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☆ China's top diplomat Wang Yi to visit Washington this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —China’s top diplomat Wang Yi will visit Washington, DC, later this week, senior administration officials said Monday ahead of a potential meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in California next month. Wang will meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security Adviser Jake Sullivan during his trip to the US capital October 26-28, the officials said. “This visit by Wang Yi is part of ongoing efforts to maintain open channels of communication with China across the full range of issues,” the official said. US officials are expected to discuss “the South and East China Seas, cross-Strait issues, the Middle East, Russia’s war in Ukraine, North Korea’s provocations,” among other issues with Wang. And those aren’t yet established, but I can assure you that it’ll be on the agenda for Wang Yi’s visit.”

Persons: CNN —, Wang Yi, Joe Biden, Xi, Wang, Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Blinken, Blinken’s, Biden, ” Blinken, we’re, Wang Yi’s, ” Organizations: CNN, Biden, ”, East China Seas, State Department Locations: Washington, California, Beijing, Israel, Ukraine, Russia, China, East, North

☆ From Russia to the Middle East: Why China can’t afford another big conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Now, as Israel’s war against Palestinian militant group Hamas threatens to spiral into a broader conflict that could shatter stability in the Middle East, China has called for a ceasefire while criticizing Israel’s actions. It also highlights China’s deep economic interests in both Russia and the Middle East, which it wants to safeguard at all cost. The world’s second largest economy depends on Russia and the Middle East for much of its energy needs. The Middle East is also a cornerstone in the Belt and Road Initiative. “Regional conflagration means long instability and long instability means no business for China in the Middle East,” he added.

Persons: ”, Eswar Prasad, refiners, Vladimir Putin, Xi, Sergei Guneyev, Russia’s, Putin, Russia —, Wang Yi, Jean, Loup Samaan, Joe Biden, QatarEnergy, Ahmed Aboudouh, Antony Blinken, Blinken, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Moscow, Palestinian, Cornell University, Getty, Initiative, Shanghai’s Fudan University, United, China’s, Middle East Institute of, National University of Singapore, Wednesday, Jihad, Energy, China Petroleum & Chemical Co, Sinopec, Fudan University, Chatham House, US Department of State Locations: China, Hong Kong, Hong Kong CNN — Beijing, Ukraine, East, Palestine, Israel, United States, Russia, Beijing, Moscow, Saudi Arabia, Russian, AFP, Pakistan, Iran, Hamas, Tehran, Gaza, Qatar, China’s, Qatari, London, “, Persian, ”

Then came the Hamas attack against Israel, which has made Netanyahu’s late October trip uncertain and put Beijing's Middle East approach to the test. China’s stated neutrality on the war has upset Israel, but Beijing may gain in the long run by forging closer ties with Arab countries, experts said. “For a while at least, Beijing’s Middle East policy is paralyzed by the war,” said Shi Yinhong, professor of international relations at Beijing-based Renmin University of China. “China’s engagement in the Middle East is set to increase during this conflict. Because we need to be the bridge.”But China's proposals to end the war have been seen as benefiting Russia.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Benjamin Netanyahu, China’s, Israel, ”, Shi Yinhong, hasn't, Zhai Jun, Zhai, ” Wang Yi, ” Wang, Antony Blinken, Wang, Maria Papageorgiou, Mohammad Eslami, “, Tuvia, ” Gering, Wang Yiwei, Dale Aluf, China's, Aluf, Yaqiu Wang, Ken Moritsugu, Wanqing Chen, Matthew Lee Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Renmin University of China, State Department, Hezbollah, University of Exeter, University Minho, Israel, China Policy Center, Institute for National Security, Kremlin, Renmin University, Israel Global Network, Freedom, Associated Press, AP Locations: Beijing, China, Israel, U.S, Iran, Tel Aviv, Palestine, Ukraine, Xinjiang, Xi, Saudi Arabia, United States, Russia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Communist, Riyadh

☆ Key takeaways from Sam Bankman-Fried’s first week in court
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

And Alameda was the only FTX customer allowed to carry a negative balance. Christian Everdell and Mark Cohen, attorneys for Sam Bankman-Fried, exit court in New York on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2023. Star witness coming TuesdayCaroline Ellison, Alameda’s CEO and Bankman-Fried’s on-and-off girlfriend, is expected to take the stand when court resumes on Tuesday. Ellison, 28, is considered the prosecution’s star witness, given her position as the head of Alameda and her personal knowledge of Bankman-Fried’s behavior. According to court documents, when one employee asks who made the decision, Ellison responds: “Um … Sam, I guess.”

Persons: Sam Bankman, Gary Wang, Wang, SBF, Mark Cohen, Fried, FTX, Christian Everdell, Stephanie Keith, Everdell, “ FTX, ” Wang, ” FTX, Caroline Ellison, Ellison, Sam Organizations: New, New York CNN, Alameda Research, Bankman, Alameda, Bloomberg, Getty, “ Locations: New York, Alameda

☆ FTX co-founder admits he and Sam Bankman-Fried committed fraud
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —A key witness for prosecutors in the trial of Sam Bankman-Fried testified that both he and Bankman-Fried committed multiple financial crimes related to their oversight of now-bankrupt crypto exchange FTX. Gary Wang, who co-founded FTX with Bankman-Fried, told jurors — in compliance with an earlier plea deal — that he was guilty of wire fraud, securities fraud and commodities fraud, and that he committed those crimes under the direction of Bankman-Fried. Alameda’s ‘unlimited’ slush fundUnlike regular customers of FTX — a platform for individual investors and institutions to trade crypto — Alameda was allowed to run a negative balance and make “unlimited withdrawals” from FTX customers, Wang said. In response, “Sam said something like, ‘We were bulletproof last year; we’re not bulletproof this year,’” Yedidia told the jury. The $8 billion represented the money that FTX customers would be owed if they decided to withdraw their deposits, Yedidia said.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Gary Wang, Wang, FTX, haven’t, Mark Cohen, Nicolas Roos, ” Wang, empaneled, ‘, Adam Yedidia, Yedidia, SBF, “ Sam, ’ ” Yedidia, “, Sam, ” Yedidia, MIT undergrads, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, Alameda Research, Prosecutors, MIT Locations: New York, Alameda, FTX

☆ Nomura is merely first in line for new China risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Una Galani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

After all, Nomura is a minnow in China, ranking 82nd in investment banking in the country by net revenue in 2021, data from Dealogic shows. Like most of its more successful global investment banking peers, Nomura has an eye on deepening its business in China. It acquired a license for a majority-owned securities joint venture, Nomura Orient International Securities, in 2019. Follow @ugalani on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSAuthorities in China have barred Charles Wang Zhonghe, China investment banking chair at Nomura, from leaving the mainland, Reuters reported on Sept. 25 citing two sources with knowledge of the matter. Beijing’s investigation into Cong, former president of China Renaissance Holdings, resulted in the investment bank’s founder Bao being taken away by Chinese authorities in February.

Persons: Charles Wang Zhonghe, Nomura, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Wang, Bao Fan, hasn’t, Xi Jinping, Banks, Cong Lin, Bao, Cong, Nomura’s Wang, Antony Currie, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Financial Times, UBS, HK, China Securities, Nomura, Commercial Bank of China, China, Apple, Nomura Orient International Securities, Authorities, China Renaissance Holdings, ICBC, Commercial Bank of China Ltd, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, China, Hong Kong, It’s, Singapore, People’s Republic

After two years in detention, a Chinese journalist who spoke up against sexual harassment stood trial on subversion charges on Friday along with a labor rights activist, the latest example of Beijing’s intensified crackdown on civil society. Huang Xueqin, an independent journalist who was once a prominent voice in China’s #MeToo movement, and her friend Wang Jianbing, the activist, were taken away by the police in September 2021 and later charged with inciting subversion of state power. Their trial was held at the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court in southern China. Little is known about the government’s case, but the vaguely worded offense with which the two were charged has long been seen as a tool for muzzling dissent. A steady stream of activists, lawyers, tycoons and intellectuals have been put on trial and sentenced.

Persons: Beijing’s, Huang Xueqin, Wang Jianbing, Xi Jinping, Huang Organizations: People’s, Communist Party, Human Rights Locations: Chinese, Guangzhou, China

☆ Huang Xueqin: Chinese activists expected to appear in secret trial as civil society crackdown deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Independent journalist and #MeToo activist Huang Xueqin and labor rights activist Wang Jianbing were detained by authorities in the southern city of Guangzhou in September 2021. Rights advocates say Huang and Wang are unlikely to receive a fair trial in a judicial system controlled by the party with a conviction rate above 99.9%. Wang Jianbing, a labor rights activist, was detained along with #MeToo activist Huang Xueqin in September 2021. #FreeXueBing/AP/FILE‘Isolated atoms’A close friend of Huang told CNN the journalist had suffered significant weight loss in detention and stopped menstruating for months. In the months following their detention, more than 70 friends and supporters of Huang and Wang were summoned by the police for questioning, according to supporters.

Persons: Huang Xueqin, Wang Jianbing, Huang, Wang, ”, William Nee, “ Huang, ” Nee, menstruating, Huang’s, –, “, it’s, ’, Sarah Brooks Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Communist, People’s, CNN, Rights, Human, Guangzhou Public Security, University of Sussex, Authorities, Human Rights, Amnesty Locations: China, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, United Kingdom, “

CNN —Chinese opera singer Wang Fan has sparked a diplomatic row after she was filmed singing the Soviet war song “Katyusha” inside the Mariupol Drama Theater in Ukraine where hundreds were killed last year. Wang was part of a group of Chinese bloggers visiting the occupied Ukrainian city. “Katyusha” is a Soviet-era folk song that gained popularity during World War II, calling on the population to serve and defend their land. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the group of violating its state borders. It grossly violates Ukrainian legislation regulating the crossing of the state border by foreigners,” Nikolenko said.

Persons: Wang Fan, Wang, ’ Wang Fan, Oleg Nikolenko, “, ” Nikolenko, ’, Boichenko, Wang’s, ”, cynically Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign, Weibo, NATO, Council Locations: Soviet, Ukraine, Ukrainian, “, China, Mariupol, ”, Russian

☆ Yilin Wang: British Museum agrees to pay translator whose work it used without permission
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The museum later admitted it had “inadvertently omitted” these steps and apologized, removing Wang’s translations and the original poetry from the exhibition. She said this was an important step in recognizing the often invisible, complex work of translators. The British Museum’s director Hartwig Fischer reached out soon after, she said. A depiction of the unified Qing empire in the British Museum's "China's hidden century" exhibition, seen on May 18, 2023. “She was a queer feminist poet whose work has been kind of overlooked in translation,” Wang said.

Persons: Yilin, Qiu Jin, Wang, “ I’m, ”, “, Wang wasn’t, M.C, ” Wang, James Manning, Hartwig Fischer Organizations: CNN, British Museum, ARMY, British Locations: Vancouver, British

☆ China is erasing mention of Qin Gang's time as foreign minister, but it still hasn't said why
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Hong Kong CNN —Five weeks ago, the world watched as China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing for high stakes talks between the two powers. Qin’s whereabouts, the reason for his removal, and his ultimate fate as a member of China’s Communist Party all remain unknown. Unanswered questions about official decision-making are standard in China, where the political system is notoriously opaque and has only become more so under Chinese leader Xi Jinping. But it also suggests that the cause must be grave for (Qin) to be removed,” she added. ‘Safe hands’The Foreign Ministry shake-up comes at a particularly sensitive time in China’s international relations.

Persons: Qin Gang, Antony Blinken, –, Qin, Wang Yi, Wang, Xi Jinping ., they’ve, Xi, ”, Yun Sun, …, Neil Thomas, Bonnie Glaser, Marshall Fund’s, hashtags, Li Mingjiang, Blinken, “ I’ve, I’ve, ” Blinken, “, ” Wang, China’s, Vladimir Putin, Asia Society’s Thomas, Victor Shih Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, China’s Foreign Ministry, China’s Communist Party, Xi Jinping . Senior, China Program, Communist Party, Politics, Asia Society, Center for, Foreign, Weibo, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, University of California San, Century China Center Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China, Washington, Center for China, United States, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Jakarta, Moscow, Asia, University of California San Diego’s

☆ British Museum apologizes after using translator's work in China exhibition without pay or acknowlegment
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —When the British Museum launched its “China’s hidden century” exhibition last month, writer and translator Yilin Wang began getting confusing messages from her peers. No, Wang replied: She’d never been contacted by the museum, which used her work without permission, pay or acknowledgment. It added that “China’s hidden century” had involved more than 400 people from 20 countries, and that those involved had “spent years, together with scholars worldwide,” putting it all together. A British Museum worker pictured in the "China's hidden century" exhibition ahead of its public opening. The British Museum did not respond immediately to CNN’s request for comment.

Persons: Yilin Wang, Qiu Jin, Wang, —, She’d, “, James Manning, ”, It’s, NameTheTranslator, …, ” Wang Organizations: CNN, British Museum, Twitter, Museum, British, UK’s Arts, Humanities Research, “, Google Locations: London, Qing China, British

☆ Cloning Scientist Hwang Woo-suk Gets a Second Chance. Should He? - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( David Cyranoski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Science is known for rigorous self-policing by the research community, yet it can feel like scientific fraud is rampant. The story of Hwang Woo-suk, a South Korean scientist who gained notoriety for claiming to clone human embryos, provides clues. After leaving the field in disgrace, Dr. Hwang has landed in clover, and now spends his days cloning beauty show and racing camels for United Arab Emirates royalty. Dr. Hwang burst into the spotlight in 2004 when he reported success in making an embryonic human clone and deriving stem cells from it. This was the proof-of-principle for the once-hyped “therapeutic cloning” — in which patients’ own cells, from the skin or other tissue, could be used to create embryonic stem cells with their genetic signature, which could then be used to treat diseases.

Persons: Hwang Woo, suk, Hwang Organizations: South, United Arab, Netflix, YouTube Locations: South Korean, United Arab Emirates

☆ A Bear That Looked Like a Raccoon and Had a Dangerous Appetite
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Carolyn Wilke | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Some 30 million years ago, a primitive bear roamed near a river in what is now North Dakota. A male, he probably looked like a raccoon and might have eaten like an otter. The skeleton includes the baculum, a penis bone found in many mammals that is rarely preserved. In an article published earlier this month in The Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Dr. Wang’s team noted details of the creature’s features from his teeth to the tips of his toes. “It’s a small side branch, but it’s a very important side branch,” Dr. Wang said.

Persons: “, ”, Xiaoming Wang, Wang’s, Dr, Wang Organizations: of Los, Paleontology Locations: North Dakota, of Los Angeles County

The series, “Wave Makers,” follows the fictitious lives of a team of campaign staffers in the run-up to a presidential election in Taiwan. The turn of events took the creators of “Wave Makers” by surprise. The main story line of "Wave Makers" features the solidarity and support between its two female protagonists. “Even the protagonists in ‘Wave Makers’ might not be able to persevere in our system,” said Kang at the National Chengchi University. These are people we must protect, not treat with prejudice.”For the show’s scriptwriters, Taiwan’s #MeToo moment has not fully arrived.

Persons: MeToo, ”, Tsai Ing, ” Tsai, Chien Li, Nina Peng, Wen, Let’s, “ Let’s, William Lai, Wang Dan, Wang, Kang Ting, Kang, “, Chien, Tsai, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Taiwan’s, Liao, ” Kang, Lu Sheng, ” Peng Organizations: Taiwan CNN —, Netflix, Democratic Progressive Party, Kuomintang, KMT, “, National Chengchi University, Chinese Communist Party, Inter, Parliamentary Union, CNN, National Taiwan Normal University Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, Beijing, “, Asia

☆ What Happens When A.I. Enters the Concert Hall
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Garrett Schumann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When the composer and vocalist Jen Wang took the stage at the Monk Space in Los Angeles to perform Alvin Lucier’s “The Duke of York” (1971) earlier this year, she sang with a digital rendition of her voice, synthesized by artificial intelligence. It was the first time she had done that. “I thought it was going to be really disorienting,” Wang said in an interview, “but it felt like I was collaborating with this instrument that was me and was not me.”Isaac Io Schankler, a composer and music professor at Cal Poly Pomona, conceived the performance and joined Wang onstage to monitor and manipulate Realtime Audio Variational autoEncoder, or R.A.V.E., the neural audio synthesis algorithm that modeled Wang’s voice. is an example of machine learning, a specific category of artificial intelligence technology that musicians have experimented with since the 1990s — but that now is defined by rapid development, the arrival of publicly available, A.I.-powered music tools and the dominating influence of high-profile initiatives by large tech companies.

Persons: Jen Wang, Alvin Lucier’s “, Duke, York, ” Wang, Isaac Io Schankler, Wang Organizations: Cal Poly Pomona Locations: Los Angeles

☆ China urges Japan to end curbs on chip exports
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s commerce minister has urged Japan to end its newly announced curbs on exports of chipmaking equipment, saying it would hurt economic and trade relations between the two countries. In March, Japan announced it would tighten rules on exports of 23 types of advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment, joining the United States and the Netherlands in curbing the sale of key technology to China. On May 23, the commerce ministry issued a statement calling on Japan to “immediately” stop the export restrictions and said China would take measures to defend its interests. China's commerce minster, Wang Wentao, left, met Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan's trade minister, in Detroit last week. China has its own chip manufacturers, but they supply mostly low- to mid-end processors used in home appliances and electric vehicles.

The $108 billion group’s sheer size means it benefits from exceptional economies of scale in an immature industry. Last year, it tripled both production and sales of pure electric and hybrid cars to nearly 2 million vehicles. That is equivalent to roughly a quarter of EVs purchased in China in 2022. The group makes batteries too, accounting for almost a quarter of China’s total sales last year, Jefferies estimates. Overall passenger car sales, including electric vehicles and fossil-fueled models, slumped 38% in January, reversing a 2.4% gain in the previous month.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX execs received billions in hidden loans, ex-Alameda CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Sam Bankman-Fried and other FTX executives received billions of dollars in secret loans from the crypto mogul’s Alameda Research, the hedge fund’s former chief told a judge when she pleaded guilty to her role in the exchange’s collapse. Ellison and FTX co-founder Gary Wang both pleaded guilty and are cooperating with prosecutors as part of their plea agreements. Bankman-Fried has acknowledged risk-management failures at FTX but said he does not believe he has criminal liability. A flurry of customer withdrawals in early November amid concerns about commingling of FTX funds with Alameda prompted FTX to declare bankruptcy on Nov. 11. Bankman-Fried was arrested in capital Nassau on Dec. 12 and arrived in the United States on Wednesday after consenting to extradition.

☆ Sheng Wang's clean humor can make anyone laugh, 'from grandmas to porn stars,' he says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-06 | by ( Diep Tran | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

That’s because Wang’s notoriety has just increased substantially, following his first-ever Netflix comedy special, “Sweet and Juicy.” Then again, Wang admits that it’s pretty easy to recognize him these days thanks to his look. But on “Sweet and Juicy,” Wang sports a goatee and a shoulder length mane of black hair. As Wang puts it, “It’s a look!” His hair grew out during the pandemic and he just didn’t cut it. And yet, he’s still surprised at how much his comedy special has resonated, not just with other Asian Americans, but with a diverse array of people. “It’s just all kinds of people at different ages, different careers, different parts of society, parents and their children, from grandmas to porn stars,” says Wang.

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