Tag: China News

China Regulator to Ban Evergrande Chair from Securities Market for Life

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BEIJING —  Chinese regulators will ban the chairman of property giant Evergrande from the securities market for life, a subsidiary of the company said Monday, adding the troubled firm would be slapped with a hefty fine. The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) “plans to rule in favor of issuing a lifelong ban from entering the securities market to (chairman) Xu Jiayin”, the company’s flagship unit Hengda Real Estate said in a filing to the Shenzhen stock exchange. Evergrande “received an advance notice from the CSRC of administrative penalties and market…

Taiwan Protests After China Boards a Tourist Boat Near Kinmen Island

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TAIPEI, Taiwan —  Taiwan on Tuesday protested China’s boarding of a tourist boat, as tensions rise around the Kinmen archipelago, which lies a short distance off China’s coast but is controlled by Taiwan. Taiwanese media reported the King Xia, carrying 11 crew and 23 passengers, was boarded by the Chinese coast guard for about 32 minutes on Monday. Taiwan’s coast guard escorted the boat back to Kinmen, and it then continued its sight-seeing voyage. Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling told journalists at the legislature on Tuesday that the incident…

Q&A: TikTok Owner Is Essentially ‘Subsidiary’ of China’s Communist Party, US Lawmaker Says  

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washington —  The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill March 13 that, if enacted into law, would give ByteDance, the Chinese owner of the TikTok social media app, 180 days to divest its U.S. assets or face a ban over concerns about national security, including Beijing’s ability to access Americans’ private information through the company ByteDance denies it would provide such private data to the Chinese government, despite reports indicating such information could be at risk. VOA sat down on the day the bill passed with Republican Representative Mario…

Three Teens Detained Over Gruesome Murder of 13-Year-Old Classmate, Sparking Debate in China

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BEIJING —  In the last recorded moments before the 13-year-old boy’s death, he was filmed by surveillance cameras sitting on a scooter, surrounded by three of his classmates. An hour later, his phone went dead, kicking off a frantic search by relatives. The following day, officers in a village in central China made a sickening discovery: the boy’s body, buried in an abandoned vegetable greenhouse underneath a tarp. Now, his three teenage classmates have been detained on suspicion of murdering the boy in a case that has riveted China, setting…

Blinken, Marcos to Discuss Economic Cooperation, South China Sea Dispute 

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Manila —  Meetings between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Philippine officials are planned to center around economic cooperation between the two countries and finding ways to maintain peace in the disputed South China Sea, according to a recent State Department briefing. Blinken is scheduled to arrive in Manila Tuesday for a two-day visit meant to reaffirm Washington’s commitment to the Philippines amid Manila’s increasing confrontation with China in the territorially disputed South China Sea, which China claims almost in its entirety. Washington supports the position of the Philippines,…

Despite Offers to Mediate, China Distances Itself from Mideast Turmoil 

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Amman —  For years, China has sought to raise its profile by offering to broker conflicts and disputes in the Middle East, but analysts say Beijing’s limited involvement in the Gaza war shows China continues to put its self-interests first. In a recent article in Foreign Policy magazine, Yun Sun, China Program director at the Stimson Center in Washington said that China’s role in brokering the Saudi-Iran rapprochement last year raised hopes it could chart a way to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East. Instead, she said, “China has not…

Chinese Foreign Minister Visits Australia Amid Efforts to Stabilize Trade Relations

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Taipei, Taiwan —  Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will make his first trip to Australia in seven years Wednesday, a visit that some analysts say will be dominated by efforts to resolve remaining trade disputes between Beijing and Canberra even as the two seek to address contentious consular and security issues. Wang will hold meetings with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong during his time in Australia, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Top of the agenda will be talks about removing Chinese tariffs on…

Tutoring the Elderly Is Growing Fast in China

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Hong Kong/Beijing —  China’s rapidly aging population is fueling a promising and fast-growing market for companies providing recreational classes and activities for the elderly middle class, from yoga to African drumming and smartphone photography. The growth potential of the industry contrasts sharply with the decline of the after-school private tutoring sector following a government crackdown in 2021 aimed at boosting record low birth rates by lowering education costs. “Education industries are transitioning to the silver economy,” said Qiu Peilin, the Beijing head of Mama Sunset, an elderly learning business which…

Post-pandemic, Young Chinese Seek Studies Abroad, Just Not in US

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WASHINGTON —  In Shanghai, two young women seeking an education abroad have decided against going to the United States, a destination of choice for decades that may be losing its shine. For Helen Dong, a 22-year-old senior studying advertising, it was the cost. “It doesn’t work for me when you have to spend 2 million [yuan] [$278,000] but find no job upon returning,” she said. Dong is headed to Hong Kong this fall instead. Costs were not a concern for Yvonne Wong, 24, now studying comparative literature and cultures in…

Two Injured in BBQ Restaurant Blast in Eastern China

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SHANGHAI —  Two people were injured Saturday after a powerful blast at a barbecue shop in the eastern Chinese city of Huaian, local authorities said, the latest incident to spur calls for better restaurant-safety checks across the country. Videos online posted by state media showed that the blast, which occurred at 4:20 p.m., ripped off the facade of the eatery’s building, sending big black plumes of smoke into the air and spraying glass shards across the street. The two people who were injured were sent to hospital and the cause…