E-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding (9988. HK) created what would become Ant and spun it off in 2011. Ant emphasizes its independence from Alibaba, especially as it expands overseas. Alibaba is building a cross-border transaction tool that could compete with Ant. Ant, which is in the midst of a regulatory-driven transformation, appears to be making … Read more
Taiwan’s name misspelt as “Chinese Taipei” on FIFA World Cup fan ID card. Taiwan’s foreign ministry condemns China for “political manipulation” of international events. Organizers said the “Taiwan” tag following a complaint by the island but then changed it to Chinese Taipei. Taiwan accused China of “bullying” on Tuesday after the island’s name was … Read more
China has added 1.48 million full-time instructors to the country’s compulsory education system. The obligatory education retention rate increased from 91.8 percent in 2012 to 95.4 percent in 2013. China has 158 million pupils in 207,000 schools for the nine-year obligatory education. BEIJING – Over the last ten years, China has added 1.48 million full-time … Read more
Zhang Siqing, the former head of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) of China, was cremated in Beijing on Tuesday. Xi Jinping, Li Zhanshu, and Wang Yang visited Zhang’s family after his death to tell them how sorry they were. Zhang passed away on June 17 at the age of 90 due to sickness in Beijing. … Read more
Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron announce they are taking a year off from competition. Announcement puts in doubt the couple’s future involvement in high-level competition. The French couple won the Olympic title in Beijing and won a fifth world title in March. Olympic ice dance champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron announced on Monday they … Read more
A spokeswoman for the State Department stated, “China claims to be neutral, but its behaviour makes clear that it is still investing in close ties to Russia. President Xi Jinping assured Vladimir Putin of China’s support for Russian “sovereignty and security” on Wednesday, prompting Washington “It was the second reported phone call between the two … Read more
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “the Taiwan Strait is international water.” Places outside of Taipei’s control “are subject to the norm of international law’s ‘freedom of the high seas.’” US Navy sends warships through the strait on a regular basis, with allies such as Canada, the UK, and France joining them on … Read more
China has a triad of nuclear forces – solid-fueled mobile and siloed land-based missiles, nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, and bombers with a full, re-established nuclear mission. The ratio of stockpiled and stored warheads will shift when more new launchers become active in 2021. BEIJING: China possesses at least 350 nuclear weapons, more than double India’s … Read more
Markets fall in Asia on Monday, extending a global decline. US inflation data fuels hopes of more aggressive Federal Reserve interest rate hikes. More restrictions in China’s biggest cities also weigh on oil prices amid concerns over the world. Markets fell in Asia on Monday, extending a global decline, as the dollar rose after a … Read more
Brent crude fell 1.7% and U.S. West Texas Intermediate was down 1.8%. COVID-19 cases in Beijing quelled hopes for a rapid pick-up in China’s fuel demand. Worries about global inflation and economic growth further depressed the market. Oil prices slipped more than $2 on Monday as an eruption in COVID-19 cases in Beijing controlled expects … Read more
Most primary and middle school students in Beijing will not return to school next week. Illness related to a bar cluster has prompted officials to partially reverse decision to resume in-person teaching. China recorded 138 domestic infections on Saturday, including 61 in Beijing and 16 in Shanghai. BEIJING: Most children in Beijing will not return … Read more
Beijing will “not hesitate to start a war.” China considers Taiwan to be its territory and has vowed to seize it one day. The US urges China to refrain from destabilizing actions. Beijing will “not hesitate to start a war.” if Taiwan declares independence, China’s defense minister warned his US counterpart on Friday, said, officials. … Read more
10-year Treasury yield hit 3.0580% early in the Asia session. The dollar added another 0.6% against the yen to touch 132.75. Ten-year gilt yields rose as far as 10.2 bps to a seven-year high of 2.256%. Asia’s bonds edged lower on Tuesday, the yen hit a 20-year low and security markets faltered as financial backers … Read more
Brent crude futures were up 19 cents, or 0.2%, at $119.70 a barrel at 0050 GMT. The benchmark hit a three-month high of $120.99 on Monday. Higher output target by OPEC+ producers would ease tight supply. Oil costs crawled higher on Tuesday on expected request recuperation in China as it loosened up extreme COVID controls … Read more
The spacecraft docked at the Tiangong station after about “seven hours of flight. Beijing is also planning to build a base on the Moon. China has been excluded from the International Space Station since 2011. Three Chinese astronauts docked at the country’s space station on Sunday, marking a new milestone in Beijing’s push to become … Read more
On June 4, 1989, Beijing sent troops and tanks to break up peaceful protests. Authorities have warned public gatherings could break the law. Antony Blinken pledges to “honor and remember those who stood up for human rights”. On the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, Hong Kong authorities tried to prevent any public remembrance, … Read more
China gives a “glaring model” of how legislatures are taking action against minorities, US official says. Department of State delivered its yearly report on strict opportunity all over the planet. Washington said Beijing was carrying out “destruction and wrongdoings against humankind” against Uighurs. China gives a “glaring model” of how legislatures are taking action against … Read more
British human rights lawyer Michael Vidler leaves Hong Kong. Vidler’s firm was singled out in national security case. He was accused of helping pro-democracy protesters. When British human rights lawyer Michael Vidler saw the swarm of reporters waiting for him at Hong Kong airport, he knew he had made the right decision to close his … Read more
Penny Wong, Australia’s newly sworn-in foreign minister, will return to the Pacific Islands on Wednesday, visiting Samoa and Tonga only days after her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. Wong stated she was boarding an aircraft to “renew and strengthen Australia’s deep ties of friendship and family” as Australia and China compete for influence in the vast … Read more
The Philippines stated on Tuesday that it has lodged a diplomatic complaint with China over Beijing’s unilateral declaration of a South China Sea fishing ban, as well as harassment and breaches of its authority by Beijing’s coast guard. The Chinese warships were accused of disturbing a cooperative maritime scientific research mission as well as energy … Read more
China has made the second greatest intrusion into Taiwan’s air defence zone this year, with Taipei claiming 30 planes, including more than 20 fighters, entered the territory. Taiwan’s defence ministry said late Monday that it has scrambled its own planes and deployed air defence missile systems to keep an eye on China’s latest moves. Beijing … Read more
A Beijing man put thousands of his neighbors in quarantine after ignoring a stay-at-home order and testing positive for COVID-19, triggering a police probe. Over the last five weeks, the Chinese capital has ordered hundreds of thousands of citizens to stay at home in order to contain the city’s greatest coronavirus epidemic since the pandemic … Read more
Hong Kong stocks closed with greater sturdy profits as buyers welcomed an easing of Covid containment measures in Shanghai and Beijing, which raised hopes for the arena’s range two economic systems. The Hang Seng Index climbed 2.06 percent, or 426.57 points, to 21,123.93. The Shanghai Composite Index added 0.60 percent, or 18.82 points, to 3,149.06, … Read more
China’s cabinet, the State Council, announced the appointments and removals of officials on Monday. Fu Ziying was replaced as head of the Central People’s Government’s Liaison Office in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) and national security affairs adviser of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Macao SAR by Zheng Xincong, who no … Read more
Samoa and China inked a bilateral agreement on Saturday, promising “greater collaboration,” as Beijing’s foreign minister continues a tour of the South Pacific that has alarmed Western allies. The pact’s terms remain unknown because it was reached in the middle of a Chinese delegation’s eight-nation tour, but a leaked draught agreement provided to several Pacific … Read more
Western nations raised the alarm on Thursday over reported plans to drastically increase China’s military and economic clout in the South Pacific, in what one regional leader described as a thinly veiled attempt to encircle island states in “Beijing’s orbit.” The wide-ranging draught pact and a five-year plan, both acquired by AFP, would give China … Read more
China has proposed plans to significantly expand security and economic cooperation with South Pacific nations, which one regional leader has described as a thinly veiled attempt to bring them into “Beijing’s orbit.” The comprehensive draught agreement and a five-year plan, obtained by AFP on Wednesday, will be discussed when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits … Read more
The municipal disease prevention and control centre in Beijing recorded 23 new locally transmitted COVID-19 illnesses in the first 15 hours of Tuesday. According to Liu Xiaofeng, deputy head of the Beijing municipal disease prevention and control centre, the 23 cases were spread over seven districts in Beijing, including eight in Haidian and five in … Read more
