25 m. ago Is this the end of summer US study trips for Chinese children?

For two decades, it was popular for many Chinese families to send their children on “study tours” overseas – most often to the United States – during the summer. The programmes generally involved summer camps jointly organised by American universities and language institutions, as well as visits to colleges, museums and tourist attractions. In 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, around 1.3 million Chinese students spent part of their summer holidays studying overseas, according to a report by...

Politics

82 m. ago In human rights talks, EU warns of ‘deterioration’ of basic freedoms in China

During thorny human rights talks with China on Friday, the European Union voiced concerns about what it called a “deterioration of fundamental freedoms” in the country. The EU cited “government interference” in the succession plan for the Dalai Lama, an ongoing crackdown in Hong Kong, and jailed Uygur and Tibetan activists as examples in its statement on the 40th edition of the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue in Brussels. The bloc accused China of “persistent restrictions on freedom of...

Events

1 hour ago Rare earth minerals are the biggest card China can play in its negotiations with Trump

Rare earth minerals are the biggest card China can play in its negotiations with Trump  Business Insider

Politics

2 h. ago Activist investor David Webb awarded MBE for contributions to Hong Kong

Hong Kong corporate governance activist David Webb has been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his nearly three decades of contributions to the city, with the Briton saying he felt touched by the many tributes during his “final battle”. The former investment banker posted on his Webb-site platform on Saturday that he was delighted the United Kingdom government, “with its keen interest in Hong Kong affairs”, had recognised his efforts in the city over the past 27 years by...

Economics

2 h. ago Xi urges Communist Party to learn from pioneer of China’s economic planning

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the ruling Communist Party to learn from the legacy of early party figure Chen Yun – a pioneer of China’s economic planning – in remarks on Friday to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the late statesman’s birth. Xi called on the party to have unwavering confidence when facing “chaotic and complex turbulence”, and to strengthen its ability to cut a path for China’s economy with “objective and thorough” research, according to state news agency Xinhua. The...

Economics

2 h. ago Trump military parade set for Washington, while protests are planned around US

For the first time in more than three decades, the United States is holding a major military parade in the nation’s capital on Saturday – fulfilling a long-standing desire of US President Donald Trump and echoing displays more typically seen in countries like China, France and Russia. Showcasing the nation’s political divisions, though, the display in Washington will come on the same day as mass protests across the US. Trump sparked nationwide outrage just days earlier when he ordered thousands...

Events

2 h. ago Kind China pupils rush to help crashed delivery rider, pick up scattered lunchboxes

A group of school pupils in China have moved internet users by supporting an electric bicycle and picking up lunchboxes left scattered on the road after a food delivery worker crashed while working. The touching scene was filmed by a camera worn on the chest of delivery man Dong Ziheng while he was riding the electric bike in an alley in Xingtai, northern Hebei province on June 3. Dong fell off the bike as he tried to avoid hitting another electric bike coming in the opposite direction. After...

Events

2 h. ago Hong Kong pop diva Karen Mok picks up HK$85 million luxury flat in Mid

Hong Kong pop diva and actress Karen Mok Man-wai bought a luxury unit in the Mid-Levels district for HK$85 million (US$10.8 million), as the city’s celebrities, tycoons and other wealthy investors continue to pick up plum properties that are selling for a song. According to the Land Registry, a 2,153 sq ft three-bedroom flat at Dynasty Court on Old Peak Road was sold for HK$84.5 million and handed over on June 12 to buyer Karen Joy Morris. Dynasty Court is a luxury housing estate completed in...

Economics

2 h. ago Hong Kong restaurants may start testing alternatives to plastics in next 2 months

Hong Kong restaurants may start testing alternatives to certain single-use plastics for items such as food containers in the next two months, the environment minister has said, as the government gauges the business sector’s feedback before expanding the scope of a ban. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan on Saturday gave the update on the second phase of the government’s plan to rid the city of disposable plastic items, after the first stage was introduced in April last year. “We...

Politics

3 h. ago How Trump’s Military Parade Compares to China, Russia and North Korea

How Trump’s Military Parade Compares to China, Russia and North Korea  WSJ

Events

3 h. ago How the obsession with risky assets is putting global finance in peril

Fashionable, frivolous or downright foolish? Which of these words best describes the trend in markets toward derivatives, cryptocurrencies, digital assets and tokens as supplements or alternatives to traditional finance? Where is this great “paper chase” leading? For one thing, it is likely to be causing a flight into gold. But unless gold is remonetised and mining output is stepped up sharply, that trend could lead to deflation and limited economic growth. So a retreat to sustainable safety...

Events

4 h. ago China scenic site seeks dancing ‘savages’ for US$70 daily, requires eating raw food

A top natural scenic spot in central China has come under the spotlight for hiring people to pose as savages for tourists, and paying them 500 yuan (US$70) a day to do so. Since Shennongjia National Nature Reserve in Hubei province began recruiting on June 7 about 10,000 people have applied for the job, the scenic zone’s management company told the Beijing News on June 9. Included in the Unesco World Heritage List, the Shennongjia tour zone features primeval ecology, rich biodiversity and...

Politics

5 h. ago Why are mainland Chinese tourists posing in front of MTR stations in Hong Kong?

Surrounded by a stream of passengers on an MTR platform in Hong Kong on a regular weekday, a couple paused to pose for photos next to a station sign to mark their journey. “We took photos at most of the metro stations we visited, just to record our metro route,” said Arale, a 36-year-old tourist who was visiting the city with his wife, Qing, 37, for the first time. Recording such a visual diary is part of a popular trend on Chinese social media in which people travel around Hong Kong to take...

Politics

6 h. ago Taiwan war game triggers US questions over island’s ‘will to fight’

A high-level civilian war game held in Taipei this week has exposed serious vulnerabilities in Taiwan’s defences of its outer perimeter and eastern regions, prompting a retired US admiral to warn that Washington’s involvement depended on “Taiwan’s will to fight”. In the exercise simulating a 2030 cross-strait conflict, Taiwan lost control of key outlying territories – most notably Penghu, a group of islands 50km (30 miles) east of the main island – as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched...

Sport

6 h. ago Taiwan war game triggers US questions over its ‘will to fight’ if PLA attacks

A high-level civilian war game held in Taipei this week has exposed serious vulnerabilities in Taiwan’s defences of its outer perimeter and eastern regions, prompting a retired US admiral to warn that Washington’s involvement depended on “Taiwan’s will to fight”. In the exercise simulating a 2030 cross-strait conflict, Taiwan lost control of key outlying territories – most notably Penghu, a group of islands 50km (30 miles) east of the main island – as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched...

Events

7 h. ago Chinese scientists find first evidence that AI could think like a human

Chinese researchers have confirmed for the first time that artificial intelligence large language models can spontaneously create a humanlike system to comprehend and sort natural objects, a process considered a pillar of human cognition. It provides new evidence in a debate over the cognitive capacity of AI models, suggesting that artificial systems that reflect key aspects of human thinking may be possible. “Understanding how humans conceptualise and categorise natural objects offers critical...

Politics

8 h. ago ‘Probe under way on whether Beijing will take over collusion case in Hong Kong’

Beijing’s national security arm in Hong Kong conducted its first publicly known joint operation with the city’s police to determine whether a suspected collusion case is complex to the extent that it requires mainland China to take over, the security minister has revealed. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Saturday that no arrests had been made so far, adding it would require the central government’s approval if the case were to be handed over. His remarks were made after the...

Politics

8 h. ago Authorities still studying if Hong Kong collusion case needs to be handled by Beijing

Beijing and Hong Kong are investigating the complexity of a suspected collusion case to determine whether mainland China needs to take over, security minister has said, in what may become a precedent for the central government to exercise its jurisdiction over such matters. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Saturday that authorities were gathering information to ascertain if Article 55 of the national security law, which applies to complicated and severe cases, should be...

Events

8 h. ago A typhoon landed in China’s Hainan island at a severe tropical storm level

A typhoon landed in China’s Hainan island at a severe tropical storm level  AP News

Events

8 h. ago Chinese envoy urges Israel to halt ‘risky’ Iran attacks, warns of consequences

A senior Chinese diplomat has urged Israel to halt its military actions against Iran as tensions between the two Middle Eastern rivals mount, warning the escalating conflict could have “serious consequences”. Fu Cong, China’s ambassador to the UN, told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday that the surging tensions in the region did not serve the interests of any party. “China urges Israel to immediately stop all risky military actions to avoid further escalation of...

Events