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China cannot merely chase the technological frontier – it must seize ownership of it, a prominent economist has warned, urging Beijing to accelerate basic research and master core technologies to gain leverage against Washington’s targeted restrictions. “China can no longer play follower. The US won’t let it,” said Wang Yiming, vice-chairman of the China Centre for International Economic Exchanges, a Beijing-based governmental think tank, noting that the United States’ “small yard, high fence”...

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A China-founded start-up that specialises in artificial intelligence agents was acquired by US tech giant Meta Platforms for billions of dollars, marking a landmark deal amid US-China competition in AI technology. The acquisition of Singapore-based Manus just nine months after its public launch in March underlines China’s AI competitiveness despite Washington’s efforts to deprive its rival of access to advanced US chips and funding. According to announcements from both sides, Manus would...

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US President Donald Trump is pushing to resurrect America’s coal sector by expanding mining and subsidising coal-fired power plants to meet the energy demands in a race against China on artificial intelligence. “Our nation’s beautiful clean coal resources will be critical to meeting the rise in electricity demand due to the resurgence of domestic manufacturing and the construction of artificial intelligence data processing centres,” Trump said in an executive order signed on April 8. But China...

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Washington is securing bilateral health deals with countries across Africa to ensure direct access to critical pathogen data and specimens following the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). Analysts say the US’ strategic retreat from multilateral organisations has created a vacuum that China is likely to exploit to deepen its influence within global health bodies and position itself as the main partner for the developing world. Under the “America First Global...

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A customs scheme covering the entirety of Hainan, China’s southern island province, appears to have triggered a surge in consumption since its inception last week, with the province’s tourism hub Sanya recording more than 500 million yuan (US$71.25 million) in duty-free sales over five days. Analysts cautioned, however, that the greater significance of the policy lies less in short-term spending boosts than in whether Hainan can diversify its economy beyond its previous reliance on real estate...

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Biotech firm Insilico Medicine, backed by the Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC), is building a “digital Einstein” to revolutionise how scientists discover new medicines, and plans to continue expanding its research base in China to stay ahead of global rivals after its Hong Kong listing on Tuesday. “Biotechnology is a high-risk field like a ‘molecular casino’,” said founder Alex Zhavoronkov. “Even with artificial intelligence, you can lose 90 per cent of the time.” The 11-year-old company...

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The open source approach championed by some Chinese tech companies is preventing monopoly platforms from taking hold in artificial intelligence (AI). The massive investment in AI is justified in the case of repeat monopoly winners from previous waves of tech development, such as Microsoft, Intel, Qualcomm, Google and Meta. However, as China views proprietary systems and platforms as potential chokepoints, it is leveraging its market to develop open source substitutes. Users in the wider world...

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The People’s Liberation Army began a second day of drills around Taiwan on Tuesday. The PLA Eastern Theatre Command said troops would conduct exercises simulating attacks on maritime targets, as well as anti-air and anti-submarine operations to the north and south of the island. The command on Monday said the drills – dubbed Justice Mission 2025 – were a warning to the “independence forces” and against external interference. They come amid heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait after...

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US President Donald Trump on Monday described Beijing’s large-scale military exercises around Taiwan as routine activities that have occurred “for 20-25 years”, expressing no concern over the escalation and instead citing his personal rapport with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “I have a great relationship with President Xi, and he hasn’t told me anything about it,” Trump said in remarks to reporters during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate...

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Nearly two months after Japan’s new prime minister enraged Beijing with her remarks on Taiwan, the issue is not going away. Sanae Takaichi set off a diplomatic firestorm in November when she suggested that Japan could justify a military response if Beijing attacked Taiwan. Beijing hit back with diplomatic, economic and military pressure in a campaign analysts said reflected concerns about Japan’s assertiveness on regional security and closer ties with the US and other allies. Tensions are...

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Venezuela criticised the United States on Monday over its decision to approve a large-scale arms sale to Taiwan, aligning itself with Beijing as tensions escalated around the island. In a statement issued by the foreign ministry, the Venezuelan government said the sale interfered in China’s internal affairs and breached international commitments undertaken by Washington. It reiterated its support for the one-China principle and said Taiwan is “an inalienable part of China’s territory”. The...

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Researchers in China have developed a fully modular, intelligent electric-drive heavy-duty vehicle that could be used as a mobile launcher for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The researchers said the vehicle could “crab walk” through tight or obstructed terrain that would defeat conventional launchers and its near-silent operation improved its stealth abilities. A prototype was unveiled in Beijing on December 21, less than two years after the project was approved in January 2024 as...

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1. PLA holds drills around Taiwan in warning to ‘separatists’ after US arms deal The People’s Liberation Army kicked off drills around Taiwan on Monday that it called “legitimate and necessary” to safeguard national unity, soon after Washington approved the largest-ever arms sale to Taiwan.
2. Cambodia and Thailand agree to resume exchanges after meeting with...

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Taiwan is seeking to fuse satellite, radar and drone data into a “connectivity” network as part of Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s multibillion-dollar bid to build a layered defence shield to counter Beijing’s possible missile attacks. The plan, which Lai calls the “Taiwan shield” and officials and analysts often refer to as the backbone of a broader “T-Dome” concept, is intended to overhaul how Taiwan detects, tracks and intercepts incoming threats. In a televised interview on Sunday,...

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Recent data on China’s external accounts presents a conundrum: while the country’s trade surplus has broken records, surpassing the US$1 trillion benchmark in the first 11 months of the year, growth in its official foreign exchange reserves has lagged. This seeming paradox prompts a question – where did the money go? Analysts said the gap reflects how much of the surplus has flowed back overseas through asset investment, largely made by private-sector players, leaving China’s external accounts...

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China has protested to Panama over the removal on the weekend of a monument to the Chinese community, calling on Panamanian authorities to investigate the incident. The Chinese-Panamanian Friendship Park has reportedly been in need of repair and the demolition was deemed by Beijing as “hurting the broad interests of China-Panama friendship”. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Monday that China was “seriously dissatisfied” with Arraijan authorities for the demolition of the park...

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Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to consolidate their ceasefire and restore exchanges after trilateral talks held in China. The three sides had “in-depth exchanges on working step by step through mutual efforts to resume normal exchanges, rebuild political mutual trust, improve Cambodia-Thailand relations and safeguard regional stability”, according to Beijing’s foreign ministry. The ministry issued the statement following a meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, his Thai counterpart...

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China has criticised Israel’s decision to recognise Somaliland, a move that prompted strong criticism from neighbouring countries. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that no country should “incite or support separatist forces” for “selfish interests”, characterising the territory as an “inseparable part” of Somalia. “China firmly supports Somalia’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and opposes any act of splitting Somali territory,” the ministry’s spokesman Lin Jian told a...

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Chinese household appliances maker Dreame Technology will present gifts of gold and a trip to Antarctica to employees, on top of their year-end bonuses, as the company boosted its position as one of the world’s leading vendors of robot vacuum cleaners. The additional largesse was revealed over the weekend by Dreame founder and CEO Yu Hao in his WeChat Moments post. Yu said every employee will receive a one-gram gold bonus in addition to their standard year-end payout. The company also planned to...

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A Chinese government report into the ecosystem of the contested Scarborough Shoal has concluded the reef was in a good overall condition, but suggested that “illegal fishing and frequent intrusive activities” by the Philippines were putting it at risk. The report, released on Monday, said the overall condition of the shoal’s coral reef was “good” with 135 different species of reef-building coral present. Scarborough Shoal, known as Huangyan Island in China and Panatag Shoal in the Philippines,...

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1. Trump signs executive orders imposing steep tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico US President Donald Trump made good on his threat to impose 10 per cent tariffs on Chinese imports and 25 per cent on goods coming from Canada and Mexico, launching a potential trade war less than two weeks into his administration.
2. China to impose tariffs on US products,...

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In the Gobi Desert outside Golmud, Qinghai, a row of white tanks stands tall in the open wilderness. Inside, air is compressed and cooled to -194 degrees Celsius (-317 degrees Fahrenheit), and then it becomes liquid. When released, it expands over 750 times, drives turbines and generates electricity. This is the world’s largest liquid-air energy storage plant. Also known as the Super Air Power Bank, it is built by China Green Development Investment Group and developed with the Technical...

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China’s central bank has set the yuan’s daily reference rate at its strongest level in 15 months, as the currency strengthened in offshore trading and briefly broke through the closely watched seven-per-US-dollar threshold. The People’s Bank of China set the yuan’s midpoint, or daily fixing rate, at 7.0331 to the US dollar on Monday – its strongest showing since early October 2024. The move followed a recent rally in the Chinese currency, with the offshore yuan briefly breaching the benchmark...

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China is tapping the brakes on some subway expansions, including in certain affluent cities, a decision analysts said reflects a shift from the debt-fuelled infrastructure boom of the past to a new era of fiscal discipline and investment efficiency. Rich eastern hubs such as Ningbo and Suzhou are among those facing regulatory roadblocks in securing Beijing’s approval for new lines as policymakers scrutinise loss-making projects. In an online response to public inquiries, the Ningbo Municipal...

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The Chinese People’s Liberation Army said it had kicked off a drill near Taiwan on Monday. Shi Yi, a spokesman for the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, said the exercise was a warning to “independence forces” and against external interference. More to follow...

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