SIMINA MISTREANU

Greater China reporter

Mistreanu is a Greater China reporter for The Associated Press, based in Taipei, Taiwan. She has reported on China since 2015.

China’s premier slams trade tensions as EV exports are hit by tariffs

China’s premier has defended open markets and the importance of green technologies for stabilizing global growth as he opened a forum with political and business elites in northeastern China.

Religious and cultural mentions removed from names of China’s Xinjiang villages, rights groups say

A report released by Human Rights Watch says authorities in China’s western Xinjiang region have been systematically replacing the names of villages inhabited by Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities to reflect the ruling Communist Party’s ideology.

China blames Philippines for ship collision in South China Sea. Manila calls the report deceptive

China’s coast guard says a Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply ship collided near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

Xi pledges more Gaza aid and talks trade at summit with Arab leaders

Chinese President Xi Jinping is calling for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and promising more humanitarian aid for people in Gaza.

Taiwan’s new President Lai in his inauguration speech urges China to stop its military intimidation

Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-te, has said in his inauguration speech that he seeks peace with China and urged it to stop its military threats against the self-governed island that Beijing claims as its own territory.

Taiwan’s new president inherits a strong foreign policy position but political gridlock at home

Taiwan’s new president takes office Monday. Lai Ching-te is expected to build on the legacy of incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen.

Taiwan’s foreign minister says China and Russia are supporting each other’s ‘expansionism’

Russia and China helped each other expand their territorial reach, and democracies must push back against authoritarian states that threaten their rights and sovereignty, Taiwan’s outgoing foreign minister, Joseph Wu, said in an interview with The Associated Press.

China launches 3-member crew to its space station as it seeks to put astronauts on the moon by 2030

China launched a three-member crew to its orbiting space station as part of its ambitious program that aims to put astronauts on the moon by 2030.

China to send three astronauts to Tiangong space station, part of its ambitious program

China’s space agency is making final preparations to send a new crew to its space station on Thursday as part of its ambitious program that aims to put people on the moon by 2030.

Why is Taiwan so exposed to earthquakes and so well prepared to withstand them?

Taiwan was struck Wednesday by its most powerful earthquake in a quarter of a century. At least nine people were killed and hundreds injured, buildings and highways damaged and train service interrupted.

Fierce earthquake rattles Taiwan, killing 9 and injuring more than 1,000

The most powerful earthquake to rock Taiwan in a quarter-century killed nine people, stranded dozens of workers at quarries, and sent some residents scrambling out the windows of damaged buildings.

US congressional delegation pledges continued defense support for Taiwan

A bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation has pledged continued support for Taiwan, days after Congress approved $300 million in military aid for the self-governed island that’s claimed by China.

Beijingers play fetch with migratory birds in traditional game

BEIJING (AP) — Passersby in Beijing during winter or early spring might happen upon groups of residents playing fetch with birds.

Chinese city officials issue a rare apology after authorities harass journalists on live TV

City officials in eastern China have apologized to local journalists after authorities were shown pushing them and trying to obstruct reporting from the site of a deadly explosion.

Nobel Literature laureate Mo Yan is accused in patriotism lawsuit of insulting China’s heroes

His writing won China’s first Nobel Prize for Literature, but is it patriotic enough for Xi Jinping’s China?

How Chinese science fiction went from underground magazines to Netflix extravaganza

For a few days in October 2023, the capital of the science fiction world was Chengdu, China. Fans traveled from around the world as Worldcon, sci-fi’s biggest annual event, was held in China for the first time.

China’s embattled former foreign minister steps down as member of the legislature

Chinese state media say former Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who has been missing from public view since last June, has resigned from the national legislature.

US Congress members praise Taiwan’s democracy in a visit that’s certain to draw China’s scrutiny

A group of United States Congress members are praising Taiwan’s democracy during a visit to the island.

Major automakers may be using Chinese aluminum produced with Uyghur forced labor, rights group says

A new report says automakers including Tesla, General Motors, Volkswagen and Toyota are failing to ensure they are not using forced labor as part of their China supply chains.

Taiwan president-elect Lai Ching-te has steered the island toward democracy and away from China

Lai Ching-te is Taiwan’s president-elect who has vowed to safeguard the Asian island’s de-facto independence from China and further align it with other democracies.

The ruling-party candidate strongly opposed by China wins Taiwan’s presidential election

Ruling-party candidate Lai Ching-te has emerged victorious in Taiwan’s presidential election and his opponents have conceded.

In Taiwan’s election Saturday, who are the 3 candidates trying to become president?

Three candidates are vying for Taiwan’s presidency in elections Saturday that are closely watched internationally.

Taiwan prepares to elect a president and legislature in what’s seen as a test of control with China

Taiwanese are preparing to elect a new president and legislature Saturday in what many see as a test of control with China which claims the self-governing island republic as its own.

A non-traditional candidate resonates with Taiwan’s youth ahead of Saturday’s presidential election

A nonconformist candidate is resonating with Taiwan’s youth ahead of Saturday’s presidential election, with young and first-time voters apparently more concerned with the dearth of good jobs and affordable housing than the looming threat from China.

Taiwan presidential hopeful Hou promises to boost island’s defense and restart talks with China

One of Taiwan’s leading opposition party candidates in Saturday’s presidential election has promised to boost the island’s defense capabilities while restarting dialogue with Beijing.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry mistranslates an alert, erroneously saying China launched a missile

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry has mistranslated an alert into English, saying China had launched a missile instead of a satellite and urging caution days before the island’s elections.

Taiwan’s presidential candidates emphasize peace in relations with Beijing

Taiwan’s presidential candidates have expressed a desire for peaceful relations with Beijing. China has described Jan. 13 elections on the self-ruled island as a choice between war and peace and stepped up harassment of the territory it claims as its own.

Doctor and self-exiled activist Gao Yaojie who exposed the AIDS epidemic in rural China dies at 95

Renowned Chinese doctor and activist Gao Yaojie who exposed the AIDS virus epidemic in rural China in the 1990s, has died at the age of 95 at her home in the United States.

China is expanding its crackdown on mosques to regions outside Xinjiang, Human Rights Watch says

A report by Human Rights Watch says the Chinese government has expanded its campaign of closing mosques to regions other than Xinjiang, where for years it has been blamed for persecuting Muslim minorities.

American Ballet Theatre returns to China after a decade as US-China ties show signs of improving

American Ballet Theatre has returned to China for the first time in a decade, the latest sign that strained U.S.-China relations are beginning to improve.