Category: China

A tiny piece of debris triggered the most serious mishap at China’s Tiangong space station since it became operational three years ago. Earlier this month, a crack discovered on the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft’s window forced three Chinese astronauts to remain on board Tiangong for nine extra days and eventually borrow their newly arrived colleagues’ ship to return to Earth. The event underscores the growing threat posed by Earth’s ever-expanding cloud of orbital junk – a scare that could push China,… Source link

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank announced on Monday a $250 million loan for a natural gas project in Beijing, the bank’s first such investment in China, to help cut coal use and improve air quality in the capital area. Source link

China warns citizens not to travel to Japan amid escalating row over comments about Taiwan made by PM Sanae Takaichi Shares in Japanese tourism and retail firms have fallen sharply after China warned its citizens not to travel to Japan, while a senior Japanese diplomat was due to travel to Beijing amid an escalating row over comments about Taiwan made by the Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated dramatically in the past week after Takaichi, a conservative who has hawkish views on China, suggested that Japanese self-defence forces could intervene if a Chinese…

Britain’s former prime minister Boris Johnson slammed an inquiry report critical of his government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic as “hopelessly incoherent” in a social media post on Saturday. “More than three years after the end of the pandemic, they are still wrangling about what went wrong,” Johnson, 61, also wrote in an article for the Daily Mail tabloid, days after the inquiry slammed his government for its “chaotic” response to the global pandemic costing thousands of lives. The… Source link

The oldest survivor of the Nanjing Massacre died on Sunday, and fewer than 100 survivors remain, the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre said on Monday. Source link

Japan’s hawkish new PM has angered Beijing after suggesting her country could become involved in a military conflict between China and Taiwan Tokyo and Beijing are embroiled in a deepening row over Taiwan after Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, suggested that her country could potentially become militarily involved in the event of an attempted Chinese invasion of the self-governing island. Why has Taiwan become a flashpoint between the north-east Asian neighbours and major trading partners, and is there a risk that the war of words could escalate? Continue reading… Source link

China and the United States have held their second round of maritime security talks this year to help manage risks between their militaries, according to the Chinese navy. The talks, held in Hawaii from Tuesday to Thursday, were “candid and constructive,” the PLA Navy said in a statement on Saturday. It said both sides exchanged views on the security situation, discussing cases of air and sea encounters and measures to improve operational safety. The meeting marked the latest effort by the… Source link

Green industries such as eco-agriculture and tourism are helping to raise living standards along the program’s central route Source link

Donald Trump’s trade wars and Chinese competition constitute formidable headwinds. But old economic orthodoxies are not the answer Last March, following angst-ridden months as Europe came to terms with Donald Trump’s return to the White House, financial markets in Paris, Milan and Berlin were gripped by a surge of optimism. The cause was a historic deal brokered by Friedrich Merz, then Germany’s chancellor-elect, which loosened constitutional spending constraints in the EU’s powerhouse nation. Here at last, it was hoped, was the fiscal kickstart required to end a prolonged period of economic stagnation, and mitigate geopolitical headwinds blowing from the…

People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s flagship mouthpiece, has published yet another sharply worded attack on the Japanese leader’s comments on Taiwan, warning that Sanae Takaichi was leading her country to its “demise”. The commentary on Saturday – written under the “Zhong Sheng” pen name often used to voice Beijing’s position on global affairs – is the fourth signed commentary on the issue in the newspaper in nine days, an unusually high rate that reflects the weight of Beijing’s criticism of… Source link

A Chinese-made communications satellite became the first “export” of such a spacecraft to an Arab country when it was launched by China on Monday for Algeria. Source link

Chinese airlines offer free cancellations and film releases postponed after Japanese PM’s comments on Taiwan Chinese travellers are estimated to have cancelled hundreds of thousands of tickets to fly to Japan amid reports of suspended visa processing and cultural exchanges as a diplomatic dispute over Japan’s stance on Taiwan continues. Under pressure from business groups, Japan has sent a senior diplomat to Beijing in an attempt to calm tensions after Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, said her country could get involved militarily if China attempted to invade Taiwan. Her comments prompted fury from China’s government, which issued warnings against…

Brazil’s federal police arrested former President Jair Bolsonaro pre-emptively on Saturday, days before he was set to begin his 27-year prison sentence for leading a coup attempt, officials said. A close aide said the embattled former leader was taken to the police force headquarters in the capital, Brasilia, from his house arrest. The force said in a short statement, which did not name Bolsonaro, that it acted on the request of Brazil’s Supreme Court. Neither Brazil’s federal police nor the… Source link

Dan Jarvis, the security minister, says China is trying to contact MPs and peers to get sensitive information about parliament. This live blog is closed Back at the Reform UK press conference, Zia Yusuf, the party’s head of policy, has just finished outlining his plan to cut spending on foreigners As he finished, Yusuf claimed this was “treachery”. Labour is making the conscious and deliberate decision to continue funding extortionate amounts to foreign nationals, to the detriment of British citizens. And I don’t know what to call that. Frankly, in my view, it’s treachery. I think it’s appalling. British…

China’s military has eased stringent physical requirements for pilots, based on the improved cockpits of the People’s Liberation Army’s newest warplanes. Changes to height, weight and limb length requirements are among several revisions made to the physical selection criteria for pilots, military mouthpiece PLA Daily reported on Monday. The report did not include the full revised set of criteria but said the changes had taken into account factors such as aircraft upgrades, advances in medical… Source link

Dan Jarvis gives Commons statement after MI5 alert about LinkedIn profiles of Amanda Qiu and Shirly Shen MPs and peers have been told they face “a covert and calculated” attempt to recruit parliamentarians through two LinkedIn profiles linked to the Chinese intelligence service. After MI5 issued an espionage alert on Tuesday, saying that two people were operating on LinkedIn to obtain “non-public and insider insights”, the security minister, Dan Jarvis, told MPs the effort was focused on those “with access to sensitive information about parliament and the UK government”. Continue reading… Source link

In modern-day office politics, Chinese people use the phrase “wearing small shoes” to describe someone who abuses their power or position to deliberately make things difficult for others. The term originates from an ancient marriage folklore in which the bride was forced to wear embroidered shoes that were intentionally made too small to torment her. Shoes hold a deep significance in Chinese marriages and wedding ceremonies. A pair represents a couple staying together in harmony, symbolising… Source link

Beijing reimposes 2023 ban, citing Japan PM’s comment that military would respond to Chinese attack on island China has suspended imports of Japanese seafood again, as the fallout over the Japanese prime minister’s comments about Taiwan continues to escalate in one of worst bilateral disputes in years. The ban was first reported on Wednesday by the Japanese outlets Kyodo News and NHK, and appeared to be confirmed by China’s foreign ministry, which said there was “no market for Japanese seafood in the current climate”. Continue reading… Source link

China has repackaged Xinjiang into a tourist haven, touting “ethnic” experiences that activists say it’s trying to erase. Source link

Chinese investment is still being actively welcomed in Ireland, the head of a major business organisation said, even as the wider European Union adopts a more cautious attitude and Dublin walks a tightrope to maintain ties with both the US and China amid a wide-ranging rivalry between the world’s two largest economies. “We’re firmly open for business within the EU rules, that is an unambiguous position,” Mary Rose Burke, CEO of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, told the Post in an interview last… Source link

After MI5 issues China espionage alert to parliament, Luke Pollard says message should be heeded by all citizens UK politics live – latest updates Ordinary UK citizens need to watch out for online contact with Chinese spies, the defence minister has said, after MI5 issued an espionage alert to parliament. Luke Pollard said a warning given to parliamentarians on Tuesday that China was attempting to recruit individuals with access to sensitive information should also be heeded by the public at large. Continue reading… Source link

Myanmar’s scam clans are being brought to justice in the full glare of Chinese state TV. Source link

With ex-leader Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity, Bangladesh is turning its focus towards a referendum aimed at reforming its political system and rebuilding its democratic institutions. Interim leader Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel laureate who assumed office after last year’s uprising, earlier this month pledged to hold a national vote on the blueprint for change, timed to coincide with February’s planned parliamentary election. But analysts have cast doubt on… Source link

Exclusive: A top official in Beijing’s Cop delegation says China is committed to clean energy – but US’s absence is a problem China is committed to the energy transition needed to avert climate breakdown – but does not want to take the lead alone in the absence of the US, one of the country’s senior advisers has told the Guardian. Wang Yi said China would provide more money to vulnerable countries, but the EU’s climate commissioner has warned Beijing is not doing enough to cut emissions. Continue reading… Source link