The United States and its allies have verified an arms trade deal between Russia and North Korea that could bolster Moscow’s aggression towards Ukraine, issuing a stern warning that the allies would respond against these “deleterious” actions. “The United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (ROK) strongly condemn the provision of military equipment and munitions by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the Russian Federation for use against the government and people of Ukraine,” the joint statement said Thursday, referring to the two Koreas formal names. “Such…
Day: October 25, 2023
China’s 12th manned space mission takes off, carrying Shenzhou 17 crew for six-month mission to Tiangong space station
And once he enters the space station on Thursday, he will be the first astronaut to enter the station for a second time. “I came from the countryside, and now I am a taikonaut,” Tang Hongbo said during a press conference with the astronauts on Wednesday. He said going back to the station had been his dream since he left in 2021. He is joined by first-time space visitors Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, former fighter pilots for the People’s Liberation Army who both joined astronaut training in 2020 in…
Are China, US Seeking Warmer Ties?
WASHINGTON — Chinese President Xi Jinping, striking an unusually conciliatory tone, is calling for closer cooperation and more stable ties between China and the United States based on mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. The message, contained in a letter to the New York-headquartered National Committee on United States-China Relations on Tuesday, came amid expectations of a meeting between Xi and U.S. President Joe Biden in San Francisco at the November Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. In the letter, Xi said, “As two major countries in the world, whether China and the…
Xi tightens control over financial sector as new super-regulator takes shape
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese politics & policy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Beijing is putting the final touches to a powerful new Communist party commission to regulate the country’s financial sector regulator, recruiting nearly 100 officials ahead of a landmark economic policy meeting next week. The Central Financial Commission, which President Xi Jinping announced in March, will serve as the de facto watchdog, planner and decision maker for China’s $61tn financial sector, weakening the power of state institutions such as…
China’s Communist party beefs up new financial regulator to tighten control
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese politics & policy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. A powerful new Chinese Communist party commission created to regulate the country’s financial sector and direct economic policy has stepped up efforts to recruit nearly 100 officials ahead of a landmark leadership meeting next week. The Central Financial Commission, which President Xi Jinping announced in March, will serve as the de facto watchdog, planner and decision maker for China’s $61tn financial sector, weakening the power of state institutions…
China-Australia relations: before Anthony Albanese’s visit, Canberra ‘will not oppose’ Beijing’s CPTPP trade-pact bid
With relations between China and Australia improving in the lead-up to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s long-anticipated visit next week, sources said Canberra will not stand in the way of Beijing joining one of the world’s biggest multilateral trade deals. Australia “will not oppose China joining the CPTPP” – the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership – and will “consider China’s application on its merits”, one source said, emphasising that this is not a vow to advocate for China. It would mark a step closer for China to join the…
Poaching a ‘major, overlooked threat’ to biodiversity in China, study finds
More than one-fifth of amphibian, reptile, bird and mammal species in China are being poached, mostly for food and traditional medicines, according to an analysis of court convictions for illegal hunting. Researchers looked at more than 9,200 convictions from 2014 to 2020 for the study. They found that just 5 per cent of them – mainly in the eastern and central parts of China – accounted for 90 per cent of the animals that were hunted, pointing to large commercial poaching operations. The team from Sun Yat-sen University in southern…
US, Australia Reaffirm Shared Values, Cooperation Against Chinese Ambitions
white house — President Joe Biden on Wednesday hosted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a pageantry-filled state visit aimed at deepening cooperation and emphasizing unity on issues dominating global attention, including the increased ambitions of China and the gruesome conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Both leaders made a point of acknowledging their shared support of Jerusalem and Kyiv early on in the daylong state visit. “Together, we’re standing with Israel against Hamas terrorism,” Biden said. “We’re standing with Ukraine against [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s tyranny. And we’re…
Japan prays for a solid-state battery miracle
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Japanese business & finance myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Just a few hours into the 2023 Japan Mobility Show, Honda’s chief executive had said he wanted to see the company’s logo in outer space. The head of Lexus had promised luxury cars with a sense of smell. The president of Subaru, from a great nebula of dry ice, had unveiled a conceptual flying car which may, eventually, fly. The signs of stress are less subtle than they…
Shunning mainland China, Taiwan pushes start-ups to explore US, Southeast Asia
The firm has received approval from a Taiwan government start-up support agency to join trade shows abroad, including in the US, to explore new markets. “We’re focused on climate sustainability, so the more people we can influence, the better,” Huang said. Lypid co-founder Huang Jen-yu holds a burger made with his company’s meat substitutes in Taipei on October 18, 2023. Photo: Ralph Jennings Huang’s firm, born from his university research, is one of many following a now-familiar trend: a young Taiwanese company pushing into the US and Southeast Asia with…