Hong Kong — As the confirmed death toll from the Hong Kong apartment complex fire climbed to at least 151 on Monday, officials said their investigation into the blaze had found that mesh used to cover scaffolding for ongoing renovations was not up to fire-safety codes. Frustration over what appears to have been clear safety…
Revenues of China’s top military firms fell 10% last year. (EPA Images pic) HONG KONG: Revenues at China’s giant military firms fell last year as corruption purges slowed arms contracts and procurement, according to a study released today by a leading conflict think tank. The Chinese declines contrast with strong revenue growth globally for big…
Against the backdrop of the seven charred residential blocks, an open plaza next to Wang Fuk Court has transformed into a bustling relief centre, manned by hundreds of volunteers aiding thousands of displaced residents on the third day since Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades. As large quantities of donated supplies continuously flowed into the…
The most important outcome of the Communist Party of China’s fourth plenum, held last month in Beijing, was the review and adoption of the “Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee on Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development”. Leading the drafting team in person, Communist Party General Secretary and Chinese President…
Even for the anti-graft era of President Xi Jinping, the wave of investigations into alleged corruption in the Chinese military over the past three years has been exceptional. They are accused of having “violated party discipline and allegedly committed serious crimes related to their duties” – both euphemisms for corruption. “The amounts involved are particularly…
In the central Chinese province of Hubei, one small city is going the extra mile to reverse falling birth rates. Grass-roots volunteers in Tianmen are playing matchmaker for its young singles, combing through the details of all unmarried people in the area, putting the information on community posters and offering their services, according to Guangzhou-based…
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center — China was set to launch its Shenzhou-21 spacecraft on Friday, carrying a new three-person crew to man the country’s own Tiangong space station on a mission focused on scientific research. The replacement crew includes China’s youngest-ever taikonaut — as China’s space program calls its astronauts — and, for the first time…
China’s “institutional strength” will help the country tackle “major tests” over the course of the next five-year plan, analysts and state media have said. The country’s latest development plan, which is due to start next year and run until 2030, comes at a time when Beijing is facing increasing obstacles to its long-term ambitions both…
A commentary by state news agency Xinhua on Monday said that Taiwan will be “governed by patriots” after reunification with mainland China, and that all of its products could enter the mainland’s market duty free. “We not only seek reunification in formality, what’s more important is the mental bonding of compatriots on the two sides…
China‘s state-owned defense giant Norinco in February unveiled a military vehicle capable of autonomously conducting combat-support operations at 50 kilometres per hour. It was powered by DeepSeek, the company whose artificial intelligence model is the pride of China’s tech sector. The Norinco P60’s release was touted by Communist Party officials in press statements as an…