Tag: china

Marcos says Philippines to uphold South China Sea ruling

  by Mikhail FLORES Philippine president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr said Thursday he would uphold an international ruling against Beijing over the disputed South China Sea, insisting he would not let China trample on Manila’s maritime rights. China claims almost all of the resource-rich waterway, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually, with competing claims from the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Beijing has ignored a 2016 decision by The Hague-based Permanent Court […]

Japan says China, Russia jets flew nearby as Quad met

      Chinese and Russian fighter jets carried out joint flights near Japan on Tuesday as leaders of the Quad bloc met in Tokyo, the Japanese defence minister said. Nobuo Kishi said the government had expressed “grave concerns” to Russia and China over the flights, which took place while leaders from the United States, India, Australia and Japan held talks on regional security. The planes did not breach territorial airspace, the defence ministry told […]

Quad nations warn against ‘change by force’ with eyes on China

  by Sara HUSSEIN / Sebastian Smith Leaders of Japan, India, Australia and the United States warned Tuesday against attempts to “change the status quo by force” as concerns grow about whether China could invade self-ruled Taiwan. A joint statement by the so-called Quad bloc avoided any direct mention of China’s growing military power in the region, but left little doubt about where its concerns lie. The carefully worded document also made reference to the […]

Australia urges China to drop trade tariffs

Sydney, AUSTRALIA (AFP) — Australia’s economy minister called on China Wednesday to drop punishing trade tariffs if it wants to thaw frozen relations, after Beijing sent a message signalling it is ready to improve ties. China — Australia’s biggest trading partner — imposed tariffs and disrupted more than a dozen key industries, including wine, barley and coal, as relations deteriorated sharply in the past two years. Canberra had irked Beijing by calling for an independent […]

Japan hosts Quad summit seeking unity on countering China

by Sara Hussein / Sebastian Smith © Agence France-Presse Tokyo, JAPAN (AFP) — Leaders of Japan, India, Australia and the United States met in Tokyo on Tuesday, looking to put China on notice as it expands its military and economic influence in the region. The summit of the grouping known as the Quad comes a day after US President Joe Biden said Washington would be ready to intervene militarily to defend Taiwan, prompting China to […]

China congratulates Australia’s Albanese in hint at thawing ties

  Beijing, CHINA (AFP) — Chinese premier Li Keqiang has sent a congratulatory note to newly elected Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, Beijing’s state media reported, ending a year-long freeze in diplomatic contact between the two countries. China cut off diplomatic and trade channels with Australia in a largely symbolic act of fury last May, following clashes over issues including human rights, espionage and the origins of Covid-19. “The Chinese side is ready to work with the […]

Biden warns China against invading Taiwan, vows US military defence

  by Sebastian Smith and Tomohiro Osaki Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — President Joe Biden vowed Monday that US forces would defend Taiwan militarily if China attempted to take control of the self-ruled island by force, warning Beijing was already “flirting with danger”. The remarks, made in Tokyo where he is meeting with Japan’s prime minister ahead of a regional summit Tuesday, were Biden’s strongest to date on the issue and come amid […]

WHO meet refuses to admit Taiwan amid China pressure

  GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization’s annual assembly refused Monday to discuss admitting Taiwan to the meeting, under pressure from China and despite impassioned pleas from several countries. Taiwan has been blocked from attending the assembly in recent years by China, which considers the island a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland. There have been growing calls to allow Taiwan in as an observer, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted […]

China condemns Canada’s Huawei 5G ban over ‘groundless’ security risks

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing hit out at Canada for banning telecoms giants Huawei and ZTE from Canadian 5G networks on Friday, calling Ottawa’s concerns for security risks “groundless” and warning of retribution. Canada’s long-awaited measure on Thursday follows the United States and other key allies, and comes on the heels of a diplomatic row between Ottawa and Beijing over the detention of a senior Huawei executive on a US warrant, which has now been […]

North Korea sent planes to China for Covid supplies: reports

North Korea sent three of its largest cargo planes to China to pick up medical supplies to help with a spiralling Covid outbreak, local media reports say. Pyongyang announced its first-ever Covid cases last week and has since reported nearly two million cases of “fever” and 63 deaths as the virus tears through its unvaccinated population. State media reports do not specify how many of the cases and deaths have tested positive for Covid, but […]

Canada bans Huawei and ZTE from 5G networks

by Michel COMTE Canada will ban Chinese telecommunications giants Huawei and ZTE from its 5G wireless networks due to national security concerns, officials said Thursday. The long-awaited move follows the United States and other key allies, and comes on the heels of a diplomatic row between Ottawa and Beijing over the detention of a senior Huawei executive on a US warrant, which has now been resolved. The United States has warned of the security implications […]

Shanghai says ‘zero-Covid’ achieved but millions still in lockdown

Shanghai on Tuesday declared it had achieved “zero-Covid” across all its districts, sparking derision on social media as millions in China’s biggest city remained under lockdown. Confronted with its worst outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic, China — the last major economy still closed off to the world — put the city of 25 million under heavy restrictions in early April. The government’s insistence on squashing the Omicron-variant-driven outbreak prompted rare protests and angry scuffles […]