When a container truck flipped and landed on a car, many feared the worst. But the two passengers in the car escaped unscathed from the crash and "didn't even have scratches", said a firefighter who was at the scene. The harrowing accident took place on Dec 1 in Jiangsu, China, when a red container truck collided with another container truck that was making a turn at an intersection.  The impact sent the red container truck toppling over, crushing a nearby car. According to South China Morning Post, the red container truck was carrying 30 tons of wooden planks. Firefighters told Chinese media that they found two passengers trapped in the car but struggled to free them due to the immense weight of the truck.&nbs […]

AsiaOne has launched EarthOne, a new section dedicated to environmental issues — because we love the planet and we believe science. Find articles like this there. BEIJING — China will "strictly and reasonably" control total coal use and curb high-emissions projects to improve air quality, China's state council said in an action plan released on Thursday (Dec 7). By 2025, China wants to cut the density of hazardous airborne particles known as PM2.5 by 10 per cent compared with 2020, and keep the number of days with severe pollution to less than one per cent, according to the plan. […]

There are many ways to commute to work — by bus, train, car or on foot.  But a woman in China recently used an unusual mode of transport.  The unidentified woman was seen riding an electric suitcase down a busy street in Shanghai on Nov 23, SCMP reported. She was crossing an intersection when the traffic police stopped her. A video clip filmed by a passer-by showed two traffic police officers questioning a woman sitting on her electric suitcase. She tried convincing the police officers that travelling via the electric suitcase was the best way for her to get to work, The Paper reported. […]

A man in China has confessed to killing a woman by hurling bricks off a high-rise apartment, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. The tragedy took place on June 22 when the 28-year-old victim, surnamed Lou, visited a popular snack street at Wanda Plaza in Changchun city. The 23-year-old suspect, surnamed Zhou, was said to have deliberately thrown eight bricks from the 32nd floor of his rental flat, with one landing on Lou's head. Lou was pronounced dead on the way to hospital, according to local media.   'I wanted to kill' Zhou immediately surrendered to the police and confessed that he intended to kill someone in hopes of getting the death penalty, according to China Daily. &nbs […]

BEIJING — China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday (Dec 5) its visa-free travel policy has produced a clear effect, making things easier for travellers. "Going forward, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to adjust visa policies to create more favourable conditions and further facilitate cross-border travel," spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a press briefing when asked for an update on tourism after China announced the policy, which covers several European countries and Malaysia. The policy came into effect Dec 1 and the ministry, citing immigration data, said about 7,000 of nearly 18,000 travellers from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia — the countries covered by the visa waiver — entered China in the first three days of the month. Daily average tourist numbers from those countries have risen by 39 per cent on the first three days of December compared to on the last day of November, Wang said. Germany's ambassador to China had expressed hope that China would extend the measures to all European Union members. […]

BEIJING — China on Tuesday (Dec 5) issued safety guidelines for the use of autonomous vehicles in public transport, the latest in a series of measures preparing for the increased use of driverless cars. The guidelines apply to autonomous vehicles for passengers including taxis as well as for freight, the Ministry of Transport said in a statement. The guidelines cover vehicles of various degrees of automation and mandate they carry at least one driver or security inspector. They also require companies using autonomous vehicles for public transport to be qualified and licensed and state that companies can work together with automakers on such operations. "The guideline could accelerate the adoption of autonomous driving technologies in China with a more pragmatic approach by regulating automakers and fleet operators," said Xue Jiancong, president of the innovation unit at Chinese logistics company FOR-U Smart Freight. "Unlike their US peers, the Chinese regulators don't directly go after software developers, which are more difficult to regulate," Xue added. […]

A woman in China unwittingly racked up a bill of over 430,000 yuan (S$81,000) after netizens started placing additional orders via the QR code captured in photos of her meal. The diner, surnamed Wang, was at a hotpot restaurant for her friend's birthday dinner on Nov 23, reported local media. She posted photos of her meal on her private WeChat Moments page, but failed to notice that one of the photos had captured a QR code meant for diners to place orders at the restaurant. Moments later, orders started flooding in as viewers started scanning the QR code. Wang only discovered something amiss when restaurant staff approached the group to confirm if they had placed a 6,000 yuan order. The staff initially thought there was a glitch in their ordering system, according to local media. Although the shocked woman quickly deleted her post, the bill eventually snowballed to over 430,000 yuan. […]

A 56-year-old man died just hours after he had completed the world’s highest bungee jump from the Macau Tower. The man, a Japanese tourist, had become short of breath and stopped breathing after completing his jump around 4.30pm local time on Dec 3, Hong Kong news outlet HK01 said. The man was taken to the Conde S. Januario Hospital for emergency treatment but was later pronounced dead. HK01 reported that the man had no superficial injuries on his body. Skypark by AJ Hackett, which conducts the bungee jump and other activities at Macau Tower, states on its website that clients should disclose any medical conditions they might have to its staff before taking part in any of its activities. These include heart conditions, high blood pressure, diabetes or previous surgery. The bungee jump from the Skypark at the top of the 338m-high Macau Tower is the highest in the world, with participants plunging 233m. Solo participants pay 2,888 Macanese pataca (S$478) to take part in the jump. […]

SHANGHAI — China's electric vehicle giant BYD said on Sunday (Dec 3) it would make permanent its system offering tipsters who report smear campaigns against the company up to five million yuan (S$935,000). The company in June 2022 increased the maximum amount providers of such information could receive from one million yuan to five million yuan, saying that policy was valid for a year. The minimum amount is 50,000 yuan. "The evidence we collect includes but is not limited to chat records, emails, contracts, fund transfers and other information," the company said in a Weibo post. "Such information should be legally effective and BYD will give the provider a generous reward once it verifies it to be true." BYD did not say why it extended the reward programme, which it introduced in late 2021, saying it wanted to combat online smear campaigns and to protect the company's brand image. It did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Monday. […]

HONG KONG — One of Hong Kong's most prominent pro-democracy activists, who was jailed as part of a China-imposed security crackdown, said on Sunday (Dec 3) she had left Hong Kong for Canada after pressure from authorities left her with mental health issues. Agnes Chow, 27 — a core member of a now-disbanded group of younger activists including Joshua Wong who helped drive Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement — said in posts on her Instagram account late on Sunday that she had left Hong Kong for studies in Canada. Their group, Demosisto, dissolved hours after Beijing passed a sweeping national security law in 2020. The law has stifled the pro-democracy movement and led to more than 280 arrests, drawing criticism from some Western governments that it is a tool of repression. Beijing says the law has brought stability to Hong Kong after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019. Chow's posts — her first public comments since her release from prison in June 2021 — detailed how she had remained under "supervision" from the authorities. […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

CHINA contributed nearly one-third of the academic papers published in the most influential international journals in 2022, marking the first time it surpassed the United States to secure the top position, […]

TORCHBEARERS in the virtual and physical worlds will jointly light up the cauldron for the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou tomorrow, organizers said yesterday. “A green, digital and intelligent Asian Games […]

CHINESE President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou and hold a welcoming banquet and bilateral events for foreign leaders attending the opening ceremony, […]

THE China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone has almost witnessed the establishment of a new enterprise every hour over the past decade, statistics show. By the end of 2022, the Shanghai FTZ, which was […]

CHINA’S first domestically built luxury cruise ship, the “Adora Magic City,” will set sail from the Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Liner Terminal on January 1, 2024. Passengers can make reservations […]