Cold weather comes early to East Asia as energy crisis looms in China

October 18, 2021October 18, 2021 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment China, cold weather, Japan

In Taiwan, October 17, northeasterly monsoonal winds brought an early cooling respite from the hellish heat of a long, hot summer, but parts of China saw sub-zero temperatures arrive the earliest in more than half a century, and snow fell in Japan a half-month earlier than last year. In Hokkaido, Japan, the cities of Wakkanai and Asahikawa saw the first snow, Sunday, 17 days earlier than last year, the Sapporo District Meteorological Observatory announced. All-Nippon News Network reported that under

Regional

August 9, 2021August 9, 2021 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment China, Chinese tourists

Animals began fighting with each other after witnessing a brawl break out among a group of human visitors at the Beijing Safari Park on Saturday afternoon, according to Beijing Daily. An argument broke out among the tourists before escalating into an all-in brawl according to a video uploaded to China’s social media platform Weibo which quickly went viral over the weekend August 7-8. “They shouted at each other, tore at each other and many tourists and animals were watching. The

Shenping001 offshore construction platform listing

Marine and Fisheries

July 25, 2021July 25, 2021 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment China, Guangdong, marine search and rescue, shipping accident

Chinese marine search and rescue services are searching for four people missing after an offshore construction platform tilted dangerously, flooding the deck and almost capsizing off the coast of Huizhou in Guangdong Province today, July 25. According to CCTV, the Huizhou Maritime Safety Administration began a search and rescue operation after receiving reports of the accident at around 11:00 am this morning. The 90-meter-long, 50-meter-wide offshore construction platform SHENG PING 001 began tilting while working on the CGN New Energy

A military officer trains high school students in china

International

April 14, 2021April 14, 2021 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment China, China expansionism, Chinese Communist Party

The Communist Party of China today ordered military training for high school students to be increased to a minimum of 56 class hours from August 1, 2021, with the goal of “strengthening the building of the national defense reserve force.” The National Defense Mobilization Department of the Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China, and the Ministry of Education released the “Syllabus for Military Training for High School Students,” today, April 13. The syllabus will be implemented from

truck carrying Evergreen container across freeway

Traffic Accidents

March 27, 2021March 27, 2021 Phillip Charlier 3 Comments China, Evergreen

A truck carrying an Evergreen shipping container crashed and caused a traffic jam on a freeway in China this morning, and pictures of the incident went viral on Chinese social media platforms. According to information from the traffic monitor footage, the accident occurred shortly before 9:55 am today on the Changchun-Shenzhen Expressway in Nanjing. Following the accident, the truck was left askew across the road, almost completely blocking traffic, leading to comparisons with the Evergreen container ship currently blocking the

Xi Jinping at plenary session of national people's congress, March 2021

International

March 9, 2021March 9, 2021 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment China, Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping appeared to squirm a little embarrassedly when a representative heaped praise on the paramount leader for his thoughtful “Toilet Revolution” policy, at the fourth session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC), yesterday, Monday, March 8. Xi was attending a forum for deputies of the National People’s Congress when a female representative made flattering remarks about the policy, perhaps unaware of the controversies that have hounded implementation of the grand

firefighters at site of plane crash on house in Jiangxi Province, China, March 1, 2021

International

March 2, 2021March 2, 2021 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment China, plane crash

Five people died, and one person was injured after a plane engaged in cloud-seeding operations crashed into houses in Jianxi Province, China, Monday, March 1. All five people aboard the aircraft died, while a resident of one of three houses affected by the crash suffered minor injuries. According to Chinese language media reports, a twin-turboprop Beechcraft King Air 350 aircraft, registered B-10GD, belonging to Great Northern wilderness General Aviation Company (中國北大荒通用航空公司) crashed in a residential area of Ji’an County at

International

January 31, 2021February 10, 2021 Phillip Charlier 3 Comments China, COVID-19, Polymerase Chain Reaction Test

Some Chinese citizens are avoiding going home for the Lunar New Year holidays after Beijing health authorities introduced anal swab tests for COVID-19. Citizens were quoted in various media reports including Apple Daily, as saying that they would prefer to miss the holidays rather than undergo what they consider to be an intrusive, insulting, and humiliating procedure. “Everyone involved will be so embarrassed,” one user wrote on Chinese social media site Weibo. A poll on Weibo showed that 80% of

Chen Shih-chung coughs during press conference

Health and Safety

October 17, 2020October 17, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Chen Shih-chung, China, COVID-19, false positive, Polymerase Chain Reaction Test

Chinese officials claimed yesterday that COVID-19 tests on 10.9 million people in Qingdao City, Shandong Province, had all returned negative results, but Taiwan’s Health Minister, Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), said today that such a result was impossible. Citywide tests for Qingdao City’s population of 11 million were ordered after a cluster infection of 13 people centered around a local hospital was discovered recently. The cluster was claimed to be China’s first case of locally transmitted COVID-19 in over two months. The

Military Affairs

August 26, 2020August 26, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment China, US Air Force

China’s Ministry of National Defense issued a statement, Tuesday, August 25, accusing the US military of “naked provocation,” after a US Air Force U-2 high-altitude surveillance plane flew over a no-fly zone during live-fire military exercises earlier that day. The People’s Liberation Army had declared a no-fly zone over the Bohai Sea, one of three areas where the PLA is holding concurrent military exercises along the coast of China. The live-fire military drills are being held from August 22 –

International

July 11, 2020July 11, 2020 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment China, Hong Kong, Mainland Affairs Council

In response to the Hong Kong national security law issued by the government of the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has set up an online registration system for nationals traveling to Hong Kong, Macao, and China. The MAC website lists groups at high risk of “being disappeared,” including people who have expressed solidarity with Taiwan independence, Hong Kong independence, Tibet independence, and Xinjiang independence. Also at risk are critics of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the

China

Cold weather comes early to East Asia as energy crisis looms in China

Human brawl at Beijing wildlife park sets bad example for animals

4 missing after offshore construction platform partially capsizes in Guangdong, China

China orders more military training for high school students to strengthen “national defense”

Truck carrying Evergreen container causes traffic jam in China: picture goes viral

Xi Jinping awkwardly takes praise for his “Toilet Revolution” policy

Plane crash in China’s Jiangxi Province leaves 5 dead, one injured

Beijing adds anal swab tests to COVID arsenal, but citizens are not taking it lying down

China claims 10.9 million COVID tests in Qingdao City all negative: Taiwan’s Health Minister says “impossible”

China protests after US Air Force flies U-2 spy plane over live-fire PLA-declared no-fly zone

MAC warns of danger for travelers to Hong Kong, Macao, China