China News

The OpenClaw craze is rapidly driving up prices and depleting stock of Apple’s Mac Mini compact computer across China, according to local sellers, as consumers scramble to secure machines capable of safely running the open-source artificial intelligence agent amid a nationwide rush to “raise a lobster”. Beijing electronics seller Frank Chai said he was asking for a mark-up of at least 500 yuan (US$73) for a basic Mac Mini model, which comes with 16 gigabytes (GB) of memory and 256GB storage and...

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The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the US-Israel war on Iran has sparked a legal and ethical debate, as well as condemnation from countries including China after a deadly missile strike on a primary school. To prepare for its operations against Iran, the US military reportedly used Palantir’s Maven Smart System, an AI platform that incorporates models like Anthropic’s Claude to aggregate large amounts of data. A US-based source familiar with the matter said the only thing that Claude or...

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The Trump administration’s energy siege on Cuba – cutting off oil from Venezuela, threatening punitive tariffs on any country that dares sell fuel to the island – is designed to bring the Cuban Revolution to its knees. What it has produced instead is one of the fastest and most remarkable renewable energy transitions ever achieved … Continue reading China invests in a bright future for Cuba

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China and Vietnam are to hold their first high-level ministerial talks under a new platform next week as they seek to cement their strategic alignment despite heightened tensions over Beijing’s new land reclamation works in the disputed South China Sea. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong and Defence Minister Dong Jun will arrive in Vietnam on Sunday to meet their respective counterparts for talks that will run until Tuesday, the Chinese foreign ministry said...

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Ships near the Strait of Hormuz are broadcasting Chinese affiliations in an apparent bid to avoid attack, at a time when Iran’s new supreme leader vows to keep the strategic waterway closed. The crews of at least 11 vessels sitting in the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf had their transponders set to announce Chinese links on Friday afternoon, according to Kpler’s MarineTraffic data platform. The broadcasts were a defensive measure, said Cui Shoujun, director of the Institute of International...

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In the high-stakes race for radar supremacy, China could leap two generations ahead of the United States following an advancement in semiconductor technology published last month that is poised to redefine the future of military electronics. While the US Air Force struggles to modernise its fighter fleet with gallium nitride-based radar systems, Chinese engineers are already pioneering the next frontier: gallium oxide semiconductors with built-in data storage capabilities. Today’s Chinese...

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Beijing on Friday warned Washington against making moves involving Hong Kong or Taiwan ahead of the coming visit by US President Donald Trump later this month. It condemned United States’ calls for the release of jailed former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and reiterated opposition to American arms sales to the self-ruled island. Speaking at a regular press briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Lai “should be severely punished according to the law”, and accused...

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Japan’s unilateral decision to release oil from its emergency stockpiles highlights its vulnerability to prolonged supply disruptions and may leave it more exposed to economic pressure from China amid tense bilateral relations, according to analysts. Tokyo announced earlier this week that it planned to release a total of 80 million barrels starting March 16, marking the first time it would independently tap its national reserves. The decision came ahead of a coordinated response by the...

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The sudden death of prominent Chinese genetic psychologist Li Xinying while travelling in Egypt has sparked growing concern and speculation in China, as official explanations about the cause remain vague and medically inconclusive. Li, 48, a researcher and doctoral supervisor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ (CAS) Institute of Psychology, died on February 23 at 10pm Beijing time, according to an online obituary. The stated cause of death was “non-specific respiratory failure”, an obituary...

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In a landmark development, Neuracle Medical Technology has secured the country’s first-ever approval for an implantable brain-computer interface (BCI) system designed to restore hand motor function in patients with spinal cord injuries, in a regulatory milestone that underscores China’s accelerating push in neurotechnology. China’s BCI start-ups, seen as potential rivals to Elon Musk’s Neuralink, are gaining momentum as regulatory support and fresh capital fuel growth. Shares of BCI companies...

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Beijing is using AI to help its radars better detect low-altitude drones, according to a top Chinese military scientist who cited drone swarm tactics in the US’ ongoing attack on Iran as an emerging pressure on radar. This development was revealed on Wednesday by Xu Jin, a leading air-defence radar expert and a member of China’s top political advisory body, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). On the sidelines of Beijing’s “two sessions”...

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United States and Chinese trade negotiators will meet in Paris on Sunday and Monday, seeking to ready a deal ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing at the end of the month. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, according to US and Chinese government statements. Neither side gave specific details about the discussions. The sixth round of Bessent-He trade talks comes amid volatility in oil markets due to...

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In January, the US-based magazine Newsweek reported that China had started dredging sand on an obscure feature in the Paracel Islands, the archipelago known as Xisha by the Chinese and Hoang Sa in Vietnam. More recent satellite images suggest that China has significantly expanded its reclamation, with the once-submerged Antelope Reef appearing to have a substantially larger surface area. The reef, one of more than 30 islands that make up the Paracels in the South China Sea, is claimed by Beijing...

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Apple announced a reduction in the App Store commissions it charges developers in China ahead of the annual World Consumer Rights Day, drawing approval from the country’s biggest gaming companies Tencent Holdings and NetEase. The US tech company said it would reduce the commission for standard in-app purchases and paid app transactions on iPhone and iPad to 25 per cent, from the current 30 per cent, according to a statement on its website on Thursday. Meanwhile, the commission rate for...

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Declining fertility rates have long been viewed as a drag on economic growth, but the outlook may not be entirely bleak for Asian economies such as China, South Korea and Japan, analysts said. Demographic pressure was accelerating investment in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) in these rapidly ageing yet technologically advanced countries, helping offset labour shortages and sustain productivity even as populations shrank, they argued. Analysts at Bank of America (BofA) Global Research...

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As conflict in the Middle East pushes oil beyond US$100 per barrel, Angola and other African producers are in line to be among the main beneficiaries. On Thursday, following renewed tanker attacks, Brent crude oil prices surged back past US$100 a barrel, having reached a peak of US$119.50 on Monday, the highest level since 2022. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime chokepoint through which about 20 million barrels of oil and petroleum products flowed daily, has crippled energy...

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China has become the first country to mass produce the strongest carbon fibre, which has wide applications for defence industries such as aerospace, drones and robots, state broadcaster CCTV’s military channel reported on Wednesday. The domestically developed T1200-grade fibre has a tensile strength 10 times greater than ordinary steel, yet it is less than one-tenth of a human hair in diameter, according to the state broadcaster. Mass production of the ultra-strength fibre at a projected output...

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The full implementation of taxation reforms pledged in China’s new five-year plan would substantially ease the fiscal strains on local governments, a leading tax policy expert said, while adding that it would not alter the central government’s dominant role in the country’s fiscal landscape. As a unitary state, China’s systematic advantage lay in strong central government finance that could coordinate fiscal resources in a unified manner and redistribute them through transfer payments, in...

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BMW could be approaching the end of the tunnel in China as signs of stabilisation raise hopes of a turnaround after the German carmaker reported that sales dropped by double digits in the key market in 2025. “Transaction prices in the market for our products have stabilised … and are actually improving slightly compared to [the third quarter],” said Walter Mertl, chief financial officer, during a press conference on Thursday. “If the run rate continues this way, we have the opportunity to go...

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Some Chinese lawmakers and advisers are pushing to secure higher pensions for elderly farmers, underscoring the persistent income disparity between the country’s urban and rural residents. The latest government work report, approved on Thursday, confirmed a 20-yuan (US$2.91) monthly increase to basic pension payments for a third consecutive year, bringing the national minimum to 163 yuan. However, some deputies from China’s top legislature contend that this level is inadequate. “A pension of...

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General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) Kim Jong Un sent a reply message to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on March 9, thanking him for his message of greetings on his reelection at the recent Ninth Congress of the WPK. Kim described Xi’s message as “an expression of support and encouragement to … Continue reading Kim Jong Un says ties between China and DPRK will get closer advancing the common cause of socialism

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Serbia’s president confirmed late on Thursday that his country possesses Chinese supersonic surface-attack cruise missiles, after photos of the weapons attached to Serbian fighter jets leaked online. Photos, which began circulating on social media and defence blogs earlier this week, showed missiles believed to be Chinese-made CM-400AKG cruise missiles attached to Serbia’s Russian-made MiG-29 planes. “We have things we do not show,” President Aleksandar Vucic told Serbia’s national broadcaster...

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to visit China with President Donald Trump later this month after appearing to show little interest in previous invitations from Beijing, the South China Morning Post has learned. According to sources, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly on the matter, Rubio had been invited to visit but had not been receptive until recently. Rubio’s attendance could smooth over some of the problems surrounding...

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Iran’s new supreme leader has vowed to keep blocking the Strait of Hormuz, attack US bases and avenge the “blood of the martyrs” in his first statement since succeeding his father. “The lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely be used,” Mojtaba Khamenei said about the strategic waterway, which supplies a fifth of the world’s oil. Khamenei said the US must close all of its military bases in the region “as soon as possible, because they must have realised by now that the claim of...

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With the Strait of Hormuz effectively weaponised as part of the Iran crisis, Beijing should move beyond rigid non-intervention to take targeted action to defend its massive interests abroad, according to a leading Chinese government adviser. In an interview published on Monday, Zheng Yongnian called for a more assertive “intervention 2.0” while avoiding US-style hegemonic overreach or “strong-arm” tactics. He argued that China’s commitment to “absolute non-intervention” was becoming increasingly...

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