eChina.news

Business

Philippine lawmaker holes up in Senate as ICC confirms drug war warrant

The ICC confirmed the warrant had been confidentially issued last November and kept under seal A sitting Philippine senator wanted by the International Criminal Court for his role in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war took refuge inside the Senate on Monday to avoid arrest by government agents. Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, the country’s one-time police chief, was under the Senate’s protection “in accordance with our rules and Philippine laws”, newly elected Senate President and Duterte ally Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters. “We will allow an arrest under the condition that it is a Philippine court,” he added. The Senate was on “lockdown”, officers told AFP journalists who saw barbed wire and riot police surrounding the compound’s closed gates. Only hours earlier, Dela Rosa – not seen publicly since November – had appeared at the Senate to cast a vote for Cayetano, a move that came just as members of the House of Representatives were impeaching Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio. Video released by the Senate showed Dela Rosa being chased through the halls of the upper chamber, pursued by members of the National Bureau of Investigation.

May 11, 2026

Business

Trump gala shooter pleads not guilty to all charges

The charges include attempted assassination of the president, assault on ⁠a federal officer and firearms offences The ⁠man accused of attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump at a White House reporters’ gala last month pleaded not guilty ‌to all charges on Monday. Cole Allen, 31, did not speak in court as his lawyer entered the plea on his behalf. The charges include attempted assassination of the president, assault on ⁠a federal officer and firearms offences. Prosecutors allege Allen fired ‌a shotgun at a US Secret Service agent and stormed a security checkpoint ‌in a foiled attack on Trump and other ⁠members of ⁠his administration at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Allen wore an ‌orange jumpsuit and was shackled at the waist during the brief proceeding. ‌It ‌was his first appearance in Washington federal court ‌before the judge who will preside over the ⁠remainder of the case, US District Judge Trevor McFadden. The ⁠hearing came a week after a different judge apologised to Allen for his treatment ‌in a local ‌Washington DC jail, which included being placed on suicide precautions and isolated from other inmates.

May 11, 2026

Business

China deepens footprint at AI conference despite NeurIPS dispute, US tensions

Alibaba, ByteDance, other Chinese tech giants top paper submissions in conference, quelling worries over geopolitics impacting participation Papers with contributors from mainland China and Hong Kong accounted for over 51 per cent of accepted submissions, compared with just under 32 per cent from the United States, according to statistics compiled from the listed affiliations for 5,355 accepted papers at this year’s International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR). This year’s event, held in Rio de Janeiro from April 23 to 27, received about 19,000 submissions with an acceptance rate of 28 per cent. The strong Chinese presence at ICLR comes after several major professional bodies in China urged domestic researchers to boycott NeurIPS. The call came after NeurIPS organisers published a new policy that appeared to bar US-sanctioned entities from taking part. While the NeurIPS Foundation later clarified that its policy did not include major Chinese AI companies such as Huawei Technologies, the dispute raised questions over whether Chinese institutions would reduce their participation in international AI conferences.

May 11, 2026

Business

Trump urged to raise cases of detained Americans when he meets Xi in Beijing

In letter to US president, congressional commission says silence will leave China free to ‘use human beings as bargaining chips’ “The CCP’s repression does not stop at China’s borders. It is designed to pressure people in the United States, chill speech and advocacy on US soil, and demonstrate that the party can impose costs on Americans and their loved ones with impunity,” it said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. It also urges him to raise the cases of Ezra Jin Mingri, a pastor at the unregistered Zion Church, Gulshan Abbas, a retired Uygur doctor, and Ekpar Asat, founder of a Uygur-language website. “In each of these cases, the CCP is not only punishing an individual. It is sending a message both at home and abroad that it can control the lives of people in China and reach into American families and influence conduct in the United States,” the commission said.

May 11, 2026

Business

Hong Kong braces for typhoon season with 50,000 sandbags, flood barriers

Civil Engineering and Development Department introduces new guidelines for communities, property managers and businesses near coastal areas Hong Kong authorities have prepared 50,000 sandbags and several water-filled flood barriers to brace for the coming typhoon season, while enhancement works at the high-risk Tseung Kwan O promenade are set to be completed by the end of this year. The Civil Engineering and Development Department on Monday also introduced new guidelines on shoreline management for communities, property managers and businesses operating near the coastal areas. The guidelines include simple infographics on how to set up protective barriers against high tides and flooding. The Observatory has forecast that the city will experience between four and seven typhoons from June to October, with heavy rain and localised torrential downpours expected during the season. Cheung Wing-hong, the acting deputy head of the department’s civil engineering office, said construction of flood walls at the Tseung Kwan O promenade had begun, with the final phase expected to be completed by the end of this year.

May 11, 2026

Business

Will Starmer’s election woes force a shake-up in the UK’s ties with China?

British prime minister’s dwindling authority may see him come under pressure to shift policies, Chinese experts say While some in Starmer’s party might push for changes in policy towards China, a U-turn on the government’s pro-engagement strategy was unlikely, the observers said, arguing that Britain’s economic position would make this move too costly. Voters in Wales and Scotland went to the polls to choose representatives in their devolved legislatures. While Labour shed seats in both, the results in Wales were particularly damaging as the party lost power for the first time since devolution in 1999. These results were widely expected, as Labour has steadily fallen in both national and regional polls since the 2024 general election.

May 11, 2026

Business

US-China negotiations seek a quick Seoul search for deals ahead of Trump’s visit

Setting stage for presidential summit with Xi in Beijing, Bessent and He to meet in South Korea, and the ‘3 Bs’ could be on the cards Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng will meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in South Korea this week, both sides have confirmed, marking the latest in a series of diplomatic sprints intended to stabilise the world’s most consequential economic relationship. The meeting appears aimed at “reaching some quick deals” for Trump and President Xi Jinping to sign in Beijing later this week, said Xu Tianchen, senior economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit. “However, the rush will preclude the conclusion of a wide-ranging agreement,” he said. “I’d blame the United States for this hasty meeting. Its attention was diverted by Iran until very recently.” On Sunday, Bessent said on social media that he would first meet Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo on Tuesday, before meeting He in Seoul on Wednesday.

May 11, 2026

Business

No hotpot: Hong Kong dog-friendly restaurants face menu and layout limits

Food and Environmental Hygiene Department says officers will patrol licensed premises every day in first month after issuing permits Hong Kong restaurants applying for a licence that allows dogs will have to remove any hotpot from their menus and change their layout to comply with new regulations aimed at ensuring food and pet safety. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) also said on Monday that officers would patrol the premises every day in the first month to inspect and understand their operations, provide advice and ensure compliance with permit conditions. The department held the first in a series of public briefings for operators before applications open on May 18, explaining rules that will take effect in mid-July. In the first phase, applications will be capped at 1,000 restaurants. If the number exceeds the quota, places will be allocated by ballot. Restaurants larger 215 square feet (20 square metres) can apply, but hotpot, teppanyaki and barbecue restaurants, including Korean-style establishments, are not eligible for safety reasons. Under the policy, dogs must be kept on leads no longer than 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) and remain under the control of an adult.

May 11, 2026

Business

Poland’s ex-minister facing prosecution at home travels from Hungary to US

Former Justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro faces prosecution for alleged abuse of power A former Polish justice minister sought in his homeland for alleged abuse of power says he has travelled from Hungary to the US, prompting prosecutors in Poland to say on Monday that they are investigating whether he was assisted in evading liability. Zbigniew Ziobro was a key figure in the government led by the nationalist conservative Law and Justice party that ran Poland between 2015 and 2023. That administration established political control over key judicial institutions by stacking higher courts with friendly judges and punishing its critics with disciplinary action or assignments to faraway locations. Ziobro announced in January that he had been granted asylum in Hungary, then led by nationalist prime minister Viktor Orban. On Sunday, Ziobro told right-wing Polish broadcaster Republika that he had arrived in the United States the previous day – coinciding with the inauguration in Budapest of Orban’s successor, Peter Magyar, who defeated the long-time leader in an election last month. He said that he was using a document granted to him along with his right to asylum, Polish news agency PAP reported.

May 11, 2026

Business

Malaysia’s Umno marks 80th anniversary with show of Malay political power

The party held its celebrations in the Johor palace where it was founded, signalling it is back on track ahead of coming state polls Umno was thrown into the political wilderness in 2018 after six decades in power, rejected by voters angered by rising living costs and allegations of widespread corruption in that year’s watershed national election. Umno is now preparing to defend its overwhelming majority in the southern states of Johor and Melaka in state polls that party insiders expect will be held in the second half of this year, as a warm up for a national election due by early 2028 at the latest. And the move to celebrate Umno’s 80th anniversary in Johor on Monday was the clearest indication yet of its ambition to recapture a vote base lost to a Malay nationalist opposition coalition wracked by infighting.

May 11, 2026

Business

Huawei’s secretive chip lab featured on prime-time TV ahead of Trump’s trip to China

Tech giant’s advances in AI and semiconductors reflect Beijing’s push for tech breakthroughs and self-sufficiency amid US sanctions Huawei Technologies’ little-known chip research lab has been thrust into the national spotlight as Beijing flexes its technology muscles ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China later this week. The Chip Fundamental Technology Research Laboratory was featured for the first time on national television on Friday, when Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei hosted Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang at the firm’s Lianqiu Lake campus in Shanghai, according to footage aired on China Central Television’s prime-time news programme Xinwen Lianbo. While the segment did not disclose details of the technologies under development, Huawei’s chip progress is being closely watched for signs of China’s ability to overcome Western export restrictions. Semiconductors remain at the heart of the Sino-US tech war as Trump heads to China for a state visit on May 13, his first trip to the country in his second term. Huawei has emerged as the face of Beijing’s drive for self-sufficiency, representing China’s strongest pushback against tightening US export controls.

May 11, 2026

Business

Latin America is reassessing the benefits of warm ties with Beijing

From Honduras to Cuba and Venezuela, leaders are taking a more transactional view of what relations with Beijing really bring Beijing’s position in Latin America is far from collapsing, looking at the number of countries in the region that have switched diplomatic ties to it from Taipei. But in parts of the continent, governments are increasingly reassessing what their relationships with Beijing are delivering economically and politically. The shift is becoming visible in countries such as Honduras, Venezuela and Cuba, where economic strain, energy instability and geopolitical pressure are exposing the limits of partnerships that only a few years ago appeared strategically transformative. For Beijing, Latin America remains an important arena for diplomacy, trade and long-term geopolitical influence. Chinese investment, infrastructure financing and commodity demand has helped expand its presence across the region during the past two decades. But recent developments suggest that diplomatic gains alone may no longer guarantee durable political or economic influence. But expectations surrounding the relationship have increasingly come under pressure.

May 11, 2026