China

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets rose Wednesday following surprise weakness in U.S. manufacturing and wrangling in Britain over the country’s departure from the European Union.

Benchmarks in Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong advanced.

The Institute for Supply Management, an association of purchasing managers, said its manufacturing index slid to a 3½-year low of 49.1 last month from July’s 51.2.

3 September 2019; AFP: China said Monday it had lodged a complaint against the United States with the World Trade Organization (WTO), one day after new tariffs imposed by Washington on billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods came into force.

The world's two biggest economies have been embroiled in a bruising year-long trade war which escalated further on Sunday when Washington moved ahead with fresh levy hikes which Beijing had promised to match.

3 September 2019; AFP: Eight schoolchildren have died and two others were injured in a "school-related criminal case" in central China, with a 40-year-old suspect arrested, local authorities said Tuesday, the latest attack targeting an educational institution in the country.

The man was detained by police on the spot following Monday's incident in Chaoyangpo Village in Hubei province, according to a statement on the website of the government of Enshi city.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - This is a transcript of a talk given last week by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam to a group of businesspeople in the city. The transcript is taken from an audio recording of Lam’s remarks that was obtained by Reuters.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday she had never asked the Chinese government to let her resign to end the Chinese-ruled city’s political crisis, responding to a Reuters report about a recording of her saying she would step down if she could.

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets of the former British colony since mid-June in sometimes violent protests against now-suspended draft legislation that could have seen people sent to mainland China for trial in Communist Party controlled courts.

2 September 2019; AFP: Carbon-heavy development in countries part of China's Belt and Road Initiative could render the Paris climate goals unreachable, according to a new analysis on the gargantuan global infrastructure project released Monday.

The massive network of ports, railways, roads and industrial parks spanning Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe will see trillions invested in new infrastructure across 126 countries.

BEIJING (AP) — Two surveys of Chinese manufacturing show demand is weak amid a mounting tariff war with Washington over trade and technology.

A monthly purchasing managers’ index released by a business magazine, Caixin, rose to 50.4 from July’s 49.9 on a 100-point scale on which numbers above 50 show activity increasing.

That indicates “renewed improvement” but said a gauge of new orders fell to its lowest level this year, the magazine said.

HONG KONG (AP) — On the first day of school Monday, secondary students in Hong Kong supplemented their formal white uniforms with gas masks, goggles and hard hats as they planned to strike in a show of continued commitment to a fiery anti-government protest movement.

The semiautonomous Chinese territory has been rocked by nearly three months of pro-democracy protests calling for electoral reforms and an independent inquiry into police conduct.

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stocks were mixed Monday after Washington and Beijing escalated their trade war with new tariff hikes.

Shanghai advanced while Tokyo and Hong Kong declined. South Korea’s main index was unchanged.

Markets reacted less strongly to the weekend tariff hikes on billions of dollars of goods than to previous increases. Investors are hoping for progress in talks this month, but analysts warn the fight over trade and technology is unlikely to be quickly resolved.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Sunday started to impose additional tariffs on some of the U.S. goods on a $75-billion target list, with effect from 0401 GMT.

The extra 5% and 10% tariffs were levied on 1,717 items of a total of 5,078 products originating from the United States. Beijing will start collecting additional tariffs on the rest of the items from Dec. 15.

Beijing started levying a 5% tariff on U.S. crude oil from Sunday, the first time U.S. oil has been targeted since the world’s two largest economies started their trade war more than a year ago.