China

May 14, 2024 4:07 PM

U.S. and Taiwan navies quietly held Pacific drills in April, sources say

The U.S. and Taiwan navies conducted joint drills in the Pacific in April that, officially, did not take place, four people briefed on the matter said, as the two militaries boost cooperation amid rising Chinese military threats. Washington and Taipei have been expanding their military cooperation in recent years amid almost daily Chinese incursions into Taiwan's air defence identification zone and drills by Chinese forces near the island. U.S.-Taiwan military engagement, including visits and ...

May 13, 2024 4:17 PM

South Korea’s top diplomat warns of rising economic competition with China

Economic relations between South Korea and China face risks and challenges due to increasingly fierce competition over technology, South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said on Monday ahead of talks with his Chinese counterpart. Cho arrived in Beijing earlier in the day, marking his first trip to China since taking office in January and the first visit to the country by a South Korean foreign minister in more than six years. At a meeting with South Korean business leaders, Cho said that...

May 9, 2024 1:11 PM

China’s exports and imports return to growth, signaling demand recovery

China's exports and imports returned to growth in April after contracting in the previous month, signaling an encouraging improvement in demand at home and overseas as Beijing navigates numerous challenges in an effort to shore up a shaky economy. The data suggests a flurry of policy support measures over the past several months may be helping to stabilize fragile investor and consumer confidence, though analysts say the jury is still out on whether the trade bounce is sustainable. Shipments f...

May 9, 2024 10:39 AM

In rapidly aging China, millions can’t afford to retire

China's latest statistics showed some 94 million working people - around 12.8% of China's 734 million labour force - were older than 60 in 2022, up from 8.8% in 2020. That share, while lower than in wealthier Japan and South Korea, is set to skyrocket as 300 million more Chinese reach their 60s in the coming decade. A third of this cohort are rural migrants, who typically lack the professional skills for an economy aspiring to move up the value chain. The main reason China has not built a str...

May 7, 2024 4:14 PM

India firm and fair: Jaishankar asserts vision for a digitized future

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday emphasised India's stance as a principled yet robust nation highlighting the country's evolving approach towards challenges such as terrorism and border disputes. Addressing the Viksit Bharat 2047 program at Hansraj College, Jaishankar drew a contrast between India's past and present responses to security threats. "The image of India is of friendly but fair... If you look at a challenge like terrorism, the world recognizes that today's India de...

May 3, 2024 4:17 PM

China launches historic mission to retrieve samples from the far side of the moon

China on Friday launched an uncrewed spacecraft on a nearly two-month mission to retrieve rocks and soil from the far side of the moon, the first country to make such an ambitious attempt. The Long March-5, China's largest rocket, blasted off at 5:27 p.m. Beijing time from Wenchang Space Launch Center on the southern island of Hainan with the more than 8 metric ton Chang'e-6 probe. Chang'e-6 is tasked with landing in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon, which perpetually fa...

WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES - APRIL 17: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin testifies at House Defense Subcommittee hearing on the President's budget request for the Department of Defense in Washington, DC on April 17, 2024. (Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

May 3, 2024 10:24 AM

South China Sea damage to Philippines ‘irresponsible’: US Defense secretary

The injuring of Filipino crew and damage to Philippine vessels in the South China Sea is "irresponsible behaviour and disregards international law", U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told a joint press conference on Thursday (May 2). Philippines Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told the press conference the job was to ensure that through building capacity and deterrence there were no situations where a Mutual Defense Treaty would be triggered. China claims sovereignty over much of the Sout...

May 2, 2024 5:41 PM

Solomon Islands picks China-friendly Manele as new prime minister

Solomon Islands lawmakers selected Jeremiah Manele as their new prime minister on Thursday, elevating the former foreign minister who has pledged to continue the Pacific Island nation's international policy that drew it closer to China. Manele won 31 votes to Opposition leader Matthew Wales' 18 votes in the 50-seat parliament, Governor General Sir David Vunagi announced outside parliament house. A national election last month saw incumbent Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare's government lose hal...

LUNETA PARK, MANILA, NCR, PHILIPPINES - 2016/06/12: Yearly, on the 12th of June Philippines honor the declaration of independence from Spanish colonial rule. Filipinos celebrate Philippines 118th Independence day at Luneta Park and declared as national holiday in the Philippines. (Photo by Star Magbanua/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

May 2, 2024 1:11 PM

Philippines summons Chinese diplomat over South China Sea flare-up

The Philippines summoned a Chinese diplomat on Thursday to protest Beijing's use of water cannon against Filipino vessels at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, describing it as harassment and "dangerous manoeuvres". Its foreign ministry said the deputy chief of mission was summoned to hear the 20th protest made by the Philippines against China this year, one of 153 under the current administration, over the conduct of its coast guard and fishing vessels that Manila maintains are militia. ...

April 30, 2024 12:54 PM

China’s slow April factory, services activity dents economic momentum

China's manufacturing and services activity both expanded at a slower pace in April, official surveys showed on Tuesday, suggesting some loss of momentum for the world's second-biggest economy at the start of the second quarter. The cooling activity from sizable gains made in March highlights erratic demand growth and underlines the challenges facing policymakers even though a solid first quarter GDP outturn has reduced some of the urgency to ramp up stimulus measures. The National Bureau of S...