Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

SHANGHAI/SEOUL (Reuters) - Ramped-up U.S. restrictions on Huawei are likely to choke the Chinese company’s access to even off-the-shelf chips, threaten its crown as the world’s largest smartphone maker and disrupt global tech supply, executives and experts warned.

The Trump administration on Monday expanded its curbs on Huawei and banned suppliers from selling chips made using U.S. technology to the firm without a special licence - closing potential loopholes in its May sanctions that could have let Huawei access the tech via third parties.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday she was not too bothered about U.S. sanctions against her but the Chinese-ruled city will complain to the World Trade Organization (WTO) about a new U.S. requirement on Hong Kong-made products.

The United States this month imposed sanctions on Lam and other current and former Hong Kong and mainland officials whom Washington accuses of curtailing political freedom in the financial hub.

BEIJING/SYDNEY (Reuters) - China has begun an anti-dumping probe into imports of Australian wine, it said on Tuesday, a move that knocked a fifth off the market value of Australia’s biggest winemaker and is likely to worsen tension between the nations.

The investigation by China’s commerce ministry will look at imports of wine from Australia in containers of two litres or less in 2019, the ministry said in a statement, and examine any damage to the domestic wine industry from 2015 to 2019.

TOKYO, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left a hospital in Tokyo on Monday evening after a seven-hour checkup amid concerns from inside his own camp over his physical condition.

The Japanese leader checked into the Keio University Hospital for what one of his aide's described as a "health checkup" although rumors have been swirling about his deteriorating health, amplified by both his colleagues and members of his inner circle offering mixed views as to Abe's condition.

SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The combined forces of South Korea and the United States on Tuesday began their joint annual military exercises amid rising concerns about the recent resurgence of the COVID-19 infections, according to Yonhap news agency.

The computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training (CCPT), which kicked off Tuesday morning, is scheduled to last until Aug. 28. The first part, which focuses on defense, will continue until Saturday, while the second part for counterattack, will run until Aug. 28.

BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday slammed the recent U.S. executive order requiring ByteDance to divest its interest in TikTok's operations in the United States within 90 days, saying that the so-called "freedom" and "security" are merely excuses for the "digital gunboat policy" pursued by some U.S. politicians.

BEIJING (AP) — The staff of the Chinese consulate in Houston that was ordered shut by the U.S. government has returned to China.

Wearing face masks because of the coronavirus pandemic, they were greeted on the tarmac by Foreign Minister Wang Yi after disembarking from a chartered Air China flight in Beijing on Monday night.

“You have resolutely safeguarded the core interests, the dignity of the country and the legitimate rights of China’s overseas institutions under very difficult, even dangerous, conditions,” he said.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A powerful earthquake struck a central Philippine region Tuesday, trapping a family in a collapsed house, damaging other houses and a seaport and prompting people to dash outdoors for safety.

Roads were cracked in Cataingan, the coastal town nearest the epicenter, according to Rino Revalo, a Masbate provincial administrator, and initial images of the quake aftermath.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea will open a high-profile political conference on Wednesday to discuss unspecified “crucial” issues as it struggles to keep afloat a sanctions-ravaged economy hit further by its anti-virus efforts and devastating flooding.

BEIJING, Aug 17 (APP): The Chinese strength in fighting against the COVID-19 epidemic was impressive, which shows its comprehensive strength of sci-tech and governance, Syed Sajid Jan, a Pakistani student at Fujian Normal University (FNU), China’s Fujian Province said on Monday.

“China makes a good response to the pandemic. We should learn from China,” the 26 years old doctoral candidate of the University told China Economic Net (CEN).