China

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania is right to recognize its mistake, but it is more important to take action to correct this mistake and get back to the right track of upholding the one-China principle, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to media reports that Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Tuesday that it was a mistake for the Lithuanian government to allow the Taiwan authorities to set up a "representative office" in Lithuania.

HONG KONG (AP) — Thousands of passengers were being held Wednesday on a cruise ship in Hong Kong for coronavirus testing after health authorities said nine passengers were linked to a recent omicron cluster and ordered the ship to turn back.

Authorities forced the Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas ship, which began sailing on Sunday on a “cruise to nowhere,” to return a day early on Wednesday, according to a government statement.

BEIJING (AP) — China on Wednesday reported a major drop in local COVID-19 infections in the northern city of Xi’an, which has been under a tight lockdown for the past two weeks that has tested the city’s ability to provide supplies for those confined to their homes.

With the Beijing Olympics beginning Feb. 4, China is doubling down on measures to prevent any new outbreak that could affect proceedings.

BEIJING, Jan 4 (APP): China on Tuesday appreciated Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government for attaching importance to the bilateral relations and promoting trade between the two countries.

“China appreciates the Prime Minister and Pakistani governments for the importance they attached to bilateral relations and promoting trade,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during his regular briefing in his remarks on launching of Pakistan-China Business and Investment Forum.

BEIJING, Jan 4 (APP): Jiangxi University of Science and Technology (JXUST) and the University of Sahiwal (UOS) on Tuesday signed a cooperation agreement to promote academic cooperation.

The joint venture will not only provide a bridge and window for teachers and students to carry out international exchanges, but also an important platform for the two universities to enhance friendship and seek common development.

BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- China hopes that the five Nuclear-Weapon States, namely China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States, could abandon the policies of nuclear deterrence based on the first-use of nuclear weapons and make commitments of mutual no-first-use of nuclear weapons, a Chinese arms control official said on Tuesday.

BEIJING (AP) — Residents of the Chinese city of Xi’an are enduring a strict coronavirus lockdown, with business owners suffering yet more closures and some people complaining of difficulties finding food, despite assurances from authorities that they are able to provide necessities for the 13 million people largely confined to their homes.

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong online news site said Sunday that it will cease operations in light of deteriorating press freedoms, days after police raided and arrested seven people for sedition at a separate pro-democracy news outlet.

Citizen News announced its decision in a Facebook post Sunday. It said it would stop updating its site on Jan. 4, and it would be shuttered after that.

“We all love this place, deeply. Regrettably, what was ahead of us is not just pouring rains or blowing winds, but hurricanes and tsunamis,” it said in a statement.

BEIJING, Dec 31 (Reuters) - China's anti-graft agency on Friday accused U.S. retail giant Walmart Inc (WMT.N) and its Sam's Club chain of "stupidity and shorted-sightedness" after Chinese news outlets reported Sam's Club had removed Xinjiang-sourced products from stores.

Last week, Sam's Club came under fire in China after several news outlets shared videos and screenshots on the Weibo social media platform that they said showed products from the far-western Chinese region of Xinjiang had been removed from the store's online app.

BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach expressed confidence in a successful Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in his New Year message published on the IOC official website on Friday.

"We are looking forward to successful Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and we have great confidence, built on our experience, that we will stage safe and secure Olympic Winter Games for everybody," Bach said.