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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...

Exclusive: Politicians say chemicals producer ‘appears to be implicated’ in abuses of minorities in Chinese provinceThe German chemicals producer BASF “appears to be implicated in gross abuses” of Uyghurs in Xinjiang and should withdraw from the Chinese province, a group of politicians from around the world have said.The group made the allegation in a letter to BASF’s chair, Martin Brudermüller, on Monday, after the...

Anthony Albanese and James Marape to meet on Thursday amid rising domestic pressures on the PNG leaderFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastAustralia will roll out the red carpet to the visiting Papua New Guinea prime minister, James Marape, amid efforts to stall China’s security talks with the Pacific country.Marape...

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,...

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...

Statement signed by former foreign ministers, a Nobel laureate and academics outlines anxieties about possibility of conflict in Indo-Pacific regionBob Carr and Gareth Evans: China and the US must agree to peaceFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastAustralia must step up diplomatic efforts to “avert the horror of great power...

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...

Justin Tkachenko says they are in ‘early stages of negotiation’ with Beijing on its offer to assist with police and security Papua New Guinea is in early talks with China on a potential security and policing deal, the country’s foreign minister Justin Tkachenko has told the Reuters news agency, weeks after deadly riots in the country’s capital.Amid jostling between Washington and Beijing for influence...

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...

The results fuel concern that the micronation could switch diplomatic recognition to Beijing, as votes continue to be countedThe pro-Taiwan leader of the Pacific islands nation of Tuvalu, Kausea Natano, has lost his seat according to partial election results.The vote is being closely watched by Taiwan, China and the United States, amid speculation the micronation could be poised to switch diplomatic recognition to Beijing....

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...

Biggest reduction since December 2021 will allow 1tn more yuan to be released in form of new loansChina’s central bank has announced a surprise cut to the amount of cash that banks must hold in reserve, hoping to boost the lending available to households and businesses as policymakers try to steer the economy through a fragile recovery.Pan Gongsheng, the governor of the People’s Bank...

Authorities warn of potentially widespread damage after the 7.0-magnitude quake, with tremors felt in neighbouring countriesA 7.0-magnitude earthquake has struck along the China-Kyrgyzstan border, as authorities warned of potentially widespread damage.The China Earthquake Networks Center said the quake hit Wushu county in Aksu prefecture shortly after 2am local time, according to the state-run Xinhua press agency and about 200 rescuers were dispatched to the...

Preliminary investigations show 47 people from 18 households missing in mountainous region, broadcaster CCTV reportsForty-seven people were buried in a landslide in China’s south-western Yunnan province, state media has reported.CCTV said on Monday that about 18 households were buried, and more than 200 people were evacuated. Authorities launched an emergency response involving more than 200 rescue workers as well as dozens of fire engines...

Fire broke out in dormitories of primary school in central Henan provinceThirteen pupils have died after a fire broke out in dormitories at a primary school in central Henan province, Chinese state media reported.All of the dead were third-grade students, a teacher at Yingcai school told Zonglan news, a state-backed media outlet from Hebei province. One person rescued from the scene was being treated...