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China’s official media has called on disciplinary watchdogs to stop giving low-level officials insulting nicknames that imply they are not doing their jobs properly. The provincial publicity department of the eastern province of Zhejiang became the latest to weigh in on this issue. In a commentary posted on its official social media on Tuesday, it warned that this approach was likely to backfire. It criticised the use of labels such as “refrigerator” officials to describe those who “don’t speak...

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Taiwan’s updated crisis and war survival guide has ignited fierce political debate, hailed by officials as a lifeline amid Beijing’s mounting military pressure but blasted by critics as costly propaganda prompting fear rather than readiness. Mass distribution of In Case of Crisis: Taiwan’s National Public Safety Guide – quickly dubbed the “little orange book” – began late last month, targeting 9.83 million households. The 29-page comic-style publication explains how to stockpile food and water,...

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During his Southeast Asia trip in October, US President Donald Trump sealed deals with Malaysia and Thailand on the same day – both aimed at securing and diversifying America’s supply chains for critical minerals and rare earths. Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim agreed to step up cooperation on building and expanding critical minerals supply chains, according to a White House statement. They also agreed to strengthen the security of critical minerals and rare earths supplies in...

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US President Donald Trump’s new national security strategy frames America’s allies not just as partners, but as instruments to preserve US primacy and counter China’s rise, analysts say. The strategy urges wealthy allies to increase defence spending, align more closely with Washington on measures such as export controls, and take greater responsibility for their regions, a shift that recasts long-standing alliances as tools in great-power competition. The 33-page document declares that the era...

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The White House released a national security blueprint on Friday, marking a sweeping assertion of US influence in the Americas. The framework pledges to prevent non-Western powers from expanding their foothold across the Western Hemisphere, a clear reference to China’s growing presence in the region. In US strategic parlance, the “Western Hemisphere” refers broadly to the Americas, a geopolitical space long regarded as a place Washington has sway over. This belief harks back to the Monroe...

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More than a week after US immigration authorities separated 6-year-old Yuanxin from his father during a routine check-in with ICE in New York, it has been confirmed that the child has been placed in the custody of the US Office of Refugee Resettlement. However, his location still remains unknown. The ORR, a federal agency within the US Department of Health and Human Services, is almost always the agency that takes custody of immigrant children classified as unaccompanied or separated minors...

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Export controls may have been the economic weapon of choice in 2025, but the Dutch minister at the centre of the Nexperia crisis has admitted he was blindsided by Beijing when it blocked the company’s chips from leaving China. His concession raises fresh questions over how much planning went into the decision to reach for a Cold War-era law to intervene in the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker in September, a move that triggered a supply chain shock in the global automotive...

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With the technology race between the United States and China, the world’s two largest economies, intensifying even though a trade truce was reached in late October, analysts say the prospects of China achieving self-sufficiency in semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI) are positive, despite American efforts to maintain leads in those fields. “If any country can do it [achieve self-sufficiency in semiconductors], it’s China, owing to its vast resources and pool of engineering talent,”...

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Major Chinese airlines have extended their offer of full refunds for flights to Japan for another three months, as the heated diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo shows no signs of easing. On Friday, Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines – the country’s largest state-owned carriers – along with several others, including Hainan Airlines, Shandong Airlines, Spring Airlines and Xiamen Airlines, issued statements allowing free ticket refunds or itinerary changes for...

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The People’s Liberation Army has carried out an urban warfare drill, according to state media, in what appears to be a response to Taipei’s bid to fund improved “asymmetric capabilities”. In a report on Wednesday, state broadcaster CCTV aired footage of troops carrying out an operation to seize a built-up area in a war-torn city. The drill – involving reconnaissance, clearing and occupation – was part of a live-fire exercise conducted by a PLA Ground Force brigade that aimed to “test multiple...

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The United States and China are pursuing artificial intelligence in “different directions”, and the divergence is being reflected in the strategies that the governments and companies are adopting, according to the founder of one of the world’s largest technology investors. The US is focusing on supercomputing power and large models in the lofty pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and artificial superintelligence (ASI), while China was adopting a more practical approach, using AI to...

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The ashes of microelectronics legend Chih-Tang Sah (Sa Zhitang), whose inventions underpin nearly all modern semiconductor chips, have been transported from the US to his ancestral province of Fujian in southeastern China for burial. Sah and his collaborator Frank Wanlass’ proposal of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) transistors laid the foundation for the development of low-power integrated circuits and the modern semiconductor industry. By 2011, around 99 per cent of...

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Taiwan has blocked RedNote, a popular mainland Chinese social media platform among young people on the island, citing “fraud prevention” and “information security” concerns. Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior’s Criminal Investigation Bureau issued a policy on Thursday announcing an internet shutdown and access restriction order for RedNote, tentatively for one year. RedNote is a lifestyle social media platform similar to Instagram popular with young people from mainland China and around the...

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As China’s regions roll out proposals for their next five-year plans, two trends are emerging: localities are preparing to nurture new, highly technological industries while focusing on those sectors best suited to their strengths. Additionally, some areas pledged to bolster their supply of rare earth elements and soybeans, items which gained greater prominence amid this year’s escalatory trade war with the United States. According to data compiled by the Post, at least 22 provincial-level...

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France is poised to get a pair of pandas in 2027 as part of a new decade-long loan agreement finalised following President Emmanuel Macron’s three-day visit to China. On Thursday, the China Wildlife Conservation Association announced it had agreed with France’s Beauval Zoo to extend their international cooperation on giant panda conservation with the aim of boosting Sino-French exchanges. According to the group’s statement, the two giant pandas are expected to arrive at the zoo in Saint-Aignan...

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China and France vowed to expand cooperation on nuclear issues and global challenges as French President Emmanuel Macron wrapped up his three-day visit to China on Friday. They reaffirmed their commitment to “promoting the safe development of nuclear energy and strengthening collaboration across the nuclear energy industry chain”, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The two nuclear powers also expressed their support for non-proliferation and underscored the key role of the International Atomic...

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China’s deployment of a naval fleet, led by a Type 075 amphibious assault ship in the Philippine Sea this week, has triggered a rapid response from Australia. Canberra deployed a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft to track the flotilla, reviving security concerns raised after an unprecedented circumnavigation of the Australian continent by a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fleet nine months ago. US satellite images, first reported by Australian media on Wednesday, confirmed the presence of the Chinese...

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As the Chinese leadership prepares to set the economic agenda for the year ahead, analysts expect Beijing to mostly maintain this year’s policy tone but say it could tolerate a slightly lower growth target. Chinese leaders will hold a closed-door meeting to discuss next year’s main policy goals during the central economic work conference, which usually takes place in early or mid-December. “To address the demand slump, we expect Beijing to maintain its proactive fiscal policy stance, with a...

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Jigang Group spent decades forging the metal for China’s infrastructure boom. Now, the former industrial titan is building hardware for the final frontier. The state-owned company, once one of the nation’s top steel producers, has secured orders for its first two satellites – an all-important step in its years-long transformation to capture demand in the country’s burgeoning commercial space industry. Reporting this week on the purchase, the Economic Observer said production was expected to...

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South Korea has designated Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” on its online registration form for arriving tourists, visitors from the island recently discovered. This comes as Beijing and Tokyo are locked in a diplomatic spat over the Japanese prime minister’s remarks on a hypothetical Taiwan contingency. Taiwan has protested the “unfriendly” designation, with its foreign ministry on Wednesday citing multiple reports from Taiwanese travelling to South Korea and urging that Seoul correct the “apparently...

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Deterrence to prevent war in the Indo-Pacific is important to the “America first” strategy and rebalancing economic relations with China, the US said in a national security document released on Friday. The White House said in the latest National Security Strategy (NSS) report that the US would prioritise reciprocity and fairness to restore American economic independence. Such a policy must be “accompanied by a robust and ongoing focus on deterrence to prevent war in the Indo-Pacific”, the report...

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China’s crackdown on borrowing by local governments is forcing state-run entities in even some of the wealthiest provinces to tap costly credit from non-bank lenders, a stopgap that is increasing risk in an opaque corner of the financial system. The borrowing marks a return of China’s shadow-banking market, which is more loosely regulated than traditional lenders and had been reined in over the past few years in a bid to reduce risk. Since September, industrial investment arms and financing...

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Beijing has condemned Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan, not only as a violation of the one-China principle but also as a challenge to the post-war international order. Takaichi suggested on November 7 that Tokyo could respond militarily to a potential attack on the island, making her the first sitting Japanese leader since World War II to publicly link a Taiwan contingency with the possible deployment of Japan’s Self-Defence Forces. Beijing regards Taiwan’s restoration...

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China’s unmanned reconnaissance and strike helicopter tailored for deployment in plateau areas is ready for critical combat testing. The new multipurpose medium-sized helicopter was displayed on November 27 at an air show in Zhuhai, in southern China, where the next stage of testing was announced by its developer. The Moyujian was exhibited at the second Asia General Aviation Exhibition (Aero Asia), held from November 27 to 30. Aero Asia, jointly organised by the German General Aviation...

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Global investors should consider reducing their US equities exposure as emerging market stocks are on track to outperform those in developed nations for the first time in five years amid a weakening US dollar, according to global investment firm Cambridge Associates. The recommendation comes as the dollar has experienced significant weakness this year, falling by 10 per cent at one point after a decade-long bull run that started in 2011. However, the greenback still remains 29 per cent above its...

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