BEIJING: Two days is all President Xi Jinping has spent outside his country this year, as mounting domestic problems from a faltering economy to rare political scandals demand the Chinese leader’s attention at home. Xi’s border hop to visit Russian President Vladimir Putin in March has been his sole tripContinue Reading
BEIJING/TAIPEI: China threatened to retaliate on Wednesday if US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen during her planned transit of the United States next month, saying any such move would be a “provocation”.China, which claims democratically-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, has repeatedly warned US officials notContinue Reading
WASHINGTON: Few expect Chinese President Xi Jinping’s diplomacy to yield breakthroughs on the Ukraine war. But in Washington, there are fears Beijing may succeed elsewhere — in winning credibility on the world stage.Xi pushed forward positions on Ukraine during two days of talks in Moscow, a week after China announcedContinue Reading
WASHINGTON: The US defense department said Thursday it’s monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon floating over the western state of Montana, underscoring mutual suspicion between the world’s two largest economies just as top diplomats prepare to hold talks in Beijing. Here’s everything we know so far:1. What’s a surveillance balloon?Cheap,Continue Reading