26 m. ago Will Air India’s crash in Ahmedabad derail its revival plans?

Air India’s crash of a Boeing 787 jet that killed more than 200 people will be a huge setback to the former state-run carrier’s comeback plans after a change in its ownership to the Tata Group three years ago, according to analysts. The London-bound plane, carrying 242 passengers and crew, went down shortly after taking off from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad. Only one person survived. The deadly accident has raised questions about what possibly went wrong for the Boeing Dreamliner, one of...

Events

63 m. ago Dan Wang observes the grandeur and tragedy of the Chinese ‘engineering state’

Unlike tourists in many places, those visiting China for the first time often consider subway stations in major cities attractions in themselves for their sheer beauty, innovative designs, or simply their novelty. Hell, if nothing else, they are sparkling clean! Those such as Panda Avenue station in Chengdu and Rainbow station in Guangzhou are mentioned in tourist guides as places to visit. Several stations in Shenzhen look more like the halls found in many of Asia’s ultra-modern airports. From...

Politics

2 h. ago Study suggests pigs may have been domesticated in China as early as Neolithic

Research by archaeologists from Chinese and US institutes suggests that pigs were already domesticated in southern China around 8,000 years ago. The team, which included researchers from Dartmouth College and the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, analysed two early Neolithic sites in the province’s Yangtze Delta region. The study – published on June 9 in the prestigious international journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) – “is the first to...

Politics

2 h. ago Pigs may have been domesticated in China as early as Neolithic era: study

Research by archaeologists from Chinese and US institutes suggests that pigs were already domesticated in southern China around 8,000 years ago. The team, which included researchers from Dartmouth College and the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, analysed two early Neolithic sites in the province’s Yangtze Delta region. The study – published on June 9 in the prestigious international journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) – “is the first to...

Politics

2 h. ago Chinese solar firms bank on overseas expansion to survive amid US tariffs

Chinese solar and energy-storage companies will continue to press ahead with their overseas expansion with or without a long-term agreement on trade tariffs, as production abroad holds the key to their long-term survival, according to executives at China’s largest solar industry exhibition. Although the US and China reached a 90-day truce in their ongoing tariff war in May, solar panel exports from China and Southeast Asia to the US are still subject to tariffs of as much as 3,521 per cent, with...

Economics

3 h. ago Japan warns of collision risks after Chinese fighter jet manoeuvres

Japan has expressed serious concerns to Beijing through diplomatic and defence channels after a Chinese fighter jet from the aircraft carrier Shandong made “abnormal approaches” to a Japanese patrol aircraft over the Pacific Ocean. In a statement, Tokyo’s defence ministry said a J-15 fighter shadowed its P-3C patrol aircraft operating over the Pacific for about 40 minutes from 10.30am on Saturday and again for around 80 minutes from 2pm on Sunday. The ministry said the Chinese fighter approached...

Events

5 h. ago Trump seems to reverse course on Chinese students in US, saying he supports them

US President Donald Trump reiterated his support for Chinese students in America on Thursday and pledged to help them remain in the country after graduation, distancing himself from initiatives that his administration has announced to limit or block international students because of national security concerns. “I’ve always been strongly in favour of it. I think it’s a great thing,” Trump said on Thursday, referring to Chinese nationals seeking to study in the US. “It’s also good for our schools....

Politics

14 h. ago Former Anwar aide acquitted of drug and firearms charges, claims persecution

A former aide who accused Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of sexual misconduct has claimed he is a victim of political persecution, after a court in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday acquitted him of drug and firearms charges. Muhammed Yusoff Rawther, who made headlines in 2019 with allegations against the then-opposition leader, was charged last year with possession of over 300g of cannabis and two imitation firearms. The items were found in his car outside a police station in September...

Events

14 h. ago How LA protests might force China to rethink its approach to US ties

The unrest in Los Angeles has revealed US domestic tensions that could momentarily divert Donald Trump’s attention from his China policies, potentially requiring a recalibration of Beijing’s approach towards Washington, according to Chinese analysts. One international relations expert urged Beijing to adopt a more pragmatic approach towards US ties and shift its focus to adapt to the conservative turn in American politics. After days of demonstrations in downtown Los Angeles over citywide US...

Events

15 h. ago China’s PLA Daily slams US Golden Dome plan, warns of space arms race

China’s military newspaper has condemned America’s planned “Golden Dome” space-based missile defence system, warning that it may threaten global strategic stability and trigger an arms race in space. “The development of the Golden Dome system and the US Space Force’s rapid expansion have further militarised outer space,” a commentary in the PLA Daily warned on Thursday, adding that such moves could potentially intensify great power rivalry and challenge international arms control norms. The...

Events

17 h. ago ‘Overflowing with faeces, urine’: 150 dead cats found in Japanese woman’s home

A volunteer at an animal welfare group in Japan has been arrested after about 150 dead cats were discovered at her home in Kumamoto city. Police and animal rescue volunteers found the bodies, some in an advanced stage of decomposition, on Tuesday after they entered the woman’s home to investigate a pet owner’s complaint to the animal welfare group on May 27. The complainant said she had handed over four of her late mother’s pet cats to the suspect, who had promised her regular updates and...

Events

17 h. ago Bolivian Ambassador：Beijing, a Cosmopolis Full of Human Touch_Express

Bolivian Ambassador：Beijing, a Cosmopolis Full of Human Touch_Express  北京市人民政府外事办公室

Politics

19 h. ago Philippines’ Marcos softens stance amid economic pressures but will China bite?

President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s recent call to Filipino-Chinese businessmen to boost Manila’s bilateral ties with Beijing has raised the possibility that the Philippine leader is softening his stance on China. However, while the president’s sudden pivot could signal a recalibration of his approach, observers say the move is unlikely to yield any results in the near term because of his earlier hardline policy, including a statement earlier this month by his defence chief at a major security...

Economics

19 h. ago Malaysians demand action against Facebook group exploiting schoolgirls’ images

Outraged Malaysians have demanded that police hunt down the people behind a Facebook page that has shared hundreds of images of schoolgirls. The online community launched a social media crusade earlier this week against the group called “Group Budak2 Sekolah Rendah” (Primary School Kids Group) after an influencer discovered an old picture of herself from her high school days posted on the page. The group had around 12,000 members who routinely made sexually suggestive comments on pictures of...

Culture

22 h. ago Pianist Aristo Sham ‘overwhelmed’ by Hong Kong response to his contest win

Aristo Sham Ching-tao, the first pianist from Hong Kong to win the gold medal in the Van Cliburn Piano Competition, has expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming support he received from the city following his victory in one of the world’s toughest and most prestigious music competitions. Speaking from New York, Sham said: “I am overwhelmed by the support in Hong Kong since the news of my win. I really did not expect that.” Born in Hong Kong, he left to study overseas at the age of 14, but...

Culture

23 h. ago Chinese vessel grounding: concern in Philippines over new grey

A recent case of a Chinese militia vessel running aground on a strategic island in the disputed South China Sea has raised concerns from the Philippine side of another wave of so-called grey-zone activities by Beijing, even as Manila’s officials acknowledge the incident could be down to inclement weather. Observers point to the Philippines having adopted the same strategy to stake claim over the Second Thomas Shoal when it permanently grounded the war vessel BRP Sierra Madre in 1999. The recent...

Politics

25 h. ago Japan weighs tightening rules on visa popular among Chinese nationals

Japan is considering increasing the minimum investment threshold for its business manager visa in a bid to make it harder for foreigners to obtain residence status and launch commercial operations in the country, as the scheme becomes increasingly popular with Chinese nationals. The visa, which offers relatively accessible entry for foreign entrepreneurs, permits stays of up to five years for those who either invest 5 million yen (US$34,711) or hire two full-time employees while maintaining an...

Politics

25 h. ago Chinese astronomers recorded details of dying star’s explosion in 1408: study

Just after sunset on an October evening in 1408, six years into the reign of the Ming dynasty’s Emperor Yongle, Chinese court astronomers spotted a mysterious new star glowing high in the southern sky, near the heart of the Milky Way. “It was about the size of a cup-shaped oil lamp, with a pure yellow colour, smooth and bright,” according to Hanlin Academy scholar Hu Guang, in a formal report to the emperor that interpreted its appearance as a heavenly endorsement. “We, your ministers, have...

Events

31 h. ago Trump crackdown on international students affects far more schools than Harvard

US President Donald Trump’s proclamation last week that he would bar Harvard University from enrolling new international students put the spotlight back on an unprecedented stand-off between the White House and America’s pre-eminent university. Trump’s move came less than a week after a federal court injunction blocked the US Department of Homeland Security’s termination of Harvard’s ability to host international students. It was also just hours after the administration threatened Columbia...

Politics

36 h. ago Rice imports, policy inertia put ‘future of Filipino farming’ at risk: report

The Philippines’ rice industry is in danger of being “drowned out by cheap imports”, according to a new report, with experts also warning that prolonged policy inertia could affect the country’s food security. The report, produced by the Integrated Rural Development Foundation, said policy failures and under-investment had pushed the country’s farming industry into its “most vulnerable position in decades”, according to The Manila Times. The Philippines became the world’s top rice importer in...

Events