The White House on Thursday warned China of “consequences” for its ongoing militarization of the hotly contested waters of the South China Sea. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued the warning while she was responding to a question regarding CNBC’s report that China had installed missile systems in outposts in the Spratly Islands, which are […]

Beijing upped the ante with its latest deployment of anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems to fortified outposts in the hotly contested waters of the South China Sea. And it means China will likely soon send warplanes to the area, too, according to an expert on the region. “This should be seen as China […]

Asia’s emerging economies have a lot at stake if President Donald Trump delivers on his threat to slap tariffs on up to $150 billion worth of Chinese goods. That was a major concern expressed by experts at the Asian Development Bank’s annual gathering in Manila Thursday. Later that day, a U.S. delegation heads to Beijing […]

A janitor in South Korea who discovered seven gold bars in a garbage bin could keep them if no-one else claims ownership. The unidentified male cleaner found the discarded gold bars, that each weighed 1 kilogram and were wrapped in newspaper, at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport on Thursday, according to local media reports. Altogether, the […]

A U.S. trade delegation arrived in China on Thursday for talks on tariffs, with state media saying China will stand up to U.S. bullying if need be, but it was better to work things out at the negotiating table. A breakthrough deal to fundamentally change China’s economic policies is viewed as highly unlikely during the […]

The Pacific nation of Vanuatu is preparing to permanently evacuate the entire population of one of its islands as thick ash spewing from a volcano kills crops, dirties water supplies and fouls the air. The 10,000 or so people who remain on Ambae island have mixed feelings about the plans. Some who are badly affected […]

Broad global economic expansion is making assets expensive, so forget investing passively, an investment manager told CNBC on Thursday. Instead, he recommend considering niche growth areas like avocados. “Be very specific about what you do. Look for idiosyncratic, value and unusual niches rather than broad assets and broadly passive allocation,” said Stephen Diggle, founder of […]

Countries around the world have benefited from open trade and investment and they should now put in their “utmost effort” to maintain and strengthen that system, according to Takehiko Nakao, president of the Asian Development Bank. Nakao’s comments came as officials from the U.S. and China convene in Beijing to iron out their trade tensions […]

Warnings of financial risks may be sounding on China’s Belt and Road Initiative, but global banks are still seeing a promising opportunity. In an interview with CNBC, Marc Merlino, Citi’s global head for its global subsidiaries group, said there are opportunities for not just banks, but institutional and corporate investors. The initiative aims to connect […]

An escalation in the U.S.-China trade dispute would hit the Philippines, which count the two economic giants among its five largest trading partners. But the Southeast Asian country has a plan to protect its economy from the impact, its secretary of finance said on Thursday. “Strategically speaking, the Philippines will concentrate on what we’re doing […]