Malaysia banned visitors from the Chinese city of Wuhan and its surrounding Hubei province on Monday, in a bid to contain the spread of a deadly virus. A statement by the prime minister’s office said the authorities will temporarily halt all issuance of visas for Chinese citizens from the area with immediate effect. “The government has […]

Fears over the global economic impact of a deadly new SARS-like virus sent oil prices plunging more than two percent on Monday to extend last week’s sell-off, while safe-haven assets including the yen and gold rallied. As the death toll from the Chinese epidemic jumped to 80 with those affected worldwide approaching 3,000, analysts said […]

by Sébastien Ricci China on Sunday expanded drastic travel restrictions to contain a viral contagion that President Xi Jinping said posed a “grave” threat, as the death toll reached 56 and Shanghai reported its first fatality. China has locked down the worst-hit province of Hubei in the country’s centre in a massive quarantine affecting tens […]

Hong Kong on Saturday declared a mystery virus outbreak as an “emergency” — the city’s highest warning tier — as authorities ramped up measures aimed at reducing the risk of further infections spreading. “Today I declare the lifting of the response level to emergency,” chief executive Carrie Lam told reporters. Lam held emergency meetings with […]

by Helen Roxburgh As China locks down the city at the epicentre of a new viral outbreak, countries around the world are scrambling to prevent the spread of the deadly disease. Here’s what we know so far about the illness that has killed 17 people and infected at least 570, most in Wuhan: It’s entirely […]

by Jenny VAUGHAN / Joe Freeman India said Monday it would not join a sprawling Asian trade pact, dealing a blow to the China-backed deal at the end of a Bangkok summit held against a backdrop of global growth fears. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was meant to account for 30 percent of global […]

by Thanaporn Promyamyai / Dene-Hern Chen Southeast Asian leaders meet for a second day in Thailand on Sunday, hoping for a breakthrough in talks over the world’s largest trade deal to help throw off the torpor which has gripped the global economy since the US-China tariff war began. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations […]

by Patrick Lee A scene in the film “Abominable” featuring a map with Beijing’s disputed South China Sea claims sparked a growing regional backlash Friday, with Malaysia cutting the segment just days after Vietnam pulled the movie entirely. The animated film about a Chinese teenager helping a yeti return to his home shows a chart […]

by Poornima WEERASEKARA China’s economy expanded at its slowest rate in nearly three decades in the third quarter, hit by cooling domestic demand and a protracted US trade war, official data showed Friday. The Chinese economy grew 6.0 percent in July-September, compared with 6.2 percent in the second quarter, according to the National Bureau of […]

Malaysia’s prime minister said Friday Hong Kong’s embattled leader should resign over the city’s increasingly violent pro-democracy protests and warned China would take “harsh action” to end the demonstrations. Hong Kong has been rocked by unprecedented protests for nearly four months, with millions taking to the streets angered by what they see as Beijing’s authoritarian […]

China’s Communist Party has defied the odds to retain firm control of power for 70 years, adapting to a changing world to outlast its comrades in the Soviet Union. As the People’s Republic of China celebrates its anniversary on Tuesday, here is a look at how the party has evolved over the years. Turbulent decades […]

by Francesco FONTEMAGGI / AFP The United States ramped up pressure on China at the UN General Assembly Tuesday, rallying countries against Beijing’s treatment of Uighur Muslims and warning it is watching on Hong Kong. President Donald Trump fired several shots across the bow of the fellow Security Council member, moving beyond his typical attacks […]

by Sebastien BERGER / AFP Like a scene from an epic film, thousands of workers swarm over the building sites of Samjiyon, a monumental construction project in the far reaches of North Korea ordered by leader Kim Jong Un. They clamber over wooden scaffolding and dangle from window frames, and whether they are carrying loads, sifting […]

by Jerome TAYLOR / Yan ZHAO – AFP Hong Kong’s leader on Wednesday bowed to a key demand of pro-democracy protesters following three months of unrest, announcing the withdrawal of a loathed extradition bill, but activists vowed to press on with their campaign. Millions of people have taken to Hong Kong’s streets since June in […]

by Patrick GALEY / AFP Carbon-heavy development in countries part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative could render the Paris climate goals unreachable, according to a new analysis on the gargantuan global infrastructure project released Monday. The massive network of ports, railways, roads and industrial parks spanning Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe will […]

China’s manufacturing activity contracted for a fourth month in a row in August, official data showed Saturday, as the US stepped up tariff pressure and domestic demand slowed. On Sunday, the US is expected to hit billions of dollars worth of Chinese products with 15 percent duties, in a sharp escalation of a bruising trade […]

China’s yuan has sunk by around four percent in August to its lowest point in more than 11 years on Monday, a decline likely to further exacerbate trade tensions with Washington. Here are five things to know about the yuan’s slide: 1. Why has the yuan depreciated? Because China is allowing it to.  China limits […]

The US and 10 Southeast Asian states will hold their first-ever joint maritime exercises in September, aimed at preventing “wrongdoing” as Washington and Beijing jostle for influence in the region. Washington has traditionally been the dominant naval power in Southeast Asia and its re-engagement with the area comes as a deteriorating trade war with China […]

by Chris STEIN / AFP US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned China that carrying out a Tiananmen Square-style crackdown on Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters would harm trade talks between the two countries. “I think it’d be very hard to deal if they do violence, I mean, if it’s another Tiananmen Square,” Trump told reporters […]

by Helen ROXBURGH / AFP It was meant to be an unabashed celebration of the triumph of Communism in China, and of President Xi Jinping’s authority as the country’s undisputed leader for years to come. But as the People’s Republic of China approaches its 70th anniversary on October 1st, Xi finds himself battling threats on […]

by Jerome TAYLOR / AFP Hong Kong democracy activists are hoping to get out a huge crowd later Sunday in a bid to show the city’s leaders that their protest movement remains defiant despite increasingly stark warnings from Beijing. Ten weeks of demonstrations have plunged the international finance hub into crisis and communist-ruled mainland China […]

China’s economy has grown to dwarf Hong Kong’s since 1997, but the mainland remains deeply dependent on the crisis-stricken city as its primary economic gateway to the world. The global financial hub has been shaken by 10 weeks of pro-democracy protests which could have an impact worse than the 2008 global economic crisis, Hong Kong […]

Cathay Pacific announced the shock resignation on Friday of its CEO Rupert Hogg, compounding a torrid week for the Hong Kong carrier after it was excoriated by Beijing because some staff supported pro-democracy protests. The 72-year-old airline has been left reeling after it became ensnared in the hardening of rhetoric from the communist mainland over […]