Tag: china

China’s probe sends panoramic image of moon’s far side

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s lunar probe has sent the first panoramic image of its landing site since its historic arrival on the far side of the moon, showing the cratered landscape it is exploring. The Chang’e-4 mission — named after a moon goddess — made the world’s first soft landing on the moon’s far side on January 3, a major step in China’s ambitions to become a space superpower. A rover dubbed Yutu-2 — […]

Xi makes his day: Kim boosted by China talks, say analysts

by Kang Jin-kyu Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un came away from his fourth meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping with his hand strengthened in nuclear talks with the US, analysts say, even as Seoul urged him to do more. Beijing is Pyongyang’s sole major ally and key provider of trade and aid, their ties forged in the blood of the Korean War. The relationship had soured […]

China factory gate inflation dives as trade war rumbles on

BEIJING, China (AFP) — The cost of producing goods in China’s factories slowed sharply in December, a sign demand remains weak as the US trade war drags on, while consumer inflation also flagged, official data showed Thursday. The producer price index (PPI) — an important barometer of the industrial sector that measures the cost of goods at the factory gate — rose 0.9 percent on-year in December, compared with a 2.7 percent rise the previous […]

Xi told Kim China hopes US, N. Korea ‘meet each other halfway’: Xinhua

by Laurent Thomet with Sunghee Hwang in Seoul Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping offered North Korean leader Kim Jong Un firm backing in deadlocked nuclear talks with the United States and reasserted Beijing’s key role in the wider process, according to the two allies’ state media Thursday. Kim visited Beijing by train this week for two days of talks with Xi seen as a strategy session ahead of a second […]

China-US trade hopes lift stocks as oil prices surge

by Roland JACKSON / John BIERS Agence France Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Global stocks pushed higher Wednesday on renewed optimism over talks to resolve the China-US trade war, while oil prices surged after Saudi Arabia confirmed it was on track to trim crude exports. Europe’s major stock markets followed Asian exchanges higher, with Frankfurt and Paris both ending day 0.8 percent higher. London rose 0.7 percent. Wall Street also had a solid […]

Hong Kong unveils law banning insults to Chinese national anthem

  HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong unveiled a proposed law Wednesday to punish anyone who disrespects the Chinese national anthem with up to three years in jail, as Beijing ramps up pressure on the semi-autonomous city to fall into line. The bill, which will have its first reading in the city’s parliament on January 23, sets up a fresh battle between authorities and democracy activists who say the financial hub’s freedoms are being […]

Chinese warships dock in Cambodia to boost ‘military cooperation’

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AFP) — Three hulking Chinese warships docked in Cambodia Wednesday for a four-day visit, as Beijing parades its naval prowess alongside its staunch Southeast Asian ally. China is the largest investor in Cambodia and has pumped billions into the economy while asking few questions about its abysmal rights record. While doling out cash China has also sought high-profile military exchanges, fuelling speculation that it is building a naval base off the Cambodian […]

N. Korea’s Kim ends Beijing visit as Trump summit looms

by Laurent THOMET Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — Kim Jong Un’s train left Beijing on Wednesday after the North Korean leader visited his key ally on a trip seen a strategy session ahead of his expected summit with Donald Trump. Kim arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for his fourth visit to Pyongyang’s sole major diplomatic friend, reportedly visiting a factory and meeting President Xi Jinping. The North Korean leader’s motorcade was spotted arriving at […]

Factory tour for N. Korea’s Kim on secretive Beijing visit

by Laurent THOMET Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly visited a pharmaceutical factory in China on Wednesday as he seeks economic support from his key ally along with diplomatic backing before his expected summit with Donald Trump. Kim arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a fourth visit to his country’s sole major diplomatic friend, a trip seen as a strategy session ahead of his possible second meeting […]

Attacker hurts 20 children in Beijing school: authorities

  Beijing, China (AFP) — Twenty children were wounded in an attack at an elementary school in Beijing Tuesday with three suffering serious injuries, local authorities said. A male suspect was brought “under control” and the wounded students were admitted to hospital, the Xicheng district government said, without elaborating on how or why the man carried out the attack. According to a tweet by nationalist tabloid Global Times, the suspect used a hammer to carry […]

N. Korea’s Kim visits China ahead of expected Trump summit

by Laurent THOMET / Eva XIAO Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Beijing on Tuesday on an unannounced visit for talks with President Xi Jinping, as preparations ramp up for an expected second summit with Donald Trump. China is the isolated, nuclear-armed North’s key diplomatic ally and main source of trade and aid, and the visit is likely to heighten speculation about the potential meeting with the […]

Trudeau, Trump denounce China’s ‘arbitrary detention’ of Canadians

OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US President Donald Trump denounced China’s “arbitrary detention” of two Canadians during a telephone call Monday, officials said. “The prime minister thanked the president for the strong statements of support by the United States in response to the arbitrary detention of two Canadians in China,” Trudeau’s office said in a statement. “The two leaders agreed to continue to seek their release.” China last month detained […]