Category: VOA

Blinken kicks off direct engagement with China ahead of tough talks

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State Department —  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscored the necessity for “direct” and “sustained engagement” between the United States and China during his first official meeting in Shanghai, a city home to more than 1,000 U.S. companies. Thursday morning, Blinken held talks with Chen Jining, Chinese Communist Party Secretary for Shanghai. Chen is the highest-ranking local official and is a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party. Blinken said he would lay out “our differences, which are real” but seek to “work through them” as well…

Popular Indian payment system faces restrictions due to China connections

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Paytm, a popular payment app in India, faces government restrictions on business because of its Chinese connections, local media say. India is ramping up scrutiny and restrictions on other Chinese tech companies, too, amid concerns about security and geopolitics. Henry Wilkins has the story from Mumbai. Voice of America

Blinken looks to boost people-to-people ties during second visit to China

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State Department —  While Washington and Beijing are divided over a range of thorny issues, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken began his second visit to China this week focusing first on the importance of direct engagement. It is something, he says, that is essential for addressing key issues affecting people from both countries and the world. People-to-people ties In a relaxed setting Wednesday, amid efforts to strengthen people-to-people ties, Blinken attended a playoff game between the Chinese Basketball Association’s Shanghai Sharks and Zhejiang Golden Bulls. Earlier, a crowd of…

Facing repression in China, Muslims seek freedom in NYC

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In a dramatic surge, U.S. border patrol authorities detained more than 24,000 Chinese citizens crossing the southern border in fiscal year 2023, a 12-fold increase from the previous year. Many come seeking asylum, and among those that do, a small group of China’s ethnic Hui Muslims stands out. Aron Ranen brings us the story from the Big Apple. Voice of America

Seven teenagers arrested in Australia anti-terrorism probe

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Seven teenagers in Australia have been arrested in a sweeping anti-terrorism operation in the wake of last week’s stabbing attack of a bishop in Sydney. New South Wales Deputy Commissioner David Hudson told reporters Wednesday that more than 400 federal, state and local authorities were involved in the operation. He said the suspects, who are between 15 to 17 years old, were associates of the 16-year-old boy charged in the April 15 attack on Assyrian Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel during a service that was streamed live online. Emmanuel was seriously…

Prabowo vows to fight for all Indonesians, calls for unity among political elites 

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JAKARTA —  Indonesia president-elect Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday vowed to fight for all Indonesians and called for unity among political elites to take the country forward, as he seeks to strengthen his parliamentary clout ahead of taking office in October. Speaking at a ceremony where he was being confirmed as the winner of the Feb. 14 election, Prabowo, who won by a huge margin, said he was talking to elites in the country and it was vital parties could get along together for the common good. Prabowo, who was tacitly…

EU launches investigation into Chinese medical device market

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The European Commission launched a probe into China’s public procurement of medical devices on Wednesday, the latest in a series of moves that ratchet up trade tensions ahead of President Xi Jinping’s visit to Europe next month. The investigation – which Beijing swiftly criticized – is meant to determine if European suppliers of devices ranging from needles and orthopedic appliances to complex scanners have been granted fair access in China. If it concludes that they have not, it could lead to the bloc placing restrictions on Chinese medical device companies…

Japan’s moon lander still going after 3 lunar nights

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TOKYO —  Japan’s first moon lander has survived a third freezing lunar night, Japan’s space agency said Wednesday after receiving an image from the device three months after it landed on the moon. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said the lunar probe responded to a signal from the earth Tuesday night, confirming it has survived another weekslong lunar night. Temperatures can fall to minus 170 degrees Celsius during a lunar night and rise to around 100 Celsius during a lunar day. The probe, Smart Lander for Investing Moon, or SLIM,…

Australia and X’s Elon Musk clash over church stabbing video

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sydney —  Australia’s attempts to ban a graphic video of a stabbing in a church has turned into a global battle between the Canberra government and Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of the social media platform X. A service at an Assyrian Orthodox Church in Sydney was being live-streamed on April 15 when a bishop was repeatedly attacked at the altar. Four people were stabbed, and a teenager arrested. A 16-year-old boy was later charged with a terrorism offense. Soon after the attack, videos of the stabbing began circulating on…