English News – Ausnznet.com

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". […]

HONG KONG — Five senior members of Hong Kong's Democratic Party, the city's biggest and last remaining major opposition party, say Chinese officials or middlemen have warned the parties to disband or face serious consequences, including possible arrests. The Democratic Party, which was founded in 1994 in the years before Hong Kong's historic return from British to Chinese rule, has over the past few decades been the flagship opposition party that has united the city's democratic forces to push Beijing on democratic reforms and to uphold the financial hub's freedoms. Amid a years-long national security crackdown by China after pro-democracy protests in 2019, the Democratic Party will hold an extraordinary general meeting on April 13 to seek members' views and possibly pave the way for the group's dissolution. The group's chairman, Lo Kin-hei, has not given a concrete reason for the likely disbandment, but five senior Democratic Party members told Reuters they had been told in meetings with Chinese officials or individuals linked to Beijing in recent months that the party should close. […]

TAIPEI — Taiwan prosecutors on Friday (April 11) for the first time charged a Chinese ship captain with intentionally damaging undersea cables off the island in February, after a rise in sea cable malfunctions alarmed Taiwan officials amid tensions with China. Prosecutors say the man was captain of the Chinese-crewed Hong Tai 58, registered in Togo, which Taiwanese authorities detained after suspecting the ship had dropped anchor near an undersea cable off southwestern Taiwan, damaging it. The prosecutors' office in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan said they had charged the ship's Chinese captain, whom they identified only by his family name, Wang, with being responsible for damaging the cable. Wang has said he is innocent, but refused to provide details of the ship's owner and "had a bad attitude", the prosecutors said in a statement. Seven other Chinese nationals detained at the same time will not be charged and will be transported to China, prosecutors said, adding that the case was the island's first prosecution over damaging sea cables. […]

BEIJING — Northern China is bracing for typhoon-like gales this weekend, with Beijing postponing major sporting events, closing parks, suspending dozens of train services and warning its 22 million residents against non-essential travel. Dozens of flights were cancelled. A cold vortex from Mongolia is forecast to sweep across northern Chinese provinces from Friday (April 11) afternoon through the weekend, bringing unusually powerful winds, state-run Xinhua news agency reported, with gusts of up to 150 kmh. Strong winds carrying sand and dust from Mongolia are normal at this time of the year, but climate change has made weather events more extreme. Beijing issued its first orange gale alert in 10 years for this weekend, the second-highest of four tiers. Temperatures in the capital were set to fall by 12 degrees Celsius on Saturday, and meteorologists warned that wind speeds could rival or exceed April records dating back to 1951. Heavy snow is expected to blanket parts of the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia as well as northeast China, while southern China could be hit by the most intense hailstorms so far this year. […]

BEIJING — China reaffirmed its support on Thursday (April 10) for peace efforts in Ukraine and said relevant parties should avoid "irresponsible remarks", in an apparent jab at President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's comment about Chinese citizens fighting there for Russia. Zelenskiy said on Wednesday that Ukrainian intelligence had information about 155 Chinese citizens fighting in Ukraine. He was speaking after the capture of two Chinese nationals in eastern Ukraine, where Russian troops have been advancing. "I would like to reiterate that China is not the initiator of the Ukrainian crisis, nor is China a participating party. We are a firm supporter and active promoter of a peaceful settlement of the crisis," foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said. "We urge the relevant parties concerned to correctly and soberly understand the role of China and to not release irresponsible remarks," he told a regular news conference, without naming Zelenskiy or any other officials. […]

BEIJING — China's commerce ministry said on Thursday (April 10) that China is open to dialogue with the US but this must be on the basis of mutual respect and equality. Pressure, threats and blackmail are not the right way to deal with China, ministry spokesperson He Yongqian told a regular press briefing when asked about whether the world's two largest economies have started tariff negotiations. China will "follow through to the end" if the US insists on its own way, He said. […]

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 […]

International travelers have been flocking back to the popular resort island of Bali as the Covid pandemic subsides, prompting hopes that Indonesia's battered […]

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