China

BEIJING, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have developed an artificial method of synthesizing starch from carbon dioxide, the first of its kind globally.

The study, conducted by the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was published in the journal Science on Friday.

As a major component of food, starch is generally produced by crops through photosynthesis. Starch synthesis in nature needs about 60 metabolic reactions and complex physiological regulation.

BEIJING (AP) — Seeking to dispel fears of financial turmoil, some Chinese banks are disclosing what they are owed by a real estate developer that is struggling under $310 billion in debt, saying they can cope with a potential default.

The announcements came as Evergrande Group promised to talk with some individual investors who bought its debt while creditors waited to see whether Beijing will intervene to oversee a restructuring to prevent financial disruptions.

BEIJING, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Washington Post has questioned whether President Joe Biden's foreign policy is a faithful continuation of Donald Trump's and a repudiation of Barack Obama's.

In an opinion piece in the paper, columnist Fareed Zakaria raised the question after "almost eight months of watching policies, rhetoric and crises."

"...Many foreign observers have been surprised - even shocked - to discover that," wrote Zakaria.

SHANGHAI, September 22. /TASS/: The cooperation between Moscow and Beijing continues to strengthen in a progressive manner, notwithstanding the COVID-19 restrictions, Russian Ambassador to China Andrei Denisov said on Wednesday.

BEIJING, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday expressed grave concern over the cooperation between the United States, the UK and Australia on nuclear submarines, stating that it deliberately escalates regional tensions, provokes an arms race, threatens regional peace and stability, and undermines international nuclear non-proliferation efforts.

BEIJING, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. drone strike in late August in the Afghan capital of Kabul supposedly targeting terrorists turned out to have 10 innocent civilians killed instead, including seven children.

Amid a cascade of searing media reports, Commander of U.S. Central Command Kenneth McKenzie on Friday admitted the horrendous incident, noting that it is "unlikely that the vehicle and those who died were associated with ISIS-K, or were a direct threat to U.S. forces."

BEIJING, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-3, carrying supplies for the upcoming Shenzhou-13 crewed mission, successfully docked with the space station core module Tianhe on Monday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

At 10:08 p.m. (Beijing Time), Tianzhou-3 completed a computer-orchestrated rendezvous and docking at the rear docking port of the Tianhe core module. The whole process took approximately 6.5 hours, the CMSA said.

BEIJING, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese central government spokesperson Monday hailed the successful holding of the 2021 Election Committee's subsector ordinary elections in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) as opening new prospects and bringing new hope.

Beijing, Sep 20 (AP-PTI) Li Zhanguo's two children, aged eight and four, don't have their own smartphones, but like millions of other Chinese children, they are no strangers to online gaming.

If my children get their hands on our mobile phones or an iPad, and if we don't closely monitor their screen time, they can play online games for as long as three to four hours each time, he said.

Not anymore.

HONG KONG, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong has held its first major election since improvements to the special administrative region's electoral system earlier this year, representing a steady step in its democratic advance.

The voting of the 2021 Election Committee's subsector ordinary elections ran from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time on Sunday at the six polling stations across Hong Kong.