Day: May 23, 2023

US Won’t Accept China’s Preconditions While Pursuing Talks

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state department —  The United States would not accept preconditions set by the People’s Republic of China while pursuing open lines of communication with Beijing, a senior State Department official told VOA on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the official said there is not much indication that China is willing to use its influence over Russia to end its war on Ukraine. State Department counselor Derek Chollet spoke Tuesday to VOA State Department bureau chief Nike Ching about China and Ukraine ahead of the Global Chiefs of Mission Conference to be held in…

Chinese Citizens Sue Florida Over ‘Xenophobic’ Property Law

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Four Chinese citizens living in Florida and a real estate brokerage that operates in the state have joined together in a lawsuit challenging a new law that places severe restrictions on the ability of some non-U.S. citizens to purchase property there. The case, Shen v. Simpson, charges that Florida law SB 264, which was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis this month and goes into effect on July 1, violates the plaintiffs’ rights to equal protection and due process under the U.S. Constitution. The bill places restrictions on the purchase of…

Iranian Leader Visits Indonesia to Deepen Economic Ties

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BOGOR, Indonesia —  Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met his Indonesian counterpart, Joko Widodo, on Tuesday on a visit aimed at strengthening economic ties between the two Muslim-majority nations amid heightened global geopolitical tensions. Widodo hosted Raisi at the colonial-style presidential palace in Bogor, just outside the capital, Jakarta. Raisi is visiting at Widodo’s invitation as Indonesia aims to speed up its post-pandemic economic recovery by increasing exports. The two-day visit is expected to deepen Iran’s ties with Indonesia after the two nations concluded negotiations this month on a Preferential Trade…

South China Sea shipwrecks give clues about historic Silk Road trade routes

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Two 500-year-old shipwrecks in the South China Sea, filled with Ming-era porcelain and stacked timber, provide significant clues about the maritime Silk Road trade routes, Chinese archaeologists have said. The two shipwrecks were discovered in October, and cultural and archaeological authorities have now begun a year-long process of deep-sea exploration and excavation, government officials announced. Marine researchers found the two vessels in the north-west region of the South China Sea, about 1,500 metres below sea level. The officials said the wrecks were “relatively well preserved, with a large number of…

Life in China’s oldest county exposes challenges of demographic crisis

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“Sleep well, eat well, that’s all that matters for old people,” said Xiao. The sprightly 75-year-old shares a room with a couple in their 80s in what was once a primary school but, in a stark illustration of China’s demographic crisis, has now been converted into an old people’s home. A poster on the wall of the Rudong Binshan Elderly Apartments cautions visitors that sticky-rice dumplings are a choking hazard for elderly relatives. The best thing here, said Xiao, is that “you don’t have to cook for yourself”. In the…

China is an increasingly hostile place for foreign consultancies

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For the cover of its latest position paper on doing business in the world’s second-largest economy, the British Chamber of Commerce in China this year deliberately chose red. While the colour is auspicious in China, in the west it can signify negativity and a barrier, such as on stop signs and traffic lights. That ambiguity is meant to capture the situation in China today. While sentiment has improved since 2022, when Beijing’s zero-Covid policy crushed the economy, mixed messages and vague rulemaking in critical areas such as data security are…

New Chinese Ambassador to US Acknowledges Challenges in Relations

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New york —  China’s new ambassador to Washington, Xie Feng, said on Tuesday that he will seek to enhance China-U.S. cooperation, but that relations face serious challenges. “I have come here to safeguard China’s interest. This is my sacred responsibility,” Xie told reporters after landing at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. “I’m also the envoy of Chinese people, so I’ve come here to enhance China-U.S. exchanges and cooperation,” said Xie, who has garnered a reputation for often blunt rebukes of U.S. actions as ties between the strategic…

Rights attorney Yu Wensheng, wife Xu Yan ‘could be at risk of torture’ after arrest

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Chinese authorities have notified the family of veteran rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and his wife Xu Yan of their formal arrest on suspicion of “picking quarrels and stirring up trouble,” a charge frequently used to target peaceful critics of the Communist Party, friends of the couple told Radio Free Asia. Yu and Xu were detained last month en route to a meeting with European Union officials in Beijing, prompting calls for their release from Brussels. U.S.-based rights lawyer Wang Qingpeng said there are now fears that Yu and Xu may…

Writer arrested by junta while trying to deliver aid in Myanmar’s Rakhine state

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A well-known writer and social activist was arrested at a military junta checkpoint on Tuesday while attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to victims of the recent cyclone that devastated the region. Wai Hin Aung was arrested in western Myanmar’s Rakhine state just after passing through the checkpoint in Sittwe township on his way to villages affected by the May 14 storm known as Cyclone Mocha, according to a person close to the writer who refused to be named for security reasons. He was traveling with a group of five people,…