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The Role of the Consumer in Fighting Modern Slavery
An Australian supermarket group sells tuna caught on Thai fishing boats that use forced labor. Whatever the ethics of selling such goods, what does law say? These workers are not employees of the Australian firm, so they are not necessarily its legal responsibility. From garments to chocolate, …
SlaveryThe World Cup is a Global Political Football
The decision to host the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar has been steeped in controversy, and just when you thought it could not become any more contentious, it did. The recent cutting of diplomatic ties with the small Gulf nation by several of its neighbors has led to fevered speculation that …
FIFANew ‘Chinglish’ Guide to Standardize Translation in China
In an attempt to root out confusing if not embarrassing “Chinglish” mistranslations, the Chinese government has published a guide to prevent businesses and organizations from getting lost in translation.<p>The Ministry of Education, the State Language Commission, and the Standardization Administration …
ChinaChinese Millennials’ Ferocious But Fragile Appetite for Viral Stores
If you’re planning a short trip to the world’s most populous city, you will likely include attractions like the Pearl Tower, the Bund, and Jing’an Temple (靜安寺) in your itinerary. If you happen to be young and tuned into social media, you will have one more thing to check off your list: waiting for …
ChinaCARTOON: Who Are Taiwan's Remaining Diplomatic Allies?
Panama severed ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing earlier this month. The move took the number of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies to 20. Do you know of these countries?<p>Oceania<p>Photo Credit: Stellina Chen<p>The Republic of Kiribati, the land of the Maneaba, is an island-nation in the central Pacific Ocean …
TaiwanTaipei's Five Best Cafes
Cafes of various styles and price ranges can be found in Taipei; even convenience stores offer a quick coffee boost. Due to the city's fast-growing coffee scene, Taipei was named one of the world's top coffee cities by BBC in 2014.<p>In an island-nation famous for its national treasure, tea, coffee is …
CoffeeASIA NEWS BITES: Former US Official Accused of Spying for China; 'Perfect Police State' Emerges in Xinjiang; 4 Dead in Shooting near Taipei
China:<p>Chinese regulators on Thursday ordered three popular internet platforms to stop streaming political videos, expanding the crackdown on online political dialogue as China prepares for an important political handover. - The Wall Street Journal<p>A US defense contractor and former State Department …
ChinaPanama Braces for Chinese Tourist Boom
Chinese tour operators are eyeing Panama as a tourist hotspot, days after the two countries established diplomatic ties.<p>Operators are planning to push tour packages geared toward U.S. bound Chinese tourists with Panama as an option for an extended one or two-day itinerary. Proposed itineraries …
Latin AmericaShooting Near Taipei - 3 Dead
Police found the bodies of three men and one woman at an address in Zhongli District, Taoyuan City on Thursday night, officers said.<p>Taoyuan Fire Department officials said they received reports about gunshots at 9:08 p.m. and when police and rescuers rushed to the scene they found two men and one …
TaiwanMindanao's Vanishing Chance for Peace
After an extremist rebel group pledging allegiance to the Islamic State invaded the Philippine city of Marawi on 23 May, it should have come as no surprise to see the Duterte administration rush to proclaim martial law on the southernmost island of Mindanao.<p>This isn’t the first time Duterte has …
Asia‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’: When Real Women Take Over Indian Screens
“We see many films on male bonding, but hardly any on female bonding,” award-winning Indian filmmaker Aparna Sen told Indian television news channel NDTV at Cannes, just after the screening of her latest film, "Sonata."<p>"Sonata," which has already been released in India, explores the lives of three …
TaiwanNavigating the Muddy Waters of China’s Cadmium Rice Paddies
The 16 acres of rice paddies that Liu Jian works have sustained him since he was born, as they have his parents, his siblings, and his own 21-year-old son. But since last year, the 48-year-old’s tract of land has sat unseeded and will remain so for another two and a half years.<p>Liu’s land lies …
AgricultureThe Rise of Taiwan's College Dropouts
“Growing up in Taiwan, it’s hard to find our fields of interest before entering college because we are bombarded with exams and grades in high school and middle school,” said Jing Yien-liang (金彥良), 20.<p>Two years ago, Jing dropped out of college midway through a degree in statistics at National …
EducationASIA NEWS BITES: Dog Eating Festival Opens; Miranda Kerr Linked to Malaysian Corruption Scandal; Myanmar Refugee Suicide Rate Lifts
North Korea:<p>North Korea sent drone to collect “military intelligence” at THAAD site. - North Korea News<p>The Trump administration has come under growing pressure to open negotiations on a temporary freeze on North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests in return for reducing the American military …
North KoreaBusiness as Usual for Chinese Panamanians Despite Taiwan Rupture
When Taiwan's former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) attended the inauguration of his Panamanian counterpart Juan Carlos Varela in July 2014, cross-Strait relations had never been better.<p>“Ma invited everyone in the Chinese community,” Juan Tam (譚堅) told me on my visit to the isthmus just two weeks …
ChinaThe Dangerous Rise in US-China 'At Sea Incidents'
There has been yet another spate of U.S.-China incidents involving U.S. intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) probes in and over China’s bordering seas. In February, there was a close encounter between a U.S. Navy P-3 Orion aircraft and a Chinese surveillance aircraft over the South …
South China SeaCan China Win the Hearts and Minds of its 'Minorities'?
On June 1, the Information Office of China’s State Council (Cabinet) published a White Paper (WP) entitled “Freedom of religious belief protected in Xinjiang.” These types of publications are part of regular exercises trying to provide a rosy picture to the world in areas where China faces serious …
ChinaE-Commerce Giants Accused of Bullying Shops Into Cutting Prices
Two stores have challenged China’s e-commerce giants during a major online shopping festival, shedding light on deep-seated tensions between the industry’s vendors and the platforms that host them.<p>Liebo (裂帛服饰), a women’s apparel brand, has accused JD.com of forcing it to offer discounts to …
eCommerceVOICES: 'We Are Not Extremists' - Activists Talk Chinese Suppression
Political activists from Hong Kong, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang say they are facing increased suppression from Beijing. Hong Kong Indigenous Party founder Ray Wong (黃台仰), World Uyghur Congress Vice President Umit Hamit and Inner Mongolian People’s Party Chair Temtsiltu Shobtsood were in Taiwan last …
Hong KongPODCAST: Art, Magazines and Noise with White Fungus Editor Ron Hanson
I do have distaste for mainstream culture. But I have changed my outlook as I go further into the arts and realize how hard it is. I have respect and sympathy for everyone in the arts, even if they are doing something that I don’t really like.<p>White Fungus started life in Wellington, New Zealand. It …
TaiwanASIA NEWS BITES: US Presses NK to Release Detained Americans; World's First Flexible Fingerprint Sensor; Strong Earthquake Hits Japan; Duterte Apologizes for Martial Law
China:<p>In a move that highlights the shifting landscape of global auto production, Ford Motor said on Tuesday that it would build its next-generation small car in China rather than in the United States or Mexico.- The New York Times<p>China’s efforts to open up its markets to global investors won a …
AsiaSingapore PM's Family Feud Reveals Rise of the 'First Lady'
On April 15, 2010, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was interviewed by Charlie Rose on American national television and declared without reservation that if anyone suggested that Singapore has a dynastic government – if there was any hint of nepotism – then he would sue them.<p>That was then. …
SingaporeIndia's Calculated Boycott of China's Belt and Road Forum
After three years of uncertainty surrounding China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the highly anticipated Belt and Road Forum (BRF) was finally held in May 2017 in Beijing. But India, Beijing’s most populous neighbor, was conspicuous in its absence.<p>Despite earlier concerns over a …
ChinaHere's What China Can Teach Us About Poverty
The past decade has seen a proliferation of China models. Numerous individuals have proffered their version of a single magic bullet that explains how China works.<p>While all existing China models capture some element of truth, they are inadequate—even misleading—in two ways. The first is that …
TaiwanStreet Performers Juggle Regulations in Taiwan
Two minutes to impress a panel of judges as harsh as Simon Cowell — mean judge of "American Idol" fame — and only one chance per year to do it.<p>This is not an audition for a singing competition, however. It is the examination street performers in Taiwan have been subject to since 2005 just to obtain …
TaiwanWhy It’s Time for Chinese Educators to Open Up About Sex
As a sexuality education teacher, my job is to go into schools and educate children and teenagers about the realities of sex and the ways they can protect themselves from harm. It’s a job very close to my heart, as when I was a child, I was sexually assaulted.<p>As a six-year-old, I enjoyed hanging …
EducationHow Beautiful It Will Be: How Campus Folk Changed Taiwan
When Lee Shuang-tze (李雙澤) stormed a stage in 1976 during a folk music festival at Tamkang University, proclaiming that “we should sing our own songs!” before smashing a coke bottle, nobody thought twice. What became known as the Tamkang Incident, (淡江事件) however had a profound and long-lasting …
MusicTackling Cancer in Taiwan Needs New Thinking
<i>By Rachel McMahon</i><p>Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) has set a target of reducing the mortality rate and premature death rate from cancer by 25% by 2020, in line with World Health Organization objectives. In its position paper in the recently released 2017 Taiwan White Paper of the …
TaiwanASIA NEWS BITES: US Student Released from North Korea Dies; South Korea Steps Back from Nuclear Power; Singapore PM Apologizes for Public Family Feud
North Korea:<p>A U.S. college student released from North Korea in a coma after 17 months of detention died Monday. - The Korea Times<p>North Korean state media on Monday said Pyongyang won’t discuss nuclear issues with Seoul and that the DPRK should only negotiate with Washington DC.- North Korea …
North KoreaQ&A: Taiwanese Designers on 'Sustainable Fashion'
Sustainable fashion is becoming a trend; brands like H&M, Zara and MUJI already have their own "eco" fashion collections and related design awards are being held annually around the world.<p>The EcoChic Design Award, organized by Hong Kong-based environmental NGO Redress, started out as a sustainable …
Sustainable Fashion