Page 49 - China

Asian businesses embrace work from home but bosses say no to four-day week

Attitudes vary across the region. Singapore, Australia and New Zealand are most likely to embrace flexible working. China, Japan and India are the least receptive to it

India to be a semiconductor manufacturing hub: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Chandrasekhar said India is well positioned to emerge as a major player in electronics and semiconductor products manufacturing as part of the 'China Plus One' diversification strategy

Chinese President Jinping seeks new diplomatic inroads with Asian leaders

Chinese President Xi Jinping has used his first face-to-face meetings with America's Asia-Pacific allies since 2020 to try to forge diplomatic inroads as Washington pushes back against Beijing's influence in the region. Xi has not backed away from China's longstanding claims to Taiwan and most of the South China Sea. But his comments to various leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Bangkok this week have focused more on Beijing's pivotal economic role for its neighbours. As China's stature has risen, its diplomacy has grown more nuanced than the high-handed approach that has sometimes sparked resentment in the past. Xi Jinping's diplomatic engagements and the supporting chorus of propaganda messages have sought to put forward a softer, smiling facade in what appears to be an effort to reduce friction and tensions, particularly with the U.S. and European countries that have become increasingly critical, frustrated and committed to competing with China, said Drew .

US President Biden urged to craft grand strategy to counter Chinese threat

Two influential Republican senators urged US President Joe Biden on Thursday to craft a grand strategy to counter the Chinese threat. "We urge your administration to promptly begin developing a comprehensive strategy with respect to the People's Republic of China," senators Jim Risch and Mitt Romney said in a letter to Biden on Thursday, a copy of which was released to the press. The United States, they said, must move rapidly to deter China's unabated aggression. "Key among China's actions are its own rapid military and nuclear buildups, significant violations of freedom of navigation, aggression against India and Japan, and ever-increasing belligerence toward Taiwan -- including its stated willingness to 'reunite' the island by force," they wrote. "Combative actions by China, including firing ballistic missiles and encircling Taiwan in response to Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi's trip to Taiwan, are an effort to dictate US policy regarding Taiwan and undermine the United States' commitme

Oil prices fall on worries of US rate hikes, China demand outlook

Brent crude fell $3.08 to settle at $89.78 a barrel, down 3.3%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude slid $3.95, or 4.6%, to settle at $81.64 per barrel.

Chinese city Guangzhou plans 250,000 quarantine beds to fight Covid

China's southern metropolis of Guangzhou announced plans on Thursday to build quarantine facilities for nearly 250,000 people to fight surging coronavirus outbreaks even as the national government tries to reduce the impact of anti-disease controls that have confined millions of people to their homes. Guangzhou, a city of 13 million people and the biggest of a series of hot spots across China with outbreaks since early October, reported 9,680 new cases in the past 24 hours. That was about 40 per cent of the 23,276 cases reported nationwide. China's infection numbers are low compared with the United States and other major countries, but the ruling Communist Party is trying to isolate every case. Repeated closures of neighbourhoods, schools and businesses are fuelling public frustration and clashes with health workers. The epidemic situation in Guangzhou still is very serious," said a city official, Wang Baosen, according to the South Metropolis Daily newspaper. Authorities in Guangz

Rupee slides as Chinese yuan weakens, October trade deficit hits mood

The rupee settled at 81.65 per US dollar on Thursday as against 81.31 per dollar at previous close

Chinese authorities face public anger over 2nd child's quarantine death

Chinese authorities faced more public anger Thursday after a second child's death was blamed on overzealous anti-virus enforcement, adding to frustration at controls that are confining millions of people to their homes and sparked fights with health workers. The 4-month-old girl died after suffering vomiting and diarrhea while in quarantine at a hotel in the central city of Zhengzhou, according to news reports and social media posts. They said it took her father 11 hours to get help after emergency services balked at dealing with them and she finally was sent to a hospital 100 kilometers (60 miles) away. The death came after the ruling Communist Party promised this month that people in quarantine wouldn't be blocked from getting emergency help following an outcry over a 3-year-old boy's death from carbon monoxide in the northwest. His father blamed health workers in the city of Lanzhou, who he said tried to stop him from taking his son to a hospital. Internet users expressed anger a

Oil falls as geopolitical tensions ease, China Covid concerns return

Brent crude futures dropped by 62 cents, or 0.7%, to $92.24 a barrel by 0110 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 65 cents, or 0.8%, to $84.94 a barrel

US, China, UAE drive India's first export contraction in nearly 2 yrs

The three nations that saw positive growth in exports were the Netherlands (21.6 per cent), Singapore (24.8 per cent), and Brazil (57.7 per cent)

Mercedes-Benz slashes China EV prices by up to $33,000 as sales lag

The luxury automaker said in a statement on its website late Tuesday that it was reducing prices on certain models from its EQ range, effective Wednesday, and that it would provide subsidies

Chinese authorities call on retired soldiers to help Foxconn iPhone plant

The plant, the world's largest iPhone manufacturing facility, has been hit by discontent over government mandated measures to curb the spread of Covid-19

G20 summit: Chinese President Jinping, Canadian PM Trudeau exchange barbs

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday exchanged barbs on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali over the leaked reports of their meeting. In perhaps a very rare open remark captured on television camera, an agitated Xi was seen objecting to Trudeau saying whatever they discussed in their earlier meeting was leaked to the media. "Everything we discuss has been leaked to the paper, that's not appropriate," Xi told Trudeau through a translator on the sidelines of the closing session of the G20 meeting. "That is not how the way the conversation was conducted," he said. Xi spoke in Chinese which his official interpreter conveyed in English to Trudeau. But 50-year-old Trudeau, who looked impatient, interrupted the translator, saying: We believe in free and open and frank dialogue and that is what we will continue to have. We will continue to look to work constructively together but there will be things we will disagree on." For which, ...

Tencent to hand $20 billion Meituan stake to shareholders as sales slip

Meituan said it would maintain its mutually beneficial business relationship with Tencent after the divestment, which comes as the Shenzhen-based tech giant shuts some unprofitable businesses

26th edition of Malabar 22 draws to a close in Japan with tactical drills

The five-day-long event sa­w the participation of an Australian submarine, and 11 surface ships including a US Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with its integral air elements

UK faces major security threats from Russia, China, Iran: MI5's McCallum

Britain faces major security threats from the trio of Russia, China and Iran, which all use coercion, intimidation and violence to pursue their interests, the UK's domestic intelligence spy chief said on Wednesday. Ken McCallum, director-general of MI5, added to mounting warnings from British authorities about Russia's aggression and China's growing assertiveness. He also singled out Iran as a mounting concern, saying UK authorities have uncovered at least 10 potential threats this year to kidnap or even kill British or UK-based individuals perceived as enemies of the regime. He said Iran's intelligence services are prepared to take reckless action against opponents, both on Western soil and by luring people to Iran. Last week, the UK government summoned Tehran's top diplomat in London for a dressing-down, accusing Iran of threatening journalists working in Britain. UK-based Farsi-language satellite news channel Iran International said British police had warned two of its journalis

US, other warships hold extensive joint naval drills amid China concerns

US, Japanese, Australian and Canadian warships are currently staging extensive joint drills in Japanese and international waters, the US Navy said on Wednesday. Without mentioning China directly, the 7th Fleet said the two-week biennial Keen Sword exercises include scenarios designed to challenge the critical capabilities required to support the defense of Japan and stability of the Indo-Pacific region. Growing Chinese assertiveness is seen by the US and its allies as the key military challenge in the region. The drills also come as heads of the Group of 20 leading economies were meeting in Indonesia, among other high-profile regional forums. The G-20 gathering allowed the first face-to-face meeting between US President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping since Biden took office, leading to hopes of a start of a reduction of tensions that have lately spiked over trade, technology and Taiwan. The drills include extensive anti-submarine warfare drills, and the guided-missile destroyer

Watch this count: India's share in world population peaking, to cross China

According to the UN's projections, world population will cross nine billion in 2037 and by then, India's share of the total population would have crossed China's

Don't mandate localisation; incentivise it: ACMA President Sunjay Kapur

ICE is not going away, and we're going to see that continue for quite some time, specifically in India, says the president of ACMA and chairman of Sona Comstar

Rich nations stick to coal phase-out as China builds new plants

Countries within OECD policy forum and European Union on track to close more than 75% of their coal power capacity from 2010 to 2030