Beijing, China | AFP | China will “take necessary measures” if the United States harms the country’s economic interests, a Chinese official said Sunday, as President Donald Trump plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium. “China doesn’t want a trade war with the United States,” Zhang Yesui, spokesman for …
Read More »MH370 hunt likely to end mid-June: official
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | A new hunt for flight MH370 is expected to end by mid-June, Malaysian authorities said Saturday, as families marked four years since the disappearance of the plane amid renewed hope. The Malaysia Airlines jet disappeared on March 8, 2014 with 239 people — mostly …
Read More »White House says Xi’s term limits ‘up to China’
Washington, United States | AFP | The White House on Monday said a decision that could see Chinese leader Xi Jinping rule for life was an internal matter for the authorities in Beijing. “I believe that’s a decision for China to make,” said spokeswoman Sarah Sanders, after the country’s Communist …
Read More »Huawei launches new tablet in flagship phone hiatus
Barcelona, Spain | AFP | China’s Huawei launched a new laptop and tablet on Sunday as it seeks to cement its place among the world’s three biggest electronic device manufacturers. The laptop, the Matebook X Pro, and the tablet, the MediaPad M5, were presented on the eve of the opening of …
Read More »China poised to lift presidential term limits
Beijing, China | AFP | The Chinese Communist Party’s leadership has called for the removal of presidential term limits, opening the door for China’s most powerful leader in decades, Xi Jinping, to remain in office beyond 2023. The party’s Central Committee has proposed deleting from the constitution the stipulation that …
Read More »S. Africa widens hunt for Zuma allies to India, China
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa has widened a corruption probe into allies of ex-president Jacob Zuma to other countries including India, China and Dubai, the police minister said Sunday. Fikile Mbalula made the announcement days after South Africa issued an arrest warrant for one of the brothers …
Read More »Woman 38, pays billions to marry young man
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A newly married Chinese couple has been making waves on the internet for their unorthodox match- she is a wealthy 38-year-old mother of one, and he is a 23-year-old whose mother is only a year older than his bride. The woman apparently fell pregnant …
Read More »African Union head calls China spying report ‘lies’
Beijing, China | AFP | The African Union’s chairman dismissed during a visit to Beijing on Thursday a French newspaper report alleging that China had spied on the continental body as “lies” intended to derail cooperation. The report published by Le Monde in January claimed technicians at the AU’s Chinese-built …
Read More »Nissan to invest $9.5 billion in China to drive sales
Beijing, China | AFP | Japanese automaker Nissan Motor and its Chinese joint venture partner announced on Monday a $9.5 billion investment plan in China to increase annual sales by one million vehicles and boost electric car production. Dongfeng Motor Company is the latest Sino-foreign car company to splash out …
Read More »THIS WEEK: AU rocked by China spying allegations
THIS WEEK: AU rocked by China spying allegations Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The African Union has been rocked by allegations that China bugged the building that houses the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The headquarters were built by China and opened in 2012. A French …
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