In recent years, public opinion of Japan-China relations has been rather negative in both countries. Public perceptions of each other are very important in bilateral relations. Relations can be strengthened through mutual visits and face-to-face exchanges. The most effective way to improve perceptions is through better change for better change.
For China's urban middle class, hi-tech industrial tours are fast becoming a default holiday choice and replacing traditional sightseeing. The boom is strengthening loyalty to home-grown brands and offering businesses a low-cost, high-impact marketing channel as households embrace the country's tech craze. Industrial sites are being repackaged as educational sites.
Hong Kong accused an "anti-China organisation" of trying to "sugarcoat" the "criminal acts" of media tycoon Jimmy Lai. Authorities dismissed Reporters Without Borders’ latest Press Freedom Index as biased. The index now ranks the city 140th globally, down from 18th when it was first published in 2002.
Wen Jiabao suggested in 2010 that "the dragon and the elephant should tango" as a metaphor for bilateral ties between China and India. India has so far refused to take up the rhetorical offer. Some Indian experts say New Delhi's reluctance to embrace Beijing's poetic flourish reflects its own view of China.
602,000 visitors entered Hong Kong in the first two days of the Labour Day break. Inbound tourism-related spending is expected to exceed HK$240 billion (US$30.6 billion) for the first three months of 2026. The first-quarter gross domestic product is forecast to grow by 4%.
Hong Kong should not renew the HK$3 per litre diesel subsidy when it expires at the end of June. Instead, it should use the funds to launch a crash programme to accelerate electrification of public transport, starting with the minibus fleet. The diesel subsidy alone will cost HK$1.8 billion (US$229.7 million).
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S. Jack Hu is the first Chinese-American with a bachelor's degree from mainland China to head a top US institution. He studied engineering machinery at Tianjin University in China and received his PhD in 1990 at the University of Michigan's College of Engineering. He came to the US 40 years ago as a student with only a small suitcase and is now the 10th chancellor of UC Riverside.
There is a backlash against Trump, but a new progressivism is being born. Since the start of this year, 22 states have raised the minimum wage, with 18 states and the District of Columbia mandating $15 an hour or more. Robert Reich has never seen anything close to the progressive talent and energy emerging in his six decades in politics.