Final arguments have concluded in the national security trial of the pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong. Government-picked judges are retiring to consider their verdict in the case, seen internationally as a crucial test of the rule of law in the city. Lai, 77, has been in prison since 2020, when he was charged with two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious material. The charges were brought under a sweeping national security law (NSL) imposed by Beijing after…
Tag: World news
Putin and Kim to join Xi at Chinese military parade in show of defiance to the west
Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are among the world leaders who will attend a military parade with President Xi Jinping in Beijing next week, in a show of collective defiance amid western pressure. No western leaders will be among the 26 foreign heads of state and government attending the parade next week – with the exception of Robert Fico, prime minister of Slovakia, a member of the European Union – according to the Chinese foreign ministry. Against the backdrop of China’s growing military might during the Victory Day parade on…
Evergrande: China’s property giant delisted from Hong Kong stock exchange
Evergrande, formerly one of China’s biggest property developers, has been delisted from the Hong Kong stock exchange, capping the end of a long fall from grace. The company was removed from the exchange on Monday after an 18-month freeze on trading, imposed when the developer – once valued at more than HK$400bn (US$50bn) – was put into liquidation. Liquidators had told investors earlier in August the listing was set to be cancelled and they would not seek a review, after the stock exchange warned the company it had passed the…
The Guardian view on rural China: urbanites contemplate an escape to the country | Editorial
“People gone; buildings empty: this is the fact of daily life in the countryside,” lamented the author Liang Hong in her bestselling account China in One Village. It was a grim portrait of her home town – its vitality ebbing as the forces of modern life drained it of young people, polluted its water, exploited its resources and even turned the local school into a pigsty. Its quarter of a million sales reflected not just her distinctive writing, but the familiarity of the story. As urban China prospered with the…
Ministers delay planning decision on Chinese ‘super-embassy’ in London
Ministers have delayed a decision on whether to grant planning permission to a proposed Chinese “super-embassy” in London amid concerns about redacted drawings in the building’s plans. The deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, was expected to make a decision on 9 September but has pushed the date back to 21 October, saying more time was needed to consider the plans for the development, which would occupy 20,000 square metres (five acres) at Royal Mint Court in east London. The plan has met fierce opposition from local people and campaigners concerned…
‘Diplomatic knife fight’ over PNG enters new phase with deepening Australia defence deal
As Papua New Guinea prepares to mark 50 years as an independent nation next month, the country will sign a defence treaty with Australia, binding it closer again to its former colonial overseer. The treaty will allow Papua New Guinea nationals to gain Australian citizenship by serving in its defence forces, deepen defence cooperation, and give both countries’ militaries greater access to each other’s bases. “Our security and prosperity is entwined with their security and prosperity: this defence treaty will take that to an even higher level,” Australia’s minister for…
India successfully tests nuclear-capable missile able to reach deep into China
India has said that it has successfully test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile which, when operational, should be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to any part of China. The Agni-5 missile was successfully launched in India’s eastern Odisha state on Wednesday, and authorities said it “validated all operational and technical parameters”. India and China, the world’s two most populous nations, are intense rivals competing for influence across south Asia and relations plummeted in 2020 after a deadly border clash. India is also part of the Quad security alliance with the…
Jimmy Lai has ‘unwavering intent’ to solicit foreign sanctions, Hong Kong court told
Prosecutors in Jimmy Lai’s marathon national security trial have wrapped up their closing arguments in Hong Kong, telling the court that the elderly media mogul and activist had “unwavering intent” to solicit foreign sanctions. Lai has pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiring to commit foreign collusion under the Beijing-designed national security law, and another charge under the colonial-era laws of conspiring to publish seditious materials. Prosecutors say Lai used his media outlet and foreign political connections to lobby for governments to impose sanctions and other punitive measures against…
Swatch pulls ‘slanted eye’ ad after backlash in China
The Swiss watchmaker Swatch has apologised and removed an advert featuring a model pulling the corners of his eyes, after the image prompted accusations of racism and calls for a boycott on Chinese social media. Internet users heavily criticised the “slanted eye” gesture made by the Asian male model as racist. In a post on Instagram and the Chinese social media platform Weibo on Saturday, Swatch acknowledged the “recent concerns regarding the portrayal of a model” in the advert and said it had deleted the promotional material worldwide. “We sincerely…
‘Now it’s about personal happiness’: popular Granny Wang dating show belies China’s plummeting marriage rate
The crowd is sweltering under a red and gold awning, but Granny Wang has them rapt. Packed into the space in front of the 62-year-old’s small stage, and spilling out on to the wooden bleachers above, hundreds of people have gathered to hear Granny Wang – real name Zhao Mei – play matchmaker to young men and women at a daily show in a theme park in Kaifeng, an ancient city in central China’s Henan province. One man who volunteers to be set up comes on stage and tells Zhao…