To read this article for free Register now Once registered, you can: • Read free articles • Get our Editor’s Digest and other newsletters • Follow topics and set up personalised events • Access Alphaville: our popular markets and finance blog Financial Times
Jimmy Lai, the prominent pro-democracy activist who was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong, has said he will not appeal his conviction. The decision marks the end of a years-long legal saga for the 78-year-old critic of the Chinese Communist party (CCP), and opens the door for political negotiations to his release. A member of Lai’s Hong Kong legal team said: “We can confirm we have clear and definitive instructions not to lodge an appeal against conviction or sentence.” Lai, a British citizen, was sentenced in…
China will soon power up an ultra-efficient, nuclear waste-burning reactor with a groundbreaking technology that it projects will safely meet humanity’s energy needs for the next 1,000 years. Accelerator-driven subcritical systems (ADS) are advanced nuclear reactors that can both generate energy and transmute long-lived radioactive waste into shorter-lived and less hazardous isotopes. Designed by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) along with state nuclear enterprises, the China Initiative Accelerator Driven System will be the world’s first megawatt-level prototype of such a system once it goes online in southern…
Leading Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer BYD has unveiled a new-generation battery featuring charging speeds that the company says can rival a refill at a petrol station. BYD’s Blade Battery 2.0, launched on Thursday, can be charged from 10 per cent to 70 per cent in five minutes, and to 97 per cent in nine minutes, which the company said was the world’s fastest charging speed for a mass-manufactured unit. Even in extreme weather, with temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit), it will only…
With local governments in China struggling to replenish their treasuries while facing growing public service obligations, Beijing is setting its sights on securing more tax revenue as a major reform goal for 2026 and the four years beyond. Compared with the previous five-year plan period’s emphasis on “tax and fee cuts”, the language in the draft of the full 15th five-year plan – released on Thursday – emphasised “maintaining a reasonable macro tax burden”. The document also pledged to “appropriately strengthen central government authority and increase the proportion of central…
A top Chinese political adviser has sounded the alarm on forced marriages of women with mental disabilities in rural areas, calling for a prevention mechanism and a nationwide investigation campaign. Jiang Shengnan, a writer and member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China’s top political advisory body, warned that tackling the issue presented multiple challenges. There was a lack of support for such women when it came to marriage-related decision-making, Jiang told the state-run China News Service on Tuesday, ahead of the “two sessions” – China’s annual top…
To read this article for free Register now Once registered, you can: • Read free articles • Get our Editor’s Digest and other newsletters • Follow topics and set up personalised events • Access Alphaville: our popular markets and finance blog Financial Times
Athletes of Asian heritage have come to the fore at this month’s Winter Olympics. They broke records, reshaped perceptions and inspired millions worldwide. Yet in the United States, the conversation around two of the most successful athletes, Eileen Gu, the freestyle skier representing China, and Team USA figure skater Alysa Liu, has too often drifted from their incredible achievements to questions of identity, loyalty and partisan point-scoring. This speaks volumes about the anxieties of a deeply polarised society. Gu was raised in California by a Chinese mother and chose to…
This article is an on-site version of the India Business Briefing newsletter. To receive it in your inbox regularly, sign up if you’re a premium subscriber, or upgrade your subscription here. Good morning. The Indian government is in a bit of a bind after the US sank an Iranian ship in the Indian Ocean. The vessel was on its way back from a ceremonial parade in Visakhapatnam last month. The government has yet to issue a statement on the attack. Meanwhile, airspace restrictions continue but rescue flights have managed to return…
Hong Kong can reinforce its role as an international financial centre by deepening integration with mainland capital markets and expanding cross-border investment channels, financial industry leaders said on Thursday during China’s annual “two sessions”. Stronger collaboration between Hong Kong and mainland exchanges would enhance the resilience of the mainland’s financial system while supporting the internationalisation of the yuan, said Tan Yueheng, permanent honorary president of the Chinese Securities Association of Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s strong market performance last year underscored growing connectivity between mainland and Hong Kong markets, said Tan,…