Latest news with #Urumqi
The Star
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Star
Chinese warships arrive in Russia for joint Pacific naval exercise
Chinese warships have sailed into the main port of Russia's Pacific Fleet ahead of a joint naval exercise this week in the Sea of Japan – also known as the East Sea, according to Russian media. The guided-missile destroyers the Shaoxing and the Urumqi arrived at the eastern port city of Vladivostok for the five-day joint naval drill that starts on Friday, state news agency Sputnik reported on Thursday, quoting Russia's Pacific Fleet. The drills will also involve diesel-electric submarines and naval aircraft from both countries, according to Russia's Tass news agency. The 'Joint Sea 2025' drill would be followed by the sixth joint maritime patrol in the Pacific, China's defence ministry said on Wednesday. The exercise will take place in the sea and airspace near Vladivostok, Russia's far eastern port city. Some of the forces in the exercise will then take part in the subsequent joint patrol in designated ocean areas, according to ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang. 'This is an arrangement within the annual cooperation plan between the Chinese and Russian militaries. It is not targeted at any third party, nor is it related to the current international and regional situation,' Zhang said in Beijing. He did not specify the dates of the drill or the size of the event. The drill takes place as the US Air Force is hosting the 'Resolute Force Pacific 2025' exercise in various locations including Hawaii, Guam and Japan, as well as international airspace. The exercise began on July 10 and extends to August 8, and involves more than 400 aircraft and 12,000 personnel from the US and allies such as Japan and Australia. The US Air Force has described it as their 'biggest combat exercise in the region'. 'The US, clinging to its Cold War mentality, has been constantly flexing its muscles in the Asia-Pacific region and attempting to gang up under the guise of 'military drills', intimidate and pressure other countries, and undermine peace and stability in the region,' Zhang said. As Beijing and Moscow have deepened their partnership in recent years, increased joint naval cooperation has become a key component of the strengthening of their military ties. This will be the 11th exercise in the Joint Sea series, also known as 'Maritime Cooperation'. It began in 2012 and has been held annually, except for 2018, 2020 and 2023. Most of the previous exercises were held in the northwestern Pacific, but they have also been held in the Baltic and Mediterranean seas. The series involves warships, aircraft, and support units from both sides, conducting operations including formation manoeuvres, search and rescue exercises, air defence drills, anti-submarine operations and live-fire shootings. Demonstrations of interoperability are also part of the exercise. A similar 'Northern Cooperation' exercise, led by the People's Liberation Army Northern Theatre Command, began in 2023, when there was no Joint Sea exercise, but both events were held last year, with the Joint Sea exercise in July in the South China Sea and the Northern Cooperation drill held in September in the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk. The two navies started joint patrols in the Pacific region in 2021, usually occurring before or after a joint exercise. Such patrols happened twice last year, in July and September, by ships of the PLA Southern Theatre Command and the Northern Theatre Command, respectively. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
South China Morning Post
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
China tries to tempt couples into marriage with music festival wedding booths
Officials across China have been racking their brains to think of ways to reverse a sharp decline in the country's marriage rate over the past few years. Their latest idea: Las Vegas-style weddings at popular music festivals. Advertisement Local officials in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, made headlines over the weekend when they set up a temporary registry office at the Super Strawberry Music Festival – the latest in a string of eye-catching local initiatives designed to tempt couples to tie the knot. Eligible mainland Chinese couples at the festival were able to get married on the spot with just their ID cards and three passport-sized photos, according to the civil affairs bureau in Urumqi's Shuimogou District. Three couples got hitched at the booth while it was open on Saturday afternoon, according to local media reports. Yao Yuyang, a resident of a nearby city called Changji, had originally planned to marry her boyfriend on Monday, but the couple decided to change their plans when they arrived at the festival. 'The festival featured a performance by my favourite band, Summer Invasion Project, so we could get married and enjoy the music together,' Yao told the Urumqi Evening News on Sunday. 'The on-site registration was convenient – it only took about 10 minutes to complete.' Advertisement Marriage registry offices have been popping up in unexpected locations across China with increasing frequency in recent months, as local officials do everything they can to boost the nation's plummeting marriage rate.
The Guardian
16-07-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Oxford University Press to stop publishing China-sponsored science journal
Oxford University Press (OUP) will no longer publish a controversial academic journal sponsored by China's Ministry of Justice after years of concerns that several papers in the publication did not meet ethical standards about DNA collection. A statement published on the website of Forensic Sciences Research (FSR) states that OUP will stop publishing the quarterly journal after this year. FSR is a journal that comes from China's Academy of Forensic Science, an agency that sits under the Ministry of Justice. The academy describes FSR as 'the only English quarterly journal in the field of forensic science in China that focuses on forensic medicine'. It has been published by OUP since 2023. Several papers published in FSR have attracted criticism because they study genetic data from Uyghurs and other heavily surveilled ethnic minorities in China. Critics say subjects in the studies may not have freely consented to their DNA samples being used in the research and that the studies could help to enhance the mass surveillance of those populations. One study, published in 2020, analysed blood samples from 264 Uyghurs in Ürümqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region in north-west China. The paper states that the people giving the samples consented to the research and that their data was anonymised. The lead author on the study is affiliated with China's state security apparatus via the Xinjiang Police College, which provided a research grant. In 2024, OUP published an 'expression of concern' about the article, responding to questions about whether or not Uyghurs in Xinjiang could freely refuse to participate in a study conducted by representatives of China's state security. The paper has not been retracted. Two other papers published in FSR based on DNA samples from Chinese populations have been retracted by OUP since 2023 because of ethical concerns. In both cases, several of the researchers came from Chinese police authorities. Forensic science research is often carried out under the auspices of police authorities, but in China, where there the state security apparatus is not subject to checks and balances, there is concern this kind of research may not meet international ethical standards. Uyghurs in Xinjiang are subject to intense surveillance by state authorities and between 2016 and 2018 about a million of them are estimated to have been detained in what China calls 'vocational training centres'. The UN said China's policies in Xinjiang could constitute crimes against humanity. There are also reports of Xinjiang authorities collecting DNA samples from millions of Uyghurs under the guise of health checks, but which Uyghurs and human rights groups have said are compulsory and designed to enhance surveillance. Yves Moreau, a professor of engineering at the University of Leuven in Belgium who focuses on DNA analysis, first raised concerns about OUP's relationship with FSR and about several studies. He said he was grateful for OUP's decision but that the brief public statement on the matter 'fails to address the important issues at stake'. A statement published on FSR's website, which is hosted by OUP, said: 'Forensic Sciences Research will no longer be published by Oxford University Press (OUP) after the 2025 volume. The last issue published by OUP will be Volume 10, Issue 4.' OUP acquired the journal in 2023. Under the terms of the publishing agreement between OUP and the Academy of Forensic Sciences, a copy of which was seen by the Guardian, the deal gave OUP the right to solicit paid advertisers in the pages of the journal. The agreement also gives OUP the right to collect any revenues received by the Academy of Forensic Sciences related to the journal. OUP declined to elaborate on why it was ending the relationship with FSR. In recent years there has been increasing scrutiny about the ethical standards of genetic research papers from China. Last year, a genetics journal from a leading scientific publisher retracted 18 papers from China due to concerns about human rights. The concerns centre on whether or not vulnerable populations in China can freely refuse to participate, especially when researchers come from organisations, such as the police, affiliated with state security. There are also concerns that this kind of forensic DNA sampling could produce research that enhances the mass surveillance of those populations. Moreau said: 'Forensic genetics is an area where specific caution is needed because this is the research that powers police DNA identification and databases. While DNA identification is a valuable technique to help solve crimes, it can raise privacy and ethical issues.' He added that the mass surveillance of minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet made China a particularly challenging country to enforce international norms about ethical research and human rights. FSR's launch in 2016 was accompanied by an editorial that stated it is sponsored by an affiliate of China's Ministry of Justice. Duarte Nuno Vieira, the co-editor-in-chief of FSR, has previously denied financial support from China's Ministry of Justice had any impact on the journal's editorial policies. Nuno Vieira did not respond to a request for comment. But in an article published on Tuesday, the FSR editors wrote that the journal was at 'a moment of transformation, firmly rooted in its past successes, and yet reaching with confident hands towards an even more luminous future'. The publication of the journal will be taken over by KeAi, a China-based joint venture run by the Dutch scientific publisher Elsevier and a Chinese partner. China's Ministry of Justice and the Academy of Forensic Sciences did not respond to a request for comment.
Arab News
16-07-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan and China sign agreement to deepen media cooperation at regional broadcast festival
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China have formalized a new agreement to strengthen media collaboration, cultural exchanges and journalist training, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Wednesday. The pact was signed by Pakistan Television Managing Director Ambreen Jan and China's National Radio and Television Administration Vice Minister Dong Xin and coincides with the second television festival of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries, currently underway in China. The 2025 Media Cooperation Forum in Urumqi, Xinjiang, brought together over 300 media officials, journalists, and industry executives from across the region. 'Under the agreement, Pakistan and China will exchange information and content, undertake joint media projects, and promote cultural understanding through shared narratives,' Radio Pakistan reported. 'The collaboration will also include training programs, workshops, and journalist exchange initiatives aimed at strengthening professional skills and fostering mutual learning between media personnel of both countries.' The accord aligns with the broader emphasis on media cooperation demonstrated at the 2025 SCO forum, which aims to institutionalize collaboration through initiatives like an SCO Media Agency. Pakistan and China have long maintained strong ties, from economic projects like the China Pakistan Economic Forum to military alliances. Media cooperation adds another layer to the partnership, reinforcing shared messaging and countering disinformation The agreement builds on earlier Pakistan–China joint media efforts, including MoUs for film co-productions and shared outlets. In December, Pakistan's information secretary highlighted that twelve Pakistani films had aired in China since 1957, and a new co-production premiered in Beijing. Observers say Beijing's hosting of SCO events like the television and film festival, along with broader media initiatives, reflects China's intention to use soft power and regional platforms to solidify cultural influence. Pakistan, for its part, often frames such cooperation within a shared vision of regional stability and development.
Associated Press
30-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
cippe to Organize Oil, Gas and Chemical Exhibition in Xinjiang, Along With Forum on Deep and Ultra-Deep E&P
URUMQI, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 30, 2025-- 2025 Xinjiang International Petroleum & Chemical Technology and Equipment Exhibition (cippe Xinjiang) will be held on July 18-20, 2025 at Urumqi, Xinjiang, China. Supported by China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, China Petroleum & Petrochemical Equipment Industry Association, Explosion-Proof Electrical Apparatus Branch of China Electrical Equipment Industry Association, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association, China University of Petroleum-Beijing at Karamay, cippe Xinjiang is expected to cover an exhibition space up to 40,000sqm, and gather 500+ exhibitors. cippe is one of the world's leading brands for petroleum and petrochemical exhibitions, among them, cippe Beijing is the most well-known and has successfully held 25 editions. In this March, cippe Beijing had welcomed Gerab to showcase their seamless pipes and allied components, also the attendance of visitors from UAE, Iraq, Oman, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and others, including companies such as United Energy, ADNOC, Aramco Asia, Qatar Lubricants & Petrochemicals, etc. Xinjiang lies in the hinterland of the Eurasian continent and adjourns countries in central Asia, south and west Asia, functions as a key gate for China's opening up, as well as an important base for oil and gas, refining, and chemical development in China. The four major oilfields in Xinjiang, namely Xinjiang Oilfield, Tarim Oilfield, Northwest Oilfield, and Tuha Oilfield, among which, there are two listed as the top 10 oilfields in China. cippe Xinjiang, which debuted in 2023, is an event to bring together oil, gas and chemical industry players in Xinjiang and Northwest China. CNOOC Energy Technology & Services (CenerTech), CNPC Xibu Drilling, XCMG, AECC GT, Anton, Dongfang Xianke, Haimo, Shenhua, Rushi, Vigor, Huaneng Cable, Shenwang Group, Yangshi Machinery, Maxwell Energy, INVT Electric, ZhongTe Vik Petroleum Machinery, Weima Pumps and others will showcase on cippe Xinjiang. Concurrently, the Third China Deep and Ultra-Deep Oil and Gas Development Forum will be held on July 18, at the conference zone of the venue, which is based on the reservoir characteristics of oilfields in Xinjiang. Academician of the CAS and CAE, management and technical personnel from science and technology departments and research institutes of CNPC, Sinopec, CNOOC, Tarim Oilfield, Huabei Oilfield, Tuha Oilfield, GWDC, Daqing Drilling, Beijing and Karamay campuses of China University of Petroleum, etc., will be invited to share. View source version on CONTACT: cippe Organizing Committee 86-10-56176962 [email protected] KEYWORD: CHINA ASIA PACIFIC INDUSTRY KEYWORD: OIL/GAS ENERGY SOURCE: cippe Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 06/30/2025 01:00 AM/DISC: 06/30/2025 01:00 AM
