68 h. ago US and China begin crunch trade talks in London amid simmering tensions

Top economic officials from China and the United States have kick-started a crucial round of trade talks in London, as the world watches closely to see if the two sides can agree to roll back their “chokehold” controls over critical minerals and advanced technologies. The Chinese and American delegations – led by China’s vice-premier, He Lifeng, alongside US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer – met Monday afternoon, local...

Events

68 h. ago US vows reprieve on some tech export restrictions as talks with China begin in London

Top economic officials from Washington and Beijing have launched a high-stakes round of trade talks in London, with a senior White House official signaling soon after the start that the US will ease some tech export restrictions on China, adding that he expected the Chinese government to ramp up rare earth mineral exports to American markets. The Chinese and American delegations – led by China’s vice-premier, He Lifeng, alongside US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard...

Politics

7 d. ago Russia moves again to join with China and India despite their trust issues

Russia’s fresh bid to revive a strategic triangle with China and India as a counterbalance to the Western-led international order faces headwinds given the deep-seated distrust between the two Asian powers, according to observers. However, United States President Donald Trump and his aggressive and unpredictable policies could be the catalyst to bring the three together, one analyst says. The assessment was made as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov objected to what he described as Nato’s...

Politics

1 week ago As China’s Dragon Boat Festival, Children’s Day coincide, family tourism booms

An unusual convergence of the Dragon Boat Festival and Children’s Day in China over the weekend led to a surge in domestic tourism bookings to campsites, amusement parks and other attractions, according to travel platforms. Short-haul domestic travel bookings had grown 23 per cent year on year, according to travel platform Trip.com’s latest figures. The trend was driven by “summer escapes” with parent-child orders making up 35 per cent of overall bookings and “family-friendly” hotel searches...

Society

1 week ago ‘Credible’ new global mediation body will draw investors to Hong Kong: Paul Chan

The new International Organisation for Mediation launched in Hong Kong will be an efficient, fair and credible mechanism for dispute resolution and attract investors from the Global South as the economy shifts towards these developing countries, the city’s finance minister has said. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Sunday the inauguration of the China-led body on Friday established Hong Kong’s role as the global legal and mediation centre for the Asia-Pacific region. “An efficient,...

Economics

1 week ago Hong Kong hits a high with global legal body, but now comes the hard part

Hong Kong made a groundbreaking move on Friday when it became the headquarters for a new intergovernmental mediation body but the unit’s real tests will be in the types of substantive cases it handles and whether more countries will join the convention, experts have said. While the China-led International Organisation for Mediation launched on Friday with 33 signatories, and the conspicuous absence of major Western countries, leading lawyers said they expected more nations would join once the...

Events

2 w. ago New COVID strain from China that led to massive spike in hospitalizations has spread to the US — including NYC

New COVID strain from China that led to massive spike in hospitalizations has spread to the US — including NYC  New York Post

Science

2 w. ago China’s 2019 fentanyl embargo led to drop in US overdoses, study finds

Peterson Institute determines ban contributed to price rise of synthetic opioid, deterring its use by Americans.

Politics

4 w. ago April’s global EV sales were up 29% compared to a year ago, once again led by China

April’s global EV sales were up 29% compared to a year ago, once again led by China  Electrek

Economics