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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China announced plans on Wednesday to send a new telescope to probe deep into the universe as it prepared to launch the country’s next, three-member crew for its orbiting space station. The telescope, dubbed Xuntian, will be installed by China's Tiangong space station and will co-orbit with it, according to a statement from Lin Xiqiang, spokesperson and deputy director general of the Chinese Manned Space Agency. Tang is a veteran who led a 2021 space mission for three months. China built its own space station after it was excluded from the International Space Station, largely due to U.S. concerns over the control of the program by the People’s Liberation Army, the military branch of the ruling Communist Party. China’s first manned space mission in 2003 made it the third country after the former Soviet Union and the U.S. to put a person into space using its own resources.

Persons: Lin Xiqiang, — Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie, Jiang Xinlin —, Tang Organizations: —, Manned Space Agency, CCTV, International, Station, People’s Liberation Army, Communist Party, Soviet Union, SpaceX, Xinhua News Agency Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, — China, China, United States, Europe, Southeast Asia, South America, U.S

☆ China Increases Bond Issuance to Help Its Economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Stella Yifan Xie | Lingling Wei | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A record number of Chinese college students graduated this summer, but landing their dream job may be a long shot. WSJ takes a look at why China’s youth unemployment is at all-time highs. Photo illustration: Adam AdadaChina ramped up efforts to stimulate its beleaguered economy, issuing additional sovereign bonds and raising its budget-deficit target, the first time it revised its budget outside the regular legislative session in more than a decade. The country’s top legislative body approved on Tuesday a plan to raise 1 trillion yuan, equivalent to around $137 billion, in additional sovereign debt, half for use before the end of this year and half for next year, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. Policy makers said the bond issuance was intended for infrastructure projects in the wake of severe flooding and other natural disasters, Xinhua reported.

Persons: Adam Adada Organizations: Xinhua News Agency . Locations: Adam Adada China

Beijing CNN —China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu was fired on Tuesday two months after he disappeared from public view, becoming the second high-profile minister to lose his job recently without any official explanation. Li, who was appointed defense minister in March, has not been seen in public since late August, fueling intense speculation about his fate. Li’s ousting, ironically, has removed a major roadblock for the resumption of high-level military talks between China and the United States. The Financial Times also reported that the US government believes the defense minister has been placed under investigation, citing American officials. Li is believed to be a protege of General Zhang Youxia, Xi’s childhood friend and closest ally in the military.

Persons: Li Shangfu, Li, Xi Jinping, –, outranks, Qin Gang, Qin, Xi, Li’s, won’t, “, General Zhang Youxia, Zhang Organizations: Beijing CNN — China’s, Central Military, National People’s Congress, Foreign, Qin, Communist, of, People, Xinhua News Agency, Getty, PLA Rocket Force, Street Journal, The Financial Times, Defense Ministry, Central Military Commission, Development Department, Rocket Force, Equipment Development Department, Security Forum Locations: Beijing, China, United States, Sichuan, Africa, Russia, Belarus

☆ Esports made their 'tense and exciting' debut at this year's Asian Games
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Esports, or professional video gaming, were an official sport at the Asian Games for the first time. AdvertisementAdvertisementEsports, or competitive video gaming, debuted as an official event at this year's Asian Games in Hangzhou, China that concluded earlier this month. Due to the event's popularity, esports tickets were sold on a lottery basis, with more than five million entering the ballot, according to Hangzhou Asian Games data. We're excited to see the landscape of esports events around the world expand," said John Robinson, president of US esport organization 100 Thieves. The Olympic Esports Series is "a global virtual and simulated sports competition created by the IOC, and in collaboration with International Federations and game publishers."

Persons: —, esports, Chris Liu, Liu, Esports, JADE GAO, John Robinson, Kim Gwanwoo, WANG ZHAO, Matt Woods, AFK, Grant Rousseau, " Rousseau Organizations: Asian Games, of, EA Sports FC Online, Singapore, Service, Professional, EA Sports FC, South Korea, Team Malaysia, China, Xinhua News Agency, South, Associated Press, Fighter, Getty, Olympic, IOC, International Federations, Guardian, Team Falcons Locations: Hangzhou, China, Thailand, Wuxi, esports, Asia, Pacific, US, South Korea, AFP, Los Angeles

☆ Two killed by avalanches on Tibet’s Shishapangma as 50 were climbing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Shishapangma, at just over 8,000 metres (26,247 feet), is the world's 14th tallest peak. Two avalanches hit its slopes at elevations of 7,600 metres and 8,000 metres on Saturday, killing American climber Anna Gutu and Nepalese guide Mingmar Sherpa, Xinhua reported on Sunday. All climbing activity on Shishapangma was suspended because of the unstable snow conditions. Had one of the Pakistani climbers, Sirbaz Khan, reached the top of Shishapangma he would have become the first Pakistani to summit all 14 mountains over 8,000 metres. Among those who had previously died on Shishapangma was famed American climber Alex Lowe in 1999, also because of an avalanche.

Persons: Anna Gutu, Gina Marie Rzucidlo, Tenjen Sherpa, Norway's Kristin Harila, Sirbaz Khan, Shishapangma, Alex Lowe, David Bridges, Ryan Woo, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: Xinhua, Sherpa, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, American, Pakistan, United States, Britain, Romania, Albania, Italy, Japan, Xinhua, Nepal

☆ China's cross-border trips during Golden Week holiday recover to 85% of pre-pandemic level
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Oct 7 (Reuters) - China's inbound and outbound trips surged during the eight-day Golden Week holiday this year, official data showed on Saturday, recovering to 85% of their pre-pandemic level but lower than an earlier government estimate. That was equivalent to 85.1% of the number of average trips made in the same period in 2019, and nearly quadruple the 2022 average, the administration said. It had earlier said it expected an average of 1.58 million daily inbound and outbound passenger trips during the holiday. This compared with 830.8 yuan per trip in 2019 when the holiday was seven days long, and 680.6 yuan last year. Travellers made 826 million trips within mainland China, up 71.3% from a year ago and 4.1% higher than in 2019, according to data released by the official Xinhua news agency.

Persons: Florence, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, National, National Immigration Administration, Travellers, Xinhua, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Thailand

☆ China moves to strengthen innovation in smart driving
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Oct 2 (Reuters) - China will back firms in the smart vehicle supply chain to form groups dedicated to spreading innovation, state media said on Monday, as it races to hammer out standards for assisted and autonomous driving functions by 2025. China will support firms in forming "innovation consortia", that enable them to learn from each other's strengths in order to achieve technological breakthroughs, the official Xinhua news agency said. Citing Xin Guobin, vice minister of industry and information technology, the agency added that China aims to speed its formulation and revision of key standards. Vehicles in this category can handle driving functions, but the driver must always be prepared to take over when road conditions change. China aims to master the core technologies of advanced autonomous driving and eventually put driverless vehicles on its roads in the effort to become the leading industry player worldwide.

Persons: Xin Guobin, Ryan Woo, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Xinhua, Vehicles, HK, Baidu, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Chongqing, Beijing, United States

☆ China's lottery ticket sales soar amid weak economy, job prospects
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s lottery ticket sales in August soared to their highest for any month so far this year, amid public concern about the economy following months of mostly gloomy data including youth unemployment. The surging lottery ticket sales coincided with months of mostly soft economic data, with the unemployment rate of job seekers aged between 16 and 24 drawing particular attention from policymakers. China’s youth unemployment rate hit a record high of 21.3% in June, according to official data. Some social media commentators have linked the sharp rise in lottery sales in recent months to young people’s deepening economic worries. Earlier this year, China’s social media was alit with videos of jobless university graduates visiting temples to seek the blessings of the gods.

Persons: Ann Wang, “ Young, ” Organizations: REUTERS, Xinhua Locations: BEIJING, Hualien, Taiwan, Weibo

☆ China and EU Hold Talks on AI, Cross-Border Data Flow Amid Renewed Tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING (Reuters) - China and the European Union held talks on topics including artificial intelligence and cross-border data flows on Monday in Beijing, amid disputes over an EU probe into China's electric vehicle (EV) subsidies. The meeting comes as tensions between China and the EU are heightened after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced an investigation into whether to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese EVs to protect EU producers. The talks on Monday covered key issues including platforms and data regulation, AI, and cross-border flow of industrial data, China and the EU said. The European Commission conveyed concerns about "difficulties faced by EU companies in China to make use of their industrial data, as a result of the application of recent legislation." Both sides agreed to promote an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for the development of the digital economy, Xinhua said.

Persons: Zhang Guoqing, Vera Jourova, Ursula von der Leyen, Zhang, Ethan Wang, Ryan Woo, Meg Shen, Andrew Heavens Organizations: European Union, EU, China's, European Commission, Values, European, Xinhua Locations: BEIJING, China, Beijing, EU, Europe, Hong Kong

☆ China and EU hold talks on AI, cross-border data flow amid renewed tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An attendant walks past EU and China flags ahead of the EU-China High-level Economic Dialogue at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China June 25, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Sept 18 (Reuters) - China and the European Union held talks on topics including artificial intelligence and cross-border data flows on Monday in Beijing, amid disputes over an EU probe into China's electric vehicle (EV) subsidies. The meeting comes as tensions between China and the EU are heightened after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced an investigation into whether to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese EVs to protect EU producers. The talks on Monday covered key issues including platforms and data regulation, AI, and cross-border flow of industrial data, China and the EU said. The European Commission conveyed concerns about "difficulties faced by EU companies in China to make use of their industrial data, as a result of the application of recent legislation."

Persons: Jason Lee, Zhang Guoqing, Vera Jourova, Ursula von der Leyen, Zhang, Ethan Wang, Ryan Woo, Meg Shen, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, European Union, EU, China's, European Commission, Values, European, Xinhua, Thomson Locations: China, EU, Beijing, Rights BEIJING, Europe, Hong Kong

Hanoi, Vietnam CNN —President Joe Biden will arrive at Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s doorstep on Sunday with a deal in hand to draw yet another one of China’s neighbors closer to the United States. “It’s not going to be easy for Vietnam, because they’re under enormous pressure from China,” the official went on. In Vietnam, it’s not only China whose influence Biden is competing with. On Monday, Biden plans to announce steps to help Vietnam diversify away from an over-reliance on Russian arms, a senior administration official said. “I think that’s a deliberate design by the Biden administration,” said Yun Sun, the China program director at the Stimson Center.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping’s, Biden, ”, It’s, playbook, Xi Jinping, Evelyn Hockstein, ” Biden, Modi, Xi, States ’, it’s, ratchets, aggressions, Didier Marti, “ We’re, “, Biden’s, Mao Ning, Vietnam’s, Antony J, Blinken, Trung, Patricia Kim, Le Hoai, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, ” –, General Secreatary Nguyen, Trong, Yun Sun, ’ Organizations: Vietnam CNN, White House, Korean, Getty, Saturday, Communist Party, Xinhua, China’s, Monday, Communist Party of Vietnam's, Department of State . US Department of State, Biden, Brookings Institution, Communist, NATO, Wing, Stimson Locations: Hanoi, Vietnam, United States, Philippines, China, Beijing, New Delhi, AFP, Asia, States, Russia, Moscow, India, Brazil, South Africa, –, That’s, South China, Washington, South Korea, Helsinki, Japan, Korea, Australia, United Kingdom

BANGKOK (AP) — One of Myanmar’s biggest and most powerful ethnic minority militias has arrested and repatriated more than 1,200 Chinese nationals allegedly involved in criminal online scam operations, an official of the group said Saturday. The arrests were carried out in territory controlled by the United Wa State Army, or UWSA, in eastern Shan state in raids on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nyi Rang, a liaison officer from the militia, told The Associated Press. The United Wa State Army is the biggest and strongest ethnic armed organization among the major ethnic minority groups in Myanmar, with an army of approximately 30,000 well-equipped soldiers and sophisticated weaponry including heavy artillery and helicopters, from China, with which it maintains close relations. The U.N. report about Southeast Asian cybercrime said the online fraud gangs were also active in southeastern Kayin state on the Thai border. The complexes were developed by Chinese investors in cooperation with the local Border Guard Forces, which are militias affiliated with Myanmar’s army.

Persons: Nyi Rang, —, Wa, Aung, Suu Kyi, Chen Hai, cybercrime, Shwe Kokko Organizations: Myanmar’s, United Wa State Army, Associated Press, Human Rights, United Wa State Party, Beijing’s Ministry of Public Security, Foreign, Border Guard Forces Locations: BANGKOK, Shan, Wa, Yunnan province, Asia, Southeast Asia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Kayin, Mong, China, Thailand, Suu, Thai, Shwe, Myawaddy

☆ Singapore braces for 'partisan' vote for president, guardian of its vast reserves
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian (left) waves as he arrives at the nomination center for the presidential election in Singapore on August 22, 2023. Song is standing in the city-state's 2023 presidential election. Presidential candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam waves to his supporters at the nomination center for the upcoming presidential election in Singapore on Aug. 22, 2023. Xinhua News Agency | Xinhua News Agency | Getty ImagesThe full scale of Singapore's reserves is not publicly available, though public information of some institutions charged with investing its reserves offer a glimpse into the size of the reserves. Local independent news outlet Jom estimated that only 0.044% of Singaporean adults qualify to run as Singapore president.

Persons: —, incorruptibility, Eugene Tan, Tan Kin Lian, Roslan Rahman, Tan, Ng Kok, Lee Kuan Yew, Tharman, Ng, Shanmugaratnam, Tan Meng, Singapore's, Lee Kuan, Kevin Tan, Cherian, Halimah Yacob —, Cherian George, who's Organizations: Getty, SINGAPORE, Observers, Singapore Management University, NTUC, Afp, Monetary Fund, Party, CNBC, Bloomberg, Presidential Advisors, Xinhua News Agency, Temasek, Singapore, Monetary Authority of, Cherian George National University of Singapore, Hong Kong Baptist University, Malay, National University of Singapore, Hong, Hong Kong Baptist University's School of Communication Locations: Singapore's Marina Bay, Singapore, State, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Hong, Hong Kong

☆ China bill aims to make preschool more accessible amid flagging birth rate
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The draft Preschool Education Law includes measures to curb excessive profit-seeking by preschool providers, the state-backed China news service reported. Children applying for preschool places should not be subject "to any form of examination or testing except for necessary physical examinations," the official Xinhua news agency reported. The draft law comes as China's fertility rate is estimated to have dropped to a record low of 1.09 in 2022, one of the world's lowest alongside South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Concerned about its rapidly ageing population, Beijing is urgently trying an array of measures to lift the birth rate, including financial incentives and improved childcare facilities. The draft preschool law will now be reviewed by the National People's Congress Standing Committee.

Persons: Huai Jinpeng, Farah Master, Conor Humphries Organizations: Xinhua, of, South, National, Thomson Locations: Xujiashan, Haitang, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, China, HONG KONG, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing

☆ China approves guidelines to boost affordable housing amid property debt crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Chinese property sector is in a deepening crisis with a rising risk of default among some developers as they struggle to sell apartments and raise funds. Separately, China's central bank announced guidance on relaxing residential housing loan rules, in a move aimed at boosting loan applications and house purchases. The central bank also said it would stick to the principle that houses are for living in and not vehicles for speculation. On Friday, the housing ministry, the central bank and the national financial regulator also jointly issued a notice easing mortgage policies to help revive the sector. China's housing market has over the past two years been grappling with a severe debt crisis - initially triggered by government moves to rein in ballooning debt.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Premier Li Qiang, Ellen Zhang, Ryan Woo, John Stonestreet, Susan Fenton, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Premier, Xinhua, People's Bank of, Ministry of Housing, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, People's Bank of China

China operates talent programs at various levels of government, targeting a mix of overseas Chinese and foreign experts. China has previously said its overseas recruitment through the TTP aimed to build an innovation-driven economy and promote talent mobility, while respecting intellectual property rights, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. It said that anyone who recommends a candidate who is then selected for the talent programs would receive "diamonds, bags, cars, and houses". In some cases, these people said, those experts will be offered roles at Chinese chip companies' overseas operations. ($1 = 7.1475 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Julie Zhu, Fanny Potkin, Eduardo Baptista and Michael Martina; editing by David CrawshawOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Florence Lo, Xi Jinping, Qiming, Dean Boyd, Nick Marro, Chen Biaohua, Chen, Ma Yuanxiao, Dawei Di, Di, Zhuji, Julie Zhu, Fanny Potkin, Eduardo Baptista, Michael Martina, David Crawshaw Organizations: REUTERS, Washington, Reuters, China, Ministry of Industry, Information Technology, U.S . Commerce Department, Xinhua, Ministry of Science, Technology, U.S, government's National Counterintelligence and Security Center, Economist Intelligence, China Center for Information Industry Development, China Semiconductor Industry Association, Qiming, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard, Stanford, HK, LinkedIn, Hangzhou Juqi Technology, Fortune, Beijing Institute of Technology, BIT's School of Integrated Circuits, Electronics, Britain's University of Nottingham, University of Hong, BIT, Communist Party's Organization Department, Zhejiang University, Communist Party, Thomson Locations: China, HONG KONG, SINGAPORE, WASHINGTON, U.S, China's, Qiming, Beijing, Hangzhou, ResearchGate, University of Hong Kong, Ma, Zhejiang, Wenzhou, Cambridge

Marco Longari/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to China's President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg and highlighted concerns India has about border issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India's foreign secretary said. Modi and Xi agreed "to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation," Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said. On the sidelines of the BRICS summit Modi highlighted to Xi "India's concerns on the unresolved issues along the LAC", Kwatra said. This is the first time that Modi has brought up the issue directly with Xi, repeating India's stand that has been shared with China through other ministers multiple times. "The two sides should bear in mind the overall interests of their bilateral relations and handle properly the border issue so as to jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity in the border region," Xi said.

Persons: India Narendra Modi, Cyril Ramaphosa, China Xi Jinping, Marco Longari, Narendra Modi, Xi Jinping, Modi, Xi, Vinay Kwatra, Kwatra, Bhargav Acharya, Tannur Anders, Michael Martina, Krishn Kaushik, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Indian, LAC, Xinhua, Shanghai Cooperation, Thomson Locations: India, China, Sandton, Johannesburg, Rights JOHANNESBURG, Indonesia

☆ China Stocks Slump as Economic Gloom Spreads
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Vivek Shankar | More About Vivek Shankar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The economic troubles, they said, arose from flagging domestic demand and a “grim and complex” global economy, among other factors. Chinese stocks jumped at the time, even though officials laid out only vague plans, like using “countercyclical” regulations, adjusting policies for the troubled real estate sector, and prodding people to buy cars, electronics and household goods. Since then, China has released a string of worrying economic data. Prices consumers and business pay are falling, raising the threat of deflation. Retail sales and industrial production in July missed economists’ expectations, and investment in real estate is plunging.

Persons: Xi Jinping Organizations: Xinhua Locations: China

☆ China wants to keep Russia in a 'Goldilocks' state — not too strong and not too weak
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Some analysts have likened the relationship to the tale of "Goldilocks" in which a middle ground is sought, with China wanting its ally Russia to not be either too strong, where it could challenge Beijing, nor too weak where it leaves China ideologically isolated against the West. It could also be seen to embolden the West and cause political instability in Russia, essentially China's backyard. "China, like many Europeans, will also want to avoid a total collapse of Russia, with the nuclear proliferation risks that might pose. China is seen by international observers as being one of the few countries that could exert its influence on Russia in bringing about an end to the war in Ukraine. "There is no way actually for China to make Russia stronger without jeopardizing Chinese interests," he told CNBC.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Alexei Druzhinin, Etienne Soula, Soula, Xie Huanchi Organizations: AFP, Getty, U.S ., Beijing, Alliance, Democracy, German Marshall Fund of, CNBC, Russia, Xinhua News Agency, Research Locations: Russia, U.S, Beijing, Moscow, Ukraine, China, United States, Asia, Kyiv

BEIJING, Aug 13 (Reuters) - The death toll from a mudslide last week in China's northwestern Shaanxi province has risen to four, state radio said on Sunday, as the country grapples with unusually high summer rainfall. TYPHOON WEAKENSMeanwhile, Typhoon Khanun weakened into a tropical depression when it made landfall in China's Liaoning province on Friday night. Overnight rainfall in Liaoning peaked at 52 millimetres (2 inches) per hour, with four reservoirs exceeding flood limits, CCTV said. A video posted by state media People's Daily showed thick swirling clouds hanging low above the ground, darkening the sky. Reporting by Andrew Hayley and Ethan Wang; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Typhoon Khanun, Khanun, Doksuri, Andrew Hayley, Ethan Wang, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Jamie Freed Organizations: China Central Television, Xinhua, Liaoning province's Anshan, Flood, Drought, Ministry of Emergency Management, CCTV, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China's, Shaanxi, Xian, China's Liaoning, Liaoning, Tianjin, Chongqing, China, Xinjiang

☆ Floods, mudslides kill two in northwestern China city
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Qinling Mountains in Xian will continue to experience extreme weather conditions, which will lead to soil erosion and possibly further mudslides, the broadcaster said. A man holding a child walks across a damaged bridge after the rains and floods brought by remnants of Typhoon Doksuri, in Zhuozhou, Hebei province, China August 7, 2023. In southwestern Guangxi on Friday, heavy rainfall in the city of Nanning led to urban flooding, forcing rush hour commuters to drive vehicles and motorcycles through waterlogged roads, CCTV said. Local authorities set up cordons to allow drainage work on some roads, while the city dispatched nearly 3,900 police to help. In Huozhou city in the northern province of Shanxi, some low-lying houses faced stagnant water breaches, as floods from heavy rain trapped some residents in their buildings, the broadcaster said.

Persons: Xian, Doksuri, Tingshu Wang, Engen Tham, Miral Organizations: China Central Television, REUTERS, Local, Xinhua News Agency, Thomson Locations: Nanning, Beijing, Harbin SHANGHAI, China, Fujian, Xian, Zhuozhou, Hebei province, Harbin, Guangxi, Jilin, Huozhou, Shanxi, Mongolia

☆ China asks Philippines to jointly work on defusing South China Sea tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the Philippines to work with China to seek an effective way to defuse tensions in the South China Sea, the official Xinhua news agency said on Saturday. The comments come amid rising tensions between the two countries over the location of a grounded warship that serves as a military outpost in the South China Sea. The comments were made by Wang during a visit to Singapore and Malaysia which took place on Thursday and Friday, said Xinhua. The Philippines won an international arbitration award in 2016 against China's claim over almost all of the South China Sea, after a tribunal ruled Beijing's sweeping claim had no legal basis, including at the Second Thomas Shoal. China, which does not recognize the ruling, has built militarized, man-made islands in the South China Sea and its claim of historic sovereignty overlaps with the EEZs of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

Persons: Wang Yi, Wang, Thomas Organizations: Xinhua, Philippines, China's Locations: Philippines, China, South China, Singapore, Malaysia, Xinhua, Philippine, Sierra, Thomas Shoal . China, South, Vietnam, Brunei, Indonesia

☆ China warns of crop, animal disease outbreaks in flood-hit areas
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Josh Arslan/File PhotoBEIJING, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Northern China warned of crop and animal diseases breaking out as flood waters retreated from rural areas, while some cities struggled to restore drinking water supplies after the worst flooding in six decades. Local authorities must step up measures to prevent and control major disease outbreaks caused by dead animals, pests and insects, Agriculture Minister Tang Renjian said after an inspection of affected areas on Tuesday. In Zhuozhou, the worst-hit city in Hebei, workers in hazmat suits sprayed disinfectant in built-up areas to prevent the spread of disease, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The Water Resources ministry has declared an emergency response to quickly restore drinking water supplies, including setting up supply points and dispatching water trucks. Even in Beijing, where at least 33 people have died in the floods, a team of nearly 600 people were "racing against time" to restore water supplies in a rural district.

Persons: Doksuri, Josh Arslan, Tang Renjian, Tang, Liz Lee, Ryan Woo, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Agriculture, Xinhua, Water Resources, Thomson Locations: Zhuozhou, Hebei province, China, BEIJING, Northern China, Hebei, Beijing, Farms, Shijiazhuang, Shanghai

Feeling the pinch of rising housing costs and a slowing economy, the jobless graduates are forfeiting cities that have traditionally provided a stepping stone to middle-class wealth. The numbers varied by region, with 59% of graduates in the well-developed east heading home. To keep costs down as they stay longer in hope of finding a job, some young mega-city drifters even share their beds with strangers. One such post was looking for a roommate to share one bed in a room "with a huge balcony" in Beijing. ($1 = 7.2004 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Ella Cao and Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Conor HumphriesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Stringer CHINA, Joyce Zhang, I've, Zhang, China's, Ella Cao, Ryan Woo, Conor Humphries Organizations: Central China Normal University, REUTERS, China News Service, China's, Xinhua, Reuters, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Wuhan, Hubei province, China, BEIJING, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Inner Mongolia, Hangzhou, Zhejiang

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