Asian shares rose yesterday, Monday May 20 2013 reflecting a bullish mood on Wall Street and extending their two-week rally, buoyed by better-than-expected US data. Tokyo stocks were up 1.47 per cent, or 222.69 points, to 15,360.81, and Sydney gained 0.54 per cent, or 28.2 points, to close at 5,209.0. Shanghai closed up 0.75 per [...]

Asian stocks rose for the first time in three days, with Japan’s Topix Index trading at the highest level in nearly five years, after US leading indicators and consumer sentiment advanced more than estimated, boosting investor confidence in the global economic recovery. Toyota Motor Corp. gained 1.7 percent as shares of the world’s largest carmaker [...]

The yen edged higher on Monday after Japan’s economics minister said further weakness in the yen could harm households, while Asian shares rose in response to US equities rallying on upbeat economic data. European shares were seen rising at the open on Monday. Financial spreadbetter IG expected Britain’s FTSE 100.FTSE to open 0.3 percent higher, [...]

Armed with empty suitcases and same-day return tickets, an army of mainland Chinese is descending on suburban outlet shopping malls and international fashion chains in Hong Kong, turning cheap into the new chic as luxury falls out of favour. Wealthy Chinese used to stop over in Hong Kong for a few days to pick up [...]

Art lovers, collectors and gallerists will gather on Thursday for Hong Kong’s inaugural edition of Art Basel, sealing the city’s status as an international art hub and Asia’s leading art destination. The four-day annual show is the world’s premier art fair and has until now only been held in Switzerland and the United States each [...]

Hong Kong saw its first electric taxis hit the streets on Saturday in a step towards reducing the city’s high levels of roadside pollution. The 45 bright red cars were launched by Chinese electric vehicle producer BYD, which is partly backed by US investment titan Warren Buffett. Called the BYD e6, the five-door crossover sedans [...]

Taipei, May 19 (CNA) A Taiwanese delegation will again soon visit the Philippines to investigate the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman by a Philippine government patrol boat, after both sides finalise details on how they will cooperate, Foreign minister David Lin said Sunday. Both sides have to establish a communication mechanism and agree on [...]

The Taiwan investigation team, tasked with conducting a probe into the fatal shooting of a Taiwan fisherman, has returned to Taipei from Manila. On arrival, the team held a press conference at Taipei Airport. The team has called on the Philippine government to conduct a joint investigation with Taiwan into the incident. It’s accused the [...]

It started with a common enough skirmish in the hotly disputed waters of the South China Sea. Ten days ago, a Philippine coast guard ship went too far in chasing off a Taiwanese fishing vessel in disputed waters. Such actions involve water cannons and the damage is nothing worse than a few broken portholes. This [...]

This is one of those interviews that I wish could have gone longer. Former Taiwan deputy Defence minister Dr Chong-Pin Lin visited the Lowy Institute last week for a roundtable with China experts from around Sydney, and he was kind enough to agree to this short chat. Dr Lin has a mild-mannered style of delivery, [...]

Thousands of Taiwanese marched through the capital Taipei on Sunday urging the government to halt construction of a nearly completed nuclear power plant, citing the Japanese atomic crisis. The demonstrators chanted slogans like “No Nuke for Our Children” during the march which extended for miles as they evoked memories of the March 2011 Fukushima crisis [...]

Taiwan’s dollar strengthened the most in three weeks as global funds added to their holdings of the island’s equities amid a government review on capital gains taxes. Bonds declined. Overseas investors bought $996 million more Taiwanese shares than they sold in the week ended May 17, taking this year’s net purchases to $4.8 billion, stock [...]

Taiwanese lenders led by Bank of Taiwan are taking their highest share of syndicated loans in Asia since 2010 as they expand outside the island’s saturated market to escape the worst margins in Asia-Pacific. Lenders in the region’s seventh-biggest economy have helped arrange 10.1 percent of syndicated deals in Asia excluding Japan since December 31, [...]

The chair of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office is urging Filipinos in Taiwan to stay indoors after work and to avoid drinking in public after 2 overseas Filipinos were attacked in Taiwan. The attacks came amid simmering tensions between Manila and Taipei after the Philippine Coast Guard killed a Taiwanese fisherman off Batanes. A [...]

The Philippines Saturday rejected Taiwan’s allegations that Filipino coastguards had intentionally murdered a Taiwanese fisherman whose death has triggered a major diplomatic spat. The 65-year-old fisherman was shot dead by Philippine coastguards who said his vessel intruded into Philippine waters. Chen Wen-chi, head of the Taiwan team investigating the May 9 incident, said most of [...]

A Taiwanese fighter jet ploughed into the sea off the island’s north coast on Monday, the air force’s second crash in less than a week, military officials said. The crash happened when the French-made Mirage 2000-5 fighter was conducting a regular training mission, the air force said, adding that both crew managed to parachute to [...]

UN Secretary general Ban Ki-moon has called on North Korea to refrain from carrying out any further missile tests. He was speaking as Pyongyang test-fired a fourth short-range missile over the weekend. Such launches are routine but come as countries in the region are trying to break a stalemate in relations there, the BBC’s Lucy [...]

It’s bad for Kenneth Bae, the Washington man arrested in North Korea last year and sentenced to 15 years in prison, but it could be worse, according to people familiar with the workings of one of the world’s most secretive and repressive regimes. Bae began serving a 15-year, hard labour sentence on Tuesday for what [...]

North Korea launched a short-range projectile into waters off its east coast on Sunday, as South Korea condemned the North’s provocations and urged it to accept a proposal for dialogue. North Korea conducted three similar launchings in the same area on Saturday, rattling the region after governments had hoped for an easing of tensions after [...]

North Korea fired a short-range missile from its east coast on Sunday, a day after launching three of these missiles, a South Korean news agency said, ignoring calls for restraint from Western powers. Launches by the North of short-range missiles are not uncommon but, after recent warnings from the communist state of impending nuclear war, [...]

South Korea on Sunday condemned North Korea’s latest short-range missile launches as “provocative” and again urged it to hold talks about a suspended jointly-run industrial park. The North Saturday launched three short-range guided missiles off its east coast, apparently as part of a military drill, at a time when cross-border relations remain icy after months [...]

Chinese authorities were on Sunday investigating claims that unidentified North Koreans hijacked a Chinese fishing boat, kidnapping 16 sailors and demanding a ransom, local media and an official said. Armed North Koreans on May 6 hijacked the boat and escorted it towards North Korea while it was sailing in waters around 70 kilometres (40 miles) [...]

North Korea Sunday test-fired a short-range missile off its east coast, its fourth in two days, despite pleas from South Korea and the UN chief to halt the launches at a time of high tensions. The guided missile was fired into the East Sea (Sea of Japan) on Sunday afternoon, a defence ministry spokesman told [...]

South Korea is analysing whether projectiles North Korea fired into its eastern waters over the weekend are short-range missiles or a new type of artillery the country may be developing, officials said Monday. North Korea fired what Seoul officials called a short-range projectile Sunday, a day after conducting three similar launches. South Korean officials earlier [...]

Japan’s prime minister vowed Sunday to seek talks with Pyongyang in a bid to settle the nagging issue of North Korea’s kidnapping of Japanese, without risking its alliance with Washington and Seoul. Shinzo Abe made the comment after a surprise visit to North Korea by one of his advisers last week has irritated the United [...]

North Korean forces have seized a Chinese fishing boat, Chinese officials told state-run news agency Xinhua late on Sunday, creating a potential new irritant in ties between the two allies. Chinese counsellor to North Korea Jiang Yaxian said North Korea had “grabbed” the private vessel from the northern city of Dalian in waters between China [...]

China says it has called on North Korea to secure the release of a fishing boat and its crew seized earlier this month. Owner Yu Xuejun said the vessel had been in Chinese waters when the 16-man crew were seized on 5 May. Yu said the North Korean captors were demanding a 600,000 yuan ($100,000, [...]

South Korea on Monday predicted further missile tests by North Korea which fired four short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan at the weekend, drawing criticism from Seoul and UN chief Ban Ki-moon. “Our military is closely monitoring activities by the North’s military since there is a possibility of additional launches in the future,” Defence [...]

Visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will hold talks with a string of Indian leaders on Monday as the two sides look to rebuild trust after a recent flare-up in a border dispute as well as boost trade. Li, who arrived in New Delhi on Sunday afternoon, has said that his decision to choose India for [...]

Pakistan is set to become the fifth Asian country to use China’s domestic satellite navigation system which was launched as a rival to the US global positioning system, a report said Saturday. The Beidou, or Compass, system started providing services to civilians in the region in December and is expected to provide global coverage by [...]

In an underground mall just a stone’s throw from China’s teeming border with Macau, a row of 30 small shops with identical golden plaques does a brisk, though shadowy trade with mainland Chinese visitors, many of them bound for the gambling hub. “Good rates. Better than the banks,” shout salespeople jostling to usher clients into [...]

I ask, because while so many Western governments spend sleepless nights worrying about the size of their trade deficits, China has the opposite problem. Thanks to its export success, China is the world’s largest holder of foreign exchange reserves. Those reserves are growing all the time and currently stand at a record $3.44 trillion. That’s [...]

A businesswoman in southern China has been sentenced to death on charges of defrauding investors as the government tightens controls on informal financing that is widely used by entrepreneurs. Lin Haiyan was convicted of “illegal fundraising” for collecting 640 million yuan ($100 million) from investors by promising high returns and low risk, according to a [...]

China says it has called on North Korea to secure the release of a fishing boat and its crew seized earlier this month. Owner Yu Xuejun said the vessel had been in Chinese waters when the 16-man crew were seized on 5 May. Yu said the North Korean captors were demanding a 600,000 yuan ($100,000, [...]

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pledged Monday to build trust with India and declared that ties between the Asian giants were key to world peace as he visited New Delhi only weeks after a border spat. Speaking alongside his counterpart Manmohan Singh, Li said China wanted to increase related stories Will India and China go beyond [...]

South Korea on Sunday condemned North Korea’s latest short-range missile launches as “provocative” and again urged it to hold talks about a suspended jointly-run industrial park. The North Saturday launched three short-range guided missiles off its east coast, apparently as part of a military drill, at a time when cross-border relations remain icy after months [...]

Chinese authorities were on Sunday investigating claims that unidentified North Koreans hijacked a Chinese fishing boat, kidnapping 16 sailors and demanding a ransom, local media and an official said. Armed North Koreans on May 6 hijacked the boat and escorted it towards North Korea while it was sailing in waters around 70 kilometres (40 miles) [...]

Armed with empty suitcases and same-day return tickets, an army of mainland Chinese is descending on suburban outlet shopping malls and international fashion chains in Hong Kong, turning cheap into the new chic as luxury falls out of favour. Wealthy Chinese used to stop over in Hong Kong for a few days to pick up [...]

For China’s currency, the yuan, there is no turning back. This currency is gaining on the dollar each year. The government wants to make it a fully convertible, tradable currency. It’s on its way. And along those travels, exporters are getting a taste of their own Chinese medicine: they’re getting out-priced by Asian markets with [...]

North Korean forces have seized a Chinese fishing boat, Chinese officials told state-run news agency Xinhua late on Sunday, creating a potential new irritant in ties between the two allies. Chinese counsellor to North Korea Jiang Yaxian said North Korea had “grabbed” the private vessel from the northern city of Dalian in waters between China [...]

In an underground mall just a stone’s throw from China’s teeming border with Macau, a row of 30 small shops with identical golden plaques does a brisk, though shadowy trade with mainland Chinese visitors, many of them bound for the gambling hub. “Good rates. Better than the banks,” shout salespeople jostling to usher clients into [...]

China’s new-home prices rose last month in 68 of 70 cities tracked by the government, indicating Premier Li Keqiang will need to maintain efforts to cool the property market even as economic growth slows. Increases in Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai were the biggest on a yearly basis since a change in data methodology in January [...]

It started with a common enough skirmish in the hotly disputed waters of the South China Sea. Ten days ago, a Philippine coast guard ship went too far in chasing off a Taiwanese fishing vessel in disputed waters. Such actions involve water cannons and the damage is nothing worse than a few broken portholes. This [...]

Surging credit has kept China’s real estate-sector humming despite a renewed attempt by the government to bring prices under control, supporting short-term economic growth but risking a destabilising decline in prices down the line. Average house prices rose 4.3 percent from a year earlier in April after gaining 3.1 percent in March, according to The [...]

The accusation that China “restricts” press and artistic freedom (Letters, 3 May) is untrue and unacceptable. The constitution of the People’s Republic of China explicitly enshrines Chinese citizens’ right to freedom of expression and press in its article 35. The Chinese government attaches great importance to and protects such rights in accordance with law. China [...]

China will not pay for CO2 emissions by its airlines on flights within Europe, a top civil aviation official reportedly said after the European Commission warned eight Chinese firms face fines for nonpayment. The world’s second largest economy “will not accept any unilateral and compulsory market measures”, Yan Mingchi, deputy director-general of the legal and [...]

Three Foxconn workers have committed suicide at a factory in China in the past three weeks, a labour rights group said on Saturday. All three jumped to their deaths at a plant in the central city of Zhengzhou run by the Taiwanese electronics giant. A 30-year-old married man killed himself on Tuesday following the similar [...]

Two years short of 70, Zhang Guosheng spends his days caring for an 81-year-old fellow villager – washing his clothes, bringing meals to his bed, and keeping him company – a routine he’ll keep up until he himself needs the type of care he is now giving. “Living here is better than staying at home [...]

Fiji’s military ruler said on Sunday he would meet Beijing’s leaders in China this month, a week after unveiling an official trip to Russia, as he looks beyond strained regional ties in the South Pacific. Voreqe Bainimarama has been banned from Australia and New Zealand since seizing control in a 2006 coup. His announcement that [...]

Mannequins in riot gear, armoured cars and drones line a police equipment and “anti-terrorism technology” trade fair in Beijing as vendors seek to profit from China’s huge internal security budget. The country is estimated to have more than 180,000 protests each year and the ruling Communist Party spends vast sums on ensuring order – more [...]