Tag: China News

Chinese security presence in the Pacific comes into focus ahead of major political events   

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Taipei, Taiwan —  China’s growing security presence in the Pacific will be scrutinized this week as the Solomon Islands holds its national election on Wednesday. While the Pacific island nation has been plagued by a slew of domestic issues such as youth unemployment and weakening health and education systems, some analysts say the election is a “de-facto referendum” on its relationship with China. “The results will determine whether the Solomon Islands continues growing its relationship with China or changes course in favor of a different approach,” Parker Novak, a nonresident…

China’s economy grew 5.3% in first quarter, beating expectations

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HONG KONG —  China’s economy expanded at a faster than expected pace in the first three months of the year, helped by policies aimed at stimulating growth and stronger demand, the government said Tuesday. The world’s second-largest economy expanded at a 5.3% annual pace in January-March, beating analysts’ forecasts of about 4.8%, official data show. Compared to the previous quarter, the economy grew 1.6%. China’s economy has struggled to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic, with a slowdown in demand and a property crisis weighing on its growth. The better-than-expected…

German chancellor promotes fair competition, warns against overproduction during China visit

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is calling for fair competition in trade with China while urging the European Union to not adopt protectionist policies against Beijing. The bloc has been considering tariffs amid concerns about Chinese goods being dumped on European markets and overproduction. Scholz is in China on a three-day visit. He is expected to meet with President Xi Jinping Tuesday in Beijing before ending his trip, which is his second to China since taking office in 2021. According to the Reuters news agency, Beijing is expected to urge Berlin…

Philippines says it will not grant US access to more bases

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The Philippines says it has no plans to give the United States more access to military bases in the Southeast Asian country, putting a cap on the current total number of nine sites. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told foreign correspondents in Manila Monday that the country’s decision last year to increase the number of sites agreed upon under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement or EDCA was a response to aggressive actions by China in the South China Sea. China has accused the Philippines of triggering confrontations by encroaching into…

Report: Chinese authorities impose collective punishments on families of detained dissidents

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Taipei, Taiwan —  A U.S.-based human rights organization says Chinese authorities have been “collectively punishing” families of human rights defenders in recent years, warning that the persecution appears to be part of a “state policy.” In a new report, Chinese Human Rights Defenders said authorities have held the children of detained human rights defenders in custody and put them in psychiatric hospitals or orphanages, forced school-age children to drop out of school, imposed exit bans on children of human rights defenders and imprisoned some family members of rights activists. The…

China, health system top issues as Solomon Islands holds national election

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SYDNEY —  The Solomon Islands holds a national election on Wednesday, the first since Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare signed a security pact with China that prompted concern from the United States and South Pacific neighbors. Sogavare has pledged closer ties with China, which has built infrastructure since Solomon Islands switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019, while opposition parties favor ties with Western aid donors including Australia, and pledge to fix a broken health system. The national election was delayed from 2023, after Sogavare said he wanted to…

China ‘deeply concerned’ after Iran strikes, online commenters largely oppose Israel

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Washington —  China’s foreign ministry Sunday said it is “deeply concerned” about escalating tensions in the Middle East. Hours after Iran launched more than 320 warheads towards Israel in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on Tehran’s embassy in Damascus, China’s foreign ministry published a statement calling for the immediate implementation of a U.N. ceasefire resolution. “China expresses deep concern over the current escalation and calls on relevant parties to exercise calm and restraint to prevent further escalations. The ongoing situation is the latest spillover of the Gaza conflict.” China…

Germany’s Scholz arrives in China on a visit marked by trade tensions, Ukraine conflict

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BEIJING —  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in China on Sunday on a visit focused on the increasingly tense economic relationship between the sides and differences over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Scholz’s first destination was the industrial hub of Chongqing, where he and his delegation of ministers and business leaders were to visit a partially German-funded company and other sites in the vast city, which is a production base for China’s auto and other industries. Scholz is also scheduled to visit the financial hub of Shanghai during his three-day visit,…

US, Beijing aim to boost number of American students in China

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WASHINGTON —  Stephen Garrett, a 27-year-old graduate student, always thought he would study in China, but the country’s restrictive COVID-19 policies made it nearly impossible and now he sees interest among fellow scholars wane even after China reopened. Common concerns, he said, include restrictions on academic freedom and the risk of being stranded in China. These days, only about 700 American students are studying at Chinese universities, down from a peak of close to 25,000 a decade ago, while there are nearly 300,000 Chinese students at U.S. schools. Some young…

US: China strengthens Russian war machine with surging equipment sales

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WASHINGTON —  China has surged sales to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics and other technology that Moscow in turn is using to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weaponry for use in its war against Ukraine, according to a U.S. assessment. Two senior Biden administration officials, who discussed the sensitive findings Friday on the condition of anonymity, said that in 2023 about 90% of Russia’s microelectronics came from China. Russia has used those to make missiles, tanks and aircraft. Nearly 70% of Russia’s approximately $900 million in machine tool imports…