Day: March 12, 2025

Advocates for jailed publisher Lai turn to Trump administration

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WASHINGTON —  The son of imprisoned pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai this week brought the campaign to secure his father’s release to the Trump administration in Washington. Nearly two months into President Donald Trump’s second term, Lai’s son Sebastien and their international legal team were in Washington this week to meet with Trump administration officials and lawmakers in hopes that the United States can help push for Lai’s release. Lai, a businessman and founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper in Hong Kong, stands accused of collusion with foreign forces and…

VOA Mandarin: China, Walmart discuss response to US tariffs

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China’s Commerce Ministry reportedly held talks with Walmart on Tuesday after the U.S. retail giant had requested a 10% price cut from its Chinese suppliers to offset U.S. tariff costs, state media CCTV said. The report added that the ministry is believed to have expressed concern over Walmart’s “unfair” practice, which it believes may create the risk of supply chain disruption and harm the interests of Chinese and American companies and American consumers.” Click here for the full story in Mandarin. Voice of America

VOA Mandarin: About 12 million graduates to join China’s shrinking job market

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TAIPEI, TAIWAN —  About 12.2 million college graduates are expected to enter China’s shrinking labor market this summer, Wang Xiaoping, minister of the Human Resources and Social Security Ministry told the country’s National People’s Congress Sunday. It is believed that the Chinese government will encourage young people to accept gig work or vocational trainings so as not to hike up the youth unemployment rate. Click here for the full story in Mandarin. Voice of America

China, Iran, Russia hold joint naval drills in Middle East

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TEHRAN, IRAN —  China, Iran and Russia conducted joint naval drills Tuesday in the Middle East, offering a show of force in a region still uneasy over Tehran’s rapidly expanding nuclear program and as Yemen’s Houthi rebels threaten new attacks on ships. The joint drills, called the Maritime Security Belt 2025, took place in the Gulf of Oman near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil passes. The area around the strait has in the past…

ICC takes custody of Philippine ex-president Duterte in crimes against humanity case

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THE HAGUE —  Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was turned over Wednesday to the custody of the International Criminal Court, following his arrest on a warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity over deadly anti-drugs crackdowns he oversaw while in office. The court said in a statement that “as a precautionary measure” medical assistance was made available at the airport for Duterte, in line with standard procedures when a suspect arrives. The 79-year-old former president arrived at Rotterdam The Hague Airport earlier Wednesday on a flight from Manila following his…

India, Mauritius upgrade strategic ties with eye on China

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NEW DELHI —  India and Mauritius have upgraded their ties, say leaders of both countries — a move analysts say is aimed at increasing New Delhi’s influence in the Indian Ocean as it seeks to counter China’s expanding footprint in the region. The announcement of upgraded ties came during a two-day visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Mauritius, an island nation that sits along vital seaways in the western Indian Ocean. Modi, who was chief guest at Mauritius’s National Day celebrations on Wednesday, said that the countries had…

Vietnam, Singapore agree to boost ties, cooperation on subsea cables

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HANOI, VIETNAM —  Singapore and Vietnam on Wednesday agreed to enhance cooperation in subsea cables, finance, and energy, marking an upgrade in their relations to Vietnam’s highest level, during a visit by its Communist Party Chief To Lam to the city-state. Singapore is the third Southeast Asian nation, after Malaysia and Indonesia, with which Vietnam has established a “comprehensive strategic relationship.” In a joint statement released following the upgrade, Lam and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong witnessed the exchange of six agreements and discussed cooperation in undersea cable development, digital…

China boosting development of AI for use in trade war with US

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NEW DELHI —  Encouraged by the enthusiastic reception to its DeepSeek artificial intelligence platform in January, China’s leaders are going all out to encourage AI companies to harness the power of this technology to compete with the United States and other countries in business and military spheres. China considers AI an important tool to handle U.S. restrictions on Chinese business, particularly after DeepSeek shook up Wall Street, resulting in a loss of $589 billion for Nvidia stockholders in late January. “The government in China works directly with the private sector…