https://www.scmp.com/rss/327834/feed Born in China and raised in New Zealand, Linda joined the Post as a reporter in 2018. Previously, she freelanced for Chinese technology media site TechNode. She holds bachelor's degrees in arts and commerce from the University of Auckland, and has a master's in global business journalism from Tsinghua University. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The Soviet Union’s collapse at the end of 1991, has weighed heavily on the minds of China’s leaders over the past three decades as they seek to avoid a similar fate. Observers argue its transition from a planned to a market economy that began in the 1970s avoided the pains suffered by Russia and other Soviet states due to rapid privatisation and price liberalism, while the leadership has maintained tight political control. China’s leaders ‘must learn from Soviet Union’s fatal errors’ Andrei... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3161785/how-collapse-soviet-union-still-weighs-chinese-leaders-minds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3161785/how-collapse-soviet-union-still-weighs-chinese-leaders-minds?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jan 2022 12:00:31 +0000 Tax bureaus in some of China’s most prosperous regions have given celebrities and internet influencers a deadline of 10 days to pay their outstanding taxes, according to a notice issued on Wednesday. The tax authorities in Beijing and Shanghai, and the provinces of Guangdong, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, have ordered those with outstanding taxes or who have filed their taxes incorrectly to promptly report and correct their filings before the end of the year, or face severe punishment, the government... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3160731/chinas-celebrities-and-internet-influencers-given-10-days-pay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3160731/chinas-celebrities-and-internet-influencers-given-10-days-pay?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Dec 2021 23:00:21 +0000 Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai’s appearance at a Shanghai event on Sunday has not satisfied the Women’s Tennis Association, which said its concerns about her well-being had not been addressed. The WTA said in a statement it would continue to call for a “full, fair and transparent investigation – without censorship – into her allegation of sexual assault”. Peng, 35, attended a cross-country skiing event on Sunday where she told a Singaporean newspaper she was fine and that her allegations of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3160354/china-tennis-star-peng-shuai-denies-making-sex-assault-claim?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3160354/china-tennis-star-peng-shuai-denies-making-sex-assault-claim?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Dec 2021 02:44:28 +0000 A European human rights group has filed an urgent appeal with a United Nations agency after a Moroccan court upheld a Chinese request to extradite a Uygur man. Yidiresi Aishan, also known as Idris Hasan, is a Turkish resident from China’s Xinjiang region who was detained in Casablanca in July due to a now-cancelled Interpol red notice requested by China. Beijing has accused him of being linked to extremist groups, a charge that his wife Buzainuer Wubuli has repeatedly denied. Safeguard... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3159971/yidiresi-aishan-rights-group-appeals-un-over-moroccan-courts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3159971/yidiresi-aishan-rights-group-appeals-un-over-moroccan-courts?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Dec 2021 13:00:19 +0000 A Chinese health expert has hit back at a Canadian researcher’s claims of strong evidence that Covid-19 originated from a wholesale food market in central China, saying the suggestions do not stand up to scrutiny. Liang Wannian, the head of a Chinese government expert panel, said on Saturday that it was unscientific to conclude that some early cases of people living close to the market was proof that it was the origin of the community transmission. “We think that Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3159347/chinese-scientist-hits-back-wuhan-market-coronavirus-origin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3159347/chinese-scientist-hits-back-wuhan-market-coronavirus-origin?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Dec 2021 15:00:26 +0000 A top Chinese respiratory scientist has urged China to learn from the West about advanced mRNA vaccine technology, and called on all countries to be open-minded about working together. Speaking at the Greater Bay Science Forum in Guangzhou on Saturday, Zhong Nanshan also said countries should team up to explore how to mix and match Covid-19 vaccines for greater effectiveness. “We should learn about the good things in other countries, such as mRNA vaccines. They have spent years on the research... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3159343/china-can-learn-west-about-mrna-vaccines-top-disease-expert-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3159343/china-can-learn-west-about-mrna-vaccines-top-disease-expert-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Dec 2021 10:58:43 +0000 More than 110 alumni of the British Chevening Scholarship have urged Beijing to unconditionally release detained Chinese activists Sophia Huang Xueqin and Wang Jianbing. Huang, an independent journalist known for her #MeToo activism, was awarded the prestigious scholarship and planned to start a master’s degree at the University of Sussex before she was detained three months ago in the southern city of Guangzhou. Her friend Wang, a labour activist, was also taken into custody. In a joint... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3159062/group-chevening-scholars-call-china-release-detained-metoo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3159062/group-chevening-scholars-call-china-release-detained-metoo?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Dec 2021 09:27:03 +0000 The Chinese lunar rover Yutu 2 is on its way to investigate a cube-shaped object, described as a “mystery hut”, on the far side of the moon. The mission team of Yutu 2 spotted the object after examining a series of photos taken by the rover, according to Our Space, a science outreach media outlet affiliated with the Chinese space programme. The mysterious feature, pictured on the horizon and next to a young, large-impact crater, was about 80 metres (262 feet) from Yutu 2, according to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158627/chinas-lunar-rover-yutu-2-mission-investigate-mystery-object-far?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158627/chinas-lunar-rover-yutu-2-mission-investigate-mystery-object-far?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Dec 2021 09:00:18 +0000 “The voters didn’t get a chance to find us, because the police found us first,” Ye Jinghuan said of her third attempt to take part in China’s electoral process. The dissident had sought to get elected as a delegate representing people at the township or county level, the first stage in a process that will ultimately select the representatives for the National People’s Congress, the country’s top lawmaking body. China’s new generation of leaders will have to pass ‘the loyalty test’ These... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3158422/china-touting-its-whole-process-democracy-superior-model-so-how?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3158422/china-touting-its-whole-process-democracy-superior-model-so-how?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Dec 2021 01:00:22 +0000 Beijing has offered its support to troubled Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and condemned violence in the capital. The assurances came as protesters in Honiara continued to demand Sogavare’s resignation and the Chinese embassy warned its nationals not to go outside. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Friday that China condemned the violence that had caused severe damage and property losses and Beijing would “safeguard the safety and legitimate rights and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3157542/beijing-condemns-solomon-islands-violence-and-attacks-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3157542/beijing-condemns-solomon-islands-violence-and-attacks-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Nov 2021 12:15:18 +0000 A Chinese government official has been elected to an oversight role at global crime-fighting body Interpol despite opposition from rights groups and lawmakers from 20 countries. Hu Binchen, deputy director general of the Chinese public security ministry’s international coordination department, on Thursday won one of two seats representing Asia on the body’s executive committee, Interpol said. The incoming president was also elected during Interpol’s general assembly this week, with United Arab... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3157409/chinas-nominee-wins-interpol-seat-despite-concerns-human?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3157409/chinas-nominee-wins-interpol-seat-despite-concerns-human?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Nov 2021 14:15:50 +0000 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) continued to defend its handling of human rights concerns relating to China, the host of the 2022 Winter Olympics, as more countries say they are considering a diplomatic boycott. Australia has joined the United States and Canada, major winter sport countries, in considering a diplomatic boycott of the Games, expected to be held in Beijing within months, The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Thursday. The IOC said it awarded Games to a national Olympic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3157374/peng-shuai-ioc-defends-handling-human-rights-concerns-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3157374/peng-shuai-ioc-defends-handling-human-rights-concerns-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Nov 2021 13:00:19 +0000 Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics in February. This is likely to make Putin the first state leader to meet face to face with Chinese President Xi Jinping since the height of the Covid-19 outbreak. Announcing the news, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said jointly celebrating grand milestones had been a long-held tradition of the two countries, and the logistics of the Russian leader’s visit was being worked out. “The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3157099/russias-vladimir-putin-will-be-beijing-2022-winter-olympics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3157099/russias-vladimir-putin-will-be-beijing-2022-winter-olympics?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Nov 2021 11:35:11 +0000 While bringing ample benefits, China’s growing contributions and influence in global organisations like the World Bank and the United Nations should be reconsidered, a new report on China’s international engagement has concluded. The country is now second in terms of voting power in multilateral development banks, behind only the United States. This is mostly due to the growth in China’s contributions. Between 2010 and 2020, the country’s total subscribed capital to the system grew to US$67... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3156783/time-fresh-look-chinas-unique-global-donor-borrower-role?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3156783/time-fresh-look-chinas-unique-global-donor-borrower-role?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Nov 2021 05:12:59 +0000 More than four dozen lawmakers from 20 countries have written to their governments opposing the nomination of Hu Binchen from China’s Ministry of Public Security for an oversight position at global policing organisation Interpol. Hu has been put forward as a candidate for the body’s 13-member executive committee, which supervises the work of Interpol’s general secretariat. The election for the committee, which meets three times a year and sets organisational policy and direction, will be held... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3156106/chinas-nominee-interpol-committee-opposed-lawmakers-20?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3156106/chinas-nominee-interpol-committee-opposed-lawmakers-20?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Nov 2021 09:14:45 +0000 The conclusion of the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow left many disappointed after a pledge on phasing out the use of coal was watered down following an intervention by China and India. The agreement, issued on Saturday, did not achieve its most ambitious object, of making all signatories commit to a target of limiting the increase in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. The last-minute intervention by India and China also saw a pledge to “phase out” the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3156029/cop26-summit-chinas-climate-commitments-spotlight-after-coal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3156029/cop26-summit-chinas-climate-commitments-spotlight-after-coal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Nov 2021 19:00:21 +0000 Kristen Ng, a musician and promoter, went to see the new James Bond movie at a cinema two weeks ago with her girlfriend in Chengdu, the southwestern Chinese city where they live. Three days later, they were in a hotel for 14 days of quarantine, after contact tracers found a confirmed Covid-19 case at the screening, Ng said. Other film-goers and cinema workers also had to quarantine. The restrictions extended to people who were in contact with Ng and her girlfriend, who is a teacher, including 30... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3155959/coronavirus-china-tolerance-wanes-chengdus-track-and-test-regime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3155959/coronavirus-china-tolerance-wanes-chengdus-track-and-test-regime?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Nov 2021 06:00:23 +0000 Fish stocks in the South China Sea are at risk of collapse if action is not taken in the next 10 years to reduce overfishing and the effects of climate change, says a study by University of British Columbia scientists and ADM Capital Foundation. The study says the depleted marine ecosystem in the neighbouring East China Sea has an improved chance to recover, but that again depends on immediate action to enforce sustainable fishing practices, such as using nets that allow juvenile fish to escape,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3155735/plenty-fish-ocean-not-so-around-china-says-study-warning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3155735/plenty-fish-ocean-not-so-around-china-says-study-warning?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Nov 2021 01:00:10 +0000 The trade group known as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) holds its yearly forum this week, with New Zealand playing host to the virtual event featuring leaders from China, the US and Taiwan, along with more than a dozen others. There is plenty of tension in the air, primarily between Beijing and Washington over trade, politics and human rights, with Taiwan’s future increasingly emerging as a potential flashpoint. However, New Zealand is talking up the opportunities for leaders to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3155562/leaders-china-and-us-set-same-virtual-stage-apec-trade-forum?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3155562/leaders-china-and-us-set-same-virtual-stage-apec-trade-forum?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Nov 2021 10:30:27 +0000 China reported 65 new local symptomatic Covid-19 cases, up only slightly as some provinces claimed progress in controlling outbreaks – but police were investigating in Chengdu after people fled mandatory testing. According to the National Health Commission, the present wave of cases had reached 44 cities in 20 provinces, with most concentrated in the northern regions of Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia and Gansu. Four of those provinces had not recorded any new local transmissions in a week. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3155264/china-records-65-local-covid-19-cases-northern-regions-work-halt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3155264/china-records-65-local-covid-19-cases-northern-regions-work-halt?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Nov 2021 06:48:37 +0000 Tajikistan, a small landlocked Central Asian country, said last month that China would provide US$8.5 million to build a base close to the country’s border with Afghanistan, but no Chinese troops will be posted there. It was the latest sign that Beijing’s footprint in Central Asia is continuing to grow, motivated by its security concerns and economic motives as it seeks to expand the Belt and Road Initiative. Here are the key factors in their relationship. Why does Tajikistan matter to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3155133/why-china-funding-base-tajikistan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3155133/why-china-funding-base-tajikistan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Nov 2021 06:00:19 +0000 Authorities in mainland China were rushing to quell rumours of imminent war with Taiwan in an attempt to prevent “unpredictable consequences”. The rumour mill began to churn after the Ministry of Commerce (Mofcom) encouraged families on Tuesday to stockpile essentials. Text notifications claiming to be from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and asking reservists to be prepared for a draft because the Taiwan issue had become severe were also circulating on the Chinese internet on the same... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3154719/beijing-quells-rumours-looming-taiwan-war-stoked-fake-pla-texts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3154719/beijing-quells-rumours-looming-taiwan-war-stoked-fake-pla-texts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Nov 2021 11:30:12 +0000 The American performing arts conservatory Juilliard School has inaugurated its first overseas campus in China, receiving congratulations from First Lady Peng Liyuan and China’s foreign vice-minister in a sign that Beijing is pushing music diplomacy. The institution in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin is the first to offer US-accredited music degrees in mainland China and has been operating since October last year. Its campus was officially inaugurated last week. Xie Feng, the foreign... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3154493/music-diplomacy-hopes-us-china-harmony-voiced-launch-juilliard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3154493/music-diplomacy-hopes-us-china-harmony-voiced-launch-juilliard?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Nov 2021 13:37:12 +0000 The Chinese military could be spending as much or even more than the United States on artificial intelligence (AI) according to a new report. The analysis, by the Centre for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) at Georgetown University in Washington, also found just 22 of the 273 companies known to supply the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with AI equipment were not subject to US Commerce Department restrictions – meaning they may be able to access US technology and pass it on to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3154242/chinese-military-may-have-edge-over-us-artificial-intelligence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3154242/chinese-military-may-have-edge-over-us-artificial-intelligence?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Oct 2021 15:00:11 +0000 The party secretary for Inner Mongolia’s Ejina banner – a tourist destination in northern China that is grappling with a Covid-19 outbreak – has been removed from his post for mismanagement of the pandemic response, according to a local newspaper. Chen Zhanyun, who had been in the job for less than two months, was sacked on Tuesday due to “insufficient” implementation of measures to control the latest wave of cases, Inner Mongolia Daily reported. Dai Qin, party chief for the Alashan League – an... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3153776/party-chief-inner-mongolia-sacked-over-insufficient-covid-19-response?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3153776/party-chief-inner-mongolia-sacked-over-insufficient-covid-19-response?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Oct 2021 12:11:26 +0000 China’s largest civilian patrol boat entered service on Saturday, with the state broadcaster CCTV reporting that it would be used to deliver strategic resources and help protect the country’s maritime claims. The Haixun 09, or “sea patrol”, was commissioned under the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) of the southern province of Guangdong province, which oversees the South China Sea. With a 10,700-tonne displacement, it is also the most advanced ship in the civilian fleet and is equipped with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3153455/chinas-largest-most-advanced-civilian-patrol-boat-could-be-used?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3153455/chinas-largest-most-advanced-civilian-patrol-boat-could-be-used?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Oct 2021 12:05:18 +0000 A mix-and-match strategy for Covid-19 booster shots could help raise immunity in the vaccinated population, but state regulators would need more scientific data before they could approve such an approach, one of China’s top epidemiologists has said. In an interview with national broadcaster CCTV on Thursday, Shao Yiming, an epidemiologist with the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and part of the country’s Covid-19 vaccine response team, explained that a mix-and-match strategy –... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3153424/no-mixed-covid-19-booster-shots-china-until-scientists-are-sure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3153424/no-mixed-covid-19-booster-shots-china-until-scientists-are-sure?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Oct 2021 10:00:22 +0000 China has passed a family education law that requires parents and guardians to reduce the “twin pressures” of homework and private tutoring on children. They will also have to prevent their children from becoming addicted to video games, according to the state news agency Xinhua. The legislation, passed by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee on Saturday, follows a series of measures banning private tutoring and restricting the number of hours children can spend playing video games... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3153442/china-passes-new-law-ordering-parents-do-more-lift-twin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3153442/china-passes-new-law-ordering-parents-do-more-lift-twin?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Oct 2021 09:29:21 +0000 The Olympic flame arrived in Beijing on Wednesday, on the day that several activists were reportedly due in court in Greece after being arrested for disrupting the lighting ceremony to accuse China of human rights abuses. Beijing 2022 officials transported the flame on a flight from Athens, state news agency Xinhua reported, before a welcome ceremony featuring a performance from Hong Kong singer Nicholas Tse, held in the Beijing Olympic Tower on the main site of the 2008 Summer Olympics. State... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3152997/olympic-cauldron-lit-beijing-protesters-face-court-athens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3152997/olympic-cauldron-lit-beijing-protesters-face-court-athens?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Oct 2021 07:12:07 +0000 Prison authorities in China’s northeastern city of Jilin have offered a 150,000 yuan (US$23,300) reward for the capture of a North Korean convict who broke out of jail on Monday night, according to a now-deleted notice by Jilin police. A reward of 100,000 yuan was offered for information leading to his capture. The escapee, identified as Zhu Xianjian, 39, was a coal mine worker from North Hamgyong province who crossed illegally into Tumen county in Yanbian, a Chinese border city in 2013. Once in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3152918/chinese-police-offer-us23000-reward-north-korean-prison-escapee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3152918/chinese-police-offer-us23000-reward-north-korean-prison-escapee?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Oct 2021 13:31:05 +0000 Beijing has appointed a Guangdong veteran and two Uygur cadres with significant security and development experience to the Xinjiang Communist Party committee, Xinjiang Daily reported. He Zhongyou, 55, worked for over three decades in the prosperous Guangdong province, and was a top official in Hainan. He has become one of five deputy party secretaries to Chen Quanguo, the Xinjiang party chief since 2016. Yusufujiang Maimaiti, 53, is a Uygur cadre who was born and has spent most of his career in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3152790/communist-partys-picks-join-xinjiang-leadership-point-focus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3152790/communist-partys-picks-join-xinjiang-leadership-point-focus?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Oct 2021 13:54:10 +0000 Two people were arrested and later released in Greece after displaying banners before the lighting of the Olympic torch for the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, as human rights groups showed their intention to maintain pressure on China. Exiled Hong Kong activist Joey Siu, 22, and Tibetan-American student Tsela Zoksang, 18, both US citizens, were arrested in Athens on Sunday before being released on Monday, according to human rights NGO Hong Kong Watch, of which Siu is policy adviser. They had... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3152750/beijing-olympics-two-arrested-greece-protest-eve-torch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3152750/beijing-olympics-two-arrested-greece-protest-eve-torch?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Oct 2021 09:26:51 +0000 Before leaving for Morocco in July, Yidiresi Aishan, a Uygur man from China, was little known outside the Uygur diaspora community in Turkey, where he has lived since 2012. That changed when Aishan, also known as Idris Hasan, was detained on arrival in Casablanca on the basis of an Interpol alert requested by the Chinese government, which accused him of terrorism offences. Aishan maintains that he has committed no crimes, in China or Turkey, according to his wife, Buzainuer Wubuli. Interpol in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3152378/uygur-man-awaits-morocco-ruling-china-seeks-extradition-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3152378/uygur-man-awaits-morocco-ruling-china-seeks-extradition-after?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Oct 2021 13:30:11 +0000 Most people in Taiwan are not expecting an imminent war over the island despite high cross-strait tensions, surveys suggest – but it is a sentiment that risks complacency, according to analysts. On Monday, 56 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fighter jets – the most in one day to date – entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ), following months of such flights. Two days later, Taiwanese Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng warned that Beijing would be “fully able” to invade the self-ruled... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3151609/most-taiwanese-not-worried-beijing-will-attack-any-time-soon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3151609/most-taiwanese-not-worried-beijing-will-attack-any-time-soon?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Oct 2021 05:10:44 +0000 Two activists who disappeared last month in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou had been detained by police, a family member was told by authorities. However, Guangzhou police refused to disclose what charges high-profile women’s rights campaigner and freelance journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin and labour activist Wang Jianbing were facing, or where they were being held, according to a request filed with authorities by Wang’s younger brother, Jianen. The Twitter account Free Xueqin&Jianbing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3151288/chinas-missing-metoo-and-labour-activist-pair-held-police?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3151288/chinas-missing-metoo-and-labour-activist-pair-held-police?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Oct 2021 13:09:06 +0000 Health authorities have ordered cities in China to build or convert facilities into permanent quarantine centres for overseas arrivals, as Beijing pushes ahead with its zero-tolerance policy on Covid-19. City governments have been told to move away from using hotels for quarantine and instead provide dedicated facilities. There should be 20 quarantine rooms per 10,000 people available by the end of October, according to National Health Commission official Cui Gang. “Centralised quarantine of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3150796/coronavirus-china-wants-permanent-quarantine-centres-built?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3150796/coronavirus-china-wants-permanent-quarantine-centres-built?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Oct 2021 03:16:35 +0000 The number of local cases of Covid-19 continued to fall in China on Tuesday, with 11 new infections reported as the country prepares for the week-long National Day holiday. Health authorities said eight cases were reported in the northeastern city of Harbin and three in Xiamen in the south, down from a total of 13 on Monday. Nine officials were also disciplined for failing to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Harbin’s epidemic command centre said on Wednesday that three officials from Bayan... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3150564/covid-19-cases-fall-china-counts-down-national-day-break?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3150564/covid-19-cases-fall-china-counts-down-national-day-break?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Sep 2021 07:56:13 +0000 The curtain has come down on China’s National Games in the ancient city of Xian, bringing to a close the biggest sporting event the country has hosted since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Twelve days after the games officially began, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang declared the sports event closed on Monday night, capping an hour-long spectacle at the Xian Olympic Sports Centre in Shaanxi province. Along with thousands of masked spectators, the chief executives of Hong Kong and Macau, Carrie... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3150316/chinas-national-games-torch-passes-hong-kong-macau-and-guangdong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3150316/chinas-national-games-torch-passes-hong-kong-macau-and-guangdong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Sep 2021 12:10:09 +0000 Espionage prosecutions in the US have punished Chinese and Asian defendants more severely, and may have falsely accused them more often than Western defendants, according to a new report. Sponsored by the Committee of 100 (C100), a non-profit organisation promoting US-China relations, the study examined court filings of 190 Economic Espionage Act (EEA) cases involving 276 defendants between 1996 and 2020, and found disparities in the way that defendants with Asian or Chinese names versus more... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3149621/espionage-prosecutions-discriminatory-against-asian-chinese-defendants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3149621/espionage-prosecutions-discriminatory-against-asian-chinese-defendants?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Sep 2021 20:13:14 +0000 Ten people died and five were reported missing after an overloaded river ferry in China’s southern Guizhou province capsized in bad weather on Saturday afternoon. The ferry was the main mode of transport across the Zangke river for students from the town of the same name in Liuzhi district. Most of the passengers were thought to be students, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The ferry, operated by Xiling Shipping, was carrying at least 46 passengers when its maximum capacity was 40, according to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3149342/10-dead-5-missing-china-overloaded-river-ferry-carrying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3149342/10-dead-5-missing-china-overloaded-river-ferry-carrying?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Sep 2021 11:23:56 +0000 Regular high-level talks between China and the US helped the two countries make gains on big issues during the Obama presidency, according to a new report released as Washington and Beijing struggle to make progress. The report, published on Monday by two American NGOs, concluded that despite some criticism, the Strategic and Economic Dialogue that ran between 2009 and 2016 during former president Barack Obama’s administration resulted in real benefits in areas such as climate change, public... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3149041/top-level-china-us-talks-led-big-gains-obama-years-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3149041/top-level-china-us-talks-led-big-gains-obama-years-report?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Sep 2021 14:00:19 +0000 Some of the world’s biggest academic publishers are investigating research papers containing genetic or facial information on minorities amid allegations of ethical violations in the gathering of the data. Much of the research in question stems from China. Concern about such profiling of marginalised groups has led to calls for the retraction of published research papers from China. In at least one case, several scientists on the board of a major US publishing house resigned over the issue. Yves... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3148333/chinas-genetic-profiling-research-faces-pushback-academic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3148333/chinas-genetic-profiling-research-faces-pushback-academic?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Sep 2021 04:00:21 +0000 A US federal judge has acquitted former University of Tennessee (UT) professor Hu Anming of fraud charges in the first case to go to trial under the controversial “China Initiative” started by the Trump administration to expose Chinese spies working in American universities. Judge Thomas Varlan from the Eastern District Court of Tennessee wrote in a court document that the government failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove that Hu had intent to defraud Nasa, which provided grants for his... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3148282/us-federal-judge-acquits-professor-hu-anming-fraud-after-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3148282/us-federal-judge-acquits-professor-hu-anming-fraud-after-push?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Sep 2021 07:21:55 +0000 The US Coast Guard is carrying out its biggest shipbuilding effort since World War II, modernising its fleet and establishing a presence in the Pacific that the force has not attempted in decades. Admiral Linda Fagan, the vice-commandant of the US Coast Guard, said the expansion would strengthen enforcement in the region against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and also counter “bad actors”. “Presence matters. Having ships on the sea matters. But having a regulatory regime,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3148209/us-coast-guard-modernises-fleet-expands-presence-indo-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3148209/us-coast-guard-modernises-fleet-expands-presence-indo-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Sep 2021 22:30:35 +0000 After a day’s reprieve of no new local cases, China on Tuesday registered four new symptomatic infections while health authorities stepped up vigilance and vaccination drives. Two of the cases were discovered in Shanghai, one in the eastern province of Jiangsu and the fourth in Yunnan province in the southwest, the National Health Commission said. This came as China’s anti-epidemic task force set out new rules on Tuesday for infection control personnel working in hospitals, further intensifying... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3146323/china-reports-4-new-covid-19-cases-nation-steps-infection?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3146323/china-reports-4-new-covid-19-cases-nation-steps-infection?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Aug 2021 08:45:56 +0000 Interpol has cancelled a red notice for a Uygur man sought by Beijing after the international police body conducted a review, as accusations mount that it is being used to repatriate dissidents to China. The red notice had led Moroccan authorities to detain Yidiresi Aishan, a 33-year-old Chinese national born in Xinjiang and also known as Idris Hasan, after he arrived in Casablanca on July 19 from Turkey, where he has lived since 2012. “The Interpol general secretariat has cancelled the red... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3146138/xinjiang-interpol-cancels-alert-uygur-man-sought-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3146138/xinjiang-interpol-cancels-alert-uygur-man-sought-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Aug 2021 07:00:17 +0000 China has administered nearly 2 billion doses of coronavirus vaccine but an outbreak of cases in Shanghai has fanned fresh concerns about the spread of the disease and forced hundreds of people into quarantine. According to the National Health Commission, 1.94 billion jabs had been given as of Saturday. But the authority did not say how many people have completed the full two-dose regime. Over 80 per cent of adults in Beijing and Shanghai have been fully vaccinated, meaning the population in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3145949/hundreds-quarantined-shanghai-china-nears-2-billion-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3145949/hundreds-quarantined-shanghai-china-nears-2-billion-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Aug 2021 11:29:32 +0000 Childish squabbles over the origins of Covid-19 are distracting the public and researchers from more urgent work, a scientist said, as a peer called for answers to lingering questions about the virus research carried out at a laboratory at the centre of the controversy. The theory that scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology engineered Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, was very unlikely, Wu Chung-I, an evolutionary biologist who has spent most of his career at the University of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3145695/delta-variant-proves-covid-19-lab-leak-theory-extremely?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3145695/delta-variant-proves-covid-19-lab-leak-theory-extremely?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Aug 2021 22:00:22 +0000 Mutual recognition of Chinese and French driving licences will come into effect on Tuesday after the French government passed the agreement into law. China has been pushing other countries to agree similar measures as part of its efforts to make life easier for the large numbers of Chinese living overseas. The move will benefit tourists, students and businesspeople and remove administrative hassles in obtaining driving permits in the two countries. France will recognise Chinese driving licences,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3145189/driving-licence-deal-makes-it-easier-chinese-take-roads-france?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3145189/driving-licence-deal-makes-it-easier-chinese-take-roads-france?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Aug 2021 09:06:01 +0000 The World Health Organization has called for a “spirit of partnership” in the search for the origins of Covid-19, as China, the US and others exchange heated rhetoric over the investigation. The global health body said the next steps to find the origins of the pandemic would be based on science, and denied claims from China and other member countries that it had refused to rule out the lab leak theory because of political pressure. “WHO reiterates that the search for the origins of Sars-CoV-2 is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3144940/who-calls-spirit-partnership-hunt-covid-19-origins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3144940/who-calls-spirit-partnership-hunt-covid-19-origins?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Aug 2021 08:18:15 +0000