Peter Li, general manager of Plus Agency, a property company with more than A$200 million in annual sales. They were recently forced…
Meituan, Didi Chuxing in the spotlight as China stresses rights of delivery, ride-hailing gig workers
The Chinese government is ordering online platforms to better protect the rights of the country’s 200 million gig workers, including ride-hailing and food delivery drivers employed by the likes of Meituan and Didi Chuxing. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MHRSS) released three new guidelines on Friday, stipulating how operators of delivery, ride-hailing, transport, and household services platforms should ensure that workers’ salaries match local minimum wages, and provide them with time off. The latest documents are an extension of a regulation published in 2021 that requires operators…
China’s truffle exports hit record high, 30 years after being used as pig feed, as appetite soars
The southwestern province of Yunnan is where most Chinese truffles are sourced. 02:16 US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen unknowingly ate hallucinogenic mushrooms in China US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen unknowingly ate hallucinogenic mushrooms in China Yellen’s specific recollection of “a delicious mushroom dish”, according to CNN, sparked media attention in China and the US, which was labelled “mushroom diplomacy” at a time when relations between Beijing and Washington had been deteriorating. The boom of China’s truffle exports highlight increasing efforts to secure a foothold in the high-end food produce trade,…
Chinese scientists use telescope on Tibetan Plateau in most stringent test of light’s speed, even in cosmic blast
The speed of light appeared to remain constant during the most powerful cosmic explosion ever observed, based on the world’s most sensitive high-energy light detector, according to Chinese scientists who tested Einstein’s theory of relativity. Their study, which was posted to the preprint platform arXiv this month but is not yet peer-reviewed, provides the latest evidence that the universe is a symmetrical place – also known as Lorentz symmetry, a pillar of Einstein’s theory of special relativity – leaving scientists empty-handed in their search for violations of this symmetry. 02:01…
Zambia says it has signed debt restructuring deal with China and India
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. China and India have signed agreements to restructure their holdings of Zambian debt, the bankrupt southern African nation’s president has said, raising hopes that a delayed effort to exit a long-running default is back on track. Hakainde Hichilema said Zambia planned to resume talks with private creditors to resolve a “terrible debt mountain” of more than $13bn in external debt that Africa’s second largest copper producer stopped paying in 2020.…
Dior Postpones Hong Kong Fashion Show ‘Indefinitely’
HONG KONG — Dior has postponed a fashion show set to be held in Hong Kong next month, a city official confirmed Saturday, dealing a blow to the financial hub’s ambitions to boost its economy through major events. Hong Kong is courting top international celebrities and brands in the hope of rebooting its reputation, which has been battered by years of social unrest and strict pandemic curbs. The Dior fashion show — meant to feature artistic director Kim Jones and the men’s autumn collection — was to be one of…
Chip Giant TSMC Shifts From Hotspot Taiwan With Japan Plant
TOKYO — Chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. opened its first semiconductor plant in Japan Saturday as part of its ongoing global expansion. “We are deeply grateful for the seamless support provided by you at every step,” TSMC Chairman Mark Liu said after thanking the Japanese government, local community and business partners, including electronic giant Sony and auto-parts maker Denso. The company’s founder, Morris Chang, was also present at the ceremony in Kikuyo. This comes as Japan is trying to regain its presence in the chip production industry. Japan Advanced…