Jailed pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has been hit with further national security charges, a move rights groups said showed the Hong Kong government was trying to keep dissidents behind bars for as long as possible. Wong, a well-known activist who has been in jail for more than four years either awaiting trial or serving sentences, is accused of conspiracy to collude with a foreign country. He appeared in court on Friday to hear the charge and did not apply for bail. Hong Kong’s national security police said in a statement…
Day: June 6, 2025
While Xi-Trump call offers respite, China’s neighbours still caught in rivalry
The much-anticipated phone call between the leaders of China and the US could offer a respite for many Asian countries caught in their rivalry, but the detente might also complicate their calculations on how to strike a balance between the two superpowers, according to analysts. Advertisement More than four months after his return to the White House, US President Donald Trump had what he described as a “very positive” phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday. While Trump said his 90-minute discussion with Xi had not touched…
Step aside Shanghai, Hong Kong is China’s prize financial hub
When Yan Jun was looking around last year for a stock market to raise capital for his Beijing-based traffic-control software company, the engineer and chairman thought he was spoiled for choice. Advertisement He could sell shares of his 10-year-old company AICT on one of the three mainland exchanges – Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen – that together make up the world’s second-biggest capital market, with a combined value of US$10 trillion, according to Bloomberg data. New York – a welcoming possibility at first – lost its appeal early this year when…
Trump moves to block foreign drone makers from selling new models in US
US President Donald Trump has signed executive orders meant to rebuild America’s drone industry, tighten airspace security and boost military readiness, potentially squeezing Chinese manufacturers like DJI and Autel Robotics out of the market. Advertisement “Immediate action is needed to ensure American sovereignty over its skies,” Trump stated in one of the orders, warning that foreign-made drones were “endangering the public” and compromising critical infrastructure. The orders also call for federal investment in US drone production to rebuild a domestic sector that has been eclipsed by Chinese competition. They come…
The Harvard in Trump’s mind bears little resemblance to reality
Growing up in West Germany in the 1980s, America was omnipresent. Aside from Hollywood and Coca-Cola, there was one US brand that stood out: Harvard. The university’s name stood on a par with the highest echelons of knowledge. Advertisement In high school, we learned about Ivy League institutions and, like other nerdy kids across the planet, I dreamed about being a student at Harvard and being immersed in deep conversations about the most crucial questions concerning human existence. Fast forward 20-something years and, after earning a PhD and a teaching…
Trump announces US-China trade talks in London next week
Senior US administration officials will meet with a Chinese delegation on Monday in London for the next round of trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing, Donald Trump said on Friday. The meeting comes after a phone call between Trump and the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, on Thursday, which the US president described as a “very positive” conversation as the two countries attempt to break an impasse over tariffs and global supplies of rare earth minerals. The treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, and US trade representative, Jamieson Greer,…
Trump says US-China trade talks to be held in London on June 9
Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world Donald Trump said a new high-level round of trade talks between the US and China would take place on Monday in London, as Washington and Beijing move quickly to try to stabilise their fraught economic relations. The US president announced details of the negotiations a day after a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping during which the two leaders agreed to try to ease the trade war…
Trump’s top economic officials to meet with China counterparts in London next week
US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that his top economic officials will meet with their Chinese counterparts next week to discuss trade, just days after he conducted a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Advertisement “I am pleased to announce that Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Jamieson Greer, will be meeting in London on Monday, June 9, 2025, with Representatives of China, with reference to the Trade Deal,” Trump said on social media. “The meeting should…
Over 700 US scholars of China urge Rubio to pause student visa limits
More than 700 American scholars of China have signed a petition urging US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to pause moves to impose visa restrictions against Chinese students. Advertisement In their letter, the group of primarily US-based academics argued that the policy would have a “direct negative impact on US innovation and competitiveness, as well as undercut the long-term economic strength of the higher education sector in the United States”. “We therefore urge you to reconsider this move and to pause any implementation of the planned policy change pending further…
Imprisoned Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong faces new ‘foreign collusion’ charge
Read about this topic in Cantonese. One of Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy activists, Joshua Wong, was transported from prison to court Friday and charged with colluding with foreign forces, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Wong, 28, is already serving a four-year-and-eight-month sentence for subversion. He is currently due for release about one-and-a-half years from now. If found guilty on the new charge it could prolong his imprisonment. Wong is one of the most internationally recognizable faces of the now-quashed democracy movement in the city. He was…