A devastating fire in a school dormitory in Yanshanpu village, Henan province, central China, has claimed the lives of thirteen people, according to reports from China’s Xinhua state news agency.
The tragic incident occurred on Friday night at a privately-run school catering to nursery and primary age pupils. The school manager has been detained, and an investigation is underway.
The fire, which was extinguished less than an hour after firefighters were alerted, has left one person hospitalized in stable condition.
Official details about the victims’ identities or the fire’s cause have not been disclosed.
China has witnessed several fatal fires due to inadequate enforcement of building and safety standards. In November, 26 people lost their lives in a large fire in Luliang City, Shanxi province.
Another tragic incident occurred in Beijing in April, where a hospital fire claimed at least 29 lives, mostly patients, leading to a police investigation resulting in 12 detentions.
The harrowing footage from that incident depicted people escaping the flames by climbing out of windows onto air conditioning units.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, along with other government officials, is scheduled to visit China on January 23 with the aim of restructuring Ghana’s $5.4 billion bilateral debt, a significant portion of which is owed to China.
China, along with France, co-chairs Ghana’s Official Creditor Committee. The agreement reached with this committee is crucial for accessing additional funds from a $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package.
Simultaneously, Ghana will resume discussions with its international bondholders next week, building on the momentum generated by a recent deal to restructure $5.4 billion of bilateral debt. The country seeks to continue talks after engaging with Eurobond holders in October 2023.
Restructuring negotiations last year was a “very difficult, painful process,” but Ghana has “built pretty good momentum”, Mr. Ofori-Atta told Reuters.
The IMF board is scheduled to convene on Friday, January 19, 2024, to decide on a $600 million disbursement as part of Ghana’s bailout program. Approval from the IMF would open the door for funding from other multilateral lenders.
Additionally, the World Bank is expected to make a decision on providing $550 million in funding on January 25, 2024, according to Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
Ghana is actively engaged in restructuring its debts under the Common Framework, a G20-established process designed during the COVID-19 pandemic to address debt challenges.
The country, facing a default in December 2022, is working to restructure around $20 billion of its external debt, which stood at approximately $30 billion at the end of 2022.
One of the few countries that still supported Taiwan has decided to be friends with China instead, after Taiwan elected a new president.
Nauru, a very small island in Micronesia, was only one of 12 countries that had a relationship with Taipei.
In recent years, Beijing has been persuading countries to stop being friends with Taiwan, because they believe Taiwan is part of China.
Taiwan says that the recent defeat is connected to the election outcomes from the weekend, which made China upset.
In the election, people chose William Lai as their new president. China called him a “troublemaker” because he has supported Taiwan’s independence. China doesn’t like this.
Taiwan officials said that Nauru’s announcement is not just China’s way of getting back at our elections, but also a direct challenge to the global order. Nauru’s government said it will now see Taiwan as part of China, not its own separate country.
During a press conference on Monday, Taipei’s deputy foreign minister Tien Chung-kwang said that China is using the recent changes in Nauru’s politics to give them money in exchange for support.
China believes it can control Taiwan using these methods, but I disagree. The world has seen that Taiwan is becoming more democratic. Tien said that if Beijing keeps using bad ways to take away Taiwan’s diplomatic relationships, democratic countries won’t accept it.
However, he still is very focused on making sure Taiwan is not isolated by China on the international stage. He is keeping a close watch for any further actions from China.
China thinks that the island of Nauru, which has 23 million people, belongs to them and will be under their control in the future. They are happy with Nauru’s decision.
China’s foreign ministry said Nauru’s government decision to be friends with China again shows that most people want there to be only one China and that this is a growing trend.
This is not the first time Nauru has stopped working with Taiwan. Taiwan sees itself as different from mainland China and has its own constitution and elected leaders.
In 2002, Nauru changed its alliance to China, but later in May 2005, it went back to being friends with Taiwan.
Experts also told the BBC that Nauru’s decision was not surprising.
Anna Powles, an associate professor in security studies at Massey University in New Zealand, said that it has been possible for a while that Nauru would stop recognizing Taiwan and start recognizing China instead.
Australia moved quickly to offer a treaty to help people from Tuvalu because they were worried that Tuvalu might start supporting China instead.
“She also said there were worries about Nauru. ”
Mihai Sora, a researcher at an Australian think tank, said that China is always trying to reduce Taiwan’s power, especially in the Pacific where many small countries are trying to develop.
Because Taiwan doesn’t have many friends in the world, each one it does have is really important for its independence. China may keep trying to weaken that.
Voting in Taiwan’s presidential election has finished and now they are counting the votes. The election will decide how Taiwan will be connected to China in the future.
Taiwan is an island that runs its own government and is democratic, but China says it belongs to them and other countries don’t see it as a separate country.
Early numbers show a close competition between the current Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) for the upcoming election.
China doesn’t like DPP candidate William Lai and tells people not to vote for him. KMT is saying they will have better relations with China and make peace in the Taiwan Strait.
The Taiwan People’s Party is also running in the election, but recent polls show a close competition between the DPP and KMT. Today, there are 113 seats in the government that people are trying to win.
Taiwanese voters care more about the economy than China.
China told people in Taiwan to vote for the candidate they want, before the presidential elections in Taiwan. China says that Taiwan belongs to them.
China said that if the ruling party candidate William Lai wins, it could cause problems for their relationship.
The US was warned by Beijing not to cause trouble before Saturday’s vote, but it did not listen. This made Beijing very angry.
Who the people choose in the poll could make the island move closer to or further away from Beijing.
Taiwan is an important place where China and the US are competing to be more powerful in Asia.
China’s Taiwan Affairs office said that if Mr Lai is elected, he would continue to support actions to separate Taiwan from China.
He kept doing bad things to make others want independence. It said in a statement that Taiwan would be pushed farther from peace and prosperity and closer to war and decline.
Mr Lai from the DPP wants voters to choose the best way to keep Taiwan independent. Hou Yu-ih from the Kuomintang (KMT) said Mr. Lai is a threat to relations with China.
Many people in Taiwan feel like they are their own country, but they don’t want to officially separate from China or join it. They want things to stay the way they are.
The island thinks it is different from the mainland, but China says it belongs to the country and might use force to make it part of China.
Mr Lai was just a little bit ahead in the race to be president before voting ended on January 2nd. There are also elections for the parliament happening.
China told the US to stop talking about the election.
Beijing’s foreign ministry criticized Washington for saying it would send a group of people to Taiwan after the vote.
The US government must not get involved in the elections. “to make sure we don’t harm the relationship between the US and China,” a spokesperson said.
China Strongly disagreeing with the American side’s bold talk about the elections in Taiwan.
Beijing said the people of Taiwan have to choose between peace and war during the elections.
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu criticized China for getting involved in Saturday’s vote too many times.
“Mr Wu said Beijing should stop interfering in other countries’ elections and focus on their own. ” He wrote this on X, a social platform.
Mr Li is in charge of the government in China and is the second most important person in their political system.
He is a friend of President Xi Jinping and was chosen to be a part of parliament last year. Before that, he was in charge of the Communist Party in Shanghai, which is the largest city in the country.
During the pandemic, he was in charge of making sure that people in Shanghai stayed at home and couldn’t go out. Some people had a hard time getting food and medical help because of this.
“Next year, it will be 45 years since our two countries started having diplomatic relations,” stated Mr.
“China is a very powerful country in the world, both politically and economically. I am happy that Premier Li has chosen to visit Ireland as part of his trip. ”
Common difficulties
The two leaders are going to have lunch at Farmleigh House in Dublin and talk about worldwide issues, issues between their two countries, and how the European Union and China are related.
The leader said China is a big economic partner and a permanent member of the UN Security Council. China also has a big role in solving the world’s problems, like making peace and stopping climate change.
“I am excited for a deep and constructive discussion on topics we agree on, as well as those where we have different views. “
China said it will not give in on the Taiwan issue during its first military talks with the US since 2021.
It asked the US to “stop giving weapons to Taiwan” and to listen to its worries.
This happens shortly before important elections in Taiwan. The elections could either bring Taiwan closer to or farther from Beijing.
China says that Taiwan belongs to them, but Taiwan thinks of itself as separate from China.
The Chinese defense ministry said that China wants to have a good and steady relationship with the US military, based on fairness and respect.
The message said that the US should pay attention to China’s worries. China will not change its stance on Taiwan and wants the US to follow the one-China principle, promises, and stop supporting Taiwan’s independence.
Taiwan is an important and tense issue between China and the US as they compete for power in Asia. In 2022, China said no to talking because they were mad that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022.
They started again earlier this week after China’s president Xi Jinping and US president Joe Biden made a deal in November. The meetings in Washington ended on Tuesday after two days of talking.
Taiwan said that it doesn’t see the Chinese satellite launch over the island as election interference.
A satellite was sent into space on Tuesday afternoon, which caused an alert for an air raid across the whole island. People on the island got a message on their phones telling them to be careful and stay safe.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said sorry for giving the wrong information about a missile in a message sent to people’s phones.
“Lin Yu-chan, a spokesman for Taiwan’s president, said that after the national security team looked at all the information and listened to other countries’ advice, they don’t think any political attempts will work. ”
The Chinese government’s news sources said that the Einstein Probe satellite is used to watch strange and short-lived events in space.
The KMT, the main opposition party on the island, criticized the use of a warning for the whole island as fear-mongering.
Taiwan sounded an alarm for the whole island because a Chinese satellite flew over its southern airspace just days before an important election for a new president.
People who use mobile phones on the island received a message telling them to “be careful and stay safe”.
The “presidential alert” made people nervous before important elections on Saturday.
China says that Taiwan belongs to them and has been accused of trying to influence the vote.
The island with 23 million people governs itself and is a very important point of conflict between China and the US in Asia. Experts believe that the elections will determine how the relationship between Beijing and Washington will develop.
The satellite was sent into space from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China’s Sichuan province at 3:03p. mlocal time, according to Taiwan’s defense ministry. Around the same time as the alert, China’s CCTV said a satellite called Einstein Probe had been launched and it was a “complete success. “
Taiwan’s foreign minister Joseph Wu said that launching a satellite over Taiwanese airspace so close to the election is a risky and suspicious activity. Reuters news agency reported this.
Mr Wu said that when a rocket flies in the sky, some of its parts might fall in our area. He said this at a news conference when the warning was sent.
“Our national alert centre will issue this alert for that reason. “”It happened again. “
Taiwan’s defense ministry is keeping an eye on the path of the satellite so they can be ready to deal with it. The satellite was very high up when it passed over Taiwan, the ministry said.
Taiwanese news says that this is the first time the government has sent out an alert like this to the whole island.
Eric Chu, the leader of Taiwan’s main opposing party Kuomintang (KMT), said that the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) government is scaring people, especially by using the word “missile” in their warning. The message said: “[Air raid alert] Missilesare flying over Taiwan’s airspace, be careful. “
This is the first time I heard that sending a satellite into space can cause such a warning. Everyone was really surprised and thought it was a missile, but it was actually a satellite. “I believe the National Defense Ministry is trying to fool the public by sending out this alert,” he said.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said sorry for giving the wrong information about a missile in a message to mobile phones.
The Einstein Probe is a project that involves the European Space Agency, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics.
The satellite will watch for special things happening in space,like twinkling fireworks, to learn more about the violent and hidden parts of the universe, China’s Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday.
In December, news in Taiwan said that Chinese rockets had flown over the island. A report from Focus Taiwan on December 10th said that a rocket launched from Xichang flew over southwestern Taiwan in outer space.
Tesla is bringing back over 1. 6 million cars in China because of problems with the steering software and door locks, says the country’s regulator.
The recall involves the S, X, 3, and Y models, as well as 7,538 imported vehicles.
The issues will be resolved by sending updates to the software from a distance, so the vehicles won’t have to go to the dealer or auto repair shop.
Less than a month ago, Tesla had to bring back two million cars in the US because of problems with the autopilot software.
Last year in May, the Chinese government said that over a million cars might have problems with their speed and braking systems.
The American electric car company found issues with the features that help the car drive by itself and the system that locks the doors.
The Chinese government agency, SAMR, said that the planned vehicle update is like a recall, even though it will happen through the internet.
Tesla will send a software update to 1,610,105 vehicles. These include Models S and X that were imported, as well as Models 3 and Y made in China from 2014 to 2023. It was announced by the SAMR.
The official said that this was to fix problems with the self-driving feature and reduce the chance of accidents.
“The SAMR said that for cars included in this recall, if the automatic steering assistance is turned on, drivers might not use the level two combined assistance properly. This could make the car more likely to crash and be unsafe. ”
Additionally, Tesla will update the software for 7,538 Models S and X cars to fix the issue of doors unlocking in crashes.
This is the second bad news for Tesla in the country. China’s BYD sold more electric cars than Tesla worldwide in the last quarter of 2023.
In 2022, Tesla had to bring back around 128,000 cars in China because of a problem with the rear motor inverter.
Tesla sells a lot of cars in China, where the government gives them money to people who buy electric and hybrid cars. The country wants most cars to run on clean energy by 2035.
China has a big factory in Shanghai where Tesla makes cars. It’s the first “gigafactory” Tesla has made outside of the US. The facility sent out 947,000 vehicles in 2023, as reported by state news agency Xinhua.
A big Chinese financial company has asked for legal protection because it can’t pay the money it owes.
A court in Beijing agreed to the request from Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, which has given lots of money to real estate companies.
Chinese officials started looking into “suspected illegal activities” by the company in November.
It was reported that ZEG declared it couldn’t pay its debts.
The group that is having a hard time told investors in a letter in November that it owes more money – up to $64 billion – than it actually has, which is about $38 billion.
On Friday, a court in Beijing wrote on the social media app WeChat that ZEG doesn’t have enough money to pay all its debts, and can’t pay them back completely.
ZEG is a big company in China that works in the shadow banking industry. Shadow banking is a system of lenders and brokers who are not part of the regular banking system.
Shadow banking is not regulated and doesn’t have the same rules and limitations as regular banks.
Informal lending has always been a part of China’s economy, but shadow banking started to become more popular after the 2008 global financial crisis when credit was hard to come by.
China’s unofficial banking industry is worth about $3 trillion. It often gives money to the country’s property market to help it survive. The industry that used to do really well is now in trouble because it doesn’t have enough money. Some of the biggest companies might not be able to stay in business.
At its best, ZEG’s asset management arm managed over a trillion yuan ($139 billion; £110 billion).
However, it was not protected from the bigger problem with property, and it had more problems in November when authorities said they had taken legal actions against “many suspects. ”
We still don’t know who they are and what they do in the company. The person who started the company, Xie Zhikun, passed away from a heart attack in 2021.
The latest news at ZEG has made people worried about more problems in the world’s second biggest economy. This comes after the company Evergrande failed and Country Garden had money troubles.
China’s real estate industry contributes to one third of its economy. This includes homes, renting and helping people find a place to live, and making building supplies and things that are used in apartments.
Thailand eliminated visas for Chinese citizens in September in a bid to increase tourist arrivals.
The show attracted strong reaction at a time when Thailand was starting to lose its appeal to Chinese tourists.
Authorities said more than 22,000 Chinese people entered the Southeast Asian country in the first two days of the exemption. “Currently, we are ready to open the country and take care of tourists from both countries together.
This is good news,” Srettha said at a press conference on Tuesday. “This is an improvement in relations [between Thailand and China and strengthens the importance of the Thai passport,” he said.
Chinese are the second largest group of foreign tourists to Thailand, after Malaysians.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand said in November that it expected to welcome up to 3. 5 million Chinese visitors in all of 2023, still short of its target of 4 million.
The number is less than half of the roughly 11 million Chinese tourists who visited in 2019, but still represents a marked improvement over 2022, when just 270,000 of them were welcomed pick up.
The lack of cheap flights in the post-Covid era and the slowdown in the Chinese economy are among the reasons why tourists are hesitant to visit Thailand.
But some have also raised security concerns after rumors emerged that tourists were being kidnapped and taken across the border to work at scam centers in Myanmar or Cambodia.
Tourists are also worried after a shooting at Bangkok’s most famous shopping mall left a Chinese mother of two dead last October.
The tourism agency has set a target of welcoming 8. 2 million Chinese tourists by 2024.
China has also waived visa requirements to attract tourists.
Last November, it announced a trial visa exemption for visitors from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia.
The program starts in December and will last until the end of November this year.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his annual New Year’s address, reiterated his assertion that Taiwan “will definitely be reunited” with China.
His message comes ahead of Taiwan’s crucial Jan. 13 election, which will determine the island’s cross-strait policies for the next four years.
He also took a stronger tone than last year, in which he talked about Taiwan being part of “the same family.
” China has stepped up military pressure on Taiwan as the election approaches. They consider the self-governing island of 23 million people a breakaway province that will eventually come under Beijing’s control.
Taiwan considers itself distinct from mainland China, with its own constitution and democratically elected leaders. Separately, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said in her New Year’s speech that the island’s relationship with China should be decided by “the will of the Taiwanese people.
” His government has repeatedly warned that Beijing is trying to interfere in the election, in which a new president and government will be elected.
Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT) party has traditionally favored warmer relations with Beijing – although it denies being pro-China.
The KMT’s main rival, Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), has ruled Taiwan for eight years and has taken a tougher line on China, asserting that the country is sovereign and not belongs to China.
Mr Xi’s latest comments are in line with China’s long-standing policy of unification, but the message is harsher in tone than Mr. Xi gave last year, when he called “people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait Loan… is a member of one and the same family.
The Taiwan issue also strained relations between the United States and China, with China subsequently condemning any support from Washington for Taipei.
Beijing said it “reserves the ability to take all necessary measures” against external forces that hinder peaceful unification.
However, the two countries marked the new year with a positive message, with Xi and US President Joe Biden exchanging congratulatory messages on Monday.
Xi noted that “adhering to mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation is the correct way for China and the US to interact,” according to Reuters, citing state media CCTV China.
Chinese authorities have launched an investigation into a shocking incident at a hospital, where a surgeon is accused of physically assaulting a patient mid-operation.
The incident, which occurred in 2019 but only recently gained public attention, involved the surgeon allegedly hitting an 82-year-old female patient several times in the head during an eye surgery. Captured on video, the incident quickly spread on Chinese social media, causing widespread indignation.
The hospital in question, part of Aier China’s network of eye hospitals, is located in Guigang, a city in southwestern China. According to Aier China, the patient experienced discomfort from the local anaesthesia, leading to involuntary head and eye movements during the procedure. Communication issues arose, as the patient spoke a local dialect and seemingly did not understand the surgeon’s Mandarin warnings, prompting the surgeon’s aggressive response.
Following the surgery, the hospital management offered an apology and compensated the patient’s family with 500 yuan. However, the patient’s son revealed that his mother suffered from bruises and, more alarmingly, is now blind in her left eye, although it is unclear if this resulted from the incident.
Aier China has taken disciplinary actions, suspending the surgeon, who also served as the hospital dean, and dismissing the hospital’s CEO. These actions were taken for “serious violations” of the group’s regulations, which also included other unmentioned offenses.
The case resurfaced when Dr. Ai Fen, a prominent Chinese doctor known for her early warnings during the Wuhan Covid outbreak, shared the CCTV footage on her Weibo account, where she has over two million followers. Dr. Ai has been in legal conflicts with Aier China since 2021 after she claimed to have nearly lost sight in one eye following a surgery at one of their facilities, a claim the hospital group denies.
Mr. Tang Hong, the president of the Ghana Association of Chinese Societies, explained that the Confucius Institute is a non-profit initiative designed to promote and enhance intercultural relationships between China and the global community.
“Confucius institute is a non-profit venture aimed towards the global dissemination of the Chinese language and culture,” he said.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mrs. Rita Akosua Dickson, on her part, announced plans to introduce Chinese language courses at KNUST and in other regions of Ghana through the Confucius Institute.
This initiative aims to provide students and the community with the opportunity to learn Chinese, fostering cultural exchange and understanding between China and Ghana.
“For our gathering today, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I am glad to note that through the establishment of a three party agreement involving KNUST, HUAT and the Chinese International Education Fund, the Confucius institute will play a pivotal role in enabling KNUST to develop a foreign model site for undergraduate Chinese programs and the learning of the Chinese language in the middle and the northern zones of Ghana,” she said.
Chair of the Council of the Hubei Automotive Center, Zhang Wenxue, expressed his hope for the relationship between Ghana and China during the inauguration of the Confucius Institute at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
“I sincerely hope that the relationship between Ghana and China will endure for eternity. It is also a wealthy start in Ghana’s commitment in promoting international Chinese education and he believes that the Confucius Institute will provide a chance to learn the Chinese language’ this will help strengthen the friendship between the people of China and Ghana,” he said.
In a tragic event, the deadliest earthquake in Chinain 13 years struck the mountainous Gansu province around midnight on Monday (16:00 GMT), resulting in the loss of at least 118 lives.
The earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.2, also affected the neighboring Qinghai province.
The toll is expected to increase as reports indicate hundreds of individuals have been injured, facing additional challenges in icy conditions.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken swift action, directing thousands of rescue personnel to the region. Gansu is noted for being one of the poorest and most diverse provinces in China.
Images broadcasted on state TV and circulated on social media platforms on Tuesday revealed the extensive damage caused by the quake.
Entire villages were seen split, and buildings and houses lay in ruins. The harsh conditions were further exacerbated as residents, who had evacuated their homes, sought shelter in makeshift camps, braving the frigid temperatures that reached -13°C (8.7°F) on Tuesday, as reported by Chinese media.
Survivors said the tremors had felt like “being tossed by surging waves”, and recalled rushing out of their apartments.
“I woke my family up and we rushed down all 16 floors in one breath,” said one man named Mr Qin by Chinese outlets.
Jishishan county, located in Gansu province and severely impacted by the recent earthquake, has reported extensive damage, with more than 5,000 buildings in the region suffering destruction, according to local officials.
Chinese media quoted a director from the Gansu rescue team who attributed the widespread damage to the poor quality of buildings in the affected villages, many of which were old structures made of clay. Gansu, situated between the Tibetan and Loess plateaus and bordering Mongolia, is a remote region marked by its status as one of China’s poorest and most ethnically diverse areas.
The earthquake’s epicenter was in the Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, a region home to various Chinese Muslim groups, including the Hui, Bonan, Dongxiang, and Salar people. Chinese authorities reported a magnitude of 6.2 on the Richter scale, while the US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded a magnitude of 5.9 with a depth of 10km (6 miles). Local authorities noted approximately 10 aftershocks following the initial quake.
In a separate incident on Tuesday, Xinjiang, the province west of Gansu, experienced a 5.5 magnitude earthquake, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Throughout the affected area, the recent earthquake has led to significant disruptions in power and water supplies, posing challenges to ongoing rescue efforts. Officials stress the urgency of the situation, citing limited time to rescue individuals in the harsh sub-zero conditions.
President Xi Jinping has issued a directive emphasizing the imperative to deploy all available resources for search and rescue operations, provide prompt medical attention to the injured, and minimize casualties.
China’s geographical location, where multiple tectonic plates, including the Eurasian, Indian, and Pacific plates, converge, makes it particularly susceptible to seismic activity. Last September, a 6.6-magnitude earthquake in the southwestern Sichuan province resulted in the loss of over 60 lives.
The recent earthquake in Gansu marks the deadliest in China since the devastating 2010 quake in Yushu, Qinghai province, which claimed nearly 2,700 lives.
A boat from the Philippines and a ship from China crashed near a reef that both countries claim in the South China Sea. This is the latest disagreement over territory between the two nations.
The Philippines said China had been causing trouble by harassing, blocking, and doing dangerous moves.
The day after the Philippines said China used water cannons to stop three of its boats, this happened.
There is a disagreement over who owns the South China Sea between China, the Philippines, and other countries.
On Sunday, the Philippines said that China attacked Philippines‘ civilian supply boats at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands. This area is a tense spot between the two countries.
A Chinese coast guard ship hit one of the two boats carrying supplies, according to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea.
It also said China caused “serious harm” to the engine of a boat by using water cannon.
However, the China Coast Guard claimed that the Philippine boat purposely crashed into the Chinese vessel after ignoring several warnings from us.
The Philippines said China used war cannons to block three of its ships on Saturday. They called it illegal and aggressive. Beijing said it had taken action to control ships that entered its waters without permission.
This week, the Philippines said that China sent a lot of military boats to a reef near its coast in the South China Sea.
Disagreements between the two countries have gotten worse since Ferdinand Marcos Jr became the president of the Philippines last year.
Last month, the Philippines did two patrols in the air and sea with the US and then with Australia a few days later.
In 2016, a court said China’s claim to most of the South China Sea is not valid. But China doesn’t accept this decision and has been making new islands in the area where other countries also claim land.
The disputed sea is causing tension between China and the US. In October, President Joe Biden said the US will protect the Philippines if there is an attack.
President Biden spoke about the Filipino and Chinese ships crashing into each other a few days after it happened.
Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei say they own some of the sea.
The Philippines say that China used water cannons to stop three of its boats in a disagreement over who owns land in the South China Sea.
A video shows Chinese ships spraying strong blasts of water at Philippine government boats.
The Philippines said that China’s actions were against the law and were aggressive.
The South China Sea is a place where China, the Philippines, and other countries are arguing about who owns it.
The event occurred close to Scarborough Shoal, which is a place where there is often tension between the two countries. In 2012, Beijing took control of the shoal and Chinese boats have been bothering Philippine fishermen there ever since.
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea reported that Chinese Coast Guard ships used water cannons to stop government boats from bringing fuel and food to fishing boats.
The agency strongly disapproves of the illegal and aggressive actions.
Beijing said it had taken action to control ships that entered its waters without permission.
Earlier this week, the Philippines said that China sent a lot of military boats to a reef near their coast in the South China Sea.
The Philippines will send 40 boats with Christmas gifts and supplies to people on Thitu island, the biggest island they live on in the South China Sea.
The two countries have been arguing more since Ferdinand Marcos Jr became president of the Philippines last year. They both claim to own the same land.
Last month, the Philippines worked together with the US and Australia to do two air and sea patrols.
In 2016, a global court said China’s claim to 90% of the South China Sea is not valid. But China doesn’t agree with the decision and has been making islands in the area where other countries also say it’s theirs.
The disputed waters are causing tension between China and the US. In October, US President Joe Biden said that the US will protect the Philippines if there is an attack.
President Biden talked about the collisions between boats from the Philippines and China that happened a few days ago.
Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei say that they also own parts of the sea.
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has expressed the country’s openness to any new cut-off date proposed by external creditors for the restructuring of Ghana’s external debt, especially with China.
He emphasized the importance of concluding the debt restructuring exercise to allow Ghana to access the $600 million credit facility under the International Monetary Fund’s second tranche bailout package.
China, a major creditor to Ghana, has suggested a March 2020 cut-off date for all loans given to Ghana, deviating from the initially agreed-upon date of December 2022, causing delays in Ghana’s meeting with the IMF Board for the next tranche of $600 million.
“The issue is for the membership of the Official Creditor Committee to get comfortable. We hope that by the end of next week, we will have what we need so that the Fund Board can sit”, he said.
The Finance Minister highlighted that the involved parties are aiming for a level of debt restructuring that won’t significantly impact their future operations.
“Everybody is looking at the comparability of treatment in there and China and France certainly are co-chairs, so they have a good impact on what will happen, but we should be okay,” he said.
Previously, Dr. Ato Forson, the Minority Leader, claimed that the negotiation had encountered challenges, and the upcoming $600 million package is in a state of uncertainty.
“Mr. Speaker, it will interest you to know that there is a deadlock in the negotiation between Ghana and the International Official Creditors Committee (OCC) made up of China and the Paris Club 50. There is a major disagreement on the cut-off point, regarding the external debt that must be excluded from the restructuring. Mr. Speaker, I do not need to sound the alarm that at this point, Ghana is between a rock and a hard place.”
Prior to this, the Finance Minister expressed confidence that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) board would give approval for the second tranche of the country’s deal with the Fund by the year’s end.
“My deep sense is that we will get whatever is appropriate for the Fund Board to be able to make their decision in November. I am confident about it. And yes, we did meet with the officials from Paris Club and there was pretty positive assurance”, he said.
In a message, it said it was working with the government to look into the incident.
The company AJ Hackett Macau Tower Limited is sad because a tourist died after a medical problem at Macau Tower yesterday. This happened after they finished their bungy jump.
We are very sorry for the family of the person who passed away.
Keeping everyone safe is the most important thing for us. We make sure every customer follows strict safety rules.
Yesterday, the tourist did everything they were supposed to do to stay safe before they did the Bungy Jump.
‘Our staff helped him when they heard he wasn’t feeling well after landing. They gave him first aid and called for help. ‘
The Skypark website says it has done four million jumps in over 30 years and is proud of never having any accidents.
On the safety page, the company says it tries to stop accidents and illnesses by managing risks and reporting hazards.
The platform at Macau Tower is the second highest in the world, only beaten by the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge Bungee, which is also in China.
China has a lot of debt and it’s becoming more risky because their economy is slowing down and they have a crisis with property. This is according to a top credit ratings agency.
Moody’s said the government’s debt is risky and could cause financial problems.
The company is worried about the problems in the second biggest economy in the world.
China said it was sad about the decision, but said the economy is strong.
The country wants to spend more money to help its economy because many young people can’t find jobs, global demand for its products is lower, and the property market is getting worse.
Some of the biggest building companies in the country are in financial trouble and have stopped working, leaving customers stuck.
Cities and towns have taken out a lot of loans to build things like roads and bridges. They also depend on selling land to make money. But now they are having a hard time with money.
Moody’s thinks that helping local governments and state-owned businesses could cause big problems for China’s money, economy, and organizations.
China’s financial strength and reputation could be harmed if they agree to take on some of the debts. It would be expensive for them.
Moody’s might lower China’s credit rating, which tells investors how risky it is to invest in China’s bonds and other debts, and helps lenders decide on interest rates.
The US has borrowed a lot of money, and its credit rating has been lowered in the past few years.
Right now, Moody’s still gives China a good A1 rating for its long-term national debt. This is a strong grade, just a little lower than the US and UK.
It said that the government is expected to handle its economic problems in an organized way.
China’s finance ministry said that the country’s future looks the same and they believe they can handle the effects of the housing market slowing down.
China’s overall economy is getting better and improving in a good way, it said. Moody’s doesn’t need to be concerned about how well China’s economy will grow or if it will have enough money.
After many years of its economy growing by more than 8% every year, China is expected to grow by 5. 4% this year However, the amount of growth is expected to decrease to 3. 5% by 2028, as predicted by the International Monetary Fund.
International economic organizations have said that the decrease in China’s economy will have a bad impact on the world economy in the future. This will especially affect areas like sub-Saharan Africa, where there has been a lot of investment from China.
The generators have arrived in South Africa and will be officially received by Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa on Thursday.
The generators will be used as a backup to help reduce the problems caused by load shedding in providing services in clinics, schools and courts, the presidency said on Tuesday.
China and South Africa agreed to help each other during a meeting in Johannesburg. This donation is part of that agreement.
In the agreement, China promised to give emergency equipment worth 167 million rand, which is $8. 9 million or £7 million, and also a development grant of 500 million rand.
In the past few years, South Africa has had a lot of problems with power cuts, which have been really frustrating.
Every day, many people in cities and towns across South Africa don’t have electricity for up to 10 hours.
Egg fried rice is a popular and easy-to-make dish in China. It is light, delicious, and is known all over the world as a symbol of Chinese food.
In the past few years, the stir-fry dish has become a controversial topic for China’s online nationalists, especially in the months of October and November.
People are feeling very emotional this week. A famous chef had to say sorry for making a video on how to cook a dish.
Wang Gang, a famous chef with over 10 million online fans, said in a video that he will never make egg fried rice again.
Wang said sorry for the video, which was posted on Weibo on November 27, to calm down the angry comments.
Furious nationalists said Wang made fun of Mao Zedong’s son’s death in a video. Mao Anying died in a US air strike during the Korean War on November 25, 1950.
Wang made a video about cooking egg fried rice. But some Chinese people get upset when anyone talks about this dish around the time Mao Anying died or on his birthday, October 24th. They think it’s done on purpose to insult and make fun of Mao Anying.
However, when nationalist users criticize mentions of egg fried rice by famous chefs and online influencers, they end up spreading the rumor that their government is trying to stop.
Some stories say that Mao Anying, who was a soldier, did not follow orders to find a safe place during the bombing. Instead, the hungry man cooked egg fried rice on a stove. The smoke from the stove showed his location to enemy jets.
Yang Di, a military officer who worked with Mao when he was young, mentioned that version of events in his memoir. Yang Di worked at the commander’s headquarters. Chinese officials have said many times that the information is not true.
Under leader Xi Jinping, the Chinese government has stopped people from saying bad things about national heroes or questioning the official story about them. In 2018, the country made it illegal to say bad things about national heroes and martyrs. If you do this, you could go to jail for up to three years.
In May, a former journalist, Luo Changping, was sent to prison for seven months for disrespecting soldiers who died in the Korean War. He made a joke on social media about Chinese soldiers in a movie, suggesting they were not very smart.
In 2020, on the 70th anniversary of Mao Anying’s death, the Chinese Academy of History, which was started by Xi to correct untrue views of Communist Party history, said that the story about egg fried rice was a very bad rumor.
The academy said on Weibo that spreading rumors about Mao Anying’s sacrifice is making it seem less heroic. “In simple words, they are cruel and mean in their hearts. ”
Yang’s memoir was criticized for being full of mistakes and not able to be proven true. The post used accounts from other people who were there and secret messages to say that Mao Anying was killed because the enemy heard radio signals from the telegraphs at the headquarters before the air raid.
Even though officials said it wasn’t true, people keep talking about the argument over egg fried rice. Some people on the Chinese internet celebrate November 25 as the “Egg Fried Rice Festival” or “Chinese Thanksgiving” because they think that if Mao Zedong’s son had survived the war, he would have become the leader of China and created a family dynasty like in North Korea.
In 2021, a person on the social media site Weibo in Nanchang got in trouble with the police for saying that “the best thing to come out of the Korean War is egg fried rice. ”
2Thank you for the delicious egg fried rice. “We would be like North Korea without it,” the post said.
Wang posted a video of egg-fired rice, and people were upset because it was not the first time he did something that offended Chinese nationalists. The video was posted two days after the anniversary of Mao’s death.
In 2018, Wang shared a video on October 22 showing how he makes egg fried rice at home. Two days after, on Mao Anying’s birthday, the Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper shared Wang’s video. The action made people surprised and caused people to accuse the party’s main newspaper of being corrupted.
In 2020, Wang shared a video of himself cooking Yangzhou fried rice with extra ingredients like ham, shrimp, peas, and carrots. This made some people very upset. Wang said sorry very quickly.
“I didn’t know about this situation until I saw everyone’s comments on the video I posted today,” he wrote in the comments. “I’m just sharing the yummy food with no other intentions. ”
After many people got upset on Monday, Wang said sorry and explained that his team put out the video without him knowing.
This video has made a lot of people upset and had a really bad impact on everyone. “I’m sorry again,” he said after removing the cooking video. “I have been dealing with personal stuff lately and couldn’t take part in releasing the video. ” “This was the worst thing I ever did. ”
Wang, who is 34 years old and comes from a small village in Sichuan province, said his grandfather fought in the Korean War and stayed in North Korea for six years.
He said he admired his grandpa and always wanted to be a soldier since he was little. But when he tried to join the army at 17, he didn’t pass the physical exam. “I think soldiers are very special,” he said.
But Wang’s opponents are not giving up easily.
“Maybe it was just by chance the first time. ” Someone commented that they don’t think it’s possible for Wang to make perfect egg fried rice every single time by chance.
Some people wanted Wang to be banned from Chinese social media. Others wanted the government to punish him for insulting national “heroes and martyrs,” citing a law from 2018.
However, some people have supported Wang, saying that he has shared egg fried rice on other occasions in the past.
“You don’t have to say sorry. ” “Someone on Weibo said that society owes you an apology,” in support of Wang.
“Let’s just say no more eating or cooking egg fried rice in November, or maybe we should just stop making it part of Chinese cuisine altogether,” said another person who agrees.
Hu Xijin, who used to be in charge of Global Times and is well known for promoting nationalist ideas, warned that a lot of people don’t know about the rumors concerning Mao Anying. He asked people to be more understanding when talking about certain things related to Younger Mao’s birthday and death anniversary.
“Being kind and understanding to each other and not making this a controversial issue is a way to honor and protect martyr Mao Anying’s brave spirit. ” “It will help the problem slowly become less of a problem and lessen the harm caused by the rumor,” Hu wrote.
If we don’t do something, the rumors could become stronger with each new controversy.
On Tuesday, Wang took down the video where he said sorry and stopped people from leaving comments on his Weibo page.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said that South Africans can learn from Chinese people about supporting their own government.
Everyone has to be a messenger. We should act like China. In China, almost everyone represents their country and always speaks positively about it. “Don’t say bad things about your country,” he said at a meeting in Durban.
China is a country where only one political party is in charge. If people speak out against the government, they can be arrested and held in jail without a fair reason, according to organizations that protect people’s rights.
South Africa has a good relationship with China and is a democracy with multiple political parties. The African National Congress has been in charge of the government since apartheid ended in 1994.
Uganda’s government wants to borrow $150 million from a bank in China to improve the country’s internet.
Uganda’s technology minister and a lower-level money minister talked about their ideas on Monday with a group of lawmakers who focus on the country’s economy.
Uganda is getting more money from China because the World Bank stopped giving them money in August. The World Bank stopped funding because Uganda made a law that many people argue about.
Uganda borrowed $200 million from a Chinese bank to make the Entebbe International Airport bigger.
Some people are saying that the loan is not fair to Uganda and is taking advantage of them.
Uganda is talking to a Chinese agency called Sinosure about getting a loan. They want to use the money to build a $5 billion pipeline. This pipeline will help Uganda export its crude oil to Tanzania.
More than 400 dogs at risk of being slaughtered for the meat trade in China have been rescued by a Lincolnshire charity in the past two years.
Kerry Elliman, from Bin brook, near Market Rasen, runs Candy’s Hound Rescue, which works with shelters in China to welcome dogs to the UK.
She said many people were beaten, starved or locked in small cages. “I didn’t try to give up dog meat because I knew it wouldn’t happen,” she said.
“It’s an education issue.” “It raises awareness about things that people don’t know,” Ms. Elliman added The Humane Society International/UK says most people in China and across Asia do not eat dog meat and opposition to the dog meat trade is growing due to animal cruelty and risks to human health, such as the spread of diseases such as rabies.
They are working with a Chinese group called Vshine, which is campaigning across Asia to end the dog and cat meat trade.
In June this year, Vshine rescued 19 dogs from an illegal slaughterhouse on the outskirts of Yulin, a week before the city’s annual dog meat festival, in which thousands of dogs and cats are killed and eat meat.
One of the dogs rescued by Candy’s Hound Rescue is Tang Tang, who was rescued from a slaughterhouse. She had been hit repeatedly on the head and had untreated diabetes, meaning she would soon have to have an eye removed.
“She was rescued from the dog meat trade, she was in the slaughter house,” Ms. “She had all these scars on her back. What they do to weigh them – especially hounds – is tie a rope around their legs and weigh them.
“She explained that many dogs used in the illegal meat trade are “skinned alive or boiled alive” in the hope that the meat will taste better.
“I understand that bringing them to this country won’t save [all of them], but it will save the ones we save,” she said.
Wendy Higgins, of the Humane Society International/UK, said there is a“dedicated and growing animal protection movement in China”.
“[Our] Chinese partner team works tirelessly year-round to save thousands of dogs and cats from the meat trade, working with law enforcement to stop trafficked animals packed into trucks and helped shut down illegal slaughterhouses, giving life to rescued animals -saving on treatment and rehabilitation,” she said.
“We recently supported the launch in China of an information line for people to report illegal dog and cat meat trade activities, which has proven to be effective in closing restaurants and slaughterhouses operating in many places across the country. “
The top diplomat from China says that the world needs to act quickly to stop the fighting in Gaza. China is trying to help establish a truce between Israel and Hamas.
The Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi invited officials from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian National Authority, and Indonesia, along with the head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to visit China’s capital for two days. This is the beginning of their planned trips to other world capitals.
The ministers said that the war needs to stop right away and relief supplies need to be sent in quickly.
The countries in the group wanted to work together with China and other responsible countries who understand how serious the situation is.
Israel started attacking Gaza and sending troops there after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. Israel’s army said more than 200 people were taken captive in the attack.
The meeting in Beijing is happening because CNN has been told that there might be an agreement to free some hostages held by Hamas and to stop fighting for a few days. The United States, Israel, and Hamas have been talking for weeks, with help from Qatar.
Beijing and Washington disagree on how to handle the conflict, including the timing of a ceasefire. Washington does not support an immediate ceasefire, which has caused tension between the two countries. Beijing did not support Israel’s response to the attack and did not speak out against Hamas, causing anger from Israeli leaders.
“Israel needs to stop punishing everyone in Gaza and let aid get through to prevent a big humanitarian crisis. Wang said this during talks with the delegation, as reported by China’s Foreign Ministry. ”
Israel strongly says that it is fighting against terrorism after a terrible attack. It refuses to stop fighting unless the hostages are returned.
China wants to help solve the conflict because it wants to become a big global power.
Last month, Beijing sent a peace representative to visit many countries in the area. China has been speaking up for a quick end to fighting at the United Nations, including the Security Council, where China is currently in charge.
The UN group made a decision about the fighting last week. They want all the people held by Hamas to be let go, and they want safe ways for civilians to get help in the area. The US and the United Kingdom didn’t vote, because they didn’t agree with the resolution for not condemning Hamas.
Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said that because of a certain member’s repeated blockages, this resolution is just a first step for now, based on the smallest amount of agreement. It seemed like he was indirectly criticizing the US.
On Monday in Beijing, the Saudi Arabia’s minister praised the Security Council’s decision, which was led by China.
The conflict has helped China make its relationships with Arab countries stronger. China wants to separate the US from the countries it has been friends with for a long time in the Arab world.
“We have always stood up for Arab and Muslim countries, and we have always supported the Palestinian people in getting back their rights,” Wang told the group visiting.
Last month, China’s special envoy for the Middle East, Zhai Jun, visited Egypt, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan to talk about stopping fighting and having peace for a longer time.
Last week, the representative traveled to Turkey and Bahrain to meet with government officials. They also talked about the “regional situation” with people from Singapore, the US, and Europe at an international conference.
Wang talked to Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on the phone last month. It’s not known if China has spoken to Hamas officials during the recent fighting.
This week, the Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki from the West Bank-based Palestinian National Authority is visiting officials in Beijing.
Earlier this month, China sent a top official from its Foreign Ministry to Iran to talk about the conflict. This information was shared on the department’s social media account.
Iran has been supporting Hamas and Hezbollah for a long time.
Last week, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden talked for a long time in California. Biden asked Xi to use China’s influence with Iran to prevent a bigger conflict in the region, according to a top US official.
Biden told Xi that he sees Hamas as different from the Palestinian people. The US thinks that Hamas is a terrorist group that has caused a lot of harm to the Palestinian people. They also support Israel’s right to fight back against Hamas.
Beijing is talking about the fighting between Palestinians and Israelis, but they’re not mentioning Hamas specifically.
State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said the US would be happy if China helps in a good way in the Middle East.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has personally made it clear in his conversations with China’s Wang, according to Miller.
Chinese pioneer Xi Jinping displayed an neighborly China prepared to move forward ties with the Joined together States in a point of interest assembly with US President Joe Biden Wednesday, stamping a discernible move in tone for Beijing because it looks to play down friction with Washington.
Whether that move could be a enduring one for the disagreeable relationship will be put to an quick test, be that as it may, by comments made by Biden during a solo press conference after the assembly. There, the President repeated his see that Xi may be a “dictator,” after being inquired by a columnist whether he stood by a comment saying as much this past June.
At that point, Beijing responded with vitriol, with the comment seen as casting a shadow over conditional advance in progressing discourse between the two sides taking after a visit from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
When inquired around Biden’s most recent comment at a Chinese Foreign Ministry briefing on Thursday, a representative called it “extremely erroneous” and an “irresponsible political move, which China solidly opposes.”
“What ought to be pointed out is that there will continuously be a few individuals with hidden thought processes endeavoring to weaken China-US relations. They will not succeed in doing so,” representative Mao Ning said.
It’s still vague whether there will be any advance response this time, but the reaction comes as China’s signaling around the San Francisco Inlet Region assembly between Xi and Biden has stamped a move absent from its hardline position on the Joined together States. This softening comes as China hooks with a disturbed economy and is sharp to highlight Xi as a capable and able world pioneer.
Agreeing to explanations from both the US and China Wednesday, the two sides concurred to reestablish military communications and to combat the stream of fentanyl from China to the US amid a few hours of “constructive” gatherings.
China labeled the talks as “positive” and “comprehensive” — whereas moreover highlighting Xi’s endeavors to spell out Beijing’s non-negotiables such as its position on Taiwan and seen American endeavors to contain China’s rise.
On Chinese state media and over social media stages, where the hashtag #Planet-Earth-Is-Big-Enough-For-Both-China-And-The-US was trending, the wide recognition showed up to be of a work well done.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV highlighted how Biden welcomed Xi for a walk around the verdant domain where the assembly took put which the American pioneer “personally escorted him to his car to offered goodbye” — a detail that was moreover highlighted in another top-trending hashtag on Chinese social media.
The positive scope of the occasion was a break from the normal talk basic of the US that frequently plays over Chinese state and social media. Anti-US talk has been a critical topic boosting development in Chinese patriotism as pressures flared between the two in later a long time.
It’s really important for Xi to look friendly and strong when meeting with Biden because he wants to show that he is doing a good job of handling China’s relationships with other countries, especially at a time when China’s economy is not doing so well. He also wants to make sure that people in China see him as good at dealing with other countries.
Xi visited as the Chinese economy is having problems with a real estate market crisis, high debt of local governments, and a high number of young people without jobs. At the same time, strict rules in different industries have made businesses worried and made them wonder if there are still good chances to make money in China.
“These challenges are huge,” said Alfred Wu, a teacher at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. He mentioned that Xi wanted to show people in China his abilities in handling foreign affairs while in California. He also said that Xi is well respected in America and is considered as a world leader equal to Biden.
A meeting with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in California showed some important visual messages.
Wang said that Biden invited President Xi Jinping to have a special meeting, different from the meetings that other leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum are having.
Wang said the Xi-Biden meeting will be a very important event in world relations. He also mentioned that the meeting was held during a crucial time in China-US relations.
Xi also spoke nicely at a dinner event in front of American business leaders later that day.
He said the most important thing about US-China relations is whether they are enemies or friends.
Xi said that if we see each other as our biggest enemy and a big challenge, and always feel threatened by each other, we will make bad decisions and get bad results. This was said to a group that included Tim Cook and Elon Musk.
China wants to be a partner and friend of the United States.
The meeting helped people to talk and work together, but it also showed that they disagree on certain things and can’t come to an agreement on them. This will keep causing problems in their relationship.
And even in places where they agreed, there is still some uncertainty.
China said they will start talking with the US military again, after the US government asked them to. They said they will talk in a fair and respectful way.
Wen-Ti Sung, who works for the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub in Taiwan, explained that in the future, if China is upset with the US, they can stop talking about military things and blame the US for not showing them respect.
“He said this weakens the reason for the talks to start again and continue. ”
China’s leader, Xi, told the US to stop giving weapons to Taiwan and to help China bring Taiwan back peacefully. China says Taiwan is part of their country, but Taiwan governs itself.
Xi said that China will eventually come together as one, and it is certain that it will happen. This was a popular topic on social media in China after the meeting.
Biden said that America still supports Taiwan and doesn’t want any changes to happen without both sides agreeing. He thinks that any issues between Taiwan and China should be solved peacefully.
Xi also told the US to not try to control China. This seems to refer to America making stronger partnerships in Asia and trying to limit China’s economic growth by restricting trade and investment in high tech.
Xi said that both sides should try to understand each other’s basic beliefs and limits.
Both of them are still worried about each other’s motives after meeting once, and it’s doubtful that their worries will go away. How those agreements are carried out in the coming weeks and months will show if China and the US are both dedicated to long-term stability.
“The meeting shows that the relationship between the US and China won’t get much worse next year, but it also won’t improve very quickly and become much better soon,” said Liu Dongshu, who is a professor at City University of Hong Kong and studies Chinese politics.
“Xi Jinping wants to improve relations with the US, but China knows that the US wants to control China. So, China hopes for better relations, but they can live with things staying the same. ”
One way to see how things will go between Beijing and Biden is to look at how Beijing reacts to Biden calling their leader a dictator. Also, we can see if their media hides the comment and only talks about the good things that happened on Wednesday.
Biden thinks that he and Xi can fix their problems because he said that Xi runs a communist country and their government is different from the US government.
Sir Keir Starmer has challenged Rishi Sunak over David Cameron’s appointment as foreign secretary, raising concerns about his links to China. The Labor leader asked when there would be “full public disclosure of your work to support China’s interests”.
Sir Keir cited Lord Cameron’s previous work for a Chinese investment fund which he said may have been “engineered by the Chinese state”.
The Prime Minister said Sir Cameron had “wonderful experience”. Defending his appointment, Mr Sunak said he would help the UK navigate “an uncertain world”. He added: “Like all other ministers in government, he will follow the usual procedure with independent counsel. ”
The former prime minister made a surprise return to the cabinet as part of Mr Sunak’s dramatic reshuffle on Monday, when he sacked Suella Braverman as home secretary.
During Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir said: “The Prime Minister clearly cares so little for his own MPs that he had to remove David Cameron from his seven-year exile in a shepherd’s hut sheep and appointed him Foreign Minister.
Raising concerns about Mr Cameron’s interests in China, the Labor leader highlighted his previous role as vice-chairman of a Sino-British investment fund.
He cited a report released by the National Assembly’s Intelligence and Security Committee earlier this year that said it was possible that the role was “partly designed by the Chinese state to lend credibility to Chinese investments. ”
China, as well as Chinese brand image in a broad sense. ”
In response, Mr Sunak said: “China represents a historic challenge. That is why we have taken strong and robust measures to protect against the risk it poses. ”
When he was Prime Minister, Sir Cameron hailed a “golden age” of closer ties between Britain and China. Since leaving Number 10, some of his business activities have also involved China. For example, he gave a speech supporting investment in a new port in Sri Lanka, which was strongly supported by Beijing.
Relations between Britain and China have been strained in recent years, with tensions over issues including the crackdown on human rights in Hong Kong and the treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.
Last year, Mr Sunak declared the “golden age” was over, calling closer economic ties over the previous decade “naive”.
The Joined together States and China have concurred to continue a working bunch on climate participation and vowed a major ramp-up of renewable vitality, the two sides reported Wednesday ahead of a leaders’ summit in San Francisco, as the world’s two biggest polluters look for to overcome their geopolitical pressures to handle the climate emergency.
The declaration came hours some time recently US President Joe Biden and Chinese pioneer Xi Jinping are set to sit down on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Financial Participation summit for their to begin with conversation in a year – a profoundly expected assembly pointed at stabilizing rough relations.
Participation on climate alter has long been seen as a uncommon shinning spot in an something else troublesome US-China relationship strained by pressures over exchange, innovation, human rights and geopolitics. But indeed that shinning spot had darkened over the past year, with Beijing cutting off climate talks with Washington in striking back for a high-level US visit to Taiwan final summer.
The explanation on Wednesday, discharged independently by the US State Division and China’s Service of Environment and Environment, taken after days of gatherings between US climate emissary John Kerry and his Chinese partner Xie Zhenhua at the Sunnylands withdraw in California prior this month. The two emissaries moreover met in Beijing for talks this summer.
The two sides chosen to “operationalize” a suspended respective working bunch to “engage in discourse and participation to acknowledge concrete climate actions” in this decade, agreeing to the articulation. That working bunch was to begin with proposed by Kerry and Xie in 2021 at the Joined together Countries climate summit in Glasgow, but has been on hold since Eminent final year.
The articulation too promises a major ramp-up of renewable vitality counting wind, sun oriented, and battery capacity to assist run each country’s gigantic power sector – particularly to require the put of planet-warming fossil fills like coal, oil and gas.
China and the US committed to “sufficiently quicken renewable vitality deployment” in their economies until the conclusion of 2030 to speed up “the substitution for coal, oil and gas.” They moreover swore to bolster endeavors to “triple renewable vitality capacity all inclusive by 2030,” and said they arrange to genuinely diminish emanations from their control division inside this decade.
Both nations concurred to economy-wide diminishments of all nursery gasses in their worldwide climate commitments for 2035, counting carbon dioxide, methane, and hydrofluorocarbons. The understanding includes endeavoring to cut emanations in line with keeping worldwide temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius – a significant edge over which researchers say climate alter impacts such as heatwaves and dry seasons will gotten to be troublesome for people and whole biological systems to adapt to.
The articulation marks the primary time China has formally expressed its aim to control the discharge of all nursery gas outflows – not fair carbon dioxide as laid out in its current climate objectives, said a Chinese climate researcher in Beijing, who talkedon the condition of anominity as he did not get endorsement to talk to the media.
“Under the current political environment, both parties have attempted their best to discover a few down to earth and attainable focuses that can be progressed. It is exceptionally pragmatic,” the researcher said.
Li Shuo, the chief of China Climate Center at the Asia Society Arrangement Organized, said China’s vow to set discharge targets for all nursery gas outflows was seemingly the foremost outstanding point within the articulation.
“Carbon dioxide is as it were one of the nursery gasses. Non-carbon dioxide gasses such as methane still account for a impressive share of China’s nursery gas emissions,” he said.
“If you don’t incorporate them, you’re not really covering a noteworthy parcel of the country’s whole emissions.”
China had already committed to cresting its emanations “before 2030,” but has not indicated precisely when it would do so. But there are signs that the country’s rapid buildout of wind and sun based may well be beginning to uproot coal; a Carbon Brief examination discharged this week said China’s emanations may begin to drop following year – and seem forecast a broader move descending.
Still, indeed with the guarantees of a critical ramp-up of renewables, there were no express words from China on whether it would stage out or stage down its utilize of coal – the foremost contaminating shape of fossil fuel.
The Sunnylands articulation moreover comes three weeks some time recently the yearly UN climate conference known as COP28, which is being held this year in Dubai. Other nations are as often as possible observing for signs of participation between the world’s two greatest emitters – which can set the tone and pace for the yearly conference.
Li, at the Asia Society, said the Sunnylands articulation was a “timely exertion of adjusting the US and China” ahead of COP28, as their engagement is “a precondition for important worldwide progress.”
But he said the challenging US-China relationship implied the climate understanding between them would as it were be “floor setting”, not “tone setting” – and COP 28 has its work cut out for it.
“The US-China talks will offer assistance stabilize the legislative issues when nations meet within the UAE, but basic issues such as fossil fuel stage out still require much political efforts. China moreover ought to consider what assist aspiration can be brought to the COP. Halting the endorsement of unused coal control ventures may be a great next step,” he included.
Two important businessmen in China – a person who started a technology company and an expert in investing – have been held by authorities, as per reports.
The head of a Chinese live-streaming website called DouYu has not been reachable for many weeks, and his company says they cannot get in touch with him.
However, another important person, who is often compared to China’s famous investor Warren Buffet, was announced by his company to have been taken into custody on Monday.
Zhao Bingxian’s company stated that he was helping the authorities with an investigation.
Wohua Pharmaceutical did not give any information about why their chairman, Mr. Zhao, was detained. They said that it had nothing to do with the company and they have not been officially notified about it.
Streaming platform Douyu has not made any public statements following the news of their founder Chen Shaojie being detained.
The Financial Times newspaper said that Mr. Chen was taken for investigation because he was allegedly involved in illegal activities like pornography and gambling on Douyu, according to anonymous sources.
They said they couldn’t reach him for several weeks starting in October, just like what Chinese media reported.
Douyu is a big website in China where people can watch videos live. Tencent, a huge internet company, owns a lot of the website.
Chinese authorities have detained more finance and tech industry leaders this year, which has caused worries that Beijing is taking stronger actions.
In February, one of the most well-known billionaire bankers in China was reported as missing by his company.
China Renaissance Holdings confirmed that Bao Fan, a famous person involved in technology deals, is helping the authorities with an investigation. Nobody has seen him publicly since then.
In late 2020, Jack Ma, who is a famous business leader from China and the founder of Alibaba, was not seen in public for three months. This happened because he made negative remarks about the authorities who oversee the market.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stated that there has been notable improvement in relations with China following discussions with President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
Mr Albanese arrived in Shanghai on Saturday. He is the first Australian leader to go to China since 2016.
The four-day visit is seen as an important step towards improving relations, after a series of disagreements over trade and security.
Trade is very important- Mr. Albanese wants Chinese tariffs on Australian goods to be stopped.
Both men promised to keep working together for the benefit of their countries, even though they had disagreements in the past.
President Xi welcomed Mr. Albanese to the Great Hall of the People. He said that China and Australia have the potential to become trusting partners and are on the right path to improving and developing their relationship. This was reported by state broadcaster CCTV.
Mr Xi told Mr Albanese that Beijing wants to maximize the benefits of the China-Australia free trade agreement.
Before their discussions, Mr. Albanese explained to reporters that we should work together with China when possible, but also express our disagreements when necessary and participate in things that benefit our country. I believe there are encouraging indications. We have already seen some barriers to trade between our countries being removed, and there has been a significant increase in trade between our countries.
He is going on a trip after tensions between Australia and China. This was because Australia wanted to investigate where Covid-19 came from, and China responded with sanctions on Australian exports like beef, wine, and barley.
This also happens at the same time as the 50-year anniversary of when Gough Whitlam, an important Australian leader, went to China to meet with Mao Zedong in 1973. It was the first time an Australian prime minister visited China after the two countries started having official relationships.
Reporters asked Mr Albanese if Australia can “trust” China. He answered that his previous interactions with Mr Xi have been “good” and “helpful”.
However, we understand that we have different ways of governing, different beliefs and principles, and different past events that shape our societies. But we judge and interact with each other based solely on our appearances and first impressions.
However, there are many issues and worries about safety that need to be resolved in the talks happening on Monday.
Yang Hengjun is an Australian writer who has been held in prison in China since 2019. His health is getting worse, and there are people in Australia asking their leader, Mr. Albanese, to help get him released.
Experts say that Canberra’s increasing military relationship with the United States and its recent changes to its defense strategy, which are believed to be aimed at countering China, may create challenges in finding common ground between the two countries, other than their economic interests. Some experts think that Beijing might want to get more access to Australia’s resources and renewable energy industries. However, the Australian government has been taking steps to prevent Chinese companies from owning important minerals and mining projects.
Mr Albanese said to the reporters that he was happy with the way Australia and China talked and worked together during the meeting.
He mentioned that Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the troubles in the Middle East were discussed during the meeting. However, they did not talk about the “14 issues” that China had with Australia when their relationship was in a bad state.
Mr Albanese said it was important to talk about guardrails and military collaboration between the United States and China.
The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, and the President of China, Xi Jinping, have met in Beijing to have discussions in order to improve the strained relationship between the two countries.
MrAlbanese arrived in Shanghai on Saturday. He is the first Australian leader to go to China since 2016.
The visit is seen as an important moment in improving relations, after a series of conflicts over trade and security.
MrAlbanese wants China to stop charging extra fees on Australian products, and he believes this topic should be the main focus of discussion.
Mr Xi is likely to request more opportunities to get into important Australian industries.
Mr Albanese said that we should work together with China when we can, but if there are things we don’t agree on, we should speak up. We should also focus on our own country’s interests. He said this before the meeting while talking to reporters in Beijing.
His trip comes after a period of no communication between countries caused by Australia requesting to look into the beginnings of Covid-19, and China stopping key Australian exports like beef, wine, and barley.
This also happens to be the 50th anniversary of Gough Whitlam’s famous trip to China in 1973. It was the first time an Australian prime minister visited China after the two countries started diplomatic relations.
When reporters asked if Australia can rely on or have confidence in China, Mr. Albanese said that his previous interactions with Mr. Xi have been good and helpful.
However, we understand that we have different ways of governing, very different beliefs based on those ways, and different past experiences. But we judge each other based on what we see on the outside.
Monday’s talks will have some things that people can’t agree on and some worries about safety.
Australian writer Yang Hengjun has been held in China since 2019 on charges of spying. His health is getting worse and people in Australia want their leader, Mr. Albanese, to help get him released.
Analysts say that Canberra’s increasing military relationship with Washington and its recent changes in defense strategy, which are seen as targeting China, might make it hard for the two countries to agree on matters other than economic interests.
Some experts think that Beijing may try to get more opportunities to use Australia’s resources and renewable energy industries. However, the Australian government has done things to stop Chinese people from owning important minerals and mining projects in the country.
When China’s first astronaut, Yang Liwei, went into space in 2003, it was a significant event that showed China was becoming a strong presence in space exploration.
China has become a big player in space after twenty years, which matches its increasing power and influence in the economy, politics, and military on Earth. Now, there is a space station that is always in orbit. People live and work there all the time.
On Thursday, three Chinese astronauts flew to the Tiangong space station on a spacecraft called Shenzhou-17. They took off from a place called Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, which is in the Gobi Desert. They will stay on the space station for six months.
They are the youngest group of people that China has ever sent to space, and their average age is 38. Their job on the space station includes fixing the broken solar panels caused by space junk. This is the first time Chinese astronauts will be doing repairs outside the station.
This is China’s sixth time sending people on a space mission to its space station since 2021. The new team will replace the Shenzhou-16 astronauts, who have been on the spacecraft since May.
Before the launch, the crew received a grand farewell with government officials and supporters lining the road. The three people in space said hello to the group of people on the ground. The people on the ground were holding Chinese flags and flowers in their hands. A musical group performed songs that celebrate their country, and the people in the audience joined in and sang the songs.
After going to space himself, Yang has helped many Chinese astronauts go on their own space missions. Thursday’s launch was very emotional, and it happened just a few days after the 20th anniversary of his own important flight.
In the last 20 years, it has grown quickly and achieved many great things,” Yang told CNN at the Jiuquan center before the launch.
The Tiangong, or “heavenly palace” in Chinese, was finished last year and is one of two space stations in space right now. The NASA-led International Space Station (ISS) will retire in 2030 after 15 years. This means that there might be no other space station left.
China has said that it will make the Tiangong bigger in the future. They will add three more parts to the existing three. This will allow more astronauts to stay in space together. Right now, it can hold three astronauts at most, while the ISS can accommodate seven astronauts.
Yang said he was very happy to see younger Chinese astronauts called “taikonauts” continuing the work started by previous generations. “He said that the soldiers show the power of our backup force and the potential for the future growth of China’s space industry. ”
Two of the astronauts on the Shenzhou-17 mission, Tang Shengjie (33) and Jiang Xinlin (35), are relatively new to the team. They became astronauts in China’s third group just over three years ago.
Tang Hongbo, a person from China’s second group of astronauts, is leading them.
Tang, who used to fly fighter jets, went to China’s space station in 2021 as part of its first crewed mission. He came back to the Tiangong and made a new record for Chinese astronauts by having the shortest time between two space missions.
Tiangong is a representation of China’s goals and abilities in space. Chinese astronauts couldn’t join the ISS, a project involving the US, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada, for over 20 years.
Since 2011, NASA has not been allowed to work together with China because Congress made a law called the Wolf Amendment, worried about spying. The fact that they were excluded has made Beijing decide to build its own space station.
China wants to work together with other countries in their space station. They are welcoming experiments from other nations. And that offer will be even more attractive once the ISS stops operating, which is planned to happen around 2030.
Leroy Chiao, who used to be an astronaut and led the International Space Station (ISS), mentioned that NASA has teamed up with various private organizations to build new space stations. These stations would be run by NASA astronauts. “But we will have to wait and see how everything progresses,” he told CNN.
Other countries that take part in space travel, including sending humans into space, have been having discussions with China. And if they are the only option available, these companies or countries can only be part of space travel for humans. This will be the case until NASA helps fund and launch commercial space stations that are ready to be used.
For many years, Beijing has been using its increasing power in space to offer partnerships and chances for growth to other countries.
China and the United States are competing with each other in various areas including economy, technology, and global politics. Now, they have also started competing in space exploration as it has become an important aspect of their power struggle.
After the Soviet Union’s space program ended, the US became the top leader in space. Recently, people in the US who watch and work in politics have been saying that China’s space abilities are growing quickly and might challenge America’s power.
That worry has gotten stronger because of several important and well-known accomplishments by China.
In 2019, China was the first country to reach and land on the side of the moon that we usually can’t see from Earth. In 2021, China became the second country, after the US, to successfully land a working rover on Mars.
China has further goals beyond what has already been mentioned. Next year, it wants to bring back the first samples ever taken from the other side of the moon. By the end of this decade, it plans to send people to the moon and create a research center there that people from different countries can use. Some countries, such as Russia, Venezuela, and South Africa, have apparently joined a planned lunar station.
Chiao, a former NASA astronaut, mentioned that the biggest hurdle for China’s space program is gaining the practical knowledge and skills that an organization like NASA already has.
For many years, we have been using spacecraft, space shuttles, and space stations. And we have a lot of experience and knowledge in training astronauts to work in space – and that’s where they are behind,” he said.
The unexpected death of China’s former Premier Li Keqiang has caused a lot of sadness and grieving throughout the country. But for a lot of people, it seems like an opportunity to express their frustration with Xi Jinping, the leader of China, and the way he has been leading the country.
Li, who was supposedly the second-in-command to Xi for ten years until March of this year, passed away from a sudden heart attack on Friday in Shanghai, as reported by state media. He was 68 years old.
The Chinese people were very surprised when he died only a few months after he stopped working. Many people have posted messages on the country’s internet, and there are lots of bouquets left in makeshift memorials outside his childhood home and other places from his past.
On social media and in handwritten notes among the flowers, many people remembered Li for the dreams he had but didn’t achieve, instead of his accomplishments in politics.
Many people believe that Li, who is not as powerful as Xi, has been ignored and not given much importance. He is thought to be one of the least strong leaders in the history of Communist China. As a result, many people who are grieving have been thinking about Li’s unfinished ideas. They believe that if these ideas had been followed, China would have taken a different direction in the last ten years.
“People are taking advantage of this opportunity to show dissatisfaction with Xi Jinping,” said Alfred Wu, a professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore. “It’s a type of anger – anger towards the current government. ”
Li was very smart and wanted to make changes in China. People thought he might become the leader of the country. However, he became the premier, a position typically responsible for managing the economy.
Usually, that role gives someone a lot of power in the second biggest economy in the world. However, Li’s power to make decisions slowly decreased because Xi started to have more control and moved away from the ruling Communist Party’s way of sharing leadership.
Many people see Li as a potential leader who can change China to be less influenced by ideology, less controlling, and more open to market changes, entrepreneurship, and connections with other countries.
People who were grieving shared Li’s own words to honor him, but also to indirectly criticize Xi. One of the most talked about things was a promise from Li that China’s changes and openness will keep going, just like how the Yellow River and Yangtze River keep flowing in one direction. Another thing Li said that got a lot of attention was a metaphorical reminder that a leader’s actions will be remembered by history: “The heavens are observing what people do. ”
According to Zhang Lun, a professor at the University of Cergy-Pontoise in France, people are expressing their dissatisfaction with Xi’s policies from the past ten years. These policies include stricter control over people’s beliefs and less personal freedom. There are also constant political campaigns that remind people of Mao Zedong, the person who started Communist China.
Many people were frustrated because of Xi’s strict zero-Covid policies for three years. These policies hurt the economy and made millions of Chinese people go through frequent testing, quarantines, and citywide lockdowns. The strict rules were suddenly removed after big protests happened all over the country.
Zhang said that people were feeling frustrated because they were confused and hopeless about what would happen in the future. This was caused by China’s economic decline and its decision to focus more on itself and less on the rest of the world. All these feelings were looking for a way to be expressed.
Zhang, who went to the prestigious Peking University with Li in the late 1970s after Mao’s Cultural Revolution ended, said that even though Li wasn’t very important in history or politics, he gave people a chance to express their unhappiness.
In a time when honesty is ignored and fake, important, and meaningless statements are dominant, the fundamental principles that Li Keqiang followed have become highly valuable. “He said that it shows how angry, hopeless, and unhappy people are with the way things are in life, and they blame Li for it. ”
Among the people who supported him, Li was well-known for being a leader who cared about those who had less and was not afraid to advocate for them, even if it went against what his political party preferred. Many people on social media thanked Li for saying that 600 million Chinese people, or about 40% of the population, still only make 1,000 yuan ($137) per month. Official propaganda claims that poverty has been eliminated, but Li’s statement challenges that.
“There was a comment that said, ‘Only he understood me,’ but it got removed afterwards. ” “I haven’t had a steady job for the past four years. ”
In the past ten years, Chinese people got used to seeing Li in difficult and sad times. He was frequently sent as the top party official to offer sympathy and greet people affected by natural disasters, like floods, earthquakes, or pandemics.
When Covid-19 started spreading in the city of Wuhan, Li went there first, about two months before Xi visited the city when the virus was mostly under control.
Many people remembered Li for being down-to-earth and understanding. They posted videos of him talking and having fun with young people while walking around. This was very different from how Xi usually acts in public, as he is often formal and serious.
In a popular video that spread widely at the time and was shared again this week, Li was seen without a face mask at a university in Yunnan province in May of last year. This happened when many local governments were implementing strict measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, as seen in Shanghai’s two-month lockdown.
Saying goodbye to a group of students, Li wished them good luck in finding their dream job. This gesture was seen by many young people as a reassuring reminder that they are dealing with high levels of unemployment among their age group.
Xi has told young people to stop being spoiled and to learn how to endure difficult times.
In another old video that was posted online this week, Li was asked by a university student for a handshake. The student wanted to show off to others and used crude internet language that the government would not approve of. But Li reached out his hand to the student and asked with a friendly expression: “Did you achieve what you wanted by bragging. ”
Wu, who is knowledgeable in Singapore, said that Li displayed a compassionate side that is not commonly witnessed in China’s bureaucracy nowadays.
Everyone appears to be like a robot, without any emotions or understanding for others. But he appeared different – and people still remember that,” he said.
In China, when a top leader dies, it can be a difficult and hard time for the ruling Communist Party. When people are not allowed to openly criticize the government and face harsh punishment for doing so, they may use the opportunity of mourning a well-liked official’s death to express their unhappiness with the leadership.
When Zhou Enlai, who was very well liked and was the premier under Mao, passed away in 1976, the sad public participated in big remembrance events to express their unhappiness with the Cultural Revolution, which had caused ten years of turmoil, aggression, and confusion.
Over ten years later, the death of Hu Yaobang, a leader who wanted changes but was not listened to, caused many people to feel very sad. This sadness grew and led to protests for more democracy in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and many other cities in China.
A group of university students started a movement which ended violently, with the military killing hundreds, maybe even thousands, of protesters. This led to a time of everyone having to think and act the same way.
The Communist Party, led by Xi, has gained more control over surveillance. They are now taking action to limit and influence how people pay homage to a recently passed leader both on the internet and in real life.
On social media, people have deleted videos and posts that showed Li’s ideas for change or any other qualities that could make Xi look bad.
Weibo, a popular site for short messages, stopped users from looking for the love song “Sadly, It’s Not You” by Malaysian singer Fish Leong. Lately, when a leader from any country passed away, some people from China showed their feelings by using a sad song about relationships ending.
Outside Li’s childhood home in Hefei, which is the capital of the Anhui province in eastern China, there were government workers who were guarding the crowd of mourners. They were asking people to not stay there for a long time and were checking the cards attached to the flower bouquets. This information comes from posts and photos shared on social media by people who were present at the scene.
The government was watching and being present at other important places where people were grieving, like Li’s family home in a small village in Anhui and a square in Zhengzhou city, where Li used to work as an important leader 20 years ago.
In some cities, people have been leaving flowers and messages in random places like universities, parks, and public squares. However, some of these have been removed, as reported on social media.
Li’s body will be burned in Beijing on Thursday. Flags will be lowered halfway across the entire country, according to the official Xinhua news agency on Tuesday. Xinhua praised Li for being a great member of the Communist Party of China (CPC), a devoted communist soldier, and an exceptional leader of the Party and the country.
Zhang, an expert in France, said that the Chinese authorities will be careful in dealing with public feelings and will try to avoid doing anything that might make people more angry. Although the mourning for Li is not expected to cause a large protest movement right now, it could still contribute to future episodes that may lead to one.
Zhang said that after people express their unhappiness for a short time, their anger will continue to grow. Li’s death has destroyed any chance of having another option, and this feeling of hopelessness will keep getting worse and make the future more uncertain.
Report says Li Keqiang, a former leader of China, passed away due to a sudden heart attack in Shanghai on Friday. He was known for his ideas on making changes in the country.
He was 68 years of age.
China’s number one, Li, was given the title but did not have much real power. Two leaders were in power until last year. One of them was in charge of the country’s economy for ten years, from 2013 to March of this year. This leader served under the supervision of Xi Jinping, a strong ruler.
During his time as the boss, Li guided the world’s second-biggest economy through a tough period of increasing problems with technology and trade with the United States, growing government debt and unemployment, and the Covid-19 pandemic.
In his last year as the leader, the economist talked a lot about the problems China’s economy faced because of the Covid-19 lockdowns. He supported actions to create more jobs and keep the economy stable.
Li is known for using his English skills sometimes when he appears outside of mainland China. He also represents a different way of thinking about China’s relationships with other countries. This is important because China’s relationships with Western countries are becoming more difficult.
Li said that China and the United States have similar things they care about, in response to a question from CNN during his yearly press conference in March 2021. The two countries should focus more on what they have in common and try to find more ways to work together.
As people heard about Li’s death on Friday morning, they shared a quote from his speech in 2022 where he promised that China will stay open to the world, no matter what happens internationally.
Li, a person with advanced knowledge and skills in technology and industry, who has studied law and economics, was seen as someone who supported private businesses. He was also seen to have a different policy view from Xi, who has increased party control over the economy.
Li was in charge of many of China’s actions to support economic growth for ten years. He believed in connecting China’s economy with the rest of the world, but Xi started to ignore him.
In recent years, people from other countries started to think that Beijing might not continue with its policy of “reform and opening. ” However, Li kept telling foreign business leaders and local officials that economic development is still the most important thing for the party.
During the lockdowns caused by Covid, he organized meetings where he told government departments to help foreign companies overcome obstacles to start producing again.
According to Willy Lam, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation think tank in the US, Li is the only member of the Politburo Standing Committee who openly supported Deng Xiaoping’s open-door policy. This policy goes against Xi Jinping’s preference for state-controlled measures.
Li is also known for talking about problems in society. People on social media noticed that he said that 600 million people in China, which is about 40% of the population, only make 1,000 yuan ($137) per month.
These comments were made during the leader’s yearly meeting with journalists in 2020. They reminded everyone that China is still facing challenges in helping its citizens escape poverty, despite the leader praising China’s efforts in this area as something the whole country can be proud of.
During the pandemic, when Beijing’s rules made a big part of the country stop, Li asked the local leaders to follow the rules seriously and help the economy, small businesses, and jobs.
He was the most important official to visit Wuhan in January 2020, during a time when the city was locked down and struggling with a large number of infections in the first known Covid-19 outbreak.
Some things Li did to improve the economy seemed to show that he didn’t have a good relationship with Xi. Many people believed that Li didn’t have as much power as past premiers.
When the leader suggested bringing back street stalls to help the economy and solve the problem of a lot of people not having jobs, some media organizations didn’t like the idea.
The criticism from party supporters created rumors of disagreement between the two top party leaders on how to boost the economy while dealing with strict pandemic measures.
Li is often seen as someone who learned from Xi’s predecessor, Hu Jintao. Hu guided China through a period of quick growth from 2002 to 2012. The men had similar ideas about money and how it should be handled. They gained power by being part of the Communist Party’s Youth League, which used to be a place where future leaders were trained.
The group was famous for creating leaders who wanted to change things, and these leaders came from ordinary families. However, it is thought that Xi has ended their power and influence since he became the leader.
Last year, people paid a lot of attention to the connection between Li and Hu. During the end ceremony of the October 2022 Communist Party Congress, Li, who used to be a powerful leader, was unexpectedly taken away. This happened while Xi was strengthening his control over the party.
During an event that is usually very planned and organized, Hu was taken out of the room by someone. As he left, he stopped to gently touch Li, who had a serious expression, on the shoulder. Li nodded and then looked towards the departing former leader. According to official media, it was later suggested that Hu had to leave because of health problems.
During Hu’s leadership, Li became a member of the Politburo Standing Committee in 2007.
He used to be very important in a political party in a province that has a lot of factories. Then he became the leader of another province that is known for farming.
Li was born in Anhui. When he was a teenager, he worked hard on a farm in the eastern province during a time called the Cultural Revolution. This was a big change in society and politics in China that lasted for ten years, and was led by Mao Zedong.
Australia has given back to Beijing three old things that were taken out of China illegally.
Someone in Canberra gave some very old things to officials from China. The things were a fossil of a dinosaur that is more than 100 million years old, and two small statues from a time called the Tang Dynasty.
Police at the Australian border took the items and sent them to authorities for investigation.
“On Wednesday, Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said that today we have seen how two countries can work well together to bring back cultural objects to their original home. ” “Whether Australia has important cultural belongings or we have belongings abroad, they should be given back to us. ”
These are the things:
A fossil of a long-necked reptile species called hyphalosaurus was found in north-eastern China. This reptile lived around 120 to 133 million years ago. A statue from the Tang Dynasty that shows a person riding a horse and playing a musical instrument. These objects were put in burial sites to make sure that the person who died would have a safe trip to the life after death. A Tang Dynasty statue made of golden bronze portraying the Buddhist god Avalokitesvara, which was probably used as an object for worship on an altar. When asked by the BBC, a spokesperson from the Australian government said that the fossil was brought into the country in 2020, and the Tang Dynasty items were brought in the year after.
The things were taken out of China without permission and then brought to other countries before being brought to Australia. No one was punished because there was no proof that the Australian importers knew the objects had been taken out of China illegally, said the spokesperson.
During the handover ceremony, China received two other ancient items from the Ming and Qing dynasties. These items were given to China by the National Gallery of Australia and a private collector.
China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, thanked the Australians at the ceremony and said he was very grateful. This was reported by the news agency Xinhua.
Chinese state media said that Australia and China have been working together for the last three years to help bring back cultural artifacts, artistic objects, and fossils that were illegally brought into the country.
In August, the national gallery of Australia gave back three old bronze statues to Cambodia. It happened because after ten years of investigating, they discovered that these sculptures were taken illegally.
In March, it was announced that four Aboriginal spears that British explorer Captain James Cook and his group took when they arrived in Australia in 1770 would be given back to their original owners.
China has been speaking up more and more in asking for the return of historical objects that were taken from them, such as things that the British Museum has at the moment.
A former Taiwan air force colonel has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for operating a secret group that spied on Taiwan for China.
Liu Sheng-shu was found guilty of getting other officers who were currently working in the military to send military information to Beijing.
Five other officers, who were part of the navy and air force, were sent to prison for periods ranging from six months to 20 years because of their participation.
According to local news, Liu was asked to join during a work trip to China in 2013.
According to reports, he allegedly operated a group of people who provided information, and he paid them through fake businesses.
The prosecutors said that he received money for giving away information about the military, like how airplanes and warships work.
Besides being sentenced to jail, the authorities took away NT$16. 7m (£425,000; $514,000) that they said were earned illegally.
Liu and six other officers were accused in January by the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office‘s Kaohsiung branch. One person was found not guilty.
Some important people from Taiwan’s military have been accused of helping China’s intelligence agency.
In January, a former high-ranking military officer was declared guilty of receiving free meals and trips from a businessman from Hong Kong who was acting on behalf of Beijing.
But his punishment was put on hold because he felt sorry and had never broken the law before.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, said that if China tries to attack the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea, the US will protect them.
The remarks were made a few days after two crashes happened between ships from the Philippines and China in the disputed areas of the ocean.
Mr Biden strongly stated that he is fully committed to defending the Philippines and that this commitment is very strong.
Manila disagrees with China’s claims to the waters and has removed obstructions in the water and invited the media to film China’s unsafe actions at sea.
Mr Biden made a very strong statement about the South China Sea on Wednesday. This is his strongest statement so far since tensions between Beijing and Manila have been getting worse in the past few months.
I want to make it clear – I really want to make it clear: The United States’ promise to protect the Philippines is very strong. He said that the defense agreement between the United States and the Philippines is very strong and cannot be broken.
The Mutual Defense Treaty was signed in 1951. It makes the US and the Philippines promise to protect each other if there is an attack. The Philippines used to be a colony of the US.
“If someone attacks the airplanes, ships, or military of the Philippines, our agreement to help and protect each other will come into effect,” he said during his speech at the White House on Wednesday, while greeting the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese.
On Sunday, the Philippines accused China of doing risky moves that caused a crash between a China coast guard ship and a Filipino supply boat. This incident happened in an area that belongs to the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone. In another incident, Manila said that a Chinese militia boat hit a Philippine coast guard vessel.
The Filipino boats were going towards an old navy warship that Manila had left at the Second Thomas Shoal to show that it is theirs.
The defense minister of the Philippines, Gilberto Teodoro Jr, said that the Chinese boats purposely hit the Philippine vessels. He also accused China of changing the story to benefit themselves.
Mr Biden agreed with these claims, stating that the Chinese ships had acted in a dangerous and unlawful manner during the collisions. The Philippines is a crucial friend of the US because it is near two possibly dangerous areas in the Pacific – the South China Sea and Taiwan.
Ever since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr became the leader in June 2022 and brought back the Philippines’ alliance with the US, the Filipino government has been more forceful in challenging China’s actions in the South China Sea.
Mr Marcos has a different approach to foreign policy compared to his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte was criticized for not taking strong action against China’s aggressive behavior in the South China Sea.
Duterte said no to using Manila’s legal win against China in a global court, which stated that China’s large claims over most of the South China Sea are not valid.
China has officially relieved its former defence minister, Li Shangfu, of his duties, two months after he disappeared from public view.
The Chinese government has not provided an explanation for his removal, and no successor has been announced.
This decision follows a series of dismissals of high-ranking military officials, including Qin Gang, who was removed as foreign minister in July. Qin Gang and Li Shangfu were also removed from their positions on the State Council.
These changes in leadership occurred as China is preparing to host foreign defense officials in Beijing.
Reuters reported in the previous month that Li Shangfu was under investigation for suspected corruption related to equipment procurement and development.
He was last seen in public in late August at a security forum in Beijing with African nations. Li, who began his career as an aerospace engineer and had a steady rise through the ranks of the military and Chinese political elite, had served as China’s defence minister since March.
In 2018, the U.S. government sanctioned Li Shangfu over China’s purchases of Russian combat aircraft and arms when he led the military’s equipment development division. His removal leaves China without a defence minister.
The Kenyan currency reached an unprecedented low of 150 shillings per US dollar, exacerbating the economic challenges in the heavily indebted East African nation marred by inflation, according to data from the Central Bank.
The Kenyan shilling’s depreciation has been rapidly accelerating, losing nearly 24% of its value against the dollar over the past year.
This decline has been attributed to the strengthening of the US currency, driven by recent Middle East crises that have spurred investment in safe-haven assets and the attractive yields on US Treasury bonds.
Consequently, rising import costs and mounting national debt, which stood at over 10,100 billion shillings at the end of June, are posing significant economic challenges for Kenya.
Repaying this debt, including obligations to China, is becoming increasingly burdensome for the government, as it will soon have to begin debt servicing in July.
Look closely at a video of the crash between a ship from the Philippine coastguard and a ship from a Chinese maritime militia in the South China Sea on Sunday.
In simple words: In the middle of the ship, a Filipino TV crew is rushing to film a scene where someone talks to the camera while two parts of the ship hit each other.
Manila and Beijing have been fighting over underwater areas in the South China Sea for a long time.
However, over the past few months, something has been different. The arguments happening in the open sea are now being shown on TV for everyone to see. Philippine journalists have filmed a close encounter near a sensitive reef called Second Thomas Shoal, Ayungin Shoal, or Ren Ai Reef. This is the second time this has happened in weeks.
This isn’t a coincidence. The Philippine government wants to draw attention to China’s aggressive actions in controlling the waters that belong to Manila.
I believe we have noticed a big difference this year. Retired Colonel Raymond Powell from Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center describes it as a straightforward transparency campaign.
In January, the Philippine government started giving more videos of the incidents to local news outlets. During the summer, it started allowing more and more journalists, including the BBC, to go on their boats and planes that were going to the disputed waters.
Colonel Powell says that the situation has been made clear and visible, like turning on a light, to reveal China’s secret activities.
China seems to have been surprised by these new methods.
According to Oriana Skylar Mastro from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, there was a period where it seemed like the strategy was effective. Mastro explains, “We noticed a brief pause in China’s actions. ”
Beijing relaxed its grip, and Manila was able to bring in more supplies to a place it has on Second Thomas Shoal – an old landing ship from World War II called the Sierra Madre.
In 1999, someone purposely made the ship crash into the reef. Since then, a very small group of Filipino marines has been guarding alone on an old, decaying ship as it slowly breaks apart. In 2014, a group from BBC went on the ship. Even at that time, it was in really bad shape with big holes on its sides, and waves were splashing inside the building.
Most experts think that China has been happy to think and plan for the future. When China and the Philippines have had good relations, China’s coastguard has allowed supplies to be delivered to the Sierra Madre. When people are not getting along, they have stopped the ships from bringing more supplies.
However, Beijing believes that eventually the Philippines will have to remove their marines from the Sierra Madre ship because it won’t last much longer and will eventually collapse into the sea.
During the six years that former president Rodrigo Duterte was in power, it seemed that this belief was likely true. However, ever since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr was elected last year, the Philippines’ foreign policy has completely changed direction. President Marcos has changed President Duterte’s policy of befriending China and instead has gone back to being close with the United States. He is also speaking out loudly about China’s encroachments into Manila’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
There is additional information available. Sources in Manila say that the Philippines has been transporting more than just food and water to the Sierra Madre during resupply runs. They say it has secretly been sending building supplies like cement and scaffolding. The goal is to fix the decaying ship.
ColPowell says it is difficult to see how they could make the ship last longer. I believe we are reaching a critical situation. The Sierra Madre is going to end soon. It could end very soon.
Maybe it is this new feeling of being in a hurry that is making both Manila and Beijing more forceful. Beijing is showing its strength again and is determined to destroy the Sierra Madre.
But if the Sierra Madre finally falls into the aquamarine waters of the South China Sea – or West Philippine Sea in Manila – what happens next.
Will Beijing come and try to take control of the reef like it has done in other parts of the South China Sea. Will Manila try to bring another ship to rest on Ayungin Shoal. And how will Washington respond.
No one knows, but that day may come sooner than expected.
The Philippines says that China’s coast guard crashed into a Filipino boat that was bringing supplies in the South China Sea.
The Filipino boat was going on Sunday to a Philippine base in the Second Thomas Shoal, where tensions have become worse in the past few weeks.
Manila said that Beijing’s “dangerous blocking moves” put the Filipino crew’s safety at risk.
But China claimed that the Philippines purposely caused problems.
Chinese and Philippine ships often play a game of hide and seek around the shoal. A few Filipino soldiers on the outpost, which is a deteriorating navy ship, need to be given food supplies every month.
However, Filipino authorities say that China has become more forceful since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr came into power in June 2022 and tried to have closer military relations with Washington, which is Beijing’s main competitor for control in the sea rich with resources and importance.
On Sunday, there was another incident near Second Thomas Shoal. Filipino authorities reported that a Chinese militia ship crashed into a Philippine coast guard ship.
Another ship with supplies was able to reach the Philippine outpost in the shoal, according to Manila.
Beijing says that it owns almost all of the South China Sea, including the Spratlys which is the area where the Second Thomas Shoal is found. The sea territory claimed by this country is the same as what other countries, like the Philippines and Vietnam, are also claiming.
In 2016, a court in The Hague said that China’s big claims to the sea were not valid. This happened because Manila took them to court. Beijing has said they do not accept it.
China and the Philippines blamed each other for causing crashes in a disputed part of the South China Sea. This is just one of many clashes between the two countries in the area, which has made tensions in the region worse.
The Philippine government said that a ship from the Chinese Coast Guard did dangerous moves that made it crash into a Philippine boat bringing supplies to soldiers stationed in Ayungin Shoal, also known as Second Thomas Shoal, in the Spratly Islands chain.
China’s action was called “provocative, irresponsible, and illegal” and it put the crew of the Philippine boats in danger, according to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea.
On Sunday, another incident occurred where a ship from the Chinese maritime militia collided with a ship from the Philippine coast guard. Both ships were involved in the mission to resupply the BRP Sierra Madre. In 1999, Manila intentionally put a navy ship on Second Thomas Shoal, and Filipino marines are now stationed there to protect their rights to that area.
The Chinese Coast Guard said on Sunday that the Philippines broke international sea rules and put the safety of Chinese ships in danger.
It accused the first Philippine ship of going into the waters of what it calls the Nansha islands and Renai Reef without permission. This prompted a Chinese Coast Guard ship to stop the Philippine ship, which led to a small crash.
In another incident, the Chinese Coast Guard stated that the Philippine Coast Guard boat intentionally tried to start a problem and turned around, resulting in crashing into a Chinese fishing boat.
Beijing says that it completely owns most of the South China Sea, including the islands and sandbars in it. They even claim ownership of areas that are far away from China’s main territory.
In 2016, a court in The Hague decided that the Philippines were right in a big argument about the ocean. The court said that China doesn’t have any legal reason to say that they own most of the South China Sea.
Beijing disregarded the decision.
No one was hurt in either crash on Sunday. This is the latest of many recent arguments between Beijing and Manila over the disputed waterway.
In September, the Philippine Coast Guard showed a video of a Filipino diver removing a barrier put up by the Chinese in a disputed area of the water. This barrier had stopped Filipino boats from going into the area.
It happened a few days after the Philippine Coast Guard claimed that China’s marine militia had caused extensive damage to coral around the Palawan islands, making it look white and ruined.
China’s foreign ministry said that those accusations are not true and have no basis.
The conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas has caused a strong argument on China’s strict social media. This has created a divide between those who believe Israel should defend itself and various voices supporting Palestine. Unfortunately, there has also been an increase in antisemitic opinions.
A lot of people in China have been watching what is happening in the Middle East and sharing their thoughts online since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th. This attack resulted in the death of over 1,400 people and the capture of around 200 civilians and military personnel who are now believed to be held in Gaza.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has caused arguments among people using Weibo. Just like in other countries, the war has created different opinions among users, and posts about it are frequently seen by millions of people on Weibo.
But even though there are a lot of posts that support Israel, more people are starting to criticize the things Israel does. At the same time, there is also an increase in very extreme views that are against Jewish people. China’s online censors, who are very influential, have let these extreme views spread.
Deputy Chief of Mission Yuval Waks, who works at the Israeli Embassy in Beijing, mentioned that people in China have been showing strong disapproval towards Israel and, in many situations, expressing hatred towards Jewish people.
“We are worried that this would create a harmful environment that could seriously endanger both Israelis in China and Jews living in China,” expressed Waks.
Last week, a foreigner stabbed an Israeli diplomat in Beijing. The suspect is a 53-year-old businessman and the police are still trying to figure out why he did it.
Waks expressed gratitude for China’s help in taking care of the hurt diplomat and keeping his coworkers safe. However, he requested that the Chinese government strongly denounce Hamas.
China has criticized actions that hurt innocent people, but it hasn’t specifically blamed Hamas or mentioned the group in its statements, unlike many Western countries.
“We are a little sad to see that a country we have a good relationship with is not strongly condemning the situation,” Waks said. He also mentioned that the government’s stance often influences how people talk online.
While Beijing has tried to stay impartial in official statements, the media in China has shown a more biased perspective, often highlighting Israel’s bombings in Gaza and the resulting destruction.
Recently, the government of China has increased its criticism of Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian area. Their top official, Wang Yi, said Israel is going too far in defending itself and demanded a quick end to the fighting.
The United Nations and other groups that help people in need are asking for the fighting to stop in Gaza. They say the situation is getting worse and may become uncontrollable. Palestinian health officials say over 3,700 people have been killed in Gaza since the fighting began. This number includes over 1,500 children and 1,000 women.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke in Beijing on Wednesday. He said on live TV in China that what is happening in Israel cannot be used as a reason to punish all the Palestinian people together.
On Weibo, a lot of popular nationalist influencers who don’t like the West often post messages against Israel that get shared a lot.
Some people have criticized Israel’s actions in the past and during their current war with Hamas. However, there are also others who have spread hateful comments and anti-Semitic conspiracies.
A famous nationalist page with over 2 million followers has shared funny pictures with Adolf Hitler and some of its followers have admired the former leader of Germany, who caused the deaths of millions of Jewish people during World War II.
Some well-known accounts have criticized the close relationship between Israel and the United States.
This well-known account with 6. 6 million followers claimed that Israel did not support China when the US imposed sanctions on it. The account questioned why China would now support Israel.
Xiao Qiang, a research scientist from the University of California Berkeley’s School of Information, explained that in China, big accounts that support the government usually control the online discussions. These accounts try to get attention by making outrageous claims and competing with each other.
“You do everything possible to get people’s attention. ” “He explained that there is a business motive behind it. ”
Xiao said that not having correct information adds to spreading harmful stereotypes. “There isn’t much understanding when you rely solely on government-provided information. ”
There is a problem with hatred towards Jewish people on the internet in China, and it is also seen in some parts of the country’s official media. Lately, some false ideas have become popular, and even official media sources have mentioned them.
Galia Lavi, who helps run a center in Israel focused on Israel-China policies, said that when hateful messages attacking Jewish people are not addressed by authorities online, it is like silently supporting those messages. She made a comparison to China, which has also not criticized Hamas.
She said that when Chinese officials do not criticize Hamas, it means they are supporting it.
More and more people who study China and Israel have noticed that there is more hate towards Jewish people in China. Some Chinese diplomats seem to have noticed this too. On Sunday, Hua Chunying, an Assistant Foreign Minister, wrote on X, a platform similar to Twitter, that “during World War II, China gave home to 20,000 Jewish people in Shanghai. ”
Many people online are critical of Israel, but not everyone feels the same way. On Weibo, some people have criticized Hamas’ “acts of terrorism” and want it to be defeated, while others have felt sorry for both sides.
“Support Israel,” a user wrote in a recent comment, getting 1,600 likes on a post by the Israeli Embassy. This has increased the Embassy’s daily post count.
The Israeli diplomatic outpost has been using Chinese social media, according to Lavi from the Diane & Guilford Glazer Israel-China Policy Center in an interview with CNN.
Lavi said that it is expected for the Israeli Embassy to be more busy during these times, as they are trying to inform the world about what has happened.
The Israeli Embassy shared several posts about Noa Argamani, a young Israeli woman who has both Israeli and Chinese heritage. In the videos, she was forcefully separated from her boyfriend by militants during a music festival attack that caused over 260 deaths. Both are now thought to have been kidnapped.
However, although some people had a positive reaction to the post, it also received a lot of negative feedback. A person who strongly supports their own country and has a lot of people following them on social media asked why they should worry about what is happening to Argamani.
The commentator asked if she should ask the Israeli government for help because her whole family is Israeli.
The post got 24,000 likes and was shared over 500 times. Some people said that the Israeli Embassy was using women and children to receive sympathy.
Wendy Zhou, a student doing a PhD in the Chinese internet at Georgia State University, explained that the war has become a big topic of discussion in China online. This is because it allows people to express their political views in a space that is normally controlled tightly by the government.
China does not allow foreign social media platforms and controls or deletes comments that the Chinese Communist Party considers slightly sensitive. Because of this, she said, people who talk about it often say things that “go beyond just the event, mixing in their thoughts about what the Chinese government thinks, what the country’s important goals are, and how the government and society relate to each other. ”
China has been supporting Palestine for a long time, even before it built a strong economic relationship with Israel in recent years. Beijing was one of the first nations to support and acknowledge the Palestinian Authority, and they have consistently supported the Palestinians in voting at the United Nations.
According to Zhou, some of the opinions posted on Weibo can be linked to the widespread dislike of the United States and China’s long-standing backing for the Palestinian cause.
Many comments also mention China’s efforts for peace and make comparisons between the struggles of the Palestinian people and China’s own experiences with colonization in the past.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping said on Thursday that a two-state solution, where Palestine becomes an independent country, is the best way to resolve the Israel-Hamas conflict. This is his first public statement about the war that started almost two weeks ago.
China’s leader Xi wants a ceasefire quickly to stop the conflict from getting worse and causing a big humanitarian crisis.
Xi said that China is ready to work with Egypt and Arab nations to find a fair and long-lasting solution to the Palestinian issue.
The leader of Egypt went to Beijing to participate in the Belt and Road Forum, a big event celebrating ten years of Xi’s global infrastructure project.
Xi also commended Egypt for playing a significant part in reducing tensions. He mentioned that China supports Egypt’s efforts to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza.
On Wednesday, Egypt said it would let supplies for people in Gaza come in through the border, with the help of US President Joe Biden and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Biden made an agreement during his 7-hour visit to Israel on Wednesday. This visit was important because it showed strong support for the US friend, Israel, while also asking them to be careful in how they react to the situation in Gaza.
However, it is still uncertain when the aid convoy will be permitted to go into Gaza. Additionally, the original agreement for 20 trucks is only a small part of the 100 trucks per day that the World Health Organization states is required.
The fighting started when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, causing the death of around 1,400 people. This conflict has highlighted the growing disagreements between powerful countries.
Israel has attacked and trapped Gaza, causing the death of about 3,500 Palestinians, including many children, as reported by local health authorities.
A short time before Biden arrived in Israel, Putin arrived in Beijing for the Belt and Road Forum. The leader who was not well connected with other countries was treated as a special guest. They were seated beside Xi and spoke after him at the start of a meeting, which lasted for three hours, between the two leaders.
During their meeting, the two leaders talked about the problem in the Middle East. Putin said it was a big issue that made Russia and China become closer.
China and Russia have asked for the fighting to stop in the increasing conflict and have not directly criticized Hamas. This is very different from the strong support that the US and leaders in Europe have shown for Israel.
Beijing’s decision not to criticize Hamas has made Israel angry and disappointed. US officials have also criticized this decision. China has not criticized Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which has made many European capitals angry.
As the fighting in Israel gets worse, Beijing has shown stronger support for the Palestinians. Over the weekend, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi criticized Israel for taking actions that he believes go beyond self-defense.
However, China has tried to show itself as a fair peacemaker in the conflict.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that they will be sending Middle East Envoy Zhai Jun to the region this week. His goal is to promote peace talks and encourage a ceasefire.
China really cares about its business with Russia and the Middle East. They want to make sure they can keep buying oil and gas from those places no matter what.
Vladimir Putin has come to Beijing to meet with Xi Jinping, who he considers a close friend. This trip is meant to highlight the strong alliance between their countries, which they believe has no boundaries.
Putin and his group traveled to Beijing on Tuesday morning, marking only their second trip abroad since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for Putin’s arrest.
This year, the Russian president is also going on his first official trip outside of the old Soviet Union. He recently visited Kyrgyzstan, which used to be a part of the Soviet Union.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) accuses Putin of taking children out of Ukraine without permission. The ICC makes the 123 countries, who are members, arrest Putin and send him to The Hague for a trial if he visits their land.
Both Kyrgyzstan and China are not part of the ICC, which was created to handle cases of war crimes.
Xi recently saw the person he is often compared to in Moscow a few days after the legal document was given.
He asked Putin to come to a conference in Beijing called the Belt and Road forum, which is organized by the Chinese leader to promote international cooperation. Russian media reported that Putin will go to the forum’s reception and have discussions with the leaders of Vietnam, Thailand, Mongolia, and Laos on Tuesday.
Putin is an important guest at the forum. He will speak after Xi on Wednesday and then have a one-on-one meeting with the Chinese president.
Beijing said no to criticism from the West about its partnership with Moscow, even though the war in Ukraine is still going on. They said their partnership is not breaking any international rules and China can work with any country it wants.
Putin went to China for the Winter Olympics in February 2022. At that time, Russia and China said they would work closely together. But a few days later, Putin sent many soldiers to Ukraine.
Putin will be going to the Belt and Road Forum for the third time, and it will last until Wednesday. He went to the last two meetings in 2017 and 2019.
The forum focuses on the Belt and Road initiative, a big plan started by Xi ten years ago. His goal is to create worldwide infrastructure and energy networks that will connect Asia with Africa and Europe, using both land and sea routes. Putin has said that he likes the idea and thinks it is a good way for countries to work together without forcing anything onto each other.
Since the Ukrainian conflict began, Russia and China have strengthened their energy connections as a sign of their economic collaboration.
Russia sends about two million barrels of oil to China every day, which is more than a third of all the crude oil it exports. Moscow also wants to construct another pipeline that will transport natural gas to China.
The leaders of Russia’s biggest oil and gas companies, Rosneft and Gazprom, will be with Putin when he travels, but we shouldn’t anticipate any new energy deals.
The Kremlin said the trip is not a complete bilateral visit, but rather one that is happening alongside an international conference.
The CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, unexpectedly went to China.
Analysts suggest that the company is feeling positive while meeting gamers in Chengdu, but they are also facing a decrease in iPhone sales in the country.
He went to China for the second time this year. In March, he said that Apple and China have a close relationship because China is an important place for manufacturing.
However, the company’s activities in the country have become more difficult due to the impacts of Covid and tensions between the United States and China.
Mr Cook went to Apple’s store in Taikoo Li to meet young players of Tencent’s Honour of Kings online game.
“He posted on Weibo, a Chinese social media site, saying that the energy tonight was extremely high. ”
The game Honour of Kings began in Chengdu and now it is popular worldwide on the App Store, as mentioned in an interview with the state-run China Daily newspaper.
The report mentioned that he wanted Chinese developers to achieve the same success with software for Apple’s new Vision Pro augmented reality headset. The headset would also be made by a Chinese manufacturer.
This year is the 30th anniversary of Apple being in the country.
Mr Cook, who has been the CEO of Apple since 2011, is considered the person responsible for Apple’s decision to use Chinese manufacturing. However, the relationship between Apple and China has had some difficulties and challenges in recent years.
The Covid rules in China are affecting the production of goods, and there are also worries about supply chains because of problems with the relationship between China and the US. The company has recently tried to make more things in India.
Sales of the newest iPhone have not been as good as earlier models, according to experts who talked to Bloomberg. They said that fewer people in China were wanting to buy the product and that there were more competitors trying to sell it.
The strict US rules on exporting advanced technology have made it difficult for Chinese companies like Huawei to create smartphones that are as good as the iPhone.
But when Huawei released the Mate 60 Pro phone in August, which had advanced chips made in China, it indicated that other companies were also improving their products.
Mr Cook is visiting at the same time as other Chinese tech advancements are being reported.
On Tuesday, Baidu, a big tech company in China, announced that it has launched the newest version of its Ernie AI model.
Ernie 40 said it was just as good as OpenAI’s GPT-4 system.
At a special event hosted by Baidu’s CEO Robin Li, they demonstrated that artificial intelligence (AI) can write a martial arts story and make advertising posters and videos.
China now has several large language models that were created within the country. However, developers of artificial intelligence (AI) in China have to deal with strict limitations.
And when the BBC tested an older version of Ernie the bot, it avoided answering questions about sensitive topics like the date of the Tiananmen Square crackdown (June 4, 1989) or the name of a imprisoned former high-ranking member of the Communist Party (Bo Xilai). Instead, it suggested discussing a different topic.
A report from Peking University in China, has it that Chinese loans to African countries have made a favorable contribution to the continent’s economic expansion, enhancements in infrastructure, and the development of human capital.
The report indicated that Chinese loans have had a positive impact on African economic growth, with a range of 0.176% to 0.300%. Furthermore, it noted a beneficial influence on infrastructure development, with a range of 0.027% to 0.084%.
The study, titled “A Study on the Effectiveness of China’s Sovereign Financing in Africa,” was carried out by the Department of International Department Cooperation at Peking University’s Institute of New Structural Economics (INSE) in China.
China has been a major lender, providing $160 billion in financial commitments to African countries, which accounts for 56% of loans issued over the last two decades. The objective of China’s financial support for African nations aligns with the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
The report utilized regression analysis, using Chinese loan data from Boston University, covering 49 African countries from 2000 to 2020. It employed regression methods to estimate the causal relationship between Chinese loans and six key dimensions: economic growth, job creation, infrastructure enhancement, export earnings, foreign direct investment, and school enrollment rates.
The report revealed a positive impact on export earnings, ranging from 0.244% to 0.33%, and on inflows of foreign direct investment, from 0.293% to 0.533%.
Furthermore, the report found that a 1% increase in loans led to a 0.118% to 0.212% increase in enrollment rates and a 0.143% to 0.167% increase in industrial job creation.
The report also included case studies, such as the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway in Kenya, which indicated that railway projects in the transport sector were associated with the highest average cost. Although these projects contributed to reducing carbon emissions by replacing road transportation, they were found to be less ideal for financial credibility.
The report highlighted the success of projects like the Soubre Hydropower Plant in Cote d’Ivoire and the Adama Wind Farm in Ethiopia, as they harnessed natural resources to overcome electricity shortages and reduce carbon emissions.
Additionally, projects like the Bole International Airport in Ethiopia and the Tanzania National Fiber Optic Backbone were credited with fostering regional public good growth.
A well-drilling project in rural Senegal improved basic hygiene conditions and offered alternative water purification methods.
In the education sector, the report commended the University of Ghana for developing a distance learning system, narrowing the digital divide, and enhancing human capital through digital capacity.
China has supported 33 training and education programs, totaling $1.6 billion, which encompass vocational training and the construction of public schools.
In terms of recommendations, the report advised African countries to establish systematic and long-term data collection at the project level of sovereign financing and implement a growth-oriented evaluation mechanism. For the international community, it called for advanced economies and industrialized countries to focus strategically on infrastructure projects in Africa.
At the macro level, the report recommended that Chinese creditors promote future financing for Africa, build a multilayer Chinese financial system, and enhance support for Africa to bolster global economic prosperity.
Mr. Wu Peng, Director-General of the Department of Africa Affairs at China’s Foreign Affairs, reiterated China’s commitment to honoring all promises made at the G20 summit to ensure sustainable infrastructure development in African countries.
Mr. Ibrahima Sory Sylla, the Senegalese Ambassador to China, welcomed the report for providing valuable guidance to African countries in evaluating projects accurately.
Mr. Ivan Zyuulu, the Zambian Ambassador-Designate to China, expressed appreciation for China’s support of Africa’s development and appealed for an extension of loan repayment periods.
Mr. Allan Joseph Chintedza, the Ambassador of Malawi to China, called on the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Chinese government to support Malawi’s transition from an agriculture-based economy to an industrialized nation.
The former Bank of China Chairman was apprehended on suspicion of accepting bribes and granting illegal loans.
Liu Liange, who was in charge of the government-owned bank from 2019 to 2023, stepped down from his job in March this year.
Several weeks later, officials revealed that Mr. Liu was being accused of corruption.
The 62-year-old is one of the oldest bankers to be caught in President Xi Jinping’s investigation into corruption in China’s financial sector, valued at $60 trillion.
The effort to get rid of corruption in the country’s financial industry seems to be increasing, with officials in April saying that the crackdown was not finished yet.
Many important financial executives from government-owned banks have already been punished with fines, imprisonment, or are being investigated. For instance, the former chairman of China Life Insurance, Wang Bin, has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance of getting released early, because he was involved in bribery.
Mr Liu was recently arrested after being kicked out of China’s ruling Communist Party. The party expelled him because he was accused of doing something wrong by the country’s top anti-graft watchdog, China’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
The regulator said that Mr Liu did many bad things that caused big money problems.
Some of the things he’s accused of are giving out loans illegally, bringing in banned books, and accepting bribes and special treats like invitations to exclusive clubs and ski resorts, all using his position at the bank.
Mr Liu was an important person in China’s banking and financial sector. He had important jobs in China’s central bank and the Export-Import Bank of China. He got a better job and became the chairman of the Bank of China in 2019.
Kenyan President William Ruto is going to China this month to ask for a loan of $1 billion to pay for road projects that have stopped.
Mr Gachagua said on Inooro FM radio that lots of contractors stopped working on projects all over the country because they weren’t being paid for their work.
He mentioned that Kenya already owes a lot of money to China, but the president wants to ask for an additional $1 billion. The president also wants more time to pay back the money that Kenya already owes.
He said the president will tell the Chinese that “we agree that we owe you money. Can we discuss adding more time to repay it, paying at a slower pace, and possibly receiving additional funds to complete our road construction. ”
Kenya has borrowed more than $8 billion from China, mostly during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s time in office, to fund infrastructure projects.
The second-in-command addressed the problem of government officials being too wasteful, saying it was the reason the president had ordered a limit on traveling to other countries.
This week, the government decided that public officials cannot take unnecessary trips overseas to save money. They also told all government departments that they must reduce their budget for the next year by 10%.
The government has been blamed for spending money without a good reason, and many Kenyans are upset about the high cost of living and increased taxes imposed by the government.
