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Beijing, China | AFP Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a sympathy message to his United States counterpart Joe Biden on Friday, state broadcaster CCTV reported, a day after the 79-year-old US leader tested positive for Covid-19. Biden on Thursday insisted he was “doing great”, and said he would continue to work while isolating at the White House with mild symptoms. “I would like to express my deep sympathies to you and wish you a speedy […]
by Hugo Olazar Agence France-Presse ASUNCION, Paraguay (AFP) — Uruguay insisted on Thursday that it would pursue a free trade deal with China with or without its partners in the South American Mercosur trade bloc. As Argentina appealed for a common front at a Mercosur summit in Paraguay, Uruguay’s President Luis Lacalle Pou stood his ground, announcing that delegations from his country and China would be meeting “in a few days” to begin free trade […]
by Shaun Tandon Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — China appears determined on using force in Taiwan, with Russia’s experience in Ukraine affecting Beijing’s calculations on when and how — not whether — to invade, the head of the CIA said Wednesday. Appearing at the Aspen Security Forum, Central Intelligence Agency Director Bill Burns said that China likely saw in Ukraine that “you don’t achieve quick, decisive victories with underwhelming force.” He played down […]
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — China on Wednesday slammed Washington as “a destroyer of peace” in the Taiwan Strait, following the latest in a series of passages by US warships through the waterway. Beijing views Taiwan as part of its territory to be re-taken one day — and the narrow body of water that separates the island and mainland China is a flashpoint between the two sides. In contrast to Beijing’s position, the United States […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese regulators have promised to repay more victims of one of the country’s biggest-ever banking scandals, after hundreds of thousands of customers were left without access to funds, triggering rare mass protests. China’s rural banking sector has been hit hard by Beijing’s efforts to rein in a property bubble and spiralling debt, in a financial crackdown that rattled the world’s second-largest economy. Four banks in Henan province froze cash withdrawals in […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Saturday reported its highest number of coronavirus cases since May, with millions in lockdown this weekend as authorities persist with their zero-Covid policy. Using snap lockdowns, long quarantines and mass testing, China is the last major economy still pursuing the goal of eliminating outbreaks, even as the strategy takes a heavy toll on the economy. China reported 450 local infections on Saturday, up from 432 a day earlier. […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping made a public visit to Xinjiang, state media reported Friday, his first since a crackdown in the region saw Beijing accused of detaining over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in camps. The United States and lawmakers in other Western countries have labelled China’s actions in Xinjiang a “genocide”, imposing sanctions over the alleged human rights abuses. Beijing has denied the allegations, calling them the “lie […]
by Beiyi Seow Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China logged its slowest economic growth since the initial Covid outbreak, official data showed Friday, expanding just 0.4 percent in the second quarter with lockdowns and property market weakness nudging a government target further out of reach. Beijing has dug its heels in on a zero-Covid policy of stamping out virus clusters as they emerge with snap lockdowns and long quarantines, but this has battered businesses […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asian markets were mixed Thursday as another forecast-busting US inflation print ramped up bets on a series of sharp interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve, and other central banks race to tighten monetary policy. The keenly awaited consumer price index came in at a blistering 9.1 percent in June, the highest since November 1981, as energy costs continued to rocket on the back of rising demand and weak […]
SUVA, Fiji (AFP) — Solomon Islands will not host a foreign military base because the nation would be targeted for “military strikes”, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said Thursday, as Pacific leaders grappled with China’s security ambitions. The Solomons leader is attending the Pacific Islands Forum summit, the first gathering of the bloc since his country signed a security agreement with China — details of which have not been made public. China’s security pact with the […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Indian authorities Wednesday accused Chinese smartphone maker Oppo of evading customs duty worth $551 million, the latest tech company from China to face scrutiny by local investigative agencies. India’s Directorate Of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) found evidence that Oppo wrongfully used duty exemptions for items imported for use in mobile phone production, a government statement said. DRI officials searched Oppo India offices and key managers’ residences, it said, and recovered […]
Hong Kong, China (AFP) Macau on Saturday announced a weeklong shutdown of its casinos and non-essential businesses as the city confronted its worst coronavirus outbreak yet. Macau will enter “static management” for a week starting July 11 and residents must stay home, with rulebreakers liable to be jailed for up to two years, top city official Andre Cheong said at a press conference. Some public services and businesses such as supermarkets and pharmacies can […]
