Tag: China News

China Says US TikTok Vote Follows ‘Logic of a Bandit’

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BEIJING —  China on Thursday said the U.S. House of Representatives’ approval of a bill that would force TikTok to sever ties with its Chinese parent company or be banned in the United States follows “entirely the logic of a bandit.” The short-video app has soared in popularity worldwide but its ownership by Chinese technology giant ByteDance — and alleged subservience to Beijing’s ruling Communist Party — has fueled concern in Western capitals. On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill that would force TikTok to divest…

Australian Producers Hope China’s Wine Tariffs Will Soon End

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SYDNEY —  China’s high tariffs on Australian wine could be lifted within weeks, according to an interim statement from Chinese authorities saying the duties are no longer necessary. When diplomatic friction between Australia and its biggest trading partner was at its most intense, Beijing imposed 220% taxes on bottled wine from Australia. Chinese authorities said Australia was guilty of anti-competitive behavior, but analysts believe China’s economic measures were meant as a punishment. The value of Australian wine exports to China fell from more than $662 million at their peak to…

Are They Part of China’s ‘Gang of Three’ or Just Xi’s Minions?

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TAIPEI, TAIWAN —  As China’s biggest political meeting of the year wrapped up Monday, analysts highlighted how power in the world’s second-largest economy continues to consolidate under leader Xi Jinping. Some were also discussing two other prominent politicians — Premier Li Qiang and Xi’s Chief of Staff, Cai Qi — and the role they play in Xi’s China. Li and Cai are members of the Chinese Communist Party’s top decision-making body, the Politburo Standing Committee. Li is ranked second on the PSC, and Cai is ranked fifth. Both are seen…

For Cambodia’s Crucial Tonle Sap Lake, ‘New Normal is Uncertainty,’ Researchers Say

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WASHINGTON and PHNOM PENH —  Climate change and upstream dams, most of them controlled by China, are threatening Cambodia’s enormous Tonle Sap Lake and its surrounding communities, putting the nation’s protein supply and the greater Mekong River ecosystem at risk. The three-year stretch from 2019-2021 was the driest on record. The Tonle Sap’s vital flood pulse appeared to be dying, along with much of the lake’s bountiful fish stocks. Water typically flows into the Tonle Sap Lake for 120 days during the wet season, swelling it as much as six-fold…

US House Expected to Pass Bill Forcing Chinese Company to Give Up TikTok

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WASHINGTON —  The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to approve legislation Wednesday that would force the popular TikTok video app to either separate from its Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance or sell the U.S. version of the software. The bipartisan Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act “gives TikTok six months to eliminate foreign adversary control — which would include ByteDance divesting its current ownership — to remain available in the United States,” said Representative Mike Gallagher, chairman of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United…

Kinmen Islands: From Front-Line Battlefield to Potential Bridge of Peace?

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Taiwan’s Kinmen Islands are known for their sorghum wine, wind lion gods, and knives made from old mortar shells. And because they are just a few kilometers from China’s southeastern coast, they often are caught in the middle of tensions between Taipei and Beijing. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has more on the unique history of Kinmen and the perspectives of the people who live there. Voice of America

Kinmen: Is War History?

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KINMEN, TAIWAN —  From the Kinmen Islands, a Taiwanese outpost just three kilometers at its closest point from China, residents can stand on a beach and look across at the growing forest of skyscrapers in the Chinese city of Xiamen. But far from feeling threatened by their proximity to the country that vows to “reunify” with Taiwan — by force if necessary — most Kinmen residents say they feel safer on China’s doorstep than they would on the main island of Taiwan. That is not to say that Beijing has…