On Tuesday, April 3rd, the Trump administration announced a list of about 1,300 Chinese exports that it intended to impose a 25% tariff on. On Wednesday, April 4th, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce fired back with the threat of imposing tariffs on 106 US products that includes planes, cars, and soybeans. It has not been announced when these new tariffs… Read more »
BANGKOK • Thailand has made one of its largest crystal methamphetamine busts, seizing 700 million baht (S$29.4 million) worth of the drug, police said yesterday, as the UN warned that South-east Asia was being flooded with illegal drugs from the “Golden Triangle” region. Police said 700kg of the methamphetamine, destined for Malaysia, was seized on March 28 in southern Chumpon… Read more »
SEOUL (BLOOMBERG) – Facing persistent trade tensions with China and the US, South Korea is deepening ties with Vietnam, which is on course to surpass the US as Korean companies’ second-biggest export market. South Korean President Moon Jae In is looking to expand trade with South-east Asia as one way for corporate giants such as Samsung Electronics Co. to diversify… Read more »
TOKYO (AFP) – On a nondescript patch of land east of Tokyo, cranes are whirring frantically against a city skyscraper backdrop as 200 workers toil on the 2020 Olympic canoe venue. With the Pyeongchang winter games closed, Tokyo is stepping up preparations for the next event on the Olympic calendar, with busy building sites dotted around the Japanese capital. Unlike… Read more »
China is punching back in the escalating trade dispute with the United States, announcing plans for heavy new tariffs on dozens more US goods including aircraft and autos. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday said it plans to impose a 25% tariff on $50 billion worth of US exports. The 106 affected products will also include soybeans and chemicals…. Read more »
It has been reported that North Korea is willing to talk to the United States about giving up its nuclear weapons following the 2018 Olympic games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, has agreed to refrain from conducting nuclear and missile tests while engaging in dialogue with South Korea. North Korea has clarified that if the… Read more »
SEOUL — South Korean prosecutors requested on Tuesday a 30-year prison sentence for disgraced former South Korean president Park Geun-hye, who was impeached last year in a sensational corruption scandal. The requested term, if granted, probably would be a life sentence for Park, who is 66. Prosecutors also asked the Seoul Central District Court to fine her $110 million for her alleged… Read more »
JAKARTA (AFP) – A string of fatal accidents is threatening to derail Indonesia’s relentless infrastructure drive ahead of the Asian Games, a push seen as a key to revving up growth in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy. President Joko Widodo – who is counting on the construction advance for his 2019 re-election bid – temporarily halted all elevated transportation projects, after… Read more »
Seoul, South Korea (CNN)North Korea is willing to talk to the United States about giving up its nuclear weapons, South Korea said Tuesday, in a remarkable development that followed unprecedented meetings in Pyongyang. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also has agreed to refrain from conducting nuclear and missile tests while engaging in dialogue with South Korea, Seoul’s national security… Read more »
Australia and East Timor have signed a historic treaty on a permanent maritime border in the Timor Sea. The deal ends a decade-long dispute between the neighbours over rights to the sea’s rich oil and gas reserves. East Timor, one of the world’s poorest nations, will now gain the majority of any future revenue. The countries signed the deal at… Read more »