Thailand’s plan to open a humanitarian aid corridor with war-torn Myanmar next month is facing skepticism from experts and aid workers, who say its limited scope and lack of engagement with ethnic minority forces means it is unlikely to have much impact. The initiative by the new Thai government will create a safe zone to provide food and medicine to displaced populations through the Mae Sot-Myawaddy border crossing, officials said. Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) unanimously endorsed the plan in January. Fierce fighting during Myanmar’s civil…
Day: February 28, 2024
Volkswagen teams up with Xpeng to develop 2 electric cars as it hopes to regain lost ground in the world’s largest EV market
“In the world’s largest and fastest-growing EV market, speed is fundamental when it comes to tapping into promising market segments,” Volkswagen’s China chief executive Ralf Brandsatter said in the statement. “Through the partnership with Xpeng, we are not only accelerating development times, but also boosting efficiency and optimising cost structures. This increases the economic competitiveness in a highly price-sensitive market environment significantly.” 02:18 Chinese XPeng electric car can drive and park by itself Chinese XPeng electric car can drive and park by itself The German carmaker added in the statement…
Beijing slams ‘attacks’ on Hong Kong’s Article 23 national security law after UK’s David Cameron says legislation will inhibit freedoms
Beijing has hit back at “groundless attacks” on Hong Kong’s domestic national security legislation after British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the proposed law would inhibit freedom of expression and threaten legitimate diplomatic activities in the city. The Chinese embassy in London said on Thursday that the Sino-British Joint Declaration did not give Britain the right to intervene in Hong Kong’s affairs, after Cameron revealed UK officials had raised their concerns over the bill “privately” with city authorities. “We firmly oppose the groundless attacks by British politicians on the legislation…
China’s Wang Yi invited to Australia as Beijing, Canberra ties thaw after prolonged frost
“[Australian foreign minister] Penny Wong issued a formal invitation to Wang,” one source explained, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject. “The invitation was the formal conclusion of discussions between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and [the Chinese] embassy over a couple of weeks.” 02:27 Anthony Albanese becomes first Australian prime minister to visit China in 7 years Anthony Albanese becomes first Australian prime minister to visit China in 7 years Wang is expected to spend one day in Canberra and another day in Sydney, according…
Chinese Automaker BYD Looking for Mexico Plant Location, Executive Says
MEXICO CITY — Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD is looking for a location in Mexico to set up a factory aimed at boosting the company’s share of the local market, BYD Americas CEO Stella Li told Reuters on Wednesday. The company expects to choose a location for the plant, which is set to have a production capacity of 150,000 cars annually, by the year’s end, Li said. BYD outpaced former market leader Tesla in EV sales globally in the fourth quarter of 2023, and auto industry officials say its push…
International scientific prize for Chinese researcher highlights efforts to lure scientific talent back home
Over the past three years he has been promoted to professor, received substantial funding and his academic work is now internationally recognised and honoured. Although an isolated case, his career to some extent reflects China’s efforts to lure back and support outstanding overseas talent in a bid to become more self reliant in science and tech Hao started his undergraduate studies at USTC in Hefei in Anhui province in 2008 before heading to the United States in 2012 where he received his master’s and doctoral degrees from Johns Hopkins University,…
Battle erupts on northern Myanmar university campus
A battle erupted on a university campus in northern Mynamar’s Sagaing region earlier this week as ethnic Kachin and Chin fighters attacked junta troops based on the property, prompting the rebels to detain and eventually evacuate more than 130 civilians trapped in the crossfire, residents and fighters told Radio Free Asia. Fighters from the Kachin Independence Army, the Chin National Front and local People’s Defense Force members attacked a junta camp on the Kalay University campus, in Kale township, on Monday. They had to retreat from the campus after reinforcements…
Beijing housing authority’s proposal to regulate rental fees will revive confidence in leasing market, analysts say
The escrow accounts are for holding deposits only, and do not allow for overdrafts, unless otherwise stated. 10:57 Boom, bust and borrow: Has China’s housing market tanked? Boom, bust and borrow: Has China’s housing market tanked? The proposed measures serve to “support” Beijing’s housing rental regulations, which came into effect in September 2022, according to Xu Yuejin, deputy director at the China Index Academy, a real estate research firm. It will also help to standardise relevant tasks and protect the tenants’ rights and interests, he added. The regulations are aimed…
US funding delays hurt the Pacific – but there are bigger worries | Terence Wesley-Smith and Gerard Finin
A delay by the US in providing crucial funding to Pacific Island nations is fuelling concern in the region – but questions about the competing visions held by the US and regional leaders are even more pressing. The funding is part of longstanding agreements the US has with three nations in the north Pacific, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Marshall Islands and Palau. The agreements, known as the Compacts of Free Association (Cofa), provide a range of assistance to these nations, including visa-free entry to the US, grant…
Indigenous minorities criminalized in Cambodia’s flagship carbon offset
One day in late 2022, Sok was in the middle of harvesting the rice he would rely on to feed his family for the coming year when a team of rangers led by a conservation NGO descended on his farmland on the outskirts of Chumnoab village in Koh Kong province. Knowing that they would accuse him of illegally farming on protected land and possibly arrest him, Sok ran away, but the rangers burned all his sacks of rice and his family lost half their annual supply as a result. They…