Lawmaker blasts China on human rights in front of embassy
March 10, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican chairman of a special House committee targeting China called Beijing's government “bloodthirsty” and “power hungry” on Friday at a rally outside the Chinese embassy in Washington.
Police officer wants badge back after spy charges dropped
February 9, 2023 GMTGARDEN CITY, N.Y. (AP) — On a September day in 2020, New York City Police Officer Baimadajie Angwang kissed his toddler goodbye and was about to drive to work when he was surrounded by rifle-toting FBI agents.
More bodies found in Tibet avalanche; death toll rises to 28
January 20, 2023 GMTBEIJING (AP) — More bodies were found Friday following an avalanche that buried vehicles outside a highway tunnel in Tibet, raising the death toll to 28, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Images from the scene at the exit of the tunnel connecting the city of Nyingchi in Tibet’s southwest with an outlying county showed about half a dozen backhoes digging through deep snow.
Avalanche at exit of Tibet highway tunnel kills at least 8
January 19, 2023 GMTBEIJING (AP) — An avalanche trapped vehicles outside a highway tunnel in Tibet, and at least eight people have died.
The falling snow and ice collapsed at the exit of the tunnel connecting the city of Nyingchi in Tibet’s southwest with outlying Medog county on Tuesday evening.
China sanctions 2 US citizens over action on Tibet
December 23, 2022 GMTBEIJING (AP) — China has sanctioned two U.S. citizens in retaliation for action taken by Washington over human rights abuses in Tibet, the government said Friday, amid an ongoing standoff between the sides over Beijing's treatment of religious and ethnic minorities.
Tibetans in India support ‘zero COVID’ protesters in China
December 2, 2022 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — About 150 Tibetan exiles held up blank pieces of paper as they rallied in India's capital on Friday to express solidarity with people in China protesting its “zero COVID” policy.
The blank paper is a symbol of defiance used by some protesters in China against the ruling Communist Party’s widespread censorship.
Shanghai district orders mass COVID-19 testing, lockdown
October 28, 2022 GMTBEIJING (AP) — China’s largest city of Shanghai is ordering mass testing Friday of all 1.3 million residents of its downtown Yangpu district and confining them to their homes at least until results are known.
Former Tibet official latest to fall in China graft sweep
September 30, 2022 GMTBEIJING (AP) — A former vice governor of China’s sprawling Tibet region has been indicted on charges of accepting bribes, state media reported Friday.
Zhang Yongze is the latest high-level former official to be indicted on graft charges just weeks before a major congress of the ruling Communist Party, whose leader Xi Jinping has made fighting corruption a signature issue.
China closes Potala Palace after COVID-19 reported in Tibet
August 9, 2022 GMTBEIJING (AP) — Chinese authorities have closed Tibet’s famed Potala Palace after a minor outbreak of COVID-19 was reported in the Himalayan region.
Dalai Lama travels to remote Ladakh region bordering China
July 15, 2022 GMTSRINAGAR, India (AP) — The exiled Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Friday arrived in India's remote Ladakh region bordering China where he received a rousing reception.
Thousands of people lined both sides of the road outside the airport in the cold desert region’s Leh town to welcome the Dalai Lama, who is touring outside his base in the northern Indian city of Dharmsala for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Dalai Lama marks 87th birthday by opening library and museum
July 6, 2022 GMTDHARMSALA, India (AP) — Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama marked his 87th birthday on Wednesday by inaugurating a library and museum in his hillside Indian headquarters.
He was cheered by a large number of followers, including American actor Richard Gere, a longtime disciple.
China sees record rains, heat as weather turns volatile
July 5, 2022 GMTBEIJING (AP) — From the snowcapped peaks of Tibet to the tropical island of Hainan, China is sweltering under the worst heatwave in decades while rainfall hit records in June.
Extreme heat is also battering Japan, and volatile weather is causing trouble for other parts of the world in what scientists say has all the hallmarks of climate change, with even more warming expected this century.
Bhutan Buddhist leader ordains 144 women, resuming tradition
June 24, 2022 GMT(RNS) — On Tuesday (June 21), the Je Khenpo, the senior Buddhist authority in Bhutan, began ordaining a group of 144 women as bhikshunis, or female monks, at the Ramthangkha monastery in the tiny Himalayan country.
8 more dead as India’s Assam state reels under floods
June 19, 2022 GMTGAUHATI, India (AP) — Massive flooding and mudslides in northeastern India's Assam state have claimed eight more lives, officials said Sunday, taking the death toll to 62 from weeks of heavy rains that caused one of Asia’s largest rivers to overflow.
Plane veers off runway in China and catches fire; 36 injured
May 12, 2022 GMTBEIJING (AP) — A Chinese passenger jet veered off the runway during takeoff and caught fire on Thursday, sending black smoke billowing into the air and injuring more than 30 people.
The Tibet Airlines flight with 122 people on board was departing from the southwestern city of Chongqing for a flight to Nyingchi in China's Tibet region.
Report criticizes Danish authorities for giving in to China
March 28, 2022 GMTCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A government-appointed commission on Monday criticized the Foreign Ministry and Denmark's intelligence and security service for putting pressure on the Copenhagen police to violate the Danish Constitution by giving in to Chinese pressure and barring anti-China demonstrations during official visits from Beijing.
This time, Tibet stands silent as Olympics return to China
February 16, 2022 GMTGARZE COUNTY, China (AP) — As a speedskating team was winning China’s first Olympic gold medal of the Beijing Games, all seemed quiet in the villages that line the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau.
BEIJING DIARY: A taste of Tibet with Chinese characteristics
February 12, 2022 GMTBEIJING (AP) — I can't visit Tibet while I'm in China working at the Beijing Winter Olympics. But China can show me its own version of the remote region.
China's “closed loop” system for the Games means it's almost impossible for any of the thousands of athletes, sports officials, journalists and media workers who have arrived from overseas to get out and see the country.
Tibetans in India demonstrate against Beijing Olympics
February 4, 2022 GMTNEW DELHI (AP) — Hundreds of Tibetan exiles marched near the Chinese Embassy in the Indian capital of New Delhi on Friday and held a protest rally while denouncing the Beijing Winter Olympics and demanding freedom for their region.
Hundreds of Tibetans protest outside IOC headquarters
February 3, 2022 GMTLAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Hundreds of Tibetans marched Thursday outside the Swiss headquarters of the International Olympic Committee, demanding freedom for their region as Beijing prepares to host the Winter Games.
China lashes out at Japan’s ‘concern’ over human rights
February 1, 2022 GMTTOKYO (AP) — Japanese lawmakers on Tuesday urged their government to take action against a “serious human rights situation" in China, drawing a quick and angry rebuke from Beijing.
The resolution passed by Japan's lower house stopped short of naming China, but expressed “concern about serious human rights conditions including the violation of religious freedom and internment in the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region, Tibet, Inner Mongolia and Hong Kong" — all of which are ruled by China.
Activists urge athletes to speak out at Beijing Olympics
January 28, 2022 GMTBEIJING (AP) — Human rights activists issued a call to action against the Beijing Olympics on Friday, imploring athletes and sponsors to speak out against what they call the “genocide games.”
Speaking at an online press conference organized by the rights group Human Rights Watch, activists representing Chinese dissidents and the minority Uyghur and Tibetan populations urged international attendants to voice their opposition to China's hosting of the Games, which begin next week.
From Tiananmen to Hong Kong, China’s crackdowns defy critics
January 27, 2022 GMTBEIJING (AP) — From the deadly crushing of Beijing’s 1989 pro-democracy protests to the suppression of Hong Kong’s opposition four decades later, China’s Communist Party has demonstrated a determination and ability to stay in power that is seemingly impervious to Western criticism and sanctions.
Beijing accuses US of inciting Lithuania over Taiwan
January 10, 2022 GMTBEIJING (AP) — Beijing on Monday accused Washington of inciting Lithuania to “contain China" in a feud over the status of self-ruled Taiwan after U.S. officials expressed support for the European Union-member country in the face of Chinese economic pressure.
Activists urge Tesla to close new Xinjiang showroom
January 5, 2022 GMTBEIJING (AP) — American activists are appealing to Tesla Inc. to close a new showroom in China’s northwestern region of Xinjiang, where officials are accused of abuses against mostly Muslim ethnic minorities.
2021 Notebook: China a huge 2021 story, with Olympics ahead
December 20, 2021 GMTChina was one of the biggest stories of 2021 — from its plans to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in the face of criticism about its human rights records in the Xinjiang region, Tibet and Hong Kong to questions about how it would wield its economic power in a delicately balanced world.
Olympic leaders criticize FIFA as activists target meeting
December 11, 2021 GMTOlympic leaders aimed their ire at FIFA’s president over his push for staging more World Cups, during an IOC-hosted meeting that Tibetan students tried to interrupt on Saturday in a protest against the Beijing Winter Games.
Celtics’ Freedom calls becoming US citizen ‘unforgettable’
December 1, 2021 GMTBOSTON (AP) — Enes Freedom will now be linked forever to a word he says he fought for his entire life.
The Boston Celtics center changed his name from Enes Kanter to Enes Kanter Freedom in celebration of him officially becoming a United States citizen on Monday.
New country, new name for US citizen ‘Enes Kanter Freedom’
November 28, 2021 GMTBOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter is changing his name to “Enes Kanter Freedom” to celebrate becoming a United States citizen.
Kanter's manager, Hank Fetic, told The Associated Press that Kanter will have his citizenship oath ceremony on Monday afternoon and at the same time will complete his legal name change.
Dalai Lama says China’s leaders ‘don’t understand’ diversity
November 10, 2021 GMTTOKYO (AP) — Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama says China’s leaders “don’t understand the variety of different cultures” and that the ruling Communist Party’s penchant for tight social control can be harmful.
Udoka: Celtics haven’t talked to Kanter about Tibet comments
October 23, 2021 GMTBOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka said Friday night that he hasn’t talked to center Enes Kanter about the player's criticism of the Chinese government that led to the team's games being pulled off television there.
After Kanter’s Tibet comments, Celtics blacked out in China
October 21, 2021 GMTChinese broadcaster and NBA partner Tencent is not showing current or archived Boston Celtics games on its platforms, in apparent response to comments that Celtics center Enes Kanter made to advocate Tibetan independence.
Rights activists urge boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics
October 19, 2021 GMTATHENS, Greece (AP) — Human rights activists urged international governments, sponsors and athletes on Tuesday to boycott what they called China's “genocide games” as Greek officials handed over the Olympic flame to 2022 Beijing Winter Games organizers.
Weather, protest cloud Beijing flame-lighting rehearsal
October 17, 2021 GMTANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece (AP) — A sunburst at the overcast birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games in Greece was too short-lived to light the backup flame for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at Sunday’s dress rehearsal.
2 arrested in Athens for protesting Beijing Olympics
October 17, 2021 GMTATHENS, Greece (AP) — Two women attempted to hang a banner from the Acropolis in Athens Sunday morning in protest at the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, and were detained by Greek police.
The activists, 18-year-old Tibetan student Tsela Zoksang and 22-year-old exiled Hong Kong activist Joey Siu, both American citizens, are members of the “No Beijing 2022” campaign, a statement from the New York-based organization Students for a Free Tibet said.
IOC VP: Chinese human rights not a concern before 2022 Games
October 14, 2021 GMTCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — International Olympic Committee Vice President John Coates says challenging China on its human rights record as Beijing prepares to host the 2022 Winter Games is “not in our remit."
Broadcasters urged to cancel plans to cover Beijing Olympics
September 8, 2021 GMTTOKYO (AP) — Some of the world’s largest broadcasters including American network NBC are being asked by human rights groups to cancel plans to cover next year's Winter Olympics in Beijing. The Winter Games are scheduled to open on Feb.
China pushes adoption of language, cultural symbols in Tibet
August 19, 2021 GMTBEIJING (AP) — A top Chinese official said Thursday that “all-round efforts” are needed to ensure Tibetans speak standard spoken and written Chinese and share the “cultural symbols and images of the Chinese nation.”
China appoints new military commander in restive Xinjiang
August 6, 2021 GMTBEIJING (AP) — China has appointed a new military commander in restive Xinjiang where authorities have locked up more than a million members of Muslim minorities in what they call a bid to curb terrorism and radicalism.
China’s Xi visits Tibet amid rising controls over religion
July 24, 2021 GMTBEIJING (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping has made a rare visit to Tibet as authorities tighten controls over the Himalayan region’s traditional Buddhist culture, accompanied by an accelerated drive for economic development and modernized infrastructure.
Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama celebrates 86th birthday
July 7, 2021 GMTDHARMSALA, India (AP) — The Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama celebrated his 86th birthday on Tuesday, thanking his supporters and expressing his appreciation to India, where he has lived since he fled his homeland in 1959.
AP Interview: Tibet exile leader hopes to resume China talks
June 18, 2021 GMTDHARMSALA, India (AP) — The new president of the Tibetan exile government said on Thursday he will do his best to resume a dialogue with China after more than a decade, and that a visit by the Dalai Lama to Tibet could be the best step forward.
Budapest to rename streets to protest Chinese university
June 2, 2021 GMTBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Budapest city officials are planning to rename streets in an area where a Chinese university loyal to China's Communist Party is due to open a branch, in a signal of protest and solidarity with the victims of human rights abuses by Beijing.
New Tibetan exile president open to reaching out to China
May 27, 2021 GMTDHARMSALA, India (AP) — The new president of the Tibetan exile government said Thursday he was willing to reach out to the Chinese government to resolve their conflict, though the sides haven't had dialogue in more than a decade.
Netflix series criticized online in China over Taiwan flag
May 19, 2021 GMTBEIJING (AP) — Chinese nationalism on the internet has a new target: The popular Thai drama “Girl from Nowhere" distributed by Netflix.
Comments online Wednesday complained the series' Facebook page showed the flags of Taiwan, the island democracy claimed by the ruling Communist Party as part of its territory, and of Hong Kong, where the party is trying to crush pro-democracy activism.
AP Exclusive: Full-blown boycott pushed for Beijing Olympics
May 17, 2021 GMTGroups alleging human-rights abuses against minorities in China are calling for a full-blown boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, a move likely to ratchet up pressure on the International Olympic Committee, athletes, sponsors and sports federations.
Penpa Tsering elected president of Tibetan exile government
May 14, 2021 GMTDHARMSALA, India (AP) — Penpa Tsering, the former speaker of Tibet's parliament-in-exile, has been elected the new president of the exile government, the election commissioner announced Friday.
He will succeed Lobsang Sangay, who completes his second five-year term at the end of May, Election Commissioner Wangdu Tsering said in Dharmsala, a northern Indian town where spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has been living since he fled Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
EXPLAINER: Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and some options
April 7, 2021 GMTThe U.S. State Department says it's talking with allies about China's human rights record and how to handle next year's Beijing Winter Olympics...
EXPLAINER: What drives possible boycott of Beijing Olympics
March 15, 2021 GMTSome kind of boycott is almost sure to affect next year’s Beijing Winter Olympics.
It's driven by the widely reported internment of Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China, which has been termed a genocide by human rights groups...
Rights groups and Olympic leaders in Beijing Games stalemate
March 12, 2021 GMTGENEVA (AP) — Activists protesting the 2022 Beijing Olympics hoped China’s record on human rights would get on the agenda this week at a major IOC gathering...
Top US, China officials to meet over intense divides
March 10, 2021 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Senior U.S. and Chinese officials will meet next week in their first face-to-face talks since President Joe Biden took office to confront growing strains in the relationship between the world’s two largest economies...
Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama gets vaccine shot
March 7, 2021 GMTDHARMSALA, India (AP) — The Dalai Lama, the 85-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader, was administered the first shot of the coronavirus vaccine on Saturday at a hospital in the north Indian hill town of Dharmsala.
China urges US to lift trade restrictions, stop interference
February 22, 2021 GMTBEIJING (AP) — China's top diplomat called Monday for new U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to lift restrictions on trade and people-to-people contacts while ceasing what Beijing considers unwarranted interference in the areas of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet.