The Chinese government announced Wednesday that it will suspend a program allowing solo tourists from 47 cities to visit Taiwan, amid rising cross-strait tensions. In a statement, China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism said the travel ban would come into force on August 1, effectively banning all individual leisure travel …
Read More »Huawei dominates the global race to 5G, inking over 50 contracts despite US crackdown
Chinese telecom giant Huawei has secured more than 50 commercial contracts for 5G across the world, according to the company’s board member and Senior Vice President Catherine Chen, who was cited by news agency Xinhua. Despite pressure from Washington on its allies to ban Huawei technology, Chen said that 28 …
Read More »Tornado hits northeast China as more ‘extreme’ weather strikes.
A tornado swept through the northeastern Chinese province of Liaoning, killing six and injuring 190, the state broadcaster said, amid a series of “extreme” weather events that government forecasters have linked to climate change. The tornado damaged nearly 3,600 homes and affected more than 9,900 residents in Kaiyuan, a city …
Read More »China to Britain: Keep your ‘colonial’ hands off Hong Kong.
China told Britain to keep its hands off Hong Kong on Wednesday while London called for Beijing to honor the agreements made when the city was handed over in 1997, escalating a diplomatic spat over the former British colony. Beijing denounced British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt as “shameless” and said …
Read More »FedEx sues the US Government.
US delivery company FedEx has filed a lawsuit against the US government, arguing that it should not be required to enforce federal government export bans. The move comes after FedEx mishandled a couple of deliveries for Huawei, and failed to deliver a Huawei smartphone shipped from Britain to the United …
Read More »China fights back against Trump tariffs by lowering duties on US’ competitors.
Amid the ongoing trade war with the US, China appears to be “rolling out the red carpet for the rest of the world,” reducing tariffs on countries competing with the US, an international economics think tank says. Beijing is not sitting idly by, waiting to see who can outlast the …
Read More »Xi to make first official North Korea visit.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive in North Korea on Thursday for a two-day state visit, his first official trip to the country since he came to power in 2012. Xi is making the trip “at the invitation” of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Xinhua reported Monday. North Korean …
Read More »Bowing to pressure, Hong Kong leader suspends extradition bill.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Saturday indefinitely delayed a proposed law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, in a dramatic retreat after anger over the bill triggered the city’s biggest and most violent street protests in decades. The extradition bill, which would have covered Hong Kong’s seven …
Read More »Heavy rain, floods continue in China as 61 people killed.
Heavy rain and floods continued on Saturday, June 15, after 61 people have been killed and 356,000 evacuated from their homes as heavy rain and floods swept through large parts of southern and central China this week, Chinese rescue authorities said. In a notice published late on Thursday, June 13, …
Read More »Hong Kong protesters demonstrate against extradition bill.
Hundreds of thousands of people have marched in Hong Kong against a law critics fear could let China target political opponents in the territory. The controversial extradition bill would allow suspected criminals to be sent to mainland China for trial. The government says the bill has built-in protections and will …
Read More »China’s Huawei will build Russia’s 5G network
Embattled Chinese tech company Huawei has struck a deal to build Russia’s first 5G wireless network. The agreement with Russia’s largest carrier, MTS, was signed on the sidelines of talks in Moscow between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. It comes at a critical time for the …
Read More »China launches its 1st space rocket from a sea platform.
China has conducted a pioneering launch of a space rocket from a cargo ship, becoming “the first nation” to fully own and operate a floating launch platform. A Long March 11 carrier rocket lifted off from the pad installed on a civilian ship in the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, the …
Read More »Canada’s Trudeau urges China to ‘respect human rights’, Beijing protests.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marked the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown on Tuesday by expressing “real concerns” about China’s human rights record, prompting a swift protest from Beijing. Diplomatic relations between the two countries have deteriorated badly since December when police in Vancouver detained Huawei Technologies Co …
Read More »After Huawei, Hikvision & Dahua named as next US blacklist targets.
Two of the world’s largest video surveillance products manufacturers, China’s Hikvision and Dahua, are likely to follow Huawei onto the US blacklist, according to reports. The sanction may be announced, “in the coming weeks.” Washington is considering denying more Chinese companies a share of the US market. Limiting access to …
Read More »China, Russia… ‘we all have to get rid’ of nukes, Trump says amid reports he eyes arms control deal.
Donald Trump has called on the US, Russia, and China to reduce their nuclear arsenals amid reports that his administration is planning to propose a landmark arms control deal with Beijing and Moscow. In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, the US president said that he welcomed Russia’s …
Read More »China seizes a record of smuggled ivory tusks.
Chinese authorities have seized 7.48 tons of smuggled ivory tusks, the biggest haul in recent years, as Beijing steps up a campaign against illegal wildlife trafficking. The seizures came during the last week operation against an international criminal gang “that has long been specializing in smuggling ivory,” the customs administration …
Read More »