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☆ Proposals at the Olympics draw criticism of overshadowing women athletes' accomplishments
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Viewers have had mixed reactions to athletes who have gotten engaged during the Paris Games. While some feel that the grand gesture makes Olympians’ big moments even bigger, others say that the proposals steal the spotlight from female athletes in particular. A Chinese social media site even jokingly shared a post featuring an added engagement ring column alongside the medal counter. But proposals done just after a monumental win have drawn some of the most scrutiny from some fans. And many social media users came to the couple’s defense, arguing that the proposal took place after the medal ceremony.

Persons: Liu Yuchen, Huang Yaqiong, Sarah Steyaert, Picon, Pablo Simonet, Maria Campoy, Sydney Colson, ”, didn’t, Huang, Steyaert, ” Steyaert, Qin Kai, Zi, Michael Phelps, Sunny Singh Organizations: Paris Games, Argentine, Team Argentina, Games, WNBA, Las Vegas Aces, La Chapelle, BBC, NBC Asian Locations: French, Porte, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, NBC Asian America

How Team U.S.A. Won the Olympic Women’s Gymnastics Gold1 United States 171.296 2 Italy -5.802 points behind 3 Brazil -6.799The United States took the gold medal in the women’s gymnastics team final at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, beginning with solid vaults from Simone Biles and Jade Carey and ending with a bringing-down-the-house routine by Biles on the floor exercise. Team Italy took the silver, its first Olympic team medal in women’s gymnastics since 1928. And despite wobbles on the beam by Brazilians Flavia Saraiva and Rebeca Andrade — both during a skill called a switch ring leap — their team placed third for its first-ever Olympic team medal. China suffered in the rankings after Zhou Yaqin’s beam routine and Qiu Qiyuan’s bars, expected to be powerhouse events for the country, both included serious mistakes. VaultHow each team scored on the vaultCarey, who had been expected to compete on both vault and floor when she was named to the Olympic team, ended up competing only on vault on Tuesday after spending much of the past week sick.

Persons: Simone Biles, Jade Carey, Biles, Simone Biles’s, Joe Ward, Weiyi Cai, Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee, Chiles, Cheng, Flavia Saraiva, Rebeca Andrade —, Becky Downie, Zhou, Qiu Qiyuan’s, Carey, Lee, Jeremy White, — Lee, Bedel Organizations: United States, Paris Olympics, Italy, Olympic Locations: Italy, Brazil, United States, Tokyo, China

☆ 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

☆ China, U.S. Look to a Biden-Xi Summit While Wrestling Tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Charles Hutzler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Beijing reappointed top diplomat Wang Yi to replace Qin Gang as foreign minister during an emergency session, without addressing Qin’s mysterious absence. Chinese leader Xi Jinping had handpicked Qin seven months earlier. Photo: Florence Lo/Pool Reuters/Associated PressWASHINGTON—China’s foreign minister opened meetings with the Biden administration national security team to brighten the way for a summit between their leaders and keep in check the gamut of issues driving the countries’ tensions. Secretary of State Antony Blinken , who held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, said he wants to enlist Beijing’s help in keeping the Israel-Hamas war from widening. China’s harassment of Philippine ships trying to resupply a South China Sea outpost also drew a sharp warning from President Biden this week not to attack a U.S. ally.

Persons: Wang Yi, Xi Jinping, Qin, Florence, Biden, Antony Blinken, Beijing’s Organizations: Beijing, Reuters, Associated Press WASHINGTON, Foreign Locations: Israel, China, U.S

Li’s disappearance follows a series of unexplained personnel shakeups that have roiled the upper ranks of China’s ruling Communist Party this summer, including the ousting in July of former Foreign Minister Qin Gang. The Financial Times reported that the US government believes the defense minister has been placed under investigation, citing American officials. Li, who was sanctioned by the US in 2018 over China’s purchase of Russian weapons, is still listed as China’s defense minister, one of its five state councilors, and a member of the party’s powerful Central Military Commission (CMC). Beijing has never issued an explanation for Qin’s removal nor said that the former minister was under investigation. China’s State Council Information Office has not replied to queries from CNN on the matter.

Persons: Li Shangfu’s, Wu Qian, “, China’s, Qin, Li, Wu, Xi Jinping, they’ve, Li Shangfu, Antony Blinken Organizations: Beijing CNN, Defense Ministry, Communist Party, Foreign, Qin Gang, People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, CNN, Reuters, Communist, Street Journal, The Financial Times, Central Military Commission, Development Department, State, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times Locations: China, Beijing, Washington, United States

Two people who know Fu told CNN that they heard from common friends she had a child through surrogacy in the US, though they did not know who the father was. Fu stopped posting on her WeChat social media account in May after returning to China from the US in April, two sources close to Fu told CNN. Fu Xiaotian, 40, was the host of a flagship talk show on Hong Kong-based Chinese broadcaster Phoenix TV. Following Qin’s disappearance, Chinese social media users have scrutinized Fu’s posts on Weibo, a popular microblogging site, where she boasts more than a million followers. She last posted on Wechat, another Chinese social media app, on May 21, the two people who know Fu told CNN.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — China’s, Qin Gang, Fu Xiaotian, Qin, Fu, Xi Jinping, ”, Fu –, –, Qin’s, “, ” Yun Sun, Sun, That’s, Xiaotian, Zikuan Chen, Fu reminisced, Er, ’ ” Fu Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Financial Times, Phoenix, CNN, China’s Foreign, ” CNN, China’s, Information Office, Phoenix TV, Wall Street Journal, Communist Party, Stimson, World, Cambridge University, Star, Churchill College, Gulfstream G650, Fu, Federal Aviation Administration, Gulfstream, Anchorage International, Washington DC, Qin Locations: Hong Kong, United States, Beijing, China, Washington, London, Phoenix TV’s London, Fu, Weibo, California, Chongqing, Orange County , California, Italy, alma, Los Angeles, Anchorage, Alaska, Miami

Hong Kong CNN —China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday declined to address a report its former foreign minister Qin Gang was ousted from his position over an alleged extramarital affair. When asked about the report during a regular press briefing Tuesday, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said she was “not aware” of the information. “As for the appointment and removal of the Chinese Foreign Minister, the Chinese side has released information before,” spokesperson Mao Ning said in an apparent reference to the July announcement of his replacement. Qin served as Chinese Ambassador to the US from July 2021 until early 2023 when he assumed his short-lived role as foreign minister. According to a biographical information page on China’s Foreign Ministry website, Qin is married with a son.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Qin Gang, Qin, Xi Jinping, Li Shangfu, “, Mao Ning, Wang Yi, –, Xi, Antony Blinken Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong Kong CNN — China’s, Wall Street Journal, Communist Party, Rocket Force, China’s Defense, Foreign Ministry, Communist, Wall Street, CNN, China’s, Information Office, China’s Foreign Ministry, Foreign Locations: Hong Kong, Washington, Beijing, China’s, China, United States

☆ U.S. and Chinese Officials Meet in Malta to Discuss Ukraine and Other Flashpoints
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Edward Wong | More About Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

However, recent developments, especially within the Chinese government and the party, have cast doubt on whether that would happen. Questions are swirling around recent purges within the top levels of the Chinese government and the Communist Party. U.S. officials determined last week that Gen. Li Shangfu, the Chinese defense minister, who had not made any public appearances or pronouncements since late August, had been placed under investigation for corruption. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken traveled to Beijing in June for two days of meetings, mainly separate talks with Mr. Xi, Mr. Wang and Mr. Qin, after canceling a trip during the balloon episode in early February. She was followed by John Kerry, the special climate envoy, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

Persons: Sullivan, Wang, Biden, Xi, Li Shangfu, Qin Gang, Antony J, Blinken, Qin, Janet L, Yellen, John Kerry, Gina Raimondo Organizations: Communist Party . U.S, Mr Locations: San Francisco, United States, China, Beijing

☆ China's Wang Yi and US national security adviser Jake Sullivan meet in Malta for 'substantive and constructive' talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

China’s Foreign Ministry said the two sides agreed to continue high-level communication on several fronts, including consultations on Asia-Pacific affairs, maritime affairs, and foreign policy. Biden and Xi last met in November 2022 on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali. Military communicationThe two sides also discussed the need to re-establish military-to-military dialogue between the US and China, the senior Biden official said following the weekend meeting. Wang would visit the country between September 18 and 21, China’s Foreign Ministry said Monday. He is expected to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss “a wide range of bilateral cooperation issues,” according to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry last week.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Wang Yi, Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Xi, Biden, Wang, Sullivan, Nancy Pelosi, China’s, ’, Li Shangfu, Li, Qin Gang, Sergey Lavrov, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, United, China’s, Ministry, Economic Cooperation, Biden, White, US, Party, Foreign Ministry, Chinese Defense, Communist Party, Foreign, Russian, Russian Foreign Ministry, North Locations: China, Hong Kong, United States, Malta, Asia, Pacific, Beijing, San Francisco, Bali, Washington, Taiwan, Taiwan Strait, ”, Ukraine, Moscow, Pyongyang

☆ Li Shangfu: Speculation grows over whereabouts of China's defense minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s Foreign Ministry on Friday skirted questions on the whereabouts of the country’s defense minister, amid mounting speculation the recently promoted general has been placed under investigation. Qin, who was only foreign minister for seven months, has retained the position of state councillor – a senior role in China’s cabinet which Li also holds. On Chinese government and military websites, Li is still listed as the defense minister, state councillor and a member of the party’s powerful Central Military Commission (CMC). “The foreign minister and the defense minister are both externally facing interlocutors with the international community. Two weeks away from the public view is not unprecedented for China’s defense minister, who typically has less frequent public engagements than the foreign minister.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Li Shangfu, China’s, Li, Mao Ning, “ I’m, Qin Gang, Qin, –, Rahm Emanuel, Li hadn’t, Emanuel, Xi’s, Agatha Christie’s, Li Shangfu hasn’t, ”, Xi Jinping, ” Drew Thompson, Lee, Sergey Shoigu, Alexander Lukashenko Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong Kong CNN — China’s, Communist Party, Financial Times, Street, Foreign Ministry, Central Military Commission, People’s Liberation Army, Force, CNN, Foreign, Rocket Force, Defense, Lee Kuan Yew, of Public, National University of Singapore, Development Department, Equipment Development Department, Security Forum, ”, Reuters, ” Reuters, Border Defense Friendship Exchange Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China, United States, Africa, Russia, Belarus, Moscow, Minsk, Hanoi

☆ After Ousting a Top Official, China Erases Him and Evades Questions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( David Pierson | More About David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China’s abrupt removal of Qin Gang as foreign minister did not stop the questions that had dogged Chinese officials in the month since he vanished from public view: Where is Mr. Qin? Representatives of the Foreign Ministry have struggled to respond when pressed by reporters, repeatedly saying that they had no information to provide. After China replaced him on Tuesday, nearly all references to Mr. Qin were scrubbed from the ministry’s website, an unusual erasure that has only deepened the intrigue. Mr. Xi, China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, has concentrated power under himself and enforced secrecy in an already highly opaque system, no matter the cost to China’s international image. Mr. Xi has diminished the sway of the Foreign Ministry, analysts say, as he’s pursued an increasingly assertive, and some say risky, foreign policy.

Persons: Qin, Qin’s, Xi Jinping, Xi, Mao Zedong, he’s Organizations: Qin Gang, Foreign Ministry Locations: China

☆ 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

☆ Xi Jinping’s foreign minister ousted after month-long unexplained absence from public view
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s foreign minister Qin Gang was dramatically ousted on Tuesday after a prolonged absence from public view and replaced by his predecessor in a surprising and highly unusual shake-up of the country’s foreign policy leadership. Qin, 57, a career diplomat and trusted aide of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, had only been appointed foreign minister in December after serving as China’s ambassador to Washington. Wang, who was foreign minister from 2013 to 2022, now serves as director of the foreign affairs arm of the ruling Communist Party, a position which makes him China’s top diplomat. The appointment of a foreign minister through a vote during a China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee meeting is a deviation from past precedents. Qin’s disappearance from China’s foreign affairs schedule has not been fully explained by the ministry, which briefly cited “health reasons” when he missed a diplomatic gathering earlier this month.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Qin Gang, Qin, Xi Jinping, Wang Yi, Wang, Andrey Rudenko, Wagner, Xi, ”, Deng Yuwen, Deng, they’ve Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Communist Party, Russian, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Xi, CNN, Senior Locations: Hong Kong, Washington, China, Beijing, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Russia, Indonesia, South Africa, Johannesburg

☆ China Replaces Foreign Minister Missing From Public View Since June
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Chris Buckley | More About Chris Buckley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China’s foreign minister, Qin Gang, has been removed from office after disappearing from public view 30 days ago, abruptly ending the career of a diplomat who leaped to the top as one of President Xi Jinping’s most trusted rising stars, the Chinese government announced on Tuesday. The official decision that Mr. Qin had been replaced — and his spot taken by the former foreign minister, Wang Yi — capped weeks of speculation about his fate. As speculation grew, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that Mr. Qin had health problems. The lack of clarity appears sure to fan speculation among Chinese commentators and seasoned observers about the circumstances behind one of the most dramatic falls of a high-flying Chinese official in recent times. Whatever the veracity of those theories, Mr. Qin’s downfall is an awkward moment for Mr. Xi, who catapulted Mr. Qin into his powerful role as minister ahead of other older, longer-serving diplomats.

Persons: Qin Gang, Xi Jinping’s, Qin, —, Wang Yi —, Xi Organizations: Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National, Committee Locations: China’s, United States

☆ China and the US are talking -- but can they work together?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Beijing views Washington as bent on suppressing its development and global rise, while Washington has proclaimed the need to protect its national security and the world order from an increasingly authoritarian and assertive China. Washington last year imposed sweeping curbs on exports of critical technology to China in the name of security, and Beijing has responded with export controls of its own. China has refused US overtures to restore those ties, apparently until Washington removes sanctions against its defense minister Li Shangfu. US climate envoy John Kerry during a meeting with top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in the Great Hall of the People on July 18, 2023 in Beijing, China. But all this doesn’t mean there’s no room to work together, according to Shanghai-based international relations scholar Shen Dingli.

Persons: Nancy Pelosi, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen, John Kerry, Li Qiang, Wang Yi, –, ”, Chong Ja Ian, “, Suisheng Zhao, Kerry, Wang, ” Yellen, Li, Li Shangfu, Shi Yinhong, Florence Lo, Shen Dingli, ” Shen, Shen, Blinken, ” Blinken, Xi, Qin Gang, Yun Sun, Chong Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Washington, US, Treasury, National University of Singapore, US Air Force, Air Force, South Carolina . U.S . Air Force, Department of Defense, Reuters, Center for, Cooperation, University of Denver, China’s Communist Party, Renmin University, of, CNN, ”, Economic Cooperation, Foreign, China Program, Stimson, “ Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, Ukraine, United States, China, Taiwan, Bali, —, South Carolina . U.S, Washington, Center for China, South, Shanghai, Asia, Singapore

☆ Xi Jinping's foreign minister vanished from public view. His prolonged absence is driving intense speculation
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang has not been seen in public for three weeks, an unusually long absence during a busy period of diplomatic activity in Beijing, sparking intense speculation in a country known for its political opaqueness. Qin, 57, a career diplomat and trusted aide of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, was promoted to foreign minister in December, after a brief stint as ambassador to the United States. As foreign minister, Qin has delivered searing rebukes of Washington after relations plunged to a new low in the aftermath of a suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down over the US. The Chinese Foreign Ministry often leaves out content it deems sensitive from the transcripts of its regular briefings. Senior Chinese officials have disappeared from public view in the past, only to be revealed months later by the ruling Communist Party’s disciplinary watchdog that they’ve been detained for investigations.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Qin Gang, Qin, Xi Jinping, Antony Blinken, Andrey Rudenko, Wagner, “, ”, Deng Yuwen, Janet Yellen, John Kerry . Qin, Josep Borrell, Wang Yi, Deng, they’ve, Xi Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong Kong CNN — China’s, Russian, Communist Party, Foreign Ministry, European Union, EU, ” Reuters, Reuters, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Chinese Foreign Ministry, Senior, Xi Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, United States, Washington, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Russia, China, Indonesia

After China’s leader, Xi Jinping, catapulted Qin Gang into the post of foreign minister in December, Mr. Qin set a frantic pace, meeting dozens of foreign officials as he pressed Beijing’s agenda in a divided, war-stricken world. Then Mr. Qin went silent. He was recently scheduled to meet the foreign policy chief of the European Union in Beijing, but China canceled that visit. Outside China, Mr. Qin’s lengthy absence has set off speculation on the internet about his health and status. Abrupt disappearances of senior Chinese officials from public life are often seen as potential signs of trouble.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Qin Organizations: European Union Locations: Vietnam, Russia, Sri Lanka, Beijing, China, Jakarta, Indonesia

Qin said US actions and words had undermined “hard-won positive momentum” following Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s meeting with US President Joe Biden in Indonesia last year. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, Washington is also bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. ‘Better channels’Monday’s meeting was Qin’s first with Burns since the former Chinese ambassador to the US was promoted to foreign minister in December. The two sides resumed climate talks following Xi and Biden’s meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia last November. He reiterated Blinken’s visit to China would be rescheduled “when conditions are appropriate.”

☆ China’s Foreign Minister Meets U.S. Envoy, Urges Washington to Reflect
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the three months since, China has ramped up a campaign of anti-American rhetoric and tried to drive a wedge between the United States and Europe, which is divided over how closely to align with Washington’s more hawkish policies toward Beijing. Mr. Qin blamed “a series of erroneous words and deeds” by the United States for undermining “the hard-won positive momentum of Sino-U.S. relations,” according to the Chinese readout. Mr. Qin said he hoped the Biden administration could “reflect deeply” and push the relationship “back on track.” To do that, Washington needed to respect “China’s bottom line” on issues such as Taiwan, the self-governing island claimed by Beijing. Mr. Qin said the United States was “supporting and condoning ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.”China reacted angrily to a visit last month by President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan to the United States. In a post on Twitter, Mr. Burns said he and Mr. Qin “discussed challenges in the U.S.-China relationship and the necessity of stabilizing ties and expanding high-level communication.”

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