Page 170 - China

Xi declares Taiwan 'reunification' inevitable in China's future plans

China considers Taiwan to be its "sacred territory" and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under Chinese control

India to be fastest-growing economy in 2024 after withstanding headwinds

India decisively withstood global headwinds in 2023 and is likely to remain as the world's fastest-growing major economy on the back of growing demand, moderate inflation, stable interest rate regime and robust foreign exchange reserves. Despite widespread pessimism witnessed among the developed nations and the worsening geopolitical situation, India recorded a gross domestic product (GDP) expansion of 6.1 per cent in the March quarter. The growth moved up to 7.8 per cent in the June quarter and was 7.6 per cent in the September quarter. For the first six months of this fiscal, the growth was 7.7 per cent. The growth momentum is expected to sustain in the December quarter, making India the fastest-growing major economy in the world much ahead of China. According to the latest growth projections of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which appear conservative, India will record a growth of 6.3 per cent in 2023, ahead of China and Brazil at 5.2 per cent

China's factory activity contracts more than expected for 3 months in a row

The official manufacturing purchasing managers index declined to 49 in December, from 49.4 in November, the National Bureau of Statistics said in a statement on Sunday

China to ease visa requirements for US travellers in bid to boost tourism

China will ease visa restrictions for people visiting from the United States, the country's latest effort to attract foreign travellers since reopening its borders earlier this year. Starting January 1, American tourists will no longer need to submit round-trip air tickets, proof of hotel reservations, itineraries or invitations to China, according to a notice posted online Friday by the Chinese Embassy in Washington. The simplified application process is intended to further facilitate people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States, the notice said. The move comes as China has struggled to rejuvenate its tourism sector after three years of strict pandemic measures, which included mandatory quarantines for all arrivals. While those restrictions were lifted earlier this year, international travellers have been slow to return. In the first half of this year, China recorded 8.4 million entries and exits by foreigners, down from 977 million for all of 2019, the last year

China abruptly ousts nine military lawmakers as defense purge widens

The nation's top legislative body revoked the lawmakers' membership during a Friday meeting, the official Xinhua News Agency reported

China successfully launches test satellite for internet technologies

China on Saturday successfully launched a test satellite for satellite internet technologies. The satellite was launched by a Long March-2C carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. It successfully entered its preset orbit, the report said. It was the 505th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.

Chinese spy balloon utilised internet provider for communication: US

A US official revealed that the Chinese spy balloon, which traversed the United States in early 2023, used an American internet service provider to transmit periodic data related to navigation and location back to China, CNN reported.This connection emerged as one of the means by which the US intelligence agencies were able to track the balloon's location and gather crucial information during its transit.While the identity of the specific internet service provider remains undisclosed, CNN was informed that the balloon had the capability to communicate with Beijing as it crossed the US.NBC News first reported that the balloon relied on a US network for communication.According to the US official, the network connection was not utilised to transmit intelligence data back to China. Instead, the balloon stored such information, including imagery and other data, for later retrieval. The US successfully shot down the Chinese spy balloon in February, allowing for a comprehensive analysis of ..

China appoints former top naval commander Dong Jun as new defence minister

China on Friday named former naval commander General Dong Jun, said to be a close confidant of President Xi Jinping, as the new defence minister, two months after the summary dismissal of General Li Shangfu without an explanation. China's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), which confirmed Li's ouster in October, appointed Dong in his place, the official media reported. Dong, formerly the commander of the Chinese navy, was promoted to the rank of general in September 2021, making him one of the highest-ranking officers in active service, the China Daily reported. Regarded as a close confidant of President Xi, Dong was later elected to the Communist Party of China (CPC) in October last year. Before becoming the navy's top commander in 2021, he served in the Northern Sea Fleet, now a regular player in joint drills with the Russian Navy, the Eastern Sea Fleet, which focuses on potential conflicts with Japan, as well as the Southern Command Theatre, which oversees th

US Pentagon fact sheet: 'Decisive year' for open, stable Indo-Pacific

The Pentagon plans to bolster India's defence modernization, including by advancing the priorities outlined in the 'Roadmap for US - India Defence Industrial Cooperation'

The last quarter-century has turned out to be less Brics, more China-India

China and India have proved the Brics forecast right in the quarter-century gone by. In the second quarter-century expect broadly more of the same, with India gaining prominence, writes T N Ninan

China toughens punishment for bribery as part of anti-corruption crackdown

Days after President Xi Jinping exhorted people to maintain personal integrity, China on Friday amended its criminal law to punish those giving bribes to officials as part of its anti-corruption drive. An amendment to the Criminal Law was passed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature. The amended law, which will take effect on March 1, has intensified the fight against bribe-givers, stating that those offering bribes repeatedly, to multiple people, or parties involved in major national projects should be harshly punished. People who give bribes to staff members of supervisory, administrative, or judicial departments, or bribe in fields such as environment, finance, safety production, drug and food, social insurance, rescue relief, education, or healthcare, also need to face severe punishment, the law added. On December 4, President Xi warned senior ruling Communist Party officials to maintain personal integrity, set strict rules f

Nepal's 2023: High-level meetings with Indian, Chinese leaderships & quakes

After experiencing a turbulent 2022, Nepal witnessed much-needed political stability this year that enabled Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda' to focus on improving relations with its two important neighbours India and China even as he faced the regular staple of Himalayan problems - earthquakes, corruption scandals, and air crashes. After becoming Prime Minister in December 2022, Prachanda secured the vote of confidence from the House of Representatives on January 10 ending the political impasse amid a power tussle among Nepali political parties with the third largest party CPN-Maoist Centre gaining power and garnering support from the largest party Nepali Congress. However, Nepal's second-largest party in Parliament, the CPN-UML, on February 27 withdrew its support to the Prachanda-led government following a rift over backing the main opposition party's candidate for the presidential poll. It has had no significant impact on the government. On March 9, Nepal's Parliame

Fog, haze in China as New Year travellers brace for potential disruptions

Central Meteorological Observatory issued first red alert for fog since 2017. Conditions were expected to improve from Saturday evening, when a cold wave of air is expected to blow over the country

First made-in-China cruise ship to set sail from Shanghai to S Korea

The Adora Magic City will depart from its home port of Shanghai Monday for a six-day trip that will take in South Korea's Jeju island and the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Fukuoka

Apple partner Luxshare set to gain control of key China iPhone plant

Luxshare is set to buy a 62.5% stake in Pegatron Corp.'s Kunshan unit in eastern China for about 2.1 billion yuan ($300 million), according to an exchange filing by the latter

US companies are picky about investing in China except fast-food chains

American fast-food chains have decided a market of 1.4 billion people is simply too delicious to pass up. KFC China's parent company opened its 10,000th restaurant in China last month

China's Xiaomi unveils first electric car, plans to become top automaker

The sedan, dubbed the SU7, is a highly anticipated model that is expected to make the most of its shared operating system with the company's popular phones

Chinese military irked by Indian naval ship's drills with Philippines navy

Peeved over the recent naval exercises between the navies of India and the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea, the Chinese military on Thursday said defence cooperation between different countries should not harm the interests of third countries and regional peace. Answering a question from Chinese official media about naval exercises between an Indian naval ship and the Philippines naval vessel besides plans by France to hold naval and air drills with the Philippine Navy, Spokesman of the Chinese Defence Ministry Senior Col Wu Qian said China has taken note of the reports. China has always emphasised that defence and security cooperation between relevant countries must not harm the interests of third parties or hurt regional peace and stability, he said. China is getting restive about military cooperation between the Philippines and other countries as its coastguard ships recently involved face-offs with Philippines navy vessels to assert Beijing's control over the parts o

China aims to build more than half of world's cleaner-fuel ships by 2025

It did not give any estimates of the number of ships involved but said China would build more vessels powered by lower-carbon fuels as part of Beijing's push to become carbon neutral by 2060

Frozen India, China ties on a drift into fourth year with no end in sight

With Beijing remaining intransigent on the withdrawal of additional troops deployed by the PLA since the deadly border clash in 2020 in eastern Ladakh, India's bilateral ties with China remained frozen in 2023 with no forward movement on the horizon despite several rounds of diplomatic and military talks. The relationship has remained frozen since May 2020 when the People's Liberation Army (PLA) amassed troops in eastern Ladakh that led to a deadly clash between the two militaries at the Galwan Valley in June 2020, resulting in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese military personnel. In the words of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the Chinese literally brought tens of thousands of soldiers in full military preparation at the border in Ladakh in violation of all bilateral agreements. The ties between the two countries after the two high-profile informal summits between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping remain frozen and India