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SINGAPORE: The Philippines said on Friday (Feb 6) it will seek to accelerate long-running talks on a South China Sea code of conduct to a conclusion this year as chair of the ASEAN regional bloc. Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro told a forum in Singapore that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China will increase the pace of working group meetings to monthly gatherings from the current three-month intervals. The proposed code aims to guide conduct and prevent clashes over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. It has been under discussion for years, but the talks have stalled repeatedly over disagreements on its scope, enforcement and legal status. Four ASEAN members - Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam - have laid partial claims to the South China Sea. China claims the crucial waterway almost in its entirety despite an international ruling that its stance has no legal basis. Beijing and Manila have had a series of confrontations in the sea in recent y...

At the same time, the patients faced strict controls from the hospitals that required them to follow a daily schedule and move within designated areas, the report said, and failure to comply with rules led to physical abuse. The reporter said they had witnessed staff at multiple hospitals slapping the patients, hitting them with a water pipe and tying them to the bed. Some were kept in hospital for years, while contact with the outside world was cut off. One patient at a hospital in Yichang told the reporter they "felt like they were in prison". The report triggered a public backlash, with many questioning whether this was a common phenomenon across China and raised fears that hospitals were failing to treat those who needed it, while others were needlessly kept in hospital. Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily called for an investigation, saying: "The hospitals treat the healthcare insurance fund as a cake to be taken and used as they plea se, converting p...

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MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a video call Wednesday to discuss the burgeoning economic cooperation between Moscow and Beijing and their relations with the United States. The Kremlin leader accepted an invitation to visit China twice this year. The call came amid a series of meetings between Xi and Western leaders who have sought to boost ties with China despite differences over the conflict in Ukraine. European leaders have pressed China for years to end its support for Russia even as Beijing has become the No. 1 trading partner for Moscow, which seeks relief from Western economic sanctions. "I would like to once again assure you of firm support for our shared efforts to ensure the sovereignty and security of our countries, our socio-economic welfare and the right to choose our own development path," Putin said in opening remarks that were broadcast by Russian state televisio...

BEIJING (AP) — Even as China's expansion of solar and wind power raced ahead in 2025, the Asian giant opened many more coal power plants than it had in recent years — raising concern about whether the world's largest emitter will reduce carbon emissions enough to limit climate change. More than 50 large coal units — individual boiler and turbine sets with generating capacity of 1 gigawatt or more — were commissioned in 2025, up from fewer than 20 a year over the previous decade, a research report released Tuesday said. Depending on energy use, 1 gigawatt can power from several hundred thousand to more than 2 million homes. Overall, China brought 78 gigawatts of new coal power capacity online, a sharp uptick from previous years, according to the joint report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, which studies air pollution and its impacts, and Global Energy Monitor, which develops databases tracking energy trends. "The scale of the buildout is staggering,...

A humanoid robot from XPeng fell face-first during its first public appearance in China. XPeng's CEO said the mishap was part of "learning to walk." Clips of the fall quickly spread across Chinese social media, drawing jokes and criticism. After drawing cheers from a crowd at its debut in China, a humanoid robot dressed in a black suit and pants fell face-first onto the stage. The robot, called IRON, was developed by XPeng Motors and made its first public appearance at a shopping mall in southern China on Saturday. It had previously attracted attention online for its unusually ligh t, catwalk-like gait, according to Chinese media reports. In videos circulating on social media, IRON can be seen walking human-like to the center of the stage before turning to face the crowd. As it lifted its arm, the robot appeared to lose balance. Staff rushed forward to intervene, but the robot fell face-first onto the ground. The fall drew audible gasps from the audience. The event...

A seven-year-old girl in northeastern China who single-handedly took care of her sick father in hospital has melted the hearts of millions of internet users. San Mengru attracted considerable attention online after a man, surnamed Pei, who was caring for his own father in the bed next to the girl's father, released a video about her on January 18, the local news outlet Kanqi News reported. The girl's father, who is in his 40s, was admitted to the Qiqihaer No 1 People's Hospital in Heilongjiang province with heart disease. San told Pei that her parents were divorced and her grandmother is over 70 years old and cannot make it to the hosp ital every day. San Mengru stands beside her sick father while he receives treatment in hospital. Photo: Douyin The youngster's other relatives are migrant workers in other cities.

HONG KONG (AP) — China has been flooding Latin American markets with low-priced exports, especially autos and e-commerce goods, as its exporters adjust to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and geopolitical moves. The world's second-largest economy has become a major trading partner for many Latin American nations, seeking access to their abundant natural resources and growing markets while expanding its influence in a region Trump views as America's Backyard. Chinese businesses face slow demand at home. They need new markets for their products as the country ramps up production in many industries. Exports to Latin America, a market of more than 600 million people, and other regions have climbed while exports to the U.S. fell by 20% last year. "Latin America has a solid middle class, relatively high purchasing power and real demand," said Margaret Myers, director of the Asia and Latin America program at the Inter-American Dialogue think ta...

Ford has held talks with electric-vehicle maker Xiaomi about forming a joint venture to manufacture electric vehicles (EVs) in the US, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday (Jan 31), citing people familiar with the matter. A Ford spokesperson denied the FT report, calling it "completely false" in an X post. Xiaomi did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Some major US automakers and lawmakers are concerned about Chinese government-backed automakers and battery manufacturers gaining entry to the United States to open manufacturing plants, arguing the industry's future is at stake. Earlier this week, the Republican chair of a US House committee sent a letter to Ford CEO Jim Farley asking about the automaker's plans to form a joint venture with Chinese automaker BYD, and warning about potential risks. "China has already shown in recent months that it will weaponise the auto supply chain. This is a serious vulnerability and it wo ...