HONG KONG — The first batch of individuals jailed in the landmark Hong Kong national security trial of "47 democrats" accused of conspiracy to commit subversion was freed on Tuesday (April 29) after being behind bars for over four years. Four former pro-democracy lawmakers, including Claudia Mo, Kwok Ka-ki, Jeremy Tam and Gary Fan were driven away from three separate prisons across Hong Kong around dawn. Security was tight with patrols of police officers, and access to some roads to the prisons restricted for hours beforehand. A Reuters witness outside the maximum security Stanley Prison, where Kwok and Tam were held, was told by a police officer they had left. Vehicles were also seen leaving the more remote Shek Pik Prison on Lantau Island and a women's correctional institution at Lo Wu close to the border with China. […]

BEIJING — China sent three astronauts to its permanently inhabited space station on Thursday (April 24), in its 15th crewed spaceflight and the 20th overall in the Shenzhou programme that started over three decades ago. The spacecraft Shenzhou-20 and the crew lifted off atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China at 5.17pm, according to state broadcaster CCTV. State news agency Xinhua reported soon afterwards that the launch was successful. Astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie attend a see-off ceremony for the Shenzhou-20 spaceflight mission at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre near Jiuquan, Gansu province, China April 24, 2025.  PHOTO: China Daily via Reuters The launch comes as China's advances in lunar and space exploration are drawing in more countries. […]

BEIJING - China's actions to address climate change will not slow down despite global political developments, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday (April 23), according to the official Xinhua news agency. Xi made the remarks in a speech to a video summit initiated by the United Nations and Brazil to discuss climate change and the "just energy transition," Xinhua reported. "Although some major countries are keen on unilateralism and protectionism, which have led to severe impacts on international rules and international order, history will always advance in twists and turns," Xi said. "The more turbulent and chaotic the international situation is, the more solidly must we uphold the international system with the United Nations at its heart," he added. Xi did not directly mention the United States, which is locked in a trade war with China and has sought to accelerate fossil fuel production under President Donald Trump. Brazil will host the COP30 climate change negotiations this year, and is hoping to persuade China, the world's biggest energy consumer and greenhouse gas producer, to make stronger pledges to cut its emissions. […]

SHANGHAI - Preliminary plans for the China and Russia-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) include building a nuclear reactor on the moon's surface, a presentation by a Chinese space official on Wednesday (April 23) showed. The presentation by Pei Zhaoyu, chief engineer for China's 2028 Chang'e-8 mission, showed that the base's energy supply could also depend on large-scale solar arrays, which would be built on the moon's surface. China's Chang'e-8 mission aims to lay the groundwork for the construction of a permanent manned lunar base. The world's second largest economy is aiming to become a major space power and land astronauts on the moon by 2030. China's timeline to build an outpost on the moon's south pole coincides with Nasa's more ambitious and advanced Artemis programme, which aims to put US astronauts back on the lunar surface in December 2025. Wu Weiren, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chief designer of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Project, said last year that a "basic model" of the ILRS, with the South Pole of the Moon as its core, would be built by 2035. […]

BEIJING — China's Southern Theatre navy said a Philippines frigate had "illegally intruded" into the waters of Scarborough Shoal on Sunday (April 20), "seriously violating" Chinese sovereignty and laws, according to a statement. The navy monitored and drove the vessel away, it said. The navy urged the Philippine side to immediately stop the "infringement and provocation", its spokesperson said in the statement late on Sunday. The Philippine embassy in China did not immediately respond to a request for comment. […]

HONG KONG — The leader of Macau said the enclave risks slipping into a budget deficit if gambling revenues in the world's biggest gambling hub drop below 15 billion patacas (S$2.47 billion) a month after they fell short of government forecasts in the first quarter. Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai made the comments on Tuesday (April 15) to local legislators, according to a government statement. "If subsequent gaming revenues still do not meet the target, the Government will face a budget deficit," he said, according to the statement. Macau is a special administrative region of China and is the only place where Chinese citizens are legally allowed to gamble in casinos. A Portuguese colony until 1999, its economy is heavily reliant on its casino industry which contributes about 80 per cent of the government's tax revenues. "The imbalance in our fiscal structure is serious and we must maintain a strong sense of crisis awareness. Macau is a small city, yet our regular expenditure is substantial and it will continue to grow unless we face up to extreme circumstances," he said, according to public broadcaster TDM. […]

BEIJING — China will trade with more friends and become a stronger magnet for investment, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday (April 15). Facing external uncertainties, China will stay committed to joining hands rather than "throwing punches", Lin Jian, a ministry spokesperson, told a regular press briefing when asked about the China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) being held in China's southern Hainan province this week. […]

HONG KONG — Hong Kong's last remaining major opposition party took a key step towards disbanding itself on Sunday (April 13) after a special meeting approved arrangements to do so in the face of pressure from China, amid a national security crackdown. Five senior members of the Democratic Party had earlier told Reuters that Chinese officials or middlemen had warned it in recent months to disband or face serious consequences, including possible arrests. The party, founded three years before Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule from Britain in 1997, has been the Asian financial hub's flagship opposition, uniting democratic forces to push Beijing on democratic reforms, and to uphold freedoms. Party head Lo Kin-hei told reporters that 90 per cent of 110 members had voted at Sunday's meeting for a three-person committee to start making arrangements for disbandment, including resolving legal and accounting matters. "I hope Hong Kong's political parties ... will continue to work for the people," Lo said at the party's headquarters. "We have always hoped to serve the Hong Kong people, and to do things that are good for society." […]

BEIJING -China's capital hunkered down on Saturday (April 12) as rare typhoon-like gales swept northern regions, forcing the closure of historic sites and disrupting travel while bringing late snowfalls and hailstone showers in some areas. Windows shook and cars were rocked by gusts of wind driven by a cold vortex from neighbouring Mongolia that sent temperatures plunging more than 12 degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit). The winds, which started on Friday, are set to continue over the weekend, packing gusts of up to 150 kph (93 mph), the official Xinhua news agency said. They brought late snowfalls in Inner Mongolia and hailstones in southern China. Beijing issued its second-highest gale alert this weekend, for the first time in a decade, warning 22 million residents to avoid non-essential travel as winds could potentially break April records dating from 1951. By 11:30 a.m., 838 flights had been cancelled at the capital's two major airports, the Flight Master tracking app showed, while its historic sights and parks were shut, with some old trees trimmed in preparation for the cold blast. […]

BEIJING  - China is looking to mend a strained trading relationship with the European Union, the last open major market for its products, to weather a trade war with the United States. But diplomats and analysts say breaking a prolonged stalemate won't be easy. The EU and other major trading partners argue that Chinese overinvestment in manufacturing is flooding the world with goods, while Beijing accuses the EU of being protectionist. But since US President Donald Trump's return to the White House, a procession of European officials and lawmakers have made their way to Beijing, capped off with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez meeting Chinese leaders including President Xi Jinping on Friday (April 11). Xi, in his first public comments since Trump launched his tariff offensive, appealed directly to the EU by telling Sanchez that China and his bloc should join forces to defend globalisation and oppose "unilateral acts of bullying". […]

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 […]