The United States (US) and China have congratulated Ferdinand Marcos Jr on his win in the Philippine presidential election, as the superpowers jostle to have the strongest ties with the Southeast Asian nation.Marcos, the son and namesake of the late Philippine dictator, secured more than half of the votes in Monday's poll to win the presidency by a wide margin and cap a remarkable comeback for his family.He and running mate Sara Duterte, who also won the vice-presidential race in a lands

The United States (US) is preparing a scaled-back version of a trade pact as Southeast Asian nations gather in Washington, where President Joe Biden is seeking to show solid commitment in the face of a rising China.Leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will meet Biden for dinner Thursday at the start of a two-day summit, part of a renewed US focus on Asia after months of intense effort on Ukraine.Before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration had

Millions of people in Beijing stayed home on Monday as China's capital tries to fend off a COVID-19 outbreak with creeping restrictions on movement.Beijing residents fear they may soon find themselves in the grip of the same draconian measures that have trapped most of Shanghai's 25 million people at home for weeks.Officials there have said the eastern powerhouse is winning its battle against the country's worst outbreak since the pandemic began.Yet the Shanghai lockdown has in

Taiwanese people don’t mind queueing. They’ll do it for a well-reviewed restaurant, promotional giveaways, or to take an Instagram photo at a popular tourist site. But at 3:00 pm outside a Gongguan pharmacy in Taipei, there’s grumbling in the line. It’s an inconvenient time to leave work, but for now it’s the only way to get your hands on a rapid COVID-19 test.20 minutes after the sales window opens, a woman walks out to the waiting customers: they’ve sold out.

Australia would work with its allies to prevent China setting up a military base in the Solomon Islands, Prime Minister Scott Morrison vowed Sunday during a heated debate before 21 May elections.China's growing clout in the Pacific has become a hot political issue in Australia ahead of the polls, following Beijing's announcement last month that it had signed a security pact with the Solomons.The China-Solomons deal has not been publicly released but a leaked draft alarmed countries

A former security chief who oversaw the crackdown on Hong Kong's democracy movement was anointed the business hub's new leader on Sunday by a small committee of Beijing loyalists.John Lee, 64, was the only candidate in the Beijing-backed race to succeed outgoing leader Carrie Lam.The elevation of Lee, subject of United States (US) sanctions, places a security official in the top job for the first time after a tumultuous few years for a city battered by political unrest and debilitat

China's ambitions to be a global sporting hub took a heavy blow as the postponement of this year's Asian Games further isolated a country already cut off by its hard-line zero-COVID strategy.The ruling Communist Party burnished its global image with an array of dazzling spectacles such as Beijing's 2008 Summer and 2022 Winter Olympics, tennis and golf tournaments featuring all the world's leading stars, and a showpiece annual Formula One grand prix.The country also wants t

From quoting the national anthem to referencing Hollywood blockbusters and George Orwell's dystopian novel "1984", Chinese web users are using creative methods to dodge censorship and voice discontent over COVID measures.China maintains a tight grip over the internet, with legions of censors scrubbing out posts that cast the Communist Party's policies in a negative light.The censorship machine is now in overdrive to defend Beijing's stringent zero-COVID policy as the

China sent 18 warplanes, including fighters and bombers, into Taiwan’s air defence zone, prompting the island’s air force to scramble jets in response to the second-largest incursion so far this year.Taipei’s defence ministry said the Chinese aircraft crossed into the island’s air defence zone on Friday, forcing the scrambling of Taiwanese aircraft and the deployment of air defence missile systems to track the Chinese planes. Taiwan, which is claimed by China as its own territory, ha

The streets of Beijing's business district were deserted on Thursday as the government called for people to return to work remotely, with scores of subway stations shut after a national holiday muted by coronavirus curbs.Chinese authorities have stuck to their zero-COVID policy of lockdowns and mass testing as they battle the biggest outbreak since the early days of the pandemic, with entire neighbourhoods in the capital sealed over handfuls of infections.Beijing reported 50 local cases