Beijing, China | AFP | China launched a rover early Saturday morning destined to land on the far side of the moon, a global first that would boost Beijing’s ambitions to become a space superpower. The Chang’e-4 lunar probe mission — named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology — …
Read More »Canada defends Huawei arrest after markets wobble
Montreal, Canada | AFP | Canada on Thursday defended its arrest of an executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei on a US extradition request after markets wobbled on fears of fresh friction between Washington and Beijing. With China demanding the release of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, Canadian Prime …
Read More »Politics played no role in Huawei exec’s arrest – Trudeau
Montreal, Canada | AFP | Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that politics played no part in the arrest of a top executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei, who was detained on a US extradition request. “I can assure everyone that we are a country (with) an independent judiciary,” …
Read More »China protests arrest of Huawei CFO in Canada, urges release: embassy
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Beijing on Wednesday protested the arrest in Canada of Chinese national Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of global telecommunications giant Huawei, and urged her immediate release as she faces extradition to the United States. “At the request of the US side, the Canadian side …
Read More »Key points of the US-China trade deal
Buenos Aires, Argentina | AFP | US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Saturday struck a deal at working dinner on the sidelines of the G20 summit to effectively stall their trade war. Trump hailed what he described as “an amazing and productive meeting with unlimited possibilities” …
Read More »Woman eats only noodles for weeks, ends up in the hospital
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A young university student who ate only instant noodles for three weeks straight in order to save money for Singles Day – China’s version of Black Friday – ended spending all of her savings on medical bills after her unusual diet made her sick. Instant …
Read More »China scientist defends gene-editing babies as trial paused
Hong Kong, China | AFP | The Chinese scientist who claims to have created the world’s first genetically-edited babies defended the highly controversial procedure Wednesday, but announced a halt to the trial following an international outcry. He Jiankui told a packed Hong Kong biomedical conference he was “proud” to have …
Read More »China’s Xi Jinping arrives in Spain for business-driven visit
Madrid, Spain | AFP | China’s President Xi Jinping arrived in Spain on Tuesday for a business-focused state visit as Beijing, currently engaged in a trade war with the United States, seeks to strengthen ties with Europe. Xi accepted a bouquet of red flowers from children after disembarking from the …
Read More »Chinese hospital denies approving gene-edited babies experiment
Beijing, China | AFP | The Chinese hospital linked to a controversial experiment purporting to have created the world’s first genetically-edited babies denied its involvement Tuesday. Shenzhen Harmonicare Women and Children’s Hospital said in a statement that it suspected the signature on a document approving the experiment, specifically its adherence …
Read More »China’s ‘Plan B’ for African debt
Analysts fear move will accumulate more debt for African countries Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Africa could further sink into more debt if China goes ahead with plans to sell the continent’s debt to investors, starting next year, observers fear. Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation (HKMC), a leading Chinese banking conglomerate, …
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