Recently, the Japanese government has withdrawn their envoy the country of South Korea. Why? Because South Korean activists are simply reminding Japan of it’s past offenses regarding treatment of Korean women during the second world war. The general gist of the story is, Korean activists erected a statue of a Korean “comfort woman”, to represent the over 200,000 women and girls… Read more »
Macau is the lesser known of the People’s Republic of China’s two special administrative regions (SARs) on the Pearl River delta (the other being Hong Kong). It was founded by Portuguese traders in 1557 and since then was a lucrative trade port between Europe and East Asia. In 1999, the Portuguese government returned the colony to Chinese sovereign control, and… Read more »
(BBC): The US should block access to islands built by China in contested waters of the South China Sea, Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state says. The comments, which are likely to hike tensions with Beijing, were made by Rex Tillerson at his confirmation hearing. Beijing has been building artificial islands on reefs in waters also claimed by other… Read more »
(REUTERS): China and Russia have agreed to take further unspecified “countermeasures” in response to a U.S. plan to deploy an anti-missile system in South Korea, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday. The countermeasures “will be aimed at safeguarding interests of China and Russia and the strategic balance in the region”, Xinhua said, citing a statement released after a China-Russia security… Read more »
(Bloomberg): Iron ore imports by China surged to a record above 1 billion metric tons last year as unexpectedly strong steel production and lower local mine output combined to fire up demand in the world’s top buyer for cargoes from Australia and Brazil, supporting a rebound in prices. Asia’s top economy imported 1.024 billion tons in 2016, up 7.5 percent from a… Read more »
(CNBC): For the month, exports decreased 6.1 percent on-year in dollar-denominated terms, compared with a 0.1 percent increase in the previous month, Reuters reported on Friday, citing official data. Imports meanwhile rose 3.1 percent from a year ago, down from November’s 6.7 percent growth. December’s trade balance stood at $40.82 billion, versus $44.61 billion in the previous month For 2016, Chinese… Read more »
North Korea, or otherwise formally known as The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), said this week that they are capable of testing an interconinental ballistic missile, or an ICBM. This news comes after leader Kim Jong Un saying that his country was nearing capacity to test launch an ICBM on the first of the new year. In response, The… Read more »
Al Jazeera: A South Korean monk is in critical condition after setting himself ablaze to protest against the country’s deal with Japan on compensation for wartime sex slaves. The 64-year-old Buddhist monk suffered third-degree burns across his body and serious damage to vital organs following his self-immolation during a rally late on Saturday in the capital, Seoul, calling on impeached President… Read more »
Al Jazeera: China has announced plans to set up an “environmental police” force responsible for enforcing pollution restrictions across the capital Beijing in a bid to improve the city’s notorious air quality. Cai Qi, who is both the deputy chief of the country’s ruling party and mayor of Beijing, promised to impose tougher measures in the city’s 16 districts to combat… Read more »
Al Jazeera: Tokyo has recalled its ambassador to South Korea to protest against the placing of a statue symbolising victims of Japanese wartime sex slavery outside Japan’s consulate in the city of Busan. Talks between the two countries over a new currency swap agreement have also been suspended due to the statue, according to Japan’s chief government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga…. Read more »