I met Jun Jun during the two and a half weeks I spent in Beijing and its vicinities volunteering at homes for Chinese orphans. I wasn’t sure what to expect before I arrived. With access to the homes typically limited, most foreign perceptions of the country’s orphanages are informed by pieces such as “The Dying Rooms,” a 1995 British hidden-camera documentary that gave rise to a scathing expose of neglect of Chinese orphans....
China was still observing a public holiday on Monday, and news presented by state broadcaster CCTV and official information service Xinhua has notably avoided reports concerning the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant in the southern Guangdong province. The Taishan Nuclear Power Joint Venture Company (TNPJVC) released a statement late on Sunday to pre-emptively refute a CNN report claiming the facility had been “leaking fission gas.” The exclusive, published on Monday, said the power plant’s French partner, Framatome, had reached out to the United States government for assistance in resolving an “imminent radiological threat....
Fu Cong, a director-general in China’s Foreign Ministry, called the stall in the investigation a “pity” but denied any fault for it happening. “China has always supported and will continue to participate in the science-based origin tracing efforts,” he said. China said officials should “concentrate on other possible avenues that may help trace the origin” of the virus, and suggested studies in other countries. Fu also accused the U.S. of “hyping the lab leak theory” and trying to shift the blame for the virus onto China....
After the city detected its first case of the highly transmissible variant on Saturday, The Beijing News said at least 27 anal tests had been administered in the apartment complex where the infected woman lives. Health workers also conducted extensive environmental swabs to trace the source of the transmission, the newspaper reported. China has deployed anal swabs in major cities including Beijing and Shanghai since 2020. In the capital, the method was used in combination with antibody tests as well as throat and nasal swabs to screen millions last winter....
Antonio Kendrell Davis, aged 41, and Brittany Chris Rogers, 26, from Oklahoma, left their children in a car with the engine running while they entered the Walmart store at 4801 W. Clara Lane about 12:15 p.m. on Friday, police said. Officers were later alerted to reports of two unresponsive children inside a car outside the store, according to NBC-affiliate WTHR. When officers arrived they found two children, aged 8 and 2....
The acclaimed guitarist’s bandmates from his other group, Bodom After Midnight announced the sad news in a statement. “It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we have to announce the passing of Alexi Laiho,” they said. “We are absolutely devastated and heartbroken for the sudden loss of our dear friend and band member.” According to a press release, Laiho “suffered from long-term health issues during his last years....
Instead it is a Peru side (into the semifinal of Copa America for the second competition running) who will provide opposition for the hosts in Santiago on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET, beIN Sports). Chile is the favorite, yet Peru is the dark horse, and Ricardo Gareca’s side has shown it can perform against more fancied opposition, holding Colombia to a 0-0 draw and succumbing only to a last-gasp goal to go down 2-1 against Brazil....
Leslie E. Norton, Canada’s permanent representative to the UN, issued an urgent plea for transparency and access to China’s northwest, where rights groups and extensive media investigations have alleged widespread discriminatory policies targeting Uyghur Muslims living in the region. Her statement was submitted on behalf of 44 signatories, including the United States, at the 47th regular session of the Human Rights Council. However, her concerns were almost immediately dismissed by a group of 65 member states—led by Belarus—that sided with Beijing....
The vaccine being developed by the company CanSino Biological Inc. and the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences is based on a type of virus called adenovirus Ad5 to deliver coronavirus genes into cells. This prompts the cells to create viral proteins and trigger an immune response, without the virus replicating. Phase 1 and 2 trials on the vaccine published in the scientific journal The Lancet earlier this year suggested the vaccine is safe and could trigger an immune response in people....
The as yet unnamed ship—the country’s second domestically built carrier—is designated Type 003 and is likely to be the last non-nuclear powered People’s Liberation Army Navy aircraft carrier in the Chinese fleet. A report published on Tuesday by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank featured satellite imagery analysis of Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, where the PLA Navy’s second-generation carrier is being put together....
The two leaders met Sunday at the border town of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas. The visit was hastily arranged after Trump offered to meet Kim at the DMZ via Twitter. The president even stepped across the border onto North Korean soil, making him the first sitting U.S. president to do so. “Stepping across that line is a great honor,” Trump said. “Great progress has been made, great friendships have been made and this has been, in particular, a great friendship....
The latest incursions by People’s Liberation Army aircraft bring the total warplane sorties to 502 this year, according to publicly available data released by Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense. The country’s defense officials estimated there were around 380 ADIZ violations in 2020. ADIZs are self-declared and extend beyond a country’s territory into international airspace. The zones—also declared by neighboring China, Japan and South Korea—are used to request advanced identification of foreign civil and military aircraft, but the practice is not regulated by international law....
The law was adopted Tuesday despite ongoing protests in the former British colony. The past year has seen Hong Kong crippled by mass unrest as residents protest against Chinese encroachment on the semi-autonomous city. Activists may now face extradition to China and life imprisonment if they continue their fight for democracy and government accountability in Hong Kong. The new law prohibits broadly the defined offenses of secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign collusion....
The moral is unmistakable: China prospers when it reaches out to the world. The idea is dear to the country’s current leaders, who have staked their reputations on furthering China’s economic rise and smoothing out its rough edges. To that end, Beijing has been vigorously courting countries throughout Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, promoting a “harmonious world” abroad while it pushes for a more equitable “harmonious society” at home....
Under the new restrictions, minors in China can only play online games from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays starting Sept. 1, according to a notice issued by the National Press and Publication Administration. Kids will also be allowed to play games during the set time on public holidays. The rules effectively cap weekly online gameplay for minors to three hours throughout most of the year....
While World Championships bronze medallist Sai Praneeth and 2014 Commonwealth Games champion, Parupalli Kashyap advanced, former winner Saina Nehwal crashed out. In a blockbuster first-round face-off between two former China Open champions, Sindhu staved off a stiff challenge from the home favourite Li Xuerui to take the opening game 21-18 and then simply cruised through the second to post a 21-18, 21-12 win in 35 minutes. The newly-crowned world champion, seeded fifth at this tournament, will now face World No....
The country’s top health body, the National Health Commission (NHC), said Saturday that nearly 60,000 COVID-related deaths were recorded in hospitals since December. Mortality statistics outside of medical facilities remained unclear, but Airfinity estimated China was seeing 23,021 daily deaths as of Monday, with infections having peaked on January 13. COVID fatalities were expected to peak 10 days later at approximately 25,000 a day, the company said, for a projected total of 584,000 since December 1....
The phone and laptop-maker, which is also playing a key role in the development of 5G technology, released a statement today that warned attempts to limit its business with the use of stringent trade blacklists will ultimately “harm U.S. interests.” The U.S. commerce department added Huawei to the entity list last May, immediately restricting its access to U.S. components, citing national security. Last Friday, officials announced it would further restrict Huawei’s ability to use U....
China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) said on Friday that the Taishan plant in Guangdong province would undergo “maintenance.” It came after a recent spike in radioactivity levels led to fears of a leak at the plant. Taishan is roughly 80 miles west of Hong Kong and has a population of just under 1 million. Guangdong is the country’s largest province, with around 115 million residents. Last month, authorities said minor fuel rod damage was to blame for radioactive gases that had built up at the site....
Of the State Department’s list of 110 participants, Taiwan is the only government with which the U.S.’s has no formal diplomatic relations. At a regular press briefing in Beijing, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Beijing “firmly opposes the United States’ inviting Taiwan to participate in the so-called “Leaders’ Summit for Democracy.'' The Chinese government claims the island is a breakaway province. The U.S., meanwhile, takes no position on sovereignty over Taiwan, considers its political status undetermined, and wants differences across the Taiwan Strait to be resolved by peaceful means, “consistent with the wishes and best interests of the people on Taiwan....
