China responds to Trump: Tarriffs on US products and investigation of Google

Today's news: attack on Israeli soldiers in the West Bank after settler attacks and heavy army raids in Jenin. Chinese ecommerce app Shein returns to India but all data must remain in the country. Cambodia prevents British journalist from returning to the country. Japan's food exports boom in 2024 despite Beijing's seafood blockade.

CHINA-UNITED STATES

China announced that it will impose 15% tariffs on coal and liquid natural gas imports from the US in retaliation for the 10% tariffs imposed by Washington on Chinese goods. Beijing's Ministry of Finance also announced 10% tariffs on US imports of crude oil, agricultural machinery, large vehicles and pick-up trucks. In another front of the trade clash, China also announced the opening of an investigation into Google for violating the Chinese law against monopolies.

ISRAEL-PALESTINE

The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission reported that 2,161 incidents of violence by Israeli forces and settlers occurred in the occupied West Bank in January. There were also 912 military checkpoints, which disrupted Palestinian movement and geography. The heart of the clash remains the area of Jenin where - after raids by the Israeli army in recent days - a Palestinian opened fire on Israeli troops, wounding eight soldiers. The assailant was killed.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE

The founder of a pro-Russian militia group in eastern Ukraine was killed in an attack in central Moscow yesterday. Armen Sarkisyan died as a result of injuries sustained in an explosion in a luxury apartment complex in the capital. Sarkisyan, who was also known by the nickname ‘Armen Gorlovsky’ after Horlivka (Gorlovka in Russian), the eastern Ukrainian city he hails from, founded the Arbat separatist battalion fighting in the region.

CHINA-INDIA

Thanks to an agreement with the Indian company Reliance Retail, the Chinese fast fashion app Shein is back online in India five years after being banned by Delhi. Shein's re-entry into the Indian market is subject to strict conditions, which include saving all data within the country, Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said. In 2020, India had banned Shein and dozens of other Chinese apps, including TikTok.

CAMBODIA

A British journalist specialising in environmental reporting has been banned from Cambodia and has had his name added to a blacklist as he tried to return to the Southeast Asian country after a short holiday in Thailand. The decision not to allow the return of Gerald Flynn, 33, president of the Overseas Press Club of Cambodia (OPCC), sparked protests from civil society and its main newspaper Mongabay, which called on the Phnom Penh government to allow his immediate return.

JAPAN

Japan's exports of agricultural and fish products reached a new record level in 2024, reaching 1,507 billion yen (.7 billion), an increase of 3.7% on the previous year. The figure is very significant because it was achieved despite China's ban on seafood imports following the discharge of water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Stronger exports to the US and other parts of Asia offset the decline in exports to China and Hong Kong.

RUSSIA

The government in Moscow decided on an adjustment of the 2025 tax rates for state pensions and benefits to 9.5%, increasing them from the 7.3% indicated at the beginning of the year, with retroactive offsets for January. In the meantime, ‘maternal capital’ allowances will increase, whereby the first child will be paid 690,000 roubles (just under 7,000 euro) and 912,000 roubles for the second and subsequent children.

• Asia
• Today