Year: 2023

Death Toll from China Earthquake Rises to 149, with 2 Still Missing

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BEIJING —  The death toll from China’s most powerful earthquake in years has risen to 149, with two people still missing after the tremor hit northwestern parts of the country last week. The 6.2-magnitude quake struck a remote mountainous area between Gansu and Qinghai provinces on Dec. 18, reducing homes to rubble and triggering heavy mudslides that inundated two villages in Qinghai province. State broadcaster CCTV said Monday the death toll in Donghai city in Qinghai has risen by one, to 32, and rescuers were still searching for two missing…

This N.Y.U. Student Owns a $6 Million Crypto Mine. His Secret Is Out.

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Jerry Yu has the trappings of what the Chinese call second-generation rich. He boasts a Connecticut prep-school education. He lives in a Manhattan condominium bought for $8 million from Jeffrey R. Immelt, the former General Electric chief executive. And he is the majority owner of a Bitcoin mine in Texas, acquired last year for more than $6 million. Mr. Yu, a 23-year-old student at New York University, has also become — quite unintentionally — a case study in how Chinese nationals can move money from China to the United States…

China’s C919 jet scores higher price in latest deal as Boeing returns to market

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China’s home-grown C919 airliner secured a higher price in its latest deal with Air China after its manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), appealed for more support in sales at home as Boeing makes headway in deliveries to Chinese carriers. The C919’s price increase was revealed in Comac’s deal with Air China, China’s largest carrier by fleet size, announced last week. Air China will purchase six C919 planes and 11 of the smaller ARJ21 regional jets, with deliveries between 2024 and 2025. Air China revealed in an exchange filing…

Countries Assess Implications of Taiwan Election As Campaigns Enter Final Weeks

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Taipei, Taiwan —  With less than three weeks until Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, the presidential frontrunner’s lead over his main opponent has narrowed in the polls, setting the stage for a hotly contested race. The election not only dominates domestic headlines but also pushes regional countries, such as China, the U.S., and Japan, to closely monitor the outcome and its potential implications for regional order. While the election results may not fundamentally alter dynamics across the Taiwan Strait, some analysts say the Chinese government may adjust the pressure…

How a plan to save a Taiwan island’s sea turtles turned catastrophic for its other inhabitants

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Human efforts to protect the eggs of green sea turtles from predators on a remote Taiwanese island appear to have backfired, according to a two-decade-long study. The conservation effort on Orchid Island off the southeast coast of Taiwan, which involved fencing off snakes to prevent them from preying on the turtle eggs, instead forced the predators to resort to hunting other reptiles, potentially collapsing the lizard population, according to researchers. The significant drop in lizard populations revealed the unintended consequences that could result from conservation efforts focused on a single…

Taiwan’s presidential election risks war, ex-Beijing official says as mainland steps up pressure over island

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The unusually harsh warnings by Wang Zaixi, former deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office, came as Beijing stepped up military and political pressure on the self-ruling island ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections on January 13. “There is a great deal of uncertainty in Taiwan’s elections, but one thing is certain: ‘Taiwan independence’ means war, and insisting on ‘Taiwan independence’ will lead to war sooner or later,” Wang, a retired major general, said at an event in Beijing on Saturday. In keeping with Beijing’s official line, Wang, who…

China approves 105 video games, but Christmas miracle does not revive stocks after suggested spending curbs

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The latest batch of approvals, released by the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) on Monday, marked the first time Beijing had approved more than 100 titles in its monthly list since July 2022, when 135 titles made the cut. On Friday, the regulator also approved 98 imported titles. The move “strongly demonstrates authorities’ clearly supportive stance on the development of online games”, said the semi-official trade body Game Publishing Committee of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association (CADPA), in an article published on Monday to its official WeChat…

China sidelines its once venerated central bank

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The influence of China’s once-powerful central bank has diminished as Beijing steps up a drive to centralise Communist party control over financial regulation. Some of the powers formerly held by the People’s Bank of China have been taken over by a party oversight body and a revamped financial regulator as Beijing resets its growth model. While the central bank retains a vital role in daily money markets, its governor is now ranked lower in the party hierarchy than the chiefs of some of the banks the PBoC used to regulate.…

While China-Russia economic and diplomatic ties advance, their cultural bond flourishes with ballet, theatre and music

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Analysts said this push for cultural exchange acknowledged how cultural diplomacy helped public opinion and perceptions that might show Russia in a more positive light in China. 02:46 Russian prime minister travels to China to ‘elevate cooperation’ Russian prime minister travels to China to ‘elevate cooperation’ Chevik sees up close how the two cultures interact as she tours Russian players in China. She also has experience directing Chinese performers on the production’s Chinese version. “Working with Chinese actors was very interesting,” she said. “The way the actors were able to…

Naver’s Rookie robots-on-wheels test new ways of office working

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At a Starbucks in the futuristic headquarters of Naver, South Korea’s biggest internet company, a line of robots is on standby to fetch coffee for the company’s employees. About 100 robots on wheels — called Rookies — wander around the offices, carrying out simple tasks such as delivering meals and parcels and testing the boundaries of human interaction with machines in one of the first examples of a robot-friendly building. Naver has been experimenting with integrating service robots into office life for more than a year in the 36-storey building…