East Asia
The world’s most advanced economies and its most contested flashpoint sit side by side here. Technology leadership, demographic decline, and a strait that could redraw the global order — all in the same neighborhood.
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May- 2026 -31 MayEarth
Vietnam’s clean-air gamble rests on a struggling state champion
Vietnam targets 30% electric motorbikes by 2030 under National Power Development Plan VIII to combat severe urban air pollution. But the strategy relies on loss-making VinFast, disputed pollution data showing…
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31 MaySociety
China engineered fake holidays to make people spend money
China's tiáo xiū system stretches 11 public holidays into longer breaks by converting adjacent weekends into compulsory workdays. The 2025 Spring Festival required work on Sunday January 26 and Saturday…
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31 MaySociety
China’s privacy laws don’t stop its hidden-camera porn trade
A clandestine industry in China systematically installs pinhole cameras in hotel rooms and rental apartments, livestreaming footage through encrypted Telegram channels at $65/month subscriptions. Over 70 prosecuted voyeurism cases across…
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31 MayPower
Pentagon’s general warns Congress China will be ready for Taiwan by 2027
Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 21, 2026, that China's PLA is on track to achieve military readiness for forced…
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30 MayCapital
South Korea’s stock market surges 45% while economy weakens under Middle East pressure
South Korea's KOSPI has surged 45% year-to-date as of May 29, 2026, yet the real economy is weakening. The Bank of Korea held rates at 2.5% while signalling readiness to…
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30 MayPower
US defense chief softens China rhetoric while urging allies to boost military spending
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Asian allies to increase defence spending against China's military buildup while describing US-China relations as improved and omitting Taiwan from his prepared remarks. The…
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30 MayTech & AI
Tencent’s Penguin Island campus locks engineers inside China’s innovation strategy
Tencent is constructing Penguin Island, an 809,000-square-metre headquarters campus in Shenzhen's Qianhai zone designed to house 80,000 people and function as a self-contained district integrating R&D, housing, schools, autonomous transport,…
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30 MayCompass
Singapore’s world-leading passport masks a 116-destination gap within Southeast Asia
Passport power is reshaping geopolitical status in Asia. Singapore holds the world's top-ranked passport with visa-free access to 194 destinations. Japan and South Korea follow at 3rd with 193 destinations…
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30 MayTech & AI
Chinese DRAM maker CXMT captures 8% global market share, entering Western PC supply chains
HP, Dell, Lenovo, Acer, and Asus have evaluated or adopted DRAM from Chinese manufacturer CXMT, which captured 8% of global DRAM market in Q1 2026. Pentagon delisting in January 2026…
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29 MayCapital
Pfizer’s $10 billion China biotech deal exposes U.S. policy gap on investment screening
Pfizer announced a $10 billion global licensing deal with China's Innovent Biologics on 28 May 2026, covering 12 oncology assets. The deal arrives as U.S. lawmakers debate expanding outbound-investment screening…
