As calls grow in the United States (US) and Europe to pressure China to halt alleged human-rights abuses against its Muslim minority, Beijing has so far escaped any serious criticism from governments across the Islamic world.Almost three weeks after a United Nations (UN) official cited “credible reports” that the country was holding as many as one million Turkic-speaking Uyghurs in “re-education” camps, governments in Muslim-majority countries have issued no notable statements on the issue.

Just when its relationship with China seems to have gone sour, the Philippine government has announced that new deals with Beijing are in the works. Ever since the Philippines elected Rodrigo Duterte into power in 2016, the country has enjoyed warmer relations with China. However, last week, Duterte lashed out twice at his nation’s largest trading partner, urging China to “rethink” and to “temper its behaviour” in the disputed South China Sea.

China’s currency has started falling again. The last major depreciation of the Chinese renminbi began in the second half of 2015, triggered by a surge in capital outflows. Despite repeated interventions by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), markets remained frenzied for more than a year. The currency’s value fell to nearly CN¥7 per United States (US) dollar, before stabilizing in early 2017.The latest decline has been even sharper.

Sihanoukville used to be a sleepy coastal town in south Cambodia. Its beaches were known for their quiet, cosy – albeit a little seedy – atmosphere that attracted mostly families, individual travellers, and backpackers. Aside from the on-goings of tourists and those connected with the country’s sole deep-water port, nothing much changed.

Hordes of Chinese tourists descend upon an idyllic island paradise. Their boisterous and noisy nature scares away their more “cultured” Western counterparts. For all the resources spent on attracting them to visit, the local tourism industry makes very little from their spending.This is the bane of “zero-dollar tourism” run by Chinese operators. Travel agencies in China offer free or very cheap tour packages, which cover meals and accommodation.

China’s economic credentials paint a picture of a flourishing capitalist state – but the world is well aware that it is a socialist republic with a command economy governed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its success story thus far has depended on who helms the CCP – Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Hu Jintao - are among the few who have led the nation to where it is today. In 2012, the country saw the rise of another leader – Xi Jinping.

Cybersecurity firm FireEye made Malaysian businesses anxious when it warned they could be the next targets of state-sponsored hackers. The new Malaysian government’s unfavourable stance towards China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects may attract the attention of cyber espionage hackers.FireEye said in a statement that its analysts observed a pattern of targeting by China-based groups and others against organisations with links to the BRI.

Is Rodrigo Duterte’s love affair with China coming to end?The Philippine president has twice lashed out at his nation’s largest trading partner in the past week, urging China to “rethink” and “temper its behaviour” in the disputed South China Sea.

Malaysia will shelve three China-backed projects worth a total of US$22 billion until the debt-laden Southeast Asian nation can afford to pay for them, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Tuesday during a visit to Beijing.The projects include a railway connecting Malaysia's east coast to southern Thailand and Kuala Lumpur, and two gas pipelines."I explained to (the Chinese leaders) why we can't have the ECRL (East Coast Rail Link)," Mahathir told Malaysian reporters at th

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad called on China's leadership Monday to help solve his country's fiscal problems, as he tries to revise major Beijing-backed projects signed under his scandal-plagued predecessor.The 93-year-old leader, who returned for a second stint as premier following a shock election win in May, has railed against a series of deals struck with Chinese state-owned companies by the administration of toppled leader Najib Razak.His government has suspended C