China moved Friday to grant itself veto powers over selecting Hong Kong's lawmakers, part of a campaign to eliminate dissent and ensure a "patriotic" government in the city following huge democracy rallies in 2019.Legislation to allow China's communist rulers to vet all election candidates in Hong Kong was tabled at the opening of the nation's rubber-stamp parliament in Beijing.It came a day after dozens of democracy campaigners in the financial hub – including former

The ongoing pandemic might have slowed down the advancement of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), but not its coverage in the media. Pundits and scholars across the world have kept publishing opinion articles and analyses on a daily basis speculating about its demise, or its reboot.

China on Thursday threatened to make a "legitimate and necessary" retaliation over the United States (US) sale of US$1 billion worth of missiles to Taiwan as Beijing becomes increasingly strident over its claims to the self-ruled island.The US State Department said on Wednesday it had approved the sale of 135 air-to-ground missiles to Taiwan in a move Taipei's defence ministry said would build its combat capabilities.Democratic and self-ruled Taiwan lives under constant threat

Donald Trump has frustrated and enraged China during a tumultuous first term, but Beijing may welcome his re-election as it scans the horizon for the decline of its superpower rival.Relations are as icy as at any time since formal ties were established four decades ago, with China warning it does not want to be drawn into a new "Cold War" with the United States (US).Under his 'America First' banner, Trump has portrayed China as the greatest threat to the United States and

Four Hong Kong students involved in a recently disbanded pro-independence group were arrested by police on Wednesday under a controversial new national security law, officers and members of the group said.The arrests are the first to target public political figures since the sweeping legislation was imposed on the city by Beijing late last month.Police said three men and one woman aged between 16 and 21 were arrested on suspicion of organising and inciting secession."Our sources and inve

Tensions are mounting by the day between the United States (US) and China, leading to talk of a new Cold War.

China imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong Tuesday, dramatically tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous city in a historic move decried by Western nations as a threat to the financial hub's freedoms.Described by Beijing as a "sword" hanging over the heads of those endangering national security, the law took effect hours after it was signed by President Xi Jinping and just six weeks since it was first unveiled.Fed up with pro-democracy protests that rocked t

China imposed travel restrictions on nearly half a million people near its capital on Thursday to contain a fresh coronavirus outbreak as deaths surged in other parts of the world. The threat of a second wave hitting China, which had largely brought the virus under control, and rising tolls in Latin America and South Asia underscore the global challenge in slowing down the pandemic that has killed more than 450,000 people.The world economy has also taken a hit, with the United States

Dozens of people tested positive for the coronavirus in Beijing as parts of the city were locked down Saturday after the emergence of a new cluster linked to a wholesale food market. People were ordered to stay home at 11 residential estates in south Beijing's Fengtai district and the nearby Xinfadi market was closed as authorities raced to contain the outbreak that has fuelled fears of a resurgence in local transmission.Most of the six new domestic infections reported Saturday

Beijing said Sunday it is "ready to work" with Southeast Asian nations on a code of conduct in the flashpoint South China Sea, where it is accused of building up military installations and bullying fellow claimants.China claims most of the resource-rich waterway, a major global shipping route that has long been a source of tension in the region.For years, the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been locked in talks for a code of conduct for the sea, where Ch