Tag: china

US warship sails near South China Sea area claimed by Beijing: Pentagon

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — An American warship has sailed through waters off the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, in the latest implicit challenge to Beijing’s sweeping territorial claims in the region, the Pentagon said Sunday. “Guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur conducted a freedom of navigation operation,” an official told AFP. “Decatur sailed within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson reefs in the Spratly Islands.” The official said all US military operations […]

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Wooden library lures bookworms outside Beijing

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Deep in the heart of a valley surrounded by rocky hills, a wooden library sits just over a creek on the outskirts of Beijing, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Every weekend, hundreds of bookworms flock to Liyuan Library in Jiaojiehe village, a book sanctuary surrounded by chestnut, walnut and peach trees whose branches were used to decorate the building. The lush environment is what first drew architect Li Xiaodong to […]

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Trump admits friendship with China’s Xi could be over

by Christian OTTON Agence France Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump admitted his friendship with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping could be over on Wednesday as he accused Beijing of undermining his prospects in upcoming elections. With tensions growing sharply between the two sides on a range of issues, Trump said China wanted him to suffer an electoral setback as payback for his hard line over trade. After accusing the […]

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EU launches Asia strategy to rival China’s ‘new Silk Road’

  by Damon Wake Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — As doubts grow over China’s vast “Belt and Road” trade infrastructure project, the EU is launching an alternative plan for Asia that it says will not saddle countries with debt they cannot repay. EU member countries are expected to sign off on the new “Asia connectivity strategy” — which aims to improve transport, digital and energy links while promoting environmental and labor standards — […]

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China nixes US warship port visit, recalls admiral from US

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — China has pulled the plug on a US warship’s scheduled visit to Hong Kong, and scrapped plans for a top admiral to meet with his US counterpart in Washington, officials said Tuesday. The moves come as trade tensions soar between Beijing and Washington, which this week enacted new tariffs against China covering another $200 billion of its imports. The USS Wasp, an amphibious assault ship, was due to visit Hong […]

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China says can’t hold US trade talks with ‘knife to the throat’

by Ryan MCMORROW Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China said on Tuesday it was impossible to hold trade talks with the United States while Washington is imposing tariffs that are like “holding a knife to someone’s throat”. Speaking a day after Washington activated tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods, vice commerce minister Wang Shouwen said China is open to negotiations but that the two sides must treat each other “equally and with […]

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Trump’s tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports kick in

by Heather Scott with Ryan McMorrow in Beijing Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs on another $200 billion of Chinese imports took effect on Monday, escalating a trade war between the world’s top two economies that is clouding the global outlookM The latest volley against Beijing brings the amount of goods hit by duties to more than $250 billion, covering roughly half of Chinese exports to the United States, […]

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Trump’s latest tariffs on China begin to bite

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump’s latest round of punitive tariffs on China took effect on Monday, adding $200 billion in Chinese imports to the escalating trade war that is clouding the global economic horizon. The new attack on Beijing brings the amount of goods hit by duties to more than $250 billion, roughly half of Chinese exports to the United States. Beijing said it would strike back with duties on $60 billion […]

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Hong Kong stocks fall at open

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong stocks fell in the first few minutes of trade Monday after China called off planned trade talks with the United States, fuelling fears of an escalation of their long-running tariff standoff. The Hang Seng Index slipped 0.72 percent, or 200.87 points, to 27,752.71 in early trade. Mainland Chinese markets are closed for a public holiday. © Agence France-Presse

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Fear and fanfare as Hong Kong launches China rail link

  by Elaine Yu Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — A new high-speed rail link between Hong Kong and mainland China launched Sunday, a multi-billion-dollar project that critics say gives away part of the city’s territory to an increasingly assertive Beijing. Chinese security have been stationed in semi-autonomous Hong Kong for the first time at the harbourfront West Kowloon rail terminus, as part of a new “special port area” that is subject to […]

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US sanctions Chinese military unit for buying Russian jets, missiles

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States expanded its sanctions war against Russia to China on Thursday, announcing punitive measures against a Chinese military organization for buying Russian fighter jets and missiles. Stepping up pressure on Moscow over its “malign activities,” the US State Department said it was placing financial sanctions on the Equipment Development Department of the Chinese Ministry of Defense, and its top administrator, for its recent purchase of Russian Sukhoi […]

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Trump accuses China of election meddling in trade war

by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused China of seeking to influence knife-edge midterm congressional elections by taking aim at his political base in the economic giants’ rapidly escalating trade war. The allegation raised the temperature in the escalating dispute after Trump pulled the trigger late Monday on 10 percent tariffs against another $200 billion in Chinese goods from next week, with a threat […]

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