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☆ British investment minister visits Hong Kong, first official visit in 5 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, May 9 (Reuters) - Britain's Minister for Investment Dominic Johnson said he held a series of meetings with government officials and executives in Hong Kong on Monday, the first official visit from a senior British official to the city in five years. Johnson's visit comes after relations between Britain and Hong Kong have been increasingly strained since 2020 when Beijing imposed a national security law in the former colony. Johnson said he was in Hong Kong to promote the United Kingdom as a leading destination for investment and trade. "Hong Kong is one of the world's leading international financial centres and we have shared interests from financial services to infrastructure to sustainability," he wrote on Twitter. He is due to leave Hong Kong on Tuesday.

☆ China Embarrasses King Charles at His Coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Journal Editorial Report: Can Britain meet the challenges of the post-Elizabethan era? Images: Reuters/AFP via Getty Images Composite: Mark KellyKing Charles III will be coronated on Saturday, and you’ll never guess who China is sending for the occasion: Vice President Han Zheng , the former head of Beijing’s Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs. He’s the Communist Party man who led China’s repudiation of its treaty with the United Kingdom over its former colony. As Prince, Charles attended the 1997 ceremony when the British handed Hong Kong over to China as part of their Sino-British Joint Declaration. Reading a message from Queen Elizabeth, the Prince said Britain was “proud of the rights and freedoms which Hong Kong people enjoy.” Beijing promised to keep those liberties intact for 50 years under the Joint Declaration.

Prince Albert of Monaco said in an interview with People magazine that he and his wife, Charlene, would be attending. King Felipe VI of Spain, who ascended to the throne in 2014 after his father’s abdication, will attend, according to the Spanish news media. Crown Prince Fumihito of Japan and Crown Princess Kiko, on behalf of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, will attend, according to the Japanese news media. Credit... Clodagh Kilcoyne/ReutersSeveral members of Britain’s government will attend, as will about 100 heads of state from around the world, according to Buckingham Palace. British RoyalsImage Prince Harry, center, will be present at the coronation, though his wife, Meghan, and their children, will remain in California.

☆ ‘Queens of the Qing Dynasty’ Review: Secret Soul Mates
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Beatrice Loayza | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The pair make an odd couple, and yet their bond is intuitive, electric. The story kicks off in the aftermath of Star’s suicide attempt, the film’s tone at once bleakly clinical and deadpan absurd. Star, a neurodivergent foster kid with a sardonic sense of humor, clearly doesn’t register the gravity of her actions. Eyes glazed, she seems out of touch with her own body, and she’s not one for rules, like when she’s kicked out of an apartment for opening it to partiers. Walker, captivatingly raw, makes Star both charming and frustrating in her aloofness.

☆ Factbox: What to expect from King Charles' coronation on May 6
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

TIMINGSThe coronation ceremony will begin at 1000 GMT following a procession from Buckingham Palace. The king and queen will travel in the gold state coach which was commissioned in 1760. Charles will wear robes of crimson and purple silk velvet at his May 6 coronation which were once worn by his grandfather King George VI at his own coronation in 1937. She will be crowned using the crown of Queen Mary, commissioned and worn by the consort of King George V for the 1911 coronation. GUESTSThere will be 2,200 guests inside Westminster Abbey, far fewer than the 8,000 in attendance for Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953.

☆ Britain's Cleverly expects to meet Chinese vice president this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Sachin Ravikumar | Thomson Reuters | Sachin Ravikumar Is A Correspondent For Reuters In London Covering General News Across The Uk. Over Nine Years At Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, May 2 (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly expects to meet China's Vice President Han Zheng when foreign leaders visit London for King Charles's coronation, a rare meeting between senior government officials during a low point in UK-China relations. "I suspect that I will," Cleverly told BBC Radio on Tuesday when asked if he would be meeting Han. He said he would discuss a range of subjects including areas where Britain has "points of criticism". Cleverly, who hopes to visit China this year, suggested he would speak to Han about some of those concerns. That approach faces opposition from some within Britain's governing Conservative Party who have argued for an even tougher stance against China, including by reclassifying the country as a "threat" instead of a "systemic competitor".

☆ Iga Świątek returns from injury and wins in Stuttgart
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

1 Iga Świątek enjoyed a winning return from injury as she defeated China’s Zheng Qinwen 6-1 6-4 at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. Świątek, who is defending her title in Stuttgart in preparation for the French Open next month, broke Zheng’s serve four times over the course of the match. “I’m pretty happy that I’m not rusty and I could perform good tennis, even though I had a break,” Świątek said after the win. Świątek will be looking to win her third French Open title and fourth grand slam overall when the tournament gets underway in Paris on May 28. She was forced to withdraw from the Miami Open and Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers in recent weeks but announced before competing in Stuttgart that she is now injury free.

CNN —China is making “significant progress” building the country’s fifth research facility in Antarctica after a several years-long lull in construction, according to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The site – a research station China has hailed as a means to expand its scientific investigation in the Antarctic – could also be used to enhance the country’s intelligence collection, according to CSIS. In February 2020, a team of US inspectors visited the station, where they were hosted by station leader Wang Zhechao of the Polar Research Institute of China. China has established four scientific research bases in Antarctica since 1984, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Under the 1959 treaty Antarctic Treaty, to which China is party, activities on the continent are restricted to “peaceful purposes.”Military personnel are allowed to conduct scientific research, but may not set up bases, test weapons of carry out maneuvers.

☆ China vice president tells Intel CEO to take root in China - state media
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, April 12 (Reuters) - China's Vice President Han Zheng told Intel's (INTC.O) CEO on Wednesday to take root in China to help maintain the stability of the global industrial supply chain, state radio reported on Wednesday. In a meeting in Beijing, Han told Intel CEO Patrick Paul Gelsinger that multinational companies need to "overcome difficulties and challenges" to promote better global cooperation, according to the report. Reporting by Albee Zhang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China is facing a population crisis but some women continue to say 'no' to having babies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

D3sign | Moment | Getty ImagesChina is facing a population crisis in part due to more women choosing to focus on their careers and personal goals, instead of starting a family. Helping women strike the balanceTrip.com is one Chinese company that takes pride in trying to encourage more women to have children. Women in China who want to freeze their eggs must be married, according to Chinese regulations. However, some women in China want children but may not be ready to get married, said Mu the assistant professor from NUH. Shannon a single motherAdditionally, women who divorce after having children face social stigma and struggle to balance their career while raising a child alone.

☆ China urges Apple to strengthen data security
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

HONG KONG, March 28 (Reuters) - China has urged Apple (AAPL.O) to strengthen its data security and personal privacy protection, the country's state planner said in a statement on Tuesday. Chairman of National Development and Reform Commission Zheng Shanjie made the comments when he met Apple CEO Tim Cook on Monday, the statement said. Reporting by Ella Cao and Meg Shen, Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China tackles chip talent shortage with new courses, higher pay
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Josh Horwitz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

China faces a shortage of an estimated 200,000 industry workers this year, according to a white paper jointly published by the China Center for Information Industry Development, a government think tank, and the China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA), a trade group. A 2022 survey from Chinese research firm ICWise found more than 60% of students studying chip engineering in China graduate with no internship experience in the field. In Taiwan, top chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) (2330.TW) has established research centres at four universities. Its largest chip foundry, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) (0981.HK), in 2021 announced a jointly-established School of Integrated Circuits at Shenzhen Technology University. "If I didn't switch to chip engineering, I would probably have to find a job in a traditional manufacturing industry like cars or machinery," he said.

☆ Potapova upsets Gauff in third-round Miami thriller
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Amy Tennery | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 25 (Reuters) - Russian Anastasia Potapova produced some of her best tennis to upset American Coco Gauff 6-7(8) 7-5 6-2 in a third-round thriller at the Miami Open on Saturday. "I had this belief in me that I can do this, that I just wanted to fight through and just to show my best tennis and not focus on the score," she told the Tennis Channel. Up 5-2 in the first set, it looked as though it might be an easy day for Potapova. But world number six Gauff turned the tables when she converted break point chances in the ninth and 11th games and closed the tiebreak with a lethal backhand. She failed to earn a single break point as Potapova dropped only one first-serve point and won the final five games.

☆ Factbox: Key takeaways from China's annual NPC parliamentary meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Laurie Chen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

These include Premier Li Qiang, NPC Chairperson Zhao Leji, Executive Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang, and Vice President Han Zheng. China's private sector has been rattled in recent years by a sweeping regulatory clampdown targeting some of its most vibrant industries, including the internet and private education. The new national financial regulatory administration will replace the existing banking and insurance watchdog and oversee all aspects of China's $57 trillion financial sector apart from the securities market. A separate top-level party financial watchdog, the Central Financial Work Commission, is likely to be resurrected after the NPC, sources earlier told Reuters. This will likely have responsibility for the new state financial regulator.

However, further announcements are expected in coming weeks as China implements a reorganisation of its financial regulatory structure and other government bodies. "Opting for continuity in these critical economic roles suggests an emphasis on credibility and stability," said Mattie Bekink, China director at the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network. The U.S.-educated central bank chief Yi, appointed PBOC governor in 2018, had widely been expected to retire after being left off the ruling Communist Party's Central Committee during the party's once-in-five-years congress in October. "It shows China wants to at least have a dialogue with the United States on monetary policy and financial cooperation," he said. The parliamentary session will end on Monday, with Xi expected to give a speech and Li, the new premier, scheduled to hold a televised media conference afterwards.

China's four new vice premiers:Ding Xuexiang, 60, is the first-ranked vice premier who also sits in the ruling Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee, China's top echelon of power. Wang Zhigang, 65, remains minister of science and technology. Huai Jinpeng, 60, remains minister of educationPan Yue, 62, remains head of the National Ethnic Affairs CommissionWang Xiaohong, 65, remains minister of public securityChen Yixin, 63, remains minister of state security. Considered a Xi ally, he had worked with Xi when the latter was party chief of Zhejiang province from 2002-2007. Tang Dengjie, 63, remains minister of civil affairsHe Rong, 60, remains minister of justiceWang Xiaoping, 59, remains minister of human resources and social securityWang Guanghua, 59, remains minister of natural resourcesHuang Runqiu, 59, remains minister of ecology and environmentNi Hong, 60, remains minister of housing and urban-rural developmentLi Xiaopeng, 63, remains minister of transportLi Guoying, 63, remains minister of water resourcesTang Renjian, 60, remains minister of agriculture and rural affairsHu Heping, 60, remains minister of culture and tourismMa Xiaowei, 63, remains head of the National Health CommissionPei Jinjia, 59, remains minister of veterans affairsWang Xiangxi, 60, remains minister of emergency managementHou Kai, 60, remains auditor-general of the National Audit OfficeReporting by Yew Lun Tian, Ziyi Tang, additional reporting by Albee Zhang; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China's Xi secures precedent-breaking third term as president
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Chinese President Xi Jinping looks on after casting his vote during the Third Plenary Session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China, 10 March 2023. MARK R. CRISTINO/Pool via REUTERSBEIJING, March 10 (Reuters) - Xi Jinping on Friday secured a precedent-breaking third five-year term as China's president as he tightens his grip as the country's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. The stage was set for another Xi term when he did away with presidential term limits in 2018. Xi chatted casually with Li, who was seated to his left, as delegates deposited voting slips into electronic ballot boxes. The parliament also elected Zhao Leji, 66, as the new parliament chair and Han Zheng, 68, as the new vice president.

☆ 6 companies that struck it big on China's zero-COVID policies and came out on top after 3 years of lockdowns
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

As China kept to its chaotic zero-COVID push, a few companies reaped the rewards of a country prone to lockdowns. Kevin Frayer/Getty ImagesChina's economy suffered under zero-COVID, growing by just 3% in 2022 — one of the country's lowest levels ever. As China's economy reopens after a rollback of the zero-COVID policy on December 7, local media and social bloggers are heaping attention on how much was spent on the lockdowns, and who benefited from the expenditures. However, a select pool of firms and industries gained massive rewards from the years of lockdowns and constant testing. Here are six companies and sectors that came out on top during China's zero-COVID policy.

It's looking that way, if crypto options traders are anything to go by. The volume of bitcoin options traded on Deribit, one of the leading exchanges for crypto-focused derivatives products, jumped 82% in January versus December, according to crypto market maker OrBit Markets. Ether options swelled 38%. Calls commanded 71.1% of total bitcoin futures open interest, and 77.5% for ether, according to Deribit data. Yet the surge in volumes also indicates investors are in two minds about the direction of crypto markets, preferring low-risk, low-reward options to actually buying bitcoin or ether.

☆ Gauff outshines Raducanu to win battle of the prodigies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I just told myself to hang in there," Gauff said in her on-court interview. "Emma was playing really good tennis towards the end of the match and the whole match was great. "In the beginning we both started off rocky but I think the match was good quality for the most part. "This was a long anticipated match since the draw came out so I'm glad the match was good for you guys." Gauff next takes on the winner of the match between fellow American Bernarda Pera and China's Zheng Qinwen, hoping to win and match her best run at Melbourne Park three years ago.

☆ China Promotes National-Security Chief to Top Hong Kong Post
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Selina Cheng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

China named Zheng Yanxiong as the new director of its liaison office in Hong Kong. HONG KONG—China signaled its intention to maintain a tough line on Hong Kong by promoting a law enforcer sanctioned by the U.S. for spearheading a national-security crackdown to its top representative post in the city. Beijing named Zheng Yanxiong, who ran Beijing’s Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong since mid-2020, as the director of its liaison office in the city. The liaison office represents the central government in Hong Kong and executes decisions from Beijing.

☆ China’s local governments set 2023 growth targets, offering clues on economic recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The meetings will culminate in the national parliamentary session to be held in March, in which the premier is expected to disclose the nation’s GDP growth target. So far, a group of government economists and international analysts have said they expect Beijing to set a growth target of above 5% in 2023. On Thursday, Zhejiang province, another major economic powerhouse, announced it’s targeting an expansion of more than 5% in 2023. On Wednesday, Shanghai, the most affluent city in mainland China, announced it would aim for 5.5% growth this year. On the same day, Fujian, Sichuan and Hebei provinces all disclosed growth targets of 6% for 2023.

☆ Kvitova takes her chances to down Rybakina in Adelaide
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ADELAIDE, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova ousted the current holder of the All England Club title Elena Rybakina 6-3 7-5 in the opening round of the Adelaide International 2 on Monday to continue her winning start in the new season. The second set of the contest was just as tight with no break points until the 11th game when Kvitova earned two and converted the second for a 6-5 lead with a blistering forehand return. "I was trying to wait for my chance to see if I could break her," said the world number 16. The top three women in the world were all late withdrawals from the second Adelaide tournament with Pegula citing a change of schedule and Iga Swiatek (shoulder) and Ons Jabeur (back) both nursing injuries. The other women's warm-up for the Australian Open this week is the Hobart Open, which returns after a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID pandemic.

☆ Raducanu suffers injury scare ahead of Australian Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"So to be stopped by a freak injury, rolling an ankle is pretty disappointing, in the first week as well. The Australian Open begins on Jan. 16. AZARENKA THROUGHAt the Adelaide International 1 WTA 500 event, twice Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka saw off Zheng Qinwen 6-2 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals alongside unseeded duo Irina-Camelia Begu and Linda Noskova. China's Zheng, who was named WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2022, sent down 10 aces and 34 winners but also made 35 unforced errors at the Australian Open warm-up event. Belarusian Azarenka next faces Czech teenager Noskova, who followed up her first-round upset of Daria Kasatkina with a 6-2 6-2 win over fellow qualifier Clair Liu.

☆ New York man sentenced to 2 years for conspiring to steal GE secrets for China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A New York man was sentenced on Tuesday to two years in prison for conspiring to steal General Electric 's trade secrets to benefit China, the U.S. Justice Department said. Zheng was employed at GE Power in Schenectady, New York, as an engineer specializing in turbine sealing technology. He worked at GE from 2008 until the summer of 2018, the Justice Department said. The United States had accused the former GE engineer and another Chinese businessman named Zhaoxi Zhang in 2019 of stealing secrets and spying on GE to aid China. A U.S. federal court in Cincinnati sentenced a Chinese national in November to 20 years in prison after he was convicted of plotting to steal trade secrets from several U.S. aviation and aerospace companies.

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