BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Friday heaped praise on the leaders of the two Koreas for holding a landmark summit, calling their handshake over the Military Demarcation Line that divides the peninsula a “historic moment”. “We applaud the Korean leaders’ historic step and appreciate their political decisions and courage,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing. “We hope and look forward to them taking this opportunity to further open a new […]
Tag: china
China, India leaders to hold summit after border row
by Laurent Thomet Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will seek to repair strained ties at a summit on Friday after an intense border dispute last year marred relations. Xi will host Modi for what has been described as an “informal summit” in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Friday and Saturday. While last year’s high-altitude standoff in the Himalayas has been resolved, […]
China sends bombers around Taiwan in new show of force
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China flew bombers and fighter jets around Taiwan on Thursday, officials said, in a new show of force that the defense ministry said was directed at “independence forces” on the self-ruled island. H-6K bombers, early warning aircraft, reconnaissance planes and several types of fighter jets took off from multiple airports for “combat drills”, the air force said in a statement on its official microblog. The planes flew over Bashi Strait, […]
Global carmakers show off SUVs, electrics as China pledges reforms
by Julien GIRAULT / Ryan MCMORROW Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — Global carmakers touted their latest electric and SUV models in Beijing on Wednesday as they warily welcomed China’s promise of better foreign access to the world’s largest auto market, where domestic vehicles are making major inroads. Industry behemoths like Volkswagen, Daimler, Toyota, Nissan, Ford and others are displaying more than 1,000 models and dozens of concept cars at the Beijing auto show. Thousands […]
China seizes record 1.3 tons of cocaine
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese police have seized 1.3 tons of cocaine from South America in the country’s biggest ever haul of the drug, authorities said. Police in the southern city of Shenzhen have detained 10 suspects, mostly from Hong Kong, following an investigation that began in July 2017, the Guangdong province public security department said. The statement, released Tuesday, called it the “biggest amount of cocaine seized in the country.” The official Xinhua news […]
Taiwan to stage live-fire drill simulating China “invasion”
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan will practise thwarting a Chinese “invasion” in annual live-fire drills in June, simulating surprise coastal assaults to reflect increased military threats from Beijing, officials said Tuesday. China’s growing military is increasingly flexing its muscles and held live-fire drills last week in the Taiwan Strait — the narrow waterway separating the Chinese mainland from Taiwan — following weeks of naval maneuvers in the area. Chinese officials said their drills were to […]
At least 18 dead in China karaoke lounge fire: Xinhua
BEIJING, China (AFP) — A fire tore through a karaoke lounge in southern China on Tuesday, killing 18 people and injuring another five in a suspected arson case, police and state media said. The blaze took place after midnight in a three-storey building in Qingyuan City, Guangdong province, and was put out shortly before 1:00 am local time, according to the police. A preliminary investigation found that the fire was caused by arson, the Qingyuan public […]
Chinese carrier leads live fire drill in East China Sea
BEIJING, China (AFP) — A flotilla of Chinese naval vessels held a “live combat drill” in the East China Sea, state media reported early Tuesday, the latest show of force by Beijing’s burgeoning navy in disputed waters that have riled neighbors. The state-run Xinhua news agency said the vessels, led by China’s sole aircraft carrier the Liaoning, “took part in anti-aircraft and anti-submarine warfare training” with a simulated “opposing force”. Xinhua said the drill, which […]
N. Korean leader’s ‘bitter sorrow’ after fatal China tourist crash
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un visited China’s embassy in Pyongyang to express his “bitter sorrow” after a bus crash killed dozens of Chinese tourists, state media reported early Tuesday. Thirty-two Chinese tourists and four North Koreans were killed when a bus plunged from a bridge in North Korea late Sunday, according to Chinese officials. In a rare admission of negative news from North Korea’s tightly controlled propaganda network, the […]
Dragon boat accident kills 17 in southern China
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Seventeen people were killed Saturday after two dragon boats capsized in southern China, state-run Xinhua news agency said. Rowers on board the two long, narrow kayak-like boats were practicing for a race in Taohua River in the city of Guilin when the accident occurred Saturday afternoon, tipping some 60 people into the water. Around 40 people were pulled out of the water alive with rescue work ending around 10 pm (1400 […]
US-China trade tension dominates IMF gathering
by Heather Scott © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Trade tensions between the United States and China, which threaten to spill over into the global economy, are dominating a gathering of world finance officials even as the Group of 20 avoided the topic on Friday. Official after official has called for disputes to be resolved through dialogue rather than unilateral tariffs, and warned about the threat to the economic recovery. French Economy […]
Filipinos can visit Hainan, China without visa starting May 1
(Eagle News) — The Chinese government said it will allow Filipinos to visit Hainan Island, the smallest and southernmost province of China, without visa starting May 1. The announcement was made by the State Immigration Authority on Wednesday, April 18. It said Filipinos can stay up to 30 days. The latest move aims to boost the tourism of Hainan also known as the “China’s Hawaii.” It also aims to promote the province as “a free […]





