China Watch

US stands alone as Iran, China join key UN bodies over objections– www.foxnews.com

pgnewser April 14, 2026 0

US stands alone as Iran, China join key UN bodies over objections– www.foxnews.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Western democracies, including the UK, France, Canada and Australia, are facing backlash after allowing Iran and other authoritarian regimes to secure seats on influential United Nations (U.N.) bodies, with the United States standing alone in opposition.

The controversy stems from decisions by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), a 54-member body that plays a central role in shaping U.N. policy and staffing key committees.

Critics warn the outcome could allow governments accused of human rights abuses to influence global policy and control which civil society groups are granted access to the United Nations.

Spain pushes China to assume global leadership role during Iran war– www.washingtonexaminer.com

pgnewser April 13, 2026 0

Spain pushes China to assume global leadership role during Iran war– www.washingtonexaminer.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday pushed China to embrace a larger role on the world stage as Europe increasingly turns to Beijing amid growing tensions with the United States.

Sanchez’s speech at Beijing’s Tsinghua University follows recent moves from the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and others to tighten ties with China after the Trump administration redefined its relationship with Europe, leading many allies to question Washington’s commitment to long-standing alliances.

On the day before he is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Sanchez pushed back against the notion that Europe holds little value and called on China to help fill what he described as a new power vacuum left by the U.S.

“Europe may seem small on a map. But its weight is decisive, and its unity is a guarantee of stability and prosperity in the world, a world that cannot be understood without China,” Sanchez said. “We are called upon to understand one another and to cooperate.”

“Europe ⁠will also have to redouble its efforts, especially now that the United States has decided to withdraw from many of these fronts,” he added.

Russia, China veto UN Security Council measure to reopen Strait of Hormuz – National– globalnews.ca

pgnewser April 13, 2026 0

Blurb:

Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz that had been repeatedly watered down in hopes those two countries would abstain.

The vote — 11-2, with two abstentions from Pakistan and Colombia— took place just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump issued an unprecedented threat that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran does not open the strategic waterway and make a deal before his 8 p.m. Eastern deadline. One-fifth of the world’s oil typically passes through the strait, and Iran’s stranglehold during the war has sent energy prices soaring.

Trump Threatens China with ‘Massive Consequences’ if They Provide Iran Weapons– www.westernjournal.com

pgnewser April 13, 2026 0

Blurb:

President Donald Trump warned China on Sunday it would face a tariff among other “staggering” consequences if it provided weapons to Iran.

Trump announced a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in a Sunday morning Truth Social post, saying ships that paid an Iranian toll in either Chinese yuan or cryptocurrency would be intercepted by the United States Navy.

“Sunday Morning Futures” host Maria Bartiromo asked Trump about reports China had provided missiles to Iran.

Chinese Workers Protest Unpaid Wages in Russia’s Far East– www.themoscowtimes.com

pgnewser April 13, 2026 0

News Source
Chinese Workers Protest Unpaid Wages in Russia’s Far East – www.themoscowtimes.com
EXCERPT:

Chinese workers building a fuel-making unit at a Rosneft refinery in Far East Russia’s Khabarovsk region took to the streets on Sunday to protest unpaid wages, regional authorities said Monday.

At least 200 employees of the Russian-Chinese contractor Petro-Hehua marched through the city of Komsomolsk-na-Amure demanding back payments and help from both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin.

Iran war’s global energy crisis sharpens China’s advantage in clean tech– abcnews.com

pgnewser April 13, 2026 0

Blurb:

HONG KONG — China is poised to benefit from the Iran war as global energy disruptions accelerate a shift away from fossil fuels and toward clean technologies and renewable power, industries that China dominates.

Most of the oil and gas from the now mostly shut Strait of Hormuz was Asia-bound. Asian nations are scrambling to conserve energy and bolster dwindling reserves. As a temporary ceasefire teeters, gasoline prices in the U.S. and Europe are spiking.

While most of Asia is hit hard, China will likely benefit from the fossil fuel disruptions despite being the biggest purchaser of Iranian oil. China leads the world in battery, solar and electric vehicle exports, and its industries are forecast to face a rise in demand for renewable products.

Before the start of the Iran war in late February, China’s lead in clean technologies was lengthening. The U.S. under President Donald Trump scaled back on renewable energy and leaned on its vast oil and gas resources, promoting energy exports to achieve what Trump described as “energy dominance.”

China says Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to explore a ‘comprehensive solution’– abcnews.com

pgnewser April 8, 2026 0

Blurb:

BEIJING — China’s government said Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed not to escalate their conflict and to “explore a comprehensive solution” after several weeks of cross-border fighting between the two countries that has left hundreds of people killed.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Wednesday that after seven days of peace talks in the western Chinese city of Urumqi under China mediation, all the parties also agreed to keep the dialogue.

How China Dominates the World’s Critical Minerals Production– www.dailysignal.com

pgnewser April 7, 2026 0

Blurb:

Critical minerals are mined all over the world but the majority of the supply ends up passing through China. For a broad range of key metals and minerals, China is either the largest miner, the dominant refiner, or both. This is true for rare earths, lithium, cobalt, graphite, nickel, and many other metals and minerals that are essential to defense, energy and high-tech applications.

It is less about where ores are dug out of the ground and more about where they are turned into usable components. In other words, Chinese processing plants are essentially the gatekeepers of global supply.

China warns US against building ammunition facility in Philippines– www.channelnewsasia.com

pgnewser March 26, 2026 0

Blurb:

BEIJING: China warned the United States on Thursday (Mar 26) against bringing “conflict and the chaos of war” to the Asia-Pacific, after Washington and its allies said they would weigh building a weapons base in the Philippines.

A US-led intergovernmental defence group agreed last week to assess funding for a new ammunition assembly and production line in the Philippines, according to a joint statement.

The decision was made by the 16 members of the Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience (PIPIR), which also includes Britain, Australia, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.

Chinese lander reveals giant ‘cavity’ of radiation between Earth and the moon — and it could change how lunar exploration is done– www.livescience.com

pgnewser March 26, 2026 0

Blurb:

Could being a “morning person” improve your health … on the moon? Scientists have identified what appears to be a “cavity” of reduced cosmic radiation near Earth’s moon. The finding could help lower astronauts’ exposure to harmful radiation on future lunar missions by timing some surface operations for local morning hours.

The discovery, based on data from China‘s Chang’e-4 lunar lander, suggests Earth’s magnetic field may affect distances in space farther than scientists previously expected. According to the researchers, the finding challenges the long-held assumption that galactic cosmic rays are roughly uniform throughout the space between Earth and the moon outside our planet’s protective magnetic field.

How China Is Killing Oil Chokepoints While Trump And Tehran Clash Over Hormuz– www.ndtv.com

pgnewser March 25, 2026 0

Blurb:

 

While the world fixates on the Strait of Hormuz, China is working to make the entire conversation obsolete.

Each flare up in US Iran tensions sends oil markets into overdrive, with prices swinging and supply fears dominating global narratives. But Beijing is not playing that game. It is building an alternative system designed to sidestep the very risks others are pricing in.

At the centre of this effort is State Grid Corporation of China, a sprawling network that already covers more than 80 percent of the country and powers over a billion people. Alongside China Southern Power Grid, it is constructing what increasingly looks like a long term energy power play. A nationwide supergrid meant to reduce reliance on imported oil and the fragile sea lanes that carry it. LIVE UPDATES

The blueprint is expansive. Ultra high voltage transmission lines are being rolled out at speed, linking inland regions rich in coal, wind and solar to the industrial coastline where demand is concentrated. The aim is to electrify more of the economy, move power efficiently across vast distances, and reduce exposure to external shocks.

Amendments to Hong Kong National Security Law Allow Police To Demand Device Passwords in NatSec Probes– chinadigitaltimes.net

pgnewser March 24, 2026 0

Blurb:

On Monday, the Hong Kong government gazetted amendments to the implementation rules of the National Security Law that would significantly expand the powers granted to law enforcement, including the ability to compel suspects in national security investigations to reveal their device passwords under threat of fines or jail time. Hong Kong’s Legislative Council was not consulted on the changes, but the government has announced that it will provide a public briefing on Tuesday.

Despite administration claims that the new rules “will not affect the lives of the general public” and that they were implemented to address “national security risks [… that] may arise suddenly and unexpectedly,” many legal experts and human rights groups have warned that the broadly defined amendments are “open to abuse” and represent a ratcheting up of the Beijing-imposed 2020 National Security Law that has long been used to undermine democratic freedoms and crush political dissent.

At Hong Kong Free Press, Hans Tse reported on the amendments, their potential penalties, and the expansion of who can be compelled to disclose password or decryption information—including even those with a “duty of confidentiality or any other restriction on the disclosure of information,” such as journalists, doctors, and lawyers):

Under the new rules, police can require people under national security investigation to provide passwords or help decrypt their electronic devices. Failure to do so can be punished by up to one year behind bars and a HK$100,000 [$12,760 U.S.] fine.

Providing a false or misleading statement can be punished by up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of HK$500,000 [$63,815].

Police can also compel anyone believed to know of the password or the decryption method of a device under investigation to disclose such information. Similarly, those who own, possess, control, or have authorised access to a device, as well as current or former users, can be subject to such an order.

The new rules have also empowered customs officers to freeze or confiscate assets relating to national security crimes or to forfeit “articles that have seditious intention.” [Source]