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by Jerome TAYLOR TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan’s presidential rivals will hold mass rallies later Friday in a final push to convince voters ahead of a closely watched election that looks set to infuriate China and send ripples far beyond its borders. Some 19 million people are eligible to vote on Saturday to choose between two leaders with very different visions for Taiwan’s future — in particular how close the self-ruled island should tack to […]
by Beiyi SEOW BEIJING, China (AFP) — China said Thursday that Vice Premier Liu He will travel to Washington next week to sign the “phase one” deal with the United States that has lowered trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies. The signing will cap a nearly two-year spat that threatened to throttle the global economy as the two countries exchanged tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of two-way trade. But US […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China believes a mysterious pneumonia outbreak that has struck 59 people is due to a new strain of virus from the family of pathogens that includes SARS, state media said Thursday. The infection was first confirmed on December 31 in Wuhan, a central Chinese city with a population of over 11 million, and initially sparked fears about a resurgence of the highly contagious flu-like SARS. Experts have “preliminarily determined” that a […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia has deployed fighter jets and warships to patrol islands near the disputed South China Sea, the military said Wednesday, escalating tensions with Beijing after a diplomatic spat over “trespassing” Chinese vessels. President Joko Widodo also headed Wednesday to the fishing-rich waters around the Natuna islands, which border the South China Sea, most of which is claimed by China despite competing claims from other Southeast Asian nations including Vietnam, the […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Sunday said a mysterious viral pneumonia outbreak that has affected 59 people was not the flu-like virus SARS that killed hundreds more than a decade ago. The infection was first reported last week in Wuhan, a central Chinese city with a population of over 11 million — leading to online speculation about a resurgence of the highly contagious SARS virus. “We have excluded several hypotheses, in particular, the fact […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Protesters hurled petrol bombs Sunday at a Hong Kong police station and at least 60 people were arrested following a march against so-called parallel trading near the Chinese border. The Democratic Party said about 10,000 people marched peacefully in Sheung Shui district, but violence erupted after police ordered protesters to disperse. Earlier, several petrol bombs were thrown at the Sheung Shui police station, about 1.5 kilometres (a mile) from […]
by Yan ZHAO / Xinqi SU HONG KONG, China (AFP) — A huge New Year’s Day pro-democracy rally in Hong Kong ended in mass arrests and clashes between police and hardcore protesters, as demonstrators sought to carry their movement’s momentum into 2020. Hong Kong has been battered by nearly seven months of unrest — its biggest political crisis in decades — which has seen millions come out on the streets demanding greater democratic freedoms. Organizers […]
by Jing Xuan TENG Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China Friday launched one of the world’s most powerful rockets in a major step forward for its planned mission to Mars in 2020. The heavy lift Long March 5 rocket carrying a Shijian 20 test satellite payload blasted off from the Wenchang launch site on the southern island of Hainan at 8:45 pm (1245 GMT), a live-stream from state broadcaster CCTV showed. “After more than 2,000 […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Hong Kong should “continue to be free and open”, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the Chinese president on Monday, as the city is rocked by months of pro-democracy protests. Abe met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing ahead of flying to the southwestern city of Chengdu to join a trilateral meeting Tuesday, which will also be attended by South Korean President Moon Jae-in. In a press briefing after the […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong police on Thursday said they had frozen HK$70 million ($10 million) from a major fund for donations to help pro-democracy protesters, and arrested its four members for money laundering. Police said their investigation focused on Spark Alliance, a non-profit online platform formed in 2016 that collects donations to provide support to political critics of the city’s pro-Beijing authorities. It is one of two crowd-sourced funding platforms that have […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s premier told beleaguered Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Monday that she had Beijing’s “unwavering support” after a huge rally earlier this month and her government’s thrashing at recent local elections. The city has been upended by six months of massive pro-democracy protests that have seen violent battles between police and hardcore demonstrators, as well as regular transport disruption. Protesters have called for the unpopular Lam to stand down […]
by Jerome TAYLOR / Yan ZHAO HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Democracy protesters took part in the largest mass rally through Hong Kong’s streets in months on Sunday in a forceful display of support for the movement, with a leading activist warning the city’s pro-Beijing leaders they had a “last chance” to end the political crisis. Organizers estimated some 800,000 people snaked for hours through the financial hub’s main island as the protests marked six […]
