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Lai’s supporters say evidence of Andy Li should not be relied upon as it was obtained through torture A key prosecution witness in the trial of Jimmy Lai took the stand in a Hong Kong court on Wednesday, giving evidence that the UN’s special rapporteur has said could be tainted because of allegations of torture.Andy Li, a computer programmer turned pro-democracy activist, gave evidence...

Spavor was one of two Canadians detained in China in 2018 amid a broader diplomatic feud between the two countriesCanada’s federal government has reached a million-dollar compensation settlement with Michael Spavor, a businessman who was held by China for nearly three years amid a broader diplomatic feud between the two countries.Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who became known as “the two Michaels”, were detained by...

Foreign minister Wang Yi – speaking at the Two Sessions – said it was unacceptable some countries are at the table while others are ‘on the menu’China’s top foreign affairs official has accused the US of trying to suppress China and has vowed to deepen relations with Russia, as Beijing continues to assert the importance of what it calls a “multipolar” world order.Foreign minister...

Peter Foley, the program director for search led by Australian Transport Safety Bureau, says any chance of success needs the government to investGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe man who led Australia’s search for MH370 has urged the Australian government to support any new effort to find the plane, which disappeared 10 years ago on Friday.On Sunday...

Annual appearances were rare opportunity for foreign media to engage with high-ranking Chinese officialsChina’s leading economics official, premier Li Qiang, will not address the press at the country’s major annual political gathering in Beijing, in a break with tradition.The Two Sessions has started against a backdrop of major economic headwinds, decreasing transparency on government indicators, and growing concern among international business and investors. Continue...

Policy blueprint to be set out for year ahead and big personnel changes may be announcedThousands of delegates are due to arrive in Beijing this weekend for China’s most high-profile political gathering, a closely observed series of meetings that will lay out the government’s policy blueprint for the year ahead.The event, known as the “two sessions”, begins on Monday as China’s parliament, the National...

Company accused of violations including Chinese employees improperly downloading files relating to Pentagon programsBoeing said on Thursday it had reached a $51m settlement with the US state department for numerous export violations including Chinese employees in China improperly downloading documents related to US Pentagon programs.The state department said from 2013 through 2017 three Chinese employees at Boeing facilities in China downloaded technical data involving...

Hilda Heine says US funding delays damage relationship with the Pacific nation as lawmakers say hold-up delivers a ‘gift’ to ChinaHilda Heine, the president of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, has warned relations with the US are “gradually being destroyed by party politics” as Congress delays approval of crucial funding for the Pacific nation.US lawmakers have not yet passed funding packages agreed in...

Early editions of the book of quotations will be sold at an auction of Cultural Revolution artefactsThe Little Red Book, a talisman of 20th-century Maoism, may have fallen out of favour in China after the Cultural Revolution, but its popularity with collectors shows no sign of abating.The book, officially entitled Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong, was given its popular name due to the bright...

Beijing’s move comes at a time when Budapest’s relationship with its EU and Nato allies is at a low pointChina has offered to deepen security cooperation with Hungary, underscoring Budapest’s warming ties with Beijing just as Hungarian officials snubbed a visiting delegation from Washington.Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, met China’s minister of public security, Wang Xiaohong, on Friday. Continue reading...

Case of Emily Chen, who did a few months’ work for US logistics firm, highlights ‘deteriorating’ climate for foreign firmsChina has detained one of its citizens on spying charges after she did some work for a US company, in a case that experts say highlights the potential risks of working for foreign businesses in the country.Emily Chen, 50, disappeared after flying into Nanjing Lukou...

The vessel capsized while being chased by Taiwan’s coastguard near the Kinmen islands, in what China called a ‘malignant incident’Beijing has condemned Taiwanese authorities after two Chinesefishers drowned while being chased by Taiwan’s coastguard off the coast of the Kinmen archipelago.The Kinmen islands lie within a few miles of China’s Fujian coast and are controlled by Taiwan. Continue reading...

Researchers used samples from populations deemed by experts and campaigners to be vulnerable to exploitation, including Uyghurs and TibetansA genetics journal from a leading scientific publisher has retracted 18 papers from China, in what is thought to be the biggest mass retraction of academic research due to concerns about human rights.The articles were published in Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine (MGGM), a genetics journal...

China ‘threatens relatives in Tibet’ to exert control over activists in exile, with greater transnational repression at Tibetan new yearThousands of Tibetans around the world have been subjected to spying, blackmail and threats against family members still living in Tibet, according to a new report.The Chinese government’s repressive policies in Tibet continue to be documented, but the new report by the Tibetan Centre for...

Flights and trains cancelled as heavy snow and freezing rain leave many stranded during busiest travel periodMillions of people in China have had their annual visit home for lunar new year disrupted by blizzards and freezing rain, with delayed or cancelled transport leaving travellers stranded.Videos on social media showed people hacking away at thick layers of ice that have brought roads to a standstill...

Social media users get around government crackdown on negativity via US embassy conservation updateA social media post about giraffe conservation has become the latest place for people in China who are unhappy about the economy to vent their frustration, as the Chinese government increasingly cracks down on negative commentary.On 2 February, the US embassy in China posted an update on its Weibo account about...

Australia’s foreign minister says government is ‘appalled’ by sentence, which could mean life in prisonThe Australian academic Yang Hengjun has been given a suspended death sentence by a Chinese court, after five years in detention on espionage charges. His sentence came on the same day that the women’s rights activist Li Qiaochu was sentenced to three years and eight months by a court in...

As Beijing has increased its efforts to recruit Taiwanese people, the number of spying cases has risenIn November, a Taiwan court heard accusations that two serving soldiers had accepted bribes from Chinese agents to record a video declaring their loyalty to China and their intention to defect in the event of a war. The video reportedly made its way into Chinese propaganda materials.Weeks later,...

Hundreds of women sentenced for practices such as studying the Qur’an, dating back as far back as 60s and 70s, analysis of Chinese police files showsHundreds of thousands of Uyghur female religious leaders are estimated to have been arrested and imprisoned in Xinjiang since 2014, with some elderly women detained for practices that took place decades ago, according to an analysis of leaked Chinese...

Ten people extradited on Tuesday accused of being key figures in fraud involving victims of traffickingMyanmar has extradited 10 people, including notorious warlords, to China, where they are wanted for their alleged role in running abusive online and telephone fraud centres in which tens of thousands of foreign nationals are trapped and forced to run scams.The centres – which target people in China as...

First two episodes inaccessible to viewers in city, with some attributing censorship to umbrella protest scenesAmazon’s big-ticket series Expats, set and filmed in Hong Kong, is not available for viewing in the city despite being billed as a worldwide release.The first two episodes of the drama, starring Nicole Kidman and directed by The Farewell’s Lulu Wang, were released on Friday but listed as “currently...

Judge says ‘enough is enough’ after developer, which has $300bn in debt, fails to provide convincing restructuring plan Embattled Chinese development company, Evergrande, has been ordered to liquidate by a Hong Kong court after an 18-month long hearing.Evergrande, which holds the ignominious title of the world’s most indebted property developer with about $300bn in liabilities, failed to convince the court that it had a...

Legislation will further erode differences between legal systems of Hong Kong and mainlandA new law giving Chinese courts the authority to enforce rulings in commercial disputes in Hong Kong comes into effect on Monday, further reducing the barriers between the Hong Kong and Chinese legal systems.The law puts into effect an agreement signed between China’s supreme people’s court and the government of Hong Kong...

One candidate has said he wants to review the Pacific country’s relationships with Taiwan and China, just weeks after Nauru switched allegiances to BeijingTuvalu election explainedVoting has started in the tiny Pacific island nation of Tuvalu, in a national election that could reverberate from China to Australia, amid a tussle for influence in the region.With just over 11,500 people spread across nine islands, Tuvalu...