Special to WorldTribune.com China’s economic downturn and government interference led billionaire investor Carl Icahn to dump his stake in Apple. “We no longer have a position with Apple,” Icahn told CNBC. Icahn came away with $2 billion after selling the stock. At one point last year, he owned 53 million shares worth $6.5 billion. Poorer […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Sol W. Sanders Donald Trump’s much ballyhooed foreign policy speech was a minor disaster. Not only did Trump fail to set out a succinct foreign policy philosophy and agenda, but the speech itself [even with a teleprompter] was a failure in his effort to move to a more “presidential” persona. One […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, EastAsiaIntel.com Despite reports about challenges to his power, President and Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping has quietly — and relentlessly — built up his personal faction centered upon cadres associated with the prosperous coastal province of Zhejiang. Members of the so-called Zhejiang Clique are tipped for large-scale promotions […]
Special to WorldTribune.com The Obama administration has no coherent policy on China’s pursuit for total control in the South China Sea,” a key U.S. senator said. “We’ve reached a point now where there’s no denying the fact that China has positioned itself as a geopolitical rival to the United States,” Sen. Bob Corker, Tennessee Republican, […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk, EastAsiaIntel.com Russian documentary filmmaker Vitaly Mansky has managed to bamboozle his North Korean hosts in a confidence game that’s one of the greater journalistic coups ever scored against the regime. Mansky, having given the North Koreans the clear impression that he wanted to collaborate fully with them, totally deceived […]
Special to WorldTribune.com The United States carried out “freedom of navigation” operations against China and 12 other countries last year, the Pentagon reported on April 25. China’s sovereignty claims and military buildup in the South China Sea were the main focus of the missions and U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the Navy would continue […]
Special to WorldTribune.com China is looking to build nuclear power platforms to “sail” to remote areas and provide a stable power supply for its ongoing military and construction activities in the South China Sea, a report said. China Shipbuilding Industry Corp is currently designing and building the platforms, according to a report by the Global […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk, EastAsiaIntel.com North Koreans some years ago had an unusual way of acquiring professional expertise in teaching people foreign languages. Rather than advertise for teachers, they kidnapped native speakers. Most of them were Japanese, but they also captured likely candidates from Europe and the Middle East. Robert Boynton, a professor […]
Special to WorldTribune.com The United States voiced its objection to China’s use of a military plane to land on a South China Sea man-made island in what Beijing claimed was a mission to evacuate three severely ill construction workers. “We’re aware that a Chinese military aircraft landed at Fiery Cross Reef on Sunday (April 17) […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty Park Geun-Hye is due to become the first South Korean president to visit Iran, according to her office. Park’s office said on April 18 that she and Iranian President Hassan Rohani will next month discuss ways to boost bilateral relations as well as regional issues such […]