Beijing

China plans record budget deficit of 4% of GDP in 2025, up from 3%

These targets are usually not announced officially until an annual parliament meeting in March. They could still change before the legislative session

Representatives of India, China likely to hold talks in Beijing on Dec 18

The Special Representatives of India and China on border issues will meet here on Wednesday to discuss the restoration of bilateral ties following the October 21 agreement to disengage troops in eastern Ladakh. As agreed, Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi and India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will hold the 23rd meeting of Special Representatives for the China-India Boundary Question in Beijing on December 18, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian announced here on Monday. According to informed sources, Doval will arrive here on Tuesday to attend the crucial talks, which were expected to provide a way forward for the two countries to normalise the relations. Constituted in 2003 to comprehensively address the vexed dispute of the India-China border spanning to 3488 kms, the SRs mechanism over the years met 22 times. The SRs meeting would take place after a gap of five years. The last meeting was held in 2019. While succe

Taiwan urges China to stop 'provocation' amid rise in military activity

Taiwan Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo said Lai Ching-te's recent visit to diplomatic allies was a common practice of Taiwan presidents

Nvidia steps up hiring in China to focus on research in AI-driven cars

The world's second most valuable company will end the year with about 4,000 people, up from just about 3,000 at the start of 2024

First agreement under Taiwan-US trade initiative to come into force today

United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the first agreement under the 21st Century Trade initiative that will come into force covers areas including anti-corruption

Chinese court sentences journalist to seven years for espionage

He wrote opinion articles in Chinese media and liberal academic journals on topics from legal reforms to social issues, and co-edited a book promoting the rule of law in China

China's aging population fuels 'silver economy' boom; profits, elusive

Every Wednesday, retiree Zhang Zhili travels an hour by bus to an education center, drawn by the pulsing rhythms of the African drum she plays there in a classroom filled with fellow retirees whose hands move in unison, every beat lifting her spirits. Zhang, 71, has found joy and new friends at the elderly university in Beijing. Besides African drums, the former primary school teacher joins social dance classes, paying about 2,000 yuan (USD 280) for two courses this semester. Seeing herself standing tall in dance class boosts her confidence. After class, she hangs out with her friends. When we get old, what do we need?" she said. To love ourselves. Many older Chinese are looking beyond traditional nursing homes, afraid of abandonment by their families and quality issues. That's driving a boom in universities, home care services, and communities catering to older adults. Though some providers struggle to turn a profit, they persist because they see promise in the growing market. Chi

Apple CEO Tim Cook returns to China as Beijing prepares to fete CEOs

Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to meet with top corporate executives today ahead of the event

How China won its deadly smog battle. Is it possible for India too?

Over the years, Beijing's air quality improved significantly, dropping by 42.3 per cent between 2013 and 2021, a reduction attributed to stringent policies and enforcement

Beijing's crackdown on Tibetan education intensifies with monks' transfers

This marks the latest chapter in Beijing's long-standing campaign to suppress Tibetan identity

US, Canadian warships sail through Taiwan Strait week after Beijing's games

US and Canadian warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, almost a week after China held massive war games around Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory. The destroyer USS Higgins and the Canadian frigate HMCS Vancouver made a routine transit of the Taiwan Strait meant to uphold the principle of freedom of navigation for all countries, read a statement on Monday by the US Navy's 7th Fleet. The US Navy, occasionally joined by ships from allied countries, regularly transits the sensitive waterway separating China from Taiwan. China condemned the maneuver, saying it undermined peace and stability in the region. The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command said it mobilised naval and air forces to monitor the transit of the US and Canadian ships in accordance with the law. The transiting ships navigated through waters where high-seas freedom of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law, read the US Navy 7th Fleet statement. T

Taiwan detects 19 Chinese aircraft, 6 naval ships around its territory

"19 PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 15 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, central and southwest

Painful policy choices loom after China's monumental consumer stimulus plan

China's household spending is less than 40 per cent of annual economic output, some 20 percentage points below the global average

China considers injecting $142 bn into major banks to support its economy

China's mega banks have been under growing pressure from regulators to shore up the struggling economy by offering cheaper loans to risky borrowers

China's fading hunger for food grain spells trouble for world farmers

Beijing has already taken steps to try to protect farmers, asking traders to limit overseas purchases of corn, barley and sorghum

China's economy softens in August as Beijing struggles with weak demand

China's economy softened in August, extending a slowdown in industrial activity and real estate prices as Beijing faces pressure to ramp up spending to stimulate demand. Data published by the National Bureau of Statistics Saturday showed weakening activity across industrial production, retail sales and real estate this month compared to July. We should be aware that the adverse impacts arising from the changes in the external environment are increasing, said Liu Aihua, the bureau's chief economist in a news conference. Liu said that demand remained insufficient at home, and the sustained economic recovery still confronts multiple difficulties and challenges. China has been grappling with a lagging economy post-COVID, with weak consumer demand, persistent deflationary pressures and a contraction in factory activity. Chinese leaders have ramped up investment in manufacturing to rev up an economy that stalled during the pandemic and is still growing slower than hoped. Beijing also h

Pope makes new overture to China, calls Beijing promise, hope for church

Pope Francis declared Friday that China was a promise and a hope for the Catholic Church, offering extensive praise for Beijing at the end of a four-nation tour through Asia and again expressed hope to one day visit. Francis' comments, during an in-flight press conference en route home from Singapore, came as the Vatican enters into the final weeks of negotiations to renew a 2018 agreement over the contentious issue of bishop nominations. Francis declared himself happy with the process, saying both sides were engaging in negotiations in a spirit of good will. I'm happy with the dialogue with China, he said. The result is good. China for me is an illusion, in the sense that I want to visit China, he said. A great country. I admire China. I respect China. It's a country with a millennial culture, with a capacity for dialogue and understanding that goes beyond other systems of democracy. The Vatican has been working for years to try to improve relations with China that were officially

China's carrot-and-stick tactics on EU nations starting to pay off

China-made EVs exported to Europe rose 38% in 2023 to 656,000 units, including shipments non-EU countries

China asks its carmakers to keep advanced EV technology within country

The instructions come as companies from BYD Co. to Chery Automobile Co. firm up plans to build factories in Spain to Thailand and Hungary as their innovative EVs make inroads in foreign markets

India not closed to doing business with China, says Jaishankar in Berlin

India subsequently tightened its scrutiny of investments from Chinese companies and halted major projects