By AP – published by NBC News and The Guardian INTERNATIONAL scientists who examined previously unavailable genetic data from samples collected at a market close to where the first human cases of Covid-19 were detected in China said they found suggestions the pandemic originated from animals, not a lab. Other experts have not yet
Tag: China
China says TikTok ban reflects US insecurities
By AP and published by CTV News Beijing – US government bans on Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok reveal Washington’s own insecurities and are an abuse of state power, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday (Feb. 28). The US government “has been overstretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to
Read moreChina has some doubt on ability to invade Taiwan: CIA chief
By AP and published by CNA Washington – US intelligence shows that China’s President Xi Jinping has instructed his country’s military to “be ready by 2027″ to invade Taiwan though he may be currently harbouring doubts about his ability to do so given Russia’s experience in its war with Ukraine, CIA Director William Burns
Read moreUS renews warning it’ll defend Philippines after China spat
By Jim Gomez – AP and published by Yahoo!News Manila, Philippines – The United States renewed a warning that it would defend its treaty ally if Filipino forces come under attack in the disputed South China Sea, after a Chinese coast guard ship allegedly hit a Philippine patrol vessel with military-grade laser that briefly
Read moreChina says balloon sighted in Latin America is for ‘civilian purpose’
By Agencies and published by CNA Beijing – The balloon sighted in Latin America is from China and is for civilian purposes, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said today (Feb. 6), after a similar device was shot down by the United States over the weekend. The Pentagon said on Friday that a second
Read moreBlinken postpones China trip over ‘spy balloon’ incident
By Reuters and published by CNA Washington – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a visit to China that had been expected to start on Friday (Feb. 3) after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was tracked flying across the United States in what Washington called a “clear violation” of US sovereignty. The Pentagon
Read moreChina: Balloon over US skies is for research, wind pushed it
By AP and published by Yahoo!News Beijing – China said on Friday (Feb. 3) that a balloon spotted over American airspace was used for weather research and was blown off course, despite US suspicion it was spying. The discovery further strained already tense relations between Beijing and Washington. The Pentagon decided not to shoot down
Read moreOdds ‘very high’ of US military conflict with China, top Republican says
By Reuters and published by Swissinfo.ch Washington – A top Republican in the US Congress on Sunday (Jan. 29) said the odds of conflict with China over Taiwan “are very high,” after a US general caused consternation with a memo that warned that the United States would fight China in the next two years.
Read moreThree policemen escorting Chinese tourist transferred
THREE policemen seen providing police escort to a female Chinese tourist in a video that has gone viral in China have been transferred to the headquarters, Thai Rath newspaper said today (Jan. 22). The tourist said in the video clip that everything is really for sale in Thailand including police escort from the airplane
Read moreBlinken to pay long-awaited China visit on Feb. 5-6
By AFP and published by CNA Washington – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Beijing on Feb. 5-6, a US official said on Tuesday (Jan. 17), confirming a long-awaited trip aimed at keeping high tensions in check between the world’s two largest economies. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Blinken
Read moreMalaysia to open special lanes for travellers from China amid Covid-19 concerns
By Agencies and published by CNA Kuala Lumpur – Amid concerns over the Covid-19 situation in China, Malaysia’s Immigration Department will operate special lanes for travellers from the country at its international entry points. This, the health ministry said, is part of efforts to contain the spread of the virus in Malaysia. Its deputy
Read moreOfficial stats not reflecting true impact of Covid-19 wave in China: WHO
Beijing –The World Health Organization (WHO) criticised China’s “very narrow” definition of Covid-19 deaths on Wednesday (Jan. 4), warning that official statistics were not showing the true impact of the outbreak. “We believe that the current numbers being published from China under-represent the true impact of the disease in terms of hospital admissions, in
Read moreMalaysia gears up to impose stricter border measures amid Covid outbreak in China
By Bernama and published by CNA Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia’s health ministry (MOH) is prepared to tighten health checks as part of its pandemic border policies, with the resurgence of Covid-19 cases in China. Health Minister Dr. Zaliha Mustafa said her ministry was taking seriously the concerns of people regarding the increase in Covid-19
Read moreIndia makes negative Covid test mandatory for travellers from 5 countries
By Reuters and published by CNA New Delhi – India will make a negative Covid-19 test mandatory for flyers from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand from Jan. 1, the Health Minister said today (Dec. 29). Travellers from these countries and territories would have to upload their test reports on an India
Read moreChinese make travel plans as Covid-19 rules ease further
By Reuters and published by CNA Shanghai – Chinese people, cut off from the rest of the world for three years by Covid-19 curbs, flocked to travel sites today (Dec. 27) ahead of borders reopening, even as rising infections strained the health system and roiled the economy. Zero-tolerance measures – from shuttered borders to
Read moreIndia reports injuries on both sides in border clash with China
New Delhi – Indian troops prevented Chinese soldiers from entering Indian territory on Dec, 9 during a border scuffle that led to injuries on both sides, India’s defence minister said on Tuesday (Dec. 13), in the first such clash since 2020 between the Asian giants. The incident occurred in the Tawang sector of India’s
Read moreChinese sub to be delivered beyond 2024: Navy chief
By Thai Newsroom Reporters THE THAI NAVY’S planned procurement of a Chinese-built submarine would probably be delivered beyond 2024, said navy chief Adm.Choengchai Chomchoengpat today (Nov.22). The latest delay in the planned procurement of the Yuan-class S26T sub was primarily attributed to the failure on the part of the shipbuilder, China Shipbuilding & Offshore
Read moreXi did not shake hands with Prayut ‘because of Covid measures’
GOVERNMENT spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri stepped in to explain that Chinese President Xi Jinping did not shake hands with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha because he is avoiding doing so as part of strict Chinese Covid measures, Sanook.com said this afternoon (Nov. 18). Chinese officials had added that Xi is also avoiding handing over gifts and
Read moreBiden warns Xi about ‘coercive’ Taiwan actions in three hour meeting
By Reuters and published by The Business Standard Nusa Dua, Indonesia – US President Joe Biden today (Nov. 14) told Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping they were both responsible for preventing their superpower competition from turning into conflict, in rare talks aimed at thawing ties that are at their worst in decades. Ahead of their first
Read moreBiden to meet China’s Xi on Monday for Taiwan, Russia talks
By AP and published by US News & World Report Washington – US President Joe Biden will meet on Monday with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of next week’s Group of 20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, a face-to-face meeting that comes amid increasingly strained US-China relations, the White House announced on Thursday.
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