METRO MANILA – In an effort meant to not further escalate the tension, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the military not participate in the South China Sea drills being conducted by several nations. According to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Duterte gave a standing order that Philippine navy should not get involved in the South China Sea exercises except the 12 mile …

Security was tight outside the US consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu as workers inside were ready to depart, the day after China ordered it to close in response to a US request that China shut down its consulate in Houston. Tit-for – tat consulate closures have led to a rapid deterioration in relations between the two largest economies …

China labeled the sudden closing of its consulate general in Houston, Texas – a “financial threat” by the United States, and threatened strong countermeasures should Washington not reverse its move. Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, told a press conference in Beijing that the change directed Tuesday local time seriously breaches foreign laws and principles regulating international affairs. China …

Last month, after days of heavy rain, the dam at a small reservoir in the Guangxi area of China gives way in a failure that could be a harbinger of sterner tests for several of the country’s 94,000 ageing dams as the environment gets extremer. Located in the county of Yangshuo, famed for its otherworldly karst scenery, the dam collapsed …

In eastern Anhui province, Chinese authorities blew up part of a dam to alleviate flood pressure, local media announced, as heavy rains continued to swell rivers across parts of the region. According to the Ministry of Emergency Management, rising waters across central and eastern China have left more than 140 people dead or missing, and floods have affected nearly 24 …

China’s top Hong Kong representative condemned what it called U.S. gross intervention in the Asian financial center, calling the bid by U.S. President Donald Trump to remove the city’s special status as ‘gangster logic and bullying.’ The Hong Kong Liaison Office said in a strongly worded statement released late Wednesday (July 15) that the sanctions would not have a significant …

PETALING JAYA – Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said today that the country need to fix bilateral ties with several countries because the relationship were ‘very tested’ to say the least. The Foreign Affairs Minister said that according to Auditor-General’s Report 2018, China’s military has trespassed Sarawak and Sabah waters almost 90 times between 2016 to 2019. As …

US President Donald Trump ordered an end to the special status of Hong Kong under US law to punish China for what he called “oppressive acts” against the former British colony, leading Beijing to warn of retaliatory sanctions. Citing China’s decision to implement a new Hong Kong national security law, Trump signed an executive order which he said would end …

Chinese health officials said a herdsman in Inner Mongolia was believed to be diagnosed with bubonic plague, a reminder of how even though the planet is fighting a pandemic triggered by a novel virus, old risks persist. The Bayannur City Health Commission said the plague was detected in the herdsman on Sunday and he was treated in a hospital and …

The Ministry of Trade and Industry has sought to scrutinize more closely the goods coming from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, South Korea and the Asean bloc, amid fears that Chinese imports are increasingly being routed through these countries. It has called for fast monitoring amendments to the customs legislation to simplify the rules for seeking concessional benefits under India’s free trade …