China

SHANGHAI: As reported by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) on Friday, Tesla, the American electric vehicle manufacturer, sold 78,906 Chinese-made vehicles in June. Passenger car sales in China in June were 1.97 million, an increase of 22% over the same period last year, according to the CPCA. Despite restrictions to stop the spread of Covid in Shanghai, Tesla Inc.’s …

WASHINGTON: The White House said on Tuesday (Jul 5) that President Joe Biden’s team is still considering whether to reduce tariffs on Chinese imports in an effort to reduce inflation. As of late Tuesday, the US Trade Representative’s office had received more than 400 petitions to maintain tariffs in place on Chinese imports. This complicates Biden’s decision-making. A group of …

CHINA: Fresh rounds of mass COVID-19 testing are taking place in eastern China as the country risks new outbreaks and continues to recover from spring outbreaks that affected Beijing and Shanghai. The “dynamic COVID zero” approach of China’s government calls on local authorities to detect and contain new infections as quickly as possible, although the country has advised against overly …

HONG KONG: On Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first visit since Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement was quashed, claiming that the city had been “reborn of fire.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Hong Kong is an opportunity for the Communist Party of China to demonstrate its power after massive protests in the city in 2019 prompted Beijing to …

BEIJING: Since the weekend, heavy rains have pounded more than ten cities in Shandong Province, flooding streets, delaying traffic, and reigniting requests for better drainage in built-up regions where concrete and asphalt retain water. A video posted to the social networking site Weibo showed automobiles in the northeastern province of China trapped in waist-deep water as the weather bureau issued …

BEIJING: After purchasing face masks and ventilators from China in prior months, North Korea unexpectedly ceased importing COVID-19 prevention and control products in May, according to trade statistics supplied by Beijing. Since the isolated government initially announced it was combating a COVID-19 outbreak in mid-May, daily new cases of fever in North Korea have been falling, according to its state …

HONG KONG: On Sunday, China presented new senior officials in Hong Kong under incoming leader John Lee, who promised to push the global financial hub to new heights while dismissing worries about US sanctions against him. Finance Secretary Paul Chan, who is not subject to US sanctions, will keep his job in the Chinese-ruled region, providing comfort to the banking …

SHANGHAI: China launched its third and most sophisticated aircraft carrier on Friday from Shanghai’s Jiangnan Shipyard, using a new launch technology that experts say is quickly catching up to the US.  The ship, dubbed “Fujian,” is China’s first domestically designed and built catapult aircraft carrier, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies …

ASEAN – Singapore hosts Shangri-La Dialog, an annual rally of senior defense officers across Asia and beyond.  This dialogue, the largest  gathering of senior military officials in Asia, is not actually hosted by the Government of Singapore. Rather, the event is hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, an independent think tank. However, the Government of Singapore is helping …

Beijing – On Wednesday, June 15, President Xi Jinping assured Vladimir Putin of China’s support for Russian “sovereignty and security.” This prompted Washington to warn Beijing that they risked ending up “on the wrong side of history.” China has declined to denounce Russia’s unprecedented military assault on Ukraine and has been accused of providing diplomatic cover for Moscow by criticizing …