Former Chinese premier Li Keqiang sidelined by President Xi Jinping dies months after retirement

Former Chinese premier Li Keqiang sidelined by President Xi Jinping dies months after retirement

BEIJING: Former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, an acclaimed economist who was once a strong contender against President Xi Jinping for the country’s top leadership role, died on Friday of a heart attack. Li, 68 died of a sudden heart attack at 12:10 a.m. on Friday after all-out rescue efforts failed, according to an official obituary … Read more

AIIB says internal review found ‘no evidence’ of China influence

AIIB says internal review found ‘no evidence’ of China influence

The sign of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is pictured at its headquarters in Beijing, China. File | Photo Credit: REUTERS The China-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) said Friday there was “no evidence” it was dominated by Beijing’s ruling Communist Party, as it released a review into explosive claims made by a former executive. … Read more

Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai loses appeal against phone search

Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai loses appeal against phone search

A Hong Kong appeal court on Monday blocked jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai‘s bid to challenge in the city’s highest court a warrant obtained by national security police to scrutinise the contents of his mobile phones. Lai, 75, is the founder of the now shut pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and is due to face trial … Read more

What are America and China fighting about, anyway?

What are America and China fighting about, anyway?

I just returned from visiting China for the first time since COVID struck. Being back in Beijing was a reminder of my first rule of journalism: If you don’t go, you don’t know. Relations between our two countries have soured so badly, so quickly, and have so reduced our points of contact – very few … Read more

Chinese minister warns China, US on course for conflict

Chinese minister warns China, US on course for conflict

BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang warned Tuesday that Beijing and Washington are headed for “conflict and confrontation” if the U.S. doesn’t change course, striking a combative tone at a moment when relations between the rivals are at a historic low. In his first news conference since taking office late last year, Qin’s harsh language … Read more

China’s annual parliament to implement Xi’s tightening grip

China’s annual parliament to implement Xi’s tightening grip

BEIJING: China‘s annual parliament opens on Sunday and will implement the biggest government reshuffle in a decade as Xi Jinping tightens control while contending with a host of challenges, from an uneven post-COVID economic recovery to cratering U.S. relations. Nearly 3,000 delegates will gather in the Great Hall of the People west of Tiananmen Square … Read more

Like the Soviet Union; Communist China will end up on the ash heap of history: Nikki Haley

Like the Soviet Union; Communist China will end up on the ash heap of history: Nikki Haley

Indian-origin Republican leader Nikki Haley on Wednesday asserted that like the erstwhile Soviet Union, Communist China will also end up on the “ash heap of history,” as she issued a stern warning to Beijing in her first public appearance as a White House hopeful. Haley, 51, is the two-term Governor of South Carolina and the … Read more

U.S. says Chinese intercept could have caused air collision

U.S. says Chinese intercept could have caused air collision

The flags of the United States and China fly from a lamppost in the Chinatown neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., November 1, 2021. | Photo Credit: Reuters The U.S. military says a Chinese fighter jet flew dangerously close to an Air Force plane over the South China Sea, forcing the American pilot to maneuver to … Read more

China faces bumpy road to normal as infections surge

China faces bumpy road to normal as infections surge

After three years of quarantines pushed them close to shutting down, restaurant owner Li Meng and his wife are hoping for business to rebound after China rolled back severe anti-virus controls. As sales slowly revive, they face a new challenge: Diners are wary about the country’s wave of infections. On Wednesday night at 8 p.m., … Read more

Beijing shuts dine-in services for holidays to stem outbreak

Beijing shuts dine-in services for holidays to stem outbreak

Restaurants in Beijing have been ordered to close dine-in services over the May holidays as the Chinese capital grapples with a COVID-19 outbreak. Authorities said at a news conference Saturday that dining in restaurants has become an infection risk, citing virus transmissions between diners and staff. Restaurants have been ordered to only provide takeout services … Read more