Ching Cheong (
"The whole thing doesn't have anything to do with Taiwan," council Vice Chairman Michael You (
China's foreign ministry said on May 31 that Ching, a reporter for Singapore's Straits Times newspaper, was arrested for working for "foreign intelligence agencies and accepted large amounts of spying fees."
The Hong Kong-based Standard newspaper said on Wednesday that China appears to imply that Ching works for Taiwan.
China's foreign ministry spokesman declined to comment on You's statement at a regular press briefing on Wednesday in Beijing, saying only journalists working in China are responsible for knowing its laws.
"The journalists must have professional ethics and standards, and that includes knowing China's laws on national secrets," ministry spokesman Kong Quan (孔泉) said. "Anyone who violates the law will be punished."
Kong said there are 480 accredited foreign journalists working in China, and the country hosts more than 5,000 visiting journalists a year.
"China welcomes all journalists, even those who do not write good news about China," Kong said. "But we do not tolerate those who break the law."
China, with 42 journalists in prison as of Dec. 31, was the leading jailer of journalists for a sixth straight year, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,