Hong Kong leader reaffirms tough stance on elections
HONG KONG — The Beijing-appointed leader of Hong Kong, Leung Chun-ying, said Monday that allowing his successors to be chosen in open elections based on who won the greatest number of votes was unacceptable in part because it risked giving poorer residents a dominant voice in politics.
Tanker hijackings add to tensions in South China Sea
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Add another problem to the rising tensions in the South China Sea this year: a mysterious spate of tanker hijackings since late April, as armed bands of men have boarded and commandeered the ships, siphoned their cargos of diesel and gasoline onto barges or other tankers, and fled into the night.
Standoff on debt has yet to rattle Asia
HONG KONG — When the U.S. government was borrowing heavily four years ago to cover costs related to the global financial crisis, Wen Jiabao, then the prime minister of China, strongly and publicly warned Washington to make sure Chinese investments in Treasury securities were safe.
Wary of events in China, foreign investors take money to Cambodia
Tiffany & Co. is quietly building a diamond-polishing factory in Cambodia, a country popularly associated more with killing fields and land mines than baubles.
Chinese government retaliates in trade dispute with Europe
HONG KONG — The Chinese government announced Monday that it had filed a case with the World Trade Organization accusing some European Union member countries of violating free trade rules with policies that favor the purchase of solar energy equipment produced in Europe.
Foxconn plant closed after riot, company says
SHANGHAI — Foxconn Technology, a major supplier to some of the world’s electronics giants, including Apple, said it had closed one of its large Chinese plants Monday after the police were called in to break up a fight among factory employees.
US files trade case against China over cars
BEIJING — The United States on Monday filed a broad trade case against China at the World Trade Organization, alleging unfair subsidies for exports of cars and auto parts.
Chinese economy losing some of its sizzle, import growth halts
HONG KONG — As China’s leaders have been preoccupied with a political struggle leading up to a once-in-a-decade leadership change this autumn, there are increasing signs that the Chinese economy may be running into trouble.
China consolidates grip on rare earths
BEIJING — In the name of fighting pollution, China has sent the price of compact fluorescent light bulbs soaring in the United States.
Union accuses China of illegal subsidies in clean energy
HONG KONG — A broad trade case filed Thursday by an American labor union, accusing China of unfairly subsidizing its clean energy industry, pressed a hot-button jobs issue in the United States during a congressional election season.
Independent labor movement stirs in China, workers seek to double wages
ZHONGSHAN, China — Striking workers at a Honda auto parts plant here are demanding the right to form their own labor union, something officially forbidden in China, and held a protest march Friday morning.
China’s Economy Is Back, While U.S. Still Ails
Just eight months ago, thousands of Chinese workers rioted outside factories closed by the global downturn.
China’s Stimulus Spending Sows A Surge in Growth
The global economic downturn, and efforts to reverse it, will probably make China an even stronger economic competitor than it was before the crisis.
Inflation in Asia Pressures Prices for Western Consumers
The free ride for American consumers is ending. For two generations, Americans have imported goods produced ever more cheaply from a succession of low-wage countries — first Japan and Korea, then China and now increasingly places like Vietnam and India.
Chinese Crackdown in Tibet Echoes in Taiwan Before Vote
Violent unrest in Tibet has created shock waves in another volatile region on China’s periphery, shaking up the presidential election in Taiwan and sapping support for the candidate Beijing hoped would win handily.
A Leading Asian Utility to Commit To Cutting Down Carbon Emissions
CLP, one of Asia’s largest power utilities, plans to commit itself on Friday to sharply reducing its emissions of carbon dioxide.
General Motors to Build Hybrid Research Facility in Shanghai
GM announced Monday that it would build an advanced research center in Shanghai to develop hybrid technology and other advanced designs, in the latest research investment in China by a foreign automaker despite chronic problems with purloined car designs.
China to Restrict Foreign Acquisitions Citing Growing Nat’l Security Concerns
After a quarter-century of welcoming and even courting foreign investors, Beijing officials are starting to show considerably more caution. Chinese lawmakers are set to pass legislation this week that would limit foreign acquisitions in China on national security grounds.