48 h. ago Japan ramen eatery bans ‘troublesome’ China customers, charges a lot more for English menu

A Japanese ramen restaurant has ignited controversy by slapping a ban on Chinese customers, accusing them of being troublemakers. Iekei restaurant in the Western city of Osaka announced on social media on January 4 that it had banned all Chinese people. It said a Chinese person had caused trouble in the restaurant, forcing it to call the police. The post said 90 per cent of the trouble it has with foreigners involves Chinese customers. The move triggered controversy and accusations of racism....

Economics

50 h. ago Chongqing: Thousands descend on village after Chinese woman's social media plea

Chongqing: Thousands descend on village after Chinese woman's social media plea  BBC

Politics

59 h. ago The US has sent a ‘dangerous’ message in Venezuela and China must act, legal expert warns

China needs to legislate to protect itself against the risk of “external suppression” and safeguard its technology and supply chains, a legal expert with a top Beijing think tank has warned. Li Honglei, head of a Communist Party committee that oversees two law institutes under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said tighter national security legislation was needed to make the country more “resilient”. He said the risks had been laid bare by America’s abduction of the former Venezuelan...

Events

8 d. ago Argentina repays US emergency loan, boosting Trump’s economic strategy in Latin America

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Friday that Argentina has fully repaid an emergency currency loan that generated “tens of millions” in profit for American taxpayers while stabilising a key regional ally. In a social media post, Bessent praised Argentinian President Javier Milei’s economic reforms and said the successful intervention demonstrated that US President Donald Trump’s “Peace Through Economic Strength” policy was at work in Latin America. Argentina faced a severe...

Economics

8 d. ago China ‘instant reply providers’ offer solace by promptly responding to client ventings online

A new profession known as “instant reply providers”, or miao hui shi in Chinese, has trended on mainland social media. For a price, people who do the job offer quick and soothing replies for those who are angry, upset or in need of an emotional outlet. Not only do they respond very quickly, so-called instant reply providers are good listeners and offer emotional support. They can earn as much as 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) a month, according to a report by Guangming Daily. The charges for their...

Politics

9 d. ago It's a very bad situation for China's economy, says Cliff Kupchan

It's a very bad situation for China's economy, says Cliff Kupchan  GZERO Media

Politics

1 week ago Maduro’s capture is a blow to China. But on Chinese social media it’s being hailed as a blueprint for Taiwan

Maduro’s capture is a blow to China. But on Chinese social media it’s being hailed as a blueprint for Taiwan  CNN

Politics

1 week ago It’s HAL out there: Tencent AI chatbot tells user to ‘get lost’ in rare angry outburst

Chinese social media and gaming giant Tencent Holdings apologised after its artificial intelligence chatbot Yuanbao was accused of “verbally insulting” a user, fuelling online debate about the risks posed by fast-evolving generative AI tools. Yuanbao is among China’s most popular AI chatbots. Embedded in Tencent’s WeChat and used by tens of millions of people each day, there have been no previous reports of the assistant generating insulting replies in user conversations. The complaint surfaced...

Politics

1 week ago US ‘kill line’ shocks Chinese social media as economic woes shatter illusions

A series of social media posts highlighting the economic insecurity facing ordinary Americans has triggered an intense debate in China about social problems in the United States and shattered some long-held perceptions. Many of the posts from influencers described the vulnerabilities as a “kill line”, a term used by Chinese video gamers to describe the health threshold below which a character can be instantly defeated. The term has now been repurposed to describe a financial and social tipping...

Events

2 w. ago Singapore’s JJ Lin slams ‘smear campaigns’ after relationship reveal with Annalisa

After Singaporean singer JJ Lin seemingly soft-launched his romance with Chinese influencer Annalisa Qi Qi in a family photo posted on social media Instagram on Monday, internet users have been wasting no time hazarding guesses on the who, what, when, where and how of the 44-year-old’s love life. Lin took to social media on Wednesday to provide a recap of an eventful 2025, including difficult moments where his private life was scrutinised. He started by acknowledging the end of the year as well...

Politics

2 w. ago Malaysia tightens grip on major social media platforms – will it make the internet safer?

Malaysia on Thursday moved to bring some of the world’s biggest social media and messaging platforms under its licensing regime, closing a year-long gap in which several tech giants had operated without formal approval. From January 1, platforms with more than eight million users in Malaysia are automatically treated as licensed under local law, even if they had not applied, according to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). The shift coincides with the Online Safety Act...

Politics

2 w. ago Cosco executive Zhang Yong appointed deputy in Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong

Beijing has appointed Zhang Yong, a senior staff member from a state-owned shipping and logistics services group, to serve as a deputy director in the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security announced on Wednesday. Zhang, executive vice-president of Chinese shipping conglomerate Cosco Shipping Group and also its news spokesman, will replace Qi Bin, who was appointed last November, according to the ministry’s announcement. The liaison...

Politics

2 w. ago China food delivery platform names Jay Chou as brand ambassador, supported by lookalikes

A quartet of singer Jay Chou lookalikes in China has produced a video supporting the pop idol’s new role as a delivery brand ambassador, sending social media into a frenzy of laughter. On December 18, the Chinese delivery giant Meituan unveiled Chou as its brand ambassador following their high-profile partnership with actress Liu Yifei. Known as the “King of Mandopop”, the Taiwanese singer-songwriter has amassed more than 23 million followers on mainland social media thanks to his musical...

Politics

3 w. ago China needs ‘original’ knowledge system on border history to counter West, scholar says

China should establish an “original” knowledge system regarding the history of its border regions to mitigate security risks from “hostile forces in the West”, according to a senior scholar at a prominent state-run think tank. Fan Enshi of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) also warned about the threat of “de-Sinicisation” in US-led historical perspectives, calling for a shift from “fragmented research” towards systematic domestic theories that could better project Chinese influence...

Politics

4 w. ago Is China’s Fujian gearing up for a dual aircraft carrier exercise?

Two of China’s aircraft carriers, including its biggest and best, have docked at the same naval base near the Yellow Sea, raising suggestions that another dual-carrier exercise is on the horizon. Satellite images circulating on Chinese social media this week show the Fujian, which was officially commissioned last month, docked at a naval base in Qingdao in eastern China’s Shandong province. In one of the images purportedly taken on Thursday, the Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier, docked...

Transport