Category Archives: Asia Pacific

China reopens borders as lunar new year travel kicks off amid Covid surge

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Virus outbreaks tipped to worsen as mainland China opens to Hong Kong, ends quarantine for visitors and millions begin holiday-period travel

China has lifted quarantine requirements for inbound travellers, ending almost three years of self-imposed isolation even as the country battles a surge in Covid cases.

On Sunday, mainland China also opened its border to Hong Kong, dismantling the last pillars of a zero-Covid policy that had shielded people from the virus but also cut them off from the rest of the world.

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Jack Ma to give up control of China’s Ant Group, firm says

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Billionaire Chinese businessman has rarely been seen in public since criticising regulators’ attitude to tech companies two years ago

Jack Ma will cede control of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, the company has announced, following a Communist party crackdown on the nation’s tech sector that targeted the charismatic billionaire.

One of China’s most recognisable entrepreneurs, Ma once exemplified a generation of Chinese technology moguls with his rags-to-riches personal tale and penchant for public showmanship.

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China Covid: wave of celebrity deaths sparks doubt over actual toll

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Users of Chinese social media have questioned the country’s official statistics after a surge in the number of public figures dying

A spate of deaths among celebrities and public figures across China has sparked concerns that the actual death toll from Covid-19 may be far higher than authorities are reporting.

Many on Chinese social media have been mourning the death of actor Gong Jintang, who died aged 83 on New Year’s Day. He was known for his portrayal of Father Kang in the sitcom Kang’s Family, which first aired in 2000.

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Legacy of Japan’s Nakagin Capsule Tower lives on in restored pods

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One of Tokyo’s most famous buildings was dismantled in April due to asbestos fears. Now 23 of the capsules have been saved for posterity

Tatsuyuki Maeda had more reason than most to feel a pang of regret as he joined admirers and passing office workers to watch Nakagin Capsule Tower being dismantled.

The building was not just one of Tokyo’s most famous structures; for more than a decade it had been Maeda’s occasional home – a pied-à-terre in the heart of the city he had coveted since he first set eyes on it from his nearby workplace.

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Thai police accused of ‘sham’ forced labour inquiry at former Tesco supplier

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Exclusive: Officials took one day to conclude no laws were broken at VK Garment factory and workers say their words were deleted

Thai police have been accused of conducting a “sham” investigation into potential forced labour at a garment factory formerly used by Tesco, after officials took one day to conclude no laws were broken.

The Guardian revealed last month that Burmese workers who produced F&F jeans for Tesco in Thailand reported being made to work 99-hour weeks for illegally low pay in terrible conditions.

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Return to China will require a resolution of Peng Shuai case, says Women’s Tennis Association

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Governing body of women’s tennis says it wants to meet Peng in person before it resumes tournaments in China

The return of WTA tournaments to China in 2023 will hinge on a resolution to the Peng Shuai issue, with the governing body of the women’s game telling Reuters on Wednesday it had still not personally met with the Chinese former doubles world No 1 personally since she briefly disappeared last year.

Peng accused Zhang Gaoli, the former Chinese vice-premier, of sexual assault in 2021 in a post on social media which was soon removed from the country’s internet. She later said the post was “an enormous misunderstanding” and that she was retiring from tennis.

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‘To gain respect, you need success’: the trans tycoon from Thailand who bought up Miss Universe

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Anne Jakrajutatip, boss of JKN Global, recently made headlines by buying the firm behind the contest for $20m

Anne Jakrajutatip, 43, has a story unlike many of the world’s media moguls. Growing up in Bangkok, the child of shop owners, she felt that she was trapped in the wrong body. At school, she faced constant bullying and stigma. She tried to carefully manage her identity, showing what she believed to be her true self in front of friends, and acting as a good son in front of her parents. She experienced sexual harassment while still a child.

It was reading a local newspaper article about Oprah Winfrey, a survivor of child abuse, that led Jakrajutatip to want a career in the media and to become a TV chatshow host. A microphone seemed like a powerful weapon.

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China data ‘under-represents’ true impact of Covid outbreak – WHO

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Analysis of Chinese data finds no new variants of concern emerging, but world health body says it still does not have ‘complete data’

The World Health Organisation has criticised China’s “very narrow” definition of Covid-19 deaths, warning that official statistics are not showing the true impact of the outbreak.

There is growing concern over the steep rise in Covid infections since Beijing last month abruptly lifted years of hardline restrictions, with hospitals and crematoriums quickly overwhelmed.

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Vietnamese boy trapped in 35-metre concrete pillar dies

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Ten-year-old who fell into a narrow open shaft on New Year’s Eve at construction site confirmed dead

A 10-year-old Vietnamese boy who fell into the narrow open shaft of a concrete pillar at a construction site on New Year’s Eve has been confirmed dead, state media said on Wednesday.

Rescuers spent nearly 100 hours trying to free Ly Hao Nam from the 35-metre-long support pillar driven into the ground, but without success, online newspaper VnExpress cited a local government official as saying.

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Australia should back new search for MH370, says top official who led first effort

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Search for Malaysia Airlines plane that disappeared with 239 people on board should resume now that new equipment and data is available, expert says

The Australian government should get behind a new search for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, the man who headed up the initial search says, now that new equipment and data is available.

Peter Foley was the program director for the international effort, led by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, to find the plane. MH370 went down on 8 March 2014, with 239 people on board. The disappearance of the plane is one of the world’s greatest enduring mysteries.

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Bike maker Brompton to source fewer parts from China and Taiwan

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UK company makes decision because of growing tensions between Beijing and the island

Brompton, the UK’s largest bicycle maker, has said it is planning to reduce its dependence on China and Taiwan for parts, amid fears of a growing military threat to the island from Beijing.

The company known for its folding bikes is among various western firms hoping to ensure they can source supplies from other countries, as concerns mount over rising geopolitical tensions, and even a possible future invasion of Taiwan by China, which considers the island to be a breakaway province.

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EU wants travellers from China to take pre-departure Covid tests

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Bloc recommends negative coronavirus tests from all arrivals despite warnings from Beijing of retaliation

The European Union wants all travellers from China to take pre-departure Covid tests, in response to surging levels of the virus after Beijing hastily abandoned strict controls.

EU officials meeting on Wednesday in the “integrated political crisis response” format said there should be a requirement for a negative Covid test from all travellers from China, despite warnings from Beijing of retaliation.

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Ministers yet to finalise Covid testing plans for travellers from China

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Officials confirm new policy for England will begin on Thursday but say they are still working on final details

Ministers are yet to set out details of a Covid testing regime for arrivals from China that comes into force this week, including whether it will apply to people flying from Hong Kong or to those who travelled to the UK indirectly from China.

Downing Street confirmed that people flying to the UK from China would need to take a Covid test before travelling, and would not be allowed to travel if they tested positive for the virus.

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‘Burned the hill down’: billionaire’s runaway fireworks spark New Zealand furore

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Neighbours furious after firefighters had to be called to Redemption Song, owned by Empire State Building magnate Tony Malkin

Residents of a New Zealand town are calling for a ban on private fireworks after a display by a New York billionaire set off a blaze on New Year’s Eve.

Ten minutes into the new year, firefighters were called to fight multiple grass fires at the property of Tony Malkin – chief executive of the entity that owns the Empire State Building – after an extravagant private fireworks display went awry near Queenstown in Central Otago.

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Million yen per child to leave Tokyo – Japan’s offer to families

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Government boosts incentives to lure people to ‘unfashionable’ regional areas hit by ageing, shrinking populations

Japan’s government is offering ¥1m ($7,500) per child to families who move out of greater Tokyo, in an attempt to reverse population decline in the regions.

The incentive – a dramatic rise from the previous relocation fee of ¥300,000 – will be introduced in April, according to Japanese media reports, as part of an official push to breathe life into declining towns and villages.

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Rescuers in Vietnam battle to save boy trapped in construction site

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Ly Hao Nam, 10, fell down a narrow shaft on New Year’s Eve but there was no response from him on Monday


Rescuers in Vietnam were desperately trying to free a 10-year-old boy on Monday, two days after he fell into the narrow open shaft of a concrete pile at a construction site on New Year’s Eve.

Ly Hao Nam was heard crying for help shortly after he fell into the pile on Saturday morning, but rescuers received no response from him on Monday as they lowered a camera down to try to locate his position in the 35-metre long support pillar.

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China’s warplane incursions into Taiwan air defence zone doubled in 2022

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The military ramped up sorties and launched the largest war games in decades to protest against a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August

China’s warplane incursions into Taiwan’s air defence zone nearly doubled in 2022, with a surge in fighter jet and bomber sorties as Beijing intensified threats towards the island democracy.

Self-ruled Taiwan lives under constant threat of invasion. Communist party rulers claim the island as part of China’s territory and have vowed to seize it one day.

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Labor flags wastewater tests on inbound planes as mandatory Covid checks for China arrivals resumes

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Health minister defends country-specific testing as necessary due to ‘absence of comprehensive information’ on Covid’s spread in China

Australia is planning to introduce wastewater testing for incoming flights in an attempt to gather more information about the possible entry of new Covid variants.

The health minister, Mark Butler, announced the measure on Monday in a round of interviews defending the decision to reimpose pre-flight Covid testing for passengers from China as necessary because of a “absence of comprehensive information” about the disease in China.

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Qantas flight to Philippines forced to turn back to Sydney as authorities close airspace

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QF19 was three hours into New Year’s Day journey when pilots learned they could not land at Manila

A Manila-bound Qantas plane was forced to turn around mid-flight and return to Sydney after an air traffic control malfunction forced Philippine authorities to shut down the country’s airspace.

Flight QF19 departed Sydney shortly before 1pm local time on New Year’s Day and was about three hours into its eight-hour journey when pilots learned they would not be able to land at the plane’s destination.

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China’s President Xi battles to save face as Covid U-turn weakens his grip on power

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Despite public bullishness, overflowing hospitals across the country suggest its leader may have made a huge miscalculation

China’s leader Xi Jinping told his country it stands on “the right side of history” in a new year address on Saturday, but experts have warned that the president starts 2023 diminished by his chaotic U-turn on Covid strategy.

He may struggle to deflect blame for the human and economic costs of zero-Covid’s failure, and control the national narrative, even if public signs of dissent are crushed.

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