Slow but specialised form of transport has been used by the reclusive country’s leaders for decades
North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, has arrived in Beijing on his signature green train to attend a military parade in China celebrating the formal surrender of Japan in the second world war.
Kim left Pyongyang for China on Monday.
Continue reading...China’s leader urges attendees to oppose ‘cold war mentality’ while Russian president claims Ukraine war was ‘provoked by the west’
Xi Jinping has criticised the “bullying behaviour” of other countries while Vladimir Putin has blamed the west for his war on Ukraine, on the second day of a major summit in China which seeks to challenge western-led multilateral blocs.
The Shanghai Cooperation Summit (SCO) began in the city of Tianjin on Sunday, with Xi welcoming dozens of leaders from Eurasian member states and other partner and observer countries, including Putin, and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.
Continue reading...Chinese president hosts bilateral meetings on sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin
Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin have met on the sidelines of a showpiece summit in China that seeks to challenge US-led, western-dominated blocs and is being attended by the leaders of more than two dozen nations.
The Chinese and Russian leaders, who are closely allied under what they have termed a “limitless” partnership, discussed Putin’s recent meeting with Donald Trump, according to a Kremlin official, who gave no further details.
Continue reading...Analysts say Putin and Xi will aim to align positions during Russian leader’s unusually long stay
Vladimir Putin will travel to China this weekend for what the Kremlin has called a “truly unprecedented” visit to his most important ally, which comes at a crunch moment in talks over Ukraine.
During the trip, which is expected to stretch to close to a week – unusually long for the Russian leader – he will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, hold talks with Xi Jinping, and take in Beijing’s Victory Day military parade marking 80 years since Japan’s defeat in the second world war, where Putin is due to be the star guest alongside North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and leaders of Iran and Cuba.
Continue reading...The Victory Day parade in Beijing on 3 September will mark the formal surrender of Japan during the second world war. No western leaders will attend
Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are among the world leaders who will attend a military parade with President Xi Jinping in Beijing next week, in a show of collective defiance amid western pressure.
No western leaders will be among the 26 foreign heads of state and government attending the parade next week – with the exception of Robert Fico, prime minister of Slovakia, a member of the European Union – according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
Continue reading...Clear majority backs restarting Maanshan reactor but doesn’t reach legal threshold, as president says nuclear power may be reconsidered if it becomes safe
A referendum to push for the reopening of Taiwan’s last nuclear plant has failed to reach the legal threshold to be valid, though the president said the island could return to the technology in the future if safety standards improved.
The plebiscite on Saturday, backed by the opposition, asked whether the Maanshan power plant should be reopened if it was “confirmed” there were no safety issues. The plant was closed in May as the government shifts to renewables and liquefied natural gas.
Continue reading...Countries agree to resume trade links and work to resolving border dispute after visit to Delhi by top diplomat Wang Yi
India’s prime minister and China’s foreign minister have hailed “steady” progress in their countries’ fractious relationship, agreeing to resume trade and other ties, as well as work towards resolving the long-running Himalayan border dispute, amid a global geopolitical shake-up instigated by Donald Trump’s tariff regime.
According to statements from China’s foreign ministry, the two sides agreed to resume direct flights – reiterating a pledge made in January – as well as issuing visas to journalists and facilitating business and cultural exchanges.
Continue reading...Fast-fashion retailer considered £50bn float in London but has not received backing from Chinese authorities
The online fast-fashion retailer Shein is understood to be considering moving its base back to China from Singapore in a move expected to pave the way for a Hong Kong listing rather than a UK one.
The business, which was founded in China and moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2022, had been considering a £50bn float in London after failing to win approval from regulators in the US for a New York flotation.
Continue reading...Calls for boycott after Swiss watchmaker becomes latest western brand accused of racist imagery
The Swiss watchmaker Swatch has apologised and removed an advert featuring a model pulling the corners of his eyes, after the image prompted accusations of racism and calls for a boycott on Chinese social media.
Internet users heavily criticised the “slanted eye” gesture made by the Asian male model as racist.
Continue reading...US president says Chinese counterpart told him ‘I am very patient and China is very patient’
The US president, Donald Trump, has said that his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, told him China would not invade Taiwan while Trump is in office.
Trump made the comments in an interview with Fox News on Friday, ahead of talks with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Prime minister Feletei Teo says Tuvalu may withdraw from crucial meeting after key countries such as Taiwan were barred from attending
Tuvalu’s prime minister Feletei Teo said his country may pull out of the region’s top political meeting next month, after host nation Solomon Islands moved to block all external partners – including China, US and Taiwan – from attending.
The Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting will be held in Honiara in September. On 7 August, Solomon Islands prime minister Jeremiah Manele told parliament that no dialogue partners would be invited to the annual gathering.
Continue reading...Lai has been detained since December 2020, with western nations and rights groups calling for his release
The closing arguments in the national security trial against jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai were postponed on Thursday after the Asian financial hub issued its highest-level “black” weather warning, stemming from ex-typhoon Podul.
Queues had formed outside the court for the public gallery, but torrential rain saw the closing arguments in the trial, which began in late 2023, delayed. Proceedings are expected to resume on Friday.
Continue reading...USS Higgins and USS Cincinnati sailed near Scarborough Shoal after Chinese tried to drive away Philippine vessel
The US has briefly deployed two warships in a disputed South China Sea shoal where two Chinese ships collided earlier in the week while trying to drive away a smaller Philippine ship in a high-seas accident that raised alarms about maritime safety.
Both China and the Philippines claim Scarborough Shoal and other outcroppings in the South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also lay overlapping claims in the contested waters.
Continue reading...Updated regulations ban the country’s 40 million civil servants from lavish banquets, and restrict them from overseas travel for ‘personal leisure’
Adjacent to a municipal government building in Beijing, a normally bustling restaurant is now eerily quiet, at lunchtime most of its seats are empty.
The recent crackdown on civil servants frequenting restaurants – part of a government austerity drive intended to crack down on corruption – has likely affected business and caused liquor sales to plummet, admits one waitress who works in the opulent establishment.
Continue reading...Footage shows Chinese coastguard vessel with its entire bow caved in after colliding with warship near contested Scarborough Shoal
The Philippines has released dramatic footage of a Chinese warship colliding with a vessel from its own coastguard while chasing a Philippine patrol boat in the South China Sea.
The incident occurred near the contested Scarborough Shoal on Monday as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) escorted vessels distributing aid to fishers in the area, Philippine authorities said.
Continue reading...Chipmakers agree to deal amid Trump trade war as condition for obtaining export licences for Chinese market
The chipmakers Nvidia and AMD have agreed to give the US government 15% of their revenue from advanced chips sold to China in return for export licences to the key market, in an unprecedented move amid Donald Trump’s trade war with China.
The move, an apparent reversal of US national security restrictions on the chip sales, signalled an easing in the US-China trade war.
Continue reading...Liu Jianchao, the envoy in charge of managing ties with foreign political parties, was reportedly detained in late July
Liu Jianchao, a senior Chinese diplomat widely seen as a potential future foreign minister, has been detained by authorities for questioning, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
Liu was taken away after returning to Beijing in late July from an overseas work trip, it reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Continue reading...High-profile founder of China Renaissance Holdings went missing in 2023, sending company’s share price plunging
Bao Fan, a star dealmaker and the founder of the boutique investment bank China Renaissance Holdings, has been released more than two years after being detained by Chinese authorities, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
China Renaissance sent shock waves through the country’s financial sector in 2023 when it announced it was unable to contact Bao, who founded the bank in 2005 with two others and still owns nearly 49% of its issued shares. The company’s share price tanked as a result of his detention.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Foreign affairs minister used July meeting on Asean sidelines to elevate criticism of targeting of Adelaide-based Ted Hui and Melbourne-based Kevin Yam
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The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, complained about the targeted intimidation of exiled pro-democracy campaigners from Hong Kong directly to her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, during a bilateral meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
The July meeting was the first face-to-face discussion between the pair since two Hong Kong activists wanted for alleged national security crimes were subjected to anonymous letters offering Australian neighbours $203,000 to inform on them.
Continue reading...Large crowds gather in city of Jiangyou in Sichuan province after case causes outrage online
A large protest erupted in the south-western Chinese city of Jiangyou, videos on social media have shown, after the beating of a young girl by three other teenagers caused public outrage.
Protests are rare in China, where opposition to the ruling Communist party and anything seen as a threat to civil order is swiftly quashed.
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