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[1/5] A woman works inside a cannabis shop, at Khaosan Road, one of the favourite tourist spots in Bangkok, Thailand, March 29, 2023. Thousands of cannabis shops and businesses have sprung up, especially in Bangkok and tourist spots, since Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to decriminalise the drug. A deluge of marijuana smuggled in from abroad has swamped Thailand, driving down wholesale prices and hurting growers, the industry members said. He did not comment on the scale of smuggled cannabis in the market or its impact on farmers. "A lot of cannabis that's coming in from the U.S. is going to dispensaries in Bangkok or Phuket or Pattaya," she said.

[1/2] Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha attends the draw for the party's list usage for the upcoming election ahead an event by the election commission in Bangkok, Thailand, April 4, 2023. The election broadly pits political groups backed by the royalist military and Bangkok establishment against an opposition led by the populist Pheu Thai party, which together with its previous incarnations has won every election since 2001. Pita Limjaroenrat, another opposition figure, was nominated by his Move Forward party, popular among young voters. Political experts say the generals would have an advantage in the race, having led the junta that appointed the current slate of senators. Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Exclusive: Elon Musk plans China visit, seeks meeting with premier
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG, March 31 (Reuters) - Tesla (TSLA.O) Chief Executive Elon Musk is making plans to visit China as early as April and is seeking a meeting with China's Premier Li Qiang, two people with knowledge of planning for the trip told Reuters. The exact timing of the visit is subject to Li Qiang's availability, one of the sources said. China is Tesla's second-largest market after the United States and its Shanghai plant is the electric carmaker's largest production hub. A visit by Musk would mark his first visit to China since the COVID-19 pandemic and since Xi Jinping secured a third term as China's president. The sources did not say what Musk intends to discuss with Li or do in China.

☆ Thai PM Prayuth to run for re-election in May
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/8] Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, as the PM candidate from the United Thai Nation Party (Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party), gestures with party's members during an event to unveil the party's candidates list and campaing for the upcoming election, in Bangkok, Thailand, March 25, 2023. REUTERS/Athit PerawongmethaBANGKOK, March 25 (Reuters) - Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was officially nominated for re-election on Saturday as his party's first candidate for the country's next leader in polls set for May 14. Prayuth, 69, is running with the new United Thai Nation Party, and will likely face Pheu Thai party's Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter and niece of two former premiers from the billionaire family. "We volunteer to make everyone as happy as possible," Prayuth said at a party event to introduce its candidates for all 400 constituencies. Party leader Pirapan Salirathavibhaga was nominated as the party's No.

☆ Thai PM slips in opinion poll, rival pulls ahead as election looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha speaks to members of media at the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, March 20, 2023. Thailand is expected to hold an election in May, which will continue a long-running political battle between the Shinawatra family and conservative pro-military establishment. "Poll is a poll. Paetongtarn, 36, better known locally by her nickname "Ung Ing" is one of the nominees for prime minister for the Pheu Thai party, which together with its previous incarnations has won every Thai election since 2001. The NIDA Poll, which surveyed 2,000 voters across Thailand in March, also showed that nearly 50% of respondents said they would back parliamentary candidates from Pheu Thai.

☆ China's economy, government revamp in focus as parliament set to open
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Tony Munroe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Thomas PeterBEIJING, March 5 (Reuters) - China opens its annual parliamentary session on Sunday, with the National People's Congress (NPC) set to implement the biggest government shakeup in a decade as Beijing confronts a host of challenges and looks to revive its COVID-battered economy. During the NPC, former Shanghai party chief Li Qiang, a longtime Xi ally, is expected to be confirmed as premier. "We might see institutional changes that indicate an elevated importance of, and more party control over, the financial regulatory system," Goldman Sachs analysts wrote. On the opening day of the NPC, China is also likely to announce its central and military spending budgets. Reporting by Tony Munroe; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Club holding Meta is likely to be a winner in the nascent generative AI battle
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Meta Platforms (META) is muscling its way into a heated AI arms race just as competitors Microsoft (MSFT) and Alphabet (GOOGL) are making big strides. Generative AI encompasses a set of machine learning techniques that allow computers to generate text, images and other media in response to human queries. The Facebook parent's generative AI capabilities are competitive, according to Mark Zgutowicz, a research analyst at Benchmark. META 1Y mountain Meta Platforms (META) one-year performance. We also expect Meta to benefit from it's partnership with Club holding Nvidia (NVDA), whose semiconductors and related software are integral to the generative AI field.

[1/4] A worker walks across a construction site in the Central Business District, ahead of the opening of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, China, February 28, 2023. Nearly 3,000 delegates will gather in the Great Hall of the People west of Tiananmen Square for the first National People's Congress (NPC) of the post-zero-COVID era, although some precautions remain including testing and quarantine for journalists. It will also discuss Xi's plans for an "intensive" and "wide-ranging" re-organisation of state and Communist Party entities, state media reported on Tuesday, after a three-day meeting of the party's central committee. China's economy grew just 3% last year, one of its worst showings in nearly half a century. "We will strive to spur growth and have policy tools to do that, mainly by channelling money into big projects," Xu Hongcai, deputy director of the economic policy commission at the state-backed China Association of Policy Science, told Reuters.

☆ Exclusive: Daughter of Thaksin banking on nostalgia to win Thailand election
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Juarawee Kittisilpa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 36, the Pheu Thai Party's most visible candidate for prime minister, speaks during the general election campaign in Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand, February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Athit PerawongmethaAMNAT CHAROEN, Thailand, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Touting her billionaire family's legacy of populism and massive election victories, Thailand's Paetongtarn Shinawatra is emerging as the candidate to beat in upcoming polls, betting that nostalgia can win millions of working class votes. And only through stable politics can people's lives change in a sustainable manner," she said, while campaigning in the northeast. Thaksin and Yingluck were toppled by the army in 2006 and 2014 respectively, despite overseeing big economic growth. Thailand's election is shaping up to be another grudge match between warring elites in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy.

☆ Activists urge Thailand's opposition to scrap royal insult law if elected
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Thailand has some of the world's strictest lese majeste laws, with punishments of up to 15 years in prison for each perceived royal insult. Eight activists met on Tuesday with the Pheu Thai party and said scrapping Article 112 must be a priority. "If the Pheu Thai Party want to win by a landslide, they need to revoke 112," activist Somyot Prueksakasemsuk said ahead of the meeting. No political party has ever called for it to be revoked, though several support debate on its enforcement or reducing punishments. After the meeting, Natiporn Sanesangkhom, one of the activists, said Pheu Thai gave no firm answer on abolishing article 112.

BANGKOK, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Thailand's ruling pro-military Palang Pracharat party has chosen political veteran and former army chief Prawit Wongsuwon as its prime minister candidate, a senior official said on Friday, as parties gear up for an election that must be held by May. "He is the centre of the party ... our members, parliamentarians all see him as talented and most suitable," Palang Pracharat's deputy leader Paiboon Nititawan said after a party meeting. Both are former army chiefs who often refer to each other as brothers, hailing from the elite Queen's Guard unit. In a Facebook post on Wednesday Prawit said "politicians must be able to work with all parties, compromise to reduce conflict and adhere to the public interest." A "divide and conquer" strategy might work, he added, with Prawit's party able to win votes in areas where Prayuth may not be popular.

☆ Thai PM walks out of news conference over question on ex-leader Thaksin
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha campaigns as the PM candidate for the United Thai Nation Party (Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party) ahead of a general election this year in Bangkok, Thailand, January 9, 2023. REUTERS/Chalinee ThirasupaBANGKOK, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The mere mention of Thailand's ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra prompted Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to walk out of a news conference this week, irked by talk of the exiled political heavyweight's long-touted return. I don't like it," Prayuth said on Wednesday cutting off a reporter's question about Thaksin, before walking away from the podium and out of the venue. Paetongtarn, 36, last week declared her readiness to be prime minister with the Pheu Thai Party, which won most seats in the 2019 election but not enough to form a government. Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Daughter of Thailand's exiled former PM Thaksin to seek premiership
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BANGKOK, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The daughter of Thailand's self-exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra has declared her readiness to run for prime minister in an election this year, as the main opposition seeks to regain power after being ousted in a coup eight years ago. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, whose father Thaksin and aunt Yingluck Shinawatra both led governments toppled by the army, will run under the Pheu Thai Party, the latest incarnation of a populist movement founded by her billionaire family two decades ago. "We want the party to win the election by a landslide so the promises we made to the people can be realised," she said. Both Yingluck and Thaksin are living overseas to avoid jail terms handed down under military rule. Prayuth, 68, joined the new United Thai Nation Party last week, hinting at a bid to remain premier.

☆ China's Xi solidified grip on power during tumultuous 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Tony Munroe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

It was a rare highlight for Xi in 2022, a tumultuous year capped by unprecedented street protests followed by the sudden reversal of his zero-COVID policy and coronavirus infections rampaging across the world's most populous country. Xi travelled abroad for the first since the start of the pandemic, meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September. Later that month, protesters in cities across China took to the streets in opposition to nearly three years of stifling COVID-19 controls that were a signature Xi policy. Since the congress, China has reversed zero-COVID and said it will focus on stabilising its $17 trillion economy in 2023. The World Bank expects reopening of China's economy will lift growth to 4.3% in 2023 from its forecast of 2.7% for the current year.

☆ Daughter of ex Thai PM Thaksin extends pre-election poll lead
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Paetongtarn's support rose sharply from 21.6% from a September poll, when the majority surveyed were undecided. Thailand must hold an election by May next year, according to its election commission, but no date has yet been set. Respondents in NIDA's poll who backed Paetongtarn said it was due to her "party's policies and previous achievements of the Shinawatra family." Thaksin and Yingluck have been in self-imposed exile to avoid jail sentences handed down by courts during military rule. Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the opposition Move Forward party, was third in the poll with 13.25%, while 8.25% were undecided.

HONG KONG, Oct 24 (Reuters Breakingviews) - One day into President Xi Jinping’s precedent-breaking new term as leader of the ruling Communist Party, China’s financial markets are already in turmoil. Investors largely ignored rosier-than-expected GDP data to wipe almost 10% off the value of internet giants like Alibaba (9988.HK) and JD.com (9618.HK), amid a broader selloff. The government on Monday released a slew of delayed economic indicators after the Party Congress concluded on Sunday. They looked upbeat at first glance: GDP expanded 3.9% in the third quarter, up from the previous quarter’s 0.4%. Instead, he filled it with his own protégés including Beijing Party Chief Cai Qi and Shanghai Party Chief Li Qiang.

Three of the four new Standing Committee members owe their political rise to Xi, and the fourth is believed to be closely aligned with him. All but Guangdong party chief Li Xi worked under Xi in the 2000s, either in affluent Zhejiang province or in Shanghai. By excluding Li Keqiang and Wang Yang, both 67, from the party Central Committee and Standing Committee, Xi broke with the "seven-up/eight-down" rule that those aged 67 or under would remain for another five years. No woman has ever made it onto the Standing Committee. NOT TROUBLE-FREEThe run-up to the party congress was hardly smooth, with China facing sharp economic slowdown, frustration over zero-COVID and worsening relations with the West.

☆ Ding Xuexiang: from Xi staff chief to ruling elite
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Brenda Goh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SHANGHAI, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday made his chief of staff, Ding Xuexiang, one of the most powerful men in China, in a move party watchers say underscores the importance Xi puts on trust and loyalty. "Ding is effectively Xi's chief-of-staff and is almost always by his side. It is clear that Xi has trusted Ding's loyalty and ability," he said. It is possible that Ding has influenced Xi to promote more technocrats to leadership positions at the ministerial and vice-ministerial level," Thomas said. In speeches this year Ding repeatedly urged party cadres to demonstrate loyalty and unity as well as rectify problems to ensure the smooth execution of the Party Congress.

BEIJING, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Li Qiang, who oversaw Shanghai's grinding two-month COVID-19 lockdown this year as party boss of China's commercial hub, is on track to become China's next premier after President Xi Jinping unveiled a new governing body packed with loyalists. Current Premier Li Keqiang, a more reform-minded voice, will step down in March after the maximum two terms. "We have not seen Li Qiang introduce any market-oriented reforms," said Lam. In 2015, Li accompanied Xi on a visit to the United States to meet then-President Barack Obama. In Seattle with Xi, Li gave a speech calling for more cooperation between Zhejiang and U.S. firms.

Promoted despite facing difficulties in leading China's capital, Cai is much like another Xi ally elevated to the Standing Committee, Shanghai Party Secretary Li Qiang. Cai and Li on Sunday joined a long list of Shanghai and Beijing Party bosses that have been promoted to the Standing Committee. Cai was promoted in 2014 to general office deputy director at the Beijing-based National Security Commission, a body founded and chaired by Xi. In 2017, just weeks after the 19th Party Congress, Cai faced loud public criticism over the forced eviction of migrant workers on Beijing's outskirts. A decade later, during a Beijing Party committee meeting on cyberspace and ideology hosted by Cai, no mention was made of citizens using social media to hold officials accountable.

☆ China’s Premier Li Keqiang dropped in leadership shuffle
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Only Central Committee members can serve on the Standing Committee. The party congress also approved an amendment of the party constitution Saturday that could further enhance Xi Jinping’s stature as China’s leader. Xi is expected to retain the top spot when the new Standing Committee is unveiled Sunday. The roughly 2,000 delegates to the party congress — wearing blue surgical masks under China’s strict zero-Covid policy — met in the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing. President Xi Jinping, right, looks on as former Chinese President Hu Jintao, is assisted to leave the hall.

☆ The big reveal: Xi set to introduce China's next standing committee
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Tony Munroe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File PhotoBEIJING, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Xi Jinping, poised to clinch a third five-year term as China's leader, will on Sunday preside over the most dramatic moment of the Communist Party's twice-a-decade congress and reveal the members of its elite Politburo Standing Committee. Xi's break with precedent to rule beyond a decade was set in motion when he abandoned presidential term limits in 2018. His norm-busting as China's most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong has made it even harder to predict who will join him on the standing committee. At least two of the seven current Standing Committee members are expected to retire due to age norms. Reports this week in the Wall Street Journal and South China Morning Post suggest there could be as many as four openings, with Premier Li, 67, possibly among those stepping down.

☆ China's Communist Party leadership reshuffle: what to look for
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Yew Lun Tian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Visitors are seen silhouetted against a Chinese Communist Party flag displayed at the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, China September 3, 2022. REUTERS/Florence LoBEIJING, Oct 11 (Reuters) - China's ruling Communist Party will reshuffle its leadership when it holds a once-in-five-years Congress starting Oct 16, with Xi Jinping widely expected to stay on for a third term as general secretary, China's senior-most position. Economic tsar and Vice Premier Liu He, 70, is due for retirement. The only woman in the Politburo, Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, 72, is also due to retire. Xu Qiliang and Zhang Youxia, both military chiefs in the Politburo age 72, are also due to retire.

As the top official in China's commercial hub and its most populous city, Li's position as Shanghai party chief has traditionally been a stepping stone towards a top-two role in China's power structure - including for Xi Jinping himself. "It's near impossible for Li, who owes his political career largely to Xi, to even consider doing anything to undermine Xi. KEY CONFIDANTA native of Zhejiang province, Li, 63, was Xi's chief of staff - a role for the most trusted confidants - from 2004 to 2007 when Xi was party chief of Zhejiang. In Seattle with Xi, Li gave a speech calling for more cooperation between Zhejiang and U.S. firms. Making his rounds, he reiterated the COVID party line: "We must resolutely implement the spirit of the important instructions by Party Secretary Xi Jinping and steadfastly persist in the dynamic-zero approach".

☆ Ding Xuexiang: from Shanghai party cadre to Xi gatekeeper
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Brenda Goh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Alongside China's top diplomats was Ding Xuexiang, who has risen from Communist Party cadre in Shanghai to become Xi's private secretary and gatekeeper. Ding, 60, is considered a leading candidate for promotion this month to the Politburo Standing Committee, the party's seven-member ruling echelon, despite lacking experience as a provincial-level party secretary or governor. He eventually succeeded the General Office's then-head, Li Zhanshu, who is currently China's top legislator and at 72 is expected to retire from the Standing Committee. Given the opacity of Chinese politics and Ding's roll as a background player, there is even less known about him than other leading Standing Committee prospects. In speeches this year Ding repeatedly urged party cadres to demonstrate loyalty and unity as well as rectify problems to ensure the smooth execution of the Party Congress.

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