"In a recent maritime incident that has escalated tensions between Taiwan and China, two Chinese fishermen perished after their speedboat capsized during a chase with the Taiwanese coast guard near the Kinmen archipelago.
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Xiaomi, the leading player in India's smartphone market, has voiced concerns over the intensified scrutiny of Chinese companies, which is causing apprehensions among smartphone component suppliers about establishing their operations in the world's largest internet market.
"BASF, the German chemical conglomerate, announced its decision to divest from two joint ventures in Xinjiang, China, amidst rising concerns over alleged human rights abuses linked to its local partner, Xinjiang Markor Chemical Industry Co.
"Microsoft and OpenAI have disclosed how nation-state-backed hacking groups from Russia, North Korea, Iran, and China are harnessing the power of advanced AI tools, such as ChatGPT, to fortify their cyber-attack strategies.
The conviction of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai under the city's sweeping national security law has intensified global attention not only on his political fate but also on the future of a fortune once estimated at $1.2 billion. The ruling by Hong Kong's High Court on Monday leaves Lai, 78, facing the possibility of life imprisonment and raises the likelihood that assets frozen since his arrest could now be permanently confiscated.
China's exports rebounded sharply in November, rising 5.9% year-over-year to $330.3 billion and pushing the country's trade surplus above $1 trillion for the first time, even as shipments to the United States plunged nearly 29%, according to customs data released Monday. The figures underscore Beijing's growing reliance on diversified export markets as U.S. demand continues to weaken.
Japan and China entered one of their most tense exchanges of the year after Japan's Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighters in response to two radar-lock incidents involving Chinese J-15 aircraft southeast of Okinawa, according to reports from Japan Today and The Japan Times. The confrontation unfolded as China's carrier Liaoning conducted expansive air and helicopter operations in the Pacific, placing Japanese and Chinese forces in close proximity near contested airspace.
Tensions between China and Japan have intensified after Beijing rejected Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's latest clarification regarding her earlier comments on Taiwan, insisting that Tokyo must fully retract what it calls "erroneous remarks." The exchange has added strain to a relationship already challenged by regional security concerns and the competing strategic interests of two major Asian powers.
China is preparing to impose a 13% value-added tax on contraceptives beginning in January, a sharp policy reversal for a country that once relied on aggressive birth-control campaigns to limit population growth. The move, announced through revisions to the nation's VAT Law, comes as Beijing attempts to counter a deepening demographic decline, with births falling to 9.54 million in 2024-China's third consecutive year of population shrinkage and nearly half the level recorded in 2016.
Japan moved this week to temper rising friction with China over the Taiwan Strait, as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi publicly reaffirmed that Tokyo's position on Taiwan remains rooted in the 1972 Japan-China Joint Communique. The statement, delivered in parliament after weeks of heightened scrutiny from Beijing and domestic lawmakers, was framed as an attempt to reduce tensions sparked by her earlier suggestion that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could create a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan.
China and Japan traded sharply conflicting accounts Tuesday over a maritime confrontation near the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, escalating already strained ties as both governments issued formal statements asserting territorial claims. The clash, involving coast-guard vessels and a Japanese fishing boat in the East China Sea, unfolded amid heightened diplomatic friction following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent remarks suggesting Tokyo could consider military action if China attacked Taiwan.
Hong Kong's deadliest residential fire in decades burned through a second day on Thursday, leaving at least 44 people dead, nearly 300 unaccounted for and three construction executives in police custody as authorities investigate whether unsafe renovation materials fueled the catastrophe. The blaze tore through the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po, a dense northern district near the mainland border, engulfing seven of eight towers sheathed in bamboo scaffolding and green construction mesh.
Taiwan moved to dramatically expand its military readiness on Wednesday, announcing a $40 billion supplemental defense package as President Lai Ching-te warned that "there is no room for compromise on national security" amid mounting pressure from China and increased expectations from the United States. The eight-year spending plan would boost Taiwan's capabilities in missiles, drones and air-defense systems at a moment when Beijing's military activity near the island continues to intensify.
Hong Kong's deadliest urban fire in nearly three decades has killed at least 36 people and left 279 others missing, prompting a city-wide emergency mobilization as flames raced across high-rise residential towers wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and renovation mesh. The blaze, which erupted Wednesday afternoon in the Tai Po district, engulfed multiple blocks of the Wang Fuk Court housing estate, one of the territory's largest residential complexes.