China

Local media in China’s capital of Beijing report that with only two weeks to go before the Winter Olympics begin, city health authorities have resumed a controversial practice from early in the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic: using anal swabs to check for infections. Insider on Wednesday translated a report from the state-owned Beijing News that described at least 27 residents of an apartment building in the Haidian district getting the anal swab test last week. The Beijing News article mentioned the curious practice in passing. There was only a single reference to the swabs piled up among the equipment carried by the coronavirus testing unit dispatched to the Haidian apartments. The thrust of the article was that everyone involved felt nervous about the coronavirus outbreak in Beijing, but everyone was willing to do their part to control it. Haidian is the epicenter of one of Beijing’s current coronavirus outbreaks. District health officials have so far … [Read more...] about Report: China Brings Back ‘Anal Swab’ Coronavirus Tests in Beijing

China’s state-run Global Times on Wednesday quoted a Russian official who claimed American and European state-directed hackers have launched a “massive” cyberattack on the Beijing Winter Olympics. No such attack has been detected by any security agency or reported by any entity connected to the Olympics. “I must say that we have quite a lot of information about the massive campaign of aggressive and malicious interference in the preparations for the Beijing Olympics launched by the U.S. and its most odious and obedient allies,” remarked Russian Foreign Intelligence Service director Sergey Naryshkin, as breathlessly quoted by Russian state media and the Global Times. “The U.S. Department of State plays a major role in this crusade,” Naryshkin added. Naryshkin offered no evidence for his accusations, or indeed any evidence that the Beijing Winter Games have experienced any malicious cyber activity. A man asks for transportation information at the MPC … [Read more...] about China Frets America Will Cyberattack the Genocide Olympics

Russia and China blocked the U.N. Security Council on January 20 from imposing sanctions on five North Korean officials in response to Pyongyang’s recent ballistic missile tests , a decision criticized by the United States which sought to impose penalties over their roles in the country’s missile program. At an emergency council meeting on the North’s four ballistic missile launches in the last two weeks, the United States called on the 15 council members to approve a brief press statement recalling that such launches violate council resolutions and strongly urging Pyongyang to comply with its council obligations “and to engage in dialogue towards denuclearization.” Diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because the council meeting was closed, said China, a neighbor and ally of North Korea, opposed any statement. Before the meeting started, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield read a statement to reporters from eight countries calling North Korea’s “unlawful … [Read more...] about Russia and China block new UN sanctions on 5 North Koreans

Iran, Russia and China on Friday began a joint naval drill in the Indian Ocean aimed at boosting marine security, state media reported. Iran’s state TV said 11 of its vessels were joined by three Russian ships including a destroyer, and two Chinese vessels. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard will also participate with smaller ships and helicopters. The report said the manoeuvrers would cover some 17,000 square km, or 10,600 miles, in the Indian Ocean’s north, and include night fighting, rescue operations and firefighting drills. This is the third joint naval drill between the countries since 2019. It coincided with a recent visit by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Russia that ended on Thursday. “Improving bilateral relations between Tehran and Moscow will enhance security for the region and the international arena,” Mr. Raisi said upon returning from Russia on Friday, the official IRNA news agency reported. Tehran has sought to step up military cooperation with Beijing and Moscow … [Read more...] about Iran, Russia and China begin naval drill

Five decades after returning to the United Nations, China is expanding its presence in international institutions at an unprecedented pace, but heightened tensions with Western powers have raised questions about the limits of its institutional influence. Since Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun was appointed director general of the World Health Organization in 2006, dozens of Chinese nationals have worked in key roles at multilateral organisations. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, which tracks competition between the two countries, listed 32 Chinese nationals as serving in leadership positions at prominent international bodies last year. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge , our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Three headed United Nations (UN) specialised agencies, including Qu Dongyu who was … [Read more...] about China-West tensions raise questions about limits of Beijing’s influence at WTO, UN and World Bank

The Chinese government newspaper Global Times broke its unusual silence on the ongoing anti-communist campaign of Boston Celtics player Enes Kanter Freedom on Thursday, dismissing his opposition to genocide in China as a sign that he may be cooperating with the CIA. Among the “evidence” the Global Times cited that the outspoken basketball player may have ties to covert American government operations was the emergency of a Twitter hashtag and his affiliation with Hizmet, an Islamic movement led by Philadelphia-based cleric Fethullah Gülen. Islamist Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has brutally repressed anyone accused of following Gülen since 2016, blaming the preacher for the alleged failed coup against him that year. The U.S. government has dismissed Turkish calls for Gülen’s extradition on the grounds that no evidence exists typing him to the alleged failed coup. Erdogan’s law enforcement officials have issued multiple arrest warrants for Kanter Freedom since 2016 … [Read more...] about China Floats Conspiracy Theory that Enes Kanter Freedom Is a CIA Agent

Local organizers for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games are limiting the torch relay to three days, citing COVID-19 concerns. According to officials, the relay will run from February 2 to 4 and the flame will be displayed in enclosed areas considered "safe and controllable." Yang Haibin, Beijing's deputy sports director, said that safety was the "top priority" amid the pandemic. Xu Zhijun, deputy head of the organizing committee, said torch rally participants would be carefully monitored starting two weeks before the events formally begin. Although the number of new COVID cases has dropped in China to 11, since the Omicron variant was first detected on January 15, millions of people outside Beijing are in lockdown as part of China's "zero-tolerance" strategy to handle the pandemic. The International Olympic Committee released an official playbook, which athletes, coaches, press, family and spectators attending the games must follow. To help minimize the spread of the … [Read more...] about As 11 Omicron cases reported in Beijing, China limits access to Olympic Torch Relay

The U.S. Department of Transportation said Friday that it was suspending 44 Chinese carrier passenger flights after the Chinese government canceled U.S. flights in recent days. The department said China has recently canceled 44 U.S.-carrier flights from the U.S. to China over COVID-19 concerns. It said that the Chinese government has suspended flights after passengers have tested positive for COVID-19 up to seven days after they arrive in China. China has suspended 20 flights from United Airlines , 10 from American Airlines and 14 from Delta Airlines, since December 31, according to Reuters . The Biden administration's move will cut flights from Chinese airlines including Xiamen, Air China, China Southern Airlines, and China Eastern Airlines, the news outlet noted. The department said the flights will be suspended between January 30 and March 29 and noted that other countries including France and Germany have taken similar action. In its order canceling the Chinese … [Read more...] about U.S. and China block each other’s carrier flights from landing in international tit for tat

In his first in-depth meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden , Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida signaled his country's willingness to step up against undesirable actions pursued by major powers China and Russia, while simultaneously setting out to shore up his nation's military capabilities at home. Friday's virtual chat lasted nearly an hour and a half and marked the second time the two men met face-to-face and their first extensive dialogue since Biden took office in January 2021 and Kishida in October. Officials from both sides detailed a warm, candid conversation that spanned a range of topics pertaining to the economic and political nature of the 70-year Washington-Tokyo alliance. One Japanese official speaking to Newsweek summed up the call in six points: "First, the building up of the personal relations plus the face-to-face although online meeting, second, the Free and Open Indo-Pacific, third, the alliance, fourth, China and other regional issues, fifth, the … [Read more...] about Japan steps up on China, Russia and “strategic Issues” amid defense review in Biden call

The navies of Iran, China, and Russia launched a three-day joint maritime drill on Friday in the northern Indian Ocean designed to signal a “common future” between the three nations, Iranian Rear Admiral Mostafa Tajoldini told Iranian state television. The naval drills will take place across a 6,600-square-mile stretch of the northern Indian Ocean including the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf , according to reports this week by Iranian state media. “The purpose of this drill is to strengthen security and its foundations in the region, and to expand multilateral cooperation between the three countries to jointly support world peace, maritime security and create a maritime community with a common future,” Tajoldini told Iranian state TV on January 21 hours after the exercises began. “Strengthening the security of international maritime trade, combating piracy and maritime terrorism, exchanging intelligence in the field of maritime rescue missions, and exchanging … [Read more...] about Iran, China, Russia Launch 3-Day Joint Naval Drill in Indian Ocean