Home Tags Posts tagged with "China"
China
Yumen city in Gansu province, north-west China, has been partially sealed off and dozens of people placed in quarantine after a man died of bubonic plague on July 16, state media say.
A total of 151 people have been placed under observation, Xinhua news agency says. Authorities have isolated a part of the city centre and three sections of Chijin town which is an hour away.
The man was believed to have caught the infection after contact with a marmot.
Marmots are large, squirrel-type rodents that live in mountainous areas.
The victim is reported to be a 38-year-old man who had fed a dead marmot to his dog.
Yumen city has been partially sealed off and dozens of people placed in quarantine after a man died of bubonic plague (photo abcnews)
The deputy head of the hospital where the man died told reporters that the victim had arrived with an increased heart-rate and seemed to be slipping into shock. The hospital has since been quarantined.
It is not clear from reports how big the four quarantine zones are. Ten checkpoints have been set up around Yumen and Chijin.
Those in quarantine all had contact with the man, Xinhua said. None was showing signs of infection, it said.
Officials have told reporters that the group could be released after nine days of quarantine if no further cases of plague appeared among them.
Yumen is a small city in western Gansu province, which borders Xinjiang. The last reported case of bubonic plague in the city was in 1977, Xinhua said.
Gansu has seen at least five cases of the plague in the last 10 years, according to Xinhua.
Bubonic plague, known as the Black Death when it killed an estimated 25 million people in Europe during the Middle Ages, is now rare.
It is a bacterial disease mainly affecting wild rodents that is spread by fleas. Humans bitten by infected fleas can then develop bubonic plague.
Once bacteria infects the lungs, human-to-human transmission of pneumonic plague can occur through coughing.
If diagnosed early, bubonic plague can be successfully treated with antibiotics, while pneumonic plague has a high mortality rate, the WHO says.
[youtube 3qW2T9L40fY 650]
Rammasun, the biggest typhoon to hit southern China in 40 years, has killed 17 people, after wreaking death and destruction on the Philippines.
Typhoon Rammasun killed at least eight people on the island of Hainan, with others missing, and nine in the Guangxi region, state media say.
It made landfall on Friday with winds exceeding 124mph.
At least 94 people were killed when Rammasun ravaged the northern Philippines earlier this week.
The storm is also affecting Vietnam, where heavy rain is expected before it starts to weaken on Monday.
Rammasun is the biggest typhoon to hit southern China in 40 years (photo Reuters)
Air, rail and road traffic was suspended in parts of China while TV channels showed roads littered with debris including uprooted trees and rooftops.
On Hainan, another source gave the death toll as 18 while the number of people missing is said to be between two and five.
It is the strongest typhoon experienced by southern China since the 1973 typhoon season, the country’s Meteorological Administration said on its website.
That year’s Super-Typhoon Nora had maximum winds of 295km/h although it had weakened by the time it made landfall.
Most of the people killed in the Philippines were hit by falling debris and trees, disaster officials said, while some of six people reported missing had been at sea on boats.
A new typhoon, Matmo, with maximum winds of 150km/h, is now threatening the area ravaged by Rammasun, Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council spokeswoman Mina Marasigan told AFP news agency.
About 20 major storms hit the Philippines a year, AFP adds. The south-east Asian country often bears the brunt of the storms, which mass above the warm Pacific Ocean waters.
[youtube eHNolozBM1k 650]
The United States violated global trade rules when it imposed tariffs on products from China and India, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has found.
In response to a 2012 complaint, the WTO said the US improperly imposed tariffs on Chinese steel and solar panels.
The WTO said the US improperly imposed tariffs on Chinese steel and solar panels
In a separate ruling, it said the US must change the way it imposes tariffs on India steel products.
The US is embroiled in several trade spats with China and India.
“China urges the United States to respect the WTO rulings and correct its wrongdoings of abusively using trade remedy measures, and to ensure an environment of fair competition for Chinese enterprises,” said China’s foreign trade ministry in a statement.
However, the WTO did not agree with all of the complaints filed by India and China.
The US – which has argued it imposed the tariffs to combat artificially low prices on products from India and China’s state-subsidized industries – has the right to appeal the ruling.
[youtube tqsrqUH3xAA 650]
A Samsung Electronics investigation has found “evidence of suspected child labor” at a factory of its Chinese supplier Dongguan Shinyang Electronics.
The South Korean giant tech conducted an investigation into the supplier after New York-based campaign group, China Labor Watch, accused it of hiring children.
The company has “temporarily” suspended business with the supplier following the investigation.
Samsung said that Chinese authorities were also looking into the matter.
A Samsung Electronics investigation has found evidence of suspected child labor at a factory of its Chinese supplier Dongguan Shinyang Electronics
“If the investigations conclude that the supplier indeed hired children illegally, Samsung will permanently halt business with the supplier in accordance with its zero tolerance policy on child labor,” Samsung said in a statement.
“Furthermore, Samsung will strengthen its hiring process not only at its production facilities but also at its suppliers to prevent such case from reoccurring.”
Samsung said it had conducted three audits on the Dongguan Shinyang Electronics since 2013, with the latest one ending on June 25 this year.
However, it added that “no cases of child labor were found during these audits”.
Samsung launched a subsequent investigation following the allegations by China Labor Watch and “found evidences of illegal hiring process that took place on June 29”.
This is the first time Samsung has reported finding evidence of underage workers at its suppliers.
[youtube 1larzJUW6wE 650]
Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Beijing for the annual China-US dialogue.
China’s President Xi Jinping has called for mutual respect between the two nations, saying that a confrontation with the US would be a “disaster”.
Diplomats are expected to discuss China’s currency, North Korea and tensions in the South China Sea.
The US delegation is led by John Kerry, who in his opening remarks said that the US was not seeking to “contain” China.
Xi Jinping said the two countries’ interests were now “more than ever interconnected”, with much to gain from co-operation.
US diplomats at the Beijing talks are expected to discuss China’s currency, North Korea and tensions in the South China Sea
“China-US confrontation, to the two countries and the world, would definitely be a disaster,” he said.
“We should mutually respect and treat each other equally, and respect the other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and respect each other’s choice on the path of development.”
John Kerry, meanwhile, said the US did “not seek to contain China” and urged Beijing not to “interpret it as an overall strategy” when the US differed from China on certain issues.
President Barack Obama also said in a statement that the US “welcomes the emergence of a stable, peaceful, and prosperous China”.
“We remain determined to ensure that co-operation defines the overall relationship,” he said.
US leaders have also called on China to do its part in maintaining stability in Asia.
John Kerry said the US welcomed a China that “contributes to the stability and development of the region and chooses to play a responsible role in world affairs”.
The talks come with China locked in bitter disputes with several neighbors in the region, notably Vietnam and the Philippines, over claims in the South China Sea.
In turn, the US has stepped up joint military exercises with the Philippines and its military presence there, a move over which China has raised concerns. One of the latest exercises was conducted in the South China Sea near disputed waters two weeks ago.
Increased anti-Japan rhetoric has also come from China in recent weeks, following a decision by the Japanese cabinet to reinterpret the constitution, giving the Japanese military greater latitude to fight overseas.
Both countries claim a string of islands in the East China Sea and ties are severely strained over this issue.
The US and China have also had disagreements in recent months, particularly over cyber-attacks.
In May, US authorities charged five Chinese military officers with hacking into American businesses. Beijing has vigorously denied the charges, accusing the US of launching cyber-attacks against China.
[youtube LQG9gkiWz6U 650]
Two suspected short-range missiles have been launched by North Korea, South Korea says, in the fourth such test in two weeks.
The projectiles were fired from a western province into waters east of the Korean peninsula in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said.
The move follows a recent visit by the Chinese president to South Korea.
Chinese leaders traditionally go to Pyongyang before Seoul, and the visit has been seen as a snub to North Korea.
North Korea has fired two suspected short-range missiles into the sea
“North Korea fired two short-range missiles presumed to be Scud-type ones… from a site in Hwanghae province in a north-easterly direction,” South Korean spokesman Um Hyo-sik was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.
“They flew some 500km [310 miles] and landed in international waters,” he added, without giving further details.
North Korea has carried out several such launches in recent months, including four within the last two weeks.
It has interspersed these launches with apparently conciliatory moves towards the South, including a recent offer to suspend provocative military activities and cross-border slander.
Previous similar offers have come to nothing and South Korea has dismissed this latest offer.
The latest launch also comes days after Chinese President Xi Jinping and his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye reaffirmed their opposition to North Korean nuclear tests during talks in Seoul.
[youtube 0cfkmdfuG0k 650]
The producers of the latest Transformers movie are being sued by a Chinese tourism company for breach of contract, according to state media.
The Chongqing Wulong Karst Tourism Co Ltd said in a statement that the producers had failed to show its logo prominently in the film as promised.
The company said it would file a case against Paramount Pictures and one of the movie’s Chinese partners.
The Beijing-based 1905 Internet Technology company, the Chinese company also being sued, said in a statement on its website that Wulong had not paid them on time.
The Chongquing Wulong Karst Tourism Co Ltd said it is suing for unspecified damages.
The Chongquing Wulong Karst Tourism is suing Transformers producers for unspecified damages
The company said it was not clear to viewers that the shots of the scenic spot in Transformers: Age of Extinction were of Wulong, because they were interspersed with scenes from Hong Kong.
It also said that other tourist spots were claiming that the famous Karst peaks were theirs.
Last month, a Beijing property developer said it had filed a case alleging that Paramount and two of its Chinese associates had not featured images of its hotel in trailers and movie posters as promised, and had reneged on a pledge to hold the film’s premiere at its hotel.
Soon after, Paramount and the developer said they had come to an agreement over the dispute.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the fourth movie in the Transformers franchise has now become China’s biggest film.
Its cumulative total now stands at $222.74 million, overtaking the record held by James Cameron’s Avatar, which took $221.9 million. It was released in China in January 2010.
The success of the latest Transformers film has been boosted by the inclusion of Chinese actors Li Bingbing and Han Geng, along with product placement featuring various Chinese goods.
[youtube AmluQ0aDNfY 650]
German leader Angela Merkel has begun a three-day visit to China with trade issues high on the agenda.
Germany and China are important trading partners and Angela Merkel is travelling with a large delegation of German business executives.
On Sunday, the German chancellor is visiting Chengdu, capital of south-western Sichuan province, where more than 150 German companies are active.
The visit is Angela Merkel’s seventh to China since taking office in 2005.
Angela Merkel has begun a three-day visit to China with trade issues high on the agenda (photo Reuters)
She will also hold talks with Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping.
The Chinese market is important for Germany while China is looking to Germany as the supplier of machinery and cars for its rising middle class.
In the past, Angela Merkel has spoken out against human rights abuses in China but it is not clear if she will voice her disapproval this time.
At a joint business council in Beijing, the German delegation is expected to address sticking points such as fair market access for foreign companies and respect for intellectual property rights.
In an article in Welt am Sonntag, German intelligence chief Hans-Georg Maassen warned that small and medium-sized German companies were at risk of industrial espionage from Chinese government agencies.
“They are up against very powerful adversaries. The Chinese technical intelligence agency alone has over 100,000 employees,” Hans-Georg Maassen said in an excerpt of an interview to be published on Sunday.
China is Germany’s second largest export market outside Europe after the US.
Germany sold goods worth 67 billion euros ($91 billion) to China last year, while imports from China topped 73 billion euros.
[youtube 2DDnwc4HoaQ 650]
China’s President Xi Jinping has arrived in South Korea for a two-day visit set to focus on North Korea.
It is the first time a Chinese leader has visited Seoul before Pyongyang, and comes amid cooler China-North Korea ties.
China is North Korea’s biggest trading ally and the nation most able to wield influence over it.
However, in recent months Beijing has appeared increasingly frustrated with its unreliable neighbor.
Xi Jinping and Park Geun-hye would fully exchange views on the nuclear issue and the stalled six-party talks aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions
Last year, North Korea carried out its third nuclear test and there are reports that it could be planning a fourth.
Xi Jinping and South Korean President Park Geun-hye are also expected to discuss growing economic ties, as the two nations work towards a free-trade agreement.
Wider strategic concerns are also in focus. Both China and South Korea are at odds with Japan over historical issues. But Seoul, like Tokyo, is a major US ally.
South East Asian nations that are, like Japan, involved in territorial disputes with Beijing are also moving closer to the US. So China will be keen to shore up ties with Seoul.
The Chinese president is said to enjoy a friendly relationship with ParkGeun-hye with whom he will hold talks.
The is the fifth summit between the two presidents since both took office. Park Geun-hye visited Beijing last year.
Xi Jinping’s visit comes a day after North Korea fired short-range rockets into the sea, the latest in a series of recent missile tests.
Ahead of the visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said that pushing for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula remained Chinese policy.
Xi Jinping and Park Geun-hye would “fully exchange views” on the nuclear issue and the stalled six-party talks aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions, he said.
A key issue for China is to maintain stability in North Korea. It fears that regime collapse could propel a flood of refugees across its border and also lead to a unified Korea allied to the US.
While the Chinese media outlets have in recent months voiced growing concern over Pyongyang’s actions, Xi Jinping is unlikely to speak out strongly.
[youtube fhjXBdLjgto 650]
Several government departments in Chinese region of Xinjiang have banned Muslim staff from fasting during the month of Ramadan.
One department website said that civil servants cannot “take part in fasting and other religious activities”.
The move comes amid tightened security in the region which has been hit by a growing number of violent attacks.
Authorities blame separatist Muslim Uighurs, but Uighur leaders deny they are behind the attacks.
China restricted Ramadan fasting for Xinjiang’s officials
Activists have accused Beijing of exaggerating the threat from Uighur separatists to justify a crackdown on the Uighurs’ religious and cultural freedoms.
State-administered Bozhou Radio and TV University said on its website that the fasting ban applied to party members, teachers and young people.
“We remind everyone that they are not permitted to observe a Ramadan fast,” it said.
Similarly a weather bureau in western Xinjiang was reported by the AFP news agency to have said on its website that the ban was “in accordance with instructions from higher authorities”.
With Beijing blaming extremist Uighurs for growing violence, the ban is likely to be seen by many Muslims as an attack on their religion, further increasing tensions.
Among those imposing a ban are a commercial affairs department and a government hospital which got Muslim staff to sign a written pledge that they would not fast.
State-run newspapers have in addition been running editorials warning about the health dangers of fasting.
Many Uighurs say that the suppression of their cultural and religious freedoms is fuelling the unrest in the region and attacks elsewhere in China.
Last month 13 assailants were killed in an attack on a police station in the restive province.
According to South Korean reports, North Korea has fired two more short-range rockets into the sea, the latest in a series of recent missile tests.
The rockets were fired off the east coast and flew about 110 miles, South Korean military officials said.
The move comes as China’s President Xi Jinping prepares to visit South Korea, with whom North Korea is technically at war.
It also comes a day after Japan urged Pyongyang to stop such launches and after Seoul rejected a North Korean offer to end hostilities as insincere.
The two rockets were fired from a site near the eastern city of Wonsan at 06:50 and 08:00, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
North Korea has fired two more short-range rockets into the sea
North Korea appeared to be testing the range of the projectiles, Yonhap news agency reported, citing military officials. It also carried out similar tests on June 26 and 29.
To date North Korea has carried out three nuclear tests and is believed to be working on long-range missile development. In recent months it has also carried out a steady stream of short-range missile tests.
Talks between North Korea’s leaders and other nations on ending its nuclear ambitions have been stalled for years.
China, which is North Korea’s biggest trading ally, is the nation believed to wield the most influence over Pyongyang.
But Beijing appears increasingly frustrated with its unreliable neighbor.
The issue of North Korea – including possible plans for a fourth nuclear test – is expected to top the agenda during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Seoul, which begins on Thursday.
North Korea has also in recent weeks alternated between threatening South Korea and offering apparent concessions.
On Monday Pyongyang offered to suspend hostile military activities and slander, a move Seoul described as “nonsensical”.
North Korea has made similar offers in the past but these have invariably broken down.
North Korea is also currently engaged in talks with Japan on the issue of Japanese nationals it abducted in the 1970s and 1980s to teach language and culture to its spies.
Japan criticized Sunday’s rocket launch at the start of one-day talks in Beijing on Tuesday, at which no breakthroughs were reported.
[youtube VFenbZw2yjY 650]
Over 500 protesters have been arrested in Hong Kong during a pro-democracy sit-in at the city’s business district.
The demonstrators were arrested for illegal assembly and obstructing police officers, Hong Kong police said.
The sit-in came after tens of thousands of protesters marched on Tuesday in what was described as the city’s largest democracy rally in a decade.
The annual rally, marking the day Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997, was to demand full electoral freedom.
Organizers said turnout at the rally was 510,000, while police said about 98,600 took part during the peak of the march.
After the main march had ended, hundreds of protesters staged a sit-in in the city’s Central district.
Police said the sit-in was “unauthorized” and began removing some of the participants in the early hours of Wednesday.
Over 500 protesters have been arrested during Hong Kong annual rally
Some demonstrators linked arms in an attempt to stop police from moving them.
Police said a total of 511 demonstrators – 351 men and 160 women – were arrested in the operation to clear the area.
Speaking on Tuesday morning, Hong Kong leader CY Leung said that the government was trying hard to forge a consensus on political reform.
“Only by maintaining Hong Kong’s stability can we sustain our economic prosperity. Only by sustaining Hong Kong’s prosperity can we improve people’s livelihoods,” CY Leung said.
Analysts say Hong Kong faces divided views on the city’s democratic development, and growing tensions between activists and the Chinese government.
Pro-democracy activists want Hong Kong people to be able to elect the city’s leader, known as the chief executive.
China has said it will introduce universal suffrage for the city’s 2017 election – but wants a committee to approve the candidates.
In June, an unofficial referendum on how to choose Hong Kong’s next chief executive drew close to 800,000 votes.
The Hong Kong government said the 10-day referendum had no legal standing. The Chinese government has described the referendum as an “illegal farce”.
Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997 following a 1984 agreement between China and Britain.
[youtube bvccVRxI8ZA 650]
Hong Kong activists are organizing the largest pro-democracy protest in more than a decade.
The annual rally, which marks the day Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997, will focus on pressuring Beijing for full electoral freedom, organizers said.
The rally is organized days after an unofficial referendum on how to choose the chief executive drew close to 800,000 votes.
The Hong Kong government said the 10-day poll had no legal standing.
Organizers expect more than half a million people to join the rally, which will kick off in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park at 03:00 and will head to the Central district.
Several campaign groups have also indicated that they will stage peaceful overnight vigils after the march.
More than half a million people are expected to join Hong Kong pro-democracy rally, which will kick off in Victoria Park
The rally in 2003 drew half a million people, who demonstrated against proposed anti-subversion laws which were later scrapped.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark the 17th anniversary of the former British colony’s return to China, Hong Kong leader CY Leung said that the government was trying hard to forge a consensus on political reform.
“Only by maintaining Hong Kong’s stability can we sustain our economic prosperity. Only by sustaining Hong Kong’s prosperity can we improve people’s livelihood,” CY Leung said.
Beijing has said it will hold elections for the role of chief executive in 2017, but the public will only have a choice of candidates selected by a nominating committee.
Campaigners want the public to be able to elect Hong Kong’s leader directly and believe that Beijing will use the committee to screen out candidates it disapproves of.
The unofficial referendum, organized by campaign group Occupy Central, allowed the public to decide which of three proposals – all of which involved allowing citizens to directly nominate candidates – to present to Beijing.
Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997 following a 1984 agreement between China and Britain.
China agreed to govern Hong Kong under the principle of “one country, two systems”, where the city would enjoy “a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defense affairs” for 50 years.
As a result, Hong Kong has its own legal system, and rights including freedom of assembly and free speech are protected.
[youtube JNwgpfhX1fk 650]
China’s top military official, General Xu Caihou, has been accused of accepting bribes and expelled from the Communist Party, state media report.
Gen. Xu Caihou was once a member of China’s elite decision-making body, the Politburo. He will now be handed over to prosecutors for a court martial.
Xu Caihou is believed to have been held under house arrest for several months.
Analysts say this could be the biggest military scandal China has seen for many years.
General Xu Caihou has been accused of accepting bribes and expelled from China’s Communist Party
Xinhua agency reported that China’s President Xi Jinping had presided over a Politburo meeting about military discipline and approved the decision to expel Gen. Xu Caihou and hand him over to military prosecutors.
Rumors about the investigation into Gen. Xu Caihou had circulated for months. Many believed poor health – he is reported to have been treated for cancer – would save him from prosecution.
However, this move is being presented in state media as part of the government’s battle against corruption.
Two other high profile figures were also expelled from the Communist Party for corruption on Monday – Jiang Jiemin, the former head of the state asset regulator, and Wang Yongchun, the deputy head of the state energy giant China National Petroleum Company (CNPC).
The spate of expulsions comes at a time when speculation is rife about the fate of one of China’s most powerful politicians, former Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang, who is allegedly being investigated over allegations of corruption and abuse of power.
Tens of thousands of officials have been arrested since President Xi Jinping began an anti-corruption campaign in 2012.
[youtube QEegP9kqlfw 650]
An unofficial referendum organized by pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong and denounced by Chinese authorities is now in its final day.
At least 738,000 Hong Kongers have done something China’s 1.3 billion people can only dream of: Cast a ballot to demand a democratic government.
The 10-day poll is organized by protest group Occupy Central, which says more than 700,000 have already voted online or in person.
A Hong Kong government spokesman has said the vote has no legal standing.
Campaigners want the former British colony to be able to elect their leader, or the chief executive. China has pledged direct elections by 2017.
More than 700,000 people have already voted online or in person in Hong Kong’s unofficial referendum
However, voters will only have a choice from a list of candidates selected by a nominating committee, and China’s communist authorities have said all candidates must be “patriotic”.
The voting in polling stations or on popvote.hk website began on June 20. The deadline was originally set at June 22, but was later extended after organizers claimed were several cyber attacks on the website.
Popvote.hk was designed by the University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Polytechnic University to measure support for Occupy Central’s campaign.
In the referendum, voters have the choice of three proposals – all of which involve allowing citizens to directly nominate Hong Kong’s chief executive – to present to the Beijing government.
Pro-democracy activists want the public to nominate the candidates.
But Chinese leaders believe this is illegal and would like to see a committee decide who is on that public ballot, effectively limiting the candidate field to those approved by the authorities in Beijing.
Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997 following a 1984 agreement between China and Britain.
China agreed to govern Hong Kong under the principle of “one country, two systems”, where the city would enjoy “a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defense affairs” for 50 years.
As a result, Hong Kong has its own legal system, and rights including freedom of assembly and free speech are protected.
[youtube O2IbYdVp_e4 650]
Greece and China have signed business deals worth about $5 billion during Chinese PM Li Keqiang’s visit.
Deals signed covered areas including exports and shipbuilding. China also showed an interest in buying railways and building an airport in Crete.
China is eager to take a majority stake in the Piraeus port. A Chinese company already runs two piers at the port.
Greece and China have signed business deals worth about $5 billion during Chinese PM Li Keqiang’s visit
Greece is keen to attract foreign investment to reduce its national debt and high unemployment rate.
Li Keqiang has been in Greece as part of a tour of European countries. It is his first visit there since he took office in 2013.
“China attaches great importance to Greece’s unique geographic advantage of being a gateway to Europe,” the two countries said earlier in a joint statement.
Greek PM Antonis Samaras said China was interested in Greece’s airports, and he hoped the country could “become a transit hub for air transport”.
Li Keqiang described the port of Piraeus as “a pearl in the Mediterranean Sea” and said it could become “one of the most competitive ports of the world”.
China’s state-run shipping company, Cosco, won a 35-year lease to expand two main container terminals at the port in 2008.
It also wants to invest $310 millio in expanding the port, in a deal that would require European Union approval.
[youtube bH2po3BG0wA 650]
Police officers have killed 13 assailants in an attack on a police station in China’s restive western province of Xinjiang, officials say.
The attackers drove a car into the station and set off explosives on Saturday morning, the local government said on its website.
Police officers have killed 13 assailants in an attack on a police station in China’s restive western province of Xinjiang
Three police suffered minor injuries but no civilians were hurt, it added.
The Chinese authorities blame Muslim Uighurs from Xinjiang for an increasing number of attacks in the province.
“On the morning of June 21, a group of thugs drove a car into a police building in Yecheng County, Kashgar province and detonated explosives,” the local government website said.
“Police shot dead the 13 attackers,” it reported. It provided no further details.
Verifying reports from the Xinjiang region is difficult because access for journalists is restricted and the flow of information is tightly controlled.
The authorities have tightened security in Xinjiang in recent months.
On Monday, China executed 13 people in Xinjiang for what it called “terrorist attacks”.
[youtube IS8XDRLzg_4 650]
Three activists of China’s anti-corruption group – New Citizens’ Movement – have been given lengthy jail terms for urging officials to disclose wealth.
Wei Zhongping and Liu Ping, associated with the New Citizens’ Movement, were given six-and-a-half years in jail. A third activist, Li Sihua, received a shorter sentence.
Rights group Amnesty International said the charges were “preposterous”.
China’s leaders are running a crackdown on corruption, but refuse to tolerate grassroots groups with similar aims.
The three activists were detained after taking photographs with banners urging officials to disclose their assets.
They were put on trial in a high-security court in Xinyu, Jiangxi province, late last year.
The detainment of anti-corruption activists has been a recurrent human rights issue in China
At the time, defense lawyers complained of serious procedural problems and said they were not confident of the outcome.
The three were convicted of the broad charge of “creating a disturbance”.
Liu Ping and Wei Zhongping were convicted of other charges, which Amnesty said included “gathering a crowd to disrupt order in a public place” and “using an evil cult to undermine law enforcement”.
“The charges against these activists were preposterous from the very beginning,” said Amnesty’s William Nee.
Amnesty International described them as “prisoners of conscience” and called for their immediate release.
Chinese President Xi Jinping launched an anti-corruption drive when he took over in 2012.
But he has also overseen the broadest crackdown on grassroots activism that China has seen in recent years.
Several activists in the New Citizens’ Movement, which calls for more democracy and government transparency, have been detained.
In July last year, prominent lawyer Xu Zhiyong, one of the founders of the movement, was detained on suspicion of having “gathered crowds to disrupt public order”.
Xu Zhiyong was eventually jailed for four years in January.
Thirteen people have been executed for “terrorist attacks” in Xinjiang province, western China, state media say.
The 13 – who reportedly include Muslim ethnic Uighurs – were accused over seven cases including attacks in June 2013 that killed 24 people.
It comes as three other men – who reports say also appear to be Uighurs – were sentenced over a fatal car crash in Beijing last year.
Beijing has blamed Uighur groups for several attacks across the country.
Those executed on Monday had been charged with crimes including “participating in terrorist groups; murder; arson; theft; and illegal manufacture, storage and transportation of explosives”, state-run news agency Xinhua said.
Thirteen people have been executed for terrorist attacks in Xinjiang province
The report named three defendants who were convicted of attacking a police station, hotel, government building and other venues in Lukqun, Xinjiang province, on June 26.
The attack killed 24 police officers and civilians and injured 23 others, Xinhua added.
Verifying reports from the Xinjiang region is difficult because the flow of information is tightly controlled.
Also on Monday, three men were given death sentences in connection with a crash in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square last October, when a car ploughed into a crowd.
Two tourists and three people in the car were killed. Dozens of others were injured.
Xinhua news agency said Husanjan Wuxur, Yusup Umarniyaz and Yusup Ahmat were guilty of “organizing and leading a terrorist group and endangering public security”.
Five others were given jail sentences.
Reports said several of those sentenced or executed on Monday appeared to be from Xinjiang’s Uighur ethnic minority, based on their names.
Beijing has blamed Uighur separatists for a string of attacks around China, including deadly bomb and knife attacks on railway stations in Urumqi in Xinjiang, and Kunming in south-west China.
Uighur leaders deny that they are coordinating a terrorist campaign.
Activists have accused Beijing of exaggerating the threat from Uighur separatists in order to justify a crackdown on the Uighurs’ religious and cultural freedoms.
Correspondents say Uighurs, who number around 9 million, have long complained of repression under Chinese rule – an accusation Beijing denies.
[youtube IRRxGuEHeos 650]
China’s Tiananmen Square has been swamped by security personnel on the 25th anniversary of the Beijing massacre.
Foreign journalists were ushered away from the square and passers-by were searched and had their papers checked.
In recent weeks, the authorities have detained dozens of activists to ensure their silence on the anniversary.
The 1989 protesters wanted political reform, but the crackdown was ordered after hardliners won a power struggle within the ruling Communist Party.
Tiananmen Square has been swamped by security personnel on the 25th anniversary of the Beijing massacre (photo AFP)
The authorities classify the 1989 protests as counter-revolutionary riots and hold no memorial.
In Hong Kong, however, thousands are expected to take part in a Tiananmen remembrance rally.
Activist groups in Taiwan are also marking the anniversary by erecting a huge image of Tiananmen Square during the crackdown.
In the weeks before this year’s anniversary, the Chinese authorities have detained lawyers, journalists and activists.
Rights group Amnesty International said in a statement that 66 people had been detained, questioned, or have gone missing.
Internet search terms related to the 1989 massacre and the protests have been blocked, and access on Google has reportedly been restricted.
The protests were the biggest rally against Communist rule since the People’s Republic was founded in 1949.
Hundreds of thousands called for democratic reforms in a peaceful demonstration largely focused on a gathering in Tiananmen Square.
After six weeks of protests, the authorities responded on June 4, 1989, with a massacre of hundreds in the streets of Beijing.
[youtube eqhez8LuVD8 650]
Chinese army general Wang Guanzhonghas accused Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe and US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel of having “provocative” speeches against China at an Asian security forum in Singapore.
He said Chuck Hagel and Shinzo Abe’s comments at this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue summit were “unacceptable”.
Chuck Hagel had earlier said China was “destabilizing” the South China Sea.
Meanwhile, PM Shinzo Abe had vowed to give greater support to South-East Asian countries.
The forum, which brings together the US and South-East Asian countries, comes amid growing tensions between China, Vietnam and the Philippines, with Japan-China ties also strained over disputed islands in the East China Sea.
General Wang Guanzhonghas accused Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe and US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel of having provocative speeches against China
Apparently deviating from his prepared speech, Wang Guanzhong accused PM Shinzo Abe and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel of coordinating and encouraging each other to attack China in their remarks.
He said it was “unimaginable” to receive such “unwanted criticisms against China”.
In a keynote address on Friday, Shinzo Abe outlined his vision for a more robust role in resolving territorial disputes in the region.
He also offered to provide coastal boats to neighboring countries wary of Beijing’s tactics.
Chinese officials responded at the time by saying Shinzo Abe was using the “myth” of a China threat to strengthen Japan’s security policy.
Chuck Hagel later weighed in, accusing China of threatening the region’s long-term progress by undertaking “destabilizing, unilateral actions asserting its claims in the South China Sea”.
He warned the US would “not look the other way” when nations ignored international rules.
Tensions have flared recently, with China declaring an air defense zone in the East China Sea and adopting a more confrontational stance over the disputed islands in the South China Sea, correspondents say.
They say that although some ASEAN members will be reluctant to antagonize China because of their economic and political ties, others are likely to welcome an increased role from Japan.
Beijing claims a U-shaped swathe of the South China Sea that covers areas other South-East Asian nations say are their territory.
[youtube Cv4PlPBMLq8 650]
[youtube bSJqRZ6EtGA 650]
Sony has signed a partnership with China’s Shanghai Oriental Pearl to manufacture and sell its PlayStation consoles on the mainland.
The deal, formed as two joint ventures with Shanghai Oriental Pearl, gives Sony access to an estimated 500 million gamers in China.
China has had a ban on gaming consoles since 2000, citing their adverse effect on the mental health of young people.
Sony has signed a partnership with China’s Shanghai Oriental Pearl to manufacture and sell its PlayStation consoles on the mainland
In January, the Chinese government said it will allow foreign firms to manufacture and sell consoles.
China’s gaming market, which is currently dominated by PC, mobile and online games, is seen as a key growth area for console makers.
The two partnerships are both with Shanghai Oriental Pearl, one gives Sony a 70% share and the other a 49% stake and both will operate out of Shanghai’s free trade zone.
In a statement to the Shanghai Stock Exchange, an executive from Shanghai Oriental Pearl says: “The joint venture will be based on the relevant state policies and will introduce quality and healthy video games that will adhere to China’s national conditions as well as the tastes of Chinese gamers.
“Sony will also co-operate with domestic game development teams to promote original products on PlayStation platform, while further improving the Chinese gaming industry.”
Last week Sony said it aimed to nearly triple operating profits by next year.
Sony’s game console join venture comes nearly one month after rival Microsoft said its Xbox One game console will go on sale in China in September.
The US has won a World Trade Organization ruling against China in a dispute over tariffs on American luxury cars.
A WTO panel found no basis for duties that China imposed between 2011 and 2013.
The US described it as a “significant victory”.
The US has won a World Trade Organization ruling against China in a dispute over tariffs on American luxury cars
China began tariffs on saloons and off-road vehicles with an engine capacity of 2.5 litres or more in retaliation for US trade policies.
China argued when it introduced the charges that US carmakers, such as GM and Chrysler, had received government subsidies and flooded the Chinese market with the cars, which harmed China’s own car industry.
The US said China had imposed the duties without following the rules and filed the case with the WTO.
The rate was as high as 21.5%.
US Trade Representative Michael Froman said $5 billion of exports in 2013 had been taxed.
“The message is clear. China must follow the rules, just like other WTO members,” he said.
US vehicle exports to China were worth $8.6 billion in 2013, 48% more than a year earlier. It is the largest foreign market for US automakers after Canada.
[youtube UOsr3tKO8l0 650]
At least 31 people have been killed in Xinjiang region’s capital, Urumqi, after attackers crashed two cars into shoppers at a market, Chinese media reports say.
They also threw explosives during the attack in the regional capital Urumqi. More than 90 people were injured, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.
The Ministry of Public Security called it a “violent terrorist incident”.
At least 31 people have been killed in Xinjiang region’s capital, Urumqi, after attackers crashed two cars into shoppers at a market (AP)
Xinjiang, which is home to the Muslim Uighur minority, has seen a spate of attacks in the past year.
Information about incidents in the region, where ethnic tensions between Uighurs and Han Chinese continue, is tightly controlled.
Pictures on Weibo microblogs – China’s equivalent of Twitter – appeared to show Thursday’s attack taking place at one end of a busy market street lined with vegetable stalls.
One of the two vehicles exploded.
A local shopkeeper told the Associated Press he heard “four or five explosions” and saw “three or four people lying on the ground”.
“Witnesses said two cross-country vehicles driving from north to south ploughed into people in the market at 07:50. Explosives were thrown out of the vehicles,” the Xinhua report said.
The injured were taken to several hospitals, Xinhua said.
The World Uyghur Congress said the authorities in the Chinese capital Beijing should not increase the crackdown in Xinjiang.
[youtube dW6dWsG0LNw 650]
[youtube okyYKopfkF8 650]
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a huge gas supply contract with China during his visit to the Asian country.
The deal between Russia’s Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) has been 10 years in the making. No official price has been given but it estimated to be worth over $400 billion.
Russia has been keen to find an alternative energy market for its gas as it faces the possibility of European sanctions over the crisis in Ukraine.
Shares in Gazprom rose 2% on the Russian market following the news.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a huge gas supply contract with China during his visit to the Asian country (photo Reuters)
The agreement is expected to deliver some 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year eastward to China’s burgeoning economy, starting around 2018.
The main argument has been over price and China is thought to have been driving a hard bargain.
Over the last ten years it has found other gas suppliers. Turkmenistan is now China’s largest foreign gas supplier, and last year it started importing piped natural gas from Myanmar.
Another sticking point has been the construction of pipelines into China.
Currently there is one complete pipeline that runs across Russia’s Far East to the Chinese border, called “The Power of Siberia”. The pipeline was started in 2007, three years after Gazprom and CNPC signed their initial agreement in 2004.
Financing the $22-30 billion cost of sending it into China has been central to the latest discussions.
China is Russia’s largest single trading partner, with bilateral trade flows of $90 billion in 2013.
China and Russia aim to double the volume to $200 billion in 10 years.
[youtube cyZAAr2Ay9g 650]
Prev1...345...8Next 
Page 4 of 8
