Brussels, Belgium - Comments made by the Chinese ambassador to France questioning the sovereignty of post-Soviet countries were "unacceptable," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Sunday. Borrell added that he hoped the comments did not reflect Beijing's official stance. "Unacceptable remarks of the Chinese ambassador to France," Borrell tweeted. "The...

China has announced ambitious plans to become a global leader in the field of AI by 2030, and consultancy group McKinsey estimates the sector could add about $600 billion every year to China's gross domestic product by then. But Beijing's strict censorship and a US squeeze on chip imports have...

In a PLA statement, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman for the Eastern Theatre Command, said "United Sharp Sword" would involve police patrol drills in the Taiwan Strait, "to the north and south of Taiwan, and in the sea and airspace to the east of Taiwan". The exact location of the...

France's foreign minister has held a rare face-to-face meeting with her Iranian counterpart in China, urging Tehran to release French nationals "arbitrarily detained" in Iran, the foreign ministry said. Catherine Colonna, traveling with French President Emmanuel Macron on his state visit to China, met Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Beijing.

Iran and the United Arab Emirates have long had close economic ties which continued even during the diplomatic chill. A veteran diplomat who served most recently as director general of the foreign ministry's diaspora affairs department, Reza Ameri's career had previously taken him to Algeria, Sudan and Eritrea.

The French leader's aims include preserving and rebalancing China's trade ties with Europe as well as safeguarding French interests in the Asia-Pacific region, where Paris sees itself as a player due to its overseas territories and military deployments. On the eve of his visit, Macron discussed his trip to China...

BEIJING, CHINA - Chinese authorities have begun an investigation into leading US memory chipmaker Micron Technology, a decision Beijing's foreign ministry said Monday was intended to "safeguard national security". The probe escalates an already fierce battle between Beijing and Washington for supremacy in the field of semiconductors as broader bilateral relations...

TOKYO, JAPAN -  Japan on Friday unveiled planned export controls on 23 items used to make semiconductors, following US pressure for countries to restrict Chinese access to the technology. The move was immediately slammed by Beijing, which warned against moves that "politicize, instrumentalize and weaponize" trade. It comes as Tokyo confirmed...

Each will be managed by its own CEO and board of directors.

Beijing, China - Saudi Arabia's Aramco said it wants to be an all-inclusive source of energy and chemicals for China’s long-term energy security and China’s high-quality development. Amin H. Nasser, Aramco President and CEO, told the China Development Forum 2023 that the company is doubling down on China’s energy supply,...

But US officials and experts say that China's diplomacy is not so much about ending the war as an attempt to change the narrative. Xi "would like to be seen and be taken seriously as a peacemaker," said Robert Daly, director of the Wilson Center's Kissinger Institute on China.

Li Qiang, one of Chinese President Xi Jinping's trusted allies, was confirmed as premier, as Xi cements his influence on the country's leadership. Li, the former Shanghai party chief who oversaw the city's two-month lockdown last spring, was named the successor of outgoing premier Li Keqiang at a meeting of...

Beijing, China--China on Sunday set an economic growth target of "around 5 percent" for 2023, one of the lowest in decades, as its annual National People's Congress opened in Beijing. The target was announced in a work report delivered by outgoing Premier Li Keqiang as the rubber-stamp parliament opened at the...

Brussels, Belgium - The European Parliament has told staff to purge TikTok from devices used for work because of data protection concerns, after similar moves by the EU's main governing bodies last week. The parliament's president, Roberta Metsola, and the secretary-general, Alessandro Chiocchetti, decided TikTok must not be used or installed...

After almost three years of stringent health restrictions, Beijing in December abruptly ended the zero-Covid policy that had battered the economy and provoked widespread protests. The Asian giant posted growth of just three percent in 2022, hammered by stringent lockdowns and a deepening crisis in the key property sector.

General public budget revenue grew 9.1 percent from 2021, excluding the impact of value-added tax credit refunds, according to the Ministry of Finance.

The world's second-largest economy is roaring back to life after Beijing's decision last month to abruptly drop its strict zero-Covid policy, which mandated strict lockdowns, sparking protests and hammering businesses. The official manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) - a key gauge of Chinese factory output - rose to 50.1 this...

TikTok is fighting for its survival in the US with rising calls from mainly Republican lawmakers that the company should be outright banned for its links to Beijing. Shou Zi Chew will give testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee after Republicans recently took over as the majority in...

In December alone, new yuan loans stood at 1.4 trillion yuan, up 266.5 billion yuan year-on-year, according to the People's Bank of China (PBOC).

Beijing, China--China Evergrande has pledged to repay its debt this year, as the property giant faces a restructuring following Beijing's crackdown on excessive borrowing and rampant speculation in the real estate sector. In an email seen by AFP, chairman Hui Ka Yan told staff that "2023 is a key year for...

Military analysts say China has used the incursions to probe Taiwan's defenses, exhaust its ageing air force and voice displeasure over Western support for Taipei, especially the United States.

Beijing moved against the country's vibrant gaming sector last August as part of a sprawling crackdown on big tech companies.

Beijing will adopt industry, region and enterprise-specific measures to secure the sound development of key industries.

The country produced 18.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas in October, up 12.3 percent from a year ago.

Firm's result is seen as a gauge of Chinese consumer sentiment.

It is Tencent's second consecutive quarterly decline in revenue.

The European Union and the United States were China's second-largest and third-largest trading partners during the period, respectively.

Chinese President Xi Jinping locked in support for a historic third term in power at the Communist Party's Congress, but the dramatic removal of his predecessor from the event stole the headlines. At the end of the week-long gathering in Beijing, China's ruling party approved a sweeping reshuffle allowing Xi...

The PBOC said the renewal would help deepen bilateral financial cooperation, facilitate trade and investment, and maintain the stability of the financial market.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia topped the list of oil suppliers to China for the first time in four months despite a rise in Beijing’s imports from Russia, Argaam said. Saudi’s oil exports rebounded last month to 8.475 million tons, or 1.99 million barrels per day (bpd). The Kingdom...

The sale comes a month after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defiantly visited the self-governing democracy, prompting mainland China to launch a show of force that could be a trial run for a future invasion. The package -- the largest for Taiwan approved under President Joe Biden's administration -- includes $665...

Beijing and Moscow have close defence links and China has said it wants to push bilateral relations "to a higher level," even as Moscow faces international sanctions and widespread condemnation over its war in Ukraine. China's defence ministry said Wednesday its participation in the annual "Vostok" exercises -- which Moscow...

The visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- second in line to the presidency -- sparked outrage from Beijing, which launched vast military manoeuvres around the island, even at the risk of partially exposing its plans to the United States and its Asian allies. Mobilising fighter planes,...

A furious Beijing kicked off its biggest-ever exercises around Taiwan in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit this week to the self-ruled island. Ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Phnom Penh warned against "provocative action".

China said Tuesday that the United States will "pay the price" if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan during her Asia trip. Pelosi was in Malaysia on Tuesday, the second stop in a tour that has sparked rage in Beijing after reports of a potential Taipei visit.

China launched on Sunday the second of three modules needed to complete its new space station, state media reported, the latest step in Beijing's ambitious space program. The uncrewed craft, named Wentian, was propelled by a Long March 5B rocket at 2:22 pm (0622 GMT) from the Wenchang launch center...

Millions of people in Beijing stayed home on Monday as China's capital tries to fend off a Covid-19 outbreak with creeping restrictions on movement. Beijing residents fear they may soon find themselves in the grip of the same draconian measures that have trapped most of Shanghai's 25 million people at...

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said in a statement that the decision to postpone "was taken by all the stakeholders after carefully considering the pandemic situation and the size of the Games".

Mass testing of China's vast population could bring fresh misery to the economy, experts warned Friday, after Beijing vowed to regain control of the narrative around a zero-Covid policy that has strangled growth and fanned anger across the country. Leaders have taken a hardline approach to stamping out virus outbreaks,...

The 2022 Asian Games in China is facing the possibility of being postponed, an official told AFP on Thursday, after a rumor that it would be moved to next year. The Olympic-sized event is scheduled to be held in September in Hangzhou near Shanghai, which is grappling with a major...

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Friday said its annual general meeting in June would be held in Qatar instead of Covid-hit China. China is experiencing its worst coronavirus outbreak since the start of the pandemic more than two years ago, with Shanghai posting record-high case counts. "It is deeply...

Evergrande has urged its investors to exercise caution as debt-ridden Chinese giant faces financial challenges.

Key regional leaders were present as Saudi Arabia on Friday made its first appearance at the Winter Olympics after alpine skier Fayik Abdi qualified to compete in Beijing 2022.

China's President Xi Jinping declared the Beijing Winter Olympics open Friday as China tried to turn the page on a build-up overshadowed by human rights concerns, Covid and a US-led diplomatic boycott. Fireworks exploded over the "Bird's Nest", making Beijing the first city to host both a Summer and Winter...

The officials from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, as well as secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Nayef bin Falah al-Hajrah, will be in China until Friday.

The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) has connected with hundreds of global business leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators in a series of six inaugural events organized by its international office network to discuss expansion opportunities to the UAE capital. ADIO’s offices in London, Paris, Beijing, Seoul, New York and San Francisco...

The UAE last month approved a temporary license to test self driving taxis on the roads with safety officer sitting on driver's seat in case of emergency.

Only five months transpired between Didi's going public in New York in June and word Friday that it will prepare a Hong Kong listing.

Joe Biden's comment followed a video summit with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping late Monday.

Biden emphasized the need for settling a relationship rocked by high-stakes disputes, including on trade and Taiwan.