China News

A northern Chinese region that boasts the world’s biggest rare earth element (REE) mine is looking to develop its second-largest city, Baotou, into a world-leading hub for critical materials. And analysts say the effort could further shore up China’s leading position in the supply chain. In a 10-year development plan, which includes intentions to build a “solid ecological security barrier”, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region said it will make comprehensive progress on the protection and...

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A week after China commissioned its latest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, newly leaked images, including satellite imagery and other photos, are among the first signs that China may be building a carrier to be propelled by nuclear reactors. On Wednesday, the United States military website The War Zone said China’s new Type 004 aircraft carrier, which is under construction at the Dalian shipyard in the northeastern Chinese province of Liaoning, showed a hull structure apparently similar to that of...

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Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings beat analysts’ forecasts with a 15 per cent rise in third-quarter revenue, as the company’s artificial intelligence efforts continued to drive growth. Revenue for the Shenzhen-based firm reached 192.9 billion yuan (US$27.1 billion), up from 167.2 billion yuan in the same period last year. Net profit increased 19 per cent to 63.1 billion yuan in the September quarter, which surpassed the 55.9 billion yuan estimate from a Bloomberg poll of analysts. “Our...

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Local Chinese authorities have stepped up efforts to collect taxes from citizens with unreported overseas income, urging them to remain compliant as the country refines its taxation system and local governments seek to broaden revenue streams. At least six tax authorities – including city-level administrations in Shenzhen, Beijing and Xiamen, along with provincial-level bureaus in Guangdong, Fujian and Sichuan – said they had used big data analysis to identify individuals who failed to report...

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Mainland Chinese police are offering a cash reward for tips on possible crime-related behaviour by two Taiwanese online influencers, saying their separatist activities were having a “terrible influence”. The Quanzhou police department in Fujian province, on the southeastern Chinese coast, said on Thursday that Wen Ziyu and Chen Boyuan were first identified by the Taiwan Affairs Office in March as henchmen and accomplices for the island’s independence. “According to investigations, these two have...

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Japan’s ambassador to Australia has said his country and mainland China must keep “proper” communication channels open over Taiwan to avoid misunderstandings. Kazuhiro Suzuki also urged Australia to help strengthen “joint deterrence” with Japan in what he described as “turbulent” times when speaking at an event at the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday. Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait would be “extremely important” for the international community as well as for Japan, Suzuki...

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China’s solar industry association has pledged to “fight to the end” to curb cutthroat competition driven by oversupply, vowing to restore fair market order through industry self-discipline. “Don’t underestimate the determination behind the policy,” Liu Yiyang, executive secretary general of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA), said in a post on his private WeChat Moments social media feed, according to a report by Jiemian News, a business news website based in Shanghai. “We will...

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion that Japan could deploy its military in response to a Taiwan contingency has escalated diplomatic tensions and risks further damaging bilateral ties, analysts have warned. According to Beijing, Takaichi “seriously damaged bilateral ties” when she told the Japanese parliament on Friday that use of military force in the Taiwan Strait could be seen as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, a situation that could allow Tokyo to engage in...

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As China’s youth continue to struggle to find jobs suited to their skills and background, some enterprising hopefuls are making use of an unorthodox channel to unearth new opportunities: the country’s sprawling trade fairs and expos. Discouraged by the limited openings at both domestic and foreign firms, many jobseekers view these events – often the largest of their kind – as chances to network, explore new industries and even pick up temporary positions as expo employees. “I go to these expos...

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Brussels and Beijing are both to blame for their strained ties and clear communication is needed to handle sensitive issues like Taiwan and rare earths, according to a veteran business leader and China watcher. Joerg Wuttke, former president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, said the 27-member bloc should also redouble efforts to become more resilient. Wuttke – now a partner at consulting firm DGA Albright Stonebridge Group in Washington – also called for a new Manhattan...

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In the push to meet climate goals, such as those taking centre stage at Cop30, China finds itself walking a tightrope between two laudable ambitions: ecological conservation and the green energy transition. However, beneath the triumphal rhetoric lies a set of contradictions with real social and ecological consequences. China has implemented a vast ecological red line policy by demarcating 30 per cent of its land area that encompasses wetlands, mountains and grasslands – about 3 million sq km –...

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Only a select few People’s Liberation Army officers attended last week’s commissioning of the Fujian, but among them was Rear Admiral Ma Weiming – the man whose technological breakthrough put the aircraft carrier among the most advanced of its kind. Known as the father of the Chinese electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), Ma also fundamentally altered naval warfare with a string of innovations that has put China “one generation ahead” in several critical areas. There were no initial...

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When US President Donald Trump was about to begin his closely watched summit with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping last month, he wrote a social media post that revived a decades-old concept about the dynamics between the two countries and their role in global affairs. “The G2 will be convening shortly,” he wrote – in all caps – ahead of the talks. The term “G2”, or Group of Two, emerged in the 2000s as a proposal for Washington and Beijing to work together to address global challenges. Over...

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US President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday disclosed further details about its agreement with China on the control of fentanyl precursors, key ingredients in the production of the drug that kills tens of thousands of Americans each year. Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel said in a regular White House briefing that China has agreed to control seven chemical subsidiaries that are used to produce the lethal drug, after Beijing’s export control decision announced on...

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China submitted the highest number of patent applications in 2024, leading global intellectual property activity, a new report shows. A total of 1.8 million patent applications were filed in China last year, accounting for nearly half of the global total and more than three times the number submitted to the United States, according to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). The US is ranked second on the list, followed by Japan, South Korea and Germany. Meanwhile, China issued over...

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A section of a newly opened bridge collapsed in a mountainous area of Sichuan province in southwestern China on Tuesday, with no casualties reported. Videos circulating on social media showed part of the Shuangjiangkou Hongqi Bridge over a river in the city of Maerkang give way, unleashing a thick cloud of dust and debris. The bridge was completed in January this year but officials denied that the collapse was a result of poor construction. Authorities in Maerkang and the wider Aba Tibetan and...

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The weaponisation of critical materials was not a bridge that Beijing crossed in the early years of its trade war that began with Washington in 2018. But China has grown more confident, and leadership has shifted from hesitation to measured assertiveness on critical-material controls, as demonstrated in its actions this year amid trade tensions with Washington, according to Morgan Stanley researchers. With such leverage in mind, this explainer uses their report – “Navigating China’s Export...

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Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.

1. From reusable rockets to deep-sea dives: how China closes tech gap on the West China sees outer space and the polar regions as “strategic new frontiers” vital to its future security – and is investing accordingly.
2. Chinese firms in EU report solid performance despite mounting uncertainties Most Chinese companies are faring well in the European Union...

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As access to advanced chips narrows, Chinese AI developers are focusing on fixing an algorithmic bottleneck at the heart of large language models (LLMs) – hoping that smarter code, not more powerful hardware, will help them steal a march on their Western rivals. By experimenting with hybrid forms of “attention” – the mechanism that allows LLMs to process and recall information – start-ups such as Moonshot AI and DeepSeek aim to stretch limited computing resources, while keeping pace with global...

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China launched a charm offensive at a new Northern Ireland trade forum on Monday, as Beijing’s chief diplomat to the United Kingdom promised fresh investment and opportunities to tap the vast consumer market of the world’s second-largest economy. The efforts come as China’s widening trade surpluses face rising criticism and scrutiny from European countries – including the UK – amid mounting trade tensions between China and the West. “China is Northern Ireland’s second-largest source of imports...

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Beijing was irritated about a rare speech in Brussels by Taiwan’s No 2 leader, Hsiao Bi-khim, but is likely to be measured in its response, according to analysts. On Friday, Hsiao delivered a speech titled “Taiwan: A Trusted Partner in a Volatile World” at an event held by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) inside the European Parliament complex. IPAC comprises members of legislatures from 43 countries and the European Parliament promoting hawkish policies towards Beijing. During...

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As Beijing vows a stronger fiscal role to buttress an economy facing mounting risks, policymakers face a core dilemma in optimising China’s national development blueprint for the next half-decade: how to raise sufficient tax revenue without imposing an excessive burden on businesses. A detailed explanatory guide on China’s 15th five-year plan proposals for 2026 to 2030 said the period presents “new and higher demands for enhancing fiscal sustainability”, and the book warned of revenue growth...

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Chinese technology companies are stepping up their push into the smart-glasses market with new software and hardware innovations, intensifying competition to lead in the next generation of artificial intelligence-driven devices. Ant International, the overseas arm of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, on Wednesday unveiled what it described as the world’s first iris-authentication technology for payments via smart glasses. Chinese electronics makers Xiaomi and Meizu will be the first to offer the...

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Cutting international student enrolment by half would destroy America’s university system, and H-1B visas for skilled workers are necessary, US President Donald Trump said while defending policies that have triggered pushback at home and abroad. In an interview with Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham that aired on Monday and Tuesday, Trump said the US had “a lot of people coming in from China” and other countries, and highlighted America’s “massive system of colleges and universities”. “And if we...

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US President Donald Trump’s recent call for the military to immediately restart nuclear weapons testing, apparently ending a 33-year moratorium that began under president George H.W. Bush in 1992, has sent shock waves across the globe. The announcement was made via social media moments before the much-anticipated meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit, the first meeting between the...

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