Browsing: International – China
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands as they pose for photos before a tea ceremony following their meeting at the Great…
Cars lie partially submerged in floodwaters after heavy rainfall in Duyun, Guizhou Province, Tuesday. (Reuters) Torrential rain continued across southern and central China Tuesday with at least 21 people killed in widespread flooding that also closed schools and businesses, and disrupted transport and power supplies, authorities said.China’s weather agency said areas of Jiangxi, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan faced a high risk of rain-related disasters, including landslides, flash floods and severe urban flooding and waterlogging.Authorities said they have allocated 150mn yuan ($22.04mn) for disaster relief and launched emergency responses in several affected areas.Many residents in Jingzhou, a city in central Hubei, were knee-deep in water and able to catch fish swimming in the streets, according to images posted on Chinese video platform Douyin. Some cars were nearly completely submerged on roads surrounded by residential and commercial buildings.Ten people were confirmed dead after a pickup truck carrying 15 farm workers fell into a flooded river in China’s southwestern region of Guangxi amid heavy rain, state broadcaster CCTV reported.In separate incidents, heavy rain and flooding killed four people in southwestern Guizhou province, four others in southern Hunan province, and three in a low-lying village in central Hubei province, CCTV said. A number of people remain missing.Schools, businesses and transport services have been suspended, and authorities are relocating residents in some parts of Hubei and Hunan, state media reported.HEAVY RAIN EXPECTED ALONG YANGTZE RIVERThe unusually large area of intense rainfall — spanning more than 1,000km (621 miles) — was due to the convergence of abundant moisture from the Bay of Bengal, the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The slow-moving nature of the weather system also led to the high cumulative rainfall, according to Chinese meteorologists.China’s National Meteorological Centre said severe weather would gradually move east and south across China over the next two days. From today, the heaviest rainfall is expected along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.China’s southern Hainan island issued a geological disaster warning Tuesday, as a mountainside collapsed onto a highway in Lingshui, prompting authorities to close several major roads in that area of the island. Separately, authorities in Guangxi set up temporary shelters on 99 sites for more than 4,000 residents and relocated 7,000 people after a magnitude 5.2 earthquake on Monday, which sent tremors across multiple cities in the region. Related Story Source link
US President Donald Trump landed in Beijing on Wednesday for a high-stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping aimed at easing deep tensions between the rival superpowers.Beginning the first visit to China by a US president in nearly a decade, Trump touched down on Air Force One at Beijing Capital International Airport at 7:50 pm (1150 GMT) after the long flight from Washington. Ructions over Iran, trade and Taiwan loom over the highly anticipated meeting between the leaders of the world’s largest economies, which Trump had already delayed from March because of the war in the Middle East. But Trump appeared firmly focused on business deals, with Nvidia chief Jensen Huang boarding the plane at the last minute in Alaska and Tesla’s Elon Musk also travelling on the presidential jet.As the global AI race hots up, China is currently banned from purchasing the cutting-edge chips that Huang’s company produces under US export rules that Washington says are to protect national security. Trump said in a social media post en route that he would be “be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to ‘open up’ China so that these brilliant people can work their magic”.Visiting China for the first time since 2017 during his first term, Trump is expected to receive a lavish welcome from Chinese authorities and will have a packed itinerary.Trump and Xi will hold talks at 10:00 am (0200 GMT) on Thursday in Beijing’s opulent Great Hall of the People, where they will also enjoy a state banquet in the evening. On Friday, they are set to have tea and a working lunch before the US president heads home. As he departed the White House, Trump said he expected a “long talk” with Xi about the joint US-Israeli war with Iran, which sells most of its US-sanctioned oil to China. But he also downplayed disagreements, telling reporters that “I don’t think we need any help with Iran” from China and that Xi had been “relatively good” on the topic.The Chinese foreign ministry said Wednesday it “welcomes” Trump’s visit and that “China stands ready to work with the United States… to expand cooperation and manage differences”. Yet Beijing is growing impatient for peace, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi urging his Pakistani counterpart on Tuesday to step up mediation efforts between Iran and the United States. Related Story Source link
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on Pakistan to intensify its mediation efforts between the United States and Iran, and to contribute to effectively addressing issues related to the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. This came during a phone call between Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Mohammad Ishaq Dar. Dar briefed Wang on Pakistan’s recent mediation efforts to facilitate talks between Iran and the US. He also expressed hope to strengthen coordination with China to play a joint positive role in maintaining regional peace and stability, extending his appreciation for China’s support for Pakistan’s efforts to promote dialogue. Wang reaffirmed China’s principled position, praising Pakistan’s role in facilitating US-Iran talks and extending the temporary ceasefire. He expressed hope that Pakistan would maintain its confidence and contribute to restoring regional peace as soon as possible, which is also what the international community aspires to. China will continue to support Pakistan’s mediation efforts and will make its own contributions in this regard, Wang added. Source link
China yesterday denied again that a ship intercepted by the United States contained a “gift” from Beijing for Iran, a day after US President Donald Trump made the accusation.Trump had said that an Iranian-flagged ship seized by US forces in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday contained “a gift from China”, which “wasn’t very nice”. His comments came after former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley wrote on X that the ship was travelling from China to Iran and was linked to chemical shipments for missiles. Responding to Haley’s accusations at a regular news briefing on Tuesday, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the ship was “a foreign container ship”, and that China opposed “any malicious association and speculation”. Asked about Trump’s comments yesterday, Guo said China had already stated its position.“As a responsible major country, China has always set a good example in fulfilling its due international obligation,” he added. Trump had said on Tuesday that he was “a little surprised”, given he thought he had an “understanding” with China’s President Xi Jinping.A week ago, Trump announced that Xi had assured him there would be no Chinese weapons deliveries to Iran. Beijing is a close partner of Tehran and has called the US-Israeli strikes on Iran illegal, but it has also criticised attacks on Gulf countries and called for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened.The seized vessel, Touska, had been sailing towards the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Sunday. The guided missile destroyer USS Spruance fired several rounds from a five-inch calibre gun to disable the Iranian ship’s propulsion after directing it “to evacuate its engine room”, CENTCOM said in a post on X.The incident comes with tensions high in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, which has been virtually closed since the start of the Middle East war.Iran briefly reopened the strait on Friday in recognition of an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire in Lebanon, but closed it again the following day in response to the US maintaining its blockade on ships travelling to and from Iranian ports. Source link
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for normal passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz to be maintained, in a phone call yesterday with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held as Beijing steps up efforts to help end the Iran war. China is concerned over renewed instability around the strategic waterway, as a US-Iran ceasefire came under fresh strain after the US seized an Iranian cargo ship and Tehran signalled it would not join new peace talks for now. China is the main buyer of Iranian crude. Iran has largely closed the strait to ships other than its own since the US and Israel launched the war in February, while Washington has imposed a blockade of Iranian ships since last week. China advocates an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, and insists on resolving conflicts in the Middle East through political and diplomatic channels, state news agency Xinhua cited Xi as saying. “The Strait of Hormuz should remain open to normal passage, as this serves the common interests of regional countries and the international community,” he told the Saudi leader. Worries have mounted over the survival of the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran after the US seizure of the Iranian vessel. Trump had credited Beijing with helping to get Iran to the previous negotiations with the US in Pakistan. The Chinese foreign ministry yesterday expressed concerns over the “forced interception” by the US of the Iranian ship, while urging relevant sides to abide by the ceasefire agreement.Xi’s call with the Saudi crown prince followed a meeting in Beijing last week with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, when Xi urged adherence to international law. Xi also told the Saudi crown prince that China supports countries in the Middle East in “taking their future and destiny into their own hands, and promoting long-term regional stability and peace”. Source link
China has issued fines totalling 3.6bn yuan ($527mn) to seven major e-commerce platforms for food safety violations, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) said on Friday. The regulator said platforms, including Alibaba-owned Taobao, JD.com, Meituan, Temu-owner Pinduoduo and Douyin — China’s version of TikTok — had failed to check the licenses of stores on their apps and allowed “ghost food deliveries” from unverified vendors. SAMR said in a statement it had “ordered seven e-commerce platforms to rectify their illegal activities… and imposed fines and confiscations totalling 3.597bn yuan”.The legal representatives of the companies were also fined a total of 19.7mn yuan ($2.9mn), the market regulator said. An investigation showed the platforms had “not strictly reviewed and checked the licenses of food operators entering their networks, and failed to fulfil the obligation of qualification review in accordance with the law,” SAMR said. They had also signed agreements with order-transfer platforms, which infringed on consumers’ rights, SAMR said. Source link
China said a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would go against the international community’s interests and urged calm and restraint by all sides. The US military said it will begin a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas yesterday, after the failure of weekend talks in Islamabad aimed at ending the Iran war. Before the war, most Iranian oil exports were shipped to China, the top global importer of crude. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz does not serve the common interests of the international community, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Khaldoon Khalifa al-Mubarak, special envoy of the UAE President for China, in Beijing yesterday, according to a ministry statement. Wang said China understood the legitimate security concerns of the Gulf Arab states, and that the fundamental way to resolve the crisis was a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire achieved through political and diplomatic means. “China hopes the relevant parties will abide by the temporary ceasefire arrangements, remain committed to resolving disputes through political and diplomatic means, and avoid a resumption of hostilities,” foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press conference yesterday. China stood ready to “play a positive and constructive role” in resolving the crisis, Guo added, calling the weekend talks in the Pakistani capital a step in a direction conducive to easing tension. After the marathon talks failed, the US Central Command said its forces would begin a blockade of all maritime traffic with Iranian ports from 10am ET (1400 GMT) yesterday. Source link
Taiwan’s defence ministry said yesterday that it spotted 16 Chinese warplanes operating near the island the previous day, around the same time China’s president was meeting the Taiwanese opposition leader. Late on Friday morning, Chinese President Xi Jinping met Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of Taiwan’s largest opposition party the Kuomintang (KMT) in Beijing, where Xi said he “absolutely would not tolerate” independence for Taiwan, which China views as its own territory. Cheng has portrayed her visit as a reconciliation mission to lessen tensions, and told Xi she looked forward to the KMT and Communist Party advancing the “institutionalisation” of peace across the Taiwan Strait.Taiwan’s defence ministry, in its daily report on Chinese military activity in the previous 24 hours, said that 16 Chinese warplanes flew near the island from mid-morning to mid-afternoon on Friday. Xi and Cheng met at 11am (0300GMT). Shen Yu-chung, a deputy minister at Taiwan’s China-policy-making Mainland Affairs Council, told reporters in Taipei on Saturday that using military coercion against Taiwan as a means of applying pressure for political negotiations has always been China’s “go-to tactic”. “So on one hand we see them sending out messages of peace, while on the other hand they continue to use military force to pressure Taiwan without letup,” he added.China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request for comment. In Beijing, KMT Vice-Chairman Chang Jung-kung said that the key to promoting peace lies in offering Taiwan’s people a choice between peace and reconciliation, or war. Engaging with China and promoting cross-strait peace yields “peace with dignity,” not the bowing of one’s head to “shake hands” like Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has said, Chang added, according to a KMT statement. Lai’s office said on Friday night that what the Xi-Cheng meeting sought to highlight was that “Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic of China” and to advance “the annexation of Taiwan”. “Taiwan’s future can only be decided by the Taiwanese people themselves,” Lai’s spokesperson Karen Kuo said in a statement. Source link
Kuomintang Chairperson Cheng Li-wun (left) shaking hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Great Hall of the People in Beijing, yesterday.(AFP) China’s President Xi Jinping met Taiwan’s opposition party leader Cheng Li-wun in Beijing yesterday, telling the visiting delegation he had “full confidence” that Taiwanese and Chinese people would be united.Kuomintang (KMT) chairwoman Cheng is the party’s first leader to visit China in a decade, but her trip has sparked debate in Taiwan with critics accusing her of being too pro-Beijing.China severed high-level contact with Taiwan in 2016 after Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the presidency and rejected Beijing’s claims that the self-ruled island is part of its territory.Xi told Cheng as the two met yesterday that “the general trend of compatriots on both sides of the Strait getting closer, edging nearer and becoming united will not change”.”This is an inevitable part of history. We have full confidence in this,” Xi said during the talks carried by Taiwanese media.He also said China was willing to strengthen dialogue with groups in Taiwan, including the KMT, on the “common political foundation of… opposing Taiwan independence”.The KMT supports closer relations with China, which claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize it.Cheng echoed Xi’s stance at a press conference after their meeting, stressing the need for younger generations to understand “what challenges we face at this stage” and “how, by adhering to the 1992 Consensus and opposing Taiwan independence, we can avoid war”.The so-called consensus suggests there is “one China” without specifying which is its rightful representative.Earlier, she told Xi that the Taiwan Strait would “no longer be a focal point of potential conflict” and “both sides should transcend political confrontation”.She also said Xi had responded “positively” to her proposal that the sides work toward Taiwan participating in international organisations such as Interpol and regional trade agreements.A spokesman for Taiwan’s ruling DPP said China should respect Taiwan’s “commitment to freedom and democracy, rather than interfering in the choices of the Taiwanese people through division and inducement”.”Differences between the two sides must be handled through peaceful and equal means, rather than by using suppression and intimidation,” spokesman Lee Kuen-cheng said.Beijing has ramped up military pressure around Taiwan in recent years, conducting near-daily deployments of fighter jets and warships near the island and regular large-scale military drills.Taiwanese lawmakers have been at loggerheads over the government’s plan to spend NT$1.25tn ($39bn) on defence, which has been stalled for months in parliament, controlled by opposition parties including the KMT.Cheng’s trip comes a month before US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Beijing for a summit with Xi.The US has been piling pressure on Taiwanese opposition lawmakers to back a proposal for defence purchases, including US weapons, to deter a potential Chinese attack.Cheng has railed against the government’s proposal, insisting “Taiwan isn’t an ATM” and instead backing a KMT plan to allocate NT$380bn ($12bn) for US weapons with the option for more acquisitions.While KMT party members regularly fly to China for exchanges with officials, its last leader to visit was Hung Hsiu-chu in 2016.Cross-strait relations have worsened in particular since the election of Tsai’s successor, Lai Ching-te, who Beijing considers a separatist.Lai said in a Facebook post yesterday that “China’s… military threats in and around the Taiwan Strait and the island chain have severely undermined regional peace and stability”.Cheng landed in Shanghai on Tuesday evening, saying shortly after her arrival that “the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not doomed to war, as the international community has feared”. Source link