46 m. ago US aircraft carrier marks South China Sea focus but also ‘crowded’ region

The presence of the USS George Washington aircraft carrier in the South China Sea this week and its port call at Manila signals renewed American commitment to the Philippines, though observers warn that Beijing could view the move as a “containment” effort and ramp up its own naval activity in the disputed waters. Flight deck operations were opened to the media aboard the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered vessel, with commanding officer Captain Timothy Waits telling reporters his ship’s mission...

Transport

2 h. ago Beijing taps personnel veteran Xu Qifang for Hong Kong and Macau post

Beijing has appointed Xu Qifang, a Communist Party personnel official, to the second-most senior position in its top body managing Hong Kong and Macau affairs. Xu, 60, the former deputy chief of the party’s Organisation Department has become the executive deputy director of the Central Committee’s Hong Kong and Macau Work Office, according to several government sources. The sources said Xu would be promoted from deputy ministerial to full ministerial rank. As the office’s executive director, Xu...

Politics

20 h. ago Australia should leave politics out of climate collaboration with China

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s coming visit to China later this summer presents a timely chance to reframe Australia–China relations through an increasingly vital lens: climate cooperation. With bilateral ties having largely stabilised since 2022 and a joint Australia–Pacific bid for the 2026 UN climate summit under way, climate action offers a promising platform for stronger engagement. The rationale for cooperation is clear. Australia possesses vast reserves of critical minerals...

Politics

24 h. ago ‘Loyal communist fighter’: China’s party paper hails late premier Li Keqiang

China’s Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily hailed the late former premier Li Keqiang for his steadfast dedication to the party and loyalty to its leadership, in an article published on Thursday to mark what would have been his 70th birthday. The article, attributed to the Institute of Party History and Literature, said Li had “dedicated all his energy to the cause of the party and the state, and made significant contributions to it”. Li was an “outstanding member of the party, time-tested...

Politics

29 h. ago Philippines to view maritime rows with China as ‘one theatre’, partner Japan

The Philippines is adopting a Japan-led strategy to treat the East and South China seas as a unified theatre of operations – a shift analysts say reflects growing alignment among regional allies in the face of China’s expanding maritime footprint. Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the “one-theatre” concept would promote operational synergy, intelligence-sharing and mutual reinforcement among members of the minilateral “Squad” – comprising the Philippines, Japan, the United States, South...

Politics

47 h. ago Beijing says Dalai Lama’s succession plan breaks tradition, tensions set to rise

Beijing said the succession of the Dalai Lama should be in accordance with tradition and Chinese law, in a swift rejection of a plan announced by the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. The comment was made hours later after the 14th Dalai Lama said his office – the Gaden Phodrang Trust – held the sole authority to recognise the next Dalai Lama. On Wednesday, four days ahead of his 90th birthday, he posted a statement to X discussing the future of the Tibetan spiritual leadership, particularly his...

Events

48 h. ago China’s aviation power bank ban catches travellers off guard

An emergency ban on some power banks imposed by China’s aviation regulator over the weekend caught travellers off guard, many of whom arrived at airports only to be told that such portable devices could not be taken onto their flights. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) began enforcing the strict ban on lithium-based power banks over safety risks on Saturday, two days after issuing the notice. The ban applies to devices without proper safety and quality certifications or those...

Politics

48 h. ago China’s emergency power bank ban catches domestic fliers off guard

An emergency ban on some power banks imposed by China’s aviation regulator over the weekend caught travellers off guard, many of whom arrived at airports only to be told that such portable devices could not be taken onto their flights. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) began enforcing the strict ban on lithium-based power banks over safety risks on Saturday, two days after issuing the notice. The ban applies to devices without proper safety and quality certifications or those...

Politics

50 h. ago Blast from the past: US ammo hub for Philippines sparks China retaliation fears

A proposal to build a US ammunition manufacturing and storage hub in Subic Bay – the site of a former American naval base in the northern Philippines – is raising fears of strategic entrapment, local economic disruption and Chinese retaliation, despite tentative backing from Manila’s defence chief. Experts said while the move could help plug logistics gaps in the Indo-Pacific and deepen alliance coordination, it might also undermine the Philippines’ policy of strategic ambiguity and reignite...

Politics

57 h. ago Internal records point to FBI playing politics with evidence of China tampering in 2020 election

Internal records point to FBI playing politics with evidence of China tampering in 2020 election  Washington Times

Politics

68 h. ago Philippines eyes multirole fighter jets for ‘credible deterrence’ against China

The Philippines must acquire more advanced fighter jets – and soon – to build a “niche air force” capable of credible deterrence against Chinese intrusions, its air force chief has said, as Manila weighs whether to pursue US-made F-16s or Sweden’s Gripen. Manila last month signed a US$700 million deal to acquire 12 additional FA-50 light combat aircraft from South Korea, expanding the Philippine Air Force (PAF)’s fleet to 24 by the end of the decade. These upgraded models will come with enhanced...

Politics

3 d. ago China’s ethnic affairs chief to take Communist Party helm in Xinjiang

A senior Chinese official with a background in water resources and ethnic affairs has been named as the new Communist Party boss of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. In a one-paragraph announcement on Tuesday, state news agency Xinhua said the party’s Central Committee “recently decided” that Chen Xiaojiang would serve as party secretary of Xinjiang. The move might clear the path for Chen, one of the 300 or so members of the Central Committee, to be promoted within the party’s hierarchy, given...

Society

3 d. ago China’s ethnic affairs overseer to take Communist Party helm in Xinjiang

A senior Chinese official with a background in water resources and ethnic affairs has been named as the new Communist Party boss of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. In a one-paragraph announcement on Tuesday, state news agency Xinhua said the party’s Central Committee “recently decided” that Chen Xiaojiang would serve as party secretary of Xinjiang. The move might clear the path for Chen, one of the 300 or so members of the Central Committee, to be promoted within the party’s hierarchy, given...

Society

3 d. ago Chinese President Xi calls to regulate exercise of power to fight corruption

President Xi Jinping has called for a “clear, transparent and traceable” mechanism to regulate the exercise of power in China’s anti-corruption drive and boost supervision by the people and the media to better rein in disciplinary and legal violations. Xi made the remarks while presiding over a group study session of the 24-seat decision-making Politburo in Beijing on Monday, a day before the 104th anniversary of the party’s founding, according to Xinhua. Xi spoke on enforcing party discipline...

Politics

3 d. ago China’s Xi tells party ‘power is granted by people’ amid corruption crackdown

China must allow for more public and media oversight of the government and the Communist Party to ensure accountability and to uncover abuses of power, according to President Xi Jinping. Addressing a group study session of the 24-member Politburo on Monday, Xi said the country needed a “clear, transparent and traceable” process to oversee the national anti-corruption drive, according to state news agency Xinhua. “To fight corruption, [we must] regulate the exercise of power,” Xi said on the eve...

Politics

3 d. ago Beijing sanctions Manila’s South China Sea legal claim architect Francis Tolentino

China has announced sanctions on former Philippine Senate leader Francis Tolentino, a key ally of the Southeast Asian country’s President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr on South China Sea issues. Beijing accused Tolentino of “egregious conduct on China-related issues” and will bar the former Philippine lawmaker – whose term ended yesterday – from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. “For some time now, individual anti-China politicians in the Philippines...

Events

3 d. ago Beijing sanctions South China Sea legal claim architect Francis Tolentino

China has sanctioned the former Senate leader of the Philippines Francis Tolentino, a key ally of the Southeast Asian country’s President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr on South China Sea issues. Beijing accused Tolentino of “egregious conduct on China-related issues” and will bar the former Philippine lawmaker – whose term ended on Monday – from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. “For some time now, individual anti-China politicians in the Philippines...

Events

3 d. ago Xi Jinping’s disappearance signals power shift in China: Why India must watch Beijing’s political flux...

Xi Jinping’s disappearance signals power shift in China: Why India must watch Beijing’s political flux...  Moneycontrol

Politics

4 d. ago China’s Communist Party tops 100 million members but growth is slowing

China’s Communist Party had more than 100 million members by the end of 2024, an increase of about 1 per cent from the previous year, according to official data released ahead of the party’s 104th anniversary. However, the rate of membership growth has continued to slow, with one insider attributing this to stricter screening by the Central Organisation Department (COD), the party’s top personnel office. In keeping with tradition, the membership data for the previous year was released a day...

Politics

5 d. ago ‘Play safe’: why are local officials across China saying no to dining out?

Officials across China are avoiding dining out to “play safe”, as the country’s latest austerity drive spirals into an overbearing campaign of excessive control like many similar ones before it. Several officials interviewed said that the lifestyle change, even if temporary, was largely prompted by the ever-shifting local austerity measures, which could be even more stringent than the regulations originating from the central state and party bodies. An official in southwestern Sichuan province...

Politics