China

HONG KONG (AP) — Two former Hong Kong lawmakers pleaded guilty to illegal assembly charges Tuesday, as a trial opened for them and seven other prominent democracy activists in what is seen as a crackdown on dissent in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- China's Tianwen-1 probe on Monday performed an orbital maneuver around Mars after it became the country's first spacecraft to explore an extraterrestrial planet.

A 3000N engine was ignited at 5 p.m. (Beijing time) to ensure the probe's trajectory passes the poles of Mars. The periareion, the point in the orbit that is closest to Mars, was adjusted to 265 km, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

The spacecraft will perform several more orbital adjustments to enter a parking orbit, said the CNSA.

BEIJING (AP) — China fired back Sunday at the U.S. over allegations from the White House that Beijing withheld some information about the coronavirus outbreak from World Health Organization investigators.

In a statement Friday, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington had “deep concerns about the way in which the early findings of the COVID-19 investigation were communicated and questions about the process used to reach them.”

BEIJING, Feb 13 (APP): A Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy flotilla led by a Type 052D destroyer has joined AMAN-21 multinational naval exercise hosted by Pakistan Navy which aims at enhancing professional communication and friendly interactions with other navies.

Invited by the Pakistan Navy, the PLA Navy 119 Flotilla arrived in waters close to Karachi on Thursday to participate in the multinational exercise AMAN-21, after the flotilla wrapped up its escort mission in the Gulf of Aden, Global Times reported on Saturday.

Beijing, Feb 13 (AP-PTI) Railway journeys in China during the usually frenetic Lunar New Year holiday travel rush are down by almost 70 per cent amid calls for people to stay where they are to avoid a new outbreak of COVID-19.

The China State Railway Group on Saturday reported 52.33 million passenger trips from Jan 28 to Feb 11 a decline of 68.8 per cent from the same period last year.

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China refused to give raw data on early COVID-19 cases to a World Health Organization-led team probing the origins of the pandemic, one of the team’s investigators said, potentially complicating efforts to understand how the outbreak began.

BEIJING (AP) — China has banned the BBC World News television channel in a diplomatic fight with Britain after British regulators revoked the license of state-owned Chinese broadcaster CGTN.

The move late Thursday was largely symbolic, because BBC World already was limited to being shown on cable TV systems in hotels and apartment compounds for foreigners and some other businesses.

BEIJING (AP) — Cui Tingting dyed her hair Mars red for the arrival of China’s spacecraft at the planet known in Chinese as the Fire Star.

“This is a great era for space, and the future of mankind lies in the exploration of outer space,” said Cui, director of the China Mars Society, the local chapter of a global advocacy network. She hosted an online party Wednesday night to wait for the announcement that the Tianwen-1 spacecraft, launched last July, had reached Mars orbit.

BEIJING, Feb 10 (APP): China on Wednesday reiterated its principled stance on the expansion of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and sought a package solution that takes into account the interests and concerns of all parties.

” (Epansion) should be done through the widest possible democratic consultation and seek a package solution that takes into account the interests and concerns of all parties,❠Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during regular briefing in response to a question regarding India’s candidature for permanent membership of the UNSC.

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese spacecraft appears poised to enter orbit around Mars, one day after an orbiter from the United Arab Emirates did so and about a week ahead of an American attempt to put down another spacecraft on the surface of the red planet.

Chinese authorities, always cautious about possible failure, have not announced a planned arrival time. The official Xinhua News Agency reported last week that the spacecraft was expected to slow down around Wednesday before entering orbit and preparing for a Mars landing.