China

BEIJING (REUTERS) - China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday (Sept 16) that it was irresponsible to blame anyone for an attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities without conclusive facts, striking a cautious note after the United States blamed Iran. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said there was no evidence the attack came from Yemen. US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the US was "locked and loaded" for a potential response to the attack. A senior US official told reporters that evidence from the attack, which hit the world's biggest oil-processing facility, indicated Iran was behind it. Iran has denied this. Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying appealed for calm and restrain. "Pondering who is to blame in the absence of a conclusive investigation I think is in itself not very responsible. China's position is that we oppose any moves that expand or intensify … [Read more...] about Don’t point fingers for Saudi attack without facts, says China

We have been experiencing some problems with subscriber log-ins and apologise for the inconvenience caused. Until we resolve the issues, subscribers need not log in to access ST Digital articles. But a log-in is still required for our PDFs. … [Read more...] about Responding to Hong Kong protesters

Xinwen Lianbo, the nightly prime-time news bulletin of China's state broadcaster CCTV, is known as a stuffy, officious news programme, that Chinese viewers often joke reports only good news about China and bad news about the world.But the programme has adopted an informal take on things. Late last month, it launched an account on Kuaishou, a short-video sharing platform, where it has sought to share China's views in a more informal, tongue-in-cheek manner. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Learn more about ST PREMIUM. Enjoy unlimited access to ST's best work Exclusive stories and features on multiple devicesIn-depth analyses and opinion piecesePaper and award-winning multimedia content Subscribe Now … [Read more...] about Chinese propaganda takes millennial turn

American photojournalist Charlie Cole, one of the photographers who captured the iconic image of a lone unidentified man blocking a convoy of tanks during the Tiananmen Square protests has died, the BBC reported. Mr Cole, who won the 1990 World Press Photo award for the picture of the man now famously known as the Tank Man, died in the Indonesian resort island of Bali last week. He was 64. Mr Cole had been working for Newsweek and was one of four photographers who captured the scene on June 5, 1989, when the Chinese government sent in troops to quash a student-led protest movement in Beijing. Mr Cole said he shot the image from the balcony of a hotel with a telephoto lens, thinking the man would have faced certain death. But the stand-off ended minutes later, with onlookers pulling the man away. A film roll of the image was smuggled out of China and the photo later appeared on the front pages of global newspapers. In China, however, the image remains highly taboo and any information … [Read more...] about Photojournalist who snapped ‘Tank Man’ image dies aged 64

China has tightened travel by its retired senior officials to Five Eyes countries for family reunions or sightseeing, The Straits Times has learnt, ostensibly convinced that the intelligence-sharing alliance is seeking to contain it.The tighter scrutiny and issuance of travel permits for retired senior cadres of the Chinese Communist Party and central and local governments comes amid China's prolonged trade and tech war with the United States. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Learn more about ST PREMIUM. Enjoy unlimited access to ST's best work Exclusive stories and features on multiple devicesIn-depth analyses and opinion piecesePaper and award-winning multimedia content Subscribe Now … [Read more...] about China tightens travel curbs to Five Eyes countries: Sources