91 m. ago Japan weighs tightening rules on visa popular among Chinese nationals

Japan is considering increasing the minimum investment threshold for its business manager visa in a bid to make it harder for foreigners to obtain residence status and launch commercial operations in the country, as the scheme becomes increasingly popular with Chinese nationals. The visa, which offers relatively accessible entry for foreign entrepreneurs, permits stays of up to five years for those who either invest 5 million yen (US$34,711) or hire two full-time employees while maintaining an...

Politics

1 hour ago Chinese astronomers recorded details of dying star’s explosion in 1408: study

Just after sunset on an October evening in 1408, six years into the reign of the Ming dynasty’s Emperor Yongle, Chinese court astronomers spotted a mysterious new star glowing high in the southern sky, near the heart of the Milky Way. “It was about the size of a cup-shaped oil lamp, with a pure yellow colour, smooth and bright,” according to Hanlin Academy scholar Hu Guang, in a formal report to the emperor that interpreted its appearance as a heavenly endorsement. “We, your ministers, have...

Events

2 h. ago To achieve its AI ambition, Hong Kong must start investing in schools

With rapid advances in technological development transforming industries and permeating every facet of our lives, there are mounting calls for schools to embrace artificial intelligence in the curriculum. While the focus on AI can seem overwhelming, the role of schools in this new AI-driven world demands attention. Where there is a focus on AI in schools, it is likely to be about effective and ethical ways to use AI. This is important, especially the focus on ethical issues, but there is perhaps...

Politics

2 h. ago China women pay US$14 to relax with charming men who take them on luxury car rides

Young women in southern China are spending 99 yuan (US$14) to relax with fit, handsome men who treat them to luxury car rides after work. According to the mainland media outlet Vista Hydrogen Business, a new trend called “city ride” is gaining traction in cities like Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Xiamen. This service features so-called “man bodhisattvas,” who provide companionship rides in expensive vehicles. These men are often affluent university students who use their families’ luxury cars during...

Economics

4 h. ago US venture capital firm to unload stakes in 40 Chinese tech start

Shares of a few dozen China-based start-ups may be up for grabs as their investor, US venture-capital firm Eight Roads, plans to exit its Chinese technology holdings. The move, reported by Bloomberg on Tuesday, comes as geopolitical tensions and a sluggish Chinese economy prompt some global investors to retreat. Domestic and government-backed funds and financing products would increasingly drive start-up funding in the world’s second-largest economy, analysts said. Fidelity Ventures-backed Eight...

Politics

5 h. ago China’s orchard of AI, chip grads now ripe for the pickin’ as tech trade sours

When Jack Wang enrolled as an undergraduate in microelectronics at a prestigious Chinese university, the year was 2019, and China was in the early days of its trade war with the United States. Looking back, his decision to focus on the field revolving around the design and manufacture of hi-tech microchips has proved prescient. Today, it complements Beijing’s aspirations to make world-leading semiconductors amid Washington’s amped-up efforts to curtail China’s technological progress. Indeed, the...

Politics

11 h. ago Struggling Hong Kong taxi driver ‘accidentally’ put into chokehold, inquest told

A Hong Kong police officer seen putting a taxi driver who later died into a chokehold has told an inquest that he came into contact with the man’s neck “accidentally” during a struggle. Constable Lam Wai-wing was part of a police team handling a report made by taxi driver Chan Fai-wong on November 11, 2012, and his subsequent arrest for assault. Lam told the Coroner’s Court on Wednesday that his initial attempt to move Chan into a police vehicle was unsuccessful, with surveillance footage...

Politics

12 h. ago Pope Leo XIV Appoints New Chinese Bishop for Archdiocese of Fuzhou

Pope Leo XIV Appoints New Chinese Bishop for Archdiocese of Fuzhou  National Catholic Register

Politics

12 h. ago Viewed from China, Trump’s crackdown on LA unrest a risky ‘political gamble’

Chinese analysts have been closely monitoring the Los Angeles unrest, which they said had been exploited by US President Donald Trump for political theatre, jeopardising public safety and stability. One high-profile commentator also predicted that Trump’s heavy-handed tactics could escalate into a constitutional crisis. The remarks followed days of protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids, which led to a curfew in some downtown areas of the city aimed at cracking down on vandalism. The...

Politics

12 h. ago Live updates: Trump announces finalized trade deal with China, says tariffs on Chinese goods go to 55%

Live updates: Trump announces finalized trade deal with China, says tariffs on Chinese goods go to 55%  AP News

Politics

13 h. ago Trump says US gets rare earth minerals from China and tariffs on Chinese goods will total 55%

Trump says US gets rare earth minerals from China and tariffs on Chinese goods will total 55%  AP News

Politics

13 h. ago US to access Chinese rare earth minerals; here’s what Trump says Beijing will get in return

US to access Chinese rare earth minerals; here’s what Trump says Beijing will get in return  theweek.in

Politics

13 h. ago Trump touts 'done' deal with Beijing on rare earths, Chinese students

Trump touts 'done' deal with Beijing on rare earths, Chinese students  Yahoo

Politics

13 h. ago Chinese exports to EU surge, but bloc waiting to see if emergency action needed

The European Union says it is “too early to conclude” whether sky-high US tariffs on Chinese goods have caused a diversion of exports to the bloc that would cause it to take emergency measures. This was despite a surge in Chinese exports to the European Union coinciding with a big drop in shipments from China to the United States in May. China’s shipments to the US last month fell by 34.5 per cent from a year ago, while its exports to France rose by 24.1 per cent and to Germany by 21.5 per cent,...

Politics

13 h. ago Trump's Deal With China: Beijing To Supply Rare Earth Minerals Under New Deal, US To Allow Chinese Students

Trump's Deal With China: Beijing To Supply Rare Earth Minerals Under New Deal, US To Allow Chinese Students  ABP Live English

Politics

14 h. ago Trump says China deal 'done', Beijing to supply rare earths; tariffs on Chinese goods go to 55 per cent

Trump says China deal 'done', Beijing to supply rare earths; tariffs on Chinese goods go to 55 per cent  The New Indian Express

Politics

14 h. ago Trump says US gets rare earth minerals from China in trade deal, tariffs on Chinese goods go to 55%

Trump says US gets rare earth minerals from China in trade deal, tariffs on Chinese goods go to 55%  AP News

Politics

14 h. ago Hong Kong lawmakers back criminalising of subletting public rental flats

Hong Kong lawmakers have approved the government’s proposal to criminalise the subletting of public rental flats or the use of such properties for business purposes, with the offence to carry a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a HK$500,000 (US$63,700) fine. Lawmakers on Wednesday voted on the Housing (Amendment) Bill, which introduces new offences under the Housing Ordinance to combat serious abuse of public flats. Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin stressed that the amended law...

Society

15 h. ago Trump: Tariffs on Chinese goods set at 55 percent, US to get rare earth minerals in deal

Trump: Tariffs on Chinese goods set at 55 percent, US to get rare earth minerals in deal  The Hill

Politics

15 h. ago Why US defence chief’s attack on China won’t find favour in Southeast Asia

After listening to US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth’s all-out attack on “communist China” at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, some might have wondered what the Chinese people would make of it. But as a Chinese delegate listening to him live, I was wondering what Hegseth’s boss, US President Donald Trump, would think. In February, Trump called US Vice-President J.D. Vance’s speech in Munich bashing European allies “brilliant”. This time, we haven’t had his thoughts. I wondered, not only...

Events