News

Northern Mariana Islands governor says ‘the world is changing in the Indo-Pacific’ as work continues in the US territory on defense development
The governor of the Northern Mariana Islands says an $800m US military upgrade plan which includes a new airfield in the Pacific territory “has to happen” amid concern over China’s recent missile tests in the region.
Tinian, home to about 3,500 people, is one of the three main islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated US territory. During the second world war, the US launched a nuclear bomb against Japan from Tinian, and now a major rehabilitation of a deserted airfield and other military upgrades are under way on the island.

The re-election of Donald Trump is driving Chinese firms to move their operations overseas to avoid American tariffs ...

Some experts liken tariffs to a game of whack-a-mole, with trade flows simply rerouted if the potential rewards are big enough
Businesses are bracing for the economic impact of a second Trump presidency, which, if , will mean tariffs across nearly all imports to the US, especially those from China.
But amid the gloom over the spectre of a , some manufacturers may be looking to those who already have a playbook on dealing with aggressive US levies, such as China’s solar companies.

As he made his final appearance at global gatherings, including at the Group of 20 summit in Brazil, President Biden lobbied for his foreign policy goals even as leaders shifted attention away from him.

UK prime minister was condemned by Iain Duncan Smith, who is on Beijing’s sanctions list
Keir Starmer has twice declined to directly condemn the jailing of dozens of Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy figures, less than 24 hours after meeting China’s president at the G20 summit.
The UK prime minister was asked both during a BBC interview and at his press conference in Rio de Janeiro to respond to the jailing of the activists, including being asked if he would condemn the sentences directly, but he reiterated the importance of building bridges with China for the sake of economic growth.

The incident followed an attack by a driver last week that left 35 people dead, and a mass stabbing several days later.

The jailing of 45 pro-democracy activists testifies to the ruthless suppression of a once-vibrant civil society
Defending Beijing’s draconian crackdown on political freedoms in Hong Kong, following the extraordinary protest movement in 2019, the territory’s former leader, Carrie Lam, would that there was no “one-size-fits-all” approach to doing democracy. Such rhetoric was, of course, only ever disingenuous sophistry. The of Hong Kong’s largest-ever national security trial on Tuesday confirmed the grisly trajectory of recent years under Ms Lam’s successor, John Lee: a consolidation of nakedly authoritarian rule has led to the suppression of a once vibrant and politically diverse civil society.
In all, 45 pro-democracy activists were jailed under Hong Kong’s punitive (NSL), imposed by Beijing in 2020. Charged the same year with conspiracy to commit subversion against the state, their “crime” had been, in fact, to pursue a peaceful route to goals including democratic elections for the city’s leader and police accountability.
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our section, please .

Delegates from poorer nations say classifications that date back to 1992 are obsolete and two countries ‘should be contributing’
China and India should no longer be treated as developing countries in the same way as some of the poorest African nations are, according to a growing number of delegates from poorer country at the .
China should take on some additional responsibility for providing financial help to the poorest and most vulnerable, several delegates told the Guardian. India should not be eligible for receiving financial help as it has no trouble attracting investment, some said.

The 45 defendants, including Joshua Wong, were at the forefront of the opposition movement crushed by Beijing. Many had already been in jail for years.

State media says "several students and adults were injured and fell to the ground".

Human rights groups concerned after handing down of sentences of up to 10 years
Governments and human rights groups have expressed concern and outrage at the of 45 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong after the city’s largest national security trial.
On Tuesday, a court handed down sentences, ranging from four years and two months to 10 years, to , former legislators, councillors and academics, who with two people acquitted in May made up a group known as the Hong Kong 47.

Benny Tai and Joshua Wong were among dozens sentenced in a controversial national security trial.