56 m. ago Chinese law firms in ‘pivotal moment’ as they answer the call to go global

Chinese lawyers are making inroads into the global legal services market in response to growing demand from their compatriots abroad and a push from Beijing. They say that as more Chinese companies expand their footprint overseas many prefer to get legal support from Chinese lawyers and have more trust in them, but winning over clients from elsewhere is a challenge at a time of rising geopolitical tensions. Beijing has been pressing for more legal professionals to offer their services abroad to...

Politics

3 h. ago Wang Yi reiterates Beijing’s rejection of South China Sea ruling

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi restated Beijing’s rejection of the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling on Friday, on the eve of the ruling’s ninth anniversary, amid renewed tensions and growing speculation about a potential second legal challenge. Calling the decision a “farce”, Wang said the case, brought by the Philippines against China’s South China Sea claims and ruled on by a tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, was “orchestrated and manipulated by external...

Politics

3 h. ago Wang Yi dismisses South China Sea ruling as ‘farce’ ahead of ninth anniversary

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi restated Beijing’s rejection of the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling on Friday, on the eve of the ruling’s ninth anniversary, amid renewed tensions and growing speculation about a potential second legal challenge. Calling the decision a “farce”, Wang said the case, brought by the Philippines against China’s South China Sea claims and ruled on by a tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, was “orchestrated and manipulated by external...

Politics

15 h. ago Asean leaders renew call to revive stalled peace plan for Myanmar

Southeast Asian leaders have renewed calls to revive a stalled peace plan for Myanmar while urging calm in the South China Sea and backing an immediate ceasefire in Gaza – reflecting the Asean bloc’s cautious efforts to address some of the region’s most pressing security and humanitarian challenges. Their positions were outlined in a sweeping 160-point joint communique issued at the conclusion of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (Asean) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur,...

Politics

19 h. ago After 10 years, AIIB welcomes new leadership – and fresh US challenges

Back to April 2016, at the Qingfeng steamed bun restaurant in Beijing’s bustling Xicheng district, Jin Liqun lunched with the Asia editor of the Financial Times to introduce himself and China’s newly created Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Beijing’s decision to establish a development bank reflected in part a deep frustration with the reluctance of the world’s leading economies to give China (and other leading developing economies) more influence in Bretton Woods institutions such...

Politics

19 h. ago Having funded Asian infrastructure for a decade, what next for the AIIB?

Back to April 2016, at the Qingfeng steamed bun restaurant in Beijing’s bustling Xicheng district, Jin Liqun lunched with the Asia editor of the Financial Times to introduce himself and China’s newly created Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Beijing’s decision to establish a development bank reflected in part a deep frustration with the reluctance of the world’s leading economies to give China (and other leading developing economies) more influence in Bretton Woods institutions such...

Politics

19 h. ago ‘Pattern emerging’: is China intentionally provoking Japan with close fly

Tokyo has expressed “serious concerns” to Beijing after a Chinese fighter jet came close to a Japanese aircraft operating in international airspace over the East China Sea on two occasions this week, with analysts suggesting that a pattern is emerging of China being increasingly willing to challenge Japan at sea and in the air. According to Japan’s Defence Ministry, a Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber flew within 70 metres of an Air Self-Defence Force YS-11EB electronic surveillance aircraft on...

Politics

24 h. ago Asia stocks: China surges on stimulus hopes, others lag on fresh tariff fears

Asia stocks: China surges on stimulus hopes, others lag on fresh tariff fears  Investing.com

Politics

29 h. ago ‘I cook instant noodles’: anxiety grips China’s workforce amid dire job market

This is the final story in a three-part series exploring the domestic economic challenges China faces as it navigates an unprecedented trade war with the United States. In this piece, we explore the country’s cloudy employment outlook for workers across all sectors, and how truck drivers and high-powered lawyers alike are learning to adjust their expectations. When his chemical company laid off a third of its team, Liang Wang felt a mix of emotions: relief that he was not among them, but dread...

Society

35 h. ago Hong Kong police vow to pursue fugitive singer Tommy Yuen ‘to the end’

Hong Kong police have said they will pursue Cantopop singer Tommy Yuen Man-on “to the end” after he failed to appear in court to face a shoplifting charge. The force on Thursday condemned Yuen’s “shameful act” of fleeing Hong Kong to avoid facing justice, calling it a blatant challenge to the rule of law. “All offenders should not have delusions that they can escape justice by fleeing Hong Kong,” a police spokesman said. He said police would pursue fugitives to the end unless they surrendered...

Events

38 h. ago EU watchdog opens TikTok probe over fresh China data transfer claims

EU watchdog opens TikTok probe over fresh China data transfer claims  South China Morning Post

Politics

38 h. ago TikTok faces fresh European privacy investigation over China data transfers

TikTok faces fresh European privacy investigation over China data transfers  WNYT.com

Events

42 h. ago Hong Kong’s IntelliGen AI takes on Google DeepMind in drug discovery

IntelliGen AI, an artificial intelligence (AI) start-up founded in Hong Kong, is positioning itself as a competitor to Google DeepMind in the field of drug discovery, as the city increasingly seeks to bolster its AI capabilities. In an interview with the Post, founder and president Ronald Sun expressed confidence that IntelliGen AI could soon compete globally with Isomorphic Labs, a spin-off of DeepMind, in leveraging AI for drug screening and design. “For generative science, new breakthroughs...

Events

44 h. ago Hong Kong lawmakers suggest cap on parking meter duration, progressive charges

Hong Kong lawmakers have suggested additional measures such as capping the duration a vehicle can occupy a metered lot and implementing progressive fees, following a slew of recent government proposals to adjust traffic-related charges, including doubling parking rates. Ben Chan Han-pan, a member of the Legislative Council’s transport panel, said on Thursday he welcomed the proposed parking fee hikes, noting that despite the 100 per cent increase in meter rates, the new charges at public lots...

Politics

45 h. ago Retired Hong Kong social worker admits defrauding authorities out of HK$16,780

A retired Hong Kong social worker behind a dropped legal challenge against the approval of the San Tin Technopole project’s environmental study has admitted to concealing his financial assets to defraud authorities out of HK$16,780 (US$2,137) in welfare benefits. Eddie Tse Sai-kit on Thursday pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud for obtaining monthly aid of HK$4,195 on four occasions without notifying the Social Welfare Department that his income exceeded the limit for receiving an old age...

Economics

50 h. ago Mahathir turns 100, still shaping Malaysia’s political landscape

Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad turned 100 on Thursday, marking a rare milestone for any world leader while defying age with his sharp mind and relentless work ethic. Mahathir’s social media platforms have been inundated with well-wishes over the last few days from Malaysians as well as admirers abroad, particularly in the Muslim world, where he is seen as an icon of moderate Muslim leadership who dares to speak up against the West. The two-time prime minister, whose 24 years...

Politics

51 h. ago Revealed: the secret Japanese past of North Korean leader Kim Jong

A new book published in Japan has shed fresh light on the life of Ko Yong-hui, the mother of Kim Jong-un, whose background the North Korean leader would prefer remains shrouded in secrecy. Published last month, Ko Yong-hui: The Zainichi Korean Who Became Kim Jong-un’s Mother, was written by journalist and author Yoji Gomi and draws on interviews with relatives still based in Japan, detailing how Kim Jong-un’s maternal grandfather made a precarious living as a smuggler and had to flee to North...

Politics

60 h. ago Fresh case of bitumen in water supply for Hong Kong housing, lawmaker says

Hong Kong authorities have provided temporary tanks and vowed to improve the pipes for thousands of households in Sai Wan Ho after bitumen particles were found in water supply samples, according to a lawmaker and the management of a housing estate. Lawmaker Edward Leung Hei said on Wednesday that he had also received complaints about particles in the water from some residents at the Grand Promenade and Lei King Wan estates, which are home to about 2,000 and 2,300 households respectively. “The...

Politics

61 h. ago University of Hong Kong’s revised IT hub plan angers Pok Fu Lam residents

A revised expansion plan by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has triggered fresh anger among Pok Fu Lam residents, who have accused it of dismissing alternative sites without proper due diligence and only meeting them for three hours over the past eight months. But some lawmakers on Wednesday said the university had made “major concessions” by leaving a green belt in the area largely untouched and altering its proposal to instead consider building its global innovation centre on an adjacent...

Politics

3 d. ago China told its officials to tighten their belts. Did they go a notch too far?

This is the first story in a three-part series exploring the domestic economic challenges China faces as it navigates an unprecedented trade war with the United States. In this piece, we explore Beijing’s drive to rein in wasteful government spending – and its unintended consequences. Wang, a civil servant from a small town in northeastern China, is too scared to go to restaurants these days. He even skipped his niece’s wedding due to his fear of being seen at a banquet. An avid foodie, the...

Politics