Day: August 4, 2023

China’s vulnerable gig workers grapple with lower pay and longer hours as Beijing touts benefits of platform economy

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“Now I get 30 to 40 orders a day, running 15 hours a day,” the driver told the South China Morning Post in June while awaiting new orders in Beijing’s Sanlitun area. “It took fewer hours to get up to 70 orders per day previously.” Making matters worse for those zipping around the city streets on motorbikes is the global heatwave this year that saw temperatures for half the days in June in the Chinese capital surpass 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), while the last day of the month…

US Scouts to Pull Out of Heatwave-Hit Jamboree in South Korea

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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA —  U.S. Scouts in South Korea for the World Scout Jamboree will pull out of the campsite on Sunday due to extreme heat and weather conditions, becoming the second country to do so following the United Kingdom. The U.S. contingent will take part in the jamboree program on Saturday before moving to U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys near the jamboree site on the following day, according to an email obtained by Reuters. “The US Contingent to the World Scout Jamboree has made the difficult decision that we will…

Tesla’s Chinese suppliers rush to set up EV component plants in Mexico to support new ‘Gigafactory 6’

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“It is a win-win scenario,” said Peter Chen, an engineer with car-parts maker ZF TRW in Shanghai. “Tesla needs Chinese suppliers to support its running of the Mexican Gigafactory, while Chinese car-part makers have been looking to tap overseas markets due to overcapacity worries at home.” Ningbo Xusheng Group, which makes aluminium alloy parts, Zhejiang Sanhua Intelligent Controls, a manufacturer of heat control components, and Tuopu Group, which deals with chassis production, are among the Tesla partners that will make a foray into Mexico. Advertisement Xusheng said in late March…

Taiwan opposition on edge as tycoon Terry Gou expected to make presidential bid decision

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Even after the KMT confirmed in late July it would not change its decision to nominate New Taipei mayor Hou Yu-ih as its presidential candidate despite his relatively poor showing in the race, there have been no signs of Gou giving up his bid. “In my visit this time, I will meet with experts and think tank scholars … to seek their views on how to keep Taiwan away from war and preserve peace permanently,” Gou said on July 30 before leaving for the US on a 10-day trip. He…

China Infiltrating US ‘Red Zone’ With Latin American Push

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pentagon —  China’s efforts to build critical infrastructure across South and Central America are setting up Chinese military forces for a potential foothold on the U.S. doorstep. China is “in the ‘red zone,’” the commander of U.S. Southern Command said Friday, warning that many of China’s economic initiatives can easily be flipped to support a Chinese military presence. “They are on the 20-yard line to our homeland,” SOUTHCOM General Laura Richardson told the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, using an American football analogy to illustrate how close China…

More than 16,500 homes and buildings destroyed by Myanmar junta since coup

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  Pyinmabin village in Yangon’s Mingalardon township, seen in this April 2022 image [left], was razed on orders from Myanmar’s junta on Nov. 25, 2022. The area is seen at right on April 29, 2023. Credit: Maxar Technologies [left] and Airbus Myanmar’s military junta has evicted families and destroyed more than 16,500 homes and other buildings in large cities and towns across the Southeast Asian country, claiming that the structures “encroached on land owned by the state,” according to data compiled by Radio Free Asia. The data is based on…

China’s rising clout in Latin America setting off alarm bells for US, says senior Pentagon official

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The Chinese embassy in Washington on Friday defended its Belt and Road Initiative. Its projects were marked by comprehensive dialogue, mutual collaboration and shared advantages, said embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu, “illustrated by the 420,000 jobs it has created and the acceleration of economic growth in participating countries”. Advertisement “The BRI is well-received among the world most importantly because it is an initiative of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits,” Liu added. “China never imposes its will on other countries, nor does it slip any selfish geopolitical agenda into the…

Biden Order Curbing Investment to China Expected Next Week, Sources Say

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President Joe Biden is expected to issue his long-awaited executive order to screen outbound investments in sensitive technologies to China early next week, according to people familiar with the matter. A White House spokesperson declined to comment. The goal of the order is to prevent U.S. capital and expertise from accelerating the development of technologies that would support China’s military modernization and threaten U.S. national security. The order is expected to target U.S. private equity, venture capital and joint venture investments in China in semiconductors, quantum computing and artificial intelligence.…

Analysis: China’s Military Influence in Africa Grows as Russia’s Diminishes

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JOHANNESBURG —  China’s People’s Liberation Army marked the 96th anniversary of its founding this week with President Xi Jinping overseeing celebrations in China, but the anniversary was also commemorated in many African countries where Beijing has influence and is keen on expanding military cooperation. Among them was Zimbabwe, where ties with the PLA date back to the 1960s and China’s support for the guerilla movement — now the ruling party — that fought for the country’s independence from white minority rule. “The precious memories of the solidarity and synergy between…

Flooding in China Worsens as Rescues, Evacuations Intensify

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Thousands of people threatened by storm-swollen rivers were evacuated in China’s northeast on Friday while areas on the outskirts of Beijing cleared debris from flooding that wrecked roads, knocked out power and left neighborhoods in shambles. China is struggling with record-breaking rains in some areas while others suffer scorching summer heat and drought that threatens crops. Flooding near Beijing and in neighboring Hebei province this week killed at least 22 people. Resident Xie Xin in the western outskirts of Beijing said the floodwaters had risen so fast that his family…