About 1 billion packages arrived in the U.S. duty free through the de minimis law in the first half of 2024, according to customs authorities.
Trade war

U.S. lawmakers push for clampdown on tariff-dodging Chinese imports

Proposals include tightening 'de minimis' import rules, stronger enforcement

17 August 2024
Fish on sale in Hong Kong. The city, a critical export market for Japanese food products, has imposed restrictions on seafood from the region surrounding Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant.
International relations

Japan fisheries minister tries in vain to reverse Hong Kong's import ban

Sakamoto says he told official 'quite a lot' on Fukushima water safety during visit

16 August 2024
People visit an AMEC booth at Semicon China, a trade fair for semiconductor technology, in Shanghai in March 2021.
US-China tensions

Chinese chip equipment maker AMEC sues U.S. over military blacklist

Move follows lidar maker Hesai's legal challenge against Department of Defense

16 August 2024
China's CHK Oil lost key leases in the US state of Utah. (US Department of Interior photo)
US-China tensions

Chinese oil company reveals loss of Utah drilling rights years afterward

Hong Kong-listed CHK Oil says board only learned of 2022 U.S. orders last week

16 August 2024
Myanmar's military leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, right, talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Naypyitaw, Myanmar, on Aug. 14. (Myanmar Military Information Team via AP)
Opinion

What does China really want from Myanmar?

The fall of Lashio marks a turning point for Beijing's pro-regime strategy

16 August 2024
Former Taiwanese Digital Minister Audrey Tang speaks with reporters in Sydney on Aug. 13. (Photo by Rurika Imahashi)
International relations

'Pre-bunking' is key tactic in disinformation fight, says Taiwan's Audrey Tang

Former digital minister says important to warn public to brace for fake news

16 August 2024
Voters wait for a polling station to open to vote during the Solomon Islands elections in the capital Honiara on April 17.
International relations

Pacific island news outlets face government pressure, China influence

Beijing looks to lean on struggling media through financial support, prompting Australian reply

16 August 2024
Ishinomaki fish market on the Sanriku coast on July 22. The waters off Sanriku are known around the world for their abundance of fish species. (Photo by Kento Awashima)
Fisheries

Chinese fishing boats active off Japan despite ban on seafood imports

Data shows maritime activity even after Beijing protested Fukushima water release

16 August 2024
Listings of small to midsize Chinese companies have increased volatility on U.S. stock markets in the past, leading to a push for stricter screening of initial public offerings.
Equities

U.S. Nasdaq steps up scrutiny of Chinese company listings

Heightened screening comes amid concerns over market volatility

15 August 2024
Vietnamese President To Lam attends a press briefing at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi on June 20. (Pool photo via Reuters)
International relations

Vietnam's top leader to visit China from Sunday

To Lam meeting with Xi Jinping to strengthen Communist nations' ties

15 August 2024
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, left, meets with Myanmar's military chief Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyitaw on Aug. 14.
Myanmar Crisis

China's Wang Yi urges war-torn Myanmar to seek 'political reconciliation'

Top envoy meets regime leader Min Aung Hlaing, calls for 'resuming democratic transition'

15 August 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden, third from left, visits the site of a planned Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. plant in Arizona in 2022.
Semiconductors

U.S. chip, EV industries struggle to take off despite huge subsidies

2 years after CHIPS Act and IRA, investments lag and supply chains remain China-reliant

15 August 2024
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to hold talks with Myanmar's military regime officials on Wednesday. 
International relations

China's top envoy to meet military regime officials in Myanmar

Wang Yi's trip to region comes as wary Beijing pushes Naypyitaw to restore stability

14 August 2024
Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, poses with leaders of Arab nations before the opening of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Beijing on May 30. (Pool photo by Reuters)
Comment

How China's peace diplomacy could endanger global stability

Beijing prioritizes showcasing its power over achieving lasting peace

14 August 2024
Kiribati President Taneti Maamau speaks during a plenary session at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit, Saturday, December 9, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Indo-Pacific

Kiribati election poses test for China-friendly leader

Critics say pivot to Beijing hasn't solved Pacific island nation's core issues

14 August 2024
The spotlight is back on corruption in the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
Opinion

Xi's anti-graft purge of the PLA is limited and has dubious motives

Efforts are as much about ensuring loyalty to China's leader as tackling corruption

13 August 2024
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, left, and Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump 
U.S. elections 2024

Trump tells Musk he hopes to 'get along' with Xi, Putin in X interview

Former President also says to Tesla CEO not everybody should have an EV

13 August 2024
Philippine Coast Guard personnel, right, salute a Vietnam Coast Guard vessel during their joint drills conducted in Manila Bay on Aug. 9. (Photo by Ramon Royandoyan)
South China Sea

Philippines-Vietnam drills show ASEAN a solution to China

Big step as partners cooperate in South China Sea without presence of U.S. or Japan

13 August 2024
A China Coast Guard ship near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in 2017. China has been growing more assertive in the South China Sea, with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos calling its latest actions "unjustified, illegal and reckless."
South China Sea

Philippines to file protest with China over South China Sea air incident

China's PLA says Philippine aircraft illegally intruded despite warnings

12 August 2024
Taliban fighters outside the Interior Ministry in Kabul in August 2021, after the militant group retook power in Afghanistan.
Your Week in Asia

Taliban takeover anniversary, Japan GDP, Greater China earnings

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

11 August 2024
A Chinese fighter jet flies during a patrol over the South China Sea in this undated photo released Aug. 6, 2016, by China's Xinhua News Agency.
South China Sea

Philippine military condemns China air force for 'dangerous' acts in South China Sea

PLA aircraft interfered with lawful flight operations, armed forces chief says

10 August 2024
Apollo Future Mobility counts high-profile businesspeople from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao as major backers.
Caixin

China-backed Apollo Future Mobility exits sensitive U.S. business

Hong Kong firm cites concerns over U.S. scrutiny in selling shares of 3D printing company

10 August 2024
A Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts factory that makes transmission systems for hybrid cars in Bidadi, in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.
Opinion

India is well placed to become the 'next China' and drive global growth

Nation faces opportunities and challenges in becoming an economic powerhouse

9 August 2024
China's central government is encouraging local governments to acquire property and build affordable housing on it. (Photo by Mizuho Miyazaki)
China debt crunch

China taps public debt to buy unused land from developers

New response to property slump risks further financial woes for local governments

9 August 2024
A rescuer stands by trucks equipped with cranes conveyed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Kyiv region of northern Ukraine, on April 25, 2023.
Opinion

Japan and South Korea must put 'Asia First' over Ukraine support

Focusing on aid to Kyiv risks compromising the two nations' regional security needs

8 August 2024