Latest Beijing News
China's economy grew 5.3% in first quarter, beating expectations, though weak spots remain
HONG KONG (AP) — China’s economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter of the year with help from policies and stronger demand, though signs of weakness in the troubled housing market persisted. The world’s second-largest economy expanded at a 5.3% annual pace in...
The Philippine president says he won't give US access to more local military bases
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine president said Monday his administration has no plan to give the United States access to more Philippine military bases and stressed that the American military's presence in several camps and sites so far was sparked by China’s aggressive actions in the...
Germany's Scholz arrives in China on a visit marked by trade tensions and Ukraine conflict
BEIJING (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in China on Sunday on a visit focused on the increasingly tense economic relationship between the sides and differences over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Scholz's first destination was the industrial hub of Chongqing, where...
China detains 2 over tourist boat capsizing that killed 12, citing lack of safety equipment
BEIJING (AP) — Two people have been detained following the capsizing of a tourist boat on a river in northeastern China that led to the drowning deaths of 12 visitors, state media reported Sunday. The accident occurred Saturday afternoon outside the city of Qinhuangdao near the...
Far fewer young Americans now want to study in China. Both countries are trying to fix that
WASHINGTON (AP) — Stephen Garrett, a 27-year-old graduate student, always thought he would study in China, but the country’s restrictive COVID-19 policies made it nearly impossible and now he sees interest among fellow scholars wane even after China reopened. Common concerns, he...
US intelligence finding shows China surging equipment sales to Russia to help war effort in Ukraine
WASHINGTON (AP) — China has surged sales to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics and other technology that Moscow in turn is using to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weaponry for use in its war against Ukraine, according to a U.S. assessment. Two senior Biden...
Chinese President Xi meets former Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou on pro-unification visit
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping met with former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou in Beijing Wednesday in a bid to promote unification between the sides that separated amid civil war in 1949. Ma stepped down as president in 2016 and was largely excluded from the...
US-China competition to field military drone swarms could fuel global arms race
As their rivalry intensifies, U.S. and Chinese military planners are gearing up for a new kind of warfare in which squadrons of air and sea drones equipped with artificial intelligence work together like a swarm of bees to overwhelm an enemy. The planners envision a scenario in which...
Retired chair of Chinese state-owned Everbright Group indicted on bribery charges
BEIJING (AP) — A former chairman of the China Everbright Group and ex-central bank executive has been indicted on suspicion of embezzlement and bribery, part of a wider wave of prosecutions of senior officials accused of financial crimes. Tang Shuangning, who also had held senior...
China sanctions 2 US defense companies and says they support arms sales to Taiwan
BEIJING (AP) — China on Thursday announced rare sanctions against two U.S. defense companies over what it called their support for arms sales to Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy Beijing claims as its own territory to be recovered by force if necessary. The announcement...
