BEIJING — China is willing to conduct active dialogue with the United States based on the principles of mutual respect and promote the development of bilateral economic and trade relations, vice commerce minister Wang Shouwen said on Friday (Nov 22). Wang, also China's International Trade Representative, said China would be able to "resolve and resist" the impact of external shocks, responding to a question about the impact of potential tariffs from US President-elect Donald Trump. "We believe that China and the US can maintain a stable, healthy, and sustainable development trend in economic and trade relations," Wang said at a press conference in Beijing. China is also willing to "expand areas of co-operation and manage differences" with the US, Wang said. With Trump's threat to impose tariffs in excess of 60 per cent on all Chinese goods, which has rattled Chinese manufacturers and accelerated factory relocation to Southeast Asia and other regions, Chinese exporters are bracing for any trade disruptions. […]

HONG KONG — Hong Kong democrat Jimmy Lai testified on Wednesday (Nov 20) for the first time in his landmark national security trial, saying he had never tried to influence the foreign policy of countries such as the United States, towards China and Hong Kong. The arrest of Lai, 76, a British and Hong Kong citizen and a founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, is considered one of the most high-profile under a sweeping China-imposed national security law. His testimony comes just a day after Hong Kong jailed 45 pro-democracy activists for up to 10 years in a separate national security case. Lai has pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and a charge of conspiracy to publish seditious material. During the trial it was alleged that Lai and others had requested an organisation or foreign country, chiefly the United States "to impose sanctions or blockade, or engage in other hostile activities" on the Hong Kong and Chinese governments. […]

HONG KONG — Hong Kong pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai on Wednesday (Nov 20) testified in court for the first time in his years-long national security legal battle on charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, and publishing seditious materials. Lai, a British and Hong Kong citizen and a founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, is considered one of the most high profile political arrestees in Hong Kong under a sweeping China-imposed national security law. His testimony comes just a day after Hong Kong jailed 45 pro-democracy activists for up to 10 years in a separate national security case. Lai told the West Kowloon Magistrates Court how his own guiding principles were aligned through his newspaper and with the people of Hong Kong, namely a belief in the rule of law and freedoms including of speech, religion and assembly. "We were always in support of movements for freedom," Lai, wearing a grey blazer and glasses, told the packed courtroom. Around 100 people queued in the pouring rain huddled beneath umbrellas to secure a place in the , with hundreds of police deployed around the building. […]

SHANGHAI — Two high-profile mass killings and a car crash at a primary school in just over a week are raising questions about how well-equipped China is to deal with the stresses of a slowing economy and related mental health issues. Since Nov 11, China has reeled under news of a driver reportedly angry at his divorce settlement killing 35 people by ramming his car into a crowd in Zhuhai; a former student on a stabbing rampage at a vocational college in Wuxi killing eight; and a car ploughing into a crowd of school children and pedestrians in the city of Changde on Tuesday. In the Changde case, it was not clear if the incident was caused deliberately. However, police said they had arrested the driver and investigations were in progress. The events have led to a spike in worries about the overall health of society in China, where mass casualty attacks have occurred with alarming regularity throughout 2024. In the Zhuhai and Wuxi cases, brief statements made public by police about the suspects indicate these attacks were perpetrated by men lashing out against unrelated bystanders after suffering an economic loss. […]

BEIJING — Authorities in north China's Heilongjiang province warned locals to be on alert for Siberian tigers, after a video of a farmer narrowly escaping an attack early on Monday (Nov 18) went viral on social media. State and local media reported that two men had been attacked, with a 65-year-old cattle farmer surnamed Zhao requiring surgery to save his left hand. His son told a local radio station that two tigers were on the loose. Officials have not confirmed the number of tigers or whether they have been caught. State media said it was the first time a Siberian tiger had been spotted in Boli county. A one-minute video clip circulating on the Chinese social media platform Weibo of another farmer going to check on the tiger's whereabouts was trending on Tuesday evening. The video, verified by Reuters, shows the man stepping out on to the street, spotting the tiger and hurrying back to close a large iron gate, which the enormous cat hurls itself against. Several counties have issued notices encouraging locals to report sightings of tiger droppings or footprints, keep tabs on their livestock and organise village patrols. […]

A girl in Shandong, China, fell four storeys to her death in a newly opened shopping mall last Saturday (Nov 16). According to Chinese media reports, she was leaning on a glass railing that suddenly gave way. A video clip circulating on Weibo shows the girl standing in the nook beside an escalator. As she shifts her body sideways, she appears to be leaning on the glass railing in the nook. Seconds later, the railing gives way. Losing her balance, the girl attempts to grab onto the escalator's handrail, but she soon falls to the ground floor. Other clips and photos show her lying in a pool of blood.  An eyewitness, who was in a store on the ground floor at the time, told Xiaoxiang Morning Herald that she had heard a loud 'bang'. When she exited the store, she saw the girl lying on the floor. Although the shopping mall is located near a hospital, paramedics took over 10 minutes to arrive at the scene due to a traffic jam that evening, the eyewitness added.  According to Jimu News, local police confirmed the girl's death, and said that the incident is under investigation. […]

HONG KONG — Hong Kong's High Court on Tuesday (Nov 19) jailed 45 pro-democracy activists for up to 10 years following a landmark national security trial that has damaged the city's once feisty democracy movement and drawn criticism from the US and other countries. A total of 47 pro-democracy activists were arrested and charged in 2021 with conspiracy to commit subversion under a Beijing-imposed national security law and had faced sentences of up to life in prison. Benny Tai, a former legal scholar identified as an "organiser" of the activists, was sentenced to 10 years in jail, the longest sentence so far under the 2020 national security law. Some Western governments have criticised the trial, with the US describing it as "politically motivated", opens new tab and saying the democrats should be released as they had been legally and peacefully participating in political activities. The Chinese and Hong Kong governments say the national security laws were necessary to restore order after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019, and the democrats have been treated in accordance with local laws. […]

BEIJING — Multiple students were injured in a collision outside a primary school in Changde, Central China's Hunan province, on Tuesday morning (Nov 19), Global Times said in a tweet. A collision happened in front of Yongan Primary School in Dingcheng District, Changde, Hunan, and many students were injured, state-backed CCTV news reported. Specific casualties are still being determined, CCTV reported. […]

HONG KONG - A Hong Kong court will this week sentence 45 democratic campaigners in a major national security trial, with potentially heavy jail terms poised to further damage the financial hub's once lively pro-democracy movement, critics say. In May, 14 of the 47 democrats were found guilty of the charge of conspiracy to commit subversion, and two were acquitted. Earlier, 31 had pleaded guilty, hoping for reduced sentences. The US has described the trial and its guilty verdicts as "politically motivated", opens new tab, while demanding the defendants be released. Hong Kong authorities say the legal process has been impartial, while condemning critical comments from Western democracies as baseless and "malicious smearing". On Tuesday (Nov 12), three national security judges hand-picked by the government for this trial will conclude the legal saga that began with the democrats' arrests in January 2021. Jail terms are expected to range from several years for participants to possible life imprisonment for principal offenders. […]

WUXI, China — A former student went on a stabbing rampage at a vocational college in eastern China, killing eight people and injuring 17, police said on Sunday (Nov 17), prompting further soul-searching just days after the deadliest attack in the country in a decade. Saturday's knife attack took place at the Wuxi Vocational College of Arts and Technology in Yixing, part of Wuxi city in the eastern province of Jiangsu. The suspect, a 21-year-old man, was arrested at the scene and confessed, police said. Also on Saturday, authorities in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai said they had charged a 62-year-old man who they said rammed his car into a crowd outside a sports stadium, killing 35 people and injuring 43 on Monday night. In both cases, the suspects lashed out with fatal violence against unrelated bystanders after suffering an economic loss, according to the sparse details released by police. […]

STREETS across China were alive with energy yesterday, as thousands of runners jogged, smiled and celebrated in what’s been dubbed a “super marathon weekend.” Data show that about 30 marathons took plac […]

IN a country with a rich tea-drinking tradition spanning thousands of years, China saw its first cohort of university students majoring in coffee science and engineering start the new semester this month. This […]

DESPITE the sweltering summer heat, tourists visiting Harbin, capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, now has a new attraction to explore — the world’s largest indoor ice and snow theme park. T […]

CHINA’S first commercial spacecraft launch site is ready for operations in south China’s Hainan Province, having completed a rocket launch simulation rehearsal using its two launch pads. According to […]

THE International Horticultural Exhibition 2024 — which opened in Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, last week — offers a comprehensive and on-site “101 handbook” for gardening devotees […]

A group of young foreign tourists went on a fantastic journey to Sanya, a popular coastal destination in south China’s Hainan Province. The exhilarated youngsters were fascinated by the picturesque scenery, […]

THAILAND extended a warm welcome to the first batch of visa-exempt flights from China yesterday, marking the launch of the nation’s fresh initiative to reinvigorate its Chinese tourist market. Approximately […]

HOST China snapped up more gold medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games yesterday. A shooting world record fell to Chinese teenager Sheng Lihao in the men’s 10-meter air rifle with his 253.3 points surpassing […]

CHINA’S top-two ranked male tennis players Zhang Zhizhen and Wu Yibing will partner each other for the first time. The duo is paired in the doubles competition at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. Shangha […]

EXPRESSWAYS in China will likely see a record traffic volume during the upcoming holiday due to travel demand, an official said yesterday. According to Wang Xiuchun, from the Ministry of Transport, t […]