BEIJING: Song Yadong was so obsessed with Chinese martial arts that he convinced him mother to pack him up and send him off to learn at the feet of the famous kung fu masters of Shaolin. He was just nine years old at the time. "I had watched a lot of kung fu movies, so I wanted to be like my heroes, like Jet Li," said Song. "I went to Shaolin and I trained, getting up each day at 5am. It was harder than I ever expected." A decade later and Song's thirst for action has led him into the ranks of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and on to the biggest stage in mixed martial arts. "I left Shaolin after two years and then I learned about MMA," said the 20-year-old. "I like the action, I like the fact every fight tests you and that you always have to work to be the best fighter you can be." Song is at the forefront of the Las Vegas-based promotion's push into China, the country many consider the spiritual home of all martial arts, and the Tianjin-born fighter is among nine … [Read more...] about From Shaolin temple to MMA star – meet China’s ‘Monkey King’
Monkey china
China’s poverty standards fit its situation, NPC spokesman says
China's poverty threshold fits its own social and economic development level, a spokesperson for the annual session of China's national legislature said Thursday, rebutting claims the country had intentionally set a lower poverty threshold. The current poverty line — per-capita annual income of 2,300 yuan ($355), set in 2011 and adjusted annually for inflation — is higher than the World Bank $1.90 per person per day poverty threshold set in 2015 when accounting for purchasing power parity, said Zhang Yesui, spokesman for the fourth session of the 13th National People's Congress, the country's top legislative body. It is also higher than the threshold of abject poverty adopted by the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, he said at a news conference in Beijing. China officially started its targeted poverty alleviation campaign in 2015, three years ahead of the World Bank's rollout of its new poverty thresholds, and therefore there could be no intentional setting … [Read more...] about China’s poverty standards fit its situation, NPC spokesman says
China hopes for steady development of Sino-US military ties: Ministry
BEIJING -- China's Ministry of National Defense on Monday expressed the hope for steadily advancing the relationship between the militaries of China and the United States. The China-US relationship has reached an important juncture where cooperation would benefit both sides and confrontation would hurt both, the ministry said in response to media queries. The military relationship between the two countries is an essential part of bilateral ties, the ministry said, adding that maintaining its stable and healthy development has become a prevailing trend as well as the responsibility of defense authorities of both sides. The ministry said it hopes the US side would work with China to strengthen communication, expand pragmatic cooperation, and properly handle their differences in the spirit of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation. … [Read more...] about China hopes for steady development of Sino-US military ties: Ministry
US-China tensions threaten global climate change efforts
The world's hopes for curbing climate change hinge on action by two giant nations whose relations are deteriorating: China and the United States. The two countries both say they are intent on retooling their economies to burn less climate-wrecking coal, oil and gas. But tensions between them threaten their ultimate success. China and the United States are the world's No. 1 and No. 2 carbon polluters , respectively, pumping out nearly half of the fossil fuel fumes that are warming the planet's atmosphere. The fast cuts in carbon needed to stave off the worst of climate change are all but impossible unless these countries work together and basically trust each other's pledges. During the Trump administration, the U.S. used China's emissions as an excuse not to act, and in the past China pointed to U.S. historical emissions as a reason to resist action. New details of how quickly China plans to reduce carbon emissions will be revealed Friday when Beijing releases its next … [Read more...] about US-China tensions threaten global climate change efforts
Commentary: US-China trade war to continue on for years, not months
BEIJING: By reading prevailing media reports on China-US trade talks, one could conclude that negotiations should be wrapped up in a matter of months. You hear dire warnings about the global economy standing on the precipice of collapse if Beijing and Washington choose to march ahead on trade wars. The argument given: Higher trade tariffs result in surging inflation while China’s demise as the world’s leading manufacturer and exporter will drag down our closely inter-connected international economy. Yet gloomy forecasts fail to reflect current financial trends. The United States economy has just announced a 4.1 per cent GDP (gross domestic product) growth rate for second quarter this year. China’s GDP for the same period had risen 6.7 per cent. There's further confusion when taking a closer look at monthly China-US trade figures, since you would expect trade numbers to trend downwards, but that's not the case here. United States President Donald Trump declared trade … [Read more...] about Commentary: US-China trade war to continue on for years, not months