A Chinese delegation reportedly held talks with Nepali Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli and President Bidya Devi Bhandari in Kathmandu on Sunday in a first diplomatic step by the neighbouring power after the prime minister dissolved parliament a week ago. The four-member delegation led by Guo Yezhou, a vice minister in the international department of the Communist Party of China, arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday to assess the political situation following the rift in the governing Nepal Communist Party (NCP). China has poured millions of dollars into Nepal in recent years in aid and infrastructure investment as it incorporates … Continue reading Chinese delegation meets Nepal PM amid political crisis

China has refused to apologize for a controversial image depicting an Australia soldier cutting the throat of an Afghan child as New Zealand became the latest country to voice its criticism of the doctored picture, which was posted to social media by a foreign ministry spokesman. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden said her government had conveyed its concern about the post to Beijing. “New Zealand has registered directly with Chinese authorities our concern over the use of that image,” Arden told reporters on Tuesday. “It was an unfactual post, and of course that would concern us. So that is … Continue reading Update: China refuses to apologize over gruesome Australia soldier post

Australia has demanded China apologize for posting a fake picture on a government Twitter account that depicted an Australian soldier murdering an Afghan child, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Beijing should be “utterly ashamed” for sharing the “repugnant” image. It comes amid escalating political tensions between the two countries, the image referred to alleged war crimes by some Australian soldiers. Earlier this month, a report found that 25 Australian soldiers were allegedly involved in the murders of 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners between 2009 and 2013. The findings from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) inquiry sparked widespread condemnation, and are … Continue reading Australia demands China apologize for posting ‘repugnant’ fake image

A British diplomat has been hailed as a hero after diving into a river in China to save a drowning student, Stephen Ellison, 61, consul-general in Chongqing, was walking by a river in a nearby village when the woman, 24, slipped on rocks into the deep water. Footage filmed by onlookers showed her struggle in the fast-moving current, disappear under a footbridge and emerge face down, apparently unconscious, Mr Ellison took off his shoes and dived in to save her, she has not been named. The consul general, who takes part in triathlons, turned the student over, lifted her face … Continue reading British diplomat Stephen Ellison saves drowning woman

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that the United States would find new ways to cooperate with Indonesia in the South China Sea and respected Jakarta’s efforts to safeguard its own waters while rejecting China’s “unlawful” claims in the area. Pompeo’s visit to Indonesia comes amid a five-nation tour through Asia where he has sought to strengthen strategic and economic ties amid rising tensions between the US and China. In a joint news conference with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi, Pompeo hailed Jakarta’s “decisive action” to protect its sovereignty in the waters near the Natuna Islands, which China … Continue reading US looking for new ways to cooperate with Indonesia

China has told Britain to “immediately correct its mistakes” after the UK reaffirmed its plan to offer a route to British citizenship to almost three million people living there, the offer was made in July when Beijing imposed a strict national security law on the former British colony. Critics say it undermines the civil freedoms that China agreed to uphold when Hong Kong was handed back in 1997. Beijing has previously warned the UK not to meddle in “domestic issues”, Friday’s warning came from the Hong Kong arm of China’s Foreign Ministry, the British offer is not for all residents … Continue reading China warns UK not to offer citizenship to Hong Kong residents

Taiwan on Monday accused two Chinese diplomats of gatecrashing a hotel function hosted by its de facto embassy in Fiji and assaulting an employee. Taipei’s foreign ministry said its trade office, the equivalent of an embassy was hosting a party … Continue reading Taiwan says Chinese diplomats assaulted official in Fiji

A former senior North Korean diplomat to Italy is currently in South Korea, having disappeared from Rome in late 2018, an opposition member of the National Assembly has revealed. Jo Song Gil, who was North Korea’s acting ambassador to Italy, disappeared with his wife after leaving the embassy without notice in early November 2018, and his whereabouts have been unclear since. The two reportedly left just before Jo’s term as the acting ambassador in Rome ended, according to Ha Tae-keung of the opposition People Power Party, the diplomat entered South Korea in July last year and is “under the protection … Continue reading Former North Korean diplomat in Italy defects to south

Then-Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and then-Iowa Governor Terry Branstad raise their glasses in a toast at a state dinner on February 15, 2012 in Des Moines, Iowa. Amidst the ongoing deteriorating relationship between the US and China, Terry Branstad will be stepping down as United States Ambassador to China after more than three years in Beijing, a source confirmed to CNN Monday. Branstad is expected to leave Beijing before the November US Presidential election, the source said. The announcement comes amid increasing tensions between the US and China on several fronts. The Chinese government announced on Friday it would … Continue reading BREAKING NEWS: US Ambassador to China Terry Branstad stepping down as tensions with Beijing rise

Chinese investment in Australia almost halved in 2019, according to new data, as relations between the countries deteriorated. Researchers from the Australian National University said on Monday Chinese investment plunged from 4.8 billion Australian dollars ($3.5bn) to just 2.5 billion Australian dollars ($1.8bn) last year. Professor Peter Drysdale, who led the data research, said the 1.43-billion-Australian-dollar ($1.04bn) purchase of infant formula producer Bellamy’s Australia by China’s Mengniu Dairy accounted for more than half of that investment. It was the third consecutive year that Chinese investment in Australia dropped since peaking at 15.8 billion Australian dollars ($11.5bn) in 2016. The steep … Continue reading Chinese investment in Australia nearly halved as ties deteriorate

In what is fast becoming a tit for tat diplomacy between Australia and China, state media in China says Australian agents raided the homes of Chinese journalists in June, in the latest flare of tensions between the nations. The reports come a day after the last two journalists working in China for Australian media flew home after a tense diplomatic stand-off. On Wednesday, two state mouthpieces said the Chinese reporters had been asked not to report the June incident. Australian police and intelligence agencies said they would not comment. The “raids” took place on an unspecified number of Chinese journalists’ … Continue reading UPDATE: Chinese state media accuse Australia of raiding journalists’ homes

Two Australian news outlets have removed their reporters from China over what they say is a diplomatic standoff. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Bill Birtles and the Australian Financial Review’s Mike Smith landed in Sydney on Tuesday. Chinese authorities questioned both … Continue reading UPDATE: Australian journalists flown out of China amid diplomatic standoff