China launches antitrust probe into Google in response to Trump tariffs
By Iris Deng
China has launched an antitrust investigation into Google alongside retaliatory tariffs after the US imposed 10 per cent tariffs on products from the country.
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said it initiated the probe into the US internet search giant on suspicion of violations of the country’s antitrust laws, according to a one-line announcement on the regulator’s website on Tuesday. It appeared to be part of a response to the tariffs imposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump. The regulator did not identify the alleged violations.
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By Iris Deng
China has launched an antitrust investigation into Google alongside retaliatory tariffs after the US imposed 10 per cent tariffs on products from the country.
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said it initiated the probe into the US internet search giant on suspicion of violations of the country’s antitrust laws, according to a one-line announcement on the regulator’s website on Tuesday. It appeared to be part of a response to the tariffs imposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump. The regulator did not identify the alleged violations.
More to follow…
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First China suona PhD claims practising ancient musical instrument helps achieve 8-pack abs
By Fran Lu
Chinese suona player Liu Wenwen has wowed the audience at the Musikverein Golden Hall in Vienna, Austria with a virtuosic performance on January 8.
Liu is China’s first doctoral degree holder in suona, a traditional Chinese double-reeded woodwind instrument, also called dida, known for its loud and high-pitched sound.
She is also a teacher at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
The 34-year-old was born into a family of folk suona players in eastern China’s Shandong province.
Her father is the 7th-generation descendant of small copper suona, and her mother the 12th-generation descendant of suona ka opera, which features using the instrument to mimic human and animal sounds.
A single child, Liu was made to study suona at the age of 4.
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By Fran Lu
Chinese suona player Liu Wenwen has wowed the audience at the Musikverein Golden Hall in Vienna, Austria with a virtuosic performance on January 8.
Liu is China’s first doctoral degree holder in suona, a traditional Chinese double-reeded woodwind instrument, also called dida, known for its loud and high-pitched sound.
She is also a teacher at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
The 34-year-old was born into a family of folk suona players in eastern China’s Shandong province.
Her father is the 7th-generation descendant of small copper suona, and her mother the 12th-generation descendant of suona ka opera, which features using the instrument to mimic human and animal sounds.
A single child, Liu was made to study suona at the age of 4.
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Organisers of Hong Kong’s Cristiano Ronaldo museum confirm ticket sale date
By Natalie Wong
Ticket sales for a new Cristiano Ronaldo museum located at Hong Kong’s K11 Musea shopping centre will start from Wednesday, organisers have said, confirming an earlier report from the Post.
They also said on Tuesday that the CR7 Life Museum’s opening day, which will be in July, would include international celebrity guest appearances in recognition of the football legend’s career.
The announcement confirmed an earlier Post report that museum tickets would go on sale on February 5 – the Portuguese superstar’s birthday.
“This state-of-the-art museum celebrates Cristiano Ronaldo’s career and the power of ambition, passion, perseverance and hard work; a beacon of inspiration for fans and visitors,” organisers said.
“Aimed at empowering youth and dreamers, the museum features motivational content and inspiring quotes to encourage visitors to unlock their full potential.”
Tickets will be available on K11 Experience and other platforms, but organisers stopped short of disclosing any prices.
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By Natalie Wong
Ticket sales for a new Cristiano Ronaldo museum located at Hong Kong’s K11 Musea shopping centre will start from Wednesday, organisers have said, confirming an earlier report from the Post.
They also said on Tuesday that the CR7 Life Museum’s opening day, which will be in July, would include international celebrity guest appearances in recognition of the football legend’s career.
The announcement confirmed an earlier Post report that museum tickets would go on sale on February 5 – the Portuguese superstar’s birthday.
“This state-of-the-art museum celebrates Cristiano Ronaldo’s career and the power of ambition, passion, perseverance and hard work; a beacon of inspiration for fans and visitors,” organisers said.
“Aimed at empowering youth and dreamers, the museum features motivational content and inspiring quotes to encourage visitors to unlock their full potential.”
Tickets will be available on K11 Experience and other platforms, but organisers stopped short of disclosing any prices.
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China to impose tariffs of 10% to 15% on some US products
By SCMP Reporter
China has announced it will impose tariffs of 10 to 15 per cent on some US products from February 10 amid growing trade tensions with the United States.
The move was a response to newly announced tariffs of 10 per cent imposed by the US on Chinese products. Washington cited issues over fentanyl controls as the reason for the measure.
Separately, Beijing also announced a slew of export controls on key minerals and launched an anti-monopoly investigation into US tech giant Google.
More to follow...
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By SCMP Reporter
China has announced it will impose tariffs of 10 to 15 per cent on some US products from February 10 amid growing trade tensions with the United States.
The move was a response to newly announced tariffs of 10 per cent imposed by the US on Chinese products. Washington cited issues over fentanyl controls as the reason for the measure.
Separately, Beijing also announced a slew of export controls on key minerals and launched an anti-monopoly investigation into US tech giant Google.
More to follow...
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China-Pakistan ties: presidents to focus on terrorism and economy amid security issues
By Zhao Ziwen
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari will start a five-day visit to China on Tuesday, with counterterrorism and economic cooperation expected to top the agenda.
“At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, President Asif Ali Zardari of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan will pay a state visit to China from February 4 to 8,” the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday, without offering further details.
Zardari’s trip comes as Pakistan grapples with security and economic problems that also challenge China’s projects there.
It has also been nearly eight months since Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited China. During that trip, both sides focused on safeguarding China’s presence in the turbulent region and further cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing’s massive infrastructure programme.
Zhu Yongbiao, a professor at Lanzhou University’s school of politics and international relations, said he believed the two topics would dominate discussion during Zardari’s visit.
“The frequent high-level exchanges between Pakistan and China reflect, on the one hand, the special and close nature of the bilateral relationship, but on the other hand the need for the two countries to further strengthen communication,” Zhu said.
He said Islamabad still faced “volatility of the security situation” which required Beijing to maintain intimate communication with its South Asian neighbour.
China’s heavy investment in Pakistan continually faces threats – especially in the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – as attacks by anti-government militants target the Chinese presence there.
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By Zhao Ziwen
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari will start a five-day visit to China on Tuesday, with counterterrorism and economic cooperation expected to top the agenda.
“At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, President Asif Ali Zardari of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan will pay a state visit to China from February 4 to 8,” the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday, without offering further details.
Zardari’s trip comes as Pakistan grapples with security and economic problems that also challenge China’s projects there.
It has also been nearly eight months since Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited China. During that trip, both sides focused on safeguarding China’s presence in the turbulent region and further cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing’s massive infrastructure programme.
Zhu Yongbiao, a professor at Lanzhou University’s school of politics and international relations, said he believed the two topics would dominate discussion during Zardari’s visit.
“The frequent high-level exchanges between Pakistan and China reflect, on the one hand, the special and close nature of the bilateral relationship, but on the other hand the need for the two countries to further strengthen communication,” Zhu said.
He said Islamabad still faced “volatility of the security situation” which required Beijing to maintain intimate communication with its South Asian neighbour.
China’s heavy investment in Pakistan continually faces threats – especially in the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – as attacks by anti-government militants target the Chinese presence there.
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By Tribune News Service
South Korean actress Lee Joo-sil, a star in the second season of Squid Game,” has died.
She was 81.
The veteran actress collapsed in cardiac arrest at home in Uijeongbu, South Korea, on February 2, three months after being diagnosed with stomach cancer, The Korea Times reported. She was brought to a hospital but could not be revived.
Lee played Park Mal-soon, the doting mother of undercover detective Hwang Jun Ho (Wi Ha-joon) and stepmother of Hwang In-ho (Lee Byung-hun), in the first two episodes of Season 2.
It was the culmination of a six-decade career that saw her blossom from stage actress to television and movies.South Korean actress Lee Joo-sil, a star in the second season of Squid Game, who has died aged 80. Photo: Facebook/Kendall Writes
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In Malaysia, a mystery cash-filled suitcase finds its owner
By The Star
A mysterious suitcase containing more than 500,000 ringgit (US$111,500) that was left in a car park of a shopping centre in Malaysia has been quietly reunited with its owner – eight months later.
The suitcase and cash were reportedly handed over to a company owner who is in his 50s.
Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan said the man had made a police report to claim the suitcase and cash.
“The deputy public prosecutor had instructed that the cash and the suitcase be released to him through a court order,” Hussein said.
“It was handed over sometime in mid-November,” he added. And with that, he said the case was deemed closed.
But like any good mystery, there have been numerous questions surrounding the bag and the substantial amount of cash ever since a security guard at a shopping centre in Selangor stumbled upon it on March 20 last year.
The owner reportedly left the suitcase at the car park on accident.
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By The Star
A mysterious suitcase containing more than 500,000 ringgit (US$111,500) that was left in a car park of a shopping centre in Malaysia has been quietly reunited with its owner – eight months later.
The suitcase and cash were reportedly handed over to a company owner who is in his 50s.
Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan said the man had made a police report to claim the suitcase and cash.
“The deputy public prosecutor had instructed that the cash and the suitcase be released to him through a court order,” Hussein said.
“It was handed over sometime in mid-November,” he added. And with that, he said the case was deemed closed.
But like any good mystery, there have been numerous questions surrounding the bag and the substantial amount of cash ever since a security guard at a shopping centre in Selangor stumbled upon it on March 20 last year.
The owner reportedly left the suitcase at the car park on accident.
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Chinese military disputes Manila’s version of South China Sea naval crossing
By Enoch Wong
Beijing and Manila have exchanged barbs over the transit of a Chinese destroyer fleet in the Basilan Strait, which separates the Philippine islands of Mindanao and Basilan, in a continuing escalation of bilateral tensions in the South China Sea.
Senior Colonel Tian Junli, from the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command, said on Monday that Chinese naval and air forces transited the strait for distant-sea training.
“The operation strictly adhered to safe, standardised, and professional practices, fully complying with international law and norms,” the PLA spokesman said.
In his statement, Tian accused Manila of distorting the routine transit to stir tensions and argued that such actions undermined the navigational rights of China and other nations.
Tian’s remarks, which were posted on the command’s official social media account, followed Philippine officials voicing their concerns over Chinese warships near their territory.
According to local media reports, the Western Mindanao Command claimed to be tracking three PLA Navy vessels – a Type 055 destroyer, a Type 054A frigate, and a Type 903 replenishment ship – in what it described as “Philippine waters” on Sunday.
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By Enoch Wong
Beijing and Manila have exchanged barbs over the transit of a Chinese destroyer fleet in the Basilan Strait, which separates the Philippine islands of Mindanao and Basilan, in a continuing escalation of bilateral tensions in the South China Sea.
Senior Colonel Tian Junli, from the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command, said on Monday that Chinese naval and air forces transited the strait for distant-sea training.
“The operation strictly adhered to safe, standardised, and professional practices, fully complying with international law and norms,” the PLA spokesman said.
In his statement, Tian accused Manila of distorting the routine transit to stir tensions and argued that such actions undermined the navigational rights of China and other nations.
Tian’s remarks, which were posted on the command’s official social media account, followed Philippine officials voicing their concerns over Chinese warships near their territory.
According to local media reports, the Western Mindanao Command claimed to be tracking three PLA Navy vessels – a Type 055 destroyer, a Type 054A frigate, and a Type 903 replenishment ship – in what it described as “Philippine waters” on Sunday.
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How Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek may help drive innovation in countries like Russia
By Dewey SimVictoria Bela
While Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek has drawn scrutiny in the West over national security and privacy concerns, it could be an opportunity for countries like Russia that have little access to advanced technologies.
That is the assessment of analysts after Hangzhou-based DeepSeek surprised the world last month with the launch of an open-source reasoning model, R1, with capabilities that are comparable to OpenAI’s closed-source GPT but at significantly lower cost.
DeepSeek’s success also raises the question of how effective US tech curbs on China have been, since restrictions on advanced semiconductors and computing chips were meant to limit the nation’s hi-tech development.
Russia similarly faces significant technology and semiconductor restrictions imposed by the United States and other Western powers aimed at limiting Moscow’s access to critical technologies following its invasion of Ukraine.
You Chuanman, a senior lecturer at the Singapore University of Social Sciences’ School of Law, said Russia had the talent but it faced sanctions on tech exports that were “much stricter” than those imposed on China.
“It’s much worse than the Chinese situation when it comes to finance, core technologies and semiconductors,” he said.
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By Dewey SimVictoria Bela
While Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek has drawn scrutiny in the West over national security and privacy concerns, it could be an opportunity for countries like Russia that have little access to advanced technologies.
That is the assessment of analysts after Hangzhou-based DeepSeek surprised the world last month with the launch of an open-source reasoning model, R1, with capabilities that are comparable to OpenAI’s closed-source GPT but at significantly lower cost.
DeepSeek’s success also raises the question of how effective US tech curbs on China have been, since restrictions on advanced semiconductors and computing chips were meant to limit the nation’s hi-tech development.
Russia similarly faces significant technology and semiconductor restrictions imposed by the United States and other Western powers aimed at limiting Moscow’s access to critical technologies following its invasion of Ukraine.
You Chuanman, a senior lecturer at the Singapore University of Social Sciences’ School of Law, said Russia had the talent but it faced sanctions on tech exports that were “much stricter” than those imposed on China.
“It’s much worse than the Chinese situation when it comes to finance, core technologies and semiconductors,” he said.
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