Palm Beach, United States | AFP | Donald Trump hosts Chinese President Xi Jinping at his sun-kissed Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Thursday, a high-stakes first summit replete with pitfalls for both leaders. The stage is set for a carefully choreographed dinners with family and displays of bonhomie, but beneath …
Read More »US to end funding for UN Population Fund over abortion claims
Washington, United States | AFP | The US government plans to stop funding the United Nations Population Fund because of the organization’s “coercive” family planning practices, including providing abortions, officials in Washington said late Monday. According to a State Department official, President Donald Trump has instructed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson …
Read More »PetroChina profit plunges 78% to record low
Shanghai, China | AFP | State-owned Chinese energy giant PetroChina on Thursday announced it slumped to a record-low profit for 2016 as global oil price weakness slashed earnings by 78 percent. Net profit fell to 7.86 billion yuan ($1.1 billion), the Beijing-based company said in a statement to the Hong Kong …
Read More »World giants China Southern and American Airlines announce tie-up
Shanghai, China | AFP | China Southern Airlines said Tuesday it would sell almost a one-tenth stake to American Airlines in a $200 million tie-up that could see two of the world’s biggest carriers cooperate in a range of areas. American Airlines is the world’s largest carrier by scheduled passengers carried, …
Read More »US, China disagree on South Sudan
China has disagreed with the United States, its major economic rival on how to ensure peace in South Sudan. Whereas the US has persistently called for sanctions against Uganda’s northern neighbour in a way of preventing the intermittent fighting that breaks out in the country, China, has said placing sanctions …
Read More »China’s Xi calls for peace in meeting with Netanyahu
Beijing, China | AFP | Chinese President Xi Jinping called Tuesday for peace between Israel and an independent Palestine “as soon as possible” during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, state media reported. “A peaceful, stable and developing Middle East is the common interest of all parties… China appreciates …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Pentagon says diplomacy has failed, considers N.Korea military action
Washington, United States | AFP | Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says diplomacy has failed and military action against nuclear-armed North Korea is an “option on the table,” and President Donald Trump insists a long-range nuke from Pyongyang “won’t happen.” While war with North Korea may be unlikely for now, …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Light rail fails to fix Ethiopia’s traffic troubles
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Electric light railway tracks soar over Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, a rare example of mass transit infrastructure on a continent ruled by ramshackle, diesel-spewing buses. But despite government promises, the roads below are still clogged with traffic 14 months after the light rail system’s opening, …
Read More »China’s first stealth fighter J-20 enters service
Beijing, China | AFP | China has put its first stealth fighter into military service, state-run media reported on Friday, in the latest milestone highlighting the modernisation of the country’s armed forces. Swift, stealthy, and armed with long-range missiles, the J-20 represents a leap forward in China’s ability to project power …
Read More »Baidu CEO defends state support of Chinese firms
Beijing, China | AFP | State support for private firms is crucial in China’s market, the head of the mainland’s online search giant Baidu said Thursday, following complaints from European businesses that Beijing-backed firms are pushing out foreign competitors. “I think state support of private companies is absolutely necessary. In the …
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