The US and China deescalated their trade war with an agreement to cancel some tariffs and suspend others for 90 days. The agreement announced after two days of talks in Geneva lowers US tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30% and China’s tariffs on US goods from 125% to 10%. China also halted non-tariff countermeasures such as restrictions on critical mineral exports to the United States. Further talks are expected.
The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress released its 2025 legislative work plan, including 37 high-priority bills for 2025 action (including both new laws and revisions) and 23 lower-priority bills. Proposed new laws include a Financial Stability Law, Finance Law, Procuratorial Public Interest Litigation Law, and Social Assistance Law. Revisions are proposed to the Enterprise Bankruptcy Law, Agriculture Law, Food Safety Law, State Compensation Law, Cybersecurity Law, Foreign Trade Law, among others. The work plan calls for a special task force to work on identifying outdated laws and addressing inconsistency and conflicts among laws. The State Council also announced its 2025 agenda, which includes working with the NPC on drafting selected bills as well as drafting administrative regulations.
The Institute of International Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said in a report that the country’s legal framework for foreign affairs is basically complete. By the end of 2024, China had enacted more than 50 laws focusing on foreign affairs and integrated foreign-related provisions into more than 150 other laws. The report said China also has participated in international law enforcement cooperation, explored the extraterritorial application of its laws, improved its handling of foreign-related cases, and enhanced legal services for foreign entities by providing judicial interpretations, international commercial tribunals, and arbitration organizations.
The Legislative Council approved new national security-related legislation to facilitate the central government in Beijing directly exercising jurisdiction over Hong Kong national security cases deemed to be complex, serious, or pose an imminent threat. The new legislation also establishes criminal penalties for disclosing investigations by Beijing’s national security office in Hong Kong, giving false or misleading information to the office, obstructing it in its duties, failing to comply with a legal document from the office without reasonable excuse, or trespassing on its premises in Hong Kong. The Safeguarding National Security (Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) Regulation took effect on May 13 after a fast-track approval process.
Former New Zealand Supreme Court Judge William Young rejected criticism of his recent decision to join the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal as a foreign non-permanent judge, saying simply that it was “proper for me to do so.” Advocacy groups would like to see all foreign judges quit the court, saying they lend legitimacy to a compromised legal system. Hong Kong officials say the foreign judges’ presence reflects global confidence in the city’s judiciary.
The Transport and Logistics Bureau held separate meetings with taxi industry leaders and the operators of ride-hailing platforms to discuss tightening enforcement of regulations on the platforms. It is illegal for private vehicle drivers to accept paid fairs without a hire-car permit, but ride-hailing platforms such as Uber, Didi Chuxing and others operate nonetheless. The bureau said it is working on new, stricter legislation.
An expert panel recommended that the government make standard childbirth expenses free of charge in order to encourage couples to have children and reverse the country’s population decline. Japan’s national health insurance does not cover childbirth. The government provides a subsidy to women who give birth, but the subsidy falls short of covering the full cost of childbirth in nearly half of cases. The health ministry reportedly plans to look into how to carry out the panel’s suggestion.
Japan's consulate general in Shanghai said a Chinese court sentenced a Japanese man to twelve years in prison for alleged espionage. Japanese officials observed the sentencing but were barred from attending the first portion of the trial, held in October 2023. Neither government has released details, but the Japanese government says the man is in his 50s and was detained in December 2021. At least 17 Japanese nationals have been detained in China for alleged spying since China enacted an anti-espionage law in 2014. This man is the eleventh to be sentenced to prison.
Starting May 27, Japanese nationals living abroad (except in Iran and Russia) will be able to obtain residency certificates fully online, without needing to collect paper certificates in person from their embassies or consulates. These zairyū shōmei (在留証明) serve as proof of Japanese nationals’ overseas addresses and are needed for legal and pension-related matters in Japan. The Foreign Ministry will begin phased online issuance of birth, marriage, and divorce certificates beginning in July, while continuing to offer paper documents.
A historian at Lund University writes that Japan’s January 2025 decision to stop funding the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) highlights the government’s aversion to addressing gender equality problems. The defunding decision came in response to a CEDAW report that urged Japan to revise its male-only imperial succession rule. Historian Ming Gao argues that while Japan presents itself globally as a champion of women, it resists substantive reforms at home.
A South Korean court is considering opening to the public the ongoing trial of three high-ranking military officers who are charged with insurrection in connection with former President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law in December 2024. Five closed-door hearings have been held, beginning in March, but civic groups have continued to argue for the public’s right to know. The court said it would positively consider options for some degree of openness, balancing security concerns with the public's right to know. Prosecutors have agreed to open the trial, but defense lawyers argue it would expose the witnesses and defendants to unfair pressure.
The Democratic Party of Korea introduced controversial bills in response to the Supreme Court's recent revival of charges that the party’s presidential candidate, Lee Jae-myung, violated the election law during the last presidential campaign. Using its National Assembly majority, the Democratic Party convened a meeting of the judiciary committee, which approved a bill revising the Election Act to remove the provision that Lee is accused of violating. The revised bill will be put to a vote of the full National Assembly. The party also called for a special counsel investigation into Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-de for alleged election interference. The rival People Power Party condemned the moves as an abuse of legislative power. The presidential election is June 3.
South Korea’s National Assembly Research Service said the AI Framework Act that takes effect in January 2026 will require video game developers to clearly disclose any use of artificial intelligence in their products, including to create text, images, sound, or video, even if AI is not used in the game playing experience. The law also mandates that developers implement an AI risk assessment and management system. The government and industry groups have been grappling with how to balance innovation with creator rights as the use of AI-generated content surges.
South Korea's seasonal worker program is being scrutinized after the US banned imports from the country’s largest sea salt farm due to forced labor allegations. The seasonal worker program, begun in 2015 to ease rural labor shortages, has faced mounting allegations of labor exploitation, including wage theft and human trafficking. Poor oversight, fragmented governance, and reliance on brokers have exacerbated abuse.
Taiwan
The Democratic Progressive Party’s legislative caucus petitioned the Constitutional Court to review the 2025 Central Government General Budget Proposal and revisions to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures. The DPP says that the two laws, approved by the opposition-controlled legislature in December 2024 and January 2025, severely reduce central fiscal resources, alter the structural relationship between central and local governments, and violate constitutional guarantees to give aid to poor regions.
The Legislative Yuan amended the Criminal Code by criminalizing new forms of obstruction of justice including bribery, witness tampering, and trading in influence to sway decisions by prosecutors or judges. The amendments also increase penalties for escaping from custody and absconding while released on bail.
The legislature voted in favor of holding a public referendum on the death penalty. The death penalty remains legal in Taiwan, but in 2024 the Constitutional Court imposed restrictions on its use that the opposition Nationalist Party (Kuomintang or KMT) says amount to abolishing it. Polls indicate that most Taiwanese support the death penalty, although it its use has declined sharply in recent years.
