WASHINGTON — The U.S. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a couple days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to risks of harm for people on the ground, officials said Thursday. The discovery of the balloon puts...
Pundits in Iran Slam China’s Support for the United Arab Emirates
A joint statement at the end of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Saudi Arabia has led to a strong backlash by Iranians who read it as a betrayal by Beijing. In the statement, the GCC and the Chinese side made a reference to three islands in the Persian Gulf...
China Set to Send First Crew to New Space Station Thursday
JIUQUAN, China — The three members of the first crew to be sent to China's space station say they're eager to get to work making their home for the next three months habitable, setting up testing and experiments and preparing for a series of spacewalks. The three met with reporters...
1.4B but No More? China’s Population Growth Closer to Zero
BEIJING — China’s weak population growth is falling closer to zero as fewer couples have children, government data showed Tuesday, adding to strains on an aging society with a shrinking workforce. The population rose by 72 million people over the past 10 years to 1.411 billion in 2020, the National...
Amid US Strains, China’s Xi Warns Against ‘Unilateralism’
BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for more equitable management of global affairs and, in an implicit rejection of U.S. dominance, said governments shouldn’t impose rules on others. Xi’s speech at an economic forum comes amid rising tension with China’s neighbors and Washington over its strategic ambitions...
China Warns Washington not to Boycott Winter Olympics
BEIJING — China's government warned Washington on Wednesday not to boycott next year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing after the Biden administration said it was talking with allies about a joint approach to complaints of human rights abuses. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson rejected accusations of abuses against ethnic minorities in the...
WHO Team Finally Let Out Into Wuhan To Trace COVID Origin, but Is It Still Worth It?
[aggregation-styles] CBS News Wuhan, China — The World Health Organization's team of coronavirus experts were released from quarantine to begin their field work in Wuhan, China, on Thursday. After two weeks shut in a hotel, as mandated by China's virus-mitigation rules for all incoming travelers, they will now begin their...
Biden’s Pick for UN Post Calls China ‘A Strategic Adversary’
UNITED NATIONS — Linda Thomas-Greenfield called China “a strategic adversary” that threatens the world and expressed regret at a Senate hearing Wednesday on her nomination as United Nations ambassador for a speech she gave in 2019 that praised China’s initiatives in Africa and made no mention of its human rights...
Chinese Embassy Twitter Account Locked for “Dehumanization”
WASHINGTON — Twitter locked the account belonging to the Chinese Embassy in Washington after a tweet stated that Uighur women in Xinjiang have been emancipated and are no longer “baby making machines.” One of the final acts of the Trump administration this week was declaring that China’s policies and actions...
Pompeo Says China’s Policies on Muslims Amount to ‘Genocide’
WASHINGTON — On his way out the door, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lashed out anew at China on Tuesday by declaring that its policies on Muslims and ethnic minorities in the western Xinjiang region constitute “crimes against humanity” and a “genocide.” The rarely used designation is sure to provoke...