You can even buy a gas chamber: European Union seeks ban on trade in torture items   10%

Trade in instruments used in torture and executions should be illegal and could one day be banned under an initiative spearheaded by the European Union, Argentina and Mongolia, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said on Friday.“You can buy all kinds of things on the internet. You can buy spiked batons, you can even buy a gas chamber,” Malmstrom said. “You can buy electro-belts, special batons, equipment or products that are only used to harm people. Their only one purpose is to torture…

China, Hong Kong shares surge on news of Trump and Xis agreement to talk trade at G20   10%

Mainland China and Hong Kong markets surged after presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping spoke on the phone and put trade talks on their agenda when they meet in Japan next week for the G20 summit.The Shanghai Composite Index climbed by as much as 2.2 per cent on Wednesday, before trimming some of the gains and closing up 1 per cent at 2917.80. The benchmark rose for the third-straight day on hopes the Trump-Xi meeting will lead to a trade deal.The CSI 300 Index of large companies traded in…

Gibraltar Trade Center to be turned into medical marijuana facility   -2%

The city recently awarded licenses for a medical marijuana facility to take up shop in the building of the former trade center.

Lucas Giolito is an early Cy Young candidate. Mike Rizzo couldnt be happier for him.  

Traded by Washington in December 2016, the right-hander is dominating in his third season with the White Sox.

Chinas BeiDou satellite navigation system breaks underwater barriers, naval shipbuilder says   15%

Tests have confirmed advances in the maritime use of China’s home-grown satellite navigation system, gains that could strengthen the ability of the country’s submarines and underwater drones to mount stealth strikes, military specialists said.China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) said underwater precision positioning tests conducted by its No 716 Research and Development Institute in waters off Lianyungang in Jiangsu province, proved that it had overcome a number of core technical…

Chinas stockpile of US notes, bills and bonds shrinks to a two-year low as trade war rages on  

The US government reported that China’s holdings of Treasuries fell to a two-year low, a slump that’s coincided with an escalation in tensions between the world’s two largest economies.China’s stockpile of US notes, bills and bonds declined by US$7.5 billion in April to US$1.11 trillion, according to Treasury Department data released Monday in Washington.Long-time observers of the data, including former Treasury official Brad Setser, have argued that some of China’s purchases are routed through…

Hong Kong behind NYSE, Nasdaq in IPO rankings in first half of 2019 as extradition bill and trade war weigh on sentiment   -6%

Hong Kong’s stock market is expected to rank third, and Shanghai fourth, in global IPO market rankings for the first half this year, according to latest analysis by Deloitte China's National Public Offering Group. Both markets have been hit hard by macroeconomic turbulence caused by the US-China trade war as well as political uncertainties.The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq are expected to occupy the top two places with mega initial public offerings in the period under review,…

As talk of global recession emerges amid US-China trade war, deal flows and sentiment take a hit   7%

Companies are taking a much more cautious view on mergers and acquisitions this year, particularly when it comes to transactions involving the United States and China, as the world’s two biggest economies square off in an escalating trade war, according to deal advisers.Transaction volumes – and the value of deals – are down, driven by fewer mega deals and increased uncertainty about the global economic outlook, advisers said.According to research and financial data provider Mergermarket, the…

China's Xi leaves on first state visit to North Korea   10%

Chinese President Xi Jinping departed for Pyongyang on Thursday on a state visit to North Korea, state media said, accompanied by a clutch of senior officials, including the head of the state economic planner.

Slack's stock will soon start trading. Here's what you need to know about the non-IPO  

Slack shares are set to start trading Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange. But don't call it an IPO.

Iran looks to lift petrochemical sales as sanctions hammer oil  

Iran has been racing to step up exports of petrochemicals and tap new markets to compensate for sliding oil sales, Iranian and international industry sources said, but now risks losing that crucial revenue as Washington tightens the screw on sanctions. Tehran has been selling increased volumes of petrochemical products at below market rates, in countries including Brazil, China and India, since the United States reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil exports in November, according to the six sources who include two senior Iranian government officials.

Meet the first man to walk the entire length of China's Great Wall   35%

On a warm spring morning in 1984, Dong Yao-hui and his two young friends, Wu De-yu and Zhang Yuan-hua, pulled on military surplus backpacks and boots and set out on a hike along a stretch of the Great Wall of China.

A visual feast: Street style from the Florentine fair   35%

Pitti Uomo 96 - the menswear trade show in Florence saw peacocks preening in full force.

Chinese investors welcome in Brazil as long as they create jobs, play by the rules   7%

Brazil welcomes Chinese investment in infrastructure projects as long as investors create jobs and play by local rules, the South American country’s vice-president Hamilton Mourao said.Mourao met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last month as part of efforts to maintain warm relations with Brazil’s top trading partner.While campaigning last year, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro had warned that China was trying to “buy Brazil”, but he has since taken a more pragmatic approach. In a…

UPDATE 2-Oracle rises on strong quarterly forecast driven by licenses, cloud services   10%

Oracle Corp on Wednesday forecast current-quarter profit above estimates, as the business software maker benefited from demand for its on-premise IT, cloud services and license support businesses, sending its shares up as much as 7% in extended trading.

Is short-video start-up Kuaishou too Zen for China's internet culture? Its founders think so   55%

Kuaishou operates one of China’s most popular short-video sharing apps with more than 200 million users logging in every day. Yet its founders worry that the Beijing-based start-up is at risk of sliding into irrelevance.In a call to arms to its more than 8,000 employees on Tuesday, Kuaishou’s founders, Su Hua and Cheng Yixiao, set a target for the company to reach 300 million daily active users by February 2020 and to shake off a laid-back corporate culture that sets it apart from its peers in…

With Hymns and Prayers, Christians Help Drive Hong Kongs Protests   50%

Christianity has had a striking influence in demonstrations against a proposed law that would allow extraditions to mainland China.

Tariff Temper Tantrum: Trump "Created a Fake Crisis & Has Announced a Fake Solution" with Mexico  

Facing an escalating showdown with Mexico and an insurrection from his own party, President Trump said Friday the United States had reached a deal with Mexico to avert a 5% tariff on all imported Mexican goods that was due to take effect today and increase to 25% by October. Trump's announcement came after three days of Mexico-U.S. negotiations in Washington. Officials said it was based around Mexico's commitment to deploy National Guard forces throughout the country, in particular to its southern border, in order to stem the flow of northbound migrants headed toward the US. Under the deal, they said Mexico also agreed to expand what is known as the Remain in Mexico policy, which allows the U.S. to send back Central American asylum-seeking migrants to Mexico while their cases make their way through immigration courts. However, on Saturday, The New York Times reported that the plan to send troops to the border had already been agreed to in March. We speak with Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch and author of "The Rise and Fall of Fast Track Trade Authority."

Trump's pick to lead Pentagon a longtime China hawk  

China has been a personal priority of Esper as far back as the 1990s, including when Esper worked as an aide on Capitol Hill after more than a decade in the Army, he told Reuters.

Spain and China reach last 16 as Germany thump South Africa 4-0   15%

Germany made it three wins in three matches with an emphatic 4-0 defeat of South Africa on Monday to go through to the knockout stages as Group B leaders ahead of Spain and China, who also qualified for the last 16 after a goalless draw.

Chinese state media say President Xi Jinping has arrived in North Korea for first visit since taking office in 2013   12%

Chinese state media say President Xi Jinping has arrived in North Korea for first visit since taking office in 2013

Chinese state media calls new tech export controls a shield against certain countries   10%

Chinese state media on Sunday said Beijing’s new tech export controls were aimed at deterring “certain countries” from using the nation’s technologies to suppress its development.The new “national technological security management list” was announced on Saturday, just over a week after Beijing said it would blacklist “unreliable” foreign entities deemed to have damaged the interests of Chinese firms.Analysts said the new measure was just the latest retaliation from China as it faced off against…

Lighthizer on the Hill  

AFL-CIO’s Trumka: Don’t rush USMCA — China hearings continue today

Chinas new home prices rise 0.71 per cent in May, accelerating at the fastest pace in six months   7%

China’s new home prices rose at an accelerated pace in May, bolstered by robust gains in lower-tier cities, while Shanghai and other top tier cities recorded modest to flat growth amid indicators that pointed to slowing investment and sales by volume on year.The average cost of a new home increased by 0.71 per cent in May from April, the fastest gain since November, and an acceleration from 0.62 per cent in April on month, according to Bloomberg calculations based on National Bureau of…

Federal Reserve, for now, holds key interest rate steady despite pressure from Trump   -13%

The Federal Reserve, facing heavy pressure from President Trump to lower borrowing costs, left interest rates unchanged Wednesday but made clear that it was leaning toward cutting rates because of rising risks from trade tensions and a softer global economy.

Wrapping up a two-day meeting, Fed policymakers...

US-China trade talks send ASX soaring   12%

Hopes of a de-escalation in the trade dispute between China and the US drove the Australian sharemarket 1.2 per cent higher on Wednesday.

I feel like a target: US tech workers of Chinese descent see trade war backlash   -26%

According to a Guardian survey through Blind, employees are already facing negative consequences or predict problems

Technology workers of Chinese descent say that they are experiencing backlash due to the US-China trade war and fears over Huawei, according to a survey commissioned by the Guardian through Blind, an app allowing anonymous workplace communication.

“With the trade war against China and especially the Huawei case I feel like a target more and more every day,” an anonymous Amazon employee wrote in a comment on the app, which is popular among technology employees and verifies employment through work emails. “I can’t even feel comfortable about being Chinese because so many Americans see China as a threat now.”

Farmers caught between a flood and a trade-war hard place  

A $19.1 billion disaster aid package won't include much help for Midwestern farmers who can’t plant. Meanwhile a trade war puts farm exports at risk.

Foxconn denies speculation about exiting mainland China amid uncertainty from trade war  

Foxconn Technology Group, the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturer, has denied speculation that it plans to withdraw from the Chinese mainland, where the Taiwanese company has more than 1 million employees, as the trade row between the US and China escalates.“The rumours about Foxconn quitting mainland China are not true,” said the company, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, in a post on its official WeChat account on Monday.The firm said that operations at all of its…

Chinas President Xi Jinping to visit N. Korea this week state media  

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea for a two-day visit starting this Thursday, according to Chinese state media reports.
Read Full Article at RT.com

Xi, Kim summit topics: Friendship, food aid and maybe nukes   20%

From nuclear weapons to huge food aid shipments to a shared skepticism about the United States, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will have a … Click to Continue »

Back to the Hanfu-ture: Young Chinese revive ancient fashion  

Qi Pao also known as cheongsam in Cantonese, the qipao -- meaning Qi robe -- began as a long, loose dress worn by the Manchus or Qi people who ruled China from the 17th century to the early 1900s.

Chris Paul, Rockets GM deny reports of major rift between Paul and James Harden   50%

The latest media report claimed that the high-profile teammates’ relationship was “unsalvageable” and that Paul had demanded a trade.

DeFazio weighing FAA certification legislation   20%

How Uber wants its flying taxis to be regulated — China’s multimodal cyber threat to transportation

China uses Great Firewall to block Washington Post, Guardian websites   24%

The websites of The Washington Post and The Guardian appear to be blocked in China as the country’s government tightens its so-called Great Firewall censorship apparatus as it navigates a politically sensitive period.Until this weekend, the two newspapers were among the last of the major English-language outlets that were still regularly accessible from mainland China without the use of virtual private networking (VPN) software, according to the censorship tracker Greatfire.org.Chinese internet…

China halts pork imports from third Canadian firm as dispute deepens   -13%

China will block pork imports from a third Canadian firm after a shipment was found to contain the banned feed additive ractopamine, the customs agency said on Tuesday, deepening a trade and diplomatic dispute with Canada.The firm in question is Frigo Royal, the agency said on its WeChat account. Ractopamine is used in some countries to make leaner pigs but China does not allow its use or tolerate residues in imported meat.China will also strengthen inspections for the residue in all pork…

Japans exports slump, hopes turn to Trump-Xi   10%

Japan’s exports fell for a sixth straight month in May, the government said Wednesday, as escalating trade tensions add to concerns about global demand.

Fact-checking President Trumps reelection campaign kickoff   -9%

Phony numbers on trade. Unfounded claims about immigrants. False statements about special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation. You know, the usual.

Zimbabwe: Country Ranked Among World's Ten Worst for Workers   -33%

[New Zimbabwe] ZIMBABWE is among the world's 10 worst countries for employees, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)'s 2019 global rights index has revealed.

China Plus One Model, Vietnams Foreign Contractor Tax China Outbound   6%

In this week's China Outbound, we look at India as a China plus one location for investors, FCT in Vietnam, and intra-regional trade between EAEU and ASEAN.

The post China Plus One Model, Vietnam’s Foreign Contractor Tax – China Outbound appeared first on China Briefing News.