Tag: china

China issues highest weather alert as temperatures plunge

Severe weather warnings were in place across swathes of China on Wednesday as temperatures plummeted across the south and Beijing shivered in snowy conditions. Authorities renewed an orange alert — the highest in the country’s three-tier system — warning that average temperatures could fall by six to 12 degrees Celsius by Friday in the south, where they are currently around zero degrees C (32 degrees Fahrenheit). In some areas, temperatures could plunge by more than […]

Massive leak exposes Chinese firm’s hacking of foreign governments, activists – analysts

By Oliver Hotham with Jing Xuan Teng in Shanghai BEIJING, Feb 22, 2024 (AFP) – A Chinese tech security firm was able to breach foreign governments, infiltrate social media accounts and hack personal computers, a massive data leak analysed by experts this week revealed. The trove of documents from I-Soon, a private company that competed for Chinese government contracts, shows that its hackers compromised more than a dozen governments, according to cybersecurity firms SentinelLabs and […]

Two dead, three missing after cargo ship hits bridge in China

  BEIJING, Feb 22, 2024 (AFP) – Two people were killed and three others remained missing after an empty cargo ship struck a bridge in southern China on Thursday, causing part of it to collapse, authorities and state media reported. The Guangzhou maritime affairs bureau said the collision sent five vehicles, including a motorbike, tumbling off the bridge and either into the water or onto the ship below. The container vessel was travelling between the […]

Japan welcomes TSMC: Chip giant’s new plant boosts industry, counters China threat

KIKUYO, Japan, Feb 22, 2024 (AFP) – Surrounded by fields of carrots and cabbages, workers are putting the finishing touches to a factory opening on Saturday that is a milestone for both US ally Japan and Taiwanese chip giant TSMC. The $8.6-billion facility in the southern Kumamoto region showcases TSMC’s efforts to make some of its strategically crucial chips elsewhere than hotspot Taiwan, as well as Japan’s push to revive its once-dominant semiconductor sector. The […]

US congressman warns China of “bullying” in Taiwan visit

  TAIPEI, Feb 22, 2024 (AFP) – The chairman of the US House of Representatives committee on China accused Beijing of “bullying” Taiwan, as he arrived on the self-ruled island Thursday for talks with its leaders. Mike Gallagher heads a five-member delegation set to meet with the island’s top leadership, including President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President Lai Ching-te, who won last month’s presidential election and will take office in May. “Time and again Taiwan […]

China condemns Taiwan after two nationals killed in boat crash

BEIJING, Feb 15, 2024 (AFP) – China condemned Taiwanese authorities on Wednesday after two Chinese nationals died in a boat accident while pursued by Taiwan’s coast guard. The Chinese boat was carrying four people when it capsized near the Kinmen Islands, throwing all onboard into the water, Chinese and Taiwanese authorities said. “The malignant incident severely harmed the feelings of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits,” Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan […]

Philippine Coast Guard accuses Chinese vessels of ‘dangerous’ maneuvers

    MANILA, Feb 11, 2024 (AFP) – The Philippine Coast Guard on Sunday accused Chinese vessels of “dangerous” manoeuvres during a nine-day patrol near a reef off the coast of the Southeast Asian country. The Philippine vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua was deployed in early February to patrol the waters around Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing ground in the South China Sea, and “ensure the safety of Filipino fishermen in the area”. The reef has […]

Taiwan detects eight Chinese balloons for second straight day

TAIPEI, Feb 11, 2024 (AFP) – Eight Chinese balloons were detected around Taiwan for the second straight day, with five flying directly over the island, Taipei’s defence ministry said Sunday. The ministry said the balloons were spotted on Saturday, the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, at an altitude of 12,000 to 35,000 feet. Five of the balloons flew directly over the island, and one grazed its northern tip, according to a map […]

Messi’s Hong Kong no-show sparks outrage, refund promised

BEIJING, Feb 9, 2024 (AFP) – Lionel Messi’s no-show at a match in Hong Kong has triggered a surge of online outrage in the city and in mainland China, with the football superstar accused of seeking to embarrass Beijing — or even engaging in a sinister foreign plot. The Argentine ace and his team Inter Miami sparked fury in Hong Kong from fans on Sunday when he did not play in a friendly, citing injury. […]

China consumer prices show quickest drop in 14 years

BEIJING, Feb 8, 2024 (AFP) – Chinese consumer prices fell in January at their quickest rate in more than 14 years, data showed Thursday, as the country’s leaders struggle to revive buying sentiment in the world’s second-biggest economy. The reading will likely add to calls for officials to do more to breathe life into the economy, with central bank interest rate cuts and measures to boost lending having little impact so far. The 0.8 percent […]

Chinese-born man arrested in California for theft of trade secrets

WASHINGTON, Feb 7, 2024 (AFP) – A Chinese-born US researcher has been arrested on charges of stealing trade secrets, including technology used to detect nuclear missile launches, the Justice Department said Wednesday. Chenguang Gong, 57, of San Jose, California, was arrested on Tuesday, the department said in a statement. Gong, who became a US citizen in 2011, is accused of transferring more than 3,600 files from the research and development company where he briefly worked […]

Hong Kong airport ground worker killed by plane in freak accident

HONG KONG, Feb 6, 2024 (AFP) – A Hong Kong airport ground worker was killed when he was hit by a towed aircraft on Tuesday, authorities said, a rare incident that prompted an arrest for dangerous driving. The unnamed victim, a 34-year-old Jordanian national working in Hong Kong, is believed to have been riding in the passenger seat of a tow truck when he fell out of the vehicle and hit by the plane being […]