China

BEIJING: After purchasing face masks and ventilators from China in prior months, North Korea unexpectedly ceased importing COVID-19 prevention and control products in May, according to trade statistics supplied by Beijing. Since the isolated government initially announced it was combating a COVID-19 outbreak in mid-May, daily new cases of fever in North Korea have been falling, according to its state …

HONG KONG: On Sunday, China presented new senior officials in Hong Kong under incoming leader John Lee, who promised to push the global financial hub to new heights while dismissing worries about US sanctions against him. Finance Secretary Paul Chan, who is not subject to US sanctions, will keep his job in the Chinese-ruled region, providing comfort to the banking …

SHANGHAI: China launched its third and most sophisticated aircraft carrier on Friday from Shanghai’s Jiangnan Shipyard, using a new launch technology that experts say is quickly catching up to the US.  The ship, dubbed “Fujian,” is China’s first domestically designed and built catapult aircraft carrier, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies …

ASEAN – Singapore hosts Shangri-La Dialog, an annual rally of senior defense officers across Asia and beyond.  This dialogue, the largest  gathering of senior military officials in Asia, is not actually hosted by the Government of Singapore. Rather, the event is hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, an independent think tank. However, the Government of Singapore is helping …

Beijing – On Wednesday, June 15, President Xi Jinping assured Vladimir Putin of China’s support for Russian “sovereignty and security.” This prompted Washington to warn Beijing that they risked ending up “on the wrong side of history.” China has declined to denounce Russia’s unprecedented military assault on Ukraine and has been accused of providing diplomatic cover for Moscow by criticizing …

China – Today, Beijing’s streets were bustling as people in two districts were permitted to come back to work, while Shanghai moved closer to removing its two-month-old Covid-19 lockdown, which began on Wednesday, as the number of Covid cases throughout China decreased. While the rest of the world attempts to coexist with the virus, China is the only major country to …

China – The Chinese province of Henan has required its roughly 100 million residents to undergo a Covid test every two days, a first in the nation as it battles an Omicron-fueled spike. Even while most of the globe has adjusted to live with the coronavirus, China has maintained its zero-Covid policy, enforcing tight lockdowns and mobility restrictions in numerous …

Asean – The UN rights chief will go to China’s Xinjiang province next week for a visit that will be closely scrutinized by the world community amid demands that she speak out against crimes against the country’s Uyghur minority. Michelle Bachelet will begin a six-day trip to China on Monday, after years of asking for “meaningful and unrestricted” access to …

China – Officials in the sport of football said on Saturday that China has withdrawn from bidding to host the 2023 Asian Cup owing to the coronavirus. Beijing’s strict zero-COVID approach has dealt another blow to the country’s athletic goals. Millions of people in Shanghai have been subjected to stringent regulations for more than a month now as part of …

China – Following reports about the Russian soldiers who are encountering stiff opposition in Ukraine, the chief of the United States’ intelligence community has given a hint that China is now growing more apprehensive about taking a military action against Taiwan. Avril Haines, who is the Director of National Intelligence, said on Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee that …