国泰航空又出事了。这家公司过去几年出了不少事情。说到国泰航空，很多人可能并不真正了解。很多人可能以为这是一家中国公司，其实并不是如此。国泰航空背后三大股东，分别是太古集团、中国航空、卡塔尔航空，而真正占据控股地位就是太古集团了。
太古集团可是一家非常庞大的财团，业务种类非常繁多，涉及地产、航运、航空、饮料、工程等等。很多人可能不知道，在中国瓶装的可口可乐业务就是属于太古集团的。另外很多人喝咖啡会下的方糖也是太古生产的。在中国很多知名的地产项目也是太古集团开发的，比如说成都著名的远洋太古里，还有广州著名的太古汇。
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太古集团背后则是一个隐形豪门，那就是英国的施怀雅家族了，这个家族已经富过了六代人，可是如今你在全球任何一个财富榜上都看不到他们的名字。可是他们家族光是地产收租的收入每年就超过了100亿。整个家族至少资产得数千亿，甚至是更多。可是财富榜却始终无法追踪他们的财富。
100多年之前，中国还是处于清朝的时候，施怀雅家族就到中国经商了。那个时候英国是日不落帝国，很多英国人也随着英国的舰队在全球各地去做生意。事实上在200多年之前，施怀雅家族在英国的利物浦成立了公司，并且通过贸易生意积累家族的财富。
到了清朝末年的时候，施怀雅家族开始来到了远东发展，他们把中国的茶叶、陶瓷、丝绸等商品卖回到欧洲，赚取了巨额的利润。1866年，施怀雅家族收购了布鲁尔洋行，并且改名为太古洋行。
到了19世纪后期的时候，太古洋行控制的航运生意，已经成功控制了中国长江领域的上下游了。当时可以跟太古洋行对抗的只有中国本土的轮船招商局了。之后施怀雅家族又陆续进入了航空、地产、工程、饮料等等领域，获得了巨大的成功。
他们也把总部搬到了香港，并且在香港扎根发展。50年代之后，太古洋行已经跟怡和洋行等齐名，成为了香港有名的四大洋行。
利用香港人口暴涨的时候，太古也是积极投入房地产生意，在五六十年代赚得是盆满钵满。在房地产获得成功之后，他们又积极投资商业地产，开发了一系列优秀的商业物业，同时他们在80年代之后，把投资触角再次涉及内地。
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如今太古集团年营收超过了800亿，利润超过了300亿，依然是全球最大的财报之一。在太古集团的支持下，施怀雅家族也是成功富过了六代人。如今太古集团依然是施怀雅家族成员控制的。光是在地产板块，他们一年的租金就在120亿左右。
香港曾经大名鼎鼎的四大洋行，会德丰跟和记黄埔都被华资给收购了。会德丰在1985年被包玉刚给收购了。几年之前，包玉刚的女婿吴光正也把会德丰跟私有化了。和记黄埔则是在1978年被李嘉诚给收购了，成为了李嘉诚家族成功。
2015年的时候，李嘉诚把长江实业跟和记黄埔成功重组，变成了如今的长和集团跟长实集团。也就是说如今香港四大洋行的时代已经一去不返了，而且也就剩下怡和跟太古这两家公司了。
可是不得不说怡和跟太古依然是实力非常强大，每年的利润都是数百亿级别的。在中国本土也找不到几家可以跟他们对抗的私人企业了。
其实施怀雅家族这样的豪门才是真正的豪门，他们不会出现在财富榜上，但是他们却是真正的有钱，而从200多年前开始到现在，已经富了六代人了，在中国很难找不到这样的家族。
国泰航空的麻烦，不止一个
国泰航空这次惹上了大麻烦。5月22日有网友实名举报国泰航空空乘歧视非英语乘客，在其放出的一段视频中，有疑似为空乘人员的声音用英文说“如果你不会说毛毯的英文，那你就没办法拥有毛毯（If you cannot speak blanket, you cannot have it）”，周遭还传来疑似其他空乘的笑声。
在这之后，国泰航空从22日晚到24日，连发三条道歉声明，从一开始表示“将严肃调查处理”，到“暂停有关人员飞行任务”，再到“对涉事空中服务员予以解聘”，期间，国泰航空行政总裁林绍波公开致歉，全程用普通话表示将作全面检讨，但也难消众怒。
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一条毛毯、三位空乘、无数批评，就这样国泰航空再次深陷舆论漩涡。
其实过去几年，国泰航空可以说是热搜上的常客。一位知名电视主持人曾公开喊话国泰航空，“真是对不起这个名字……还是善意的提醒一句吧，no zuo no die”。
除了事件本身，外界对国泰航空还有许多好奇——这到底是谁的公司？过去三年活得如何？在国内航空公司中又属于怎样的存在？
1
谁的国泰航空？
成立于1946年的中国香港，国泰航空在过去77年时间里一直以中国香港为总部。2019年以前国泰航空曾是全球第八大国际客运航空公司及第三大国际货运公司。
资产规模上，截至2022年末，国泰航空连同其附属公司共拥有222架飞机，旗下客运及货运航线前往全球38个国家和地区共计82个目的地，其中包括位于中国内地的14个目的地。
人员方面，国泰航空及其附属公司在全球有2.12万名员工，其中在香港雇有员工约1.74万人。
那么国泰航空的背后是谁？
最新数据显示，国泰航空最大股东是持股45%的太古股份，其次是通过众多公司合计间接持股29.99%的中国国航（国泰航空也持有中国国航16.26%的股权），且太古股份和中国国航为一致行动人，之后是持股9.99%的卡塔尔航空和持有6.47%优先股的香港财政司。
在持股比例最高的太古股份背后，是拥有180多年历史的英国太古集团，太古股份只是集团下属的一个投资控股公司，主要经营地产、饮料和航空三个重要业务板块。
2022年年报显示，太古股份全年收入914.77亿港元，净利润41.95亿港元，自2020年受外部环境影响大亏百亿后，正处于业绩逐步修复的阶段。
具体来看，太古地产板块拥有多个购物商场，包括香港太古广场和太古坊，是香港最大的商用物业业主和零售物业运营商之一，在内地的购物商场则遍布北京、广州、成都、上海、西安和三亚，比如大家所熟知的“三里屯太古里”“成都远洋太古里”“前滩太古里”“颐堤港”等等。
太古股份的饮料业务同样规模可观，截至2022年末，其在大中华区、美国和柬埔寨的专营区域经销可口可乐公司系列产品，受众达到7.82亿人口，经销品类包括21种碳酸饮料品牌和37种非碳酸饮料品牌。
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2022年内太古可口可乐刚刚收购了柬埔寨及越南的可口可乐专营业务，将其瓶装业务扩展至东南亚，还重组了中国内地的不含汽饮料生产业务。
航空业务方面主要就是国泰航空及其附属公司，但近几年，受大环境等因素影响，始终是一个持续亏损的存在。
2017年以来太古股份饮料业务带来的收入逐渐成为业绩主力，2022年创收542.23亿港元，占比近六成，其次是137.88亿港元和138.28亿港元的房地产业务和航空业务，占比均在15%左右。
已有业务之外，太古公司还瞄准了私营保健服务领域，在年报中披露，“未来将继续在私营保健服务领域寻求投资机遇，特别在中国内地的主要城市群一带及东南亚。”
太古股份的这些收入，都从哪些地方赚来的呢？
按地区划分收入来源，太古股份2022年的收入中，有38%来自内地，19%来自香港，合计占比达到57%；如果剔除国泰航空和环球海洋业务，太古股份经常性盈利中则有46%来自内地，34%来自香港，合计占比达到80%。
在国泰航空2020年开始持续亏损的背景下，来自内地和香港的经常性溢利成为太古股份相当重要的业绩支撑。
截至当前，太古公司已经成为香港规模最为庞大、历史最悠久的雇主之一，在香港聘用超2.9万名员工，在内地的员工人数则超过3.5万人，全球员工接近8万人。
2
亏损三年，最难的日子刚刚过去
就像全球众多航空公司一样，过去三年对国泰航空的打击也是巨大的。
业绩趋势来看，直到2019年，国泰航空收入虽有一定波动，但整体已基本稳定在千亿港元的规模，净利润方面有一定波动，但亏损年份也相对有限。
2020年受客观环境影响，国泰航空收入大跌56.13%，直接拦腰砍半，成本却居高不下，全年亏损218.79亿港元，这之后的2021年和2022年都属于收入挣扎上涨，亏损努力收窄的“回血”阶段。
年报显示，2022年下半年国泰航空业绩已有大幅改善，在产生正向现金流的同时还有所盈利，2022年12月，其可载客量已相当于上半年的八倍，但其实还只是2020年前的三分之一；可载货量则在2022年末达到2020年前的三分之二。
事实上，内地对国泰航空近几年的业绩有越来越高的重要性。
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由内地经香港枢纽前往澳洲、英国及美国等长途航点的过境客运量（尤其是学生），成为2022年国泰航空的重要客运来源。
资金方面，国泰航空2022年的带息债务整体规模有所减少，但182.77亿港元的流动资金相比146.43亿港元的流动带息债务，也只是小幅盈余，其整体债务净额与股东权益之比依然达到0.92，意味着每一元的股东投入，都对应着0.92元的带息债务。
年内国泰航空由经营活动产生的现金流量净额为178.36亿港元，如果要覆盖588.29亿港元的借款净额，需要3.3年才能还完，而这还是在2020年重组方案实施完毕的情况下。
2020国泰航空曾进行过一系列重组，过程中向香港特别行政区政府发行了195亿港元的优先股及分离认股权证，另由香港特别行政区政府提供78亿港元的过渡性贷款，同时向当时的股东增发117亿港元股份，这才免于破产度过了难关。
虽然目前仍处于业绩亏损、资金紧张的状态，但如果相比国内其他航空公司，国泰也不是最惨的。
▲（林绍波。图源/视觉中国）
以2022年和2019年的收入比较，国泰航空已经恢复至四成有余，高于国航、东航、海航30%-40%的水平，但次于南航、华夏航空、春秋航空和吉祥航空，居于中位。
对比当前亏损金额与总收入，国泰航空2022年净利润为-63.98亿元，净利率为-14.03%，是上述多家航空公司中亏损幅比率最低的。作为对比，国航、东航、南航的亏损金额均在300亿元以上，亏损幅度则在37%至78%之间。
所幸国内各大航空公司2023年以来的运营数据都在好转，国航、南航、东航和海航的最新一季报显示亏损已较上年同期有大幅收窄，国泰航空最新4月份客运量数据也显示，4月份载客138.12万人次，单日最高人次5.32万人，为2020年以来新高。
https://all24x7.com（复制到浏览器上打开）
只可惜业绩刚刚有明显好转，就发生了如此不愉快的事情。
3
业绩和管理，都需要“重生”
事实上这已经不是国泰航空首次出现类似事件，2019年一位知名电视主持人就曾公开喊话国泰航空，“听说有些人一听到普通话就假装听不懂……no zuo no die”。
但多年过去国泰航空在这方面的管理显然并未有明显改善。
此次事件还有一个细节，即发布视频的博主表示，自己此次搭乘从成都飞往香港的国泰航空CX987航班，使用的机票其实是大湾区赠票。与此对应的，是2023年初香港机场管理局推出的活动，计划派发50万张机票给来自各地的旅客，其中就包括从成都飞往香港的航班。
目前经过多方督促整改，有网友表示自己乘坐24日国泰的航班时，乘务员已经在挨个问机上旅客要不要毛毯，播报则用的是英语、粤语和普通话。
过去几年，国泰航空可以说是热搜上的常客，且多与负面信息相关。
2020年10月，在因管理不善而在全球最佳航空公司排名中跌出三甲后，国泰航空宣布了重组计划，裁员规模达到8500个，占集团总人数的24%，这直接将香港失业率推升0.1个百分点。
在2022年年报开头的主席致函中，国泰航空主席贺以礼表示，“我们一直透过加强香港与内地，及世界各地的联系推动香港经济发展，角色举足轻重。”
在经济逐步恢复、旅客量快速上涨的当下，国泰航空显然正处于能够快速改善业绩的关键阶段，但如果从更长期的视角来看，如何在更大范围上进行“自我修复”，也是国泰航空需要面对的问题。
来源: 市界/担扑
翻译：
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2023年11月，中央第五生态环境保护督察组督察青海省发现，青海省一些地方存在小水电清理整改不严不实、生态流量监管流于形式、部分河流连通性受到阻隔等问题，影响河流生态系统健康。
Read more外交部副部长马朝旭会见南非金砖国家事务协调人苏克拉尔
2023年12月7日，外交部副部长、中国金砖国家事务协调人马朝旭会见访华的南非金砖国家事务协调人苏克拉尔。
Read more海口海关所属三亚海关督办陈星恒被开除党籍和公职
中央纪委国家监委网站讯 据中央纪委国家监委驻海关总署纪检监察组、海南省纪委监委消息：日前，中央纪委国家监委驻海关总署纪检监察组、海南省三亚市监委对海口海关所属三亚海关督办陈星恒严重违纪违法问题进行了纪律审查和监察调查。
Read more甘肃省甘南州生态保护主体责任落实不到位 无序采砂问题突出
2023年11月，中央第四生态环境保护督察组督察甘肃省发现，甘南州采砂行业无序发展、违规占用草原林地、生态修复不力。
Read more河南省新乡市辉县卫辉违规挖砂采石 破坏生态环境和文物遗址
2023年11月，中央第二生态环境保护督察组督察河南省发现，新乡市辉县、卫辉等地违规挖砂采石破坏生态环境问题突出，导致河南省文物保护单位赵长城遗址遭到破坏。
Read more青海省一些地方小水电开发生态保护不力 影响河流生态系统健康
2023年11月，中央第五生态环境保护督察组督察青海省发现，青海省一些地方存在小水电清理整改不严不实、生态流量监管流于形式、部分河流连通性受到阻隔等问题，影响河流生态系统健康。
Read more为世界提供更多稳定性 为发展提供更多推动力（和音）
12月7日，习近平主席会见来华举行第二十四次中国—欧盟领导人会晤的欧洲理事会主席米歇尔和欧盟委员会主席冯德莱恩。双方就中欧关系中的战略性、全球性议题深入交流，为中欧关系指方向、画蓝图、提信心、增动力，发出了共同努力推动中欧关系进一步向前发展的积极信号。
Read more全国“宪法宣传周”：三餐四季，衣食住行 一组海报精彩呈“宪”
2023年12月4日是第十个国家宪法日。12月1日启动的宪法宣传周在“大力弘扬宪法精神，建设社会主义法治文化”的活动主题下，全面贯彻党的二十大精神，在全社会掀起深入学习、宣传宪法浪潮，使尊法学法守法用法蔚然成风。推动建设社会主义法治文化，推动建设中华民族现代文明。
Read more在闽台青：以融合之心 绘乡创愿景
中新网厦门12月8日电 (杨伏山 包华山 蔡鸿薇)“此次参会，大大拓宽了视野，也让自己更有信心融合两岸经验，助力大陆乡建乡创。”刚刚参加完在厦门、漳州举办的2023年海峡两岸现代农业博览会·海峡两岸花卉博览会，又奔赴漳州市乡建乡创项目点实地走访，台湾青年设计师林佳蓓日前在接受中新网记者采访时如是说。
Read more台媒看大陆：探访岭南地区最大古典私家园林——中山詹园
中新网北京12月8日电 台湾《联合报》近日发表有关广东省中山市的报道，介绍了岭南地区最大的古典私家园林——詹园。
Read more北京发布元旦放假安排：2024年元旦放假3天
关于2024年元旦放假安排的通知
Read more国家互联网信息办公室关于《网络安全事件报告管理办法（征求意见稿）》公开征求意见的通知
为了规范网络安全事件的报告，减少网络安全事件造成的损失和危害，维护国家网络安全，依据《中华人民共和国网络安全法》等法律法规，国家互联网信息办公室起草了《网络安全事件报告管理办法(征求意见稿)》，现向社会公开征求意见。公众可通过以下途径和方式提出反馈意见：
Read more纪检监察机关督促拧紧责任链条 铁纪守护“舌尖上的安全”
“按照食品安全抽查工作相关要求，监管人员应到经营单位现场检查，为什么找不到相关记录？”近日，山东省青岛市纪委监委在监督检查中发现，该市西海岸新区市场监管局工作人员王某、刘某此前在对辖区内某无证经营的炒货店进行检查时，未实地前往就在监管平台录入“已注销或吊销”的结果，影响检查的真实性。最终，王某和刘某受到严肃处理。
Read more台媒看大陆：走进孙中山故乡 感受广东民俗风情
中新网北京12月8日电 台湾《联合报》近日发表了有关广东省中山市的报道，介绍了孙中山故里旅游区的风光。
Read more外交部欧洲司负责人就第二十四次中国—欧盟领导人会晤接受媒体采访
2023年12月7日，第二十四次中国—欧盟领导人会晤在北京成功举行。习近平主席会见来华参会的欧洲理事会主席米歇尔和欧盟委员会主席冯德莱恩，李强总理同欧盟两位主席共同主持会晤。会后，外交部欧洲司司长王鲁彤接受媒体采访，介绍了此次会晤有关情况。
Read more澜湄合作取得新成果，打造新亮点
2023年12月7日，中共中央政治局委员、外交部长王毅在北京主持澜沧江—湄公河合作第八次外长会时表示，自第七次外长会以来，各方秉持“发展为先、平等协商、务实高效、开放包容”的澜湄精神，扎实推进各领域合作，取得系列新成果，打造多个新亮点：
Read more王毅谈澜湄合作六大重点方向
2023年12月7日，澜沧江—湄公河合作第八次外长会在北京举行。会后，中共中央政治局委员、外交部长王毅与缅甸副总理兼外长丹穗共同会见记者。
Read more习言道｜让城市成为老百姓宜业宜居的乐园
人民城市人民建、人民城市为人民。党的十八大以来，习近平总书记高度重视我国城市建设与发展，围绕城市工作发表一系列重要论述，强调城市建设必须把让人民宜居安居放在首位，把最好的资源留给人民。
Read more推动中越关系发展，习近平主席这样说
Read more
新华社权威速览｜习近平会见欧洲理事会主席米歇尔和欧盟委员会主席冯德莱恩
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长三角一体化，是怎样的“一”体化？
不久前，习近平总书记在上海主持召开深入推进长三角一体化发展座谈会并发表重要讲话，从全局和战略高度擘画长三角一体化发展新蓝图。
Read more千分制不够用搞出双千分制：勿让基层困在指标体系里
千分制都不够用，甚至搞出双千分制：勿让基层困在指标体系里
Read moreChina dismisses EU trade deficit concerns as leaders meet
Xi Jinping holds ‘candid’ talks with heads of European Commission and EU Council in Beijing
Read moreChinese property is beyond repair. How can creditors delay its collapse?
Patch up the roof, ignore the foundations, feed the hedgies
Read moreUAE’s top AI group vows to phase out Chinese hardware to appease US
Abu Dhabi-backed G42 says it ‘cannot work with both sides’ and retain access to American-made AI chips
Read moreChina’s CATL denies ‘espionage threat’ accusations
Electric-vehicle battery maker’s technology disconnected from US military base
Read moreMayday: Taiwan rock stars deny breaking China's lip syncing ban
One of the biggest Chinese-language acts is in trouble over a rarely-enforced regulation.
Read moreVisualised: how all of G20 is missing climate goals — but some nations are closer than others
As world leaders gather at Cop28, these charts show how far away the major economies are from their targets
Not a single G20 country has policies in place that are consistent with the Paris agreement’s goal of limiting global heating to 1.5C and meeting their “fair share” of emissions reduction.
The assessment, based on data up to 5 December provided by the Climate Action Tracker, comes as leaders gather in Dubai for the Cop28 conference.
Continue reading...Read moreMoody’s advised staff to work from home ahead of China outlook cut
US rating agency employees in Beijing and Shanghai believe concern over possible backlash prompted unusual move
Read moreChinese exports edge higher for first time in 6 months
Uptick seen as boost to policymakers eager to stimulate recovery in world’s second-biggest economy
Read moreChina deepens ties with Saudi Arabia at Hong Kong gathering
Beijing and Riyadh are expanding their economic relationship as they seek to reduce reliance on the US and its allies
Read moreChina’s Xi Jinping meets EU leaders for high stakes talks
Brussels’ worries about trade deficit fuelled by soaring lending to Chinese manufacturers
Read moreThe young Chinese who stood up against Xi's Covid rules
A year on, protesters who hastened the end of a crushing policy tell the BBC they worry for their safety.
Read moreWhere you can turn for quality TV news | Brief letters
Channel 4 News | Thurston Dart | Garrick club | Panda in-joke | Apostrophes
Can I suggest that the former Newsnight presenter Peter Snow, who feels starved of the journalism that matters (Letters, 1 December), watches Channel 4 News? At 55 minutes, it has ample time for in-depth analysis, and the journalism is of the highest standard.
Philip Holdsworth
Rhos-on-Sea, Conwy
• It must be a sign of my age that, as soon as Zoe Williams mentioned her previous husband’s choice of the name Thurston for their baby, I thought of Thurston Dart, the classical musician, not a pop star. (Worried about naming your baby? Don’t be, 5 December).
Marie Paterson
Nuneaton, Warwickshire
‘Substantial volume’ of clothing tied to Uyghur forced labour entering EU, says study
Calls for legislation after dozens of brands identified as being at risk of sourcing materials linked to China’s transfer programmes
A “substantial volume” of clothing tainted by the use of Uyghur forced labour is entering the European Union market, according to a report, as campaigners say the EU’s checks are not doing enough to weed out coercive work from large supply chains.
Dozens of well-known brands including H&M and Zara are identified as being at high risk of sourcing materials, particularly cotton and PVC, made by Uyghurs compelled to participate in state-imposed labour transfer programmes, according to a report from Uyghur Rights Monitor, Sheffield Hallam University and the Uyghur Centre for Democracy and Human Rights.
Continue reading...Read moreItaly to withdraw from China’s belt and road initiative, say sources
Decision of only G7 nation to join project reportedly communicated to Beijing three days ago
Italy has formally notified China of its withdrawal from Beijing’s ambitious belt and road infrastructure initiative (BRI), a significant trade and infrastructure project, according to two government sources.
The decision, which had been expected for some time, was reportedly communicated to Beijing three days ago, although no official communication has been released by either side.
Continue reading...Read moreItaly formally pulls out of China’s Belt and Road Initiative
Rome dismayed its western allies in 2019 when it signed up to ambitious investment scheme
Read moreVenice gondola capsizes after tourists refuse to sit down and stop taking selfies
Video of passengers and gondolier ending up in canal water widely shared online
A group of tourists fell into a murky, cold canal in Venice when the gondola in which they were travelling capsized after they failed to heed an order to stop taking selfies and sit down.
The gondolier, who had been attempting a tricky manoeuvre as he navigated the vessel under a bridge close to the area of St Mark’s Square, also ended up in the water before scrambling to rescue his passengers.
Continue reading...Read moreSorry America, China has a bigger economy than you
Measures that show the opposite have absurd implications and dangerous policy prescriptions
Read moreApple moves towards India-made iPhone batteries in push away from China
Tech giant wants suppliers to build key component in India as part of broader effort to diversify supply chain
Read moreTikTok owner ByteDance to buy back shares after amassing $50bn cash pile
Ecommerce growth drives revenues to record level and pushes quarterly earnings before interest and tax to $9bn
Read moreAsia’s first Saudi Arabia ETF lists on Hong Kong stock exchange
Saudi Arabia’s $700bn sovereign wealth fund has been named as an anchor investor in the fund
Read moreRio Tinto rosy on China over uptick in manufacturing activity
Chief executive Jakob Stausholm says steel mills running ‘flat out’ but property slowdown still ‘challenging’
Read moreTaiwan presidential election: opposition in chaos as China looms in background
Voters are faced with a choice of continuity with the ruling DPP or change, with an opposition that favours closer ties with Beijing
On the eve of the deadline to formally register as a candidate for Taiwan’s presidential elections in January, the ruling party’s pick for vice-president held a slick and short press conference at a Taipei convention centre. Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan’s high-profile diplomatic representative to the US, took few questions from the massive crowd of press. She presented herself as an experienced and pragmatic deputy to presidential candidate Lai Ching-te in a Democratic Progressive party (DPP) administration.
An administration run by Lai and Hsiao, she said, would continue to defend Taiwan’s democracy from Beijing’s authoritarian threats of annexation and preserve “the status quo”.
Continue reading...Read moreSouth Korean display industry still paying a heavy price for Chinese deal
Court battle over tech leakage puts spotlight on rise of Chinese company that gained from a Hyundai unit acquisition
Read moreVW says Xinjiang plant audit finds no evidence of forced labour
German carmaker hired consultancy and local law firm to look into factory after complaints by investors and rights groups
Read moreWhy no concern at prisoners being paid just 50p an hour to work? | Brief letters
Jails in China and Britain | Katherine Rundell | Gentleman and the Garrick | Dear pandas | Low hum | No FA Cup levelling up
Reading another article about Chinese prisoners possibly making products for sale in the UK (Chinese prisoner’s ID card apparently found in lining of Regatta coat, 1 December), I wonder why there is no concern that British prisoners are forced to work for UK companies for about 50p an hour? This work provides no training for release and serves only to enrich private prison contractors.
David Adams
Darlington, County Durham
• How appropriate that on the day you note that Katherine Rundell, the author of The Golden Mole, has won the Waterstones book award with Impossible Creatures (Report, 30 November), we also learn of a golden mole reappearing after being feared extinct (Report, 30 November).
Jim Golcher
Greens Norton, Northamptonshire
EU expected to issue veiled warning to China over supply of cut-cost goods
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen to meet Chinese president Xi Jinping at summit on Thursday
The EU is to tell China that its €400bn (£343bn) trade deficit is not sustainable long term amid fears that it will flood the bloc with subsidised electric cars, solar panels and medical devices, threatening European manufacturing and jobs.
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission chief, and Charles Michel, the European Council president, will meet Xi Jinping at a summit on Thursday, the second of its kind this year.
Continue reading...Read moreChina's debt outlook downgraded as economy slows
The Moody's credit rating agency warns of "broad downside risks" as the country faces a need for stimulus.
Read moreMoody’s cuts China credit outlook to negative as economy slows
Rating agency says Beijing may need to bail out local governments as property sector collapses
China’s ability to repay its government borrowing has been downgraded by the credit rating agency Moody’s, which said the ripple effects from a crisis in the property sector would undermine efforts to revive its flagging economy.
Moody’s warned that Beijing would need to bail out local and regional governments and state-owned enterprises that were struggling with rising debts, hampering efforts to boost investment and growth.
Continue reading...Read moreChina biotech: investors fear a negative reaction from the US
Wuxi Biologics is likely to miss its original sales target for the year by about $400mn
Read moreMoody’s cuts China’s credit outlook to negative
Rating agency cites increasing risks to growth and a property sector crisis
Read moreForest City: Inside Malaysia's Chinese-built 'ghost city'
Built during the Chinese property boom, Forest City is a stark reminder of the crisis in the sector.
Read moreChinese investors drive rally in local government dollar bonds
Domestic buyers attracted by offshore bonds’ high yields and belief in implicit guarantee by Beijing
Read moreChina tries to bridge economic policy ‘credibility gap’
Annual policy meeting due this month will signal how much help government is prepared to give
Read moreCOP28: Should India and China benefit from a climate damage fund?
Despite being major polluters, India and China argue they have vulnerable populations that need help.
Read moreChina’s accelerating rise in consumer defaults
Bankruptcy procedures need fixing to support Beijing’s economic ambitions
Read moreCouple's property ordeal captivates Chinese internet
Their struggles mirror the dashed hopes of so many people confronting a slowing economy.
Read moreChina’s Evergrande wins more time to restructure debts
Hong Kong court gives property developer until 29 January to formulate deal for creditors
The property developer Evergrande has been granted an extension until late January to try to restructure its debts and avoid liquidation in one of the most high-profile cases in China’s long-running property crisis.
Evergrande was once China’s biggest property developer, but a default on offshore debt obligations in 2021 started a lurch from one crisis to another. It has reported debts of more than $300bn (£237bn), much of it to individuals whose properties were never built.
Continue reading...Read moreHow is Edinburgh Zoo transporting two giant pandas?
Complex arrangements have been made to safely send Edinburgh's two giant pandas back to China.
Read moreHong Kong: Protest leader Agnes Chow jumps bail
The activist is in Canada and is under investigation for breaching the national security law.
Read morePhilippines accuses China of swarming reef in South China Sea
The coast guard said the growing numbers of Chinese military boats in the area was "alarming".
Read moreXi Jinping’s anti-corruption drive worked wonders on his bureaucrats’ waistlines | Torsten Bell
Cutting back on the culture of lavish wining and dining created a slimmer workforce
There’s lots of chat about slimming down the UK’s civil service – it’s grown by 25% since the Brexit referendum (albeit only back to its pre-austerity size).
In the UK, this trimming talk doesn’t usually refer to helping Whitehall mandarins drop a dress size. In contrast, a recent study finds that the Chinese government’s anti-corruption campaign is slimming not only bureaucrat’s wallets, but their waistlines.
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at [email protected]
Continue reading...Read moreGreenhouse gas emissions soar – with China, US and India most at fault
Satellite tracking data shows many countries and firms do not provide accurate figures
Electricity generation in China and India, and oil and gas production in the US, have produced the biggest increases in global greenhouse gas emissions since 2015, when the Paris climate agreement was signed, new data has shown.
Emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, have also risen, despite more than 100 countries signing up to a pledge to reduce the gas, according to data published on Sunday by the Climate Trace project.
Continue reading...Read moreUK army solar panels linked to Chinese forced labour
A senior Tory MP urges the UK government to ban solar firms with links to forced labour in China.
Read moreThe Kissinger years: flawed legacy of the man behind US cold war policy
He shaped a world of superpowers but to those without power he was ruthless. How did one diplomat hold sway for so long?
Henry Kissinger was a complicated, insecure man who believed the US alone could impose order in a complicated, insecure world. For almost a decade from 1969, at the height of cold war instability, he became the international face of America – a very political diplomat almost as well known as his patron, Richard Nixon, the then president.
Kissinger was also a Harvard academic and self-styled grand strategist, a student of Castlereagh and Metternich who put his amoral theories of “realist” foreign policy into practice with often horrific results. He viewed peoples and nations as movable, disposable pieces on a giant global chessboard. He was the bürgermeister of realpolitik.
Continue reading...Read moreAustralia says AI will be used to help track Chinese submarines under new Aukus plan
Defence minister Richard Marles and counterparts from the UK and US say new technologies will be deployed by militaries
Artificial intelligence, drones, and deep space radar are among the technologies that will be used by Australia and its Aukus allies to counter China’s aggression in the Pacific.
Australia’s defence minister, Richard Marles, met with his counterparts from the United States and United Kingdom – Lloyd J Austin and Grant Shapps – in California on Saturday to announce the second “pillar” of the Aukus deal.
Continue reading...Read more‘Rock star of an animal’: Edinburgh zoo’s pandas to return to China
After 12 years in Scotland, pandas to fly home amid ongoing dispute about purpose of zoos and ethics of China’s panda diplomacy
As soon as she heard that Edinburgh’s pandas were about to be flown home, Sarah Greenwood knew she had to see them. “I love everything about pandas,” she said. “I absolutely couldn’t miss it.”
Wrapped in a thick coat and hat to guard against the freezing temperatures and the first snow flurries of winter, Greenwood, an events manager, 52, travelled from Cambridge on Wednesday to watch Tian Tian and her partner, Yang Guang, grazing on bamboo, sleeping and exercising.
Continue reading...Read moreExit from Edinburgh zoo may signal end to era of China’s panda diplomacy
Beijing’s strained relations with the west are less easily mollified by loans of cuddly endangered bears
As the UK’s only giant pandas leave Edinburgh zoo , returning to their native country after a 12-year sojourn away from China, the era of panda diplomacy also looks to be coming to an end.
Tian Tian and Yang Guang will board the panda express back to Sichuan less than a month after three giant pandas left the Smithsonian national zoo in Washington DC, ending the zoo’s five-decade panda programme.
Continue reading...Read moreFears raised after Hong Kong journalist fails to return from China trip
Minnie Chan has reportedly been out of contact since travelling to Xiangshan Forum a month ago
Friends and colleagues of a Hong Kong journalist have raised concerns after she failed to return from a defence and security forum in Beijing a month ago.
Minnie Chan, a reporter for the South China Morning Post, has not been in contact since she went to the Xiangshan Forum, Japan’s Kyodo News reported on Thursday. Chan filed several stories from the forum, the most recent of which was published on 2 November.
Continue reading...Read moreChinese prisoner’s ID card apparently found in lining of Regatta coat
UK brand says investigation shows individual was paid employee, not inmate, as Derbyshire customer raises concern over prison labour [update - see footnote]
An ID card that appears to belong to a Chinese prisoner was found inside the lining of a coat from the British brand Regatta, raising concerns that the clothing was manufactured using prison labour.
The waterproof women’s coat was bought online by a woman in Derbyshire in the Black Friday sale. When it arrived on 22 November, she could feel a hard rectangular item in the right sleeve, which restricted the movement of her elbow.
Continue reading...Read moreHenry Kissinger: China mourns 'a most valued old friend'
The death of the contentious former US secretary of state draws nostalgia and compliments in China.
Read moreMeta takes down China-based network of thousands of fake accounts
The company says accounts posted about divisive issues ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Read moreChinese Super League: From bidding for Bale to selling the team bus
Once it was China, not Saudi Arabia, on a multi-million pound recruitment drive to buy in the world's best football talent. In just a few years though, the Chinese Super League's big-money plans have imploded.
Read moreChipmaker Broadcom completes $69bn deal to buy VMware
Green light from Beijing follows the meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in the US last week.
Read moreThe Chinese mafia's downfall in a lawless casino town
For years the "four families" ruled a town notorious for scam centres in Myanmar - their end was swift.
Read moreFive things we learned from the Biden-Xi meeting
The rival presidents found common ground on climate change, military communications and fentanyl.
Read moreXi Jinping: Chinese leader's surprising ties to rural Iowa
Mr Xi was a "pleasure" to have in the house, says woman who hosted him in 1985.
Read moreChina to consolidate ties, promote cooperation with Kazakhstan: vice premier
Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana, Kazakhstan, Nov. 27, 2023.
Read more
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