Hong Kong should consider more sharing of psychiatric patient data: expert
By Emily Hung
Hong Kong authorities should allow for greater sharing of psychiatric patients’ information among professionals assisting them to better address their needs and reduce the risks of tragic incidents, a top government adviser has proposed.
Dr Lam Ching-choi, chairman of Hong Kong’s advisory committee on mental health, suggested the change after noting a case of a police officer fatally shooting a knife-wielding schizophrenic patient who had attacked his wife and mother in September.
“The committee has started a discussion on how to let different service providers know the latest condition of the patients and provide support promptly,” he said.
“If the healthcare and welfare systems can work more effectively together, can we prevent tragedies like this? I can’t say this is exactly the case, but if the information flow can be improved, we can help more patients for sure.”
One option was to grant social workers access to patients’ healthcare information so they could check up on anyone who had missed a medical appointment, he said.
He noted that such information could not currently be shared under privacy protocols, except under a special arrangement where doctors and social workers regularly updated each other on flagged patient cases.
Lam argued the arrangement was insufficient because it was not conducted in real-time and still relied heavily on direct interaction between parties.
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By Emily Hung
Hong Kong authorities should allow for greater sharing of psychiatric patients’ information among professionals assisting them to better address their needs and reduce the risks of tragic incidents, a top government adviser has proposed.
Dr Lam Ching-choi, chairman of Hong Kong’s advisory committee on mental health, suggested the change after noting a case of a police officer fatally shooting a knife-wielding schizophrenic patient who had attacked his wife and mother in September.
“The committee has started a discussion on how to let different service providers know the latest condition of the patients and provide support promptly,” he said.
“If the healthcare and welfare systems can work more effectively together, can we prevent tragedies like this? I can’t say this is exactly the case, but if the information flow can be improved, we can help more patients for sure.”
One option was to grant social workers access to patients’ healthcare information so they could check up on anyone who had missed a medical appointment, he said.
He noted that such information could not currently be shared under privacy protocols, except under a special arrangement where doctors and social workers regularly updated each other on flagged patient cases.
Lam argued the arrangement was insufficient because it was not conducted in real-time and still relied heavily on direct interaction between parties.
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Japan police hunt McDonald’s murderer who stabbed schoolgirl to death
By Kyodo
Japanese police continued their search on Monday for the man who fatally stabbed a 15-year-old schoolgirl at a McDonald’s restaurant in southwestern Japan.
Witnesses described the assailant as a man in his 40s, who also attacked a male student waiting in line with the victim. While the boy, whose name has not been disclosed, survived the brutal assault, he sustained serious injuries.
The attack took place at around 8.30pm on Saturday, as the two victims stood near the back of the queue. The man struck both of them without uttering a word, police said.
Nakashima was stabbed in the abdomen and later pronounced dead at hospital, while the boy was stabbed in the waist and remains hospitalised. He described the attack as coming from “a complete stranger”.
Both students were reportedly returning home from a cram school when they decided to stop at the fast-food restaurant.
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By Kyodo
Japanese police continued their search on Monday for the man who fatally stabbed a 15-year-old schoolgirl at a McDonald’s restaurant in southwestern Japan.
Witnesses described the assailant as a man in his 40s, who also attacked a male student waiting in line with the victim. While the boy, whose name has not been disclosed, survived the brutal assault, he sustained serious injuries.
The attack took place at around 8.30pm on Saturday, as the two victims stood near the back of the queue. The man struck both of them without uttering a word, police said.
Nakashima was stabbed in the abdomen and later pronounced dead at hospital, while the boy was stabbed in the waist and remains hospitalised. He described the attack as coming from “a complete stranger”.
Both students were reportedly returning home from a cram school when they decided to stop at the fast-food restaurant.
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China’s November consumption misses estimate, adds urgency to stimulus
By Sylvia MaJi Siqi
China’s consumption growth slowed in November, as did property investment, while the industrial sector showed limited signs of recovery, underscoring challenges to Beijing’s push for an “all-around” expansion of domestic demand in 2025 amid external uncertainties.
Retail sales, a key indicator of consumption, increased by 3 per cent year on year last month, down from the 4.8 per cent growth in October, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday.
The reading missed estimates of 5.3 per cent growth projected by economists polled by Chinese financial data provider Wind.
China’s overall fixed assets investment – covering major items such as infrastructure spending, manufacturing and property construction – rose by 3.3 per cent in the first 11 months of the year, compared with the 3.4 per cent increase from January to October.
Property investment, which has been a major drag of the economy, fell by 10.4 per cent year on year from January to November, compared with the 10.3 per cent fall in the first 10 months of the year.
National Bureau of Statistics spokesman Fu Linghui said that while the national economy remained generally stable, “the external environment is increasingly complicated, with demand insufficient at home”.
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By Sylvia MaJi Siqi
China’s consumption growth slowed in November, as did property investment, while the industrial sector showed limited signs of recovery, underscoring challenges to Beijing’s push for an “all-around” expansion of domestic demand in 2025 amid external uncertainties.
Retail sales, a key indicator of consumption, increased by 3 per cent year on year last month, down from the 4.8 per cent growth in October, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday.
The reading missed estimates of 5.3 per cent growth projected by economists polled by Chinese financial data provider Wind.
China’s overall fixed assets investment – covering major items such as infrastructure spending, manufacturing and property construction – rose by 3.3 per cent in the first 11 months of the year, compared with the 3.4 per cent increase from January to October.
Property investment, which has been a major drag of the economy, fell by 10.4 per cent year on year from January to November, compared with the 10.3 per cent fall in the first 10 months of the year.
National Bureau of Statistics spokesman Fu Linghui said that while the national economy remained generally stable, “the external environment is increasingly complicated, with demand insufficient at home”.
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Singapore looks to its neighbours to import low-carbon energy, but obstacles remain
By Jean Iau
Singapore has begun importing low-carbon electricity from Malaysia, marking a milestone in the city state’s green energy push, but experts warn that weak regional cooperation and uneven cost-sharing mechanisms could hinder both its progress and the region’s broader renewable energy transition.
As a land scarce city state with few natural resources, Singapore has limited renewable energy potential and has been actively trying to import more renewable energy from its larger neighbours.
Seng Wai Lee, director at the Energy Connections Office in the Energy Market Authority, told This Week in Asia that low-carbon electricity imports are essential to Singapore’s overall strategy to decarbonise the power sector.
The authority aims to import around 6 gigawatts of low-carbon electricity by 2035, which will account for about one-third of Singapore’s energy supply by then, Lee noted.
As part of this effort, Sembcorp Power started importing 50 megawatts of renewable electricity from Malaysia’s Tenaga Nasional Berhad this month, Lee said.
“This electricity will be sourced from Malaysia’s grid, drawn from existing solar and hydropower plants or other renewable sources approved by Malaysia’s Energy Commission.” he said, adding that the countries are exploring increasing this import towards 300MW.
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By Jean Iau
Singapore has begun importing low-carbon electricity from Malaysia, marking a milestone in the city state’s green energy push, but experts warn that weak regional cooperation and uneven cost-sharing mechanisms could hinder both its progress and the region’s broader renewable energy transition.
As a land scarce city state with few natural resources, Singapore has limited renewable energy potential and has been actively trying to import more renewable energy from its larger neighbours.
Seng Wai Lee, director at the Energy Connections Office in the Energy Market Authority, told This Week in Asia that low-carbon electricity imports are essential to Singapore’s overall strategy to decarbonise the power sector.
The authority aims to import around 6 gigawatts of low-carbon electricity by 2035, which will account for about one-third of Singapore’s energy supply by then, Lee noted.
As part of this effort, Sembcorp Power started importing 50 megawatts of renewable electricity from Malaysia’s Tenaga Nasional Berhad this month, Lee said.
“This electricity will be sourced from Malaysia’s grid, drawn from existing solar and hydropower plants or other renewable sources approved by Malaysia’s Energy Commission.” he said, adding that the countries are exploring increasing this import towards 300MW.
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Hong Kong officials’ rising pay doesn’t square with our financial winter
By Alice Wu
Christmas came early for Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and his team this year, and I don’t mean his duty visit to Beijing over the weekend. It came quietly in July, when salaries for politically appointed officials increased by 1.8 per cent. These pay rates are adjusted in line with the Consumer Price Index (C), which measures the impact of consumer price changes on Hong Kong’s high-spending households – the top 10 per cent splashing out HK$50,400- HK$95,900 per month, as opposed to the bottom 50 per cent spending HK$6,800-HK$29,200 monthly.
More often, we hear of adjustments to civil service pay because the process is better publicised. Every year, the Executive Council makes a decision after weighing the recommendations from the pay trend survey against factors such as the economy, the cost of living, the government’s fiscal position and civil service morale.
Although the most recent pay survey suggested raises ranging from 4.01 per cent to 5.47 per cent for different levels of the civil service, Exco decided on a 3 per cent increase across the board. It’s a dedicate balancing act, given that manpower is tight while the government is facing a deficit. At the end of the day, it has to be palatable to the public.
In justifying Exco’s June decision, the government cited a growth forecast of 2.5 to 3.5 per cent for 2024. But last month, it had to downgrade the forecast to 2.5 per cent after a weaker-than-expected third quarter expansion of only 1.8 per cent. At least we are still expected to reach the lower threshold of the forecast.
Unfortunately, the city’s deficit will more than double to HK$100 billion, from the HK$48 billion previously forecast for the 2024-25 financial year. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po broke the bad news this month, citing the property slump and weak corporate performance.
And it was against this backdrop that the pay for principal officials and civil servants returned to the limelight. Thanks to a question posed to the government by Exco convenor Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee last week, the public found out that politically appointed officials not only got a raise in July, but that salaries for bureau chiefs and political assistants had increased by more than 24 per cent over a decade.
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By Alice Wu
Christmas came early for Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and his team this year, and I don’t mean his duty visit to Beijing over the weekend. It came quietly in July, when salaries for politically appointed officials increased by 1.8 per cent. These pay rates are adjusted in line with the Consumer Price Index (C), which measures the impact of consumer price changes on Hong Kong’s high-spending households – the top 10 per cent splashing out HK$50,400- HK$95,900 per month, as opposed to the bottom 50 per cent spending HK$6,800-HK$29,200 monthly.
More often, we hear of adjustments to civil service pay because the process is better publicised. Every year, the Executive Council makes a decision after weighing the recommendations from the pay trend survey against factors such as the economy, the cost of living, the government’s fiscal position and civil service morale.
Although the most recent pay survey suggested raises ranging from 4.01 per cent to 5.47 per cent for different levels of the civil service, Exco decided on a 3 per cent increase across the board. It’s a dedicate balancing act, given that manpower is tight while the government is facing a deficit. At the end of the day, it has to be palatable to the public.
In justifying Exco’s June decision, the government cited a growth forecast of 2.5 to 3.5 per cent for 2024. But last month, it had to downgrade the forecast to 2.5 per cent after a weaker-than-expected third quarter expansion of only 1.8 per cent. At least we are still expected to reach the lower threshold of the forecast.
Unfortunately, the city’s deficit will more than double to HK$100 billion, from the HK$48 billion previously forecast for the 2024-25 financial year. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po broke the bad news this month, citing the property slump and weak corporate performance.
And it was against this backdrop that the pay for principal officials and civil servants returned to the limelight. Thanks to a question posed to the government by Exco convenor Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee last week, the public found out that politically appointed officials not only got a raise in July, but that salaries for bureau chiefs and political assistants had increased by more than 24 per cent over a decade.
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Malaysia’s Chinese character of 2024 isn’t ‘sinkhole’ – or ‘Madani’
By The Star
Malaysia has selected the Chinese character 升 (sheng) as its character of the year – a choice that reflects both economic advancement and the challenges of rising living costs.
The character 升, which means “increase” or “rise”, was chosen via a vote organised by the Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia and the Han Culture Centre Malaysia. It resonates with pressing societal concerns tied to everyday life, highlighting the dual nature of its meanings.
According to the Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily, the character 升 is open to various interpretations. It symbolises not only the challenges posed by inflation and economic issues but also the hopes for progress within the community.
Goh Hin San, president of the Han Culture Centre Malaysia, noted that the public likely connected with the character due to the recent appreciation of the Malaysian ringgit and the strengthening ties between Malaysia and China. He said 80 per cent of voters expressed a sense of economic recovery, while 20 per cent viewed the character as indicative of rising prices.
“Although the character conveys both positive and negative connotations, the positive interpretations are more prevalent,” Goh said.
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By The Star
Malaysia has selected the Chinese character 升 (sheng) as its character of the year – a choice that reflects both economic advancement and the challenges of rising living costs.
The character 升, which means “increase” or “rise”, was chosen via a vote organised by the Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia and the Han Culture Centre Malaysia. It resonates with pressing societal concerns tied to everyday life, highlighting the dual nature of its meanings.
According to the Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily, the character 升 is open to various interpretations. It symbolises not only the challenges posed by inflation and economic issues but also the hopes for progress within the community.
Goh Hin San, president of the Han Culture Centre Malaysia, noted that the public likely connected with the character due to the recent appreciation of the Malaysian ringgit and the strengthening ties between Malaysia and China. He said 80 per cent of voters expressed a sense of economic recovery, while 20 per cent viewed the character as indicative of rising prices.
“Although the character conveys both positive and negative connotations, the positive interpretations are more prevalent,” Goh said.
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Can Macau cash out of the casino industry? Nearby Hengqin island offers hope
By Kahon Chan
Macau’s business community is pinning its hopes on a nearby island three times its size to help diversify the city’s economy and move away from relying mainly on casinos.
The island of Hengqin, in neighbouring Zhuhai, packs the potential to help the city expand its meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry, experts have said.
Beijing has long set Macau the mission to “appropriately” diversify its economy and reduce the gambling industry’s overwhelming presence.
This was first spelled out in the 11th five-year plan released in 2005, a year after Sands, Macau’s first American-run casino, opened its doors.
Incoming chief executive Sam Hou-fai has made reducing Macau’s reliance on gambling a top priority. His inauguration on Friday will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the city’s return from Portuguese to Chinese administration.
Based on a blueprint prepared by outgoing leader Ho Iat-seng, Macau aims to grow four sectors: a “big health” industry; modern financial services; technology; and conventions, exhibitions, trade, culture and sports.
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By Kahon Chan
Macau’s business community is pinning its hopes on a nearby island three times its size to help diversify the city’s economy and move away from relying mainly on casinos.
The island of Hengqin, in neighbouring Zhuhai, packs the potential to help the city expand its meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry, experts have said.
Beijing has long set Macau the mission to “appropriately” diversify its economy and reduce the gambling industry’s overwhelming presence.
This was first spelled out in the 11th five-year plan released in 2005, a year after Sands, Macau’s first American-run casino, opened its doors.
Incoming chief executive Sam Hou-fai has made reducing Macau’s reliance on gambling a top priority. His inauguration on Friday will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the city’s return from Portuguese to Chinese administration.
Based on a blueprint prepared by outgoing leader Ho Iat-seng, Macau aims to grow four sectors: a “big health” industry; modern financial services; technology; and conventions, exhibitions, trade, culture and sports.
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More Hong Kong shops to close as retail habits change, shopping shifts online
By Cheryl Arcibal
With the shopping habits of both Hongkongers and visitors to the city going through a sea change, more brands and retailers are making online sales a central part of their strategy to navigate the shifting tides.
Hong Kong’s retail industry is witnessing an upheaval, forcing some mainstay brands to adjust their strategy, as residents increasingly cross the border to mainland China to shop and dine where the prices are lower.
More companies are likely to close shops or be cautious in their expansion plans in 2025, according to Jeanette Chan, senior director of retail at JLL in Hong Kong. However, online shopping is on an upswing.
“Before Covid, online shopping only came to about 3 to 4 per cent of Hong Kong’s total retail sales,” Chan said. “But during the pandemic this percentage increased to double digits. After Covid the percentage dropped back to single digits, but now we actually see this trend increasing again in the second half of this year as more people shop online.”
Hong Kong’s retail sales declined for the eighth consecutive month in October, dropping 2.9 per cent year on year, according to the Census and Statistics Department. Retail sales in the first 10 months of the year fell 7.1 per cent to about HK$312.3 billion (US$40.2 billion), compared with the same period in 2023, according to the government’s provisional estimates.
But online retail sales accounted for 12.3 per cent of total retail sales value in October, or HK$4 billion – a year-on-year increase of 8.4 per cent.
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By Cheryl Arcibal
With the shopping habits of both Hongkongers and visitors to the city going through a sea change, more brands and retailers are making online sales a central part of their strategy to navigate the shifting tides.
Hong Kong’s retail industry is witnessing an upheaval, forcing some mainstay brands to adjust their strategy, as residents increasingly cross the border to mainland China to shop and dine where the prices are lower.
More companies are likely to close shops or be cautious in their expansion plans in 2025, according to Jeanette Chan, senior director of retail at JLL in Hong Kong. However, online shopping is on an upswing.
“Before Covid, online shopping only came to about 3 to 4 per cent of Hong Kong’s total retail sales,” Chan said. “But during the pandemic this percentage increased to double digits. After Covid the percentage dropped back to single digits, but now we actually see this trend increasing again in the second half of this year as more people shop online.”
Hong Kong’s retail sales declined for the eighth consecutive month in October, dropping 2.9 per cent year on year, according to the Census and Statistics Department. Retail sales in the first 10 months of the year fell 7.1 per cent to about HK$312.3 billion (US$40.2 billion), compared with the same period in 2023, according to the government’s provisional estimates.
But online retail sales accounted for 12.3 per cent of total retail sales value in October, or HK$4 billion – a year-on-year increase of 8.4 per cent.
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What’s behind Japan’s family murder-suicide crisis?
By Julian Ryall
Manami Enomoto had a plan. On December 9, inside her home in Nishio, a small city in Japan’s Aichi prefecture, the 38-year-old mother carefully sealed the windows and doors with duct tape. Next to her, a stack of charcoal briquettes waited to be lit.
By the time her husband returned home from work at 9.30pm, the lives of Enomoto, her two-year-old son Wataru, and five-month-old daughter Saho had ended. The cause: carbon monoxide poisoning.
A suicide note left behind by Enomoto has not been made public, but police have classified the case as a murder-suicide – the term that’s also used when an elderly spouse kills a seriously ill husband or wife and then themselves. It’s a pattern that’s becoming disturbingly familiar in Japan, where societal pressures, financial strain, and mental health stigma are pushing more families to the brink.
New research from the Mainichi newspaper reveals the unsettling scale of these tragedies. Between 2018 and 2022, at least 254 cases of family murder-suicides were reported in Japan, claiming 486 lives. In the majority of cases – 160, to be exact – a parent killed their child before ending their own life. Other cases involved couples, siblings, or elderly family members.
And yet, these numbers likely only scratch the surface. The Mainichi’s study relied on media reports, meaning countless other tragedies may have gone unreported. Whether these incidents are rising or falling remains unclear, but experts agree on one thing: the numbers are alarmingly high.
Fujiko Yamada, founder of the Child Maltreatment Centre in Kanagawa prefecture, points to three primary drivers behind family murder-suicides: financial hardship, domestic abuse, and untreated mental health issues.
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By Julian Ryall
Manami Enomoto had a plan. On December 9, inside her home in Nishio, a small city in Japan’s Aichi prefecture, the 38-year-old mother carefully sealed the windows and doors with duct tape. Next to her, a stack of charcoal briquettes waited to be lit.
By the time her husband returned home from work at 9.30pm, the lives of Enomoto, her two-year-old son Wataru, and five-month-old daughter Saho had ended. The cause: carbon monoxide poisoning.
A suicide note left behind by Enomoto has not been made public, but police have classified the case as a murder-suicide – the term that’s also used when an elderly spouse kills a seriously ill husband or wife and then themselves. It’s a pattern that’s becoming disturbingly familiar in Japan, where societal pressures, financial strain, and mental health stigma are pushing more families to the brink.
New research from the Mainichi newspaper reveals the unsettling scale of these tragedies. Between 2018 and 2022, at least 254 cases of family murder-suicides were reported in Japan, claiming 486 lives. In the majority of cases – 160, to be exact – a parent killed their child before ending their own life. Other cases involved couples, siblings, or elderly family members.
And yet, these numbers likely only scratch the surface. The Mainichi’s study relied on media reports, meaning countless other tragedies may have gone unreported. Whether these incidents are rising or falling remains unclear, but experts agree on one thing: the numbers are alarmingly high.
Fujiko Yamada, founder of the Child Maltreatment Centre in Kanagawa prefecture, points to three primary drivers behind family murder-suicides: financial hardship, domestic abuse, and untreated mental health issues.
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Syria’s Islamist rebel leader holds meeting in Damascus with visiting UN envoy
By Agence France-Presse
The Syrian Islamist leader whose group led the offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad on Sunday met UN envoy Geir Pedersen, who was visiting Damascus, said a statement on the rebels’ Telegram channel.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, discussed with Pedersen “the changes that have occurred on the political scene which make it necessary to update” a 2015 United Nations Security Council resolution “to suit the new reality”, the statement said.
Jolani’s HTS is rooted in Syria’s branch of al-Qaeda, the Al-Nusra Front, designated a “terrorist” organisation by many Western governments.
UN Security Council Resolution 2254 of 2015, to which the rebel statement referred, set out a roadmap for a political settlement in Syria, and also mentioned Nusra’s “terrorist” designation.
On Tuesday, Pedersen said the fact that Nusra was listed by the UN Security Council as a terrorist organisation was “obviously a complicating factor” in efforts to find a way forward.
However, he stressed that it was important to view HTS, which broke with Nusra in 2016 and has sought to soften its image, through the events of the civil war.
The rebel statement on Sunday said Jolani had emphasised “the need to focus on Syrian territorial unity, reconstruction and achieving economic development”.
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By Agence France-Presse
The Syrian Islamist leader whose group led the offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad on Sunday met UN envoy Geir Pedersen, who was visiting Damascus, said a statement on the rebels’ Telegram channel.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, discussed with Pedersen “the changes that have occurred on the political scene which make it necessary to update” a 2015 United Nations Security Council resolution “to suit the new reality”, the statement said.
Jolani’s HTS is rooted in Syria’s branch of al-Qaeda, the Al-Nusra Front, designated a “terrorist” organisation by many Western governments.
UN Security Council Resolution 2254 of 2015, to which the rebel statement referred, set out a roadmap for a political settlement in Syria, and also mentioned Nusra’s “terrorist” designation.
On Tuesday, Pedersen said the fact that Nusra was listed by the UN Security Council as a terrorist organisation was “obviously a complicating factor” in efforts to find a way forward.
However, he stressed that it was important to view HTS, which broke with Nusra in 2016 and has sought to soften its image, through the events of the civil war.
The rebel statement on Sunday said Jolani had emphasised “the need to focus on Syrian territorial unity, reconstruction and achieving economic development”.
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UK says it will provide US$63 million in humanitarian aid for ‘most vulnerable’ Syrians
By Agence France-Presse
The British government said it will release £50 million (US$63 million) of humanitarian aid for “the most vulnerable” Syrians in Syria and in neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan, the foreign ministry said on Sunday.
“We’re committed to supporting the Syrian people as they chart a new course,” Foreign Minister David Lammy said in a statement.
The funds, which for the most part will be sent to United Nations agencies, “will enable an urgent scale-up of humanitarian assistance when needs are at their highest, and support delivery of essential public services in Syria”.
Lammy said Britain will also work “diplomatically to help secure better governance in Syria’s future”, adding that “it is vital that the future Syrian government brings together all groups to establish the stability and respect the Syrian people deserve”.
Separately, Britain said it will give £120,000 to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for its work in Syria.
Lammy also said on Sunday that London had established diplomatic contact with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group in Syria, which led the offensive that ousted Bashar al-Assad.
They remain “a proscribed terrorist organisation, but we can have diplomatic contact and so we do have diplomatic contact, as you would expect”, Lammy said.
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By Agence France-Presse
The British government said it will release £50 million (US$63 million) of humanitarian aid for “the most vulnerable” Syrians in Syria and in neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan, the foreign ministry said on Sunday.
“We’re committed to supporting the Syrian people as they chart a new course,” Foreign Minister David Lammy said in a statement.
The funds, which for the most part will be sent to United Nations agencies, “will enable an urgent scale-up of humanitarian assistance when needs are at their highest, and support delivery of essential public services in Syria”.
Lammy said Britain will also work “diplomatically to help secure better governance in Syria’s future”, adding that “it is vital that the future Syrian government brings together all groups to establish the stability and respect the Syrian people deserve”.
Separately, Britain said it will give £120,000 to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for its work in Syria.
Lammy also said on Sunday that London had established diplomatic contact with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group in Syria, which led the offensive that ousted Bashar al-Assad.
They remain “a proscribed terrorist organisation, but we can have diplomatic contact and so we do have diplomatic contact, as you would expect”, Lammy said.
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Economist Zhang Yansheng on how China can survive Trump threats, avoid Japan’s mistakes
By Mandy Zuo
Economist Zhang Yansheng is a researcher with the China Academy of Macroeconomic Research. He is also a former secretary general of the academic committee of the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s top economic planner. Zhang has presided over or taken part in research projects for several of the country’s five-year plans, and published more than 20 books on international finance and trade.
In this interview, Zhang discusses Beijing’s response plan for tariffs and trade encirclement during Donald Trump’s second White House term and what Chinese companies should look out for when expanding overseas. This interview first appeared in SCMP Plus. For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here.
China’s Politburo recently laid out its economic strategy for 2025, which includes a more proactive fiscal policy and a “moderately loose” monetary policy. What are your thoughts on these developments?
Next year is crucial to the Chinese economy, as it marks the transition from the 14th to the 15th five-year plan. The combination of a more proactive fiscal policy and moderately loose monetary policy, along with “unconventional” countercyclical adjustments, suggests that despite the numerous policies introduced since September, the market, businesses and academics believe these measures have been insufficient.
Next year’s focus will be on increasing central fiscal spending and adjusting the deficit ratio, which is essential for addressing financial shortages among local businesses and the public. This year’s fiscal deficit ratio in the US was estimated to be 7.8 per cent compared to China’s 3.8 per cent, indicating room for a potential increase in China - though not implying we need to immediately catch up to the US.
There will be a stronger emphasis on local transfer payments and the use of special local government bonds as capital to help improve local government asset and liability conditions. This is vital for resolving debt problems among businesses, which can stimulate the national economic cycle.
The core issue with the “moderately loose” monetary policy is how to effectively utilize both broad and targeted monetary policies. Targeted policies will likely focus on sectors like technological innovation and green transformation. Fiscal measures are seen as crucial because they directly inject capital into the economy, while monetary policies need to address currency stability and deflationary pressures.
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By Mandy Zuo
Economist Zhang Yansheng is a researcher with the China Academy of Macroeconomic Research. He is also a former secretary general of the academic committee of the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s top economic planner. Zhang has presided over or taken part in research projects for several of the country’s five-year plans, and published more than 20 books on international finance and trade.
In this interview, Zhang discusses Beijing’s response plan for tariffs and trade encirclement during Donald Trump’s second White House term and what Chinese companies should look out for when expanding overseas. This interview first appeared in SCMP Plus. For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here.
China’s Politburo recently laid out its economic strategy for 2025, which includes a more proactive fiscal policy and a “moderately loose” monetary policy. What are your thoughts on these developments?
Next year is crucial to the Chinese economy, as it marks the transition from the 14th to the 15th five-year plan. The combination of a more proactive fiscal policy and moderately loose monetary policy, along with “unconventional” countercyclical adjustments, suggests that despite the numerous policies introduced since September, the market, businesses and academics believe these measures have been insufficient.
Next year’s focus will be on increasing central fiscal spending and adjusting the deficit ratio, which is essential for addressing financial shortages among local businesses and the public. This year’s fiscal deficit ratio in the US was estimated to be 7.8 per cent compared to China’s 3.8 per cent, indicating room for a potential increase in China - though not implying we need to immediately catch up to the US.
There will be a stronger emphasis on local transfer payments and the use of special local government bonds as capital to help improve local government asset and liability conditions. This is vital for resolving debt problems among businesses, which can stimulate the national economic cycle.
The core issue with the “moderately loose” monetary policy is how to effectively utilize both broad and targeted monetary policies. Targeted policies will likely focus on sectors like technological innovation and green transformation. Fiscal measures are seen as crucial because they directly inject capital into the economy, while monetary policies need to address currency stability and deflationary pressures.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Ukraine’s Zelensky announces humanitarian aid for Syria
By dpa
Ukraine is ready to provide humanitarian aid to Syria, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening video address on Sunday.
In coordination with his government, Zelensky said food from the Grain from Ukraine programme could be used to help the Syrian population.
“Now we can help the Syrians with Ukrainian wheat, flour and our oil – our products that are used worldwide to ensure food security,” Zelensky said.
Specifically, he said, the logistics need to be agreed upon with representatives from Syria. “We will definitely support this region so that peace there can become a cornerstone for our movement towards genuine peace,” Zelensky said.
The humanitarian programme, initiated in 2022, stipulates that donor countries and other organisations buy agricultural products directly from Ukrainian producers and send them to countries in need, primarily in Africa and Asia.
Syria’s long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad was overthrown a few days ago following a surprise offensive by Islamist rebels.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By dpa
Ukraine is ready to provide humanitarian aid to Syria, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening video address on Sunday.
In coordination with his government, Zelensky said food from the Grain from Ukraine programme could be used to help the Syrian population.
“Now we can help the Syrians with Ukrainian wheat, flour and our oil – our products that are used worldwide to ensure food security,” Zelensky said.
Specifically, he said, the logistics need to be agreed upon with representatives from Syria. “We will definitely support this region so that peace there can become a cornerstone for our movement towards genuine peace,” Zelensky said.
The humanitarian programme, initiated in 2022, stipulates that donor countries and other organisations buy agricultural products directly from Ukrainian producers and send them to countries in need, primarily in Africa and Asia.
Syria’s long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad was overthrown a few days ago following a surprise offensive by Islamist rebels.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Trump 2.0 is forcing Asian economies to make hard choices fast
By Syed Munir Khasru
As US president-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House for his second term next month, global markets and US trading partners are bracing for what could be one of the most dramatic reshapings of international commerce since World War II.
His campaign promises suggest an even more aggressive stance on tariffs than his first term, with proposals for a universal baseline tariff of up to 20 per cent on most imports and potential tariffs as high as 60 per cent on Chinese-made goods. These signals alone are prompting Asian countries to re-evaluate their supply chains and investment strategies before he takes charge.
The Trump administration’s aggressive stance towards China during his first term, marked by the trade war which began in 2018, fundamentally altered the economic relationship between the world’s two largest economies.
Trump’s approach to import tariffs aligns with his “America First” economic vision, emphasising the protection of US industries to address trade imbalances. His first-term policies targeted what he described as unfair trade practices, intellectual property theft and the erosion of US manufacturing jobs, particularly in relation to China.
When Trump became president in 2017, the federal government collected US$34.6 billion in customs, duties and fees. This doubled under his watch to US$70.8 billion in 2019. US tariffs on Chinese goods also escalated to cover about US$370 billion worth of imports.
These measures had significant collateral effects on Asian economies integrated into Chinese supply chains. GDP growth in developing Asia fell from 5.9 per cent in 2017 to 5.2 per cent in 2019, partly attributable to rising trade tensions.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Syed Munir Khasru
As US president-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House for his second term next month, global markets and US trading partners are bracing for what could be one of the most dramatic reshapings of international commerce since World War II.
His campaign promises suggest an even more aggressive stance on tariffs than his first term, with proposals for a universal baseline tariff of up to 20 per cent on most imports and potential tariffs as high as 60 per cent on Chinese-made goods. These signals alone are prompting Asian countries to re-evaluate their supply chains and investment strategies before he takes charge.
The Trump administration’s aggressive stance towards China during his first term, marked by the trade war which began in 2018, fundamentally altered the economic relationship between the world’s two largest economies.
Trump’s approach to import tariffs aligns with his “America First” economic vision, emphasising the protection of US industries to address trade imbalances. His first-term policies targeted what he described as unfair trade practices, intellectual property theft and the erosion of US manufacturing jobs, particularly in relation to China.
When Trump became president in 2017, the federal government collected US$34.6 billion in customs, duties and fees. This doubled under his watch to US$70.8 billion in 2019. US tariffs on Chinese goods also escalated to cover about US$370 billion worth of imports.
These measures had significant collateral effects on Asian economies integrated into Chinese supply chains. GDP growth in developing Asia fell from 5.9 per cent in 2017 to 5.2 per cent in 2019, partly attributable to rising trade tensions.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
