Category: BBC

A summit between China and the European Union (EU) has kicked off in Beijing on Thursday, with leaders set to discuss issues ranging from trade conflict to the war in Ukraine. Expectations have been tempered however by uncertainty over global trade, politics and the attendance of Chinese President Xi Jinping, after he had earlier reportedly declined a visit to Brussels, where the summit was originally to be held. China confirmed this week that Xi would meet European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Antonio Costa in…

Pop Mart, the Chinese toy firm behind the hugely popular Labubu dolls, has said its profits are set to soar for the first six months of this year. The Beijing-based company said in a preliminary statement that it expects profits for the period to jump by 350% as revenues more than tripled. Pop Mart, which has a stock market value of more than $45bn (£34bn), also said profitability had been boosted by increased recognition of the brand globally and cost controls. Collectors have been obsessed with the viral Labubu dolls…

China’s economy has slowed as trade turmoil triggered by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and a prolonged crisis in the property market weigh on growth. Official figures show the world’s second largest economy grew by 5.2% in the three months to the end of June, compared to the same time last year. That’s down from 5.4% in the previous quarter. But the country has so far avoided a sharp downturn, partly due to measures announced by Beijing to help support the economy and a fragile tariffs truce with Washington. Trump…

Australia’s leader Anthony Albanese will visit China and meet with President Xi Jinping this weekend as he seeks to strengthen ties with Canberra’s largest trading partner. Regional security and trade will take centre stage during the prime minister’s six-day trip spanning three cities – Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu. “My government will continue to cooperate with China where we can, disagree where we must, and engage in our national interest,” Albanese said in a statement. The trip marks Albanese’s second official visit to China – but the first since his re-election…

China has disputed Germany’s claim that it targeted a military plane with a laser fired from a warship, as a diplomatic spat between the two countries deepens. Germany accused China of attempting to disrupt one of its aircraft earlier this month as it was taking part in European Union-led operations aimed at protecting ships in the Red Sea from missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebel group. The German foreign ministry has summoned the Chinese ambassador and described the incident as “entirely unacceptable”. China’s envoy to the EU has also been…

More than 200 children are being treated in hospital with lead poisoning in north-west China after school chefs used inedible paint to decorate their food. Eight people have been arrested after tests showed the food samples from a kindergarten in Tianshui City in Gansu province had lead levels that were 2,000 times over the national safety limit. In total, 233 children from Peixin Kindergarten had high levels of lead in their blood after eating steamed red date cake and sausage corn bun. The school principal asked the kitchen staff to…

China has lifted a ban on seafood imports from most regions of Japan, which was imposed two years ago due to concerns over the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear plant. Beijing said it will “conditionally resume” the imports from Japan with the exception of 10 of the country’s 47 prefectures, including Tokyo and Fukushima. Samples collected over long-term monitoring of nuclear-contaminated water from Fukushima had “not shown abnormalities”, China’s General Administration of Customs wrote on 29 June. A tsunami in 2011 flooded three reactors of the…

Chua Lam, a renowned food critic and cultural icon in the Chinese-speaking world, has died, according to his official social media account. He was 83. The Hong Kong-based, Singaporean-born Lam died at the Hong Kong Sanatorium Hospital with family and friends by his side, a post on his Weibo account on Friday read. “In accordance with his wishes, in order not to disturb relatives and friends, there was no ceremony and his body was cremated,” it said, without specifying the cause of his death. Known as one of Hong Kong’s…

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on China to prevent Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes. His comments came after Iran’s state-run Press TV reported that parliament had approved a plan to close the Strait but added that the final decision lies with the Supreme National Security Council. Any disruption to the supply of oil would have profound consequences for the economy. China in particular is the world’s largest buyer of Iranian oil and has a close relationship with…

Pope Leo XIV has appointed the first Chinese bishop of his papacy, signalling that he will continue a historic agreement that sought to improve relations between the Vatican and China. Both sides have hailed the appointment of Fuzhou Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Lin Yuntuan as an affirmation of their commitment to the 2018 accord, which was reached under the late Pope Francis. The agreement gave Chinese officials some input on the appointment of bishops. However, its contents were never fully disclosed to the public. Beijing insists that the state must approve…