China’s coast guard forcibly seized the suspected debris of a Chinese rocket that the Philippine navy was towing to its island in the South China Sea, Philippines military officials have said, in the latest confrontation in the disputed sea. The Chinese vessel twice blocked the Philippine naval boat before seizing the floating debris it was towing on Sunday off Philippine-occupied Thitu island, Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos said on Monday. He said no one was injured in the incident. The incident occurred just hours before US vice-president Kamala Harris arrived in…
Day: November 20, 2022
Chinese Coast Guard Seizes Rocket Debris From Filipino Navy
Manila — The Chinese coast guard forcibly seized floating debris the Philippine navy was towing to its island in another confrontation in the disputed South China Sea, a Philippine military commander said Monday. The debris appeared to be from a Chinese rocket launch. The Chinese vessel twice blocked the Philippine naval boat before seizing the debris it was towing Sunday off Philippine-occupied Thitu Island, Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos said Monday. He said no one was injured in the incident. It is the latest flare-up in long-seething territorial disputes in the…
Beijing’s Biggest District Urges Residents to Stay Home as COVID Cases Rise
Beijing — Beijing’s most populous district urged residents to stay at home Monday, extending a request from the weekend as the city’s COVID-19 case numbers rose, with many businesses shut and schools in the area shifting classes online. Nationally, new case numbers held steady on Sunday near April peaks as China battles outbreaks in cities across the country, from Zhengzhou in central Henan province to Guangzhou in the south and Chongqing in the southwest. In the capital, two COVID-19 deaths were reported Sunday. Authorities earlier reported the death of an…
China reports first Covid deaths in six months as Beijing cases rise
China reported the deaths of three people in Beijing over the weekend as its first fatalities from Covid-19 in six months, with cases rising despite a stringent zero-Covid policy. China is the last major economy still welded to a no-tolerance policy on the virus and has enforced snap lockdowns, mass testing and quarantines even as the rest of the world adjusts to living with Covid. The first death, which officials announced on Sunday, was of an 87-year-old man. Beijing reported 962 new infections on Monday, up from 621 a day…
Chinese, US Officials to Attend Southeast Asia Defense Meeting
Beijing — The defense chiefs of rival powers China and the U.S. will both attend next week’s expanded meeting of Southeast Asian security ministers in Cambodia, opening the possibility the two will hold face-to-face discussions. China’s Defense Ministry said Gen. Wei Fenghe will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus from Sunday to Thursday. The Department of Defense said Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III will also attend following stops in Canada and Indonesia. Both officials plan to meet with participants on the margins of the main…
Symbol of Hoped-for Reunion With China, Panda Tuan Tuan Dies in Taipei
Taipei, Taiwan — Tuan Tuan, one of two giant pandas gifted to Taiwan from China, died Saturday after a brief illness, the Taipei Zoo said. No cause of death was immediately given, but earlier reports said the panda was believed to have a malignant brain tumor, prompting China to send a pair of experts to Taiwan earlier this month to help with his treatment. Tuan Tuan did not respond and after a series of seizures Saturday was placed in an induced coma, according to Taiwanese news reports. Tuan Tuan and…
Mainland China’s efforts to lure Taiwanese fade with deepening distrust and a slowing economy
The package of 31 measures introduced in February 2018 is a prime example of Beijing’s efforts at peaceful reunification, which President Xi Jinping maintains is still the priority for the Communist Party. Fast forward to today, however, and the economic incentives are losing their lustre as the mainland economy slows and political distrust on both sides reaches new heights, according to experts. Advertisement “Overall, the differences between the two sides are getting more and more severe, and if you look at the range of economic means available now, there’s not…
VP Harris to Visit Philippine Island in South China Sea Feud
Manila — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will underscore America’s commitment to defending treaty ally the Philippines with a visit that started Sunday and involves flying to an island province facing the disputed South China Sea, where Washington has accused China of bullying smaller claimant nations. After attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Thailand, Harris flew Sunday night to a red-carpet welcome in Manila. On Monday, she meets President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for talks aimed at reinforcing Washington’s oldest treaty alliance in Asia and strengthening economic ties, said a…
Amid growing protests, China cautiously mulls relaxing zero-COVID rules: analysts
There are signs that China is mulling less draconian public health controls amid ongoing protests in the streets and on university campuses, political analysts say. The Chinese government released a package of 20 new policy measures on Nov. 11 aimed at “optimizing” the country’s pandemic response, including slightly relaxed quarantine requirements for people returning home from areas designated “high risk.” The move has generally been seen as a cautious relaxation of the zero-COVID policy, espoused by Communist Party leader Xi Jinping as the only way forward when it comes to…
A deal on loss and damage, but a blow to 1.5C – what will be Cop27’s legacy?
On the eve of the Cop27 climate conference that has just finished in Sharm el-Sheikh, the UN secretary general, António Guterres, warned of the stark consequences of failure. “There is no way we can avoid a catastrophic situation, if the two [the developed and developing world] are not able to establish a historic pact,” he said, in an interview with the Guardian. “Because at the present level, we will be doomed.” In the end, after two weeks of fraught and often bitter negotiations, the “historic pact” Guterres wanted was finally…