China Executive Insights
Japanese automaker partners with Texas-based firm for zero-emission transport Toyota will ship cars and car parts using zero-emission trucks in the U.S. (Toyota Motor) BOSTON, Massachusetts -- Toyota Motor will use 40 fuel cell trucks for transporting cars and car parts in the U.S. under a partnership with Texas-based Hyroad Energy.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang says responsibility for fire safety ultimately lies with the Fire Services Department, amid fallout from deadly Tai Po blaze Hong Kong’s security chief has reaffirmed that fire services will act as the gatekeeper for safety after a legal vacuum was exposed during an inquiry into the city’s deadliest blaze in decades, stressing the department’s existing manpower could cope with expanded oversight duties. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung on Tuesday reiterated the pledge earlier made by Fire Services Department Director Andy Yeung Yan-kin during the hearings into the inferno at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. The blaze that raged across seven of the eight towers at the housing estate last November was the deadliest in Hong Kong since 1948, killing 168 people and displacing nearly 5,000. “The responsibility for fire safety ultimately lies with the Fire Services Department. We are the department acting as the final gatekeeper,” Tang told lawmakers at a panel meeting.
Islamabad’s elevated stature in Middle East security could make it ‘the operational face of Chinese defence systems’ via regional deployment For most military powers, proving the success of one’s technology in real combat almost always requires undertaking the grave risks of war and human casualties. Analysts said Islamabad’s higher profile in the Iran conflict could also boost Chinese weapons systems, giving them “exposure without risks” following Pakistan’s recent deployment of fighter jets in Saudi Arabia. On April 11, Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry announced the arrival of Pakistan’s military at King Abdulaziz Air Base in the kingdom’s eastern province, as part of the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) signed between the “two brotherly countries”.
As cases of addiction linked to claw machines rise, the South China Morning Post examines the city’s regulatory push and lessons from overseas After years of debate over whether claw and pinball machines encourage high-stakes gambling, Hong Kong has finally proposed stricter oversight to curb gaming, particularly among teenagers. Cases of addiction linked to these machines are rising in the city, but drawing a clear distinction between gaming and gambling remains difficult. As Hong Kong prepares to amend relevant laws, The South China Morning Post examines how other jurisdictions regulate the trend and asks an expert from an addiction counselling centre whether their approaches could work locally. Claw machine shops have proliferated across Hong Kong, particularly after a 2022 court ruling that operators were not required to obtain a public entertainment licence These businesses have evolved to offer high-value prizes. Some pinball machine shops have also been accused of cashing out rewards through “gift redemption” or “private buy-backs”, attracting customers to spend large sums of money or extended periods of time.
Ronald Dela Rosa has not reported for work since reports of him being targeted by the ICC as a co-perpetrator in Duterte’s deadly drug war Dela Rosa has, however, continued to receive his salary, prompting civil society groups and other critics to ask why an elected lawmaker can stay away from work and still be paid with public funds. As chairman of the Senate Committee on National Defence and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, he was supposed to sponsor the 2026 budget of the Department of National Defence and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The plenary process was delayed due to his absence. Dela Rosa, who was re-elected last year, has not appeared in the chamber since November 11, after reports circulated that he could be arrested as a “co-conspirator” in the ICC case against Duterte. Last year, shortly after Duterte was arrested and flown to detention in The Hague, Dela Rosa said he was thinking of going into hiding.
China is moving to resume large-scale purchases of United States liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil, as supply disruptions in the Middle East and tightening fuel markets across Asia force Beijing to recalibrate its energy strategy. Some observ…
TOKYO — As US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and military adventurism chip away at the dollar’s credibility, the privilege may be all China’s. The reference here is to the phrase coined by France’s finance minister in the 1960s, Valery Giscard d…
China has staked roughly US$145 billion in investments and construction contracts across the Middle East, while Iranian oil alone accounts for 13–14% of its imports. Yet Beijing maintains no permanent military presence in the volatile region, with it…
China has urged the United States and Iran to return to the negotiating table after Washington launched an operation to close the Strait of Hormuz on Monday and threatened to impose 50% tariffs on countries providing weapons to Tehran. US President D…
TOKYO – Amid all the smoke surrounding a Chinese slowdown, economists are getting a view of some serious fire this week. Case in point: exports grew just 2.5% year-on-year in March, a rate markedly below the previous few months. It’s the clearest ind…
The United States has threatened to impose sanctions on Chinese banks if they are found to be involved in handling money from Iran’s oil trade payments, marking a sharp escalation in efforts to tighten financial pressure on Tehran. The warning came a…
TOKYO — On top of the tariffs, wars and inflation upending the global economy, US chieftains are grappling with a new question: which tech companies might get “BYD-ed” next? The reference here is to the Chinese electric-vehicle juggernaut…