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WASHINGTON/BEIJING, Feb 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a visit to China that had been expected to start on Friday after a Chinese spy balloon was tracked flying across the United States, a U.S. official said. China earlier expressed regret that what it called a "civilian" airship had strayed into U.S. territory after being blown off course, an incident that sparked a political furor in the United States. Republican Senator Tom Cotton had called for Blinken to cancel his trip, while Republican former President Donald Trump, a declared presidential candidate for 2024, posted "SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON!" It said it would continue to communicate with the United States to "properly handle" the unexpected situation. Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, said the spy balloon was alarming but not surprising.

☆ China 'seriously concerned' about report U.S. has halted approvals of exports to Huawei
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, Jan 31 (Reuters) - China is seriously concerned about a report that the United States has stopped approving licences for U.S. companies to export items to tech giant Huawei, a foreign minsitry spokesperson said on Tuesday. "We are closely following relevant developments," Mao Ning told a regular news briefing in response to a query on the export curbs. read moreReporting by Yew Lun Tian; Writing by Bernard Orr; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China raps Czech president-elect over Taiwan call
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Czech presidential candidate Petr Pavel speaks to the media at his headquarters, during the country's presidential election, in Prague, Czech Republic January 28, 2023. REUTERS/David W CernyBEIJING, Jan 31 (Reuters) - China condemned on Tuesday a phone call between Czech President-elect Petr Pavel and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen, saying he ignored Beijing's repeated attempts at dissuasion. "Czech President-elect Pavel ignored China's repeated attempts to dissuade him and our repeated representations," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning Mao told reporters. "Before his election, Pavel publicly stated that the 'one China' principle should be respected, yet now he has gone back on his words," Mao said. "China once again urges the Czech Republic to...take immediate and effective measures to eliminate the negative impact of this incident and avoid irreparable damage to China-Czech relations."

☆ China aims to boost consumption and imports as global demand cools
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Jan 28 (Reuters) - China's cabinet said on Saturday it would promote a consumption recovery as the major driver of the economy and boost imports, state broadcaster CCTV reported, at a time of cooling global demand as major economies teeter on the brink of recession. It also discussed measures to support farmers to start spring planting, including subsidies for soybean sowing, CCTV reported. But they said households were likely to be moderate in releasing pent-up demand. Chinese exports shrank sharply in December as global demand cooled, but a more modest decline in imports led economic analysts to forecast a slow recovery in domestic demand in the coming months. Growth is expected to rebound to 4.9% in 2023, before steadying in 2024, according to a Reuters poll of economists.

☆ Holiday trips within China surge after lifting of COVID curbs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Yew Lun Tian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Jan 28 (Reuters) - The number of people making trips inside China over the week-long Lunar New Year holiday surged 74% from last year after authorities scrapped COVID-19 curbs that had stifled travel for three years, media reported on Saturday. An estimated 226 million domestic trips were made by all means including plane during the holiday week that ended on Friday, state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing government figures. That compares with about 130 million domestic trips during the holiday week last year, according to the transport ministry. In the last Lunar New Year holiday before the novel coronavirus emerged in late 2019 in the central city of Wuhan, some 420 million trips were made internally. During the Lunar New Year holiday in 2019, a total of 12.53 million cross-border trips were made, the Xinhua news agency reported.

☆ Holiday trips within China surge after COVID curbs lifted
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Yew Lun Tian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

According to official data, the number of COVID deaths a showed weekly decline, however. China abandoned its strict "zero COVID" policy in early December after protests against the restrictions, allowing people to travel and the virus to spread rapidly throughout the country. An estimated 226 million domestic trips were made by all means including flights during the holiday week, state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing government figures. This compares to around 130 million domestic trips during the holiday week last year, according to the transport ministry, but is still far below pre-pandemic levels: In the last Lunar New Year holiday before the novel coronavirus emerged in late 2019, some 420 million trips were made. During the Lunar New Year holiday in 2019, 12.53 million cross-border trips were made, the Xinhua news agency reported.

☆ India expects more clashes with Chinese troops in Himalayas
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Krishn Kaushik | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW DELHI, Jan 28 (Reuters) - A security assessment by Indian police in the Himalayan region of Ladakh says there could be more clashes between Indian and Chinese troops along their contested frontier there as Beijing ramps up military infrastructure in the region. A fresh clash erupted between the two sides in the eastern Himalayas in December but there were no deaths. The report said the assessment was based on intelligence gathered by local police in the border areas and the pattern of India-China military tensions over the years. China's foreign ministry spokesperson's office on Saturday said China was maintaining close communication and dialogue through diplomatic and military channels with India. India and China share a 3,500 km (2,100 miles) border that has been disputed since the 1950s.

☆ China's EXIM bank gives Sri Lanka debt extension
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Yew Lun Tian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Jan 26 (Reuters) - China's Export-Import Bank of China (EXIM) has provided Sri Lanka with a debt extension, China's foreign ministry said on Thursday, confirming a Reuters report earlier this week. EXIM offered Sri Lanka a two-year moratorium on its debt and said it would support the country's efforts to secure a $2.9 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, according to a letter reviewed by Reuters. Regional rivals China and India are the biggest bilateral lenders to Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people that is facing its worst economic crisis in seven decades. At the end of 2020, China EXIM loaned Sri Lanka $2.83 billion which is 3.5% of the island's debt, according to an IMF report released in March last year. EXIM is a policy bank tasked by Beijing with lending to governments and key industries globally.

Some Chinese youth who spoke to Reuters reflected the sense of frustration. But China's Gen Z has its own characteristics that present a dilemma for Xi, some analysts said. A survey of 4,000 Chinese by consultancy Oliver Wyman found Gen Z to be the most negative about China's economic outlook of all the age groups. FIXING THE YOUTHIn a New Year speech, Xi acknowledged the need to improve the prospects of China's youth, without mentioning the protests against his zero-COVID approach. Making housing more affordable could mean allowing a sector responsible for a quarter of China's economic activity in recent years to collapse.

The holiday, known before the pandemic as the world's largest annual migration of people, comes amid an escalating diplomatic spat over COVID curbs that saw Beijing introduce transit curbs for South Korean and Japanese nationals on Wednesday. The virus is spreading unchecked in China after Beijing abruptly began dismantling its previously tight curbs in early December following historic protests. Among them, South Korea and Japan have also limited flights and require tests on arrival, with passengers showing up as positive being sent to quarantine. COUNTING DEATHSSome of the governments that announced curbs on travellers from China cited concerns over Beijing's data transparency. Annual spending by Chinese tourists abroad reached $250 billion before the pandemic, with South Korea and Japan among the top shopping destinations.

☆ China halts short-term visas in South Korea, first response to COVID curbs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING/SEOUL, Jan 10 (Reuters) - The Chinese embassy in South Korea has suspended issuing short-term visas for South Korean visitors, it said on Tuesday, the first retaliatory move against nations imposing COVID-19 curbs on travellers from China. A Chinese embassy official confirmed the new measures. South Korea's Park told Qin the new border restrictions were "science-based" measures, according to his office. Last week, South Korean police tracked down a Chinese man who went missing while awaiting quarantine after having tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival. South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Monday the country's border measures should focus strictly on the safety of its citizens.

☆ Taiwan calls on Germany to help maintain 'regional order'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen called on Germany on Tuesday to help maintain "regional order" during a meeting with senior German lawmakers who are visiting the island on a trip that Beijing has condemned. "We look forward to Taiwan, Germany and other democratic partners jointly maintaining the regional order and prosperity." Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the head of Germany's parliamentary defence committee and a member of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's junior coalition partner Free Democrats (FDP), told Tsai that Germany and Taiwan are friends. Russia's invasion of Ukraine was a wake up call for the whole world, Strack-Zimmermann said. China has expressed anger at the trip, with its foreign ministry on Monday alluding to Germany's World War Two past.

☆ China 'wolf warrior' diplomatic spokesperson Zhao moves to new role
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, who gained prominence as one of China's most outspoken "wolf warrior" diplomats, has been transferred to its department that manages land and sea borders, according to the ministry's website. Zhao, 50, is now deputy head of the ministry's Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, the website showed on Monday. In a controversial Twitter post in March 2020, Zhao wrote that the U.S. military might have brought the coronavirus to the Chinese city of Wuhan. Zhao, who often hosted the ministry's daily media briefing, has 1.9 million Twitter followers. Zhao and the ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his change in role.

Long queues formed at the Hong Kong international airport's check-in counters for flights to mainland cities including Beijing, Tianjin and Xiamen. Hong Kong media outlets estimated that thousands were crossing. Beijing has quotas on the number of people who can travel between Hong Kong and China each day. I'm thrilled, I can't believe it’s happening,” said a businesswoman surnamed Shen, 55, who flew in from Hong Kong. The World Health Organisation said on Wednesday that China's COVID data underrepresents the number of hospitalisations and deaths from the disease.

☆ China, Philippines agree to handle disputes 'peacefully', boost cooperation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Yew Lun Tian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING, Jan 5 (Reuters) - China and the Philippines said in a joint statement on Thursday they have agreed to set up a direct communications channel between their foreign ministries on the South China Sea to handle disputes peacefully. The Philippines has previously raised concerns over reported Chinese construction activities and the "swarming" of Beijing's vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea, an area rich in oil, gas and fishery resources. Both sides also agreed to resume talks on oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea and discuss cooperation on areas including solar, wind, electric vehicles and nuclear power. Coastguards from China and the Philippines would also meet "as soon as possible" to discuss "pragmatic cooperation". Last November, when debris from a Chinese rocket fell in the South China Sea, a Chinese coastguard ship had stopped a Philippine boat from trying to tow it away.

[1/3] Philippines' President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos are photographed with China President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Li Yuan during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, January 4, 2023. Office of the Press Secretary/Handout via REUTERSSummary Philippines, China sign 14 bilateral dealsXi pledged solution on plight of Filipino fishers -MarcosChina promised cooperation, investmentBEIJING/MANILA Jan 4 (Reuters) - China is ready to resume oil and gas talks and manage maritime issues "cordially" with the Philippines, China President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday, according to Chinese state television. Xi was speaking to his Philippines counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who was on a three-day visit to Beijing. The Philippines had previously raised concerns over reported Chinese construction activities and the "swarming" of Beijing's vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea. While the Philippines is a defence ally of the United States, under previous leader Rodrigo Duterte it set aside a territorial spat over the South China Sea in exchange for Chinese investment.

Speaking ahead of his flight, Marcos said he looked forward to meeting President Xi Jinping and that "the issues between our two countries are problems that do not belong between two friends such as the Philippines and China". Last week, a Philippine foreign ministry official said talks with Xi would include China's actions in the South China Sea. While the Philippines is a defence ally of the United States, under Duterte it set aside a territorial spat over the South China Sea in exchange for Chinese investment. Beijing claims much of the South China Sea, where about $3 trillion in ship-borne trade passes annually, with the area becoming a flashpoint for Chinese and U.S. tensions around naval operations. But while De Castro expects the South China Sea issue to be brought up, he does not expect Beijing to alter its position.

☆ EU offers China free vaccines as COVID-19 infections surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 3 (Reuters) - The European Union has offered free COVID-19 vaccines to China, the EU executive said on Tuesday, as infections there surged following Beijing's relaxation of its "zero-COVID" policies. China has not responded to the offer yet, a spokesperson for the European Commission told journalists at a regular briefing. He did not specify the amount of vaccines the EU was offering or their manufacturers. "In view of the COVID situation in China, (Health) Commissioner Stella Kyriakides has reached out to her Chinese counterparts to offer EU solidarity and support," he said. Last month, Germany shipped 11,500 BioNTech (22UAy.DE) COVID vaccines to German companies and embassy and consulate locations in China for use by German nationals there.

☆ China appoints Xi's trusted aide Qin Gang as new foreign minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Dec 30 (Reuters) - China has appointed Qin Gang, a trusted aide of President Xi Jinping, as its new foreign minister, state radio reported on Friday. Qin, 56, and currently China's ambassador to the United States, replaces Wang Yi, who has been foreign minister for the past decade. Wang, 69, was promoted to the politburo of the Chinese Communist Party in October and is expected to play a bigger role in foreign policy. A rising star in the foreign ministry, Qin rose through various positions including as the ministry's spokesman and postings at the Chinese embassy in Britain. Following his appointment, Qin will return to Beijing from Washington after 17 months as China's 11th ambassador to the United States.

☆ China sanctions two Americans over Tibet rights controversy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Dec 23 (Reuters) - China has sanctioned two Americans in retaliation for U.S. sanctions against two Chinese officials over human rights in Tibet earlier this month, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday. According to this order, the Chinese measures are in retaliation for the sanctions imposed on two Chinese officials by the United States on Dec. 9 over human rights issues in the Chinese western frontier region of Tibet. China will freeze all Chinese assets of Yu and Stein, and ban any organisation or individual within China from engaging with them. Both men and their family members are also banned from entering China. Reporting by Yew Lun Tian; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Feeling defiant, I told him, I will let the world know what you police are doing," said Pei, 27. He asked to be identified only by part of his name for fear of repercussions. China's Ministry of Public Security did not respond to a request for comment on the laws they might use against protesters. Zhang Dongshuo, a Beijing-based lawyer who has handled rights cases in the past, said the levels of punishment for protesting in China vary widely. "They just sprang up organically because people were driven by a sense of hopelessness and desperation about the never-ending COVID restrictions," Wu said.

☆ Inside China's fight over the future of zero-COVID
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( David Stanway | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

After nearly three years, a significant loosening of zero-COVID measures has been signalled by senior government officials and public health experts. Vice Premier Sun Chunlan said on Thursday that China's health system had "withstood the test" of COVID, allowing further adjustments to state policies. "You can have zero-COVID, but you can't have a healthy economy, and you can have a healthy economy, but you can't have zero-COVID." Laura Yasaitis, a public health expert at the Eurasia Group think-tank who follows China's zero-COVID policies, said fear of the virus likely varied widely across the country, as well as within cities or provinces. Officials have repeatedly said that China's health system would be unable to cope with a surge in cases, with medical resources unevenly distributed across the country.

☆ Chinese papers go black in mourning for late leader Jiang Zemin
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] A Chinese flag is lowered to half-staff, following the death of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, in Shanghai, China, December 1, 2022. REUTERS/Aly SongBEIJING, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Chinese newspapers turned their front pages black on Thursday and flags were put at half mast in mourning for the death of former president Jiang Zemin, whose death has prompted a wave of nostalgia for the more liberal times he oversaw. Jiang died in his home city of Shanghai just after noon on Wednesday of leukaemia and multiple organ failure. "Beloved comrade Jiang Zemin will never be forgotten," it said in its headline, above a story republishing the official announcement of his death. "Having someone educated as leader really is a good thing, RIP," wrote one user on WeChat adding a candle emoji.

☆ Factbox: A chronology of dissent in China in recent decades
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( James Pomfret | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The following is a timeline of some other notable protests, and public dissent against China's ruling Communist Party. 2009 - Xinjiang - In the region's worst ethnic unrest in decades, ethnic Uighurs attacked majority Han Chinese in the capital Urumqi, after an incident involving Uighur workers in a factory in southern China. China later builds massive "facilities" to turn Xinjiang into what a United Nations panel described as a "massive internment camp shrouded in secrecy". China later imposes a powerful national security law, arresting scores of democrats and shutting down civil society groups and liberal media outlets, including the Apple Daily newspaper. 2022 - Henan bank protests - Public protests simmer as thousands lose access to their savings in a banking fraud scandal centred on rural lenders in Henan and Anhui provinces.

☆ Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin dies aged 96
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] China's President Jiang Zemin gestures during his press conference in Beijing, China, September 2, 1994. REUTERS/Will Burgess/File PhotoBEIJING, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin died on Wednesday at the age of 96 of leukaemia and multiple organ failure, Chinese state media reported. Jiang died at 12:13 p.m. (0413 GMT) in his home city of Shanghai, the official Xinhua news agency said, publishing a letter to the Chinese people by the ruling Communist Party, parliament, Cabinet and the military announcing the death. It described "our beloved Comrade Jiang Zemin" as an outstanding leader of high prestige, a great Marxist, statesman, military strategist and diplomat and a long-tested communist fighter. Reporting by Tony Munroe and Yew Lun Tian; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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