CHINA

Graphic on green tea production and consumption in Japan.

Can global matcha craze save Japan's tea industry?

From matcha ice cream to cake and chocolate, producers of traditional Japanese green tea are capitalising on growing global interest in its flavour -- even as demand for the drink declines at home.At Shigehiko Suzuki's tea shop in central Japan, adorned with a traditional "noren" drape, the customers are flooding in but more to scoop up gelato or cake than to sip the bright-green tea.In 1998, Suzuki's company Marushichi Seicha started making powdered matcha green tea -- traditionally made using a bamboo whisk in a tiny room. The firm now exports 30 tonnes of green tea to the US, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
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F-16 fighter jet

Trump Willing To Stoke China's Anger, Approves $8 Billion Arms Deal To Taiwan

The U.S. State Department announced Tuesday that the Trump administration has formally approved sale of 66 new F-16C/D fighter jets to Taiwan with a price tag of $8 billion. This comes at a time of great tension between China and the USA, the two top military powers in the world, over trade issues, the unrest in Hong Kong and China’s aggressive stance in the South China Sea.
Hong Kong protests

Hong Kong's Current Wave Of Protests Now Longer Than 2014 'Umbrella Movement'

The unrest in Hong Kong has now surpassed the 79-day protests in 2014 known as the “Umbrella Movement”. That protest ended with protesters being forcibly carried off by police and with their goals not attained. It left, however, a lasting impression on the protesters of today awaking a whole generation of new activists and politicians, some of whom would go on to be elected to the city's legislature.
A Chinese police officer stands guard at the Australian embassy in Beijing

Detained Australian Writer Yang Hengjun Charged With Spying In China

A Chinese native, Yang Hengjun, who is now an Australian citizen, academic and writer has been arrested in China accused of “espionage”. The formal arrest occurred on Aug. 23 after Yang was held in Beijing without charges for several months, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Tuesday.

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