BEIJING, China (AFP) — China has “solved” the issue of youth video game addiction, a report co-written by the country’s top gaming industry body has said, a year after the government limited the number of hours young people could play a day. China is the world’s biggest gaming market, but the industry — termed “spiritual opium” by state media — has been swept up in a tech regulatory crackdown marked by record fines, long investigations […]
Tag: china
US, China defense chiefs meet in Cambodia
by W.G. Dunlop Agence France-Presse SIEM REAP, Cambodia (AFP) — US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe in Cambodia on Tuesday as the two sides move to keep tensions in check. The meeting on the sidelines of a conference of defense ministers in Siem Reap — which lasted for an hour and a half — was the first between Austin and Wei since June, before a visit by US House Speaker […]
38 killed in central China fire
BEIJING, China (AFP) – Thirty-eight people were killed and two were injured after a fire at a plant in central China, state media said Tuesday, citing local authorities. The fire broke out at a plant in Anyang City in Henan Province on Monday afternoon, news agency Xinhua reported. State media said rescue services first received reports of a fire at 4:22 pm (0822 GMT) at Kaixinda Trading Co., Ltd. “After receiving the alarm, the municipal fire […]
US VP Harris visits Philippine island near China-claimed waters
Puerto Princesa, Philippines | AFP | by Allison JACKSON US Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday visited a Philippine island near waters claimed by China to show support for the longtime US ally and counter Beijing’s growing influence in the region. Harris is the highest-ranking US official ever to visit the western island of Palawan, the closest Philippine landmass to the Spratly archipelago in the hotly contested South China Sea. Beijing claims sovereignty over […]
US VP Harris to visit Philippine island near China-claimed waters
PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines (AFP) – US Vice President Kamala Harris will travel Tuesday to a Philippine island near waters claimed by China to show support for the longtime US ally and counter Beijing’s growing influence in the region. Harris will be the highest-ranking US official ever to visit the western island of Palawan, the closest Philippine landmass to the Spratly archipelago in the hotly contested South China Sea. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire sea […]
Philippines accuses China of seizing object in disputed waters
MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — The Philippine navy on Monday accused the Chinese coastguard of “forcefully” seizing a floating object that its troops had just recovered in disputed South China Sea waters. A senior Filipino navy official made the allegation on the eve of a visit by US Vice-President Kamala Harris to a nearby Philippine island aimed at boosting ties amid China’s growing regional clout. A Chinese coastguard vessel on Sunday “blocked” a Filipino rubber boat […]
Xi spat with Trudeau lays bare China’s frayed ties with Canada
NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping scolded Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in an on-camera dressing down at the G20 summit, an unusual public spat that could further complicate the strained relations between the two countries. Footage recorded by reporters at the Bali conclave for world leaders on Wednesday showed Xi upbraiding Trudeau after details of a discussion between the two leaders were leaked to the media. Trudeau had on Tuesday raised […]
Chinese cities cancel mass Covid tests in easing of measures
PÉKIN, China (AFP) — Multiple Chinese cities have cancelled routine mass Covid tests this week, days after Beijing announced limited relaxations of its strict zero-Covid policy which raised hopes of China’s eventual reopening. The National Health Commission (NHC) on Friday issued 20 rules for “optimizing” zero-Covid, where certain restrictions were relaxed to limit its social and economic impact. China reported over 20,000 new infections Wednesday — the highest figure since April — with major outbreaks […]
Sunak to meet Xi, first UK-China summit in nearly 5 years
Nusa Dua, Indonesia (AFP) — Britain’s new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 on Wednesday, the first such summit in nearly five years, Downing Street said. Sunak will urge a “frank and constructive relationship” between London and Beijing, Downing Street said in a statement. “The challenges posed by China are systemic and they are long-term,” the statement added, citing Beijing’s “authoritarian leadership intent on reshaping […]
Badminton World Tour finals moved from China to Thailand because of Covid
BEIJING, China (AFP) – China will no longer host the season-ending Badminton World Tour Finals in December because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the sport’s governing body said on Tuesday. The Badminton World Federation had planned to host the flagship $1.5 million event in Guangzhou between December 14 and 18, but the event will now take place in Bangkok, Thailand, the previous week. China has cancelled almost all international sports competitions since Covid emerged there in 2019, […]
Chinese Pres. Xi urges G20 wealthy nations to reduce fallout of rate hikes
Nusa Dua, Indonesia | AFP | Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday asked the G20 wealthy nations to contain the fallout from interest rate hikes, as the US Federal Reserve moves aggressively to fight inflation. “We must contain global inflation and resolve systematic risks in the economy and finance,” Xi told a summit of the 20 major economies taking place in Bali. “Developed economies should reduce the negative spillover effects of their monetary policy adjustments […]
Hundreds protest southern China Covid lockdowns
Beijing, China | AFP | Protesters in southern China clashed with police in a rare display of public opposition to anti-Covid measures, videos posted online showed, after lockdowns in the area were extended over a surge in infections. Videos circulating on social media since Monday night and verified by AFP showed hundreds taking to the street in the industrial metropolis of Guangzhou, some tearing down cordons intended to keep locked-down residents from leaving their homes. […]





