ASIA: Buoyed by a construction boom, China’s economic recovery continued apace in July, new sentiment data suggested. The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for July stood at 51.1, with a reading above 50.0 suggesting expansion in factory output. This was slightly better than June’s reading of 50.9 and was better than analysts’ expectations, with […]

ASIA: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told lawmakers on Thursday that the “tide is turning” on China, as the US has led the push to ramp up international pressure on the Communist regime on issues from property theft to international surveillance to the Chinese crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong. China warned on Thursday […]

ASIA: China on Wednesday expressed its strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to smears against China on a series of issues by the US and Australia, and has lodged solemn representations with them, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for Chinese Foreign Ministry said at a press briefing. Wang’s remarks came after the US Secretary of State Mike […]

ASIA: China has said Hong Kong will suspend extradition treaties with Britain, Canada, and Australia after they took similar steps over the territory’s controversial new security law. The Foreign Ministry spokesman accused the countries of “gross interference in China’s internal affairs.” Earlier this month, US lawmakers approved sanctions in response to the law, targeting banks […]

ASIA: The major Asian stock markets had a mixed day today: NIKKEI 225 decreased 35.76 points or -0.16% to 22,715.85 Shanghai increased 8.46 points or 0.26% to 3,205.23 Hang Seng decreased 102.07 points or -0.41% to 24,603.26 ASX 200 increased 20.20 points or 0.34% to 6,044.20 Kospi increased 17.42 points or 0.79% to 2,217.86 SENSEX […]

ASIA: Beijing has ordered the closure of a US consulate in south-western China, in a move that will escalate tensions between the two countries to a new level. On Friday, China’s ministry of foreign affairs said it had ordered the US consulate in Chengdu, in Sichuan province, to cease all operations. Authorities notified the US […]

ASIA: China has criticized the Trump Administration’s order to shut the Chinese consulate in Houston as an attempt to shift the blame for its failures ahead of the November election, according to state media editorials published on Thursday. China’s foreign ministry, which is threatening “countermeasures,” the Chinese Embassy in Washington said, “We urge the US […]

ASIA: The US has ordered China to close its consulate in Houston, Texas, by Friday — a move described as “political provocation” by Beijing. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the decision was taken because China was “stealing” intellectual property. China’s foreign ministry condemned the move on Twitter, saying its embassy in Washington had […]

ASIA: China has warned the UK that it will “bear the consequences” if it continues to go “down the wrong road” on Hong Kong after the UK suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong over a new security law that gives Beijing more power. A Chinese ambassador in London said, “China has never interfered in […]

ASIA: China is considering retaliating against the Chinese operations of two major European telecommunication-equipment manufacturers, Nokia Corp. and Ericsson AB, should European Union members follow the lead of the US and UK in barring China’s Huawei Technologies Co. from 5G networks, a major online news agency reported. China’s Ministry of Commerce is mulling export controls […]