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Taiwan saw a surge of Chinese military planes near the island, its defence ministry said on Sunday, after a sharp drop in flights over the past two weeks had sparked discussions among observers. The ministry detected 26 Chinese military aircraft around the island on Saturday, with 16 of them entering its central and southwestern Air Defence Identification Zone. Seven naval ships were spotted around the island, it reported. The increased number of aircraft came after the ministry reported a fall that left analysts scratching their heads about what China's military may be up to. Taiwan didn't report any Chinese military planes that went beyond the median line and entered the zone for a week from Feb. 27 to March 5. After two were detected on March 6, the next four days had none. Such flights resumed in small numbers between Wednesday and Friday. The drop coincided with the annual meeting of China's legislature. While such flights have fallen in the past during major events and public
Air China will resume flights flying between Beijing and North Korea from March 30, the airline's website said Saturday, after passenger train services running between the two nations restarted earlier this week. According to the website of the stated-owned airline, flights from China's capital to Pyongyang, North Korea's capital will run every Monday until May 18, but would scale down to two Mondays in June. In 2020 with the start of the coronavirus pandemic, North Korea banned tourists, jetted out diplomats and severely curtailed border traffic in one of the world's most draconian COVID-19 restrictions. Two years later, Pyongyang started slowly easing curbs and reopening its borders. North Korean Air Koryo resumed flights between the two nations' capitals in 2023. In February 2024, North Korea accepted some Russian tourists for sightseeing visits, the first foreign nationals to visit the country. That development surprised many observers who thought the first post-pandemic tour
Zydus Lifesciences on Saturday said its innovative drug has received approval from China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for its drug Desidustat tablets used for treating renal anaemia. The company has licensed its Desidustat tablets to a subsidiary of China Medical System Holdings Ltd. CMS International Development and Management Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CMS, had obtained an exclusive license for the drug from Zydus in 2020. Desidustat tablets are administered orally for treating anaemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients. CKD involves the gradual loss of kidney function and eventually leads to kidney failure. "We are encouraged by the NMPA's approval for marketing the drug in China. Our life-changing discoveries are driven by a commitment to improving patient outcomes and enabling healthier, more fulfilled lives, globally," Zydus Lifesciences MD Sharvil P Patel said in a statement. The company is happy to partner with CMS and is confident that th
Overseas companies having Chinese shareholding of up to 10 per cent will be eligible to invest in India under the automatic route across sectors; however, the relaxed FDI norms will not apply to entities registered in China/Hong Kong or other countries sharing land borders with India, a senior official said on Wednesday. Earlier, foreign firms with shareholders from these land border nations owning even a single share had to seek mandatory approval to invest in India in any sector. The Union Cabinet on March 10 made changes in the press note 3 of 2020 in this regard. Under the press note, investors from countries sharing land borders with India had to seek mandatory approval to invest in any sector. "All the restrictions for investors from land bordering countries (LBCs) are still applicable. There is no relaxation so far as entities or investors in LBCs are concerned. This relaxation is only for entities in non-LBCs and having beneficial owners from LBCs below 10 per cent and ...
China's domestic passenger car sales fell 34.2% in February from a year earlier, an industry association said Wednesday, reflecting weakening demand as some trade-in subsidies are phased out. Only 950,000 units of passenger cars were sold in China last month, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, down from nearly 1.4 million vehicles sold in January. Overall passenger car sales including exports dropped 15.4% year-on-year, even as shipments overseas jumped 58% to 586,000, highlighting the challenges for Chinese carmakers trying to offset sluggish domestic sales by expanding into foreign markets. Automakers have been struggling with weak demand as the government has been phasing out trade-in subsidies to encourage purchases of electric vehicles. Chinese consumers have also been steering clear of big purchases, feeling a pinch from a slowing economy and protracted property slump. The Lunar New Year festival, China's biggest holiday, took place in February, .
The government on Tuesday eased norms for foreign direct investment from all countries, including China, that share land borders with India, sources said. They said press note 3 of 2020 has been amended in this regard. The decision was taken in a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Under this press note, foreign companies having shareholders from these countries required mandatory government approval for investments in India in any sector. Countries that share land borders with India are China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, and Afghanistan. China stands at the 23rd position with only 0.32 per cent share (USD 2.51 billion) in the total FDI equity inflow reported in India from April 2000 to December 2025. Ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades. Following these tensions, India banne