(Reuters) – Australia, Indonesia and South Korea skipped the launch of a China-backed Asian infrastructure bank on Friday as the United States said it had concerns about the new rival to Western-dominated multilateral lenders. China’s $50 billion Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is seen as a challenge to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, both of which count Washington and its allies as their biggest financial backers. China, which is keen to extend its […]
Tag: china
Thick haze covers China
Combined mist and smoke forms a haze over China, affecting airports and highways and forcing Chinese citizens to wear gas masks.
ASEAN and China Sign Agreement on Disaster Management
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Disaster Management Cooperation on Monday, Oct. 6, underscoring the importance of disaster management in light of recent calamities and natural disasters. ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh hailed the signing of the MOU as a “milestone in the developing partnership with China in the area of disaster management.” The signing ceremony took place at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia. “The […]
Can the Hong Kong protesters and China compromise?
Author: Courtney J. Fung, HKU (Courtesy East Asia Forum) — Many think that compromise between China and Hong Kong protesters is impossible. Protests continue to swell and China is holding firm on its position that the designation of the 2017 electoral ballot is ultimately under Beijing’s control. But in the past there have been multiple instances of compromise between China and Hong Kong protesters after public stand-offs over similarly sensitive issues. And compromise is again […]
Hong Kong leader refuses to resign but offers talks with protesters
BY CLARE BALDWIN AND JOHN RUWITCH (Reuters) – Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying defied pro-democracy protesters’ demands to step down by Friday, and repeated police warnings that the consequences would be serious if they sought to surround or occupy government buildings. Leung, speaking to reporters just minutes before an ultimatum for him to resign expired, also said that Chief Secretary Carrie Lam would hold a meeting with students soon to discuss political reforms. He gave no time frame. […]
France supports Philippines in West Philippine Sea
French President Francois Hollande supports Philippine’s position in West Philippine Sea, in the face of rising tensions between Philippines and China. In a bilateral meeting between President Aquino and the French President, they agreed that international law should be prevail, especially the UN Charter for the peace and stability of the region. They also ratified the advancement of maritime security, freedom of navigation and peaceful resolution of territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea according […]
China’s oil rig finds major gas field at paracels island
China has reportedly discovered a gas field in the northern part of the South China Sea.
India tightens Vietnam defense, oil ties ahead of China’s Xi’s visit
(Reuters) – India extended a $100 million export credit to Vietnam for defense deals and tightened energy ties on Monday, signaling a more confident foreign policy ahead of a visit this week by China’s President Xi Jinping. India’s new accords with one of China’s rivals for influence in the South China Sea came as Xi visited the nearby islands of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, a reminder of the geostrategic jostling that is becoming an […]
China and India’s growing strategic weight
By Peter Drysdale Editor, East Asia Forum The visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to India this week, so early in the term of India’s new prime minister, Narendra Modi, underlines the growing strategic weight of the relationship between the two countries. Modi’s prime ministership, with its ambition to re-invigorate India’s stalled economic reform and growth, more than any other single factor, promises to accelerate its potential growth radically. Modi has runs on the board […]
China asserts paternal rights over Hong Kong in democracy clash
(Reuters) – Just days before China was set to deliver its edict on electoral reform in Hong Kong, Beijing’s most senior official in the city held a rare meeting with several local lawmakers whose determined push for full democracy had incensed Beijing’s Communist leaders. The setting at the Aug. 19 meeting was calm: A room with plush cream carpets, Chinese ink brush landscape paintings and a vase of purple orchids. The political mood outside, however, was fraught. […]
Pnoy to seek European support RE. West Phl sea issue
President Aquino seeks the support of four European countries in its territorial dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea.
Disruptive Hong Kong protests loom after China rules out democracy
(Reuters) – Hong Kong police used pepper spray to disperse pro-democracy activists on Monday as the Asian financial center braces for a wave of disruptive protests against China’s decision to rule out full democracy. China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee set the stage for a political showdown on Sunday when it rejected democrats’ demands for the right to freely choose Hong Kong’s next leader in 2017, leading scores of protesters to take to […]





