CNN – Asia/Pacific

By Brad Lendon, CNN The interception of a United States Air Force reconnaissance jet by a Chinese fighter over the South China Sea last month should be seen as a potential warning of how easily, and quickly things can go terribly wrong — raising the risk of a deadly military confrontation between the two powers,

By Alex Stambaugh, Rhea Mogul and CNN’s Beijing bureau The wave of Covid infections sweeping across China may already have peaked in some of the country’s largest cities, including Shanghai and Beijing, according to a new study. The study, published on December 29 in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers of Medicine, said mathematical modeling predicted the

CNN Editorial Research Here’s a look at Tibet, an autonomous region within China. About Tibet (from National Bureau of Statistics of China)Area: 1.22 million sq km (approximately 474,000 sq miles) Capital: Lhasa Language: Tibetan Government (China): Governed by the Chinese Communist Party; the head of state is President Xi Jinping. Government (Exiled): Centered in Dharamsala,

By Nectar Gan, Jessie Yeung and Laura He, CNN After a tumultuous end to a momentous and challenging year, China heads into 2023 with a great deal of uncertainty — and potentially a glimpse of light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. The chaos unleashed by leader Xi Jinping’s abrupt and ill-prepared exit from

By Emiko Jozuka and Jessie Yeung, CNN Japanese Emperor Naruhito greeted well-wishers at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo for the first time in three years on Monday, reviving an annual New Year tradition that was paused during the Covid pandemic. “Even today, wars and conflicts frequently occur worldwide, and I feel a deep sadness that

By Wayne Chang and Kathleen Magramo, CNN Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen said the self-ruled democratic island is willing to provide assistance to help China deal with its Covid surge after Beijing eased its hardline approach last month. China abandoned its restrictive zero-Covid stance after nearly three years, ending snap lockdowns, contact tracing, mandatory testing and

By Gawon Bae, Jonny Hallam, Tara John and Emiko Jozuka, CNN North Korea fired at least three short-range ballistic missiles from a site south of Pyongyang on Saturday, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the latest in an unprecedented year of weapons testing. In a text to reporters, the Joint Chiefs said the

By Azaz Syed, Sophia Saifi and Rhea Mogul, CNN The mutilated body of a Hindu woman was found in a field Thursday in southeastern Pakistan, police said, as they investigate her alleged murder in the latest suspected attack against minorities in the Muslim-majority country. The woman’s son, Somar Chand, said he found her disfigured body

By Rhea Mogul, CNN A court in military-run Myanmar has sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi to seven years in prison for corruption, a source familiar with the case told CNN, bringing an end to a string of secretive and highly-politicized proceedings against the ousted former leader. Friday’s verdict is the final punishment meted out to

By Jessie Yeung, Darya Tarasova and Alex Stambaugh, CNN Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in a virtual meeting Friday that their partnership was more important than ever in the face of “unprecedented pressure” from the West, as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine leaves it increasingly isolated on the global stage. While

By Sophia Saifi and Rhea Mogul, CNN A court in Pakistan on Monday freed a convicted rapist after it was “agreed” he would marry his victim, his lawyer said, enraging rights activists who say the ruling risks normalizing sexual violence in the South Asian country. Daulat Khan, 23, was convicted in May of raping the

By Yin Soeum, Kocha Olarn and Heather Chen, CNN The death toll has risen to 24 following a huge fire that engulfed a casino complex in Cambodia as search and rescue operations resumed Friday with dozens still unaccounted for, according to authorities. Banteay Meanchey province spokesman Sek Sokhom told CNN that officials were now working

By Jessie Yeung and Jennie Chen, CNN One person was killed during a massive pileup involving more than 200 vehicles in the central Chinese city Zhengzhou on Wednesday, according to state media. The pileup took place on a bridge that was shrouded in heavy morning fog, which caused multiple vehicles to crash, according to state-owned

By Heather Chen and Kocha Olarn, CNN A 45-year-old Irish tourist died in Thailand on Tuesday after falling from a moving train, Thai police said. Patrick Ward fell from the train in Kanchanburi province, west of the capital Bangkok, as it passed a scenic view at low speed, according to Sai Yok district Pol. Maj.

By Kathleen Magramo and Richard Roth, CNN The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday said it was “deeply alarmed” by the ruling Taliban’s ban on women attending university or working for aid groups in Afghanistan. In moves widely condemned by the international community, the Islamist group last week ordered all local and international non-governmental organizations

By Nectar Gan, CNN 2022 was supposed to be a triumphant year for China and its leader Xi Jinping, as he began his second decade in power with a pledge to restore the nation to greatness. Instead, China had its most difficult year under Xi’s rule as it reeled from his costly zero-Covid policy —