Half as fast as Chinese trains, Paris-Berlin direct daytime high-speed rail service begins
By Agence France-Presse
French and German rail operators have launched the first direct high-speed rail link between Paris and Berlin, in response to growing European demand for train travel.
The inaugural service on the 1,100-kilometre route, a German ICE train, left the French capital’s Gare de l’Est station at 9.55am on December 16 and was due at Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 6.03pm.
According to a post on X, the actual travel time was 7 hours 59 minutes.
In comparison, in China the fastest journey between Beijing South and Shanghai Hongqiao stations by high-speed train, a distance of 1,318 kilometres, is 4 hours 18 minutes.
The service shaves only minutes off the fastest one-change connection between both capitals.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Agence France-Presse
French and German rail operators have launched the first direct high-speed rail link between Paris and Berlin, in response to growing European demand for train travel.
The inaugural service on the 1,100-kilometre route, a German ICE train, left the French capital’s Gare de l’Est station at 9.55am on December 16 and was due at Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 6.03pm.
According to a post on X, the actual travel time was 7 hours 59 minutes.
In comparison, in China the fastest journey between Beijing South and Shanghai Hongqiao stations by high-speed train, a distance of 1,318 kilometres, is 4 hours 18 minutes.
The service shaves only minutes off the fastest one-change connection between both capitals.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
25 years after returning to China, is diversification working for Macau?
By Willa Wu
When Cantopop legend Jacky Cheung Hok-yau chose Macau as the first leg of his 10th concert tour in June 2023, it marked more than just another entertainment milestone for the former Portuguese-run city.
Unprecedented demand led organiser Chessman Entertainment Production to double the number of shows from six to 12, drawing a record-breaking 109,000 people to the Cotai Arena at the Venetian Macao.
“It created a golden week for local tourism during a typically quiet season,” recalled Lawrence Che, the company’s CEO, noting that restaurants near the venue saw a business surge, while up to 70 per cent of the concertgoers stayed overnight.
The 240 concerts held in Macau last year brought in almost US$138 million in box office revenue and contributed to part of the more than 28 million visitor arrivals.
The “concert economy” is now regarded by local authorities as an answer to Beijing’s call to cut reliance on casinos, long the backbone of its economy.
Friday will mark the 25th anniversary of Macau’s return to Chinese administration. Chinese President Xi Jinping will officiate the inauguration of Sam Hou-fai as the city’s next chief executive. Sam is the first Macau leader to be born and raised in mainland China.
The change of leadership comes at a time when Macau is at a crossroads, with political and business experts questioning whether it can further its economic reform, strengthen its position as a bridge between China and the Portuguese-speaking world and effectively channel residents’ voices to Beijing.
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By Willa Wu
When Cantopop legend Jacky Cheung Hok-yau chose Macau as the first leg of his 10th concert tour in June 2023, it marked more than just another entertainment milestone for the former Portuguese-run city.
Unprecedented demand led organiser Chessman Entertainment Production to double the number of shows from six to 12, drawing a record-breaking 109,000 people to the Cotai Arena at the Venetian Macao.
“It created a golden week for local tourism during a typically quiet season,” recalled Lawrence Che, the company’s CEO, noting that restaurants near the venue saw a business surge, while up to 70 per cent of the concertgoers stayed overnight.
The 240 concerts held in Macau last year brought in almost US$138 million in box office revenue and contributed to part of the more than 28 million visitor arrivals.
The “concert economy” is now regarded by local authorities as an answer to Beijing’s call to cut reliance on casinos, long the backbone of its economy.
Friday will mark the 25th anniversary of Macau’s return to Chinese administration. Chinese President Xi Jinping will officiate the inauguration of Sam Hou-fai as the city’s next chief executive. Sam is the first Macau leader to be born and raised in mainland China.
The change of leadership comes at a time when Macau is at a crossroads, with political and business experts questioning whether it can further its economic reform, strengthen its position as a bridge between China and the Portuguese-speaking world and effectively channel residents’ voices to Beijing.
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China’s integrated circuit output slows in November while imports climb amid stockpiling
By Wency Chen
China’s integrated circuit (IC) output increased 8.7 per cent year on year to 37.6 billion units in November, as growth slows amid an intensifying US-China tech war and escalating chip restrictions.
Growth of IC output – a broad measure of semiconductor production – has fallen to single digits for the first time this year, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released on Monday.
Total IC output for the first 11 months of the year rose 23.1 per cent year on year to 395.3 billion units, according to the NBS. The country’s overall value-added industrial output rose 5.4 per cent year on year for the period.
The semiconductor industry remains the central battleground in the US-China tech rivalry. Washington further tightened restrictions on China’s chip sector this month, imposing export controls on 24 types of chipmaking equipment and three categories of critical software, while adding 140 chip-related Chinese organisations to its trade blacklist. In response, Beijing last week launched an antitrust probe into US chip giant Nvidia.
China’s IC output is buoyed by strong demand from industries such as robotics and electric vehicles. The country’s output volume of industrial robotics surged 29.3 per cent in November from a year earlier, while electric vehicle output expanded 51.1 per cent, the NBS data showed.
IC exports reached 271.6 billion units in the 11-month period, up 11.4 per cent year on year, according to customs data. The value of these exports reached nearly US$145 billion, up 18.8 per cent from a year earlier, showing continued momentum in the country’s production of so-called legacy chips.
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By Wency Chen
China’s integrated circuit (IC) output increased 8.7 per cent year on year to 37.6 billion units in November, as growth slows amid an intensifying US-China tech war and escalating chip restrictions.
Growth of IC output – a broad measure of semiconductor production – has fallen to single digits for the first time this year, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released on Monday.
Total IC output for the first 11 months of the year rose 23.1 per cent year on year to 395.3 billion units, according to the NBS. The country’s overall value-added industrial output rose 5.4 per cent year on year for the period.
The semiconductor industry remains the central battleground in the US-China tech rivalry. Washington further tightened restrictions on China’s chip sector this month, imposing export controls on 24 types of chipmaking equipment and three categories of critical software, while adding 140 chip-related Chinese organisations to its trade blacklist. In response, Beijing last week launched an antitrust probe into US chip giant Nvidia.
China’s IC output is buoyed by strong demand from industries such as robotics and electric vehicles. The country’s output volume of industrial robotics surged 29.3 per cent in November from a year earlier, while electric vehicle output expanded 51.1 per cent, the NBS data showed.
IC exports reached 271.6 billion units in the 11-month period, up 11.4 per cent year on year, according to customs data. The value of these exports reached nearly US$145 billion, up 18.8 per cent from a year earlier, showing continued momentum in the country’s production of so-called legacy chips.
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Russia, US warn each other of planned launches of ICBMs, Russian media reports
By Reuters
Moscow and Washington have warned each other about planned launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles, Russian news agencies cited Sergei Karakayev, commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces, as saying on Monday.
“The Russian Federation informs the American side at least 24 hours in advance about any planned launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles,” Russia’s RIA state news agency cited Karakayev as saying in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda defence ministry newspaper.
“The United States of America also provides similar information. Such notification shall include the planned launch date, launch location and warhead impact area.”
Russia’s strategic missile forces plan maximum-range launches as part of state testing of prospective new systems, Karakayev said, adding that Russia may increase the frequency of missile testing as external threats grow.
He also said Russia may increase the number of nuclear warheads on deployed carriers in response to similar actions by the US.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency and the Pentagon said earlier on Monday that some North Korean troops have been killed during combat against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk border region.
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By Reuters
Moscow and Washington have warned each other about planned launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles, Russian news agencies cited Sergei Karakayev, commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces, as saying on Monday.
“The Russian Federation informs the American side at least 24 hours in advance about any planned launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles,” Russia’s RIA state news agency cited Karakayev as saying in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda defence ministry newspaper.
“The United States of America also provides similar information. Such notification shall include the planned launch date, launch location and warhead impact area.”
Russia’s strategic missile forces plan maximum-range launches as part of state testing of prospective new systems, Karakayev said, adding that Russia may increase the frequency of missile testing as external threats grow.
He also said Russia may increase the number of nuclear warheads on deployed carriers in response to similar actions by the US.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency and the Pentagon said earlier on Monday that some North Korean troops have been killed during combat against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk border region.
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With Nvidia antitrust probe, China hardens its stance towards US ‘AI partners’
By Zhou Xin
China’s decision to launch an antitrust probe into US semiconductor giant Nvidia over a US$6.9 billion acquisition of Israeli networking products and solutions provider Mellanox Technologies, which it approved five years ago, is raising questions about the message Beijing wants to send and what results it is trying to achieve.
The high-profile probe could be read as a warning shot at Nvidia rather than a punishment. The national foreign ministry, for instance, has not been shy about putting US businesses considered hostile to China on a sanctions list, ordering Chinese individuals and businesses to sever ties to sanctioned companies and denying visas to executives from the targeted businesses. Infractions include crossing China’s “red lines” such as selling weapons to Taiwan.
Nvidia’s situation is less serious than what Micron faced last year. In May 2023, the US memory chip maker had to cope with allegations from the Cyberspace Administration of China that its products presented “national security” risks, and China’s key information infrastructure operators were ordered to stop buying from Micron.
The likely worst case scenario for Nvidia, a fabless chip designer that still has business in China, is paying a fine to the national market regulator for “rectification”, similar to what Qualcomm went through in 2015.
The National Development Reform Commission (NDRC) – China’s antitrust authority before the role was given to the State Administration for Market Regulation – fined Qualcomm 6.1 billion yuan, or about US$1 billion at the time, after a year-long probe into the dominant mobile chip designer over allegations that it abused its market power. A decade later, China remains Qualcomm’s largest market.
The Post reported that Nvidia could be fined up to US$1 billion if it is found to have violated the Anti-Monopoly Law, an amount that one of the three most valuable companies in the world could easily bear. In such an outcome, it would be business as usual for Nvidia in China.
However, Beijing’s choice of timing is interesting. It comes as the outgoing administration of US President Joe Biden continues to escalate the chip war by tightening export restrictions.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Zhou Xin
China’s decision to launch an antitrust probe into US semiconductor giant Nvidia over a US$6.9 billion acquisition of Israeli networking products and solutions provider Mellanox Technologies, which it approved five years ago, is raising questions about the message Beijing wants to send and what results it is trying to achieve.
The high-profile probe could be read as a warning shot at Nvidia rather than a punishment. The national foreign ministry, for instance, has not been shy about putting US businesses considered hostile to China on a sanctions list, ordering Chinese individuals and businesses to sever ties to sanctioned companies and denying visas to executives from the targeted businesses. Infractions include crossing China’s “red lines” such as selling weapons to Taiwan.
Nvidia’s situation is less serious than what Micron faced last year. In May 2023, the US memory chip maker had to cope with allegations from the Cyberspace Administration of China that its products presented “national security” risks, and China’s key information infrastructure operators were ordered to stop buying from Micron.
The likely worst case scenario for Nvidia, a fabless chip designer that still has business in China, is paying a fine to the national market regulator for “rectification”, similar to what Qualcomm went through in 2015.
The National Development Reform Commission (NDRC) – China’s antitrust authority before the role was given to the State Administration for Market Regulation – fined Qualcomm 6.1 billion yuan, or about US$1 billion at the time, after a year-long probe into the dominant mobile chip designer over allegations that it abused its market power. A decade later, China remains Qualcomm’s largest market.
The Post reported that Nvidia could be fined up to US$1 billion if it is found to have violated the Anti-Monopoly Law, an amount that one of the three most valuable companies in the world could easily bear. In such an outcome, it would be business as usual for Nvidia in China.
However, Beijing’s choice of timing is interesting. It comes as the outgoing administration of US President Joe Biden continues to escalate the chip war by tightening export restrictions.
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Canada proposes new US$913 million border funding after Trump tariff threat
By Reuters
Canada’s government on Monday proposed C$1.3 billion (US$913.05 million) for border security after US president-elect Donald Trump threatened tariffs unless Canada reduced the movement of migrants and drugs into the United States.
The border funding proposal was part of the mini-budget, or fall economic statement unveiled on Monday. Trump has threatened 25 per cent tariffs on all exports to the US from Canada and Mexico.
The money would go towards Public Safety Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency, the Communications Security Establishment, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,” the statement said.
The statement said the government intended to introduce legislative amendments to the Customs Act to grant Canada Border Services new authorities to inspect goods destined for export.
US border patrol apprehended more than 23,000 migrants near the Canada-US border in the 12 months ending in October – more than double the previous year. That remains a fraction of the 1.5 million apprehended near the US-Mexico border in that time period.
Canadian police say they have installed more cameras and sensors over this section of the border over the last four years.
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By Reuters
Canada’s government on Monday proposed C$1.3 billion (US$913.05 million) for border security after US president-elect Donald Trump threatened tariffs unless Canada reduced the movement of migrants and drugs into the United States.
The border funding proposal was part of the mini-budget, or fall economic statement unveiled on Monday. Trump has threatened 25 per cent tariffs on all exports to the US from Canada and Mexico.
The money would go towards Public Safety Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency, the Communications Security Establishment, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,” the statement said.
The statement said the government intended to introduce legislative amendments to the Customs Act to grant Canada Border Services new authorities to inspect goods destined for export.
US border patrol apprehended more than 23,000 migrants near the Canada-US border in the 12 months ending in October – more than double the previous year. That remains a fraction of the 1.5 million apprehended near the US-Mexico border in that time period.
Canadian police say they have installed more cameras and sensors over this section of the border over the last four years.
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China’s People’s Liberation Army working with civilian rail authorities to boost logistics
By Leopold Chen
China’s military and railway authorities are working together to streamline military transport and ensure the smooth delivery of military consignments.
It marks the first major military-civilian joint initiative since a key Communist Party policy meeting in July called for progress in this area.
A resolution passed at the meeting, officially known as the third plenum, pledged to “improve military-local contact mechanisms” and “refine military-local standardised work collaboration mechanisms”.
Beijing is currently working to modernise the battle readiness and logistics capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army.
This month the military disclosed that a joint directive issued by the Central Military Commission, the supreme command body, and China Railway had said: “Both parties should … strive to forge a new era of seamless cooperation between the military and civilian sectors in the realm of transport and logistics.”
It aims to establish a collaboration mechanism to transport military supplies and looks to incorporate military delivery into performance assessments for the civilian rail authorities.
China National Defence News, an outlet owned by the PLA’s official newspaper, recently said that there are already examples of positive military-civilian cooperation on logistics, including an upgrade of a railway line used to transport military equipment to a port.
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By Leopold Chen
China’s military and railway authorities are working together to streamline military transport and ensure the smooth delivery of military consignments.
It marks the first major military-civilian joint initiative since a key Communist Party policy meeting in July called for progress in this area.
A resolution passed at the meeting, officially known as the third plenum, pledged to “improve military-local contact mechanisms” and “refine military-local standardised work collaboration mechanisms”.
Beijing is currently working to modernise the battle readiness and logistics capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army.
This month the military disclosed that a joint directive issued by the Central Military Commission, the supreme command body, and China Railway had said: “Both parties should … strive to forge a new era of seamless cooperation between the military and civilian sectors in the realm of transport and logistics.”
It aims to establish a collaboration mechanism to transport military supplies and looks to incorporate military delivery into performance assessments for the civilian rail authorities.
China National Defence News, an outlet owned by the PLA’s official newspaper, recently said that there are already examples of positive military-civilian cooperation on logistics, including an upgrade of a railway line used to transport military equipment to a port.
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How China can achieve its next wave of economic growth
By Nancy Qian
What happens to the world economy and global geopolitics in 2025 will depend significantly on China, the world’s largest exporter and second-largest consumer market. But prevailing assessments of China’s economic health are deeply flawed.
The headlines in 2024 have been mixed. China’s GDP is growing, though the precise rate is always a matter of debate. Youth unemployment, which shocked policymakers when it reached a peak of 21.3 per cent in June 2023, has declined to 17.6 per cent. And the property market crisis finally seems to be moderating, with transactions increasing following the government’s bold intervention to support the sector, which, directly and indirectly, accounts for almost one-third of the Chinese economy.
And yet, the dynamism that characterised China’s economy over the past three decades seems to be missing. Consumption growth is slow as apprehensive households maintain high savings rates. Likewise, foreign investors’ confidence is at an “all-time low”. As prices drop, fears of a deflationary spiral are growing, recalling the prolonged stagnation that gripped Japan beginning in the 1990s. Against this backdrop, some now argue that China’s economy has already peaked.
But such assessments are not particularly reliable. For starters, they mostly reflect the perspective of multinationals, concerned with their own profits, or foreign businesses and governments that take an adversarial view of Chinese growth.
This helps to explain why observers tend to focus on specific sectors, such as luxury goods or electric vehicles, which account for a small part of a vast and complex economy and are disconnected from the challenges confronting most of China’s 1.4 billion people and the government that manages their lives.
A second problem with much of the analysis of China’s economy is that it is not evidence-based. For example, international policymakers tend to fixate on consumption, which is low in China, even though the assumption that domestic consumption will boost growth is highly debatable. In fact, low consumption can reflect a wide range of problems which would not automatically be solved by inducing Chinese to consume more.
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By Nancy Qian
What happens to the world economy and global geopolitics in 2025 will depend significantly on China, the world’s largest exporter and second-largest consumer market. But prevailing assessments of China’s economic health are deeply flawed.
The headlines in 2024 have been mixed. China’s GDP is growing, though the precise rate is always a matter of debate. Youth unemployment, which shocked policymakers when it reached a peak of 21.3 per cent in June 2023, has declined to 17.6 per cent. And the property market crisis finally seems to be moderating, with transactions increasing following the government’s bold intervention to support the sector, which, directly and indirectly, accounts for almost one-third of the Chinese economy.
And yet, the dynamism that characterised China’s economy over the past three decades seems to be missing. Consumption growth is slow as apprehensive households maintain high savings rates. Likewise, foreign investors’ confidence is at an “all-time low”. As prices drop, fears of a deflationary spiral are growing, recalling the prolonged stagnation that gripped Japan beginning in the 1990s. Against this backdrop, some now argue that China’s economy has already peaked.
But such assessments are not particularly reliable. For starters, they mostly reflect the perspective of multinationals, concerned with their own profits, or foreign businesses and governments that take an adversarial view of Chinese growth.
This helps to explain why observers tend to focus on specific sectors, such as luxury goods or electric vehicles, which account for a small part of a vast and complex economy and are disconnected from the challenges confronting most of China’s 1.4 billion people and the government that manages their lives.
A second problem with much of the analysis of China’s economy is that it is not evidence-based. For example, international policymakers tend to fixate on consumption, which is low in China, even though the assumption that domestic consumption will boost growth is highly debatable. In fact, low consumption can reflect a wide range of problems which would not automatically be solved by inducing Chinese to consume more.
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US congressional negotiators aim to fund government until March 14, source says
By Reuters
Republican and Democratic negotiators in the US Congress are closing in on a deal for a stopgap bill to fund the government until March 14, averting a partial shutdown that would otherwise begin on Saturday, a source familiar with the talks said on Monday.
The measure would probably keep the roughly US$6.2 trillion federal budget running at its current level, funding everything from the military to air traffic controllers to federal securities regulators at their current level.
It is expected to include an extension of the farm bill, an omnibus package passed every five years, a Republican Senate aide said. The stopgap measure is needed because Congress failed to pass its 12 annual appropriations bills in time for the current financial year, which began on October 1.
The government’s “mandatory” programmes – which include Social Security and Medicare retirement and healthcare benefits and represent about two-thirds of the budget – renew automatically.
Congress’ failure to address the gap between federal revenue and spending has contributed to the rising national debt – currently north of US$36 trillion. Congress will have to address that again early next year, when a 2023 deal to extend the nation’s “debt ceiling” expires. Failure could shock bond markets with potentially severe economic consequences.
Democrats had pushed for a longer bill, funding the government through the end of its current financial year, which ends on September 30. But Republicans balked, wanting to wait for final agreement until after US president-elect Donald Trump is sworn in on January 20 and their party takes its majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives.
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By Reuters
Republican and Democratic negotiators in the US Congress are closing in on a deal for a stopgap bill to fund the government until March 14, averting a partial shutdown that would otherwise begin on Saturday, a source familiar with the talks said on Monday.
The measure would probably keep the roughly US$6.2 trillion federal budget running at its current level, funding everything from the military to air traffic controllers to federal securities regulators at their current level.
It is expected to include an extension of the farm bill, an omnibus package passed every five years, a Republican Senate aide said. The stopgap measure is needed because Congress failed to pass its 12 annual appropriations bills in time for the current financial year, which began on October 1.
The government’s “mandatory” programmes – which include Social Security and Medicare retirement and healthcare benefits and represent about two-thirds of the budget – renew automatically.
Congress’ failure to address the gap between federal revenue and spending has contributed to the rising national debt – currently north of US$36 trillion. Congress will have to address that again early next year, when a 2023 deal to extend the nation’s “debt ceiling” expires. Failure could shock bond markets with potentially severe economic consequences.
Democrats had pushed for a longer bill, funding the government through the end of its current financial year, which ends on September 30. But Republicans balked, wanting to wait for final agreement until after US president-elect Donald Trump is sworn in on January 20 and their party takes its majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives.
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No US government group currently in Syria to find journalist Tice: State Department
By Reuters
The US State Department on Monday said there is no US government organisation currently on the ground in Syria for the search of Austin Tice, an American journalist taken captive during a reporting trip in August 2012, but did not rule out the possibility.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at a regular news briefing that the US was continuing to try and locate Tice, but did not have specific information about his whereabouts.
When asked why the US has still not yet sent a delegation to Syria, Miller said: “I’m not ruling out that we won’t send personnel to Damascus. Stay tuned over the coming days.”
Tice, a former US Marine, is the focus of a massive search following the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after 13 years of civil war. Rebels, led by the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have released thousands of people from prisons in Damascus where Assad held political opponents, ordinary civilians and foreigners.
Miller added that the US government over the past week has had communications with HTS that have in part been largely focused on getting help to find Tice.
“We have a number of people engaged on trying to find Austin Tice and bring him home, and we communicated directly to HTS that anything that they could do to help us find him, we would greatly appreciate, and they committed to do that,” Miller said.
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By Reuters
The US State Department on Monday said there is no US government organisation currently on the ground in Syria for the search of Austin Tice, an American journalist taken captive during a reporting trip in August 2012, but did not rule out the possibility.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at a regular news briefing that the US was continuing to try and locate Tice, but did not have specific information about his whereabouts.
When asked why the US has still not yet sent a delegation to Syria, Miller said: “I’m not ruling out that we won’t send personnel to Damascus. Stay tuned over the coming days.”
Tice, a former US Marine, is the focus of a massive search following the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after 13 years of civil war. Rebels, led by the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have released thousands of people from prisons in Damascus where Assad held political opponents, ordinary civilians and foreigners.
Miller added that the US government over the past week has had communications with HTS that have in part been largely focused on getting help to find Tice.
“We have a number of people engaged on trying to find Austin Tice and bring him home, and we communicated directly to HTS that anything that they could do to help us find him, we would greatly appreciate, and they committed to do that,” Miller said.
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TikTok makes emergency appeal to US Supreme Court, seeking review of divest-or-ban law
By Khushboo Razdan
TikTok petitioned the US Supreme Court on Monday to temporarily halt a lower court’s decision upholding a law that mandates the nationwide ban of the popular Chinese-owned video app if it fails to secure a non-Chinese buyer by mid-January, pending a full review.
The emergency appeal came after the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied an emergency request on Friday from TikTok, its parent company ByteDance and other petitioners to temporarily block the ban pending a Supreme Court review.
The ban, which is set to take effect on January 19, 2025, would prevent TikTok from operating in the US unless it is sold to a non-Chinese business.
TikTok is asking the Supreme Court to halt the ban and review the lower court decision, arguing that the ruling infringes on the free speech rights of TikTok’s 170 million American users.
Analysts said the country’s highest court would probably not agree to review the decision by the three-judge appellate panel, which in a December 6 ruling unanimously found the divest-or-sale law constitutional.
“I don’t think it’s very likely that the Supreme Court gives TikTok any meaningful relief. On the merits, a majority of the justices likely agree with the DC circuit panel’s bottom-line conclusion, so they will not be rushing to correct the panel below,” contended Mark Jia, a law professor at Georgetown University, said.
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By Khushboo Razdan
TikTok petitioned the US Supreme Court on Monday to temporarily halt a lower court’s decision upholding a law that mandates the nationwide ban of the popular Chinese-owned video app if it fails to secure a non-Chinese buyer by mid-January, pending a full review.
The emergency appeal came after the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied an emergency request on Friday from TikTok, its parent company ByteDance and other petitioners to temporarily block the ban pending a Supreme Court review.
The ban, which is set to take effect on January 19, 2025, would prevent TikTok from operating in the US unless it is sold to a non-Chinese business.
TikTok is asking the Supreme Court to halt the ban and review the lower court decision, arguing that the ruling infringes on the free speech rights of TikTok’s 170 million American users.
Analysts said the country’s highest court would probably not agree to review the decision by the three-judge appellate panel, which in a December 6 ruling unanimously found the divest-or-sale law constitutional.
“I don’t think it’s very likely that the Supreme Court gives TikTok any meaningful relief. On the merits, a majority of the justices likely agree with the DC circuit panel’s bottom-line conclusion, so they will not be rushing to correct the panel below,” contended Mark Jia, a law professor at Georgetown University, said.
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US-China working groups on economy, finance meet as future in doubt under Donald Trump
By Kawala Xie
The US and China held what could be their last working-group meetings on economics and finance, a month before Donald Trump’s return to the White House amid an anticipated revival of the two superpowers’ trade war.
The US Treasury on Monday announced that senior officials from Washington and Beijing discussed economic and financial issues in two working group meetings in recent days.
The economic working group convened on the sidelines of the Group of 20 deputies’ meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, on December 12, according to a Treasury read-out, and was co-led by Jay Shambaugh, Treasury’s undersecretary for international affairs, and Liao Min, China’s vice-minister of finance.
Treasury said the US voiced concerns about the mainland’s “nonmarket practices and industrial overcapacity” and their impact on American workers and companies as well as Chinese firms’ alleged support for Russia’s defence industrial base during the Ukraine war.
The Chinese finance ministry’s read-out of the meeting said it clarified Beijing’s position to US officials on economic and trade issues while raising its own concerns about American trade restrictions against China.
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By Kawala Xie
The US and China held what could be their last working-group meetings on economics and finance, a month before Donald Trump’s return to the White House amid an anticipated revival of the two superpowers’ trade war.
The US Treasury on Monday announced that senior officials from Washington and Beijing discussed economic and financial issues in two working group meetings in recent days.
The economic working group convened on the sidelines of the Group of 20 deputies’ meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, on December 12, according to a Treasury read-out, and was co-led by Jay Shambaugh, Treasury’s undersecretary for international affairs, and Liao Min, China’s vice-minister of finance.
Treasury said the US voiced concerns about the mainland’s “nonmarket practices and industrial overcapacity” and their impact on American workers and companies as well as Chinese firms’ alleged support for Russia’s defence industrial base during the Ukraine war.
The Chinese finance ministry’s read-out of the meeting said it clarified Beijing’s position to US officials on economic and trade issues while raising its own concerns about American trade restrictions against China.
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Assad says he wanted to stay in Syria but Russia evacuated him
By Associated Press
Ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad said on Monday he wanted to stay in the country after rebels captured the capital, but the Russian military evacuated him from their base in western Syria after it came under attack.
They were Assad’s first public comments since he was overthrown by insurgent groups just over a week ago following a swift offensive that has shaken up the country’s alliances and led to celebrations in a nation long stifled by civil war.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the new transitional government told Associated Press that the new Syria will be inclusive and open to the world.
Assad said on Facebook that he left Damascus on the morning of December 8, hours after insurgents stormed the capital. He said he left in coordination with Russian allies to their Hmeimim airbase in the coastal province of Latakia, where he had planned to keep fighting.
But after the Russian base came under attack by drones, he said, the Russians decided to move him that night to Russia.
“At no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge nor was such proposal made by any individual or party,” Assad said in the English text of his statement. “The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught.”
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By Associated Press
Ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad said on Monday he wanted to stay in the country after rebels captured the capital, but the Russian military evacuated him from their base in western Syria after it came under attack.
They were Assad’s first public comments since he was overthrown by insurgent groups just over a week ago following a swift offensive that has shaken up the country’s alliances and led to celebrations in a nation long stifled by civil war.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the new transitional government told Associated Press that the new Syria will be inclusive and open to the world.
Assad said on Facebook that he left Damascus on the morning of December 8, hours after insurgents stormed the capital. He said he left in coordination with Russian allies to their Hmeimim airbase in the coastal province of Latakia, where he had planned to keep fighting.
But after the Russian base came under attack by drones, he said, the Russians decided to move him that night to Russia.
“At no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge nor was such proposal made by any individual or party,” Assad said in the English text of his statement. “The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught.”
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Trump says China, US can work together to ‘solve all of the world’s problems’
By Khushboo Razdan
US president-elect Donald Trump said on Monday that Beijing and Washington could work together “to solve all of the problems of the world”, a sweeping statement issued little more than a month before he reassumes office.
Trump made the comment during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Florida, when asked about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s response to his invitation to attend the January 20 presidential inauguration.
Xi “hasn’t said one way or the other”, he said about the invitation.
That the issue was “something we barely discussed”, he said, adding that he has had “some very good conversations” with the Chinese leader through letters.
“You know, because China and the United States can, together solve all of the problems of the world, if you think about it. So it’s very important. And you know, he was a friend of mine”, Trump added.
Reflecting on the meeting the two men had at Mar-a-Lago in 2017, Trump said: “He was here for a long time, right in that spot, except sitting in a very comfortable chair. He wasn’t standing like you are. But we spent hours and hours talking, and he’s an amazing guy”.
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By Khushboo Razdan
US president-elect Donald Trump said on Monday that Beijing and Washington could work together “to solve all of the problems of the world”, a sweeping statement issued little more than a month before he reassumes office.
Trump made the comment during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Florida, when asked about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s response to his invitation to attend the January 20 presidential inauguration.
Xi “hasn’t said one way or the other”, he said about the invitation.
That the issue was “something we barely discussed”, he said, adding that he has had “some very good conversations” with the Chinese leader through letters.
“You know, because China and the United States can, together solve all of the problems of the world, if you think about it. So it’s very important. And you know, he was a friend of mine”, Trump added.
Reflecting on the meeting the two men had at Mar-a-Lago in 2017, Trump said: “He was here for a long time, right in that spot, except sitting in a very comfortable chair. He wasn’t standing like you are. But we spent hours and hours talking, and he’s an amazing guy”.
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5 dead, 5 injured after shooting at Wisconsin Christian school
By Agencies
A shooting at a Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin left five people dead on Monday, including the suspected shooter, and at least five others injured, authorities said.
Children were among the dead, authorities said.
The shooting took place at Abundant Life Christian School, a private non-denominational institution that teaches some 390 pupils from kindergarten to high school, the Madison Police Department said on social media.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said during a press conference that at least five people were killed in the incident, including the suspected shooter, who he identified as a juvenile found dead by police when officers arrived at the school.
At least five people were taken from the scene to nearby hospitals, Barnes said.
US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting, a White House official said.
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By Agencies
A shooting at a Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin left five people dead on Monday, including the suspected shooter, and at least five others injured, authorities said.
Children were among the dead, authorities said.
The shooting took place at Abundant Life Christian School, a private non-denominational institution that teaches some 390 pupils from kindergarten to high school, the Madison Police Department said on social media.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said during a press conference that at least five people were killed in the incident, including the suspected shooter, who he identified as a juvenile found dead by police when officers arrived at the school.
At least five people were taken from the scene to nearby hospitals, Barnes said.
US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting, a White House official said.
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Top Chinese and Indian officials to discuss Himalayan border dispute this week
By Laura Zhou
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is to host India’s national security adviser Ajit Doval in Beijing to discuss the nations’ Himalayan border dispute on Wednesday, the ministry said on Monday – the latest sign of improved ties following an agreement on patrolling the boundary.
Foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said the meeting would be the 23rd under the “special representatives dialogue” mechanism – but the first since 2019 – and would cover “the consensus reached between China and India”.
On the eve of a meeting in October between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Beijing and New Delhi agreed to disengage their patrolling troops at the disputed border, a diplomatic breakthrough that is expected to end the high-altitude stand-off since a deadly skirmish four years ago.
In addition to using the dialogue “to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border area and to seek a fair and reasonable solution”, according to the Chinese readout of that meeting, Xi and Modi also agreed to push for more engagement between officials “at all levels” so as to “promote early return of relations between the two countries to the track of stable development”.
China and India have never agreed on their border demarcation. Since a short but bloody war over the issue in 1962, the two nations have been divided by a 3,200km (1,990-mile) Line of Actual Control (LAC) – though they have not even been able to agree on precisely where that lies.
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By Laura Zhou
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is to host India’s national security adviser Ajit Doval in Beijing to discuss the nations’ Himalayan border dispute on Wednesday, the ministry said on Monday – the latest sign of improved ties following an agreement on patrolling the boundary.
Foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said the meeting would be the 23rd under the “special representatives dialogue” mechanism – but the first since 2019 – and would cover “the consensus reached between China and India”.
On the eve of a meeting in October between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Beijing and New Delhi agreed to disengage their patrolling troops at the disputed border, a diplomatic breakthrough that is expected to end the high-altitude stand-off since a deadly skirmish four years ago.
In addition to using the dialogue “to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border area and to seek a fair and reasonable solution”, according to the Chinese readout of that meeting, Xi and Modi also agreed to push for more engagement between officials “at all levels” so as to “promote early return of relations between the two countries to the track of stable development”.
China and India have never agreed on their border demarcation. Since a short but bloody war over the issue in 1962, the two nations have been divided by a 3,200km (1,990-mile) Line of Actual Control (LAC) – though they have not even been able to agree on precisely where that lies.
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Former FBI informant pleads guilty to lying about fake bribery scheme involving Bidens
By Associated Press
A former FBI informant pleaded guilty on Monday to lying about a fake bribery scheme involving US President Joe Biden and his son Hunter that became central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress.
Alexander Smirnov entered his plea in Los Angeles to a felony charge in connection with the bogus story, along with a tax evasion charge stemming from a separate indictment accusing him of concealing millions of dollars of income, according to court papers.
Prosecutors and the defence have agreed to recommend a sentence of between four and six years in prison, according to the plea agreement.
Smirnov will get credit for the time he has served since his February arrest on charges that he told his Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) handler that executives from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma had paid Joe Biden and Hunter Biden US$5 million each around 2015.
Smirnov had been an informant for more than a decade when he made the explosive allegations about the Bidens in June 2020, after “expressing bias” about Joe Biden as a presidential candidate, prosecutors said.
But Smirnov had only routine business dealings with Burisma starting in 2017, according to court documents. An FBI field office investigated the allegations and recommended the case be closed in August 2020, according to charging documents.
No evidence has emerged that Joe Biden acted corruptly or accepted bribes as president or in his previous office as vice-president.
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By Associated Press
A former FBI informant pleaded guilty on Monday to lying about a fake bribery scheme involving US President Joe Biden and his son Hunter that became central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress.
Alexander Smirnov entered his plea in Los Angeles to a felony charge in connection with the bogus story, along with a tax evasion charge stemming from a separate indictment accusing him of concealing millions of dollars of income, according to court papers.
Prosecutors and the defence have agreed to recommend a sentence of between four and six years in prison, according to the plea agreement.
Smirnov will get credit for the time he has served since his February arrest on charges that he told his Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) handler that executives from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma had paid Joe Biden and Hunter Biden US$5 million each around 2015.
Smirnov had been an informant for more than a decade when he made the explosive allegations about the Bidens in June 2020, after “expressing bias” about Joe Biden as a presidential candidate, prosecutors said.
But Smirnov had only routine business dealings with Burisma starting in 2017, according to court documents. An FBI field office investigated the allegations and recommended the case be closed in August 2020, according to charging documents.
No evidence has emerged that Joe Biden acted corruptly or accepted bribes as president or in his previous office as vice-president.
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Alleged Chinese spy linked to Prince Andrew denies claims, criticises UK political climate
By dpa
Alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, who forged links with Prince Andrew and mixed with other British establishment figures, has insisted that he has “done nothing wrong or unlawful”.
Yang said it was “entirely untrue” to claim he was involved in espionage and said he was a victim of a “political climate” which had seen a rise in tensions between the UK and China.
A businessman, Yang became a “close” confidant of Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, and has also been pictured with senior politicians including former conservative prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May.
In a statement after a High Court judge lifted an order granting him anonymity, Yang he said: “Due to the high level of speculation and misreporting in the media and elsewhere, I have asked my legal team to disclose my identity.”
“I have done nothing wrong or unlawful and the concerns raised by the Home Office against me are ill-founded. The widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is entirely untrue,” he added.
Yang last week lost an appeal over a decision to bar him from entering the UK on national security grounds.
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By dpa
Alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, who forged links with Prince Andrew and mixed with other British establishment figures, has insisted that he has “done nothing wrong or unlawful”.
Yang said it was “entirely untrue” to claim he was involved in espionage and said he was a victim of a “political climate” which had seen a rise in tensions between the UK and China.
A businessman, Yang became a “close” confidant of Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, and has also been pictured with senior politicians including former conservative prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May.
In a statement after a High Court judge lifted an order granting him anonymity, Yang he said: “Due to the high level of speculation and misreporting in the media and elsewhere, I have asked my legal team to disclose my identity.”
“I have done nothing wrong or unlawful and the concerns raised by the Home Office against me are ill-founded. The widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is entirely untrue,” he added.
Yang last week lost an appeal over a decision to bar him from entering the UK on national security grounds.
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