Tag: USA

BEIJING —  China announced sanctions Sunday on five American defense-related companies in response to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and U.S sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals. The sanctions will freeze any property the companies have in China and prohibit organizations and individuals in China from doing business with them, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted online. It was unclear what impact, if any, the sanctions would have on the companies, BAE Systems Land and Armaments, Alliant Techsystems Operations, AeroVironment, ViaSat and Data Link Solutions. Such sanctions are…

WASHINGTON —  Vietnamese General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has hailed improved relations with the U.S. and China as significant gains in the country’s “bamboo” diplomatic strategy of balancing ties with superpowers. Last year, Vietnam hosted U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping little more than three months apart, moving closer in relationships with the top two powers — both of which want to court Vietnam, according to experts interviewed by VOA. Between these two moves, Vietnam elevated Japan to one of its six comprehensive strategic partners, along with…

China will ease visa restrictions for people visiting from the United States, the country’s latest effort to attract foreign travelers since reopening its borders earlier this year. Starting January 1, American tourists will no longer need to submit round-trip air tickets, proof of hotel reservations, itineraries or invitations to China, according to a notice posted online Friday by the Chinese Embassy in Washington. The simplified application process is intended to “further facilitate people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States,” the notice said. The move comes as China has struggled…

A turbulent year in U.S. and China relations culminated in talks between the country’s two leaders on the sidelines of the APEC summit in San Francisco in November. There, Xi Jinping told President Joe Biden that Taiwan is the most sensitive issue in their bilateral ties. VOA State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching reports on how the island factors into relations between the superpowers. Voice of America

Beijing —  China’s foreign ministry said it had sanctioned Kharon, a U.S. firm founded by former Treasury Department officials that provides data to companies on alleged forced labor in the Xinjiang region to help them comply with U.S. laws. The foreign ministry said on Tuesday it would take “countermeasures” against Kharon and its director of investigations for providing “so-called evidence for America’s illegal sanctions related to Xinjiang.” In response, Los-Angeles based Kharon said it had no presence in China, so the action was “largely symbolic” and would not impact its…