China

China lobbying to obtain French nuclear technology for ‘debt-trap diplomacy’: Report
China, World

China lobbying to obtain French nuclear technology for ‘debt-trap diplomacy’: Report

A US-based news organization has claimed that China has intensified lobbying and "backchannel negotiation" in its attempts to obtain billions of dollars of nuclear technology, which it can use as a new tool in its "debt-trap diplomacy"Under the "guise of ameliorating Franco-Sino bilateral relations", the Chinese government has recently intensified lobbying campaign targeting important French politicians in an increasingly "frenetic bid to obtain billions of dollars of nuclear technology", which intelligence sources fear Beijing will use to expand its global influence.Senior intelligence sources said Beijing was currently "lobbying hard" in order to secure a future visit by French President Emmanuel Macron in the recent future.China is seeking to "rekindle a 10-billion euro deal" between Ch...
China reports 10 COVID-19 cases
Asia, China, World

China reports 10 COVID-19 cases

BEIJING: China reported 10 new COVID-19 cases on Oct 1, down from 11 a day earlier, the country's health authority reported on Friday (Oct 2). The National Health Commission said in a statement all new cases were imported infections involving travellers from overseas. The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not count as confirmed COVID-19 cases, rose to 33 from 10 a day earlier. The total number of COVID-19 infections in China now stands at 85,424, while the total number of deaths remained unchanged at 4,634. Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
Wall Street closes higher as stimulus talks progress
China, Market, World

Wall Street closes higher as stimulus talks progress

U.S. stocks jumped on Wednesday as fresh hopes for a new pandemic relief package and upbeat economic data set the major indexes on course to end the quarter on a high note. NEW YORK: U.S. stocks closed solidly higher on Wednesday as government leaders continued talks for a new pandemic relief package and positive economic data helped the major indexes end the third quarter in positive territory. All three major indexes surged after U.S. House of Representative Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin both expressed hope for a breakthrough in partisan stimulus negotiations. But the indexes pared gains after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned the sides remain "far apart" in their talks. "We had the economic news which was pretty good, and continued discus...
Commentary: Hong Kong and Singapore air travel bubble could be a game-changer
Asia, China, Market, Singapore, World

Commentary: Hong Kong and Singapore air travel bubble could be a game-changer

The air travel bubble between both countries is a landmark agreement that signals the start of a gradual recovery for Asia’s international passenger traffic, says Brendan Sobie. SINGAPORE: The air travel bubble announced by Hong Kong and Singapore on Oct 15 marks the first significant positive development in several months for both aviation hubs, Singapore Airlines (SIA) as well as Cathay Pacific. Both the Changi Airport and Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) are currently at about 1.5 per cent of normal passenger traffic levels. Passenger traffic at SIA Group and Cathay Pacific Group are at even lower levels – down almost 99 per cent in recent months. Traffic has been essentially stalled at the current paltry level for the last three months, following a very slight uptic...
Singapore’s foray into space: Boldly going where no little red dot has gone before
China, Market, Singapore, World

Singapore’s foray into space: Boldly going where no little red dot has gone before

The efforts of the country’s budding space industry are giving the Republic a larger stake in the space race than many people may think. The programme Why It Matters looks at the opportunities and obstacles. SINGAPORE: Over the past four years, Singapore-based start-up Transcelestial has made a device called Centauri, about the size of a shoe box. Its aim: To provide internet connectivity that is around 1,000 times faster, or more, than now. It just needs to connect to a satellite using laser communications — no, make that a global satellite network the company wants to put into space. Working from home at the speed of light, however, “isn’t even scratching the surface of the capability” of laser-linked satellites, says Transcelestial co-founder Rohit Jha. He is looking into connec...
ETNAM appreciates US Senate for introducing resolution that calls atrocities on Uyghurs as genocide
China, World

ETNAM appreciates US Senate for introducing resolution that calls atrocities on Uyghurs as genocide

East Turkistan National Awakening Movement (ETNAM) has lauded the US Senate for introducing a resolution that recognizes China's atrocities against Uyghurs as a genocide."US Senators Robert Menendez, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and John Cornyn introduced a bipartisan resolution to designate human rights abuses perpetrated by the People's Republic of China against the Uyghur people and other Turkic peoples in Occupied East Turkistan as a genocide," the ETNAM said in a statement.As per the statement, Menendez and Cornyn were joined by Senators James Risch, Marco Rubio, Ben Cardin, and Jeff Merkley."The resolution would hold China accountable under the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and begin the process t...
Pentagon chief stresses stronger alliances to counter China, Russia
China, Market, World

Pentagon chief stresses stronger alliances to counter China, Russia

WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Mark Esper revealed a new initiative on Tuesday (Oct 20) to strengthen and expand US alliances with "like-minded democracies" to counter Russia and China. Esper said the Pentagon would systematically monitor and manage its relationships with partner countries, aiming to find ways to coordinate militaries and also to advance US arms sales. The initiative, called the Guidance for Development for Alliances and Partnerships(GDAP), came just two weeks before the presidential election that, if President Donald Trump loses, could see Esper replaced in January. It also came after nearly four years of Trump's efforts to restructure and even dismantle alliances, including threatening NATO. "America's network of allies and partners provides us an asymmetric ad...
Alibaba servers in India are stealing data of Indian users: Reports
Asia, China, USA

Alibaba servers in India are stealing data of Indian users: Reports

As many as 72 servers, which are based in India, are allegedly sending data of Indian users to China and at the center of this are cloud data servers of Chinese technology group, Alibaba, top intelligence sources have said.According to the officials, Alibaba’s cloud data servers are widely popular among businesses because they offer services at a far cheaper rate than European servers.However, they are seemingly responsible for “data stealing” from India, and have been allegedly found to be sending over data to China, a claim, the e-commerce giant has denied.According to sources, almost 72 data servers operated by Alibaba in India have been identified as sending data of Indian users to China.This is allegedly a systematic plan that has been organized by Chinese authorities, and works by fl...
China’s launch of new satellite fails
Asia, China

China’s launch of new satellite fails

As per reports, a Chinese satellite failed to enter the orbit due to reasons unknown.The optical remote-sensing satellite Jilin-1 Gaofen 02C, which was launched aboard the Kuaizhou-1A carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China failed to enter the preset orbit.Amateur footage of the apparent launch appeared on Chinese social media shortly after.The launch center said that some abnormal performance was identified during the rocket's flight.Chinese launches to low-Earth and Sun-synchronous orbits are usually confirmed successful within an hour of liftoff. State media provided official confirmation of the failure (Chinese) five hours after launch.The launcher was carrying the Jilin-1 Gaofen (‘high resolution’) 02C optical Earth observation satellite. The satelli...
South link needs clarity
China, Market, USA

South link needs clarity

As plans for the southern land bridge project make the headlines, doubts are growing on whether the multi-billion-dollar project will ever materialize, despite its economic benefits.Recently, Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered a new feasibility study for a land bridge in the South, which would connect Chumphorn province on the western coast of the Gulf of Thailand and Ranong province on the southeastern shores of the Andaman Sea.According to him, as the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) alone won't be enough to boost the economy in the long run, the government had to look for another megaproject to invest in. Ultimately, it was decided that a land bridge would be a good choice.Two projects were considered -- in addition to the land bridge, the government also looked at buildin...