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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia on Tuesday launched human trials of a Chinese-made coronavirus vaccine with some 1,600 volunteers slated to take part in the six-month study. The vaccine candidate, produced by Sinovac Biotech, is among just a few in the world to enter Phase 3 clinical trials, or large-scale testing on humans — the last step before regulatory approval. The treatment, known as CoronaVac, is already being tested on 9,000 health workers in Brazil, […]
by Patrick BAERT BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese workers raise their fists beside a red communist flag in a painting displayed at a Beijing museum, one of nearly 200 works put together for a propaganda exhibition that hails, not the Maoist past, but the “heroic deeds” of frontline medics fighting the coronavirus. Since the discovery of the deadly contagion in Wuhan at the end of last year, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has sought to […]
by Ludovic EHRET / Jing Xuan TENG BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Monday sanctioned 11 Americans, including senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, in retaliation for similar US moves prompted by Beijing’s crackdown in Hong Kong. Washington last week accused 11 officials of suppressing “freedom and democratic processes” in Hong Kong, including city leader Carrie Lam, and announced plans to freeze their US assets. It was the toughest US action yet in response to […]
by Amber WANG TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — A US cabinet member heaped praise on Taiwan’s democracy and its success in battling the coronavirus as he met the island’s leader on Monday during a historic visit that China has slammed as a threat to peace. Health Secretary Alex Azar is in Taipei for a three-day visit billed as the highest level visit from the United States since it switched diplomatic recognition from the island to China […]
by Dan Martin / Beiyi SEOW Agence France-Presse SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — Chinese entrants in the race to put autonomous vehicles on the road are bringing “robotaxis” online in hopes that a hired-car format can be the key to unlocking wide acceptance of the futuristic technology. It is expected to be years before cars that operate completely without human intervention are unleashed owing to lingering technological, regulatory, and safety hurdles. But as China challenges US […]
by Jerome Taylor and Su Xinqi HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai was arrested Monday and led in handcuffs through his newspaper office as police raided the building, part of a sweeping crackdown on dissent since China imposed a security law on the city. Lai, 71, was among seven people detained on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces — one of the new national security offences — and fraud […]
by Paul HANDLEY / Ludovic EHRET in Beijing WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe warned his US counterpart in a phone call Thursday to avoid firing up bilateral tensions, a day after Washington angered Beijing by announcing it would send a senior official to visit Taiwan. Wei told US Defense Secretary Mark Esper in a 90-minute phone call to “stop erroneous words and deeds” and “avoid taking dangerous moves that may […]
BEIJING, China (AFP — A Chinese court sentenced a Canadian national to death on Thursday in a ruling that could further inflame, tensions between China and Canada. The Guangzhou Intermediate Court said in a statement it had handed Xu Weihong the sentence for manufacturing drugs, and all his personal property would be confiscated. The ruling comes after China sentenced two other Canadians to death on drug trafficking charges last year, as a diplomatic row escalated […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China said Wednesday a visit by a top US cabinet member to Taiwan was endangering peace and stability in the region, with relations between the two powers at historic lows. Washington’s de facto embassy in Taipei said US health secretary Alex Azar would lead a delegation to the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as part of China and has vowed to one day seize. “China firmly opposes official exchanges between the […]
by Kelly MACNAMARA Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — It may be one of the most recognisable symbols of conservation, but efforts to protect the giant panda have failed to safeguard large mammals sharing its habitats, according to research published Monday showing dramatic declines of leopards and other predators. The giant panda has won the hearts of animal lovers around the world and images of the bamboo-eating creature with its ink-blot eye patches have come […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Microsoft announced Sunday it would continue talks to acquire the US operations of popular video-sharing app TikTok, after meeting with President Donald Trump who seemingly backed off his earlier threats to ban the Chinese-owned platform. “Following a conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Donald J Trump, Microsoft is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States,” the company said in a statement, […]
by Beiyi SEOW ZHENGZHOU, China (AFP ) — Biology student Ma Jingjing wandered the hall of a job fair in central China among other young Chinese hoping to find work in an economy crushed by the coronavirus pandemic. Ma, 26, is one of almost nine million people graduating and entering the job market this year at a time of great uncertainty, an issue that has the ruling Communist Party worried to the point that President […]
