ASIA: Chinese embassies in the US, Italy, India, the Philippines, and other locations say they will provide “visa facilitation” to foreign applicants who can certify that they have received a Chinese shot. To enter China, most travelers also still need to prove they have tested negative for Covid-19, obtain an antibody test, and quarantine upon […]

ASIA: A Covid-19 vaccine developed by the Institute of Microbiology of Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMCAS) has obtained the green light for emergency use in China, the institute said on Monday, marking the country’s fifth vaccine eligible for some scale of use. The ZF2001 vaccine, being tested in a late-stage clinical trial aiming to recruit […]

ASIA: Microsoft has blamed a huge attack on its Exchange email service on a group linked to China, which has affected hundreds of thousands of customers worldwide. The American tech giant revealed last week that a hacking group called Hafnium exploited Microsoft Exchange and was able to gain access to computers. The company said the […]

ASIA: The Chinese government is set to kick off an annual parliamentary meeting this week for approving national priorities for 2021. The “Two Sessions” parliamentary meeting is slated to begin Thursday with the opening of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an advisory body. The National People’s Congress legislature is scheduled to kick off its […]

ASIA: US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack believes China is making good on promises it made as part of the landmark phase one trade deal it signed with the US last year. Vilsack said that the deal allows for market conditions to dictate how much Beijing is required to purchase from US farmers. The COVID pandemic, […]

ASIA: New home prices in China grew at a faster pace in January, driven by red-hot demand in the country’s mega cities despite the government’s cooling measures. Average new home prices in 70 major cities increased 0.3% in January from a month earlier, versus a 0.1% gain in December, according to Reuters calculations based on […]

ASIA: China may ban the export of rare-earth refining technology to countries or companies it deems as a threat to state security, according to a person familiar with the matter. While China has no plans to restrict shipments of rare earths to the US, it is keeping the plan in its back pocket should a […]

QUESTION: Martin, I wonder if you can comment on the potential of the swift system being replaced by Ripple lab’s XRP as a bridging currency between currency pairs making use of their patented “On-Demand Liquidity” system. If this is the case then it would appear the USD is set to be replaced as the world reserve currency […]

ASIA: Japan’s exports accelerated in January, led by a jump in Chinese demand, and manufacturers’ sentiment turned positive for the first time since 2019, signaling a gradual recovery from last year’s deep coronavirus slump. Ministry of Finance data showed on Wednesday exports rose 6.4% in January from a year earlier, roughly in line with a […]

ASIA: China’s National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) announced BBC World News has been barred from airing in China saying some BBC’s reports on China infringed the principles of truthfulness and impartiality in journalism. Chinese observers said the BBC has turned into “a rumor mill” that deliberately throws mud at China, and the decision to […]