Day: December 20, 2023

Taiwan amends law to fight Chinese illegal sand dredging

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Taiwanese lawmakers have passed amendments to seize sand dredging equipment, mostly on Chinese ships operating illegally. The amendments to Article 36 of the Sand and Gravel Excavation Act and to Article 18 of the Act on the Exclusive Economic Zone and the Continental Shelf of the Republic of China were passed on Monday. Republic of China (ROC) is the official name of Taiwan. They stipulate that “vessels or other machinery involved in illegal activities can be confiscated, regardless of whether they belong to the perpetrator.” This is to prevent offenders…

China’s secret space plane emits strong signal to the ground when passing North America: satellite tracker

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China’s space plane could be sending signals to a hidden ground station or a ship near North America’s west coast, said an amateur astronomer who has been tracking the craft since it entered Earth’s orbit last week. Strong emissions were detected at the frequency of 2280 megahertz while the uncrewed reusable plane was flying over British Columbia, Canada, where Scott Tilley is based, he told the South China Morning Post in an email on Tuesday. “I’m seeing a pattern in its radio emissions while over me and it appears to…

China’s Cold Snap Reaches Shanghai With Chilliest Year-end in Four Decades

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shanghai —  Shanghai was set to record its chilliest period in December in four decades with weather warnings for low temperatures and wind issued Thursday, as the Chinese financial capital entered a cold snap of several days. The city’s lowest temperatures on Thursday will be minus 4 to minus 6 degrees Celsius in Shanghai’s suburbs, and temperatures will remain below zero all day throughout the city, the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau said in a post on its Weibo social media account. Wang Kaiyun, 59, who works as a cleaner in downtown…

Mainland China suspends tariff cuts on 12 Taiwanese imports from January in response to ‘discriminatory measures’

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Beijing on Thursday suspended tariff reductions of some Taiwanese products under the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) from January 1. Twelve categories of imports from Taiwan, including propylene and paraxylene, would be affected, according to the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council. The ECFA, signed in 2010, includes an 806-item list of goods approved for tariff reductions. ‘Obvious meddling’: Taiwan rebukes Beijing’s claim of island import ‘barriers’ The commission accused Taiwan of “unilaterally adopting discriminatory measures against mainland exports,” saying the island’s prohibitions, restrictions and other measures violated…

Australia Sets Out Vision for Middle Power Influence

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SYDNEY —  In a wide-ranging foreign policy speech, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke of stabilizing fractured ties with China and the transformational benefits of a nuclear-powered submarine deal with the United States. Anthony Albanese believes Australia has become an influential middle power that is prioritizing security in the Indo-Pacific region. The Australian prime minister delivered the annual address Tuesday at the Lowy Institute, a respected Sydney-based research organization. Albanese used his speech to repeat calls for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict and to affirm Israel’s right to defend…

N Korean leader, powerful sister issue nuclear threat to US, S Korea

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North Korean leader and his powerful sister have made a nuclear threat against the United States and South Korea, with both declaring that Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal will be practically deployed in retaliation to any actions that they consider to be “provocations.” “We will not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if provoked by nuclear weapons from our enemies,” the leader Kim Jong Un said, as cited by the North’s official Rodong Sinmun Thursday. Speaking to soldiers who were responsible for its Monday intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch, Kim praised the…

North Korea’s Kim Warns of ‘Nuclear Attack’ if Provoked with Nukes

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SEOUL, South Korea —  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang would not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if an enemy provokes it with nuclear weapons, state media reported on Thursday. Kim made the remark as he met with soldiers working for the military’s missile bureau and congratulated them over Pyongyang’s recent drill of an intercontinental ballistic missile launch, KCNA news agency said. He said the test demonstrated the loyalty and strong stand of the armed forces and was “a clear explanation of the offensive counteraction mode and…

How Chinese scientists are extracting uranium from seawater faster than ever

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Chinese scientists say they have found a way to efficiently extract uranium – the heavy metal used to fuel nuclear reactors – from seawater using electricity. The team from Northeast Normal University in Changchun, Jilin province developed an electrode to capture the uranium through electrochemical reactions. They say this is at least three times faster than existing methods, and is effective at shielding against impurities in the seawater – meaning it could be suitable for large-scale applications. The electrode was created by coating a carbon fibre woven fabric with two…

Sliding Beijing home prices spur alarm in China’s property sector

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House sellers in Beijing are cutting prices aggressively, according to brokers, despite official statistics that show the housing market in the Chinese capital remains buoyant. Interviews with more than two dozen real estate brokers across the capital, long one of China’s most desirable real estate markets, show transaction prices have fallen between 10 and 30 per cent from their peak in 2021. Their testimony runs counter to a widely watched National Bureau of Statistics index of existing home sale prices in Beijing and adds to concerns about the impact of…