Exclusive | China wielding ‘bargaining power’ with Russia over Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline

Exclusive | China wielding ‘bargaining power’ with Russia over Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline

To export at least 98 billion cubic metres per year of gas from Russia to China as promised by Russian President Vladimir Putin, figures from Spanish multinational financial services firm BBVA showed that the new pipeline is needed because the Power of Siberia 1 is limited to 67 billion cubic metres per year. It’s a … Read more

Taiwan opposition parties register separate bids for presidential race in a boost for DPP and a worry for mainland China

Taiwan opposition parties register separate bids for presidential race in a boost for DPP and a worry for mainland China

KMT candidate Hou Yu-ih also registered on Friday. His running mate is fellow KMT member and former legislator Jaw Shaw-kong, who is also CEO and chairman of the Broadcasting Corporation of China. The registration capped weeks of back and forth in which the two Beijing-friendly parties failed to resolve a dispute over who would head … Read more

Chinese court rejects singer Kris Wu’s appeal against rape conviction

Chinese court rejects singer Kris Wu’s appeal against rape conviction

A court in Beijing has rejected the appeal of rapper and singer Kris Wu Yifan against his rape conviction. Beijing No 3 Intermediate People’s Court announced on Friday that it upheld the original verdict for the charges against the 33-year-old Chinese-Canadian hip-hop star. “The original ruling found the facts to be clear, the evidence to … Read more

Chinese Premier Li Qiang picked to head finance commission as Xi Jinping delegates duties

Chinese Premier Li Qiang picked to head finance commission as Xi Jinping delegates duties

Li’s role was confirmed on Monday, when he was mentioned as the chair of a meeting of the new commission in a report by state news agency Xinhua. The late Li Keqiang never headed any top Communist Party groups in his decade as China’s premier. Photo: dpa The CFC was set up in March to … Read more

Taiwan election 2024: DPP senses victory in ‘perfect match’ Lai-Hsiao ticket but for Beijing it might ‘mean war’

Taiwan election 2024: DPP senses victory in ‘perfect match’ Lai-Hsiao ticket but for Beijing it might ‘mean war’

The pair officially registered their candidacies the next day, as the island’s main opposition Kuomintang and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party failed to agree on a joint ticket to challenge Lai. With her reputation as a calm, rational and highly capable politician who is highly regarded in the political, diplomatic and academic circles of Washington, … Read more

All of China loves Zhang Guimei as a girls’ education pioneer. So why is her biopic making some people see red?

All of China loves Zhang Guimei as a girls’ education pioneer. So why is her biopic making some people see red?

However, a new film based on her inspirational life has sharply divided opinion between the public and the state. When Zhang founded her boarding school in a remote area of China’s southwestern Yunnan province 15 years ago, many of the local girls would drop out early to marry or earn a living, while the boys … Read more

China says respiratory disease surge driven by mix of pathogens, calls to ‘minimise personnel movement and visits’

China says respiratory disease surge driven by mix of pathogens, calls to ‘minimise personnel movement and visits’

“Efforts should be made to implement effective epidemic prevention and control measures in key locations with dense populations, such as schools, childcare institutions and nursing homes,” Mi said. “This includes minimising personnel movement and visits.” Hospitals have also been told to improve their ability to grade patients according to the severity of infection, for better … Read more

Opinion | US-China thaw means Beijing can focus on development, not security

Opinion | US-China thaw means Beijing can focus on development, not security

But how long will the reset last? As the systemic divisions underlying US-China relations remain unresolved, people have reason to wonder. For example, Biden stressed that both countries should manage their competition responsibly to prevent it from veering into conflict while Xi wondered aloud “are we adversaries or partners?”. Few would expect the diplomacy between … Read more

Chinese state media drops ‘Tibet’ for ‘Xizang’ after release of Beijing white paper

Chinese state media drops ‘Tibet’ for ‘Xizang’ after release of Beijing white paper

“Xizang” is the pinyin, or Chinese romanisation, of the Mandarin script for “Tibet”. Since the release of the November white paper, “Xizang” has largely replaced “Tibet” in several official Chinese media reports, with “Tibet” now used only in a few scenarios, including translations of already established geographical terms and names of institutions. Between November 10, … Read more

Chinese academics tout alternative path to modernisation at forum

Chinese academics tout alternative path to modernisation at forum

China is on an alternative path to modernisation that is more sustainable than the Western development model, academics told a state-sponsored forum. The China studies conference was hosted by the State Council Information Office on Friday. A letter from the president was read out at the gathering of hundreds of Chinese and foreign academics in … Read more