Business

Mainland Chinese media outlets and social media users have called for a boycott of a Taiwanese chain after one of its hotels in Paris refused to fly the national flag during the Olympics. Changanjie Zhishi, a social media account run by the official newspaper Beijing Daily, published an editorial on Friday saying that the Paris hotel, owned by Evergreen Laurel, had “hurt the feelings of our compatriots, forgotten our ancestors and betrayed us. We can’t tolerate it!” The editorial said the company had “provoked trouble on issues concerning China’s national interests and national dignity” and would face “resolute resistance and even a permanent ban”. Earlier this week, two videos shot in Paris published by a blogger surnamed Zhang went viral on social media. One of the videos, p

The ousting of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina may upset the fragile balance she established between her country and India, China and the United States. India, which has used its influence with Hasina’s government to hold down Chinese involvement in Bangladesh, may have the most to lose. China, on the contrary, may have an opportunity to strengthen its presence on the Bay of Bengal. Hasina’s diplomacy was characterised by a balancing act with the three major powers, allowing Bangladesh to extract maximum concessions and limit dependence and interference in its internal affairs. Her departure on 5 August creates circumstances in which the stakes are particularly high for India, which sees China’s involvement in Bangladesh’s infrastructure projects as a threat. In 2016, New

David Lammy is planning a visit to China in September that would fall within the first 100 days of him taking office. The foreign secretary is in talks over a trip to Beijing next month that would signal the UK wants to resume high-level engagement with the country. No date has been officially confirmed. A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said: “Foreign secretary travel will be confirmed in the usual way.” Lammy had planned to travel to China while Labour was still in opposition earlier this summer, but his trip was postponed when the general election was called. After Labour won the election, Lammy met China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on 26 July. The FCDO said that, at the m