Day: October 17, 2025

When Hong Kong businessman Sunny Yip Yuk-chik heard about a new scheme that would make it easier and cheaper to borrow Chinese yuan, he immediately called his staff on the Chinese mainland with the news. Advertisement Earlier this month, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) launched a 100 billion yuan (US$14 billion) Renminbi Business Facility (RBF) that would enable business owners like Yip to borrow yuan from Hong Kong banks for up to 12 months at the onshore yuan interest rate, easing trade settlements. “I would consider a yuan loan…

The commissioning of the Fujian, China’s third and most advanced aircraft carrier, will mark yet another milestone in the country’s naval ambition. Advertisement Behind this gigantic symbol of China’s maritime power lies the vision of one man: Admiral Liu Huaqing, who famously said that he would not die peacefully until his country had an aircraft carrier. The former commander of the Chinese navy was also a revered strategist and a visionary technocrat who directed the comprehensive modernisation of China’s naval forces to world-class standards. During Liu’s long and distinguished career,…

Blame games, tit-for-tat threats, off-again on-again meetings between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and wild tariff swings seem to be the recent order of the day. Advertisement According to former government officials and analysts, however, this should come as no surprise – it’s just the price you pay when diplomatic norms are brushed off. In the latest twist in the saga, Trump on Friday swung from tough to conciliatory, appearing to reverse threats made a week earlier to cancel a planned upcoming meeting with Xi in…

Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis is more than a mere zoning plan; it is a crucial part of China’s development strategy and a pivotal step towards elevating the Greater Bay Area’s (GBA) global profile. With development now under way, the conversation must shift to a new realm: soft power. Advertisement The Northern Metropolis should not be just another new town designed to address Hong Kong’s housing and industrial needs. Rather, it must emerge as a zone of cultural emancipation that takes the GBA’s development to the next level. Hong Kong’s developmental…

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed plans to speak with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng on Friday in a further sign of easing tensions ahead of a potential meeting between the two countries’ leaders. Advertisement “The vice-premier, who is my counterpart, and I will be speaking this evening at around 8:30, 9 o’clock,” Bessent said at the White House on Friday. The Treasury secretary added that He will also join him and a delegation in Malaysia “probably a week from tomorrow” to prepare for a meeting between US President Donald Trump…

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has urged US President Donald Trump to personally attend three major Indo-Pacific summits this fall, warning that his absence could hand China a strategic advantage as Beijing aggressively expands its influence across the region. Advertisement In a letter released on Friday, members of Congress stressed that the Indo-Pacific region remains “vital to America’s security and prosperity”, and is at the centre of “strategic competition” with China. They called Trump’s participation in the East Asia Summit in Malaysia, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in…

The Dutch government believed chipmaker Nexperia’s Chinese owners planned to move its manufacturing operations to China, prompting the unprecedented seizure of the company that has sent shock waves through the global tech world. Advertisement Earlier this month, authorities seized control of Nexperia’s management and ousted its Chinese CEO, Zhang Xuezheng, citing national security concerns. In response, China’s Ministry of Commerce on October 4 imposed export controls on Nexperia’s Chinese subsidiary and its subcontractors, banning the export of domestically made components. Frans Scheper, CEO of Nexperia until 2020, told Dutch media…