China’s cryptocurrency enthusiasts have been left out of bitcoin’s historic rally in recent months, thanks to the Chinese government banning initial coin offerings in September and then shutting down all major domestic exchanges. But it didn’t take long for them to find something new to pour their money into.
Tensions between China and India at their disputed border have been reignited—over a crashed drone.
As bitcoin sets new highs, China’s cryptocurrency community is feeling low. Following a ban on initial coin offerings, the Chinese government shut down all local crypto exchanges in September, effectively killing bitcoin trading in a country that once dominated the market.
The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) said today (Dec. 7) that it would use blockchain to clear and settle trades, becoming the world’s first mainstream equity market to employ the technology behind bitcoin for its core services.
Authorities in China’s northeastern province of Jilin, which borders North Korea, apparently take the threat of its belligerent neighbor seriously. Jilin’s official newspaper today (Dec. 6) published a rare, if not unprecedented, full-page article instructing its citizens on how to protect themselves in case of a nuclear attack.
China once dominated the bitcoin markets, accounting for over 90% of global trading. But in September, its central bank banned initial coin offerings (ICOs) and stopped cryptocurrency exchanges from serving local customers. Looking back at the crackdowns, Pan Gongsheng, a deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China, believes Beijing made the right decisions.
China’s Communist Party is trying to do a better job of engaging younger generations through slick propaganda efforts like rap songs and comics. Now, it wants to liven up your chats with communist stickers.
Famed Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar-wai, best known for his 2000 dark romance In the Mood for Love, is among the wave of renowned film directors embracing web series. Earlier this year, Amazon’s streaming service announced that it has ordered Wong’s Tong Wars, a crime drama series about Chinese gangsters set in the United States of the late 19th century.
First Beijing pushed thousands of migrant workers out of the city in the name of safety. Now authorities are carrying out a parallel virtual eviction as well, removing references to China’s “low-end population” from the internet.
Disney has found its Mulan for the live-action remake of the 1998 animated movie of the same name. The good news is that it’s a big step towards battling against Hollywood’s whitewashing—an actual Asian actress is playing the role of an Asian protagonist. The bad news is, Liu Yifei is one of China’s worst actress, according to Chinese moviegoers.
London’s West End is a notoriously expensive place to set up offices, but it’s no longer the priciest.
The price of bitcoin hit $10,000 this morning (Nov. 29), reaching the historic milestone for the first time, even as respected voices warned against investing in the cryptocurrency.
Yesterday (Nov. 27), Chinese tech company Tencent announced (link in Chinese) that it will co-develop an official mobile version of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) through a partnership with the game’s South Korean developer Bluehole.
Tens of thousands of migrant workers are being forced out of their homes in Beijing under a citywide clean-up campaign in the aftermath of a fire that killed over a dozen people earlier this month.
Chinese president Xi Jinping officially became the most powerful leader in China since Mao Zedong at a recently concluded Communist Party congress. Now, you can read all about why Xi is so great in a lengthy profile published today (Nov. 17) by state news agency Xinhua.
On his return to the White House from his lengthy Asian tour, Donald Trump on Wednesday (Nov. 15) proclaimed the trip a big success. One of the most eye-catching statements he made was that China had agreed to give up an unwelcome pillar of its approach to North Korea.
You’ve logged onto your favorite game, and you’re ready to shoot and kill your enemies. Before being parachuted into the battleground, you see a banner hanging over your head that reads: “Never forget why you started, and you can accomplish your mission.”
About two-and-a-half years ago, Chinese authorities carried out an unprecedented crackdown on human rights lawyers and activists, with more than 150 people being summoned, questioned, or arrested across the country over a single weekend started July 9, 2015.
China decriminalized homosexuality in 1997, and removed it from the list of official mental disorders four years later. But stories of families forcing their relatives to undergo conversion therapy remain common, in large part because Chinese society places a high value in filial piety, with getting married and having a child as a major component. In July, a Chinese court ordered a public hospital to compensate a gay man forced to endure such treatment—the first victory of its kind in China.
US president Donald Trump offered his services as a mediator in the South China Sea territorial dispute while meeting with Southeast Asian leaders over the weekend. None seemed particularly interested in taking him up on his offer—but it could still remain one of the few good options on the table.
Donald Trump wrapped up his state visit to China today and boarded Air Force One for the APEC summit in Vietnam, the fourth leg of his lengthy Asia tour. During his two-night stay in Beijing, the US president was feted with everything from an unprecedented Forbidden City dinner to a military honor guard alongside flag-waving Chinese kids—experiences that are captured in his cheerful tweets.
Yesterday, (Nov. 9), China’s president Xi Jinping hosted Donald Trump at a state dinner at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. Among the guests were Chinese business leaders, who signed deals worth some $250 billion with their US counterparts earlier during the day. One of them, Xiaomi founder Lei Jun, posted the menu on microblogging site Weibo.
Donald Trump has had lots of complaints against China since well before he took office in January. Over five years of tweeting, he accused China of being a job stealer, liar, copycat, currency manipulator, a hacker, and a spy that laughs at the US all the time.
As Trump sits down with Chinese president Xi Jinping for official meetings in Beijing today (Nov. 9), a quiet, low-profile Wang Huning is almost certain to be at the Chinese leader’s side. Wang was part of Xi’s overseas entourage in April when the two leaders met for the first time, but now he has emerged much stronger. The 62-year-old political-theorist-turned-official just won a seat on the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee—the apex of China’s decision-making power. Well before that, he’s been widely described as the intellectual force behind the ideologies espoused by China’s three most recent presidents, including Xi himself.
