Chinese flee Iran overland by bus to safety of neighbouring countries
Chinese flee Iran overland by bus to safety of neighbouring countries
An explosion is seen during a missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
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HKFP
19 minutes ago
- HKFP
2 Hongkongers evacuated from Israel as conflict with Iran enters 8th day
At least two Hongkongers, along with more than 100 Chinese students, have been evacuated from Israel, as the country's conflict with Iran entered its eighth day. China's official state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday that the two Hongkongers were among a group of 119 Chinese nationals who entered Egypt on Thursday via the Taba border crossing, located at the southern end of Israel. Also on Thursday, Hong Kong issued a 'black' travel alert – the most serious level of its kind, meaning 'severe threat' – for Israel and Iran, warning against all travel to the two countries. A 24-hour hotline was set up for Hongkongers in the two Middle Eastern nations as the government urged them to also seek assistance from the Chinese embassy there. HKFP has reached out to the Immigration Department for information about Hongkongers currently in the two countries. The armed conflict between Israel and Iran entered the eighth day on Friday as the two longtime enemies continued to trade fire. The Israeli military said on X on Friday that its fighter jets struck 'dozens of military targets in Iran' overnight, including industrial sites used to make missiles and what Israel said were research centres for developing nuclear weapons in Tehran. What did the IDF accomplish in Iran overnight? ✈️60+ fighter jets struck dozens of military targets in Iran using approximately 120 munitions. ⭕️Several industrial sites used to manufacture missiles were struck in the Tehran area. These sites served as a key industrial center… — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 20, 2025 Iranian missiles hit a hospital in southern Israel as well as residential buildings in Tel Aviv on Thursday, wounding 240 people, according to AFP. The White House said on Thursday that US President Donald Trump will decide whether to join Israel's strikes on Iran 'within the next two weeks.' 'Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt quoted Trump as saying. Meanwhile, China's President Xi Jinping on Thursday called for all parties, 'especially Israel,' to 'cease hostilities as soon as possible' in a phone call with Russia's Vladimir Putin, according to Xinhua. China's foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Wednesday that close to 800 Chinese citizens had been evacuated from Iran since Israel began its strike against the country in the early hours of June 13.
The Standard
an hour ago
- The Standard
Morgan Stanley: HK property market has bottomed out
Iran warns of 'surprise' move to be 'remembered for centuries' as Middle East crisis deepens
HKFP
7 hours ago
- HKFP
EU bans Chinese firms from major state medical equipment contracts
The European Union on Friday banned Chinese firms from government medical device purchases worth more than five million euros (US$5.8 million) in retaliation for limits Beijing places on access to its own market. The latest salvo in trade tensions between the 27-nation bloc and China covers a wide range of healthcare supplies, from surgical masks to X-ray machines, that represent a market worth 150 billion euros in the EU. 'Our aim with these measures is to level the playing field for EU businesses,' the bloc's trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic said. 'We remain committed to dialogue with China to resolve these issues.' In response, China accused the EU of 'double standards'. 'The EU has always boasted that it is the most open market in the world, but in reality, it has gradually moved towards protectionism', foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing. 'Under the guise of fair competition (the EU) actually carries out unfair competition, which is a typical case of double standards.' The European Commission said in a statement the move was in 'response to China's longstanding exclusion of EU-made medical devices from Chinese government contracts.' Brussels said just under 90 percent of public procurement contracts for medical devices in China 'were subject to exclusionary and discriminatory measures' against EU firms. In addition to barring Chinese firms from major state purchases, 'inputs from China for successful bids' would also be limited to 50 percent, it said. Over the last three years, Brussels and Beijing have come into conflict in a number of economic sectors, including electric cars, the rail industry, solar panels and wind turbines. The decision on medical devices comes at a time of heightened trade tensions with President Donald Trump's United States, which has imposed customs surcharges on imports from all over the world, including Europe. The EU has decided to take a tougher stance on trade in recent years, adopting a vast arsenal of legislation to better defend its businesses against unfair competition. In April 2024, the commission opened an investigation into Chinese public contracts for medical devices, the first under a new mechanism introduced by the EU in 2022 to obtain better access to overseas state purchases. China, on the other hand, accuses Europe of protectionism. After a year of negotiations, the commission, which manages trade policy on behalf of the 27 member states, said it had failed to make any progress with China. 'The measure seeks to incentivise China to cease its discrimination against EU firms and EU-made medical devices and treat EU companies with the same openness as the EU does with Chinese companies and products,' Brussels said.
