The Australian government has banned social media video app TikTok from politicians and public servants’ work devices after getting advice from intelligence and security agencies. In a statement, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said exceptions would only be granted on a case…
China Box Office: Makoto Shinkai’s anime hit Suzume soars with $50m opening
Japanese anime maestro Makoto Shinkai’s latest feature Suzume shot to the top of China’s theatrical box office over the weekend, earning a strong $50 million, the biggest start for a non-Chinese film this year. The performance underscores the growing potency…
China announces detention of Japanese national on suspicion of espionage activities
China has said it was detaining a Japanese national on suspicion of espionage, after Tokyo urged Beijing to release one of its citizens. “Relevant Chinese authorities took criminal coercive measures this month against a Japanese citizen, in accordance with the…
Jack Ma: Alibaba founder seen in China after long absence
Alibaba founder Jack Ma, who has rarely been seen in public in the past three years, has resurfaced at a school in Hangzhou, a report says. The 58-year-old has kept a low profile since criticising China’s financial regulators in 2020.…
US Envoy visits 3 US citizens jailed in China, official says
Chinese American citizen Kai Li, jailed in China on spying charges that he denies, received a rare in-person visit last week from the U.S. ambassador to Beijing and urged the U.S. government to continue to work for his release, Li’s…
Sri Lanka to get first tranche of $2.9b bailout in two days: IMF
Sri Lanka will get the first $330m tranche of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package in the next two days, says the global lender, putting the onus on the cash-strapped country to rein in its debt to sustainable levels.…
TikTok’s US future at stake as boss faces Congress showdown
On Thursday, TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, will be opening a lion’s mouth and placing his own head into it. He’s giving testimony in the US Congress for the first time, a scary thing to do. And at stake is…
Putin to Xi: We will discuss your plan to end the war in Ukraine
Vladimir Putin has said he will discuss Xi Jinping’s 12-point plan to “settle the acute crisis in Ukraine”, during a highly anticipated visit to Moscow by the Chinese president. “We’re always open for a negotiation process,” Mr Putin said, as…
Doctor who exposed China’s cover-up of Sars crisis dies aged 91
A military surgeon who exposed the Chinese government’s cover-up of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) epidemic 20 years ago and lived for years under intermittent house arrest has died in Beijing. He was 91. Dr Jiang Yanyong died of…
China appoints Li Qiang, a trusted ally of Xi Jinping, as premier
China’s rubber-stamp legislature has appointed Li Qiang, a long-time aide of leader Xi Jinping, as premier, the man tasked with reviving the world’s second-largest economy after three years of zero-Covid restrictions. The National People’s Congress endorsed Li in a largely…
