7 h. ago Chinese, Japanese groups issue joint call for Japan to return Tang dynasty stele

Chinese researchers and Japanese activists have renewed calls for Japan to return a Tang dynasty relic looted over 120 years ago. The effort to recover the Tang Honglu Well Stele comes amid rising regional tensions and Beijing’s ongoing national campaign to reclaim cultural heritage. Shanghai University’s Research Centre for Chinese Relics Overseas and Japanese cultural groups issued a joint declaration on Friday urging Tokyo to “correct historical errors” and return the stone monument, Chinese...

Politics

7 h. ago Japan urged to ‘correct historical errors’, return Tang dynasty stele to China

Japan urged to ‘correct historical errors’, return Tang dynasty stele to China  South China Morning Post

Politics

43 h. ago Japan ramen eatery bans ‘troublesome’ China customers, charges a lot more for English menu

A Japanese ramen restaurant has ignited controversy by slapping a ban on Chinese customers, accusing them of being troublemakers. Iekei restaurant in the Western city of Osaka announced on social media on January 4 that it had banned all Chinese people. It said a Chinese person had caused trouble in the restaurant, forcing it to call the police. The post said 90 per cent of the trouble it has with foreigners involves Chinese customers. The move triggered controversy and accusations of racism....

Economics

56 h. ago Nie Weiping, Chinese Go master known for dramatic victory over Japanese rival, dies at 73

Nie Weiping, a legendary Go master in China, died in Beijing at the age of 73 on Wednesday. Nie is best remembered for his dramatic victory in the first Japan-China Super Go in 1985. Few had hope that China would win because its players had long lagged behind Japanese competitors in the strategy board game. By the time it was Nie’s turn to play in Tokyo, Japan’s top player, Kobayashi Koichi, had already won six straight games against his Chinese counterparts. Nie was the only Chinese player left...

Events

56 h. ago Nie Weiping, Chinese Go master known for victory over Japanese rival, dies at 73

Nie Weiping, Chinese Go master known for victory over Japanese rival, dies at 73  South China Morning Post

Events

5 d. ago Japan’s ‘genius’ chimpanzee Ai, who mastered Chinese characters, dies at 49

Ai, a “genius” chimpanzee who could recognise more than 100 Chinese characters and the English alphabet, has died aged 49, Japanese researchers said. Ai, which means love in Japanese, took part in studies on perception, learning and memory that advanced our understanding of primate intelligence, the Centre for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behaviour at Kyoto University said in a statement. She died on Friday from multiple organ failure and ailments related to old age, the school said. Aside...

Events

8 d. ago China FM Wang Yi opens Africa tour with united call for rules

China and the African Union issued a joint call to uphold an international law-based order, with particular respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, in a display of unity against Washington’s raid on Venezuela. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and African Union chief Mahmoud Ali Youssouf expressed concerns over the events in Venezuela in a statement released after their meeting in Ethiopia on Thursday. The United States raided Venezuela on Saturday and abducted its leader Nicolas...

Politics

2 w. ago US poet laureate Arthur Sze on slowing down to translate poetry across cultures

When Arthur Sze translates classical Tang dynasty poetry into English, he writes Chinese characters by hand, slowing himself to the pace of brush strokes and gaps. This deliberate resistance to speed is central to the craft of the US’ 25th poet laureate, and to his belief that poetry must be treated with care if it is to cross borders with depth intact. Sze only translates poems he loves, noting that he’s done just 75 translations over a five-decade-long career. “I don’t work on assignment. I...

Politics

2 w. ago China’s diplomatic divide: red carpet for South Korea, cold shoulder for Japanese firms

As a diplomatic row sees Japanese company executives put visits to China on hold, Beijing is preparing to roll out the red carpet for South Korean business leaders accompanying President Lee Jae-myung on a state visit starting Sunday. The contrasting receptions highlight how geopolitics is reshaping corporate ties in East Asia. Analysts expect continued friction between Beijing and Tokyo in 2026 to accelerate Japanese efforts to de-risk from the Chinese market. Conversely, Beijing’s warming...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Repaid kindness’: Japan war orphan raised by multiple China families is now a midwife

A Japanese war orphan raised by multiple Chinese families grew up to become a midwife, honouring the kindness she received from China. Her story, shared in the documentary series Beyond Blood and Borders, aired in December, on mainland streaming platforms and attracted widespread attention. The series follows the lives of 10 Japanese orphans left behind after Japan’s defeat in the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1945. More than 4,000 children were abandoned in China, primarily in the Northeast and...

Events

2 w. ago China and US need new ways to engage in push for stable, cooperative ties, Wang Yi says

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi on Tuesday called for a new paradigm for engagement with the United States, emphasising the need for stable, cooperative ties while firmly defending what he described as China’s core interests, particularly regarding Taiwan. During a speech in Beijing, Foreign Minister Wang also accused Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of “openly challenging” Chinese territorial sovereignty after she suggested last month that a potential Taiwan conflict could threaten Japan’s...

Politics

2 w. ago China and US need new ways to engage in push for stable ties, Wang Yi says

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi on Tuesday called for a new paradigm for engagement with the United States, emphasising the need for stable, cooperative ties while firmly defending what he described as China’s core interests, particularly Taiwan. During a speech in Beijing, the foreign minister also accused Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of “openly challenging” Chinese territorial sovereignty after she suggested last month that a potential Taiwan conflict could threaten Japan’s...

Politics

3 w. ago No Ukraine ceasefire breakthrough despite ‘productive and constructive’ talks

US and Ukrainian envoys issued a joint statement on Sunday that hailed “productive and constructive” talks in Miami but did not announce any apparent breakthrough in efforts to end the war with Russia. Top representatives from both Ukraine and Russia, as well as Kyiv’s European allies, have been in southern Florida over the past several days for a series of separate talks hosted by US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The meetings were the latest in a weeks-long diplomatic...

Events