China recently announced it would impose an export licensing regime on around 300 steel products starting January 1. The move, while seemingly technical, sends a clear signal Beijing is attempting to address a key source of trade friction with its emerging market partners.
To understand the policy’s intent, it needs to be placed in the broader context of China’s trade position this year.
As global trade protectionism intensifies, China’s exports have shown remarkable resilience. Even as…
Why 2026 may bring better days for the UK construction industry
There are indications that the UK construction sector could grow in 2026, notwithstanding the challenges that the industry faces, in what the industry will hope signals better days ahead.
HKIAC makes competitive updates to fees and expedited procedures
The Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) has significantly expanded the scope of its expedited procedures schedule to meet client demands for greater control and efficiency, as well as slightly increased its fee schedule in an effort to keep costs low, an expert has said.
Liability, mitigation and communication: the big lessons for UK construction from 2025’s court rulings
2025 was a particularly notable one in terms of impactful court judgments, which will have a significant effect on the construction sector into next year and beyond.
‘Pax Silica’: America’s new AI inner circle and Asia’s chosen few
When Washington unveiled its “Pax Silica” initiative earlier this month, the absence of countries like India and Vietnam spoke almost as loudly as the presence of Japan, South Korea and Singapore. The message? America’s new vision for the AI supply chain will begin with only its most trusted hands.
The Pax Silica Declaration, signed at a summit held in the United States on December 12-13, brought together a carefully chosen group as founding signatories. Alongside the host nation and its East…
Cambodia: Thai border clashes displace half a million ahead of peace talks
More than half a million people in Cambodia have been displaced by two weeks of deadly border clashes with Thailand, Phnom Penh said on Sunday, ahead of regional talks aimed at easing tensions.
The renewed fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours this month, including with tanks, drones and artillery, has killed at least 22 people in Thailand and 19 in Cambodia, officials said.
The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800 kilometre (500…
Worship to witch hunts: how South Korea’s fandoms turn on their idols
In the space of a single week in early December, three household names in South Korean entertainment abruptly retreated from the spotlight.
Actor Cho Jin-woong announced his sudden retirement on December 6 after decades-old reports resurfaced online about his brief stint in juvenile detention.
Two days later, television host and comedian Park Na-rae suspended her broadcast appearances following claims she had mistreated staff and received unauthorised medical treatments.
And fellow comedian Cho…
31 Malaysians rescued from Myanmar job scam centre return home
A group of 31 Malaysians, victims of a job scam syndicate in Myawaddy, Myanmar, have been successfully repatriated following a high-level diplomatic operation, the Malay language daily Sinar Harian reported.
They arrived at the Bukit Kayu Hitam immigration complex near the Thai-Malaysian border at 6.50pm on Saturday. Upon arrival, they were immediately handed over to the Royal Malaysia Police for further investigation into the syndicate’s operations.
While the victims’ identities were confirmed…
Australia’s Albanese faces fierce battle over gun laws after Bondi Beach shooting
When a gunman murdered 35 people in Tasmania in 1996, Australia’s political leaders united to implement some of the West’s toughest gun laws. Nearly three decades later, after 15 people were killed at a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, consensus is more elusive.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s call for tighter gun controls is meeting resistance from ascendant right-wing populists and some mainstream conservatives, revealing a more polarised landscape that contrasts with Australia’s response to…
Rivals, rain and rising costs: Thailand’s tourism crown slips
As the windows rattled from distant explosions, British tourist Brian* sat sleepless in a dim hotel room in Thailand’s Trat province, waiting out a curfew he had not known existed.
With artillery ringing out from across the border with Cambodia, his dreams of reaching the island of Koh Kood seemed to dissolve into the darkness.
“The police said the road was closed and I’d have to find accommodation overnight,” Brian told This Week in Asia, offering only his first name. “I heard explosions all…