Vietnamese officials are hopefully anticipating an unannounced visit to Hanoi by Russian President Vladimir Putin, possibly as early as next week on his way to Beijing for meetings with Chinese leaders. Experts say such a visit would allow the Russian…
Chinese zoo under fire after dyeing dogs to resemble pandas
A zoo in China has been accused of trying to deceive visitors with a pair of dogs dyed black and white to look like panda bears. Videos circulating on Chinese social media show the two “panda dogs” in an exhibit…
TikTok will not be sold, Chinese parent tells US
TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance says it has no intention of selling the business after the US passed a law to force it to sell the hugely popular video app or be banned in America. “ByteDance doesn’t have any plans…
Apple pulls WhatsApp, Threads from China App Store following state order
Apple has removed the Meta-owned end-to-end encrypted messaging app WhatsApp from its App Store in China following a government order citing national security concerns, the news agency Reuters reported Friday. Meta’s newer, Twitter-esque text-based social networking app, Threads, has also…
Germany’s Scholz arrives in China on a visit marked by trade tensions, Ukraine conflict
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in China on Sunday on a visit focused on the increasingly tense economic relationship between the sides and differences over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Scholz’s first destination was the industrial hub of Chongqing, where he…
China former football chief sentenced to life for bribery
A former president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), Chen Xuyuan, has been sentenced to life in prison for bribery, according to the country’s state media. In January, he pleaded guilty to taking bribes worth a total of 81 million…
Borrell: EU worried about Hong Kong law’s potential impact on rights
EU foreign affairs chief has expressed concern about the potential impact of Hong Kong’s new security law on the rights and freedoms of people in the Chinese special administrative region. Josep Borrell expressed his concern in a statement on Wednesday,…
TikTok sparks user revolt in US over sale plan
American politicians are being inundated with calls from TikTok users unhappy at plans to force its parent company to sell the social media app. A bill that would mandate the sale within six months or see TikTok facing a ban…
Ship causes bridge collapse in China, at least 2 dead
At least two people died after a ship collided with a bridge in the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou on Thursday morning. The local authorities said on Chinese social media platform Weibo, that it caused the structure to partially collapse.…
Recession in Japan makes Germany third largest economy
Germany overtook Japan as the world’s third-biggest economy, official data showed on Thursday, as fresh figures from Tokyo showed Japan’s economy slipping into a recession. Japan’s nominal gross domestic product (GDP) for 2023 stood at $4.2 trillion in dollar terms, government…