BEIJING, July 26(ABC): Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to hold in-person talks in Beijing with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo on Tuesday, in a rare visit to COVID-wary China by a foreign head of state. Indonesian President Joko Widodo is set to be the first foreign leader to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in person since the Beijing Winter Games in February, when he travels …

BEIJING, July 26(ABC): The inaugural Beijing Culture Forum kicked off in the Chinese capital on Monday, with the theme “Inheritance, Innovation and Mutual Learning.” Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the opening ceremony of the forum. Addressing …

SHANGHAI, July 25(ABC): China’s index of export container transport went up in June, according to the Shanghai Shipping Exchange. The average China Containerized Freight Index (CCFI) rose 3.5 percent month on month to 3,228.37 in the period, said the exchange. The sub-reading for the Persian Gulf/Red Sea service led the growth with a month-on-month expansion of 16.9 percent, followed by …

BEIJING, July 26(ABC): China on Monday gave conditional approval to domestic firm Genuine Biotech’s Azvudine pill to treat certain adult patients with COVID-19, adding another oral treatment option against the coronavirus. The availability of effective COVID vaccines and treatments is crucial in laying the groundwork for China’s potential pivoting from its “dynamic COVID zero” policy, which aims to eliminate every …

BEIJING, July 25(ABC): On Monday at 10:03 a.m. (Beijing Time), the Shenzhou-14 astronauts opened the hatch door of Wentian, the first lab module of China’s space station, and entered the module, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). It was the first time the Chinese astronauts had entered the lab module in orbit. The Wentian module, launched on Sunday …

BEIJING, July 25(ABC): Sri Lanka has asked China to help with trade, investment and tourism to help it grow sustainably, Colombo s envoy to Beijing said on Monday as it negotiates for an emergency $4 billion package to help it emerge from an economic meltdown. The island nation of 22 million people is suffering its worst economic crisis since independence …

BEIJING, July 25(ABC): China delivered sterner warnings to U.S. officials about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi s possible visit to Taiwan, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday, confirming a report by the Financial Times (FT). The FT report, published on Saturday, cited six people familiar with the Chinese warnings as saying they were significantly stronger than the threats that Beijing …

BEIJING, July 25(ABC): China’s population has slowed significantly and is expected to start to shrink ahead of 2025, the state backed Global Times reported, citing a senior health official. Birth data released late on Sunday showed that the number of new births in 2021 was the lowest in decades in several provinces. The number of births in central Hunan province …

BEIJING, July 25(ABC): Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message on Sunday to Bajram Begaj on assuming the office as Albanian president. Xi pointed out that China and Albania enjoy profound traditional friendship, adding that in recent years, with the joint building of the Belt and Road and China-Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) cooperation as platforms, the two …

BEIJING, July 25(ABC): Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng on Sunday watched the launch of Wentian, the first lab module of the country’s space station, at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center. Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, extended warm greetings and congratulations to all those participating in …