The recent storm in Vietnam and the Philippines over a controversial cartoon is a prime example of how China’s intricately-woven influence in Hollywood is making its mark in Southeast Asia.Hollywood films are hugely popular across the world, and realising their potential, China has been actively buying media assets in the United States (US) since 2012 as its bids to exert its soft power through the entertainment industry.China is also the second largest film market in the world, and Hollywood

The US House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday sought by pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong that aims to defend civil rights in the semi-autonomous territory, prompting an angry response from China.The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which will now move to the Senate before it can become law, has drawn rare bipartisan support in a polarised Congress.The law would end the Hong Kong-US special trading status unless the State Department certifies annually that city authoritie

Vietnam has pulled the animated film "Abominable" from theatres over a scene featuring a map of the South China Sea showing Beijing's claims in the flashpoint waterway, cinemas and state media reported Monday.China has long used its so-called nine-dash line to justify its jurisdiction over most of the resource-rich sea, often to the displeasure of Hanoi, which also claims parts of the waterway.The U-shaped line appears on a map of the South China Sea in a scene in the film – re

The resort town of Sihanoukville is producing so much rubbish that it has to rope in the World Bank to help solve the smelly situation.Indiscriminate littering, poor public awareness of proper waste disposal methods, a lack of garbage trucks and an exodus of garbage collectors for better paying jobs have all contributed to residents in the once-sleepy Cambodian coastal city waking up to the smell of garbage on their streets.Other issues such as damaged roads and traffic jams have reduced the

President Xi Jinping has warned that any attempts to split China would result in "bodies smashed and bones ground to powder", amid four months of anti-Beijing unrest in Hong Kong.Xi issued the dire message during a weekend visit to Nepal, according to a foreign ministry statement released on Sunday."Anyone who attempts to split any region from China will perish, with their bodies smashed and bones ground to powder," Xi said, according to the ministry."Any external for

The demonstrations and the political crisis in Hong Kong are now into their fourth month. Every weekend, people take to the streets to protest against their government and the armlock in which China’s communist regime holds it. And for now, at least, there seems to be no resolution in sight.The political drama began with protests against the attempt by Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, to introduce a bill allowing the city’s citizens to be extradited to mainland China.

A partial United States (US)-China deal may only offer a temporary tariff reprieve because it lacks specifics and leaves the thorny issues for later, analysts said, allowing both economic powers to claim success.Friday's initial agreement – which included increasing US farm product purchases, and also covers intellectual property, financial services and currencies – finally breaks an 18-month trade spat.Engulfed in an impeachment inquiry, US President Donald Trump heralded the deal as a

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China's President Xi Jinping will meet in the Indian city of Chennai from Friday in a bid to ease strained bilateral ties.The leaders of the world's two most populous nations will tackle "over-arching issues", according to India's announcement of the meeting.

As they prepared to return to the negotiating table on Thursday, top Chinese trade officials faced a blitz of aggressive US manoeuvres, with expectations for a grand bargain between both sides approaching zero.President Donald Trump – who has taken the global economy on a white-knuckle ride since launching multi-pronged trade offensives with China and Europe last year – said Wednesday the outcome was down to him."They want to make a deal," he said at the White House.

Sihanoukville, Cambodia was once known for its quiet, cosy beaches. An atmosphere that mostly attracted families, individual travellers, and backpackers. That was until the Chinese investment flooded in, driven by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).By 2018, the once-tranquil city was transformed. Sihanoukville today is an enclave of Chinese investments and is peppered with Chinese-run, -operated and -patroned hotels, apartment towers, restaurants and gambling dens.