As Shanghai’s strict lockdown grinds towards its second month, expatriate residents are heading for the exits, a trend that in the long term could threaten the city’s status as a global business hub.The government’s draconian restrictions have prompted rare rebukes from foreign business groups and resulted in the United States (US) ordering all non-emergency staff at its consulate to evacuate.

Shanghai authorities have erected fences outside residential buildings in the city to contain a COVID-19 outbreak, sparking renewed outrage over a lockdown that has forced many of the Chinese city’s 25 million residents to remain indoors.China’s most populous city and most important economic hub is battling the country’s biggest COVID-19 outbreak by closing off areas of the city and forcing all those who test positive into quarantine centres. The lockdown in Shanghai, which for many

The author of a viral video about Shanghai’s COVID-19 lockdown that sparked a rare show of defiance on China’s social media has urged users to stop sharing it, saying he is worried about his work being taken in directions he did not wish to see.The creator, who goes by his online moniker Strawberry Fields Forever, said in a post on Saturday that the quick spread of the video, titled, “Voices of April”, was “unexpected” to him, and he was “touched” by messages received from fellow internet use

Last month, South Korean voters elected Yoon Seok-youl as their next president. It was a hotly contested race, which Yoon won by a razor-thin margin of just 0.7 percent.

Shanghai reported 39 COVID deaths on Sunday, official data showed, its highest daily toll since a weeks-long lockdown started, while China's capital Beijing warned of a "grim" situation with rising infections.The world's second-largest economy has been struggling to stamp out its worst COVID-19 outbreak in two years with a playbook of harsh lockdowns and mass testing as it sticks to a strict zero-COVID policy, taking a heavy toll on businesses and public morale.The cosmopo

United States (US) officials visiting the strategic Solomon Islands on Friday warned of serious repercussions if China were to establish a permanent military presence there after the Pacific nation signed a defence pact with Beijing.A White House delegation in the capital Honiara delivered the stern warning on the same day that China's ambassador attended an event with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare – a sign of the importance both nations are according to the small island state.The US

The cause of China's deadliest air crash in decades remains a mystery, with authorities giving few details in a preliminary report on Wednesday while enforcing strict censorship one month after the disaster.In the immediate aftermath of the crash, China's ruling Communist Party moved quickly to control information, revving up its censorship machine as media outlets and local residents raced to the crash site.It has maintained its tight grip over the narrative, with the preliminary p

Not for the first time, China once again dominated the news this week.The release of new economic data provided a temperature check of the world’s second-largest economy, while dubious COVID-19 death rates focused attention on Beijing’s reputation for secrecy and narrative control at all costs.

The Solomon Islands signed a security pact with China with its "eyes wide open", the Pacific nation's prime minister said Wednesday, despite strong United States (US) and Australian opposition to the deal.Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said it was an "honour and privilege" to tell parliament the agreement had been signed by officials in Honiara and Beijing "a few days ago".The deal, announced Tuesday by Beijing, has faced sharp criticism from the US and Au

There have been fresh efforts to relocate entire communities in areas of Shanghai as Chinese authorities enforce extreme measures to try to stop a new wave of COVID.An official notice from local Communist Party officials in an area in the north of the city details orders to transfer residents to quarantine facilities more than 100 miles (160 km) away.The plan is to move people from their homes in Pingwang to the neighbouring province of Zhejiang, where they will stay for at least a week.