ASIA: China has passed a wide-reaching national security law for Hong Kong, which many fear could be used to override existing legal processes and further erode the city’s civil and political freedoms. Beijing’s top lawmaking body, the National People’s Congress (NPC), passed the law unanimously on Tuesday morning local time, bypassing Hong Kong’s legislature, Chinese […]

ASIA: A new strain of flu that has the potential to become a pandemic has been identified in China by scientists. It emerged recently and is carried by pigs, but can infect humans, they say. The researchers are concerned that it could mutate further so that it can spread easily from person to person, and […]

ASIA: The Academy of Military Medical Sciences, a research institute run by China’s military, received approval to conduct human clinical trials of a new COVID-19 vaccine developed using advanced genetics technology, in a notable breakthrough for China’s quickly developing pharmaceutical industry. The approval comes as other Chinese drugmakers move to expand testing of more traditional […]

  ASIA: Economists don’t see the US and China reaching phase two of the trade deal anytime soon, and have warned that continued tensions and tariff threats could stunt the much-needed economic recovery from the coronavirus shutdowns. Phase one of the deal was signed in January, pausing the trade war that had been raging for […]

ASIA: Indian and Chinese military commanders have agreed to disengage troops from a heavily disputed stretch of their border where a clash last week left 20 Indian soldiers dead, an Indian government source said on Tuesday. Senior military officials from both sides met for several hours on Monday in an attempt to reduce tensions in […]

ASIA: China National Biotec Group (CNBG) has won approval to run a large-scale “Phase 3” clinical trial of its novel coronavirus vaccine candidate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the company said on Tuesday. China is seeking to trial potential vaccines overseas because of a lack of new patients at home. China on Tuesday successfully […]

ASIA: China has suspended US poultry imports from a plant owned by a US-based meat processor, Tyson Inc, that has been hit by the coronavirus, as authorities struggle to bring an outbreak in Beijing under control. China’s general administration of customs said on its website it had decided on the suspension after the company confirmed […]

ASIA: Donald Trump has renewed his threat to cut ties with China, a day after his diplomats held high-level talks with Beijing and his top US trade negotiator said severing the trade relationship was not a viable option. The US response came as Washington questioned China’s credibility on accurately reporting the new Covid-19 cluster in […]

ASIA: China’s Oppo canceled the live online launch of its flagship smartphone in India on Wednesday after a border clash between the two countries that has renewed calls from local Indian trader groups to boycott Chinese goods. The clashes risk souring sentiment for big Chinese investors who were eyeing the Indian market and already faced […]

ASIA: India has conveyed to China the fact that the deadly clash in eastern Ladakh on Monday night will have “a serious impact” on relations between the two countries. Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar shared this with his counterpart in Beijing in a phone conversation today. Both sides agreed not to take “any action to escalate […]