Tag Archives: Beijing

During the preparatory period for China’s next five-year plan, President Xi Jinping stressed the country needed to stick to its strategy of “focusing on doing its own work” and seizing the initiative amid an uncertain external environment, according to a report by the state-run news agency Xinhua. During the symposium, Xi called on the country to “closely monitor and accurately …

China and the United States should refrain from weaponising more aspects of their relationship, a Chinese scholar has urged, as the world’s two largest economies prepare to hold a fresh round of negotiations to cool down a recent flare-up in tensions. “It’s very important that the two sides need to have some kind of self-restraint,” said Da Wei, director of …

Hong Kong’s leader has called on the public and private sectors to encourage employees to vote in the coming Legislative Council election, describing it as their social responsibility. At the ceremony to launch the election on Thursday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu urged both public institutions and businesses to encourage employees to take part in the poll, emphasising that voting …

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Wednesday that he and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would travel to Malaysia later that day as scheduled to meet with Chinese officials over what he called Beijing’s “incredibly aggressive” measures to curb rare earth exports. The meeting is seen as a stepping stone to a sit-down in South Korea next week on the …

The fervour for giant pandas and their cubs in Hong Kong brought in more visitors and revenue to Ocean Park, their home, but other expenses ate into its financial health and worsened its deficit last year. The theme park’s deficit widened to HK$274.7 million (US$31.8 million) in the 12 months to June 30 from HK$71.6 million in the same period …

China’s commerce minister has accepted an “urgent” invitation to Brussels, the EU’s trade chief Maros Sefcovic said on Tuesday, as the bloc looks to unpick Beijing’s restrictions on rare earth mineral exports and defuse a row over Dutch-based chipmaker Nexperia. The EU is seeking China to relax export licensing requirements for rare earth elements and magnets, which are crucial to …

The Philippines and Beijing are working on a coastguard cooperation pact as part of efforts to manage recurring flashpoints in the disputed South China Sea, but observers say the step may not be enough to prevent conflict or build lasting trust. Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro told the Senate on Tuesday that the proposed plan aimed to …

Figures released by Taiwan’s defence ministry showed there was no increase in the number of PLA warplanes and warships detected near the island following William Lai Ching-te’s Double Tenth address on October 10. According to the Taiwanese figures, the PLA conducted seven to 27 sorties per day in the week following Lai’s speech. It was a different story last year, …

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Images of hull sections suggest progress on China’s fourth aircraft carrier China appears to be …

Hong Kong’s new lawmakers should stay united and cooperate with the government to demonstrate “effective democracy” and the “perfect partnership of patriots”, the city’s leader has said. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu was speaking at a high-level seminar on Thursday centering on executive-legislature relations amid a wave of incumbent lawmakers announcing they will not seek re-election after the current Legislative …