Tag: Beijing (China)

China Raises Pressure on Taiwan With Expanded Coast Guard Patrols

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China is opening a new front in its pressure campaign against Taiwan, sending ships to its east to drive home a political point: Beijing claims not only the island itself but also the seas around it. The China Coast Guard announced on Saturday that its ships would conduct “law-enforcement patrols” in the Western Pacific waters east of Taiwan, a self-ruled island of 23 million people that Beijing claims as its territory. The Western Pacific is crowded with commercial traffic and would be a vital arena if Beijing ever tried to…

Tibetan Man Dies After Self-Immolation Protest in New York

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A Tibetan activist lit himself on fire and outside of the United Nations headquarters in New York on Thursday to protest China’s control over his homeland, declaring in a video before his self-immolation that Beijing’s policies were “destroying the Tibetan people.” He later died. Friends of the activist identified him as Lobsang Palden, known as Lobga Rangzen, a 52-year-old resident of Queens. Originally from eastern Tibet, Lobga Rangzen had been an advocate of Tibetan independence for more than a decade. The police said that around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday they…

China Says Pilot Who Flew Into Skyscraper Had Thoughts of Death

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The authorities in Beijing said Thursday that the pilot who flew a small plane into the city’s tallest building last week was a 66-year-old man suffering from insomnia and anxiety and who had expressed a desire to end his life in journal entries. The pilot crashed his two-seat sport aircraft into Citic Tower, the headquarters of one of China’s biggest state-owned financial conglomerates, in a busy Beijing business district last Friday during evening rush hour. In a sign of the authorities’ sensitivity over an event that raised questions about the…

China Confirms Death of Pilot Who Flew Small Plane Into Beijing’s Tallest Tower

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The Beijing authorities said on Saturday that a small aircraft had flown into the capital’s tallest building a day earlier, killing the pilot and injuring 13 others at the scene, in the first official confirmation of an event that has raised questions about the city’s security. The Chaoyang District government, which administers a large area of eastern Beijing, including where the tower is, said in a statement that a two-seat, single-engine sport aircraft “crashed into a high-rise building mid-flight” at 5:55 p.m. on Friday, near one of the city’s most…

Debris Falls From the Sky After Plane Crash in Beijing

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new video loaded: Debris Falls From the Sky After Plane Crash in Beijing <img alt="A close-up of two modern skyscrapers made of glass. One building has a distinct curved shape, the other reflects light." src="https://www.chinastrategy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/debris-falls-from-the-sky-after-plane-crash-in-beijing.jpg" data-testid="betamax-poster" sizes="(width < 1024px) 100vw, (width A lightweight aircraft registered to the airline Shuangyue General Aviation crashed into the Citic Tower in Beijing on Friday. The cause of the crash is unknown. By Meg Felling June 26, 2026 NYT

Small Plane Crashes Into Tallest Building in Beijing

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A small aircraft flew into the tallest building in Beijing on Friday, sending huge hunks of debris and plane parts plummeting onto the streets below and prompting crowds to flee. Video shared on social media and verified by The New York Times showed debris falling from the skyscraper, as people ran to safety. The footage showed broken windows and debris, including what appeared to be the tail of a small aircraft, falling dozens of stories into the street below. The building is in the capital’s busy central business district, which…

China’s Endless Housing Crisis Shows Faint Signs of Hope

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During China’s slow-moving housing crash, there have been brief stretches when prices stabilized, raising hopes that the multiyear slide was finally over. Each time, those reprieves have proved short-lived — pauses before the market resumed its decline. After housing prices in several of China’s biggest cities leveled off in the first few months of the year, the market is again at a crossroads. Analysts and economists are split over whether this constitutes a bottom for a downturn that has eroded much of the country’s middle-class savings or merely another lull…

Homeowners Fight for Control of Their Community in China

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The drum team arrived late to the rally, its members wearing bright red costumes as they spilled out of a minivan. Other attendees were already dancing to music blaring from a nearby speaker or chanting the name of their favored candidate. It had all the hallmarks of a rollicking election campaign. But the dozens of people who had gathered on a winter morning in January, about two hours northwest of Beijing, were not there to support a politician. This was about their homeowners’ association. In the United States, homeowners’ associations…

Robot Finishes Half Marathon Faster Than Human World Record

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new video loaded: Robot Finishes Half Marathon Faster Than Human World Record <img alt="A bright-red 5-foot-5 humanoid robot strides on a road in Beijing." src="https://www.chinastrategy.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/robot-finishes-half-marathon-faster-than-human-world-record.jpg" data-testid="betamax-poster" sizes="(width < 1024px) 100vw, (width A humanoid robot named Lightning ran a half-marathon race in Beijing in 50 minutes and 26 seconds — faster than the human world record for the distance. By Christina Kelso and Zach Wasser April 19, 2026 NYT

Why Elon Musk Needs China

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When Elon Musk first set up Tesla’s factory in China, he appeared to have the upper hand. He gained access to top leaders and secured policy changes that benefited Tesla. He also got workers accustomed to long hours and fewer protections, after clashing with U.S. regulators over labor conditions at his California plant. The Shanghai factory helped make Tesla the most valuable car company in the world and Mr. Musk ultrarich. But Tesla is now struggling. Mr. Musk helped create his competition, Chinese E.V. makers that are taking market share…