eChina.news

Business

Trump ‘not optimistic’ on Jimmy Lai’s release after raising case with Xi

Xi ‘said Jimmy Lai is a tough one for him to do’, US president says on his return trip from Beijing US President Donald Trump has said he is not optimistic about the release of former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who was sentenced to 20 years for violating the national security law, after raising the issue with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during his visit to Beijing. “[Xi] said Jimmy Lai is a tough one for him to do; he went through a lot, right or wrong, they went through a lot,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One during his return flight to the United States. When asked whether the two sides had discussed human rights issues, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Friday that Beijing had repeatedly stated its position on Lai’s case. He said Lai was a key instigator and participant in anti-China and destabilising activities in Hong Kong. “Hong Kong affairs are China’s internal affairs. The central government firmly supports the Hong Kong judiciary in performing its duties in accordance with the law,” Guo said. Trump made the remarks following a highly anticipated two-day summit with Xi in Beijing, adding that the Chinese leader’s response regarding Lai’s release was not positive.

May 16, 2026

Business

US ‘looksmaxxing’ influencer Clavicular given probation for shooting Everglades alligator

Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, is seen in a social media video shooting at the animal to test ‘how dead it is’ On March 26 in the Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area, Peters was among a group of men on an airboat that had stopped near an alligator that did not appear to be moving, according to videos posted on social media. “Is it dead?” Peters asked in the video. “So could we shoot it?” A few seconds later, he said, “Let’s test really how dead it is.” “He just wants to shoot something,” said Andrew Morales, 22, an influencer who goes by “The Cuban Tarzan” on social media, video clips posted on X show. “He’s itching.” Someone out of the camera’s view told Morales: “Well, we’re good. You can pretty much do whatever safely.” Morales was seen in the video unholstering a gun from his hip and shooting twice at the alligator in the water. Peters then stood up and shot the alligator repeatedly, and Morales joined in again and also shot the animal repeatedly.

May 16, 2026

Business

The West was never the whole world. It’s time to move on

As Asia reclaims its roots, the burden of reinvention now falls on the West. Its brief era of supremacy was a historical aberration Western social science has made three metaphysical mistakes. The first was to assume that its laws and lessons were, like the physical sciences, universally applicable to all societies. Harvard Professor Theodore Levitt captured the prevailing zeitgeist well when he wrote in 1983: “The world’s needs and desires have been irrevocably homogenised.” One indirect consequence of this assumption – that the whole world was converging towards a common set of tastes and aspirations – was that Western universities progressively abandoned area studies. This has left the West ill-equipped to see how profoundly the world has changed since the 1980s. The second mistake was the belief that Western civilisation’s exceptional success over the past two centuries represented the historical norm. A century ago, many leading Asian minds shared this belief. In 1885, the Meiji-era Japanese reformer Yukichi Fukuzawa wrote that “once the wind of Western civilisation blows to the East, every blade of grass and every tree in the East follow what the Western wind brings”.

May 16, 2026

Business

Can AI-assisted unmanned vessels be Beijing’s answer to South China Sea patrols?

Near-silent autonomous surveillance vessels that can keep going for months on end recommended for Chinese maritime enforcement Writing in the latest issue of Naval and Merchant Ships, owned by China State Shipbuilding Corporation, Chen Xin and Chen Ruimiao said the self-powered vessels could be “of great value” to the sustainable management of distant waters. By converting vertical wave motion into forward thrust using a submerged fin assembly attached below the boat, these small wave-powered autonomous vessels could be deployed long term in the far seas, they wrote. USVs could be used for routine Chinese patrols in distant waters and around islands and reefs, according to the article, which added that China could also use the technology for persistent monitoring of illegal activities as well as far-sea search and rescue operations. Countries around the world still depend largely on traditional naval assets, including destroyers, patrol aircraft and submarines to support anti-submarine warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

May 16, 2026

Business

Hong Kong market regulator takes on ‘collection agent’ role for wronged investors

SFC follows international peers by pursuing compensation for victims rather than fines in some cases of securities misconduct On a warm Saturday in early May, the kind of day most would choose to spend on a hike or at the beach, hundreds of Hongkongers instead stood for hours in a queue at Edinburgh Tower in Central. With HK$2.5 billion in settlements in just a few months, the SFC is aligning with an international trend, joining regulators from the US, UK and Europe in a shift to fighting for monetary compensation in cases of financial misconduct, rather than jail terms and fines. The approach aims to avoid lengthy legal battles while buttressing investor confidence by sending a strong message about market integrity. “Hong Kong regulators are likely to continue to use settlement as a new enforcement strategy, to act as a collection agent seeking compensation for small investors,” said Kenny Tang Sing-hing, chairman of the Hong Kong Institute of Financial Analysts and Professional Commentators. “This makes sense because Hong Kong does not have US-style class-action lawsuits for small investors to seek claims.

May 16, 2026

Business

Japan’s restaurant sector left hungry for talent after visa suspension

The number of foreigners holding Type I visas in the food industry has reached roughly 46,000, on course to surpass the quota of 50,000 The sudden suspension by Japan’s immigration authorities has raised the spectre of fierce competition for foreign talent. Long known for its strict immigration policy, the country has been increasingly counting on foreign workers amid labour shortages. The number of foreign workers with Type I status in the food service industry reached roughly 46,000 by the end of February, according to preliminary data, on course to surpass the quota of 50,000 for the 2028 financial year. As the Immigration Services Agency has suspended the issuance of certificates of eligibility for Type I Specified Skilled Worker visa applications since April 13, some operators have warned that foreign workers whom they had been helping to obtain such visas may return to their home countries and not come back to work in Japan. Type I visa holders can work in Japan for up to five years, but they cannot bring their family members. There is no limit on the length of stay for those with Type II visas, accompanied by their family members.

May 16, 2026

Business

How to prevent Hong Kong from becoming just another Asian city

As urban experiences become more homogenous, Hong Kong must lead with what makes it different if it hopes to keep bringing in visitors At the same time, they have also produced a side effect. From retail districts to dining concepts and lifestyle precincts, many urban experiences are starting to feel familiar, regardless of where one travels. The same global brands anchor shopping centres. The same cafe formats and dining concepts appear across neighbourhoods. Even curated cultural spaces are often built around similar playbooks, combining art, retail and leisure in ways that are increasingly standardised.

May 16, 2026

Business

Google’s YouTube, Snap settle first-of-its-kind school social media suit ahead of trial

The suit is the first of over 1,200 cases nationwide in which school districts allege that social media addiction has disrupted learning The trial will serve as a test case for more than 1,200 similar lawsuits nationwide in which school districts allege that the biggest social media companies have harmed students so badly that it is undermining the education system. The spate of lawsuits could open the tech companies to a “collective theoretical liability of almost US$400 billion,” according to an estimate from Bloomberg Intelligence. The terms of the settlements were not disclosed in Friday’s filings. “This matter has been amicably resolved and our focus remains on building age-appropriate products and parental controls that deliver on that promise.”

May 16, 2026

Business

Hong Kong to test first flying cars carrying heavy cargo within 6 months

Passenger flights could be next if electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft trials moving building materials to New Territories succeed Trial flights for Hong Kong’s first two-tonne electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft could take place within the next six months, initially to transport heavy construction materials to remote sites in the New Territories. Infrastructure consultancy AECOM said once aviation safety for cargo logistics was proved, the potential next step was ecotourism, providing an alternative sustainable option for Victoria Harbour aerial sightseeing tours. The trial was part of a recently launched regulatory sandbox X aimed at boosting the city’s low-altitude economy. Steven Lui, AECOM’s technical director of traffic and transport planning, said he expected the first eVTOL flight in Hong Kong within the next six months. “From the way we are talking to the government right now, including [the] Civil Aviation Department we are talking about, in the next six months, there will be a first flight,” Lui said.

May 16, 2026

Business

China couple make wedding memorable by hosting wrestling match, with loser facing housework

Newlyweds opt to put on professional grappling showdown instead of traditional nuptials; guests lap it up A couple in southwestern China turned their wedding into a professional wrestling showdown, with the loser agreeing to do the housework for life. Unlike conventional competitive sports, professional wrestling is a choreographed combat performance. The groom, He Yinsheng, a professional wrestler from Zunyi in Guizhou province, staged the unusual celebration with his wife at a local hotel in early May. In place of a traditional wedding stage, the couple installed a wrestling ring, with a giant screen displaying a dramatic “Groom vs Bride” poster. The newlyweds then led their respective teams into a best-of-three contest, governed by one lighthearted rule: the losing side would be consigned to household chores.

May 16, 2026

Business

Iran war fallout triggers massive biofuel shift across Asia

Taxi driver Ravi Ranjan, who lives with his wife and child in New Delhi, said shipping disruptions caused by the Iran war had forced him to pay higher prices for cooking fuel at a time when India’s prime minister was also urging residents to reduce driving and travel. It was all hitting his bottom line, Ranjan said, as he was paying three times as much for liquid petroleum gas after facing delays on delivery of the cooking fuel. “I used to get a cylinder of LPG for 1,000 rupees (US$10), now I...

May 16, 2026

Business

Beyond bamboo: Vietnam’s To Lam mounts a diplomacy offensive

Vietnam’s To Lam is a man in a hurry. Since claiming the nation’s top job, its most powerful leader in decades has been in near-constant motion, pressing flesh and signing deals in Beijing, Washington, Pyongyang and Moscow. His itinerary, which also included stops in New Delhi, Helsinki, Paris, London and several Southeast Asian capitals, reads less like a diplomatic calendar than a world tour – and analysts say that is precisely the point. “Where previous leaders practised a restrained,...

May 16, 2026