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China to grant zero tariffs on 100% of Seychelles tariff lines

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. China and Seychelles have signed an early harvest arrangement under an economic partnership agreement, with China set to grant zero tariffs on 100% of tariff lines for products from Seychelles, China's Ministry of Commerce said on Friday. The agreement was signed on Thursday. Seychelles will also further open its market to Chinese products under the arrangement, according to the ministry. China will actively advance negotiations on economic partnership agreements for common development with other African countries and implement a zero-tariff policy covering 100% of tariff lines for African countries that have diplomatic ties with China, the ministry said in a press release. The measures aim to help African countries share opportunities from China's market and support long-term, stable and predictable institutional arrangements for China-Africa trade and investment, it said.

September 12, 2026

Business

US declares end to lettuce parasite outbreak that killed 2

Nearly 13,000 people fell ill across 21 states in the nation’s largest recorded cyclosporiasis outbreak US health authorities on Friday declared the ⁠nation’s largest recorded cyclosporiasis outbreak ⁠over, after contaminated iceberg lettuce sickened thousands, though ⁠the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it was still investigating how the parasite entered the food supply. The outbreak, which federal investigators linked to lettuce from central Mexico sourced by Taylor Farms, prompted one of the largest food recalls in recent years and renewed scrutiny of food-safety controls for imported produce. It also rattled consumer confidence, with some ‌shoppers avoiding raw fruits and vegetables as well as dining out, hurting foot traffic at restaurants such as Taco Bell, Sweetgreen and Chipotle. According to data from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 12,883 people across 21 states fell ill after consuming contaminated lettuce. The outbreak resulted in 570 hospitalisations and two deaths, and accounted for more than half of the 19,595 laboratory-confirmed US cyclosporiasis cases reported since May 1. At the peak of the outbreak, before the recall, more than 1,000 infections ⁠were reported in a single day.

September 12, 2026

Business

Philippines bets big on rail, but can it fix a broken transport network?

A US$4.8 billion transport budget will not end Manila’s gridlock unless bus and jeepney services also improve, analysts say A two-hour commute for a 14km (8.7-mile) journey. For Julius Dalay and millions of other Filipinos, this is just how public transport works in Manila: a mishmash of jeepneys, trains and buses that commuters are left to figure out for themselves. Dalay, an environmental planner, is resigned to the chaos. Reaching his destination usually involves hailing a jeepney, then cramming into a packed train and enduring a slow bus crawl along the capital’s main thoroughfares. “You either wait the jeepney out, or you pray to God that the vehicles aren’t packed,” he said. The Philippine government now says it wants to change that, with the roll-out of its biggest transport spending plan in years. But transport planners and commuter advocates warn that money alone will not fix Metro Manila’s problems. The bigger challenge, they say, is making sure existing buses, jeepneys and other modes of public transport are not neglected while costly new projects – still years in the making – get built.

September 12, 2026

Business

Internal splits threaten to slow Brics’ progress as bloc looks back on 20 years of growth

The grouping has emerged as a strong champion of the Global South, but analysts warned that major challenges still lie ahead Chinese President Xi Jinping, along with his Russian and Iranian counterparts Vladimir Putin and Masoud Pezeshkian, are among those meeting in the Indian capital for one of the group’s most closely watched gatherings in years. Brics can point to some achievements over that time, with analysts highlighting its growing influence and role as a champion of the Global South. But serious challenges lie ahead, including major splits on issues such as the best approach to handling the United States and what one observer described as a “bottleneck” impeding its development. The grouping first took shape in 2006 when Brazil, Russia, India and China began informal talks before it was officially established in 2009. It expanded in 2010 to include South Africa, turning it from Bric to Brics. Then Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates joined in 2024, with Indonesia following a year later. A further 10 countries have been brought in as partner nations.

September 12, 2026

Business

Tung Chee-hwa had a clear vision for Hong Kong

The city’s first post-handover leader had strategic instincts to spare, but not the tactical and political skills needed for execution The contrasting assessments of political scientist Sonny Lo Shiu-hing and former Central Policy Unit head Lau Siu-kai frame this debate sharply. Their divergent analyses reveal not merely different judgments of one man, but fundamental disagreements about governance, legitimacy, and vision in the post-handover era. Lo’s critique is unforgiving; some consider it unfair. In his 2001 book, Governing Hong Kong: Legitimacy, Communication and Political Decay, he documents systematic institutional deterioration under Tung’s watch – weakened administrative capacity, executive-legislative paralysis, and the erosion of the once-vaunted civil service. Tung was chosen by a 400-member committee rather than universal suffrage, in accordance with the Basic Law. His administration depended entirely on performance-based credibility. His resignation three months later, ostensibly on health grounds, surprised no one.

September 12, 2026

Business

China teen’s Hong Kong concert trip costs family government subsidies, sparking mixed reaction

Girl’s entertainment expenditure, despite being self-funded, contradicts the fundamental intent of the subsidy scheme, says lawyer A teenage girl in mainland China travelled to Hong Kong to attend a concert of her idol, resulting in her family losing their government living allowances due to her actions being classified as a form of “high-end consumption.” This incident has sparked intense debate in China and has divided public opinion since it was reported by the mainland news portal, The Cover. According to a social media post shared by the girl’s cousin in early September, the girl is a technical secondary school student from Ganzhou in eastern Jiangxi province. She attended a concert in Hong Kong several weeks ago. Her parents, struggling to make a living due to health issues, depend on the city’s living allowance subsidy scheme designed for low-income households, which provides 2,000 yuan (US$300) per month. The girl, whose surname is Huang, informed her family that she could finance her trip to Hong Kong independently. She saved her pocket money and took part in manual labour during the summer holiday, amassing between 3,000 and 5,000 yuan by late August. The identity of her idol has not been disclosed.

September 12, 2026

Business

North Korea launches missile salvo after US-South Korea-Japan drills

The ballistic missiles, which flew about 250km, were fired despite Donald Trump’s recent push for talks with Kim Jong-un The missiles were launched at around 5.20am and flew about 250 km (155 miles), the JCS said in a statement, ‌adding that South Korean and US authorities were conducting a detailed analysis of their specifications. Officials reviewed the ‌government’s response, assessed the impact of the launches on South Korea’s security and examined necessary ⁠measures, the presidential office ⁠said. It urged North Korea to immediately stop ballistic missile launches, calling them a serious violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

September 12, 2026

Business

Taobao’s ‘ugly’ goods find a growing market among China’s young consumers

Items that might have once been seen as unmarketable are going viral online as shoppers embrace quirkiness and novelty over conventional aesthetics Products widely considered “ugly” or “bizarre” have gone viral online in China as millions of young consumers embrace the items’ quirky humour and distinctive character. Cumulative sales of such products on Taobao – an e-commerce platform of Alibaba Group Holding – have surpassed 230 million yuan (US$34.3 million) since 2020, when Taobao launched its so-called Uglies Award to celebrate creatively unusual goods, the platform said recently without specifying exactly what constitutes an “ugly” product. This year also marks Taobao’s second Treasured Uglies Art Exhibition, themed “Ugly, But Mine”, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, where the company is based. The exhibition, which covers an area nearly twice as large as last year’s inaugural event, will be open from Saturday to September 27. “Consumers are not just buying oddly shaped goods, but the emotions, stories and self-expression they carry,” said Hu Yu, project lead for the Uglies Award. “Some keep these items on their work desks, while others wear them to show their personal styles.

September 12, 2026

Business

Senior official asked to resign over defective lifts at Queen Mary Hospital

Chief project manager at the Architectural Services Department left her post last month, sources say A senior Hong Kong government official who oversaw faulty lift installation work that stalled the launch of a new block at Queen Mary Hospital was asked to resign and left her post last month to take responsibility for the defects and delays on other projects, the South China Morning Post has learned. But experts criticised the authorities’ handling of civil service management missteps, which bypassed the established disciplinary mechanism, saying it lacked transparency. Multiple sources said that Tuesday Li Pak-yee, a chief project manager at the Architectural Services Department (ASD) who oversaw the multibillion-dollar redevelopment of the hospital in Pok Fu Lam, left her directorate pay-level post in August. “[Li] was advised by the Architectural Services Department to resign,” a government insider said.

September 12, 2026

Business

Ex-Canada PM Jean Chretien tells US: ‘never mistake our generosity for weakness’

His pointed message was issued in Gander, the Canadian town that sheltered thousands of stranded Americans after the September 11 attacks Standing in the town that sheltered thousands of stranded Americans after the September 11 attacks, former Canadian prime minister Jean Chretien marked the 25th anniversary on Friday with a pointed message for the US: “Never mistake our generosity for weakness.” The 92-year-old former leader, who was prime minister at the time of the attacks, drew a standing ovation after telling his “American friends” that Canadians may be tolerant and kind but “we bow to no one”. US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra rose afterwards and hugged him. “I say that not in anger, but as one friend to another,” Chretien said. “Friends need to be honest with each other.” The unusually blunt remarks came during a solemn ceremony honouring the nearly 3,000 people killed in New York, at the Pentagon and aboard Flight 93, and remembering Gander’s extraordinary response to the attacks. Gander, Newfoundland, opened its arms to nearly 6,600 airline passengers diverted there when the US government shut down airspace during September 11. The remarks came at a striking moment in Canada-US relations.

September 11, 2026

Business

Chinese AI firms shunned US delegation over sanctions fears, commission says

Members stress value of Washington-Beijing dialogue as both sides prepare for dedicated talks on AI governance A US congressional advisory body on China said on Friday that leading Chinese artificial intelligence firms declined to meet its members during a recent Beijing visit over concerns that doing so could expose the firms to US sanctions. But members also underscored the importance of the coming AI dialogue between Washington and Beijing. “We were told, ‘You guys are a really scary commission, and you do hawkish anti-China things, and they’re afraid if they meet with you, they might be put on the entities list,’” said Randy Schriver, the chairman of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) during a panel discussion at Johns Hopkins University. “And we said, ‘Aha, actually meeting with us, we can help you get off the entities list.’ But [they] didn’t seem to buy it.” The commission called the trip a fact-finding mission and said what it learned would inform its ongoing work, including its annual report to Congress on China’s military, economic and technological developments.

September 11, 2026

Business

AI fight shadows final preparations for Xi Jinping’s White House visit to meet Donald Trump

Rising tensions over artificial intelligence are shaping the final preparations for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States. Washington and Beijing are discussing the possibility of folding a long-awaited AI dialogue into a broader economic meeting in the days before Xi meets US President Donald Trump, according to several people familiar with the arrangements. The two leaders agreed in Beijing in May to launch an intergovernmental dialogue on AI. For months, that channel was...

September 11, 2026