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☆ Steve McCurry’s photo of Shaolin monks training captures their incredible acrobatics
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Amy Gunia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A young Shaolin monk runs horizontally across a wall, intense concentration, and perhaps a hint of astonishment, visible in his face. Four other trainees at a martial arts academy near the Shaolin Temple in China’s Henan province lounge nonchalantly, seemingly unaware of the gravity-defying action taking place above their heads. “There’s this high-level action,” photographer Steve McCurry told CNN of the photo’s composition in a video call from his home in Philadelphia. The Shaolin Temple – which was founded in AD 495 on the slopes of the sacred Mount Song – is said to be the home of Chan Buddhism. Today, Shaolin kung fu is widely known, and the monks’ feats in athleticism have been emulated in popular movies.

Persons: Steve McCurry, ’, doesn’t, McCurry, –, ”, Jeremy Horner, LightRocket, It’s, “ Organizations: CNN, Jet, Pennsylvania State University, Geographic, Shaolin Locations: Shaolin, China’s Henan, Philadelphia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Soviet, Peshawar, Niger, India, Pennsylvania, Dengfeng, Zhengzhou

☆ Recruitment is a key challenge for airlines globally: HK Express CEO
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailRecruitment is a key challenge for airlines globally: HK Express CEOHong Kong Express CEO Jeanette Mao says labor shortages are contributing to higher costs, as the low cost carrier plans to recruit over 500 cabin crew and pilots this year.

Persons: Jeanette Mao Organizations: HK Express CEO Hong Kong Express

☆ China sees foreign threats ‘everywhere’ as powerful spy agency takes center stage
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

But among the crowds you and I together are protecting national security,” the narrator concludes. Chinese soldiers look at a poster promoting national security in the southwestern city of Beihai on National Security Education Day on April 15, 2024. CFOTO/Future Publishing/Getty ImagesAccording to the MSS, foreign spies are omnipresent and infiltrating everything – from mapping apps to weather stations. But China’s spy agency has gradually stepped out of the shadows as Xi makes national security a key priority. “Shenyin Special Investigation Squad” is a comic series based on real-life counterespionage operations, according to China's spy agency.

Persons: –, “, ”, Xi, Xuezhi Guo, Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Xi Jinping, Greg Baker, Mao Zedong, Greitens, Chen Yixin, Chen, “ Chen, ” Greitens, Xi –, denigrate, Bain, Alex Plavevski, Guo, influencers, China’s, can’t, James Zimmerman, Perkins Coie, Zimmerman, ” Zimmerman Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, National Security Education, “, Ministry of State Security, National Security, Publishing, CIA, National, Education, Capitol, Guilford College, Asia, University of Texas, Getty, Communist Party, FBI, National Security Propaganda, CCTV, Ministry of State, China’s National Security Commission, Group, China Development Forum, Perkins Coie LLP, ”, MSS Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beihai, British, American, Beijing, Austin, AFP, Zhejiang province, Shanghai, New York, overreaching

☆ Biden warns on Beijing's South China Sea moves in Philippines-Japan summit
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Leaders from the three nations are meeting in a first-ever trilateral summit in a show of solidarity as China's assertiveness in the South China Sea has raised tensions in the region. Topping the meeting's agenda is China's increasing pressure in the South China Sea, which has escalated despite a personal appeal by Biden to Chinese President Xi Jinping last year. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including the maritime economic zones of neighboring nations. Japan has a dispute with China over islands in the East China Sea. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said "China's activities in the East China Sea and South China Sea fully comply with international law" and that they were prepared to resolve issues through "dialogue and consultation" but criticized both the U.S. and Japan for ratcheting up tensions.

Persons: Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida, Ferdinand Marcos, Andrew Harnik, Beijing's, Joe Biden's, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Biden, Xi Jinping, Thomas Shoal, Marcos, Thomas, Mao Ning Organizations: Japanese, White, Washington , DC, South China, Getty, East China, U.S Locations: Washington ,, South, China, U.S, Japan, Philippines, Manila, . U.S, American, Washington, South China, States, East

☆ China is worried about overcapacity, too — but it sees the problem differently than the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US treasury secretary raised concerns about China's overproduction in her recent visit to the country. China has hit back at her concerns, but it's also concerned about overcapacity, an economist says. Just like the US and all of China's trading partners, Chinese authorities are concerned about industrial overcapacity and want to curb it. She added that China's trade surplus with the world meant there might be fewer incentives for Beijing to tackle the issue. AdvertisementAnalysts expect the US debate over its trade issues with China to heat up heading into the presidential election season.

Persons: it's, —, Yue Su, Su, Janet Yellen, Janet Yellen's, Yellen, Li Qiang, Mao Ning, Mao Organizations: Service, Economist Intelligence Unit, European Union, EU, Commerce Department Locations: China, Beijing, People's Republic of China, Thailand, EU, —

☆ The security pact between the US, UK, and Australia could be expanding, and it's got China worried
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China said it is "gravely concerned" over reports that Japan could join the AUKUS security pact. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementChina's foreign ministry said it is "gravely concerned" over reports that Japan could join AUKUS, a security and defense pact between Australia, the UK, and the US. Japan needs to earnestly draw lessons from history and stay prudent on military and security issues," she added. Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese clarified that working with Japan wouldn't signal recruitment.

Persons: —, wasn't, Pilar, Aukus, Biden, Fumio Kishida, Mao Ning, Anthony Albanese, " Albanese, nothing's, There's Organizations: Service, US, Japan, White, China Morning Post, US Naval, Forbes, Australia, Reuters Locations: China, Japan, Australia

☆ Everything you want to know about Janet Yellen’s China visit; Russia, chopsticks, oversupply
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“China is now simply too large for the rest of the world to absorb this enormous capacity,” Yellen told reporters Monday. US intelligence has warned that China is providing technology and equipment to Russia that is important to Moscow’s war in Ukraine. During her last visit to Beijing, Yellen dramatically boosted business for a Yunnan restaurant chain and its mushroom dish after her delegation was spotted dining there. “As a US official, Yellen needs to know more about China than just its food. Only by understanding China better, can she correct the US worldview and its views of China and China-US relations.”

Persons: Janet Yellen, Yellen, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, ”, China Nicholas Burns, Pedro Pardo, Li Qiang, ” Yellen, Li, Biden, “, Mao Ning, Xi, CNN’s Marc Stewart, we’ve, Andy Wong, “ Yellen, Tao Tao Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Russia, China's, Getty, Vice, Foreign Ministry, Treasury Department ., Ukraine, China’s, Ministry, “ Locations: China, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Beijing, United States, AFP, Washington, Xinhua, Russia, Ukraine, Treasury Department . China, San Fransisco, “, Yunnan, Weibo

☆ Opinion | What Janet Yellen Needs to Tell China’s Leaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It would be great if Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had a copy of “The Portable Karl Marx” with her on her trip to China this week. China was “among the most unequal countries in the world” in 2018, another I.M.F. working paper released that year said. While Xi Jinping name-checks Marx, it’s clear from his behavior that what he really pursues is national greatness under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party. That’s more in line with Lenin, who believed that a “vanguard” party would lead the proletariat, than with Marx or Engels.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Karl Marx ”, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, ” Marx, Xi, Marx, it’s, Lenin, Engels Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Chinese Communist Party Locations: China, Brazil

☆ Six more years of Putin will worry many countries. But not China
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

A stable relationship with Moscow, too, allows Beijing to focus on other areas of concern such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. “Xi sees Putin as a genuine strategic partner,” said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London, ahead of the Russian election results, adding that anything less than a landslide win for Putin would be “a disappointment” for Beijing. The Russian leader has weathered an apparent miscalculation that what his government still calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine would be a swift success. Jose Colon/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesWatchful BeijingBut that doesn’t mean countries tied to Moscow aren’t also watching the conflict in Ukraine carefully. That may be especially true for China, Russia’s most powerful strategic partner.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Vladimir Putin’s, Xi Jinping, Xi, Putin, Jens Stoltenberg, ”, Steve Tsang, Mao Zedong, won’t, Putin’s, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Kim Jong, Sergei Shoigu, Yevgeny Prigozhin, he’s, Alexey Navalny, –, BRICS, Jose Colon, Moscow aren’t, “, Eurasia Li Hui, Wang Yiwei, Putin –, Li Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Ukraine grinds, Kremlin, NATO, Washington, SOAS China Institute, University of London, Putin, Russia's, KCNA, Reuters, United Arab Emirates, Russian, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Moscow, Renmin University, Beijing, CNN Locations: China, Hong Kong, Russia, Taiwan, Beijing, Moscow, South China, North Korea, Russia’s Far, Washington, Pyongyang, South Korea, Iran, India, Ukraine, Vladivostok, Russian, United States, Brazil, South Africa, UAE, Ethiopia, Egypt, Russia’s Kazan, Crimea, Sochi, West, Israel, Gaza, Ukrainian, Eurasia, Europe, Beijing –

☆ Nongfu Spring: Bottled water empire of China’s richest man Zhong Shanshan is facing a boycott by nationalists
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Zhong and his drinks firm Nongfu Spring, the country’s biggest maker of bottled water, are the latest targets of an army of internet zealots. WeiboThe nationalists have also highlighted the fact that prominent US investment funds, including Vanguard and BlackRock, are major shareholders of Nongfu Spring. “Taking advantage of Mr Zong’s death, a lot of slander against me and Nongfu Spring appeared on the internet. “Whether Wahaha or Nongfu Spring, we always insist on the same thing — producing good products for the people,” he said. Nongfu Spring is just the latest major target of China’s nationalists.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Zhong Shanshan, Zhong, Zong Qinghou, Zong, Zhong’s, —, “ Zhong Shuzi, ”, “, He’s, Mr Zong’s, ” Zhong, influencers, netizens, “ Zong, Wei Jiang, Mo Yan, Mao Zedong, Stringer, Li Ning Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Wahaha, Danone, Weibo, ”, Vanguard, BlackRock, Nongfu, American, Wahaha’s, CNN, Zhejiang Daily, Communist Party, Auto, Zhejiang University of Finance, Economics, People’s Liberation Army, AFP, Getty, Nike, Adidas, United, Toyota, Honda Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, American, Weibo, Nongfu, Zhejiang, Hami, China's, Xinjiang, AFP, United States, Japan

“If you have minerals or oil under the ground, how do you come up with a price for a long-term contract? The shift to renewable energy and electric vehicles has caused a spike in the demand for critical minerals, driving these kind of loans. Adesina, whose Abidjan, Ivory Coast-based institution helps finance development in African countries, said these arrangements come with a litany of problems. Photos You Should See View All 60 Images“These are the reasons I say Africa should put an end to natural resource-backed loans," Adesina said. After Chad, Angola and the Republic of Congo approached the IMF for support, the multilateral lender insisted on the renegotiation of their natural resource-backed loans.

Persons: Akinwumi Adesina, paydowns, Adesina, ” Adesina, Glencore, Trafigura, ”, Mao Ning Organizations: African Development Bank, Associated Press, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Chartered, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China Railway Group, Gecamines, Alliance for Green Infrastructure Locations: Lagos, NIGERIA, China, Congo, Nigeria, Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Africa, Chad, Angola, Republic of Congo, Guinea, Ghana, Beijing, Nigerian, AP.org

BEIJING (AP) — China’s national congress is wrapping up its annual session Monday with the usual show of near-unanimous support for plans designed to carry out ruling Communist Party leader Xi Jinping's vision for the nation. This year's weeklong event, replete with meetings carefully scripted to allow no surprises, has highlighted how China’s politics have become ever more calibrated to elevate Xi. A key item due to be put for a ritual vote on Monday are revisions of the “Organic Law of the State Council,” China's version of a cabinet, that direct it to follow Xi's vision. The Organic Law of the State Council is being revised for the first time since it was adopted in 1982. The revision calls for the State Council, above all, to “uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China."

Persons: Xi, —, Li Qiang, ” Neil Thomas, ” Thomas, Wang Yi, Qin Gang, Mao Zedong, ” Organizations: BEIJING, —, Communist Party, State Council, Asia Society Policy Institute, Communist Party of China Locations: China, China's, U.S

☆ Tighter control and high-tech push: Key takeaways from China’s biggest annual political event
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The event, held largely without Covid restrictions for the first time in years, is a rare chance for the world to glimpse into an increasingly opaque political system under Xi. Here are the major takeaways from the gathering:Tightening controlThe closing day of the National People’s Congress legislature on Monday was missing a key event – a press conference conducted by the Chinese premier. High-tech pushAn overarching theme of the gathering was a push to focus China’s economic model on technology innovation and transform the country into a high-tech powerhouse. That included a boost to China’s annual budget for science and technology by 10% to an unprecedented 370.8 billion yuan ($51.6 billion). Two high-ranking posts in China’s cabinet previously occupied by Li and Qin remain open.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Mao Zedong’s, Xi, Li, ”, Washington, Wang Yi, who’d, Qin Gang, Li Shangfu, Qin Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, of, National People’s, State Council, Observers, Chinese Communist Party, ”, National People’s Congress, Foreign Locations: China, Beijing, Hong Kong, United States

☆ He was once hailed as the pride of China. Now nationalists are coming for this Nobel laureate
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Now, some of China’s most zealous online nationalists have a new target in their crosshairs: the country’s first officially recognized Nobel laureate. Mo Yan receives the 2012 Nobel Literature Prize from King Carl Gustaf of Sweden during an award ceremony on December 10, 2012 in Stockholm. He accused Wu of creating a publicity stunt by “maliciously framing” the Nobel laureate and taking his words out of context. In 2011, he was named the vice chairman of the state-run Chinese Writers Association – an appointment that could not have been made without the blessing of the party. In 2022, Sima Nan, a nationalist pundit known for his inflammatory criticism of the United States, famously accused Mo’s Nobel win of being a Western effort to smear China.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — They’ve, Mo Yan, Xi Jinping, Xi, Wu Wanzheng, Mao Xinghuo, Wu, Guan Moye, –, Mo, King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, Jonathan Nackstrand, ” Zhang Yongsheng, Hu Xijin, Hu, ”, Murong Xuecun, “ Xi, Mao, Writers Association –, Liu Xiaobo, Liu, caricaturize, “, doesn’t, Sima Nan, Mo’s Nobel, ” Murong Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Communist Party, Communist, Getty, Red Guards, Tongji University, Global Times, Writers Association, Chinese Writers Association Locations: China, Hong Kong, Mo, Weibo, Stockholm, AFP, Shanghai, Beijing, Shandong, United States

☆ Opinion: The world’s dangerous place has only gotten more dangerous
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Fareed Zakaria | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Editor’s Note: Fareed Zakaria is the host of Fareed Zakaria GPS, airing at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET and PT tonight on CNN, Fareed’s latest special report, “Taiwan: Unfinished Business,” will examine the complicated history and present dangers surrounding Taiwan. The backdrop to the tensions over Taiwan is, of course, the expanding geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States. Washington has been willing to accept China’s claims on Taiwan as long as it did not use coercion to achieve them. This is one place on Earth where there should be little room for macho rhetoric and provocative actions.

Persons: Fareed Zakaria, Fareed, Read, Fareed’s, ”, —, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump, Graham Allison, “, Joe Biden, Brendan Smialowski, Mao Zedong Organizations: CNN, Fareed’s, Unfinished, Harvard, Economic Cooperation, APEC, Getty, America Locations: Taiwan, China, United States, Soviet, Asia, Woodside , Calif, AFP, Soviet Union, Pakistan, India, People’s Republic of China, Communist China, Washington, Beijing

☆ China is debating if it's finally time to let people marry at 18 as it grapples with a dwindling population
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A top advisor suggested that China lower its marriage age to 18, and people aren't happy with him. It's a further sign that China's population woes can't be solved through family policy alone. His proposal, however, went viral and was quickly slammed online, a further sign that China's population woes are rooted beyond just family policies. "I thought at least those who have experienced childbirth should propose these reproduction suggestions," said one top comment with 7,500 likes on Weibo, China's version of X. China's population decreased by around 2 million people in 2023, while its birth rates have declined to their lowest levels since 1949, per government statistics.

Persons: Gan Huatian, It's, —, Gan, Mao Zedong's Organizations: Service, National Committee of, Political Consultative, National People's Congress, West China Hospital, Business Locations: China, Beijing, Sichuan, Weibo

☆ South China Sea: On board an outnumbered Philippine ship facing down Chinese aggression
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Rebecca Wright | Ivan Watson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Near Second Thomas Shoal, South China Sea CNN —As dawn slowly broke on the horizon, a large fleet of Chinese vessels came into view from the deck of a Philippine Coast Guard ship as it entered the contested waters of the South China Sea. Filipino soldiers on the dilapidated Sierra Madre ship, anchored near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, on May 11, 2015. The US military also maintains a regular presence in the South China Sea, with aircraft overflights, so-called “freedom of navigation” operations, and patrols and exercises with allies and partners to assert that the South China Sea is an international waterway. The Philippine Coast Guard said it counted five China Coast Guard vessels and 18 boats belonging to Beijing’s “maritime militia." Rebecca Wright/CNNTarriela, the Coast Guard spokesperson, said a China Coast Guard vessel had come within 20 yards (60 feet) of the Cabra.

Persons: David, Goliath, “, ”, Thomas Shoal, Rebecca Wright, Sabina, Ritchie, Jiao, –, Jay Tarriela, Mao Ning, China Coast Guard “, Thomas, Ferdinand “ Bongbong ” Marcos Jr, Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos Jr, Jose Manuel Romualdez, CNN Tarriela, Tomas Etzler, Erik de Castro, month’s, ” Tarriela, ‘, Collin Koh, ” Koh, Ray Powell, SeaLight, “ Will, ” Powell, we’ve Organizations: South China, CNN, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine, Armed Forces, China Coast Guard, ” CNN, Philippine Navy, Coast Guard, Foreign Ministry, Sierra Madre, Center for Strategic, Studies, China Power, Ministry, Washington, Philippine News Agency . Diplomacy, Coast Guardians, Guard, Madre, Reuters, USS, China, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, National Security, Stanford University Locations: South, South China, Philippines, United States, Philippine, China, Bulilyan, Palawan, Sierra Madre, Sierra, The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, Madre, Hague, Beijing, China’s, Manila, Shanghai, Singapore

☆ Maldives signs China military pact in further shift away from India
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

In January, Muizzu set a deadline of March 15 for the complete withdrawal of Indian military personnel stationed in the archipelago nation, according to the president’s office. India has also given Maldives two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft, which are mainly used for marine surveillance, search and rescue operations and medical evacuations, Reuters reported. The new deal with China marks a significant shift in Maldives’ foreign policy from Muizzu’s pro-India predecessor, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. But Maldives has long found itself in the middle of a geopolitical tussle with both India and China vying for influence. China has increasingly expanded its footprint in Maldives, most visibly through large-scale infrastructure projects such as the $200 million China-Maldives Friendship Bridge.

Persons: Mohamed Muizzu, Muizzu, “, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, ”, Mao Ning Organizations: CNN, Ocean, Maldivian Defense Ministry, Beijing, Reuters, Dornier, Maldives ’, Analysts, Foreign Locations: Maldives, China, India, Delhi, Beijing

Boat tours around Kinmen are still operating, though under a closer watch by Taiwan’s coast guard. Officers visit each boat before they set sail and warn captains not to stray into Chinese waters. “In the past, whenever a mainland ship crossed the median line (into Taiwan’s waters), our cannons would fire toward it without warning,” Hung said. On Monday, five Chinese coast guard ships entered prohibited or restricted waters around Kinmen, but left shortly after being warned away by Taiwan’s coast guard, according to a Taiwan minister. Last week, Chinese coast guard officers boarded a Taiwanese tour boat for inspection, an unprecedented move that startled passengers on board.

Persons: ”, Hung Ho, cheng, Hung, Mao Zedong’s, Chiang Kai, John Mees, Kinmen, ” Hung, Sam Yeh, Kuan, ” Kuan, Chang, Wu Chia, chiang Organizations: Taiwan CNN —, Residents, Mao Zedong’s Communist, Nationalist, CNN, Mao’s Communist, Taiwan, Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council, Tourism Association Locations: Kinmen, Taiwan, China, China’s, Beijing, It’s, Staten Island, “, Taipei, Xiamen, AFP, Taiwanese, China's Xiamen

☆ China moon spacecraft named ‘Dream Vessel’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s space agency has revealed the names of the spacecraft that it hopes will take Chinese astronauts to the moon by the end of the decade. In a news release over the weekend, the China Manned Space Agency said development was “progressing well” on the spaceship Mengzhou, or Dream Vessel, the lander, Lanyue, or Embracing the Moon, and a super-heavy-lift carrier rocket named Long March 10. The name Mengzhou is linked to the “Chinese nation’s dream of landing on the moon,” it added. The United States is ramping up its lunar program, with NASA last month announcing its plan to land astronauts on the moon in 2026, a year behind its original schedule. Last week, the commercial Odysseus lunar lander developed by Intuitive Machines became the first US-made spacecraft to touch down on the moon in 50 years.

Persons: “ Lanyue ”, Mao Zedong, Xi Jinping’s, Japan’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China Manned Space Agency, NASA, Machines Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, United States, Japan, India

☆ Zong Qinghou, self-made billionaire founder of top Chinese beverage brand Wahaha, dies
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The self-made billionaire, who was once China’s richest man, died of an illness on Sunday at the age of 79, his company Hangzhou Wahaha Group said in a brief statement, without providing further details. Victory in that bitter battle boosted Zong’s wealth to $8 billion, making him China’s richest man in 2010 and again in 2012, according to Forbes. He was nicknamed “the richest man in cloth shoes” for always sporting plain black shoes, complete with a dark jacket and slacks. That year, Zong founded the Hangzhou Wahaha Group after acquiring a failing state-run canned food factory. The dispute was eventually settled in 2009, with Danone selling its stake for about $500 million and ceding all control to Wahaha.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Zong Qinghou, Zong, Forbes, Jack Ma, Lei Jun, Zong Fuli, Mao Zedong’s, ”, Deng Xiaoping, Wahaha, Danone Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hangzhou Wahaha, Danone, Forbes, Getty Locations: China, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, “, Guangzhou, Beijing

☆ Major companies in China are setting up their own volunteer armies
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese companies are doing something rarely seen since the 1970s: setting up their own volunteer armies. According to China’s Military Service Law, male militia members should be 18 to 35 years old. It was latest in a slew of militias established by major Chinese companies in the past year. After 1949, when the party took control of mainland China, the units were eventually embedded into governments, schools and companies. This can, in the long run, save the PLA resources by delegating some duties to militia forces to care for,” Heath said.

Persons: Xi, ”, Neil Thomas, Nuo Nuo, Huang Zhiqiang, Qilai Shen, Liu Jie, Mao Zedong, Mao, Timothy Heath, homebuyers, Heath, ” Heath, Willy Lam, Sam Yeh, ” Lam, China’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, People’s Armed Forces Departments, America’s National Guard, Communist, Asia Society, Center for, Communist Party, China Labour Bulletin, Foxconn, Yili, Armed Forces Department, China’s Military Service Law, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, government’s Communist Party, Inner Mongolia Autonomous, Bloomberg, Getty, Shanghai Municipal Investment Group, Construction Investment, Development, Defense Ministry, People’s Armed Police, Armed, Rand Corporation, Jamestown Foundation, Party, Taiwan Locations: China, Hong Kong, Center for China, Beijing, Zhengzhou, Henan, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, Yili, Shanghai, Mengniu, Nantong city, Jiangsu, Huizhou city, Guangdong, Wuhan, Hubei province, People’s Republic, United States, Taiwan, Fangchenggang City, Guangxi, ”, PLA, Taiwan's, AFP

☆ Singapore's AI ambitions get a boost with $740 million investment plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Sheila Chiang | In Sheilachiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Singapore River and Merlion Park in the eveningSINGAPORE — Singapore's plan to invest more than $743 million into artificial intelligence over the next five years could strengthen its position as a global business and innovation hub, tech executives said. In his Budget speech on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said Singapore will invest more than 1 billion Singapore dollars over the next five years to further boost the country's AI capabilities. As part of the investment, Singapore will work to ensure it can secure access to the advanced chips "that are so crucial to AI development and deployment," Wong said. Singapore will also work with leading companies here and around the world to set up AI centers of excellence to spur innovation, he added. Singapore workers are already the world's fastest when it comes to adopting AI skills, according to LinkedIn's Future of Work report released in August.

Persons: Lawrence Wong, Nithin Chandra, Chandra, Wong, Jonathon Dixon, Mao Gen Foo Locations: Singapore, SINGAPORE, Southeast Asia, Kearney, Cloudflare

Kerry and Xie paved the way for progress at international summits that could have otherwise stagnated. The annual U.N. climate summit was being held in Copenhagen later that year, and Kerry was eager to talk about it with Chinese officials. Stern said the deal “ricocheted around the climate world" and convinced countries that “we can actually get this done.”The importance of the deal became evident one month later. It was the relationship with China, Kerry said afterward, that helped “change the paradigm.”——-The warm feelings were short-lived. Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, and he promptly withdrew the U.S. from the Paris agreement after taking office.

Persons: John Kerry, Xie Zhenhua, Kerry, Xie, Mao Zedong's, Christiana Figueres, ”, Li Shuo, ” —, George W, Bush, Barack Obama's, Obama, Todd Stern, ” Stern, “, Xi Jinping, Stern, Figueres, ” Xie, —, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Xi, hadn’t, Trump, Biden, Jonathan Pershing, Nancy Pelosi, John, John Podesta, Podesta, ___ Read, Chris Megerian, Seth Borenstein Organizations: WASHINGTON, United, Communist Party, U.S, Asia Society, Greenpeace, Senate Foreign Relations, International, Trump, William, Flora Hewlett Foundation, Associated Press Locations: United Nations, Dubai, Paris, England, Vietnam, China, Copenhagen, Lima, Glasgow, Sunnylands, Beijing, Christiana, U.S, “, Lima , Peru, South, Taiwan, COVID, Egypt, California, Arab Emirates, AP.org

☆ Chinese people are debating a superstition that says 2024 is the 'Year of the Widow.' Beijing is starting to pay attention.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. They asked Beijing to issue a public notice advising people against allowing superstition to affect their life decisions. The belief involves the lack of a "beginning of spring" day, also known as lichun, at the start of a lunar year. "There surely must be a reason behind thousands of years of folk tradition," another person wrote in defense of the superstition. Advertisement"First you need to find someone to marry," wrote law blogger Chen Yiyu.

Persons: —, Mao Zedong's, haven't, Chen Yiyu Organizations: Service, Business, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs, Weibo Locations: China, Beijing, Weibo

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