1,500 evacuated while WW2 bomb defused

Around 1,500 people were evacuated from Hong Kong’s Wan Chai area over the weekend, while bomb disposal officers spent 12 hours neutralizing an unexploded World War Two bomb that was recently uncovered. The 450-kilogram bomb was discovered by workers at the Sha Tin to Central rail link. The work began on Saturday night and was finished yesterday afternoon. According to Radio Television Hong Kong, a senior bomb disposal officer said that the territory’s entire team went to the construction site. The work took 12 hours because it was difficult to find a suitable place to cut through and disable the device. The bomb is believed to have been made in the U.S. and dropped on Hong Kong between 1941 and 1945 when the territory was occupied by the Japanese.

China-ASEAN trade volume hits record high

Trade volume between China and ASEAN countries hit a record high in 2017, according to the Ministry of Commerce. Bilateral trade totaled USD514.8 billion last year, up 13.8 percent year on year, the fastest growth pace between China and any of its major trading partners. China’s exports to ASEAN countries reached USD279.1 billion in 2017, up 9 percent year on year, while imports grew 20 percent year-on-year to stand at USD235.7 billion. China registered a trade surplus of USD43.4 billion with ASEAN countries, narrowing by 27.4 percent from 2016. Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand were China’s top trading partners in the region last year. Vietnam was China’s biggest export destination while China imported more goods from Malaysia than other ASEAN countries.