Tag: internal-open-access-from-nl

The World Is Draining Oil Reserves, Raising Pressure for a Peace Deal

Media Library

The world is quickly depleting its stores of oil, putting more pressure on President Trump to reach a deal with Iran that would quickly get more fuel flowing out of the Persian Gulf. Vast stockpiles of oil, gasoline and other fuels have helped fill the hole in global energy supplies created by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. But those reserves, which companies and governments stash in giant steel storage tanks and underground salt caverns, are running low in some places. This week, U.S. government stockpiles were poised to hit their…

The Ex-Mayor of Arcadia, Her Boyfriend and the Chinese Government

Media Library

On the day she was sworn in as mayor, Eileen Wang spoke in soaring terms about her journey from a “small mountain village” in China to America, and specifically to Arcadia, a small city in Southern California. Then her speech took a sharp turn. “As Americans, and especially as elected officials, our loyalty must always be clear,” she said, “to this country, to our constitution, to our residents, and to no one else.” Three months later, in May, federal prosecutors announced that Ms. Wang, 56, had agreed to plead guilty…

Videos Show Chinese Businesses Hawking North Korean Labor

Media Library

Quick deliveries of large orders for stuffed toys, fake eyelashes and crocheted bags that are made with cheap labor, including some workers who are on the job for 16 hours straight. This is the pitch some Chinese businesses are making on social media to potential customers. But the products they are selling are made in North Korea, like in this video of a wig factory. In the posts, which have proliferated in recent years, some Chinese entrepreneurs say that they own factories in North Korea and openly share contact information,…

A ‘Miraculous Transformation’: How Kim Jong-un Fortified North Korea

Media Library

During the pandemic, the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who had long billed himself as invincible, made a stunning, teary-eyed apology on national television. “I am really sorry,” he said, as the coronavirus, coupled with food shortages and international sanctions, was ravaging his country. “My efforts and sincerity have not been sufficient enough to rid our people of the difficulties in their life.” But while ordinary North Koreans were suffering, Mr. Kim, 42, seized the crisis as a unique opportunity. Now, he is brimming with confidence. He is recognized at…

Four New Zealand Lawmakers Banned From China After Taiwan Trip

Media Library

Four lawmakers from New Zealand have been barred from traveling to China for a year following a visit to Taiwan last month, government officials said on Thursday, the first time such a restriction has ever been imposed. The lawmakers, Maureen Pugh, Duncan Webb, Laura McClure and David Wilson, visited Taipei for five days in May as part of a cross-party group that was established in 2023 to maintain relations between Taiwan and New Zealand, the local media reported. The travel ban, which emerged on Thursday, was met with shock in…

Trump Aims New Tariffs at 59 Countries and the European Union

Media Library

President Trump has proposed tariffs of at least 10 percent on 60 American trading partners, his most aggressive effort yet to enact new import duties after the Supreme Court struck down the administration’s sweeping tariffs. Jamieson Greer, the U.S. trade representative, said on Tuesday night that investigations found that the 59 countries, along with the 27-nation European Union, had failed to enact or effectively enforce laws prohibiting imports made with forced labor. The administration, invoking a legal provision known as Section 301, proposed a 12.5 percent duty on imports from…

Stephen Curry and Li-Ning: What to Know About N.B.A. Star’s Deal With Chinese Sneaker Company

Media Library

The announcement by Stephen Curry, one of pro basketball’s biggest stars, that he had signed a major endorsement deal with the Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning raises the profile of a company that has lacked the cachet of Western brands like Nike or Adidas. The agreement, which Mr. Curry announced on Monday, is set to give the N.B.A. star access to China’s enormous consumer base, while offering Li-Ning its biggest ever inroad into the U.S. sportswear market. Under the partnership, Mr. Curry, the N.B.A.’s three-point record-holder and point guard for the…

Europe Is Edging Closer to a Trade War With China. Here’s Why.

Media Library

Kaja Kallas, the top European Union diplomat, recently suggested that ending the continent’s dependence on China was like trying to cure a disease. “Chemotherapy” might be needed, she said, and it was likely to be painful. The comments were an example of the tone Europe is increasingly taking on China, the second-largest goods trading partner for the 27-nation European Union, after the United States. As Beijing adopts more aggressive trade policies and as imports from China into Europe soar, European leaders and companies are fretting over their reliance on Chinese…

Temu Hit With Fine in E.U. Over Sales of Unsafe Goods

Media Library

The low-cost Chinese e-commerce platform Temu was fined 200 million euros ($232 million) by the European Union on Thursday for failing to spot and curb the sale of illegal products. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, said Temu had violated the European Union’s Digital Services Act, the bloc’s wide-ranging law that polices online practices. Temu is required to submit a plan to address the breaches by Aug. 28. It could also appeal. The commission opened its investigation into Temu in 2024, one year after the company first expanded into…

Xi Jinping Quit Smoking. China Still Cannot.

Media Library

On a warm spring day in 2012, Xi Jinping, then China’s vice president, met with Bill Gates in Beijing. As the men were walking out of the meeting room, the conversation turned to smoking in a country that consumes nearly half the world’s cigarettes. Mr. Xi, a former smoker, said he felt much better after quitting years earlier and described tobacco use as a serious problem for China, recalled Dr. Ray Yip, then head of the Gates Foundation in China. Mr. Xi, who would become president the next year, promised…