Page 129 - China

PM Orbn makes surprise visit to China after trips to Russia, Ukraine

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbn is making a surprise visit to China on Monday after similar trips to Russia and Ukraine to discuss prospects for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine. Peace mission 3.0 is how Orbn captioned a picture posted early Monday on the X social media platform depicting him after having stepped off his plane in Beijing. He was being greeted by Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Hua Chunying and other officials. Orbn later met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Besides Russia and Ukraine, the end of the war depends on the decision of three world powers, the United States, the European Union and China, Orbn wrote in a Facebook post showing him shaking hands with Xi. Orbn met with Xi just two months ago when he hosted the Chinese leader in Hungary as part of a three-country European tour that also included stops in France and Serbia, which unlike the other two is not a member of the European Union or NATO. Hungary und

Sri Lanka to not ban any foreign research ships from its ports from 2025

Sri Lanka has decided to lift from next year a ban on the visit of foreign research ships imposed after strong security concerns raised by India and the US following frequent docking requests from hi-tech Chinese surveillance vessels, the Japanese media reported. The change in position was conveyed by visiting Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry to the NHK World Japan. With the increased movement of Chinese research vessels in the Indian Ocean, New Delhi had expressed concern that those might be spy ships and urged Colombo not to allow such vessels to dock at its ports. After India raised concern, Sri Lanka banned the entry of foreign research vessels from docking at its port in January. Earlier this year, it had made an exception for a Chinese vessel but said the ban would continue otherwise. Sabry said his government cannot have different rules for different countries and only block China. He added that his country will not take sides in a dispute between others, the NHK World

Tornado hits town in Eastern China, kills five, injures 100 others

The powerful storm caused significant destruction, tearing roofs off houses and uprooting trees, with debris scattered throughout the air

Turkey to soon unveil deal with China's BYD for $1 billion EV plant

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to announce the deal on Monday during a ceremony in Manisa province

Visa-free entries skyrocket as China welcomes 14.64 mn foreign tourists

The visa-free transit policy, expanded last November, now includes citizens from 54 countries

Chinese AI firms showcase resilience at AI event despite US sanctions

More than 150 AI-related products and solutions are being exhibited at the conference, with a small number of foreign firms such as Tesla and Qualcomm joining the predominantly Chinese line-up

China struggles to make use of boom in energy storage, calls for even more

Some industry insiders and experts say pricing reforms and technology improvements are needed for a storage sector

Challenges ahead for UK's next PM Keir Starmer: All you need to know

Starmer has ruled out rejoining the EU single market or customs union but his party has said it is still possible to remove some trade barriers with bloc

China urges EU to show sincerity in talks as EV tariffs take effect

The government has repeatedly called on the European Union to cancel its tariffs, expressing a willingness to negotiate

EU announces investigation into Chinese subsidies for electric vehicles

The European Union (EU) is launching an investigation into subsidies that China provides to electric vehicle makers, the head of the bloc's executive branch said Wednesday, as concern grows that the aid is harming European companies. Global markets are now flooded with cheaper Chinese electric cars, and their price is kept artificially low by huge state subsidies. This is distorting our market, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, France. As we do not accept this distortion from the inside in our market, we do not accept this from the outside, von der Leyen said. So, I can announce today that the commission is launching an anti-subsidy investigation into electric vehicles coming from China. China's leaders have helped make the country the biggest market for electric vehicles by investing billions of dollars in subsidies to get an early lead in what is seen as a promising industry. Global automakers face growing competition in their hom

Firms consider removing Taiwan staff from China after death penalty threat

The new guidelines have caused some Taiwanese expatriates and foreign multinationals operating in China to scramble to assess their legal risks and exposure

China asks state firms to add 60 mn barrels of oil to reserves: Report

China currently imports roughly 11 million barrels of crude per day. Five state oil firms - CNPC, Sinopec, CNOOC, Sinochem and Zhenhua Oil - have been tasked with the stockpiling

China's BYD opens EV unit in Thailand; first factory in Southeast Asia

Hong Kong-listed shares of the automaker rose 3.2 per cent to HK$237.60, their biggest intraday jump since June 13

Tesla's best-selling Model Y for 1st time on Chinese govt purchase list

China's eastern Jiangsu provincial government published 56 batches of new energy vehicle procurements for use as service cars by party

Russian, Chinese Presidents attend SCO; Putin emphasises group's security

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday attended the summit of a security grouping created by Moscow and Beijing to counter Western alliances. Putin and Xi joined the leaders of other countries that are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation at its annual meeting in Kazakhstan's capital of Astana. The grouping was established in 2001 by China, Russia and the four ex-Soviet Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to promote regional security and economic cooperation. It was later joined by India, Pakistan and Iran. Russia's western neighbour and ally, Belarus, joined the SCO on Thursday. Observer states and dialogue partners include Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Addressing the summit, Putin emphasised the group's focus on ensuring security of its members and said the SCO will form a dedicated centre that will coordinate response to various security challenges. He added that the group's members will

At SCO, Putin bats for Eurasian security; Xi calls for peaceful resolution

Putin and Xi have expanded the SCO, a club founded in 2001 with Russia, China and Central Asian nations, to include India, Iran and Pakistan as a counterweight to the West

'Respecting LAC essential': EAM Jaishankar after talks with China's Wang Yi

EAM S Jaishankar stated that India and China agreed to intensify efforts via diplomatic and military channels to address border issues

Xi's China proves a hard sell as officials seek investments overseas

Global investors see the investment pitch with skepticism, partly due to Xi Jinping's policies

China a runaway leader in GenAI patent applications followed by US: UN

China has requested far more patents than any other country when it comes to generative AI, the U.N. intellectual property agency said Wednesday, with the United States a distant second. The technology, which offers the potential to boost efficiency and speed up scientific discoveries but also raises concerns about jobs and workers, was linked to about 54,000 inventions in the decade through 2023, the World Intellectual Property Organization reported. More than a quarter of those inventions emerged last year a testament to the explosive growth and interest in the technology since generative AI vaulted into broad public consciousness in late 2022, WIPO said. The new report on patents, the first of its kind, aims to track patent applications as a possible indication of trends in artificial intelligence. It focuses only on generative AI and excludes artificial intelligence more broadly, which includes technologies like facial recognition or computer vision. WIPO hopes to give everyon

PwC names in-house executive as its new China head amid regulatory scrutiny

PwC said in a statement to Reuters on Wednesday that Shanghai-based Li assumed the role of chairman of PwC China and Asia Pacific with effect from July 1