research fellow of East Asia at Lund University & Associate Review Editor www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/shad/board
Articles by Ming Gao
Former GPIF Private Markets Head Todoroki Joins StepStone as Japan Vice Chair
Yoshitaka Todoroki joins StepStone after 10 years at Japan’s GPIF (Image: LInkedIn) Three months after leaving his post as head of private markets at Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund, the world’s largest pension manager, Yoshitaka Todoroki has joined StepStone Group as vice chairman for Japan, according to a company announcement.
Sun Hung Kai Properties Wins Tender for $1.2B MTR Project in Hong Kong
The MTR has been hard at work preparing the Tuen Mun site (Image: MTR) Hong Kong’s Sun Hung Kai Properties has secured the city’s single-largest transit-linked site in two decades, overcoming contenders including CK Asset Holdings, Henderson Land Development and a four-developer consortium.
Singapore’s CDL H1 Profit Triples to $236M on Project Completions
Completion of the Lumina Grand helped boost CDL’s revenue (Image: CDL) City Developments Ltd posted a 230.7 percent year-on-year jump in attributable profit to S$301.6 million ($235.76 million) for the first half of 2026 on completions of projects including it Lumina Grand development.
Machine Learning and Theoretical Computation Synergy Advancing Halide Electrolytes Toward All-Solid-State Lithium Batteries: Recent Advances, Challenges, and Perspectives
Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Data Availability Statement The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. References 1, , , , and , “Recent Advances in All-Solid-State Rechargeable Lithium Batteries,” Nano Energy 33 (2017): 363–386. 2, “Electrochemical Energy Storage in a Sustainable Modern Society,” Energy & Environmental Science 7 (2014): 14–18.
Hongkong Land Fund Buying Singapore’s Wheelock Place From Wharf REIC for $863M
Wheelock Place overlooks one of Orchard Road’s busiest intersections (Image: Hongkong Land) Hongkong Land is expanding into Orchard Road with a deal to buy Wheelock Place in Singapore from Wharf REIC for S$1.1 billion ($863 million) on behalf of its private fund focused on the city.
GLP Sells Shanghai Hotel to Former Gaming Giant Shanda for $32M
The Mia Hotel on Shanxi Road in Shanghai GLP has sold a boutique hotel in Shanghai’s Huangpu district to Chinese tycoon Chen Tianqiao’s Shanda Group for RMB 220 million ($32 million), after a planned hospitality chain failed to take off. Shanda Group took over 100 percent ownership of the entity holding the Mia Hotel on South Shaanxi Road late last month, government records show. Market sources told Mingtiandi the hotel changed hands for approximately RMB 220 million.
Link REIT Sells Half of Sydney’s 100 Market Street to Aware Super for $158M
Hong Kong’s Link Real Estate Investment Trust has agreed to sell a 50 percent stake in 100 Market Street, an office tower in central Sydney, to Aware Super for A$225.9 million ($158 million), as Asia’s largest REIT presses ahead with a campaign to trim its overseas office holdings.
Correction: Potential mechanisms and effects of AFB 1 -induced asthma: A comprehensive analysis based on network toxicology and molecular docking
There is an error in affiliation 2 for author Limei Geng. The correct affiliation 2 is: Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Traditional Chinese Medical Hospital of Hebei Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China. Reference 1. Yu Z, Gao M, Wu X, Li J, Liu B, Wang R, et al.
Demam durian di Cina: Dari buah tropis hingga jadi alat memuluskan diplomasi
Dengan cita rasa yang khas dan reputasi yang kerap menuai perdebatan, durian bukanlah buah favorit semua orang. Hal ini jugalah yang dialami sejumlah penjelajah Cina ketika pertama kali menemukan buah durian dalam pelayaran maritim awal pada masa Dinasti Ming. Sebuah catatan yang berasal dari tahun 1413 mengisahkan, saat itu seorang penerjemah bernama Ma Huan melakukan perjalanan ke wilayah yang kini dikenal sebagai Malaysia.
Overexpression of Anthocyanidin Reductase Increases Flavonoids Content to Combat Fusarium Wilt in the Root Xylem of Vernicia montana
1 Introduction The genus Fusarium contains some of the most serious pathogens worldwide and comprises approximately 300 phylogenetically distinct species (Aoki et al. 2014). They infect a wide range of plant hosts and cause various diseases such as Fusarium head blight, branch canker, root rot, Fusarium crown rot and Fusarium wilt (Bai et al. 2018; Carranza et al. 2004; Duan et al. 2022; Sun et al. 2019).
China’s durian craze has turned this tropical fruit into a tool of diplomacy
Durian is a tropical fruit from south-east Asia that is known for its intensely strong and pungent odour. passkphoto / Shutterstock Distinctive in taste and famously divisive, durian is not everyone’s choice of fruit. This was certainly the case for some Chinese explorers when they first encountered it during the Ming Dynasty’s early maritime voyages.
China’s durian craze has turned this tropical fruit into a tool of diplomacy
Distinctive in taste and famously divisive, durian is not everyone’s choice of fruit. This was certainly the case for some Chinese explorers when they first encountered it during the Ming Dynasty’s early maritime voyages. One record dates back to 1413, when a translator called Ma Huan travelled to what is now Malaysia on a trip with diplomat and admiral Zheng He. In his travelogue, Ma described durian as a “stinky fruit” that smelled like “rotten beef”.
China’s durian craze has turned this tropical fruit into a tool of diplomacy
9 hours ago Just call it Trump America. Come the next presidential inauguration on January 20, 2029, there might not be much left that is not emblazoned with the brander in chief’s name. The president on Monday announced a new generation of battleships bristling with new missiles, nuclear weapons and lasers. …
Roundup: Rava Named Preferred Bidder for Korea's IGIS
Korea’s IGIS Asset Management could soon by part of Rava Partners News of Hillhouse Investment’s Rava Partners unit picking up another asset manager leads our look at real estate headlines from around the region today, as the company’s Samty Holdings unit is said to be named preferred bidder for Korea’s IGIS. Also on the list is a potential stock market listing for one of India’s largest developers and Goodman’s hyperscale plan for western Sydney.
Improving genomic selection accuracy using a dual‐path convolutional neural network framework: a terpenoid case study
Table S1 Summary of genome resequencing data. Table S2 SNPEff annotation result for all SNPs. Table S3 SNPEff annotation result for all InDels. Table S4 Phenotypic variation characteristics of major terpenoid traits in Litsea cubeba. Table S5 Phenotypic values of eight terpenoid traits in Litsea cubeba. Table S6 Summary of the GWAS results. Table S7 Summary of genomic variation in candidate genes. Table S8 List of 11 GWAS loci associated with key terpenoid traits in Litsea cubeba.
Singapore’s Temasek Said Mulling Merger of Mapletree, Capitaland
Talks of a merger of CapitaLand Investment and Mapletree Investments have heated up in Singapore with CapitaLand issuing a statement on Monday which did not deny discussions which could lead to the formation of a $150 billion real estate fund manager under shared parent Temasek Holdings. The Wall Street Journal reported late Sunday that the two property investment managers have been negotiating a prospective merger, following a crescendo of market chatter of a potential deal.
The Inaugural Pre-Treatment Nomogram to Assess the Eight-Week Efficacy of Dapoxetine: A Prospective Multi-Center Study
Guangdong Hou, Geng Zhang, and Ming Gao contributed equally to this article. Funding: This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (61971425), Natural Science Basic Research Program of Shaanxi Province (2024JC-YBMS-642), and Rapid Response Program Project of the Fourth Military Medical University (2022KXKT006). Conflicts of Interest Emmanuele A.
One‐Pot Sequential Coordination-Covalent Construction of Symmetry‐Broken MN2O2 Catalytic Sites in Cobalt-Polyimide Polymers for Nitrate Electroreduction - Liu - Angewandte Chemie International Edition - Wiley Online Library
Conflict of Interests The authors declare no conflict of interest. Supporting Information Filename Description anie202513738-sup-0001-SuppMat.docx8.6 MB Supporting Information References 1, , , , , , , , , , , , Adv. Funct. Mater. 2023, 33, 2303480. 2, , , , , , , Coordin. Chem. Rev. 2024, 506, 215723. 3, , , , , , , , , , , , , Coord. Chem. Rev. 2025, 535, 216610. 4, , , , , Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, 63, e202311752; Angew. Chem. 2024, 136, e202311752. 5, , , , , , Coord. Chem. Rev. 2024, 502, 215609.
Research on Montmorillonite Solid Superacid Modified Flame Retardant Unsaturated Polyester Resin
Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest. References 1, , , and , “Effect of Cuprous Oxide With Different Sizes on Thermal and Combustion Behaviors of Unsaturated Polyester Resin,” Journal of Hazardous Materials 334 (2017): 39–48. 2, , , et al., “Chemical Recovery of Thermosetting Unsaturated Polyester Resins,” Green Chemistry 24 (2021): 701–712.
Ultralong‐Lived Excitons in Metallo‐Quinoline‐Incorporated Covalent Organic Frameworks Promote Photoreductive Cross‐Coupling
Conflict of Interests The authors declare no conflict of interest. Supporting Information Filename Description anie202508849-sup-0001-SuppMat.docx16.3 MB Supporting Information References 1, , Chem. Rev. 2020, 120, 919–985. 2, , , , , Chem. Soc. Rev. 2022, 51, 3561–3608. 3, Chem. Rev. 2022, 122, 8487–8593. 4, , , , , , , , , , , Adv. Mater. 2025, 37, 2413060. 5, , Adv. Sci. 2024, 11, 2307227. 6, , Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202303086; Angew. Chem. 2023, 62, e202303086. 7, , , , , Angew. Chem. Int.
Japan’s problem with women’s equality is getting worse, not better
In the 2025 global gender gap index (GGGI), Japan ranks 118th out of 148 countries – still the lowest among the G7 nations and among the poorest performers globally. This is largely because of limited political participation by women. The current cabinet of prime minister Ishiba Shigeru says it all. In October 2024, Japan’s new prime minister appointed only two women to a 20-member cabinet – down from five in the previous lineup.
What will it take for China to arrest its declining birth rate?
China’s central government introduced a childcare subsidy on July 28 that will provide families with 3,000 yuan (around £312) a year for each child under the age of three. The announcement came days after plans were unveiled to roll out free preschool education across the country. These developments mark a shift from previous years, when the government largely left the issue of addressing China’s declining birth rate to local authorities.
A rare, direct warning from Japan signals a shift in the fight against child sex tourism in Asia
Japan’s embassy in Laos and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a rare and unusually direct advisory, warning Japanese men against “buying sex from children” in Laos. The move was sparked by Ayako Iwatake, a restaurant owner in Vientiane, who allegedly saw social media posts of Japanese men bragging about child prostitution. In response, she launched a petition calling for government action.
WRKY14‐DPB Module Enhances Drought Tolerance by Activating the Expression of UGT84B1 Involved in Hydrolyzable Tannin Biosynthesis
Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Supporting Information Filename Description pce70060-sup-0001-Supplementary_data.docx67.4 MB Supplemental Note S1. Establishment of an Agrobacterium rhizogenes -mediated hairy root transformation system of Litsea cubeba. Supplemental Note S2. LC-MS analysis. Supplemental Figure S1. Hairy roots were generated in Litsea cubeba by Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation with an empty vector containing a GFP signal.
Bifunctional CoNi/MXene@Wood with Vertical Aperture Structure for Electromagnetic Wave Absorption and Infrared Stealth
Bifunctional CoNi/MXene@Wood with Vertical Aperture Structure for Electromagnetic Wave Absorption and Infrared Stealth Multifunctional integrated electromagnetic wave absorption (EMA) materials have been widely concerned. In this work, CoNi/MXene@Wood was prepared by carbonizing natural wood at high temperature and introducing CoNi and Ti3C2Tx MXene into its rectangular honeycomb unit by hydrothermal reaction and vacuum impregnation.
Labubu Plushies Aren’t Just Toys. They’re a Brand New Frontier for Chinese Soft Power.
1 hour ago Indian drone startup Raphe mPhibr has raised $100 million in an all-equity Series B round led by General Catalyst, as the startup aims to boost its R&D and local production capabilities amid growing demand for drones in battlefields and for border surveillance. Drones are becoming increasingly …
Labubu Plushies Aren’t Just Toys. They’re a Brand New Frontier for Chinese Soft Power.
For the first time, an IP created in China has become a global consumer craze. And it happened entirely without central planning. Subscribe for ads-free reading One of the most sought-after items of 2025 isn’t a designer handbag or the latest tech gadget. It’s a plush elf with a snaggle-toothed grin. Labubu (拉布布) is a global sensation.
Labubu Plushies Aren’t Just Toys. They’re a Brand New Frontier for Chinese Soft Power.
For the first time, an IP created in China has become a global consumer craze. And it happened entirely without central planning. Subscribe for ads-free reading One of the most sought-after items of 2025 isn’t a designer handbag or the latest tech gadget. It’s a plush elf with a snaggle-toothed grin. Labubu (拉布布) is a global sensation.
Labubu Plushies Aren’t Just Toys. They’re a Brand New Frontier for Chinese Soft Power.
For the first time, an IP created in China has become a global consumer craze. And it happened entirely without central planning. Subscribe for ads-free reading One of the most sought-after items of 2025 isn’t a designer handbag or the latest tech gadget. It’s a plush elf with a snaggle-toothed grin. Labubu (拉布布) is a global sensation.
Labubu plushies aren’t just toys. They’re a brand new frontier for Chinese soft power
By Ming Gao, Research Fellow of East Asia Studies, Lund University One of the most sought-after items of 2025 isn’t a designer handbag or the latest tech gadget. It’s a plush elf with a snaggle-toothed grin. Labubu (拉布布) is a global sensation. From David Beckham and Rihanna to Dua Lipa and Blackpink’s Lisa, celebrities – and even members of the Thai royal family – have been spotted showcasing their Labubu collections.… Read complete article © The Conversation -
South Korea election: Lee Jae-myung takes over a country split by gender politics Original
Liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung has won South Korea’s snap presidential election with a clear lead. With all of the ballots counted, Lee won almost 50% of the vote, ahead of his conservative rival Kim Moon-soo on 41%. He takes over a country that is deeply divided along gender lines. Lee’s campaign effectively channelled voter anger.
Plant‐Derived Monomers for Grey Hair Reversal Through Upregulation of Melanogenesis and Tyrosinase Activity
1 Introduction Hair greying, also known as canities, is one of the most common phenotypic and apparent ageing-associated occurrences in humans [1]. Typically, the onset of hair greying happens at the ages of 34.0 ± 9.6, 43.9 ± 10.3 and 39.0 ± 9.0 in Caucasians, African Americans and Asians, respectively [2]. Scalp hair is vital for sustaining individual self-confidence and self-esteem [3].
Soaring rice prices are stirring political trouble in Japan - history shows this often leads to a change of government
Japan’s agriculture minister, Taku Etō, resigned on May 21 just six months into his term, following a public backlash to his joke that he never buys rice because supporters give it to him for free. Gaffes are by no means uncommon in Japanese politics. Controversial remarks by one former prime minister, Tarō Asō, were routinely followed by retractions – and the ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP) even distributed a gaffe-prevention manual to its members in 2019.
SCFSlRAE1 regulates tomato resistance to Botrytis cinerea by modulating SlWRKY1 stability
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The authors declare no conflict of interest. Supporting Information Additional Supporting Information may be found online in the supporting information tab for this article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jipb.13930/suppinfo Filename Description jipb13930-sup-0001-Supplementary_Figures.docx1.4 MB Figure S1. Relative expression levels of SlRAE1 and predicted conserved domain of SlRAE1 Figure S2. Identification of SlRAE1 knock-out and overexpression lines Figure S3.
How Trump is prompting China to change its relationship with the world Original
China has spent much of the past two months shoring up friendships both near and far. Two rounds of ministerial meetings with regional rivals Japan and South Korea took place in Tokyo and Seoul at the end of March. And earlier in April the red carpet was rolled out for the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, for his second visit to Beijing in less than seven months.
Optimized Harvest Management Strategy Based on Latent Loss and Antioxidant Enzyme Activity
All articles published by MDPI are made immediately available worldwide under an open access license. No special permission is required to reuse all or part of the article published by MDPI, including figures and tables. For articles published under an open access Creative Common CC BY license, any part of the article may be reused without permission provided that the original article is clearly cited. For more information, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/openaccess.
China’s dwindling marriage rate is fueling demand for brides trafficked from abroad
CHINA’s marriage rate is in steep decline. There were 6.1 million marriage registrations nationwide in 2024, down from 7.7 million the previous year. This decline has prompted Chen Songxi, a Chinese national political adviser, to propose lowering the legal marriage age from 22 to 18. The drop in China’s marriage rate has been driven by a combination of factors. These include increased economic pressures, evolving social attitudes towards marriage, and higher levels of education.
China’s Dwindling Marriage Rate
A shrinking and ageing population is often cited as the greatest challenge for Chinese economic growth and social stability. Human Rights Watch says that women and girls in neighbouring countries are typically tricked by brokers who promise well-paid employment in China. They find themselves at the mercy of the brokers once they reach China, and are sold for between US$3,000 (£2,300) and US$13,000 to Chinese men China’s marriage rate is in steep decline.
'Leftover men' fuel trafficked bride boom in China
China’s marriage rate is in steep decline. There were 6.1 million marriage registrations nationwide in 2024, down from 7.7 million the previous year. This decline has prompted Chen Songxi, a Chinese national political adviser, to propose lowering the legal marriage age from 22 to 18. The drop in China’s marriage rate has been driven by a combination of factors. These include increased economic pressures, evolving social attitudes towards marriage, and higher levels of education.
Why Did Japan Cut Funding to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women?
Japan’s decision to end it contribution to the U.N.’s top gender equality body could hardly come at a worse time, both diplomatically and symbolically. Japan’s recent decision to halt funding for the United Nations’ Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) has drawn significant attention.
From Spear to Shield: A Novel Antifungal Drug that Safely Enhances Rice Immune Defenses
Agricultural and Environmental ChemistryMarch 18, 2025 * Bin Bin Huang College of Bee Science and Biomedicine, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, P. R. China Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, P. R.
China’s Dwindling Marriage Rate Is Fueling Demand for Brides Trafficked From Abroad
The question of who China’s leftover men will marry is becoming a pressing issue for Beijing. The government’s response will shape the country’s future for decades to come. China’s marriage rate is in steep decline. There were 6.1 million marriage registrations nationwide in 2024, down from 7.7 million the previous year. This decline has prompted Chen Songxi, a Chinese national political adviser, to propose lowering the legal marriage age from 22 to 18.
China's dwindling marriage rate is fueling demand for brides trafficked from abroad
China's marriage rate is in steep decline. There were 6.1 million marriage registrations nationwide in 2024, down from 7.7 million the previous year. This decline has prompted Chen Songxi, a Chinese national political adviser, to propose lowering the legal marriage age from 22 to 18. The drop in China's marriage rate has been driven by a combination of factors. These include increased economic pressures, evolving social attitudes towards marriage, and higher levels of education.
China’s Dwindling Marriage Rate Is Fuelling Demand for Brides Trafficked From Abroad
There were 6.1 million marriage registrations nationwide in 2024, down from 7.7 million the previous year. This decline has prompted Chen Songxi, a Chinese national political adviser, to propose lowering the legal marriage age from 22 to 18. The drop in China’s marriage rate has been driven by a combination of factors. These include increased economic pressures, evolving social attitudes towards marriage, and higher levels of education.
Evaporation of Non-Isothermal Wall Microlayer Based on the Lattice Boltzmann Method
All articles published by MDPI are made immediately available worldwide under an open access license. No special permission is required to reuse all or part of the article published by MDPI, including figures and tables. For articles published under an open access Creative Common CC BY license, any part of the article may be reused without permission provided that the original article is clearly cited. For more information, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/openaccess.
TRPML1 ion channel promotes HepaRG cell differentiation under simulated microgravity conditions - npj Microgravity
Abstract Stem cell differentiation must be regulated by intricate and complex interactions between cells and their surrounding environment, ensuring normal organ and tissue morphology such as the liver1. Though it is well acknowledged that microgravity provides necessary mechanical force signals for cell fate2, how microgravity affects growth, differentiation, and communication is still largely unknown due to the lack of real experimental scenarios and reproducibility tools.
China’s dwindling marriage rate is fuelling demand for brides trafficked from abroad
By Ming Gao, Research Scholar of East Asia Studies in History Division, Lund University China’s marriage rate is in steep decline. There were 6.1 million marriage registrations nationwide in 2024, down from 7.7 million the previous year. This decline has prompted Chen Songxi, a Chinese national political adviser, to propose lowering the legal marriage age from 22 to 18. The drop in China’s marriage rate has been driven by a combination of factors.
China’s dwindling marriage rate is fuelling demand for brides trafficked from abroad
China’s marriage rate is in steep decline. There were 6.1 million marriage registrations nationwide in 2024, down from 7.7 million the previous year. This decline has prompted Chen Songxi, a Chinese national political adviser, to propose lowering the legal marriage age from 22 to 18. The drop in China’s marriage rate has been driven by a combination of factors. These include increased economic pressures, evolving social attitudes towards marriage, and higher levels of education.
UWB Base Station Deployment Optimization Method Considering NLOS Effects Based on Levy Flight-Improved Particle Swarm Optimizer
1. Introduction With the development of wireless communication technology, the demand for location-based services (LBS) in people’s daily life and economic production is increasing, and the Global Navigation Satellite System has become very mature and can provide reliable positioning and navigation services with different degrees of precision in outdoor open environments [1].
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