beijing
Trump’s new economic squeeze on Iran has a big challenge: China
WASHINGTON | The ” economic onslaught ” that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has declared on Iran’s financial connections around the world may have one major caveat: China. Beijing is Iran’s biggest trading partner and its leading oil buyer. While the U.S. is trying to isolate the Islamic Republic from its remaining economic partners, President Donald […]
2 organizers of Hong Kong’s Tiananmen vigils convicted in national security case
HONG KONG | Two former organizers of Hong Kong’s annual vigils in remembrance of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown were convicted Friday for what the government-approved judges ruled was inciting others to overthrow China’s communist leadership. Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of […]
Chinese Valentine’s Day is rooted in legend and tradition, not just romance
BEIJING | Chinese Valentine’s Day is not all about flowers and chocolates. Beyond the romance embraced by some contemporary couples, Qixi is an ancient tradition rooted in legend, prayer and cultural activities that survive to this day. The festival is observed on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese calendar, which fell […]
Once shaped by court rituals, China’s imperial cuisine lives on today
BEIJING | It is said that Empress Dowager Cixi once dreamed of a pastry during the final decades of imperial China. The same treat was served to her at breakfast the following morning. Delighted, she summoned her chef and rewarded him with a silver ingot. “It was originally called ‘minced pork pancake,’ but because it […]
NIGH ROBOT: US bans foreign humanoids, targeting China over national security
HONG KONG | The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is banning imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots and power inverters, citing national security risks, in a move that targets China. Beijing quickly accused the U.S. of protectionism. The measures are likely to test relations with Beijing ahead of a planned U.S. visit by Chinese leader Xi […]
A landslide in southwest China buries homes and forces more than 1,000 to evacuate
BEIJING | A landslide Friday in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing buried residential buildings, forced more than 1,100 people to evacuate and trapped others, state media reported. State broadcaster CCTV said at least 10 people were rescued from the debris and that search and rescue operations were ongoing. CCTV said the landslide occurred at […]
Tai chi practitioners seek balance and well-being in fast-paced Beijing
BEIJING | One arm raised and the other lowered, hundreds of people move every morning like birds spreading their wings at the heart of Beijing’s Temple of Heaven. It’s a movement in tai chi, a physical and philosophical practice developed more than 300 years ago that continues to resonate in China today. “The environment is […]
Analysis: Chinese President Xi’s silence on nuclear arms is a gift to North Korea’s Kim Jong Un
TOKYO | Chinese and North Korean state-run media this week devoted thousands of words to Xi Jinping ‘s summit with Kim Jong Un, but made no mention of a key matter for Washington: the North’s steadfast pursuit of nuclear weapons that could threaten the United States and its allies in Asia. The silence says more […]
Police warn families of Tiananmen crackdown dead not to visit graves on 37th anniversary
BEIJING | Chinese authorities are snuffing out any remembrance of the deadly 1989 military crackdown on student-led pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, which happened 37 years ago Thursday, in a further tightening in a yearslong campaign to erase what happened from public memory. Police told relatives of the victims they would not be allowed to […]