One of our most popular travel stories of 2024 looked at how more trekkers are flocking to the Himalayas of Nepal, facilitated by companies out to make a quick buck. Mountaineers and guides, however, have voiced concerns about the safety risks that underprepared trekkers pose, and the growing amounts of waste left on mountain slopes. … Read more
A slew of cadres in their early 50s clinched significant administrative positions with full ministerial rank this year, as China’s ruling Communist Party moves younger faces into mid-tier leadership positions. The latest to be promoted was Liu Jie, 54, who was made acting governor of Zhejiang in eastern China on December 18. Zhejiang is well-known … Read more
Former Taiwanese leader Ma Ying-jeou has vowed to protect the island’s deep-rooted cultural and historical ties with mainland China while accusing the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) of having a “misguided political agenda” in attempting to sever these links. “In the past several decades, Taiwan has played a vital role in preserving and promoting Chinese … Read more
The Chinese Restaurant Awards in Canada recently celebrated its 15th anniversary with a gala dinner, held for 100 guests at the Michelin-recommended Chang’An Restaurant in downtown Vancouver. The evening showcased the talents of three Chinese chefs with different backgrounds and skill sets who have made their mark in Vancouver. Alex Chen is originally from Malaysia, … Read more
In eastern China, a robot that can identify and chase suspects follows police officers as they patrol the streets in a crowded commercial district, as Beijing seeks new ways to deploy advanced technology to aid police. Police in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, are reportedly using the robots, which could be equipped with suppression tools such as … Read more
Former Taiwanese leader Ma Ying-jeou will visit mainland China later this month, his third visit in the past two years, in another push to promote people-to-people exchanges amid elevated cross-strait tensions. Ma will lead a delegation of Taiwanese youth to visit the cities of Harbin in the northeast and Chengdu in the southwest on a … Read more
Taiwanese romance novelist Chiung Yao has died at the age of 86. She committed suicide in her home in Tamsui, New Taipei City, Taiwanese media reported. In a suicide note, the writer behind My Fair Princess, which was adapted for television in 1998 and made leading actresses Zhao Wei, Ruby Lin, and Fan Bingbing into … Read more
A knife-wielding brawl in the southwestern province of Sichuan ended with the fatal stabbing of a man, in China’s third deadly episode in recent days. According to Chengdu police, a 35-year-old man surnamed Zhu stabbed a man on Monday afternoon after a traffic dispute. The victim died despite medical treatment. Zhu has been placed under … Read more
China is home to US e-commerce giant Amazon.com’s four biggest merchant bases, according to new research, showing the significant role that the world’s second-largest economy continues to play in the global supply chain despite geopolitical tensions. Shenzhen, a technology and factory hub in China’s southern Guangdong province, leads the pack with 102,588 sellers registered on … Read more
US semiconductor giant Intel said it would expand its chip packaging and testing base in Chengdu, in a show of commitment to the mainland market despite a recent call by a Beijing-backed cybersecurity group to review the company’s products. In addition to enlarging packaging and testing capacity for server chips, the facility will also establish … Read more
