Tag: China News

Exiled Tibetans Protest, Asking China to Leave Tibet on Uprising Anniversary 

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NEW DELHI —  Hundreds of Tibetans in exile marched on the streets of New Delhi on Sunday to commemorate the 65th Tibetan National Uprising Day against China. Over 300 protesters gathered near India’s Parliament House and chanted slogans including “Tibet was never a part of China” and “China should leave Tibet.” The protesters carried Tibetan flags and photographs of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. The 88-year-old Dalai Lama has made the Indian hillside town of Dharmsala his headquarters since fleeing from Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule…

‘Game of Thrones’ Makers Turn to Iconic Chinese Sci-Fi

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Paris —  The makers of “Game of Thrones” return with “3 Body Problem,” the adaptation of an iconic Chinese sci-fi trilogy. It premieres this weekend at the South by Southwest Festival in Texas before launching on Netflix on March 21. Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, coming off their huge hit with “Game of Thrones,” have liberally translated from the books by Liu Cixin, which has already been adapted for Chinese TV. The trilogy of books, which began with “The Three-Body Problem” in 2008, jumps between countries, eras and protagonists…

Chinese Officials Acknowledge Economic Challenges

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BEIJING —  China needs to do more to boost employment and stabilize its property market, top officials acknowledged Saturday, as policymakers struggle to revive the country’s battered economy. Beijing is grappling with a prolonged property sector crisis, record youth unemployment and a global slowdown hammering demand for Chinese goods. Youth unemployment hit an unprecedented 21.3% in mid-2023 before officials paused publishing monthly figures. Home prices have in turn fallen for months, with several major property developers struggling to stay afloat. And on the sidelines of a weeklong annual meeting of…

Q&A: Former MI6 Official Talks of Turmoil and ‘Partyfication’ in China

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Nigel Inkster is the senior adviser for China at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and boasts a three-decade career at the British Secret Intelligence Service, also known as MI6. VOA’s Natalie Liu recently spoke with him about the turmoil among China’s political elite over the past year, most notably the removal of both Defense Minister Li Shangfu and Foreign Minister Qin Gang. As speculation continues to swirl about the fate of both former officials, Inkster shares his views on the Chinese foreign minister who some reports have suggested was…

Factbox: Scope of Hong Kong’s New National Security Laws

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HONG KONG —  Hong Kong on Friday published its new national security draft law, a document that broadens the definition of crimes including sabotage, sedition and state secrets, and stipulates tougher penalties of up to life imprisonment. The bill comes on top of a 2020 security law imposed by China a year after pro-democracy protests. Lawmakers are expected to pass the draft bill within weeks, and the law could have implications for many sectors in the global financial hub including business, academia, law, diplomacy and the media, observers say. The…

Biden Targets China During State of Union Speech

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BEIJING —  U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday criticized China’s “unfair economic practices” and insisted he has done a better job standing up to Beijing than did former President Donald Trump, his rival in this year’s presidential election. In his State of the Union address, Biden also touted other aspects of his China policy, including “standing up for peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits” and revitalizing “our partnerships and alliances in the Pacific.” “I’ve made sure that the most advanced American technologies can’t be used in China … frankly…

Hong Kong’s New National Security Bill Includes More Power to Suppress Dissent

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HONG KONG —  Hong Kong unveiled a new national security bill Friday that proposes up to life imprisonment for offenses like treason and insurrection, a move deepening worries over further erosion of the city’s freedoms after Beijing imposed a similar law four years ago that all but wiped out dissent. The proposed law will expand the government’s power in stamping out future challenges to its rule, targeting espionage, external interference and protection of state secrets among others. Tougher punishment will be imposed on individuals who collude with external forces to…

Former Delegates Call China’s People’s Congresses ‘Rubber Stamps’

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Washington —  Ongoing plenary sessions of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) offer an annual refresher course in how democracy is practiced under the guidance of the Chinese Communist Party. Known as the “Two Sessions,” the meetings of representatives chosen through what Beijing calls democratic elections started in Beijing this week with nearly 3,000 NPC delegates gathering in the Great Hall of the People. The NPC is the largest legislature in the world and nominally the highest authority in China. But its delegates…

US-China Science, Tech Pact Is Renewed for Another Six Months

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State Department —  The United States and China have agreed to extend a science and technology agreement for another six months, the U.S. State Department said Thursday. “The Department of State on behalf of the U.S. government is negotiating to amend, extend and strengthen protections within the U.S.-PRC Science and Technology Agreement (STA). In February 2024, the United States and PRC agreed to an additional short-term six-month extension of the U.S.-PRC STA,” a spokesperson told VOA. “The short-term six-month extension keeps the agreement in force while we continue negotiations,” the…

Chinese Woman Detained on Spying Charges After Working for US Company

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Taipei, Taiwan —  Family members say they are still seeking answers more than two months after China’s detention on spying charges of a Chinese citizen who had tried to help an American company find office space in the country. Emily Chen, 50, was supposed to meet her husband, U.S. citizen Mark Lent, at Nanjing airport on December 29. She texted Lent that her plane had landed but never emerged from the airport, prompting Lent to initiate a frantic inquiry about her whereabouts. “Her flight was supposed to land at 10:30…