China News

Prince William scores with football diplomacy in China

Shanghai - Britain's Prince William practised sports diplomacy in China on Tuesday, striding onto the football pitch at a Shanghai school.

Shipping containers but no MH370 debris found in underwater hunt

Sydney - The intensive underwater hunt for missing plane MH370 has so far turned up just a few shipping containers -- and no sign of the jet, the head of the Australian agency leading the search said on Tuesday.

Ancient Chinese vase set to fetch $7.7 mn in Hong Kong

Hong Kong - A simple Chinese vase made over 800 years ago and unveiled in Hong Kong Monday is expected to fetch HK$60 million (US$7.7 million) when it goes under the hammer next month, Sotheby's said.

'Priceless' Chinese artefacts stolen from French castle

Paris - Thieves have broken in to the fabled Fontainebleau castle south of Paris and stolen 15 or so "priceless" Chinese artefacts in a lightning raid, French authorities said.

Hong Kong lawmakers arrested over democracy protests

Hong Kong - Three Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers were arrested and then released Monday over their involvement in mass protests for free elections, the latest targets of a police probe campaigners say is tantamount to intimidation.

China's latest survey finds wild giant pandas staging a comeback

China's giant pandas are having a population boom, according to a survey conducted by the Chinese government. The survey, released Saturday states that their numbers in the wild have increased by nearly 17 percent during the last decade.

China deletes over 60,000 online accounts ahead of new regulation

Some of China's largest online companies have been forced to delete over 60,000 accounts registered on their services ahead of the upcoming date for the introduction of new censorship and regulation of names used online.

China ivory carving ban a 'symbolic' move: wildlife group

Bejing - Beijing has imposed a one-year ban on imports of ivory carvings as critics say rising Chinese demand threatens African elephants with extinction, but campaigners described the move as "more symbolic than effective" Friday.

Fireworks blamed for death of tiger in China

China's fireworks displays can be spectacular and loud during the celebration of the Lunar New Year. The noise apparently scared a seven-month-old tiger cub kept in a high-rise apartment, causing it to plunge to its death.

Turkey drives hard bargain over crucial missile deal

Ankara - Turkey has alarmed fellow NATO members by raising the prospect of handing China a multi-billion dollar missile contract, yet the long-running saga is far from over and Ankara may just be trading for a better deal.

Fireworks 'send tiger plunging from Chinese high-rise'

Bejing - A seven-month-old tiger fell to its death from a Chinese high-rise building, state media reported Wednesday, apparently frightened by Lunar New Year fireworks.

China urged to outlaw ivory sales to prevent elephant extinction

An open letter addressed to China’s president, Xi Jinping, was signed by Sir David Attenborough, conservationists, celebrities and MPs, urging China to act swiftly in order to save African elephants from possible extinction.

China protests after India PM visits frontier region

Bejing - China has expressed "strong dissatisfaction and staunch opposition" after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited a frontier area controlled by New Delhi but claimed by Beijing, state media reported.

Myanmar says more than 130 dead in fighting near China border

Inya - Myanmar's army Saturday said more than 130 people had died in a deepening battle with rebels in the northeast, declaring it would not rest until stability was restored to the border area which tens of thousands have fled.

Asia rings in Year of the Sheep with fireworks, festivities

Bejing - Fireworks illuminated the skies across China as millions around Asia ushered in the Year of the Sheep on Thursday, kicking off festivities with an annual televised gala that got a thumbs down on social media for heavy Communist Party propaganda.

Year of the Sheep won't be baaa-d, fortune tellers say

Hong Kong - The Year of the Horse brought catastrophic international air accidents, brutal terror attacks, global political upheaval, a resurgent Ebola virus and war -- and, in Hong Kong, large-scale civil unrest.

Tens of thousands flee Myanmar conflict as aid curbed

- Nearly 90,000 civilians in northeastern Myanmar are believed to have fled clashes between troops and ethnic rebels, an official said Wednesday, as sporadic violence hampered efforts to evacuate those still trapped.

Myanmar declares emergency in war-torn region as fighting rages

- Myanmar on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in a conflict-torn border region, where ferocious fighting between the army and ethnic rebels has sent thousands fleeing airstrikes and fierce gun battles.

Death toll rises in Myanmar unrest, China warns of instability

Growing fighting between Myanmar's army and ethnic Kokang fighters in a region bordering China has killed dozens in the past week and sent tens of thousands fleeing across the frontier, reports said Monday.

50 new cases of H7N9 avian flu in humans reported in China

There are now 50 cases of H7N9 avian flu in humans in south China's Guangdong Province resulting in 12 deaths, according to local health officials. The new cases are in additon to the 83 H7N9 cases reported from Dec. 2014 to Jan, 2015.

China's latest cyberwar: The battle for New Year train tickets

Bejing - As hundreds of millions in China flock home to celebrate the Year of the Sheep, the world's biggest human migration places extraordinary pressure on roads and railways -- but technology is offering new ways to find a route home.

China official's mandatory 'two children' proposal draws rebuke

Bejing - China should roll back its one-child policy and instead mandate that all couples have two children, a family planning official has said, drawing criticism Friday from a ruling Communist Party newspaper.

Greece PM invited to visit China

Atenas - Greece's new Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has been invited to visit Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, a government source said Wednesday.

China will build two nuclear power plants in Argentina

On Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's three-day visit to China, at least 15 agreements were signed, including agreements on travel visas, infrastructure, financing and collaboration on the building of two nuclear power plants.

JP Morgan probed over hiring of China minister's son: WSJ

Bejing - Investment bank JP Morgan is being investigated by US authorities for hiring the son of China's commerce minister despite him being one of the worst candidates its recruiters had seen, the Wall Street Journal reported.

China executes tycoon who bid for Australian miner

Bejing - A Chinese mining billionaire said to have links with disgraced former security tsar Zhou Yongkang and who once launched a bid for Australia's Sundance Resources was executed for multiple murder on Monday, a court said.

Chinese farmer stumbles across 7.85kg of gold on ground

A farmer in a remote region of China has stumbled across a huge gold nugget on the ground on the land. The incredible find has an expected value of at least $250,000.

China denounces interference after Obama welcomes Dalai Lama

Bejing - China is opposed to foreign countries receiving the Dalai Lama, a government spokesman said Friday, the day after US President Barack Obama held a symbolic first public encounter with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.

China shopping mall fire kills 17: Government

Bejing - A shopping mall inferno killed 17 people in China, authorities said Friday, the latest deadly accident in a country where safety standards are often flouted.

Op-Ed: Lessons from the EU’s unlikely success in the war against piracy

Brussels - Remember how just a few years ago one of the most pressing issue to world peace and security seemed to be the sundry band of pirates off the coast of Somalia that was wreaking havoc across the Gulf of Aden by pillaging and plundering trade lanes?