Ethan Zhao
Senior Reporter
The Latest
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Jimmy Lai Convicted Under Hong Kong Security Law, Putting $1.2 Billion Fortune at Risk of Forfeiture
The conviction of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai under the city's sweeping national security law has intensified global attention not only on his political fate but also on the future of a fortune once estimated at $1.2 billion. The ruling by Hong Kong's High Court on Monday leaves Lai, 78, facing the possibility of life imprisonment and raises the likelihood that assets frozen since his arrest could now be permanently confiscated. 
The conviction of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai under the city's sweeping national security law has intensified global attention not only on his political fate but also on the future of a fortune once estimated at $1.2 billion. The ruling by Hong Kong's High Court on Monday leaves Lai, 78, facing the possibility of life imprisonment and raises the likelihood that assets frozen since his arrest could now be permanently confiscated. -
U.S. B-52 Bombers Join Japan Jets After China-Russia Patrols Spark Security Alarm Across Indo-Pacific
The United States and Japan conducted a high-visibility military exercise over the Sea of Japan this week, deploying U.S. B-52H strategic bombers and Japanese F-35 and F-15 fighter jets in a coordinated show of force days after China and Russia carried out joint air and naval drills near Japanese and South Korean territory. Japan's Defense Ministry said the bilateral flight reaffirmed the allies' determination "to prevent any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force" as tensions deepen across the Indo-Pacific. 
The United States and Japan conducted a high-visibility military exercise over the Sea of Japan this week, deploying U.S. B-52H strategic bombers and Japanese F-35 and F-15 fighter jets in a coordinated show of force days after China and Russia carried out joint air and naval drills near Japanese and South Korean territory. Japan's Defense Ministry said the bilateral flight reaffirmed the allies' determination "to prevent any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force" as tensions deepen across the Indo-Pacific. -
Thailand Airstrikes Kill Five as 385,000 Flee Border; Hospitals Collapse Amid Cambodia Clashes
Tensions along the Thailand-Cambodia border erupted into the region's worst violence in months, as Thailand launched airstrikes on Monday following deadly clashes that killed at least five civilians and displaced more than 385,000 people. The escalation threatens to unravel a fragile ceasefire brokered just two months ago by U.S. President Donald Trump, according to CNN reporting from the area. 
Tensions along the Thailand-Cambodia border erupted into the region's worst violence in months, as Thailand launched airstrikes on Monday following deadly clashes that killed at least five civilians and displaced more than 385,000 people. The escalation threatens to unravel a fragile ceasefire brokered just two months ago by U.S. President Donald Trump, according to CNN reporting from the area. -
China and Japan Clash Over Radar Targeting as Carrier Drills Spark New Tensions
Japan and China entered one of their most tense exchanges of the year after Japan's Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighters in response to two radar-lock incidents involving Chinese J-15 aircraft southeast of Okinawa, according to reports from Japan Today and The Japan Times. The confrontation unfolded as China's carrier Liaoning conducted expansive air and helicopter operations in the Pacific, placing Japanese and Chinese forces in close proximity near contested airspace. 
Japan and China entered one of their most tense exchanges of the year after Japan's Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighters in response to two radar-lock incidents involving Chinese J-15 aircraft southeast of Okinawa, according to reports from Japan Today and The Japan Times. The confrontation unfolded as China's carrier Liaoning conducted expansive air and helicopter operations in the Pacific, placing Japanese and Chinese forces in close proximity near contested airspace. -
Beijing Rejects Takaichi’s Clarification, Says Japan ‘Absolutely Does Not Accept This’ on Taiwan Remarks
Tensions between China and Japan have intensified after Beijing rejected Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's latest clarification regarding her earlier comments on Taiwan, insisting that Tokyo must fully retract what it calls "erroneous remarks." The exchange has added strain to a relationship already challenged by regional security concerns and the competing strategic interests of two major Asian powers. 
Tensions between China and Japan have intensified after Beijing rejected Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's latest clarification regarding her earlier comments on Taiwan, insisting that Tokyo must fully retract what it calls "erroneous remarks." The exchange has added strain to a relationship already challenged by regional security concerns and the competing strategic interests of two major Asian powers. -
China Imposes 13% Tax on Condoms as Births Fall to 9.54 Million, Sparking Public Backlash
China is preparing to impose a 13% value-added tax on contraceptives beginning in January, a sharp policy reversal for a country that once relied on aggressive birth-control campaigns to limit population growth. The move, announced through revisions to the nation's VAT Law, comes as Beijing attempts to counter a deepening demographic decline, with births falling to 9.54 million in 2024-China's third consecutive year of population shrinkage and nearly half the level recorded in 2016. 
China is preparing to impose a 13% value-added tax on contraceptives beginning in January, a sharp policy reversal for a country that once relied on aggressive birth-control campaigns to limit population growth. The move, announced through revisions to the nation's VAT Law, comes as Beijing attempts to counter a deepening demographic decline, with births falling to 9.54 million in 2024-China's third consecutive year of population shrinkage and nearly half the level recorded in 2016. -
Malaysia Restarts MH370 Search on Dec. 30, Authorizes $70 Million ‘No Find, No Fee’ Mission
Malaysia will restart the deep-sea search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 on Dec. 30, reopening one of the aviation world's most confounding investigations 11 years after the Boeing 777 vanished over the Indian Ocean. The government confirmed that U.S. robotics firm Ocean Infinity will resume seabed operations for 55 days, working intermittently across what officials describe as the area with "the highest probability of locating the aircraft." 
Malaysia will restart the deep-sea search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 on Dec. 30, reopening one of the aviation world's most confounding investigations 11 years after the Boeing 777 vanished over the Indian Ocean. The government confirmed that U.S. robotics firm Ocean Infinity will resume seabed operations for 55 days, working intermittently across what officials describe as the area with "the highest probability of locating the aircraft." -
Japan’s Takaichi Reasserts 1972 Taiwan Policy as China Warns of Rising Regional Risk
Japan moved this week to temper rising friction with China over the Taiwan Strait, as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi publicly reaffirmed that Tokyo's position on Taiwan remains rooted in the 1972 Japan-China Joint Communique. The statement, delivered in parliament after weeks of heightened scrutiny from Beijing and domestic lawmakers, was framed as an attempt to reduce tensions sparked by her earlier suggestion that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could create a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan. 
Japan moved this week to temper rising friction with China over the Taiwan Strait, as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi publicly reaffirmed that Tokyo's position on Taiwan remains rooted in the 1972 Japan-China Joint Communique. The statement, delivered in parliament after weeks of heightened scrutiny from Beijing and domestic lawmakers, was framed as an attempt to reduce tensions sparked by her earlier suggestion that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could create a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan. -
China and Japan Trade Claims Over Diaoyu Islands Standoff as Coast Guards Confront Near Disputed Islands
China and Japan traded sharply conflicting accounts Tuesday over a maritime confrontation near the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, escalating already strained ties as both governments issued formal statements asserting territorial claims. The clash, involving coast-guard vessels and a Japanese fishing boat in the East China Sea, unfolded amid heightened diplomatic friction following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent remarks suggesting Tokyo could consider military action if China attacked Taiwan. 
China and Japan traded sharply conflicting accounts Tuesday over a maritime confrontation near the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, escalating already strained ties as both governments issued formal statements asserting territorial claims. The clash, involving coast-guard vessels and a Japanese fishing boat in the East China Sea, unfolded amid heightened diplomatic friction following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent remarks suggesting Tokyo could consider military action if China attacked Taiwan. -
Hong Kong Tai Po Fire Leaves 44 Dead, Nearly 300 Missing as Police Arrest Construction Executives
Hong Kong's deadliest residential fire in decades burned through a second day on Thursday, leaving at least 44 people dead, nearly 300 unaccounted for and three construction executives in police custody as authorities investigate whether unsafe renovation materials fueled the catastrophe. The blaze tore through the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po, a dense northern district near the mainland border, engulfing seven of eight towers sheathed in bamboo scaffolding and green construction mesh. 
Hong Kong's deadliest residential fire in decades burned through a second day on Thursday, leaving at least 44 people dead, nearly 300 unaccounted for and three construction executives in police custody as authorities investigate whether unsafe renovation materials fueled the catastrophe. The blaze tore through the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po, a dense northern district near the mainland border, engulfing seven of eight towers sheathed in bamboo scaffolding and green construction mesh.
