China on Sunday defended the bloody Tiananmen crackdown on student protesters in a rare public acknowledgement of the event, days before its 30th anniversary, saying it was the "correct" policy.After seven weeks of protests by students and workers demanding democratic change and the end of corruption, soldiers and tanks chased and killed demonstrators and onlookers in the streets leading to Beijing's Tiananmen Square on 4 June, 1989.Hundreds, or possibly more than 1,000, were k

China on Saturday increased tariffs on billions worth of United States (US) goods as it prepares to unveil a blacklist of "unreliable" foreign companies that analysts say aims to punish US and foreign firms cutting off supplies to telecoms giant Huawei.Beijing's move hits US$60 billion worth of US goods with new punitive tariffs ranging from five to 25 percent, and comes in retaliation for Washington raising duty on US$200 billion in Chinese goods to 25 percent.Washington and B

The United States (US) warned China on Saturday against threatening its neighbours' sovereignty and said Washington is investing in new military technology to defend its Asian allies.Washington and Beijing have been vying for influence in the region, which hosts potential flashpoints such as the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait.Ties between the two powers are once again taking centre stage at the weekend Singapore conference known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, wh

Enslaved, beaten, malnourished, and so desperate for water he had to collect condensation to drink: Rahmatullah left Indonesia seeking better prospects at sea – instead he endured a living hell. The global fishing industry is riddled with forced labour, anti-trafficking experts say, warning that consumers are unaware of the "true cost" of the seafood they buy in stores and restaurants.Exploited workers face non-payment, overwork, violence, injury, and even death.

Beijing warned Friday that the United States (US) should not underestimate China's military as the top defence officials from both countries met on the side-lines of a security forum.As Beijing and Washington vie for influence in a region hosting potential flashpoints such as the South China Sea, Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait, acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan met Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe for 20 minutes Friday.Chinese defence ministry spokesman Wu Q

30 years ago this month, I was in Beijing as a British development minister for the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). But what took place at that gathering – including the seating for the first time of a delegation from Taiwan – was overshadowed by what was happening across the city.

From socks and sneakers to washing machines and watches, Asian countries are hoping the United States (US)-China trade war will permanently boost manufacturing as brands dodge the row by choosing cheaper locations to make their goods.Business has fanned out from China, often referred to as the 'Factory of the World', into Vietnam, Cambodia, India and Indonesia for years.But the shift has accelerated as the world's two biggest economies slap tit-for-tat tariffs on each other.&am

The United States (US) has hit China where it hurts by going after its telecom champion Huawei, but Beijing's control of the global supply of rare earths used in smartphones and electric cars gives it a powerful weapon in their escalating tech war.A seemingly routine visit by President Xi Jinping to a Chinese rare earths company this week is being widely read as an obvious threat that Beijing is standing ready for action."We should firmly grasp the strategic basis of technological i

Critics often claim that China is using its massive “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) as a form of coercive “debt-trap diplomacy” to exert control over the countries that join its transnational infrastructure investment scheme. This risk, as Deborah Brautigam of John Hopkins University recently noted, is often exaggerated by the media.

The United States (US) is projecting “strategic confusion” in the South China Sea, the Philippines’ top diplomat said, prompting the Southeast Asian nation to deepen its ties with China.President Rodrigo Duterte prefers China’s offer of loans and investments in the absence of a clearer stance from the US in the disputed sea amid growing rivalry between the two nations, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said."China’s offer of a strategic partnership is a bit more attract