Australian prime minister indulges in panda diplomacy as China state visit nears end
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South China Morning Post
19 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
China, Vietnam set for first joint army drills as US trade war draws neighbours closer
China and Vietnam are set to conduct their first joint army training exercise, according to the Chinese defence ministry. In a statement posted on its website on Sunday, the ministry announced that the joint exercise would be held this month in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, which borders Vietnam. Military ties between the Communist Party-led neighbours have deepened in recent months despite territorial disputes, as the close economic partners seek ways to navigate the US tariff war. The two sides have long carried out joint naval and land border patrols, but the coming exercise would be the first such exchange between their armies. 'This is the first joint army drill between China and Vietnam, with the theme of 'joint border patrol training',' the Chinese Ministry of Defence statement said. The exercise would 'further deepen practical cooperation between the two militaries', it added. On the economic front, China is Vietnam's largest trading partner and a critical supplier for its manufacturing sector. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Vietnam in April, days after the escalation of the US tariff war, where he called on the Asian neighbours to cooperate to 'fight unilateral bullying'. Closer defence cooperation this year – which marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties – has included the Chinese military's first-ever appearance at Vietnam's annual celebration of the fall of Saigon.
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Happiness in Hong Kong must be the focus, along with civil service efficiency
Poised to deliver his fourth policy address in September, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu is gearing up to show that his administration is delivering on his ' result-oriented ' leadership. This may be the reason he revealed last month that the government was considering a new accountability system for senior officials. Advertisement Lee seems to have started paving the way for the proposed reform around the time the Switzerland-based International Institute for Management Development released its World Competitiveness Ranking in June. Hong Kong made it back into the top three for the first time since 2019, ranking third. Lee quickly took credit for the city scoring 99.2 out of 100 by attributing the rise in the ranking to enhanced efficiency due to his civil service reforms. It's worth noting the survey ranked Hong Kong second on government efficiency, beaten only by Switzerland. It may be quite a leap to conclude that increased government efficiency came from civil service reforms. The institute ranked Hong Kong first for tax policy and business legislation. We ranked sixth in public finance, 10th in institutional framework and 30th for societal framework. These are all factors that the institute considers when scoring for government efficiency. Switzerland, meanwhile, is first in institutional framework and fourth in societal framework. Singapore, which came in second overall, is second in institutional framework and 12th in societal framework. Advertisement Institutional framework takes into account the adaptability and stability of government policy, and this is where I believe Lee is looking to improve. While Lee framed Hong Kong's ranking as being the result of civil service reforms, recall that Hong Kong ranked first in government efficiency from 2019 to 2021.
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
South Africa pushes to increase trade exports to China amid US' 30 per cent tariff hike
Facing a US tariff of 30 per cent from August 1, South Africa is intensifying efforts to significantly grow its exports to China and address a persistent trade imbalance. Advertisement A high-level delegation, led by Deputy President Paul Mashatile, has been on a week-long visit to Beijing, seeking investments and pitching strategic opportunities to diversify the nation's export basket beyond basic commodities towards higher-value products such as pharmaceuticals, automotive goods and green energy technologies In a speech at the South Africa China Investment Forum, held on the sidelines of the third China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing earlier this week, Mashatile said South Africa's trade deficit with China had risen from less than US$1 billion (7.2 billion yuan) annually between 1988 and 2000 to US$9.71 billion (69.7 billion yuan) by 2023. 'We need to address challenges such as access to the Chinese market due to factors like tariff and non-tariff barriers, distance and competition from other countries,' he said. South Africa is seeing a growing trade deficit that heavily favours China, and Mashatile explained that tackling these challenges required expanding South Africa's export portfolio, encouraging value-added exports and establishing a more balanced trade relationship. Advertisement
