Race in America 🌎

In Seattle, Chinatown residents are fighting against the newest light rail installation.

The transportation project is projected to scar the neighborhood while providing a new tunnel for the region to travel throughout downtown Seattle. Advocates against the light rail insist that the trains should be placed a block farther west to lessen the impact of noise, dust, demolitions, and truck traffic near the iconic Chinatown gate and the nearby businesses.

Outreach Chair for the Chong Wa Benevolent Association Brien Chow states that this decision is “systemic racism,” as it does not consider the people in the neighborhood. Chow explains that the option of going down Fourth Avenue is a viable solution, “a win-win option,” and questions why they do not change their plans. He expresses that it’s because “they don’t really care.”

However, changing those construction plans to Fourth Avenue also causes major logistical problems. Builders would have to demolish and replace the six-lane elevated street, detouring about 15,000 daily car and bus trips and stadium surge traffic in a six-year period.



Meanwhile, in NY’s Chinatown, mutual aid projects, including food distribution for the district’s vulnerable communities, have become lifelines for the elderly. 

Many residents struggled to get resources and food during the pandemic, with some going hungry for seven consecutive days. Food insecurity became a leading concern from the beginning of the pandemic to today, with 51% of people needing help with food access. The elderly were disproportionately affected as they navigated huge language barriers amid the fear of infection.

Moonlyn Tsai and Yin Chang, founders of nonprofit Heart of Dinner, and Justin McKibben, founder of nonprofit Send Chinatown Love, began to put together food packages to distribute to the community and, as time went on, started even larger projects.

Send Chinatown Love expanded its services and hosted food crawls to encourage foot traffic back into Chinatown establishments, gift-a-meal projects where community members fundraise for meals from restaurants, serving food shelters, while creating an online presence for local businesses that used to operate solely on cash and pen-and-paper practices.
 

In Other Asian News 🗞

Since Taiwan was not included during the initial Indo-Pacific visit during Biden’s trip to the region, U.S.-Taiwanese talks have been scheduled to begin through other visits and upcoming meetings.

These talks will “move quickly to develop a roadmap” for the planned U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, which will also be accompanied by in-person meetings in Washington later in June.

The initiative aims to "reach an agreement with high standard commitments that create inclusive and durable prosperity" on several issues, such as customs facilitation, fighting corruption, common standards on digital trade, labor rights, high environmental standards, and efforts to curb state-owned enterprises and non-market practices.

Moreover, this bilateral initiative is formatted closely to the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), discussed during the Indo-Pacific visit. 



Today, Vietnam’s scientific research and development have led to the world’s first commercial use African swine fever vaccine. 

The African swine fever is one of the deadliest diseases to plague a livestock population. It was first detected in Vietnam in February 2019, causing the nation to reduce its hog herd by 20% last year. While swine fever is harmless to humans, there is immense importance in this new vaccine. 

Deputy agriculture minister Phung Duc Tien expressed that this vaccine is a “milestone of veterinary medicine” that will shield the “hog-raising industry and pig production globally.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture has also verified its efficacy. 

This will allow Vietnam to export the vaccine to many nations worldwide, although there has been little to no information about the distribution and manufacturing timeline.
 

Gaming, Food, and Sport 📺

Falling short of qualifying for the French Open, Qinwen Zheng, 19, opens up about dealing with painful menstrual cramps during the competition. 

The Chinese athlete, who ranks 74 in the world, told reporters that while there was no menstrual pain at the beginning of the match, it slowly worsened. “Yeah, the leg was also tough,” she said. “That compared to the stomach was easy…I cannot play my tennis, [my] stomach was too painful.”

Later on, Zheng expressed that she wished she were a man so that her abilities and skill would not be inhibited by that natural pain. Simultaneously, she acknowledged how pleased she was about her performance throughout the competition.

“If I don’t have my stomach [pain], I think I could enjoy more, like to run better and to hit harder, to give more effort on court. It’s a pity that I couldn’t give what I wanted to give today.” 



Meanwhile, Shinji Hashimoto, a beloved producer of “Kingdom Hearts” and “Final Fantasy” has announced his retirement. For many gamers, this is a bittersweet moment. 

In his announcement, he expressed his gratefulness and gratitude towards everyone who has enjoyed the games. With his retirement on May 31, he will continue as a Square Enix fan, leaving the company in “high spirits.” He is also very happy to take pictures with anyone who meets him in public.



If food is one of your main reasons for travel, Hong Kong’s new wave of Chinese fine dining may put the city on your bucket list. 

Instead of chain restaurants and hotels, independent restaurants are popping up with a sophisticated, unique, and creative atmosphere, as well as top-tier service and presentation, making their marks on several prestigious, must-visit lists.

One of these restaurants is Wing, headed by Vicky Cheng, whose Chinese-French restaurant, Vea, has been making waves since 2015. With authenticity as his main approach, Cheng’s background in French cuisine and passion for Chinese flavors allows his kitchen to “use modern culinary approaches to strike a harmonious and well-balanced sensory experience while highlighting the understated elegance of traditional Chinese culinary finesse.”

He believes that food must not lose its authentic form, emphasizing that “Chinese food should look like Chinese food.”
 

What else is on our minds? 🧠  

• Amnesty International is accusing the Myanmar Junta government of new, oppressive war crimes. The organization recorded many airstrikes, condemning the fact that many of those strikes have killed and heavily impacted civilians. 
• In Vancouver, a couple of university students are offering 40% off in their delivery service for peculiar fruit. Sang Le and ​​Arielle Lok started Peki Produce to combat food waste by offering discounts for fruits that look scarred or imperfect.
• Shein is now big enough to compete with brands like Zara. The Chinese fast-fashion company is now undercutting other fast fashion competitors with their extremely cheap prices, bringing in customers worldwide.
• In South Korea, teen candidates are showing their power in youth votes. There are seven teenagers running for local Seoul city council positions, campaigning after school lets out while political parties support their picks. 
• The Chinese government is trying to support their COVID-impacted economy through a new stimulus package. The package will include 33 measures covering fiscal, financial, investment and industrial policies, with the national government monitoring how local governments will implement them.