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Death of missing teen is not suspicious, says Chinese police

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Chinese police

The body of Hu Xinyu, 15, was found near his school in Jiangxi province. Hu had not been located despite massive police searches. Which had drawn criticism from several quarters. There are no suspicious circumstances behind the death of a Chinese teen whose body was discovered close to his school last week, more than 100 … Read more

Chinese police: Death of teen who went missing for 100 days is not suspicious

by
Chinese
  • The body of a Chinese boy was discovered near his school last week.
  • The boy went missing for 100 days.
  • His absence became one of the most talked about subjects on the Chinese internet.

Hong Kong: Authorities confirmed Thursday that there are no suspicious circumstances behind the death of a Chinese boy whose body was discovered near his school last week, more than 100 days after he went missing, bringing an end to a high-profile case that had gripped the nation.

Hu Xinyu, 15, went missing in October from a private high school in China’s southeastern Jiangxi province. His absence became one of the most talked about subjects on the Chinese internet, sparking speculation about what happened to him.

At a news conference on Thursday, Hu Mansong, Jiangxi province’s deputy police chief, released specific information on the police investigation into Hu’s death – an unusually exhaustive explanation by Chinese authorities’ norms. He also admitted to flaws in official search operations and welcomed public criticism.

Authorities were chastised for failing to locate Hu despite massive police efforts. Before his body was discovered by a member of the public, the efforts spanned roughly 40 hectares (0.4 square kilometers) of wilderness around the school grounds, utilising sniffer dogs, drones, and thermal imaging equipment and recruiting thousands of personnel.

In recent months, false reports about the boy’s abduction have spread, highlighting widespread popular skepticism in Chinese authorities, which is exacerbated by a lack of government transparency and years of deteriorating censorship.

According to the deputy police chief, one individual was arrested for sharing false information in a video and three others were given administrative penalties for spreading rumors.

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US and India to increase defense and technological collaboration

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US
  • The United States and India are taking steps to improve their defense partnership.
  • The US and Indian forces will work to improve maritime security.
  • Washington and New Delhi also agreed to expand their space collaboration.

The latest indication of collaboration between the two nations US and India in the face of a more aggressive China was the announcement by officials on Tuesday that the United States and India are taking steps to improve their defense partnership.

The proposals, which include increased cooperation on military-related businesses and operational coordination in the Indo-Pacific, were developed during two days of talks between the government and industry representatives from the two countries in Washington.

According to a White House information sheet, collaboration on developing jet engines and military weapons technologies is crucial among them. In particular, it stated that the US government will try to hasten the evaluation of a request made by US company General Electric to produce jet engines in India for use in indigenous Indian aircraft.

According to the information sheet, the US and Indian forces will work to improve maritime security as well as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.

US Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks told Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval that “building alliances and partnerships are a top priority” for the Pentagon, in what she said was “the region’s increasingly contested strategic environment,” according to a Defense Department statement.

Hicks said building the partnerships was a major objective of the US’ 2022 National Defense Strategy, which calls China a “growing multi-domain threat.”

While the United States has witnessed China‘s military buildup in places near Taiwan and major US ally Japan, India’s forces have battled with Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control, the ill-defined frontier between the two countries high in the Himalayas.

Technological collaboration

The United States and India, together with Japan and Australia, are members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, also known as the Quad, an informal security forum founded in the early 2000s. It has become more active in recent years as part of efforts to oppose China’s Indo-Pacific reach and territorial claims.

US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the US-India collaboration on Critical and Emerging Technology on the margins of a Quad conference in Tokyo last May. (iCET).

The sessions this week were the first under the initiative, and they brought together dozens of government officials, CEOs from the private sector, and leading academics from both nations.

Aside from defense technologies, Washington and New Delhi plan to “increase international collaboration in a variety of sectors — including artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and enhanced wireless,” according to a White House information sheet.

The commitment to grow the semiconductor sector in India, which has the educated and qualified people needed to become a major participant in making those crucial components, was a major industrial component of the conference.

Furthermore, the two countries agreed to collaborate on the development of next-generation telecoms in India, including 5G and 6G sophisticated cell phone technology.

Washington and New Delhi also agreed to expand their space collaboration, including aiding India’s astronaut development, commercial space sector, and role in planetary defense.

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US reaches agreement on bases to finish arc around china

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US
  • The US has gained access to four more military installations in the Philippines.
  • Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin made the announcement.
  • The new additions and expanded access will allow more rapid support.

Washington: The US has gained access to four more military installations in the Philippines, a strategic location that would give it a good vantage point for watching Chinese activity in the South China Sea and near Taiwan.

Washington has filled the gap in the US alliance arc that stretches from South Korea and Japan in the north to Australia in the south with this agreement.

The Philippines, which borders Taiwan and the South China Sea, or the West Philippine Sea as Manila insists on calling it, are the missing piece since they are two of the most significant potential flashpoints.

According to a statement from Washington, the new additions and expanded access will “allow more rapid support for humanitarian and climate-related disasters in the Philippines, and respond to other shared challenges,” probably a subliminal reference to countering China in the region. The US already had restricted access to five sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

The declaration was made following a Thursday meeting between Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in Manila.

Under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), the US already had restricted access to five sites. According to a statement from Washington, the new additions and expanded access will “allow more rapid support for humanitarian and climate-related disasters in the Philippines, and respond to other shared challenges,” probably a covert allusion to countering China in the region.

After meeting Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in Manila on Thursday, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin made the announcement.

The US has not disclosed the locations of the four facilities, but three of them may be on Luzon, an island off the northern tip of the Philippines, and if you exclude China, the only significant piece of territory close to Taiwan.

The agreement is a significant one since it partially undoes the US’s decision to leave their former colony more than 30 years ago.

“There is no contingency in the South China Sea that does not require access to the Philippines,” says Gregory B Poling, director of the Southeast Asia program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

“The US is not looking for permanent bases. It’s about places, not bases.”

That is, it is seeking access to places where “light and flexible” operations involving supplies and surveillance can be run as and when needed, rather than bases where large numbers of troops will be stationed.

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China is enraged at the new Czech president’s call to Taiwan

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Czech
  • Beijing is attempting to isolate Taiwan.
  • Pavel will take over for pro-Chinese incumbent Milos Zeman.
  • Zeman held a 45-minute video call with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

PRAGUE – China chastised Czech President-elect Petr Pavel on Tuesday for a phone call the day before with Taiwan’s president and foreign minister.

“Pavel… trampled on China’s red line,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.

“This severely interferes with China’s internal affairs and has hurt the feelings of the Chinese people,” she added.

Beijing is attempting to isolate Taiwan on the international scene by opposing countries having diplomatic contacts with Taipei.

It claims self-governed, democratic Taiwan as part of its territory, which it intends to seize one day, using force if necessary.

Beijing has urged Prague to “immediately take effective measures to eliminate the negative impact of this incident and avoid irreparable damage being sustained to China-Czech relations”, Mao said.

Pavel, who was elected president on Saturday, will take over for pro-Chinese incumbent Milos Zeman on March 9.

Earlier this month, Zeman held a 45-minute video call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he refers to as a friend, and lauded “friendly relations” between the two countries.

Pavel then called Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, who congratulated him on his election victory.

“I thanked her… and I assured her that Taiwan and the Czech Republic share the values of freedom, democracy, and human rights,” Pavel said on Twitter.

“We agreed on strengthening our partnership,” added the former general, who served as head of NATO’s military committee in 2015-2018.

He expressed his desire to “meet President Tsai in person” in the future.

The call, which Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu also participated in, lasted over 15 minutes, according to the Taiwanese presidential office.

“The president… acknowledged that president-elect Pavel carries on the spirit of former Czech president (Vaclav) Havel, who respected democracy, freedom, and human rights, under which the republic was founded, and is like-minded with Taiwan,” Tsai’s office said.

Havel served as the Czech Republic’s first president from 1993 to 2003.

Before becoming president, Havel led the Velvet Revolution, which overthrew Communism in old Czechoslovakia in 1989.

Mao stated that Beijing was pressing Prague to “honestly abide by its political commitment to the One China concept,” which the European Union observes.

Pavel said in a radio interview on Sunday that the one-China policy should be supported by a “two-system” philosophy.

“There is nothing wrong if we have specific relations with Taiwan, which is the other system,” Pavel said.

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$1 Trillion green Investment matches fossil fuels for first time

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fossil fuels
  • 31% increase over the previous year.
  • The surge was caused by the energy crisis that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
  • Hydro and nuclear power continued to contribute 32% of total electricity generation in the 27-nation bloc.

PARIS: After hitting $1 trillion last year, investment in clean energy is on the verge of surpassing spending on fossil fuels for the first time.

Despite the achievement, BloombergNEF estimates that spending on energy transition technology must instantly increase to fulfill the aim of net-zero emissions by 2050 to mitigate climate change.

Renewables, nuclear, zero-emission vehicles, and recycling initiatives received $1.1 trillion in investment last year, matching spending on fossil fuels, according to the report.

This represents a 31% increase over the previous year and the first time the investment amount has been calculated in trillions.

According to the research, the surge was caused by the energy crisis that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Investment in clean energy technology is on the verge of overtaking fossil fuel investments and will not look back,” said Albert Cheung, BloombergNEF’s head of global analysis.

Top polluter

China, the world’s top polluter, was by far the largest investor in energy transition, with the US trailing far behind.

China accounted for about half of the total worldwide investment, mainly in the steel recycling, renewable energy, and electric vehicles (EV) sectors.

Germany has maintained its third-place ranking, owing partly to a strong EV market.

However, a reduction in offshore wind projects caused investment in the UK to plummet by about a fifth, according to the research.

Renewable energy was the most heavily invested in the sector globally, accounting for $495 billion, followed by electrified transportation projects.

With the exception of nuclear power, all other sectors received unprecedented levels of investment, according to the experts.

The advancement of energy transition technologies coincides with an increase in fossil fuel investment in many countries in an effort to ensure energy security.

The war in Ukraine disrupted worldwide power supply because Russia, a major supplier of fossil fuels, curtailed gas supplies to European Union (EU) countries and was sanctioned for the invasion.

According to a separate analysis released on Tuesday by Ember, an energy think tank, wind, and solar energy generated 22% of EU electricity, exceeding gas (20%) for the first time.

Hydro and nuclear power continued to contribute 32% of total electricity generation in the 27-nation bloc.

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Beijing has hit ‘temporary herd immunity,’ official says

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Beijing
  • China’s unparalleled virus wave is fading.
  • COVID deaths nationwide have dropped by over 80%.
  • The city would survey thousands of citizens in February and March.

BEIJING – Beijing has reached “temporary herd immunity,” and its COVID outbreak is nearing a conclusion, according to a city health official, another indicator that China’s unparalleled virus wave is fading.

Since the ruling Communist Party abruptly reversed its zero-COVID policy last month, a flood of cases has swept through the world’s most populous nation.

The spike crammed hospitals and crematoriums in major cities, including Beijing, though the scope of the outbreak is difficult to confirm because official statistics are thought to represent just a small percentage of the total number of cases.

However, there are signs that the increase is slowing, with authorities reporting last week that the number of daily COVID deaths nationwide has dropped by over 80% since the beginning of January.

Beijing’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention

Wang Quanyi, deputy head of Beijing’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, told local media Tuesday that the metropolis of 22 million has “established temporary herd immunity protection”.

“This wave of infections in Beijing has already peaked and is now coming to an end,” the state News quoted Wang as saying.

The capital was “currently in a state of sporadic infections” with the virus exhibiting a “relatively low risk of transmission”, Wang said.

According to official data, the number of persons seeking treatment for flu-like diseases at major Beijing hospitals dropped by more than 40% between January 23 and 29, compared to the previous week.

According to Wang, a national decrease in the number of illnesses showed that the end of the Lunar New Year break would “not have too much of an impact” when people returned to Beijing from other regions of the country.

He went on to say that the city would survey thousands of citizens in February and March to see how many have COVID antibodies in their blood plasma.

The survey will “comprehensively assess Beijing’s state of coronavirus infection” and “provide a reference for optimizing resource allocation in the future,” Wang said.

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Sichuan allows unmarried people to legally have children

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Sichuan

Sichuan will remove restrictions on unmarried individuals having children. The move is part of a larger government effort to increase the nation’s declining birth rate. Only married couples are currently permitted to register the births of up to two children. Sichuan, a province in south-west China, will remove restrictions on unmarried individuals having children as … Read more

Namibia reported a record amount of rhino poaching

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Namibia
  • 87 rhinos killed in Namibia last year – almost twice as many as the year before.
  • Most were poached in Etosha, Namibia’s biggest national park.
  • Rhino numbers in Africa have dropped significantly to feed demand for rhino horn in China and Vietnam.

According to officials, poaching of endangered rhinos in Namibia last year reached a record high and was almost two times higher than the year before.

87 rhinos were killed overall, compared to 45 in 2021, according to official government figures.

According to officials, the majority were taken from Etosha, Namibia’s largest national park.

Rhino populations in Africa have drastically decreased in recent decades as a result of China and Vietnam’s increased demand for rhino horn.

According to Romeo Muyunda, a spokesman for the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, poachers killed 61 black rhinos and 26 white rhinos, mostly in Etosha, where 46 rhinos were discovered dead.

Etosha National Park, our flagship park, is a hub for poaching, Mr. Muyunda noted with grave concern.

International criminal gangs now locate and sedate the animals using high-tech technology before chopping off the horn and leaving them to bleed to death.

Wildlife teams have been slicing off the rhinos’ horns to keep them alive as a result of rhino poaching in South Africa and Botswana.

Despite having no known medical benefits, rhino horn has been utilized for many centuries in traditional Chinese medicine.

Demand for horns in Vietnam, where they are displayed as a symbol of wealth, is another factor driving poaching.

With just over 5,000 remaining in existence, the black rhino is the most vulnerable.

However, there were just four elephants poached in Namibia last year, down from a record of 101 in 2015.

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Chinese province has lifted limits on unmarried people having kid

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Chinese
  • China’s southwestern province of Sichuan will drop restrictions on unmarried people having children.
  • Starting from February 15, all citizens – including unmarried parents – can register with no ceiling on the number of children.
  • China’s population shrank last year for the first time in more than six decades.

Sichuan, a province in southwest China, will remove restrictions on unmarried individuals having children as part of a larger government effort to increase the nation’s declining birth rate.

The change in policy followed China’s population declining last year for the first time in more than 60 years, a historic turning point in the country’s escalating demographic problem.

Only married couples are currently permitted by the Sichuan government to register the births of up to two children. There is no cap on the number of children that can be registered as of February 15; this includes unmarried parents.

In China, parents frequently need to register their child’s birth in order to get benefits like maternity insurance. Additionally, a hukou, a document used to register a home, is required to give kids access to social welfare, such as healthcare and education.

The new rules, according to a statement from the Sichuan Provincial Health Commission, changed the emphasis of birth registration to “the desire and results of childbirth.”

According to a representative of the Sichuan Health Commission, the goal of the policy is to protect the rights of single moms rather than to promote the parenthood of unmarried individuals. The strategy would support “long-term and balanced population development,” according to the commission’s declaration.

According to the new regulations, single parents in Sichuan will now be able to take use of benefits that were previously only available to married couples. These benefits include maternity insurance, which pays for paid maternity leave and prenatal care.

Sichuan is the sixth most populous province in China, with a population of more than 83 million.

Its easing of the rules for birth registration follows similar moves made by other provinces, including Guangdong and Shaanxi.

Policymakers have been particularly concerned about China’s demographic dilemma, which is predicted to have a growing influence on GDP in the years to come.

After understanding that the limitation has contributed to a fast aging population and a diminishing workforce that may seriously jeopardize the nation’s economic and social stability, Beijing ended its decades-long and highly contentious “one child” policy in 2015.

The Chinese government stated in 2015 that it will permit married couples to have two children in an effort to reverse the nation’s declining birth rate. However, notwithstanding a small increase in 2016, the national birth rate has kept declining.

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Sichuan: Chania allows couples in province to have unlimited children

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Sichuan

China’s population declined last year for the first time in 60 years. The nation’s long-standing one-child restriction will be increased to three. In Sichuan, there will no longer be a cap on how many children parents can have. Couples will be permitted to have as many children as they choose in the Sichuan province of … Read more

6.1-magnitude earthquake hits China’s Xinjiang

by
earthquake Balochistan
  • The earthquake measured 6.1 on the Richter scale.
  • The dept was 50 kilometers.
  • The tremor was felt throughout the region.

Beijing: The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China was shaken on Monday by an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale, according to authorities.

The epicenter was tracked at 40.01 degrees north latitude and 82.29 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 50 kilometers, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC).

The epicenter is situated 105 kilometers from the city of Alaer and 141 kilometers from the county seat of Shaya, in an uninhabited area.

Local authorities note that although the tremor was felt throughout the region, no injuries or property losses have yet been reported.

70 rescuers and 15 vehicles have already arrived at the incident site from the Aksu prefecture’s fire and rescue department.

A crew of ten personnel from the Shaya county fire and rescue service is searching the epicenter region with two vehicles.

The earthquake had little effect on local power system functioning, oil and gas production, or significant petrochemical companies.

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Chinese tourists travel more during the Lunar New Year holidays

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Lunar New Year
  • China saw 226 million domestic trips during the Lunar New Year holiday, a 74% surge from last year.
  • China lifted all travel curbs under its now-abandoned zero-Covid policy.
  • For the first time in three years, Chinese people were free to travel without the hassle of quarantine.

According to official media, China made 226 million domestic journeys for the Lunar New Year vacation, an increase of 74% from the previous year after the government abolished all travel restrictions imposed under its now-abandoned zero-Covid policy.

Chinese citizens may travel without worry or bother for the first time in three years during the most significant holiday of the year, when families reconnect in their hometowns to celebrate the new year or go on vacation together.

This week-long holiday, which ended on Friday, saw the most visits completed within China since 2020. They cover all types of travel, such as those taken by vehicles, trains, and even boats.

The number was still much below pre-pandemic levels, though. Over the holiday in 2019, 421 million domestic travels were made.

Due to the pent-up demand for travel, China’s tourist sites, from the sunny beaches on Hainan island to the historic towns in the mountainous Yunnan region, were overrun with tourists throughout the vacation.

After China’s borders were officially reopened earlier this month, international travel also increased dramatically. According to the National Immigration Administration, 2.88 million visits were made across the border for the Lunar New Year vacation, an increase of 120% from the previous year.

12.53 million cross-border journeys were made in 2019 during the Lunar New Year vacation, according to the Xinhua news agency.

Following widespread demonstrations about strict lockdowns and Covid tests, the Chinese government abruptly ended its expensive zero-Covid program in December.

The infection spread quickly across the nation after the sudden removal of limitations, catching the healthcare establishment off guard. Hospitals and cemeteries were overburdened, leaving locals scrambling for fever medications and antiviral medications.

It is challenging to determine the severity and scope of the enormous outbreak because once-common Covid testing has largely been abandoned and the government has stopped reporting the majority of infections.

Chinese health authorities recently revealed more precise epidemic statistics that suggests the outbreak has already peaked amid international criticism of China’s limited data release.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday that recorded clinic visits on January 23 had decreased 96.2% from a month earlier, when cases were at their peak.

In contrast to more than 6.9 million on December 22, just 15,000 persons tested positive for Covid via PCR tests on January 23 according to the CDC data.

It’s unclear how much testing has changed during that period, which could have an impact on those numbers, or how many people have been affected since China shifted away from zero-Covid in early December.

Wu Zunyou, the head epidemiologist at the CDC, said on January 21 that 80% of the nation had already contracted the disease.

The number of Covid deaths that are formally recorded is also dropping. China recorded 6,364 Covid-related deaths between January 20 and January 26, according to the CDC, which is approximately half of the 12,658 deaths reported a week earlier.

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The US demonstrates its military might in Beijing’s backyard

by
US
  • The Nimitz is leading a carrier strike group that entered the South China Sea.
  • The South China Sea transports approximately $3.4 trillion in annual trade.
  • China claims historic jurisdiction over almost the entire South China Sea.

US: Hundreds of combat planes and helicopters roar on and off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Nimitz over a few hours under grey skies, in a display of US military power in some of the world’s most hotly contested waters.

As they land in the drizzle on the Nimitz, MH-60 Seahawk helicopters and F/A-18 Hornet jets with pilot call letters like “Fozzie Bear,” “Pig Sweat,” and “Bongoo” emit deafening screams. The Nimitz is leading a carrier strike group that entered the South China Sea two weeks ago.

The tour, according to the group’s commander, Rear Admiral Christopher Sweeney, is part of the United States‘ commitment to maintaining freedom of passage in a region vital to global trade.

“We are going to sail, fly and operate wherever international norms and rules allow. We’re going to do that safely and we’re going to be resolute about that,” Sweeney told on Friday.

“It’s really just about sailing and operating obviously with our allies and partners in the area and assuring them of free and open commerce and trade in the Indo-Pacific.”

The US in the South China Sea

The presence of the United States in the South China Sea, which transports approximately $3.4 trillion in annual trade, has been welcomed by allies such as Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Australia, but it continues to irritate rival China, which sees the exercises as provocations in its backyard.

China claims historic jurisdiction over almost the entire South China Sea, including Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines’ exclusive economic zones.

Beijing has also been conducting regular exercises and maintains a large presence of coast guard and fishing vessels far off its mainland, which has caused frequent tensions with its neighbors.

Bunker Hill and the guided-missile destroyers Decatur, Wayne E. Meyer, and Chung-Hoon are part of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group 11. The Chung-Hoon sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on January 5, irking China.

This comes just two weeks after a Chinese navy J-11 fighter jet came within 10 feet (3 meters) of a US Air Force plane over the South China Sea.

Sweeney stressed the importance of international rules and said the United States presence in the South China Sea demonstrated its commitment to its regional allies.

“We’ve operated in the same body of water as the Chinese, Singaporean, and Filipino navies since we arrived, and everything has been safe and professional,” he said.

“We’re not going anywhere; we’re going to sail, fly, and operate wherever international waters allow us to.”

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US Marines officially opens first new base in 70 years

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US Marines

The US Marine Corps has activated Camp Blaz, its first new station in 70 years. The 4,000-acre facility will eventually house 5,000 Marines. It was partially funded by the Japanese government. The US Marine Corps formally launched its first brand-new station in 70 years, a 4,000-acre facility on the US Pacific island of Guam that … Read more

Elon Musk says Chinese rival work “hardest, smartest”

by
Elon Musk

Elon Musk predicts that China will be Tesla’s biggest rival in the electric vehicle market. In 2022, China will account for nearly two-thirds of all sales of electric vehicles worldwide. Tesla just appointed its China head Tom Zhu to oversee US and European plants and sales. Detroit? Nope. No, Germany. Elon Musk believes that China, … Read more

North Korea issues ‘extreme cold’ weather alert

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North Korea

A cold wave warning has been issued for North Korea and South Korea. The poorest provinces in the nation are expected to see temperatures below -30C. High winds are also anticipated for coastal areas, according to state media. Authorities in North Korea have issued warnings about severe weather as a cold wave sweeps the Korean … Read more

China tells US to fix its own debt problems

by
China
  • Chinese Embassy in Zambia asked the US to work on monetary policies.
  • Republicans in the House are threatening to refuse to vote on a new debt ceiling.
  • The national debt of the United States is approximately $31 trillion.

Washington: After U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called China a “barrier” to debt reform in Africa this week, Chinese officials in Zambia had a pointed response – get your own house in order.

The Chinese Embassy in Zambia said on its website Tuesday “the biggest contribution that the United States can make to the debt issues outside the country is to act on responsible monetary policies, cope with its own debt problem, and stop sabotaging other sovereign countries’ active efforts to solve their debt issues.”

Republicans in the House are threatening to refuse to vote on a new debt ceiling, a figure that reflects money already spent and now owed by the government, in order to put pressure on the Biden administration and Democrats to cut spending programs. So far, the Biden administration has refused to negotiate, relying on hardline Republicans to back down in the face of pressure from businesses, investors, and moderates.

The national debt of the United States is approximately $31 trillion, up from $5.6 trillion in 2000, due in part to increased spending for an aging population, outlays for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, COVID-19 programs, and tax cuts that reduced revenues.

Yellen and IMF

Yellen and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva arrived separately in Zambia on Sunday to emphasize the importance of debt reform in Africa.

Zambia defaulted on its debt in 2020 and has made little progress in restructuring it with Chinese and private creditors to date, contributing to citizens’ poverty.

According to the World Bank, the world’s poorest countries face $35 billion in debt-service payments to official and private-sector creditors in 2022, with China accounting for more than 40% of the total.

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NIH records 12 new COVID-19 cases in Pakistan

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NIH recorded
  • Condition of 12 patients is critical across the country.
  • 4,056 corona tests have been conducted during last 24 hours.
  • Experts said new type of corona in China is not so dangerous.

ISLAMABAD: National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad has registered 12 new coronavirus cases across the country during the last 24 hours while no death was reported.

Spokesperson NIH said, the condition of 12 patients affected by COVID-19 is critical across the country, but there have been no deaths due to Corona.

According to the report of NIH, 4,056 corona tests have been conducted during the last 24 hours, according to which the rate of positive cases of Corona was 0.30 percent.

Experts said that the new type of corona in China is not so dangerous. A large number of people will be affected by this type, but the risk of death is low, so all people who have received both doses of corona vaccine should receive a booster dose to increase their immunity to fight the virus.

According to the report, the American infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said that there is no way to eliminate this virus because it spreads rapidly and has the ability to become a new variant.

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Cargo Ship With 22 Aboard capsizes off Southwestern Japan

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Japan
  • The incident occurred during a particularly cold week in Japan.
  • Five crew members were rescued from the ship.
  • The ship was expected to arrive in the South Korean port of Incheon.

Cargo ship capsizes off Japan: Five crew members have been rescued and efforts are underway to save 17 others after a cargo ship capsized off Japan’s Nagasaki prefecture on Wednesday.

According to the coast guard, it received a distress signal late Tuesday night from the Hong Kong-flagged vessel Jin Tian, which was cruising 110 kilometers west of the Danjo Islands in the East China Sea.

According to the Japan Coast Guard, the crew of 14 Chinese and eight Myanmar nationals was transferred to lifeboats before rough seas hampered their rescue.

The coast guard has sent two patrol boats to the scene, and three private vessels, including a tanker, that was cruising nearby are helping with the rescue.

The ship was expected to arrive in the South Korean port of Incheon on Wednesday, according to the coast guard.

According to the tracking website MarineTraffic, it left Malaysia’s Port Klang in early December.

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North Korea issues a weather advisory for “severe cold”

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North Korea

Authorities in North Korea have issued warnings about severe weather as a cold wave sweeps the Korean peninsula. The Northern provinces are expected to see temperatures below -30C. This week, temperatures in Japan are predicted to reach their lowest levels in ten years. Authorities in North Korea have issued warnings about severe weather as a … Read more

North Korea issues a weather warning for “extreme cold”

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North Korea
  • Temperatures are expected to drop below -30C.
  • North Korean northern regions are the poorest.
  • People simply wrap plastic wrap around their doors and windows for insulation.

North Korea: Authorities have issued a weather warning for the country as a cold wave sweeps the Korean peninsula.

Temperatures are expected to drop below -30 degrees Celsius in the country’s northern regions, which are also the poorest.

According to state media, high winds are also expected in coastal areas.

South Korea has also issued a cold wave warning, and northern China has been experiencing record-low temperatures.

Temperatures in Japan are also expected to drop to their lowest in a decade this week.

While North Korea, like other places, has been affected by extreme or adverse weather, little is known about the impact on its people.

Ryanggang, North Hamgyong, and South Hamgyong are the poorest provinces in the country and are expected to be the most vulnerable to climate change.

Outside of Pyongyang, electricity is scarce, and residents are said to heat their homes with wood and dried plants in the winter. It also claims that many people simply wrap plastic wrap around their doors and windows for insulation.

According to Radio Free Asia, “large numbers” of people went missing in the country late last year during another extremely cold spell; many are thought to have starved or frozen to death as temperatures dropped below freezing and food became scarce.

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China’s northernmost city recently experienced its coldest day

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China's northernmost
  • The temperature in China’s northernmost city fell to minus 53°C.
  • China’s meteorological authority issued a blue cold wave.
  • They predicted ice fog as well.

According to meteorologists, the temperature in China‘s northernmost city fell to minus 53°C (minus 63.4 degrees Fahrenheit), the coldest ever recorded.

Mohe, located in northeastern Heilongjiang province and close to Russian Siberia, is known as “China’s North Pole” and is one of the few places in China with a subarctic climate.

According to the Heilongjiang Meteorological Bureau, the temperature was minus 53°C at 7 a.m. on January 22, the first day of the Lunar New Year. Officials said it broke the previous record of minus 52.3°C set in 1969.

On Monday, China’s meteorological authority issued a blue cold wave, forecasting significant temperature drops across the country.

In neighboring Russia, Yakutsk, the world’s coldest city, temperatures dropped to minus 62.7°C (minus 80.9 degrees Fahrenheit) – the coldest in over two decades.

Mohe’s winters are long, beginning in early October and often lasting until May. Temperatures have been known to fall below freezing on average during this time period, according to experts.

Residents were gripped by rare “ice fog” in 2018, a weather phenomenon that occurs only in extremely cold climates when water droplets in the air remain in liquid form, prompting local authorities to issue the city’s first-ever red warning for cold weather.

Although no warnings have been issued in Mohe, local meteorologists predict that the cold spell will last into this week. They predict ice fog as well.

The city’s year-round cold attracts tourists, who flock to its ice-themed attractions.

A highway connecting the remote city to the capital Beijing opened to much fanfare in December 2019.

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Russian Warship to Join Drills With navies of China, South Africa

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China
  • The missiles travel at nine times the speed of sound.
  • The missiles have a range of more than 1,000 km (620 miles).
  • The exercise will be the second involving the three South African countries.

A Russian warship armed with new-generation hypersonic cruise weaponry will take part in joint exercises with the navies of China and South Africa in February.

It was the first public mention of the frigate “Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov,” which is armed with Zircon missiles, taking part.

According to Russia, the missiles travel at nine times the speed of sound and have a range of more than 1,000 km (620 miles). They are the centerpiece of its hypersonic arsenal, along with the Avangard glide vehicle, which entered combat service in 2019.

“‘Admiral Gorshkov’… will go to the logistic support point in Tartus, Syria, and then participate in joint naval exercises with the Chinese and South African navies.”

The South African National Defense Force said on Thursday that the drills, which will take place near the port cities of Durban and Richards Bay from February 17 to 27, aim to “strengthen the already flourishing relations between South Africa, Russia, and China.”

The exercise will be the second involving the three South African countries, following a drill in 2019, according to the defense force.

This month, the “Gorshkov” conducted training in the Norwegian Sea after President Vladimir Putin dispatched it to the Atlantic Ocean to send a message to the West that Russia would not back down in the Ukraine conflict.

China, Russia, and the United States are racing to develop hypersonic weapons, which are seen as a way to gain an advantage over any adversary due to their faster-than-sound speeds and difficulty in detection.

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COVID: Chinese tourists hit Thai beaches for first time in 3 years

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Chinese
  • China lifted COVID-19 restrictions and reopened its borders.
  • The reopening of China boosts optimism for the return of Chinese visitors.
  • The Thai government anticipates at least five million Chinese tourists this year.

Phuket: Chinese visitors are returning to Thailand for the first time since China lifted COVID-19 restrictions and reopened its borders, visiting white-sand beaches and enjoying mango sticky rice and prawns.

“We hadn’t traveled out of China in three years because of the pandemic,” said tourist and company owner Kiki Hu, 28, in Krabi on Thailand’s southwest coast. “We may now depart and come here for the holidays. I’m pleased and emotional “.

With China celebrating the Lunar New Year, Asia’s tourist hotspots have been bracing for the return of Chinese tourists, who spent $255 billion worldwide prior to the pandemic. Countries ranging from Thailand to Japan had previously relied on China as their primary source of foreign visitors.

Yoyo Chen, 32, a business owner from Yiwu in central China, said returning to Thailand felt like coming home.

“I came to eat seafood. When I visited here before, I ate mango sticky rice, which was amazing. I kept thinking about the mango sticky rice here while I was in China. I’m looking forward to the meals and seeing the beaches “Chen stated.

“Obtaining visas is now quite simple. The tourism business is more established here, there are many enjoyable activities and cuisine, and the Thai people are quite friendly “She stated.

The reopening of China boosts optimism for the return of Chinese visitors, who made up roughly a third of Thailand’s 40 million foreign tourist arrivals prior to the pandemic.

The Thai government anticipates at least five million Chinese tourists this year, with 300,000 arriving in the first quarter.

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China says 80% of population have had Covid-19

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Covid-19

Covid-19 has already infected eight out of ten Chinese citizens. Current “wave of epidemic has already infected nearly 80% of the people”. With over 2 billion passenger trips expected to take place during that time. Covid-19 has already infected eight out of ten Chinese citizens, according to a well-known government scientist. On Saturday, the night … Read more

PM greets President Xi on Chinese New Year

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Chinese New Year

PM Shehbaz Sharif felicitated President Xi on Chinese New Year Pakistan Embassy building in Beijing was decorated on occasion Chinese New Year 2023 is heralded as ‘Year of Rabbit’ ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif felicitated President Xi Jinping and the Chinese people on the arrival of the Chinese New Year. On his Twitter handle, the … Read more

Philippines to priorities economic assistance over security

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Philippines
  • China and the Philippines signed 14 bilateral treaties in the fields of industry, agriculture, and tourism.
  • China’s exports to the Philippines increased at a 20% annual rate.
  • The Philippines hopes that Chinese investments will help fund its “Build Build Build” program.

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. returned home from a three-day visit to China with $22.8 billion in trade and investment deals. It was in keeping with his promise before leaving for Beijing to return “with a harvest of agreements and investments” to strengthen the Philippines’ economic foundations.

Marcos inherited a strong relationship with China from his late father, President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who was one of the first US allies to abandon Taipei for Beijing in 1976. The junior had gone to China with his father and met Chairman Mao Zedong. Marcos Jr. recalled the trip, saying he “watched the development of our bilateral ties with great interest and attention.” The current visit, according to him, is intended to “continue that legacy of strengthening the bonds of friendship established between the Filipino and Chinese peoples.”

During his presidential campaign, Marcos openly supported President Rodrigo Duterte’s foreign policy, referring to China as the Philippines’ “strongest partner” and “emphasizing the futility of confrontation and the value of robust economic cooperation with the Asian powerhouse.” Marcos, like Duterte, chose China for his first major overseas trip. Their predecessors had either visited Washington or Tokyo first.

China and the Philippines signed 14 bilateral treaties in the fields of industry, agriculture, and tourism. Investment and funding arrangements for projects undertaken with Chinese assistance are among the other agreements.

How China became the Philippines’ largest trading partner

In recent years, trade between the two countries has thrived. From 2010 to 2017, China’s exports to the Philippines increased at a 20% annual rate, allowing China to surpass Japan as the Philippines’ largest trading partner in 2016. China will be the Philippines’ second-largest export market by 2021. China is also said to have committed to reducing the trade deficit, which is currently in China’s favor, by increasing imports from the Philippines.

Duterte’s election in 2016 improved relations with China, and his visit to Beijing that year resulted in $24 billion in investment and credit line pledges. President Marcos undertook the China trip early in his term to “shift relations into a higher gear”. The Philippines hopes that Chinese investments will help fund its “Build Build Build” program, which aims to improve domestic infrastructure, which is critical for economic growth.

Though Duterte’s presidency was described as a “golden era” in the Philippines, tensions with China emerged near the end of his presidency, when Beijing barred resupply missions to Philippines-owned islands in the South China Sea. Such encounters put his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., under pressure from the military and the public to take a more assertive stance on the South China Sea territorial claims.

Despite Marcos’ promising start, the Philippines’ relations with China may be tested over a number of issues, including inadequate development of major infrastructure projects, disputed claims over the South China Sea, and the nature and extent of Manila’s defence ties with Washington. China is understandably concerned about America’s military presence in its backyard.

The Philippines is in the difficult position of having the most contested claims in the South China Sea with China. To China’s detriment, the Hague arbitration tribunal recognized the Philippines’ claims. Duterte put the ruling on hold in order to benefit from China’s economic relations.

The two sides have attempted to settle their differences several times with little success. Though China prefers individual negotiations with each disputing party, the ten-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which the Philippines is a member, has steadfastly negotiated these claims as a group.

Manila’s relations with the United States

In contrast to his predecessor, Marcos Jr. is warming up to the United States. China is keeping a close eye on things. Early in his presidency, US Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were among the first visitors. The Philippines understands that a US military alliance can provide deterrence to China, but the US lacks the courage or capacity to provide economic support to raise people’s living standards. Raising military stakes at the expense of economic development will harm the Philippines’ chances of revival, as it has done for many other countries. China will closely monitor the proposed defense ties and will withdraw investments if Marcos Jr. is seen to have an unfavorable impact on Chinese interests.

Marcos is well aware that the US has fallen short of expectations on important economic needs of developing countries, and that much of its engagement is limited to military security. Under the guise of ‘freedom of navigation,’ the US has significantly increased its military presence in the region.

According to current trends, the Philippines will continue to pursue a strong economic partnership with China in order to lift people out of poverty.

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