China's vice premier stresses production safety after deadly chemical plant blast
BEIJING, May 29 (Reuters) - China's Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing on Thursday urged authorities to learn from recent incidents and remain vigilant about production safety, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Special attention must be paid to key industries including firefighting, hazardous chemicals, gas, mining, transportation and construction, Zhang said.
The vice premier made the remarks at a production safety event after a chemical plant explosion in China's eastern province of Shandong on Tuesday killed at least five people and six remain missing.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Pete Hegseth calls on Asia to boost military spending in face of ‘imminent' threat from China
The US secretary of defence has called on Asian countries to boost their military spending to increase regional deterrence against China, which was 'rehearsing for the real deal' when it comes to taking over Taiwan. Pete Hegseth, addressing the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday, reiterated pledges to increase the US presence in the Indo-Pacific and outlined a range of new joint projects, including expanding access to military ship and plane repair, including in Australia. 'US allies in the Indo-Pacific can and should upgrade their own defences,' Hegseth said. 'It has to be clear to all that Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific … There's no reason to sugar coat it. The threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent.' He said Donald Trump's administration had pushed European countries to boost their defensive spending, taking on a greater 'burden' of responding to conflicts in their region, and it was time for Asian nations to do the same. Hegseth, who in March was revealed to have told a Signal group chat that Europe was 'pathetic' and 'freeloading' on US security support in the region, told the Singapore conference it was 'hard to believe' he was now saying this, but Asian countries should 'look to allies in Europe as a newfound example'. 'Deterrence doesn't come on the cheap … time is of the essence.' He said the renewed European focus on their region – particularly the Russia-Ukraine war – allowed the US to shift focus to its 'priority theatre' in the Indo-Pacific. Hegseth said the US did not seek to 'pressure' Asian countries to 'embrace or adopt policies or ideologies', but instead wanted to 'work with you where our shared interests align for peace and prosperity'. 'We're not here to preach to you about climate change or cultural issues,' he said. 'But a threat gathers. 'We do not seek conflict with Communist China. We will not seek to instigate, subjugate or humiliate China. President Trump and US have an immense respect for China and their civilisation. But we will not be pushed out of this critical region.' In his speech Hegseth also took a swipe at the absence of any senior Chinese delegate at this year's conference. 'We are here this morning and, notably, someone else isn't,' he said. Hegseth also appeared to reference comments by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, at the conference on Friday that a 'sense that [the US's] promise might not be so ironclad is ushering in a new instability'. 'An alliance cannot be ironclad if in reality or perception it is one-sided,' Hegseth said on Saturday. 'As allies share the burden we can increase our focus on the Indo-Pacific, our priority theatre.' He said the US would conduct its 'first-ever live-fire test of its mid-range capability system in Australia' in coming months, and had expanded cooperations and joint exercises. It would also establish repair capability and capacity programs in the region, including for P-8 radar systems in Australia for the US and its allies, while expanding contracts for regional ship repair. Hegseth's speech reiterated much of the Trump administration's defence and security position – blaming the previous administration for problems, pledging to strengthen the US military and secure the US border against unregulated immigration, while repeating plans to 'take back the Panama canal'. He said Trump was spending $1tn – a 13% increase – on defence next year, citing advance weapons plans including the controversial Golden Dome. Speaking in Singapore after Hegseth's address, US Democratic senator Tammy Duckworth told reporters that his comments about the US remaining in the Indo-Pacific region were welcome but he found his words 'patronising of our friends in the Indo-Pacific in particular'. 'I've gotta say his idea that we're going to wrap ourselves around you – we don't need that kind of language. We just need to stand together,' Duckworth said. 'The US is not asking people to choose between the US and [China] … But we will make sure international norms are maintained and ask our friends to help us uphold them.'
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Pentagon chief warns of imminent China threat, pushes Asian allies to hike defence spending
SINGAPORE, May 31 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Saturday that the threat from China was real and potentially imminent as he pushed allies in the Indo-Pacific to spend more on their own defence needs. Hegseth, speaking for the first time at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia's premier forum for defence leaders, militaries and diplomats, laid out how the Indo-Pacific region was a priority for the Trump administration. "There's no reason to sugar coat it. The threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent," Hegseth said, in some of his strongest comments on the Communist nation since he took office in January. He added that any attempt by China to conquer Taiwan "would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world", and echoed Trump's comment that China will not invade Taiwan on the president's watch. China views Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to "reunify" with the democratic and separately governed island, by force if necessary. It has stepped up military and political pressure to assert those claims, including increasing the intensity of war games around Taiwan. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future. "It has to be clear to all that Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo Pacific," Hegseth said. But his comments on allies needing to increase spending is likely to cause consternation amongst partners, even though experts said Hegseth would face a relatively friendly audience in Singapore. China's Defence Minister Dong Jun has decided to skip the major Asian security forum and Beijing has sent only an academic delegation. Hegseth has previously taken aim at allies in Europe for not spending more on their own defence. In February, he warned Europe against treating America like a "sucker" while addressing a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels. On Friday, while delivering the keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, French President Emmanuel Macron said Hegseth was justified in asking Europe to increase its own defence spending. "It's hard to believe, a little bit, after some trips to Europe that I'm saying this, but thanks to President Trump, Asian allies should look to countries in Europe as a new found example," Hegseth said. "It doesn't make sense for countries in Europe to do that while key allies in Asia spend less on defence in the face of an even more formidable threat, not to mention North Korea." Spending on weapons and research is spiking among some Asian countries as they respond to a darkening security outlook by broadening their outside industrial partnerships while trying to boost their own defence industries, according to a new study by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, the organisation that runs the Shangri-La Dialogue. The spike comes even as the nations spent an average of 1.5% of GDP on defence in 2024, a figure that has kept relatively constant over the last decade, it said. Hegseth suggested during his speech that allies in Europe focus on security on the European continent, so that Washington could focus on the threat posed by China in the Indo-Pacific, alongside more participation by allies in Asia. "We're pushing our allies in Europe to own more of their security — to invest in their own defence... Thanks to President Trump, they are stepping up," Hegseth said. But some of the Trump administration's early moves in the Indo-Pacific have raised eyebrows. The U.S. moved air defence systems from Asia to the Middle East earlier this year as tensions with Iran spiked - an effort which took 73 C-17 flights. Hegseth, a former Fox TV host who has spent much of his first months in office focused on domestic issues, spoke to the international audience about issues that he has frequently talked about when in the United States, like "restoring the warrior ethos." "We are not here to pressure other countries to embrace or adopt our politics or ideology. We are not here to preach to you about climate change or cultural issues," Hegseth said. "We respect you, your traditions and your militaries. And we want to work with you where our shared interests align."
Reuters
5 hours ago
- Reuters
S&P, Nasdaq post biggest monthly percentage gains since November 2023
The S&P 500 ended a volatile session nearly flat on Friday, while the Nasdaq fell as U.S. President Donald Trump slammed China before sounding upbeat about reaching a trade deal, but the two indexes closed out their best month since November 2023. Lisa Bernhard has more.
