Latest Beijing News
China's defense minister has been MIA for a month. His ministry isn't making any comment
BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson said Thursday that he was “not aware of the situation” in the ministry's first public comments on the disappearance of the defense minister from public view about one month ago. Senior Col. Wu Qian, the director of the...
To TikTok or not to TikTok? One GOP candidate joins the app even as he calls it 'digital fentanyl'
Republican presidential hopefuls have largely shunned TikTok, the hugely popular video-sharing app that some in both parties allege is a potential spy mechanism for China. But entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy recently became the first 2024 candidate to join the platform, which says it...
China goes on charm offensive at Asian Games, but doesn't back down from regional confrontations
HANGZHOU, China (AP) — A month before the Asian Games, China released a new national map, doubling down on its claims to almost the entire South China Sea and disputed border territories with India. A few days before the event, it flew more than 100 warplanes toward Taiwan,...
Olympic doping case involving Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva starts in Switzerland
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The doping case involving teenage Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva that marred the 2022 Beijing Olympics returned to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Tuesday. The highest court in sports began a closed-door hearing set to last at least three...
Philippine coast guard says it removed barrier placed by China's coast guard in disputed shoal
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine coast guard said it has complied with a presidential order to remove a floating barrier placed by China’s coast guard to prevent Filipino fishing boats from entering a lagoon in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. Philippine...
The chairman of Hong Kong's leading journalist group gets jail term for obstructing a police officer
HONG KONG (AP) — The chairman of Hong Kong’s leading journalist group received a five-day jail term after he was found guilty of obstructing a police officer on Monday in a case that sparked concerns about the city's declining press freedom. Ronson Chan, chairman of the Hong...
A coal mine fire in southern China's Guizhou province kills 16 people
BEIJING (AP) — A coal mine fire in southern China killed 16 people on Sunday, according to local authorities. The blaze broke out at the Shanjiaoshu coal mine in Panguan, a town in Guizhou province. An initial investigation suggested the people who died were trapped...
A Chinese dissident in transit at a Taiwan airport pleads for help in seeking asylum
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A Chinese dissident known for regularly commemorating the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square fled to Taiwan on Friday and pleaded for help in seeking asylum in the United States or Canada. In a video he posted on X,...
Spat over visas for Indian Asian Games athletes sparks diplomatic row between New Delhi and Beijing
HANGZHOU, China (AP) — A long-standing border dispute between India and China has left three Indian martial arts competitors stranded at home and unable to make it to the Asian Games in Hangzhou, while sparking a diplomatic row Friday between the two countries. The three women...
Jimmy Lai's son fears Hong Kong media mogul may die in detention while awaiting trial
LONDON (AP) — The son of jailed Hong Kong media mogul and prominent pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai said Wednesday he did not want to see his father die in detention, as his lawyers raised the prospect that his long-delayed trial may be pushed back indefinitely. Sebastien Lai also...
