Japan will begin releasing a second batch of wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant from next week, its operator has said, an exercise that angered China and others when it began in August. On 24 August, Japan began discharging into the Pacific some of the 1.34m tonnes of wastewater that has collected since a tsunami crippled the facility in 2011. “The inspections following the first release have been completed … The (second) discharge will start on 5 October,” Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) said on Thursday. China banned all Japanese…
Day: September 28, 2023
Afghan Women Defy Taliban, Will Participate in Asian Games
Exiled Afghan female athletes are participating in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, which end Oct. 8. They say they want to raise awareness of the plight of women in Afghanistan, who are barred from playing any sports in the country. Waheed Faizi has the story, narrated by Elizabeth Cherneff. Voice of America
Taiwan Launches Its First Submarine for Testing in Face of China’s Threats
taipei, taiwan — Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen launched the self-governing island’s first domestically made submarine Thursday for testing after seven years of design and construction and increasingly aggressive moves by China. The diesel-electric vessel must pass harbor and oceanfaring tests before the military can take full possession in 2024. Tsai, who initiated the plan to build a submarine when she took office in 2016, said, “History will remember this day forever. In the past, a domestically produced submarine was considered a mission impossible [for Taiwan]. But today, a submarine designed…
US Warns of China’s Plans for Information Domination
washington — China is pouring billions of dollars into efforts to reshape the global information environment and, eventually, bend the will of multiple nations to Beijing’s advantage, according to a new assessment from U.S. officials. The report, released Thursday by the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, accuses the Chinese government of using a combination of tactics in a bid to create a world in which Beijing, either explicitly or implicitly, controls the flow of critical information. China’s goal is to “construct an information ecosystem in which PRC propaganda and disinformation…
Can China’s high-speed railways get its economy back on track?
Calls are rising in China for more high-speed railways to meet rising demand and boost the national economy. China is expected to add 2,500km (1,553 miles) of high-speed lines this year, which would bring the system’s total length to 44,500km. Three new lines – Fuzhou-Xiamen, Guangzhou-Shanwei, and Shanghai-Nanjing Riverside – were launched in the lead-up to the eight-day “golden week” holiday that begins on Friday. “We expect the average annual investment [from China State Railway Group] will increase 18 per cent from 2023-25, compared with last year,” Zheshang Securities said…
‘Risk of miscalculation’ rises in South China Sea as Beijing ramps up aggressive tactics
In shaky camera footage, a member of the Philippine coast guard can be seen dipping below the waters of South China Sea, ready to carry out the instructions of the country’s president. “Just cut it off,” says a voice in the background and the coast guard, posing as a fisher in a snorkel, proceeds to hack away at a piece of rope. The video, taken on Monday near the fiercely contested Scarborough Shoal, shows the Philippines’ mission to remove what it described as a hazardous floating barrier installed by China’s…
Desperate for More Children, China Urges Soldiers to Procreate
As China faces a demographic dilemma with a ballooning number of elderly citizens and fewer newborns, the country’s leader, Xi Jinping, has given soldiers and their spouses a new order — lead the charge in childbearing. The move, analysts say, is aimed not only at addressing the country’s population challenges, but also at making the military a more attractive career option for educated urban professionals. On Sept. 7, China’s communist leaders announced a new executive order on family planning and the military. Highlighting the urgency, the order went into effect…
Chinese high-end EV brand Zeekr expands into Middle East
Receive free Geely Automobile Holdings Co Ltd updates We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest Geely Automobile Holdings Co Ltd news every morning. Zeekr, the premium electric vehicle brand of Chinese automaker Geely, is launching in four Middle East countries next year as it intensifies its global push ahead of a planned US listing. The brand joins other Chinese EV makers including Warren Buffett-backed BYD that are expanding overseas in search of growth at a time of slowing sales and fierce competition in China. The…
Chinese high-end EV brand Zeekr expands into the Middle East
Receive free Geely Automobile Holdings Co Ltd updates We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest Geely Automobile Holdings Co Ltd news every morning. Zeekr, the premium electric vehicle brand of Chinese automaker Geely, is launching in four Middle East countries next year as it intensifies its global push ahead of a planned US listing. The brand joins other Chinese EV makers including Warren Buffett-backed BYD that are expanding overseas in search of growth at a time of slowing sales and fierce competition in China. The…
South Korea says China must push Pyongyang to curb nuclear plans
Receive free South Korea Politics & Policy updates We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest South Korea Politics & Policy news every morning. South Korea’s unification minister has accused Russia and China of undermining international sanctions against North Korea but said Seoul was pushing Beijing to put pressure on Pyongyang over its weapons development. Kim Yung-ho said in an interview with the Financial Times that Seoul was “making efforts to persuade Beijing to . . . play a constructive role to rein in Pyongyang” and expected “some positive results”.…