South Korean businesses based in China eye Trump tariffs nervously
By Luna Sun
As US president-elect Donald Trump threatens to increase tariffs on imports from China, small foreign businesses operating factories in the country are deeply concerned about the potential fallout.
Many see no easy way out because relocating operations or restructuring supply chains remain costly and complex challenges.
Among them is a medium-sized South Korean make-up brush manufacturer that has operated a factory in northern China since 1997 and exports its products around the world. It worries that Trump’s threatened tariffs might see most buyers shift their sourcing out of China or ask it to share the tariff costs or reduce product prices accordingly.
Offshoring is not a viable option either, said director Miyun Byun, who asked that the name of the company not be disclosed due to concerns about the sensitivity of the situation.
“If we were to relocate to another country, we would likely struggle to establish stable operations before the end of President Trump’s term,” she said.
Like many other labour-intensive industries, the global make-up brush supply chain has become highly concentrated in China over a number of decades, particularly in Cangzhou, a city in Hebei province that has become a major producer of make-up brushes.
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By Luna Sun
As US president-elect Donald Trump threatens to increase tariffs on imports from China, small foreign businesses operating factories in the country are deeply concerned about the potential fallout.
Many see no easy way out because relocating operations or restructuring supply chains remain costly and complex challenges.
Among them is a medium-sized South Korean make-up brush manufacturer that has operated a factory in northern China since 1997 and exports its products around the world. It worries that Trump’s threatened tariffs might see most buyers shift their sourcing out of China or ask it to share the tariff costs or reduce product prices accordingly.
Offshoring is not a viable option either, said director Miyun Byun, who asked that the name of the company not be disclosed due to concerns about the sensitivity of the situation.
“If we were to relocate to another country, we would likely struggle to establish stable operations before the end of President Trump’s term,” she said.
Like many other labour-intensive industries, the global make-up brush supply chain has become highly concentrated in China over a number of decades, particularly in Cangzhou, a city in Hebei province that has become a major producer of make-up brushes.
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Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent execs among Big Tech members on new China AI standards committee
By Coco Feng
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on Friday announced the establishment of an “artificial intelligence (AI) standardisation technology committee” that includes executives from tech giants Baidu, Alibaba Group Holding, Tencent Holdings and Huawei Technologies.
The committee will be responsible for “making and revising” standards for different AI vertical markets, including assessment and testing, data sets, large language models (LLMs), and application development management, according to a statement dated November 22 and published on Friday.
The 41-member committee includes Baidu AI technology ecosystem general manager Ma Yanjun, Alibaba’s Judy Zhu Hongru, vice-president of the cloud unit’s standardisation operations, Tencent vice-president Jiang Jie who oversees its AI Lab, and Huawei’s director of the standardisation department You Fang.
Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
The committee has also recruited experts from AI giant SenseTime, voice recognition leader iFlyTek, Alibaba fintech affiliate Ant Group, chip designer Moore Threads and carmaker Changan Automobile.
Professionals and intellectuals from state-owned telecommunications carriers China Unicom, China Telecom and China Mobile, as well as from Peking University and Tsinghua University, also make up the committee.
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By Coco Feng
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on Friday announced the establishment of an “artificial intelligence (AI) standardisation technology committee” that includes executives from tech giants Baidu, Alibaba Group Holding, Tencent Holdings and Huawei Technologies.
The committee will be responsible for “making and revising” standards for different AI vertical markets, including assessment and testing, data sets, large language models (LLMs), and application development management, according to a statement dated November 22 and published on Friday.
The 41-member committee includes Baidu AI technology ecosystem general manager Ma Yanjun, Alibaba’s Judy Zhu Hongru, vice-president of the cloud unit’s standardisation operations, Tencent vice-president Jiang Jie who oversees its AI Lab, and Huawei’s director of the standardisation department You Fang.
Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
The committee has also recruited experts from AI giant SenseTime, voice recognition leader iFlyTek, Alibaba fintech affiliate Ant Group, chip designer Moore Threads and carmaker Changan Automobile.
Professionals and intellectuals from state-owned telecommunications carriers China Unicom, China Telecom and China Mobile, as well as from Peking University and Tsinghua University, also make up the committee.
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UK’s Prince Andrew says he’s ‘ceased all contact’ with alleged Chinese spy
By dpa
Britain’s Prince Andrew says he had “ceased all contact” with a businessman accused of being a Chinese spy when concerns were first raised about him.
The statement comes the same day a former UK minister on Friday called it “extremely embarrassing” that a suspected Chinese agent had become a confidante of the disgraced royal.
Andrew met the individual through “official channels” with “nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed”, a statement from his office said on Friday.
The businessman – known only as H6 – has lost an appeal over a decision to bar him from entering the UK on national security grounds.
He brought a case to the UK’s Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) after then-home secretary Suella Braverman said he should be excluded from the UK in March 2023.
H6 was described as a “close confidante” of Andrew, also known as the Duke of York.
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By dpa
Britain’s Prince Andrew says he had “ceased all contact” with a businessman accused of being a Chinese spy when concerns were first raised about him.
The statement comes the same day a former UK minister on Friday called it “extremely embarrassing” that a suspected Chinese agent had become a confidante of the disgraced royal.
Andrew met the individual through “official channels” with “nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed”, a statement from his office said on Friday.
The businessman – known only as H6 – has lost an appeal over a decision to bar him from entering the UK on national security grounds.
He brought a case to the UK’s Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) after then-home secretary Suella Braverman said he should be excluded from the UK in March 2023.
H6 was described as a “close confidante” of Andrew, also known as the Duke of York.
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Why mainland China’s ‘second navy’ is becoming increasingly active around Taiwan
By Hayley Wong
In the final instalment of a three-part series examining mainland China’s increasing military presence around Taiwan, Hayley Wong explores the role the coastguard is playing in ramping up the pressure on Taipei and what it might do in the event of an all-out assault.
Most of the international attention China’s coastguard has attracted in recent months has focused on its role in the South China Sea, but the force also plays a major role in pressurising Taiwan.
The coastguard is central to Beijing’s grey-zone tactics – which are designed to intensify the pressure on the island while falling short of full-blown warfare – and has been carrying out regular patrols around Taiwan in the hope this is less likely to trigger a strong response than the use of the navy would.
This increased presence follows an incident in February when two mainland fishermen died after their boat capsized during a chase by Taiwan’s coastguard near the mainland coast.
Beijing has said these patrols are intended to “maintain operational order in sea areas and safeguard fishermen’s lives and property”.
At the same time, coastguards have played a greater role in People’s Liberation Army activities in the Taiwan Strait and many analysts say they are likely to play a major role in any military operations targeting the island.
The China Coast Guard’s [CCG] combat readiness is at “a low to medium level”, according to Lyle Goldstein, director of the China Initiative at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University.
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By Hayley Wong
In the final instalment of a three-part series examining mainland China’s increasing military presence around Taiwan, Hayley Wong explores the role the coastguard is playing in ramping up the pressure on Taipei and what it might do in the event of an all-out assault.
Most of the international attention China’s coastguard has attracted in recent months has focused on its role in the South China Sea, but the force also plays a major role in pressurising Taiwan.
The coastguard is central to Beijing’s grey-zone tactics – which are designed to intensify the pressure on the island while falling short of full-blown warfare – and has been carrying out regular patrols around Taiwan in the hope this is less likely to trigger a strong response than the use of the navy would.
This increased presence follows an incident in February when two mainland fishermen died after their boat capsized during a chase by Taiwan’s coastguard near the mainland coast.
Beijing has said these patrols are intended to “maintain operational order in sea areas and safeguard fishermen’s lives and property”.
At the same time, coastguards have played a greater role in People’s Liberation Army activities in the Taiwan Strait and many analysts say they are likely to play a major role in any military operations targeting the island.
The China Coast Guard’s [CCG] combat readiness is at “a low to medium level”, according to Lyle Goldstein, director of the China Initiative at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University.
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How my Malaysian Chinese education is paying off
By Chee Yik-wai
Michelle Yeoh understood enough Cantonese when it mattered. Even though the name “Sing Lung” didn’t immediately ring a bell, she still accepted her first on-screen gig in 1980s Hong Kong – a commercial with, as it turned out, Jackie Chan – which would lead ultimately to her international film career.
Michael Wong was a Chinese-educated choirboy who went on to crack the Mandopop market in 1990s Taiwan and win acclaim as a balladeer in the wider Chinese-speaking world.
Like Yeoh and Wong before me, I grew up in Ipoh, a Chinese-dominated city in Malaysia. For my generation, a wide exposure to Chinese culture and a decades-long emphasis on Chinese-medium education are paying off in a bigger way than I could have imagined, with the transformation of mainland China into an economic and technological power.
Around Ipoh, ethnic Chinese children have often grown up between languages. At home, my parents spoke Cantonese, and we lapped up TVB dramas and Cantopop songs from Hong Kong. But when I went to school, I learned to read and write simplified Chinese – not the traditional script that is used in Hong Kong – and all subjects at the primary-school level were taught in Mandarin. At the public secondary school I attended, the medium of instruction switched to Malay, the national language, but Chinese and English were compulsory subjects.
That is how I came to have a perfect command of Mandarin, and to consider it more of a mother tongue than Cantonese. It’s also natural that many of my schoolmates would be tuned in to the latest Mandopop hits from Taiwan, by singers like Jay Chou and Jolin Tsai. At the time, Taiwanese idol dramas and variety shows were common entertainment options, in the absence of strong alternatives from mainland China.
Many Malaysian Chinese had been drawn to Taiwan for the longest time, whether as a tourist, student or expat destination, due to a unique combination of “pull” and “push” factors. On the one hand, Taiwan offers scholarships to overseas Chinese students; on the other hand, Malaysia continues to give the Malay majority preferential access to resources from higher education to housing under the bumiputra or “sons of the soil” policy, in the name of tackling inequality.
I was often told by the older generation that this is the price our community had to pay for being allowed to develop the most comprehensive education track in Chinese outside China – more than 1,200 Chinese vernacular primary schools, and around 150 government or independent Chinese high schools – instead of assimilating.
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By Chee Yik-wai
Michelle Yeoh understood enough Cantonese when it mattered. Even though the name “Sing Lung” didn’t immediately ring a bell, she still accepted her first on-screen gig in 1980s Hong Kong – a commercial with, as it turned out, Jackie Chan – which would lead ultimately to her international film career.
Michael Wong was a Chinese-educated choirboy who went on to crack the Mandopop market in 1990s Taiwan and win acclaim as a balladeer in the wider Chinese-speaking world.
Like Yeoh and Wong before me, I grew up in Ipoh, a Chinese-dominated city in Malaysia. For my generation, a wide exposure to Chinese culture and a decades-long emphasis on Chinese-medium education are paying off in a bigger way than I could have imagined, with the transformation of mainland China into an economic and technological power.
Around Ipoh, ethnic Chinese children have often grown up between languages. At home, my parents spoke Cantonese, and we lapped up TVB dramas and Cantopop songs from Hong Kong. But when I went to school, I learned to read and write simplified Chinese – not the traditional script that is used in Hong Kong – and all subjects at the primary-school level were taught in Mandarin. At the public secondary school I attended, the medium of instruction switched to Malay, the national language, but Chinese and English were compulsory subjects.
That is how I came to have a perfect command of Mandarin, and to consider it more of a mother tongue than Cantonese. It’s also natural that many of my schoolmates would be tuned in to the latest Mandopop hits from Taiwan, by singers like Jay Chou and Jolin Tsai. At the time, Taiwanese idol dramas and variety shows were common entertainment options, in the absence of strong alternatives from mainland China.
Many Malaysian Chinese had been drawn to Taiwan for the longest time, whether as a tourist, student or expat destination, due to a unique combination of “pull” and “push” factors. On the one hand, Taiwan offers scholarships to overseas Chinese students; on the other hand, Malaysia continues to give the Malay majority preferential access to resources from higher education to housing under the bumiputra or “sons of the soil” policy, in the name of tackling inequality.
I was often told by the older generation that this is the price our community had to pay for being allowed to develop the most comprehensive education track in Chinese outside China – more than 1,200 Chinese vernacular primary schools, and around 150 government or independent Chinese high schools – instead of assimilating.
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Hong Kong’s debt-hit Han Academy hunts for investors to keep school running
By Fan Chen
The founding supervisor of a heavily indebted independent school in Hong Kong has said she is meeting different investors and will try her best to keep it running after it failed to refund at least HK$6.2 million (US$797,380) worth of debentures to parents.
Xu Li, the founding supervisor of Han Academy in Aberdeen, said on Friday that she had held discussions with more than one investor for various sources of funding, including borrowing, donations and crowdfunding.
“We have possibilities in various ways, but pure borrowing might be more difficult,” she told the Post, adding that lenders might not have confidence in the school’s founding body, a charity with no shares or fixed assets.
Xu declined to reveal more details about the discussions with investors, adding that she looked forward to the results.
She said the school, founded in 2017 by the NGO Happy Life Education Foundation, used to receive HK$10 million in donations annually.
Lawmaker Edward Leung Hei, who has been helping some complainants, earlier said the school had told parents in a recent briefing that it was HK$100 million in debt.
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By Fan Chen
The founding supervisor of a heavily indebted independent school in Hong Kong has said she is meeting different investors and will try her best to keep it running after it failed to refund at least HK$6.2 million (US$797,380) worth of debentures to parents.
Xu Li, the founding supervisor of Han Academy in Aberdeen, said on Friday that she had held discussions with more than one investor for various sources of funding, including borrowing, donations and crowdfunding.
“We have possibilities in various ways, but pure borrowing might be more difficult,” she told the Post, adding that lenders might not have confidence in the school’s founding body, a charity with no shares or fixed assets.
Xu declined to reveal more details about the discussions with investors, adding that she looked forward to the results.
She said the school, founded in 2017 by the NGO Happy Life Education Foundation, used to receive HK$10 million in donations annually.
Lawmaker Edward Leung Hei, who has been helping some complainants, earlier said the school had told parents in a recent briefing that it was HK$100 million in debt.
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HK$2 million fine, 2 years’ jail proposed for illegal structures in Hong Kong
By Edith Lin
Hong Kong landlords may face a fine of up to HK$2 million (US$257,220) and two years behind bars if they are convicted of illegally building a basement or other significant structures, while ignorance will no longer be a defence under a plan to toughen the applicable laws.
In the proposed amendment to the Buildings Ordinance laid out on Friday, the Development Bureau also introduced a new offence that would require owners be held liable for having what is called a “severe” unauthorised structure on their property, regardless of whether they built it.
Those who assist residents in taking ownership of properties with illegal structures, such as property agents and lawyers, would also be held accountable.
At present, authorities can only prosecute landlords who ignore removal orders for illegal structures.
The bureau said the proposed maximum penalty for the new offence would be at least HK$1 million for owners convicted in the District Court or High Court, while sentences handed down by magistrates would be capped at a HK$300,000 fine and two years in jail.
The proposed changes to the law came after record-breaking rainfall in September last year exposed the extent of illegal structures at luxury homes in Redhill Peninsula. Dozens of homes were found to have illegally constructed basements, swimming pools or even additional floors.
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By Edith Lin
Hong Kong landlords may face a fine of up to HK$2 million (US$257,220) and two years behind bars if they are convicted of illegally building a basement or other significant structures, while ignorance will no longer be a defence under a plan to toughen the applicable laws.
In the proposed amendment to the Buildings Ordinance laid out on Friday, the Development Bureau also introduced a new offence that would require owners be held liable for having what is called a “severe” unauthorised structure on their property, regardless of whether they built it.
Those who assist residents in taking ownership of properties with illegal structures, such as property agents and lawyers, would also be held accountable.
At present, authorities can only prosecute landlords who ignore removal orders for illegal structures.
The bureau said the proposed maximum penalty for the new offence would be at least HK$1 million for owners convicted in the District Court or High Court, while sentences handed down by magistrates would be capped at a HK$300,000 fine and two years in jail.
The proposed changes to the law came after record-breaking rainfall in September last year exposed the extent of illegal structures at luxury homes in Redhill Peninsula. Dozens of homes were found to have illegally constructed basements, swimming pools or even additional floors.
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Software engineer Atul Subash’s suicide sparks gender-bias debate over India’s family courts
By Vasudevan Sridharan
A software engineer’s final message before ending his life this week has set off a national reckoning in India over family law and gender bias, with men’s rights advocates arguing male litigants are often pushed to despair by the country’s courts in familial disputes.
“If I win from the system, devote my mortal remains to the Ganga [Ganges River]; otherwise, in a gutter outside the court,” wrote 34-year-old Bengaluru-based software developer, Atul Subash, whose body was found on Monday at his home in India’s technology hub.
He left behind a 24-page suicide note and a YouTube video blaming his estranged wife, her family and the Indian judicial system for pushing him to take such a drastic step.
Subash’s family alleges he was a victim of extortion, saying his wife’s relatives demanded a one-time alimony settlement of up to 30 million rupees (US$350,000), a figure that had haunted the couple’s lengthy divorce case since 2021.
Subash also accused his wife of preventing him from seeing their son until he fulfilled her financial demands. In a part of the suicide note addressed to his son, he expressed deep sorrow and frustration: “When I first saw you, I thought that I could give my life for you any day. But, sadly, I am giving my life because of you. I don’t feel anything about you now except a tinge of pain sometimes. Now, you just feel like a blackmail using which I will be extorted more and more.”
Local police are investigating, while Subash’s wife, identified as Nikita Singhania, and her immediate family are in hiding.
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By Vasudevan Sridharan
A software engineer’s final message before ending his life this week has set off a national reckoning in India over family law and gender bias, with men’s rights advocates arguing male litigants are often pushed to despair by the country’s courts in familial disputes.
“If I win from the system, devote my mortal remains to the Ganga [Ganges River]; otherwise, in a gutter outside the court,” wrote 34-year-old Bengaluru-based software developer, Atul Subash, whose body was found on Monday at his home in India’s technology hub.
He left behind a 24-page suicide note and a YouTube video blaming his estranged wife, her family and the Indian judicial system for pushing him to take such a drastic step.
Subash’s family alleges he was a victim of extortion, saying his wife’s relatives demanded a one-time alimony settlement of up to 30 million rupees (US$350,000), a figure that had haunted the couple’s lengthy divorce case since 2021.
Subash also accused his wife of preventing him from seeing their son until he fulfilled her financial demands. In a part of the suicide note addressed to his son, he expressed deep sorrow and frustration: “When I first saw you, I thought that I could give my life for you any day. But, sadly, I am giving my life because of you. I don’t feel anything about you now except a tinge of pain sometimes. Now, you just feel like a blackmail using which I will be extorted more and more.”
Local police are investigating, while Subash’s wife, identified as Nikita Singhania, and her immediate family are in hiding.
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Seminal US-China science pact renewed for 5 years with ‘guardrails’ for researchers, data
By Bochen HanKhushboo Razdan
Beijing and Washington have agreed to renew a 45-year-old science and technology agreement for five years, containing substantial revisions and marking a long-awaited breakthrough nod to cooperation amid tense ties, the Chinese Science and Technology Ministry announced on Friday.
Typically renewed every five years, the US-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement (STA) (
For decades, the STA fostered scientific collaboration by providing a legal and political framework for American and Chinese researchers to secure funding and pursue joint projects.
According to the Congressional Research Service, sub-agreements under the STA have encompassed such research areas as agriculture, energy, the environment, health, nuclear fusion and safety as well as earth, atmospheric and marine sciences and remote sensing.
But in recent years, the US has increasingly raised concern over research and personnel security, while calling for greater data reciprocity and a narrowing of permissible research areas.
Beijing, meanwhile, has also conveyed concerns about the safe and equal treatment of Chinese scientists in the US.
The agreement’s supporters say the deal shields American researchers working in China and fosters research in the US by granting access to crucial Chinese databases, especially in areas like health.
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By Bochen HanKhushboo Razdan
Beijing and Washington have agreed to renew a 45-year-old science and technology agreement for five years, containing substantial revisions and marking a long-awaited breakthrough nod to cooperation amid tense ties, the Chinese Science and Technology Ministry announced on Friday.
Typically renewed every five years, the US-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement (STA) (
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12510) was last fully renewed under the first Donald Trump administration. It received a six-month extension instead of a full renewal in August 2023 and was extended again in February 2024 for another six months.For decades, the STA fostered scientific collaboration by providing a legal and political framework for American and Chinese researchers to secure funding and pursue joint projects.
According to the Congressional Research Service, sub-agreements under the STA have encompassed such research areas as agriculture, energy, the environment, health, nuclear fusion and safety as well as earth, atmospheric and marine sciences and remote sensing.
But in recent years, the US has increasingly raised concern over research and personnel security, while calling for greater data reciprocity and a narrowing of permissible research areas.
Beijing, meanwhile, has also conveyed concerns about the safe and equal treatment of Chinese scientists in the US.
The agreement’s supporters say the deal shields American researchers working in China and fosters research in the US by granting access to crucial Chinese databases, especially in areas like health.
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Trump 2.0 could offer a reprieve from US hegemony, but only briefly
By Peter T. C. Chang
For all the anticipated unpredictability and chaos, Trump 2.0 may offer the world a reprieve from ideological entanglement and military intervention. However, this respite could be short-lived, as the United States may quickly revert to its familiar pattern of ideological and military overreach.
US president-elect Donald Trump has threatened Brics nations with tariffs if they attempt to undermine the dominance of the US dollar. He has also issued similar threats against China, Mexico and even Canada, linking tariffs to issues like immigration and fentanyl.
While US President Joe Biden has also used tariffs, his approach has largely focused on China. In contrast, Trump’s strategy involves imposing tariffs indiscriminately, targeting both adversaries and allies alike.
Beyond his mistrust of allies, Trump’s expansive tariff threats highlight his rejection of the US’ self-assigned role as defender of a rules-based international order. Unlike Biden, who frames the current great power rivalry as a struggle between democracy and authoritarianism, Trump seems to exhibit little interest in protecting or leading the free world.
Trump’s focus remains singularly nationalistic. He wants to “Make America Great Again” by prioritising and defending core US interests, particularly through rebuilding the country’s economic dominance.
This could signal a crucial turning point in the ongoing reconfiguration of the Western-centric world order. Trump’s approach may allow the Global South to advance its pursuit of a more balanced economic system without becoming entangled in ideological disputes over democracy and human rights.
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By Peter T. C. Chang
For all the anticipated unpredictability and chaos, Trump 2.0 may offer the world a reprieve from ideological entanglement and military intervention. However, this respite could be short-lived, as the United States may quickly revert to its familiar pattern of ideological and military overreach.
US president-elect Donald Trump has threatened Brics nations with tariffs if they attempt to undermine the dominance of the US dollar. He has also issued similar threats against China, Mexico and even Canada, linking tariffs to issues like immigration and fentanyl.
While US President Joe Biden has also used tariffs, his approach has largely focused on China. In contrast, Trump’s strategy involves imposing tariffs indiscriminately, targeting both adversaries and allies alike.
Beyond his mistrust of allies, Trump’s expansive tariff threats highlight his rejection of the US’ self-assigned role as defender of a rules-based international order. Unlike Biden, who frames the current great power rivalry as a struggle between democracy and authoritarianism, Trump seems to exhibit little interest in protecting or leading the free world.
Trump’s focus remains singularly nationalistic. He wants to “Make America Great Again” by prioritising and defending core US interests, particularly through rebuilding the country’s economic dominance.
This could signal a crucial turning point in the ongoing reconfiguration of the Western-centric world order. Trump’s approach may allow the Global South to advance its pursuit of a more balanced economic system without becoming entangled in ideological disputes over democracy and human rights.
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