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Michael Sandel is a political philosopher and the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Government at Harvard University. His course on justice was the first at Harvard to be made freely available online and has been viewed by tens of millions of people. Sandel recently received the 2025 Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture, which some have described as the Nobel Prize for philosophy. In this interview, Sandel discusses the roots of Donald Trump’s rise to power, the crisis in American...

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A database tracking the deaths of young Chinese scientists has triggered a heated debate amid growing concern about whether there is a disturbing pattern emerging among the academic community. But the list also triggered a public backlash, with critics raising ethical concerns about the way the information was used and questioning whether it was giving the full picture. According to the file posted on CSND, an online platform for computer programmers, last week, at least 76 researchers under the...

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As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly involved in scientific research, especially in the fierce competition between China and the US, a unique gathering of AI “scientists” has revealed that the technology still faces fundamental weaknesses. Each paper presented at last week’s Agents4Science 2025 conference listed large language models as primary authors and reviewers, while scholars from around the world shared how they used AI bots in scientific work and the challenges...

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The Beijing-headquartered Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has confirmed that it will open a hub office in Hong Kong – a move that will enhance its offshore financing capabilities and the city’s role as a global financial centre. Preparatory work is in the pipeline and progressing well, the Post has learned from the bank. A formal announcement is expected to be made by AIIB President Jin Liqun, who is scheduled to address Hong Kong FinTech Week on Monday. The AIIB’s second office...

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US President Donald Trump said Xi Jinping understands the consequences if China invades Taiwan, while refusing to specifically say the United States would defend the island, according to an extract of a CBS News interview broadcast on Sunday. Trump said Taiwan “never even came up as a subject” when he met the Chinese president in South Korea on Thursday for their first face-to-face meeting in six years. Asked on CBS’ 60 Minutes whether he would order US forces into action if China moved...

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China’s first atomic quantum computer has passed a major commercial milestone, making its first sales to domestic and overseas customers, according to state media. Hubei Daily, the official newspaper of Hubei province, reported on Friday that the first commercial Hanyuan-1 unit had been delivered to a subsidiary of telecoms provider China Mobile while Pakistan had also placed an order. The sales were valued at more than 40 million yuan (US$5.6 million). The Hanyuan-1 was one of the few machines...

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The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) as a practical tool is far outweighed by overinflated hype around it. The trending topic of AI is being driven by pundits with seemingly minute-by-minute hot takes, advice and products to sell. However, as the AI bandwagon picks up pace, there is an urgent need for a more thoughtful, independent conversation about preparing for a new reality. The Microsoft/LinkedIn 2024 Annual Work Trend Index trumpets aggressive conclusions such as “Employees want AI...

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More than a century ago, the world of Chinese women was a private one. Bound by a rigid patriarchal order and Confucian codes of propriety, hierarchy and submission, they were confined to the inner chambers of the home to be virtuous wives, self-sacrificing mothers and dutiful daughters, while men ruled the outer world. That began to change in the May Fourth era early in the 20th century, which marked a period of unprecedented intellectual and cultural awakening in modern China. Reformers sought...

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Since the Nobel Prize began recognising exceptional achievements in science, literature and peace in 1901, only five scientists from Europe and the United States have been double recipients of this prestigious award. Could a Chinese scientist have joined their ranks? Chen-ning Yang, who died in October aged 103, shared the Nobel for physics with Tsung-Dao Lee, nearly seven decades ago. Yang’s long-time friend Chen Fong-ching, an honorary professor at the physics department of the Chinese...

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There’s a new gold rush in Southeast Asia, but the prize is not quite so shiny – think green and spiky. A retired police chief is chasing it. Someone else just built a flashy new house with the income earned from it. Cashew and coffee plantations are being flattened to make space. Sorting and processing sheds dot the roadsides. We’re talking about Vietnam’s production of durians for China’s voracious consumer market – and the risks that come with it. To get a closer look, take a road trip with...

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Beijing and Washington may be set to revive dormant military communication channels but it is just a first step and the two sides are still some way from genuine trust, an observer has cautioned. The assessment followed US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement on social media on Sunday that the two countries had “agreed that we should set up military-to-military channels to deconflict and deescalate any problems that arise”. Hegseth met his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun on the sidelines...

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The European Union welcomed China’s suspension of expanded rare earth restrictions imposed last month, even as crisis talks in Brussels on Friday appeared to yield no relief for European firms still constrained by the original export controls. After a full day of talks in the Belgian capital, the European Commission described the pause in controls – announced following US-China talks in South Korea on Thursday – as an “appropriate and responsible step in the context of ensuring stable global...

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Beijing has protested to Tokyo over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s contact with a former senior Taiwanese politician on the sidelines of the Apec summit in South Korea, describing the action as “egregious”. Takaichi posted photos of herself meeting Lin Hsin-i on social media on Friday and Saturday, referring to him as “senior adviser to the Presidential Office of Taiwan”. In the comments she said she hoped the “practical cooperation between Japan and Taiwan will deepen”. In a statement on...

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Nexperia China moved to reassure customers that production will continue uninterrupted, saying it has secured new wafer suppliers and can meet client demand through to the end of the year and beyond. The Chinese division of the semiconductor maker said it had “multiple contingency plans” in place, according to a bilingual statement published early Sunday. The announcement followed a decision by its Dutch headquarters a week earlier to suspend wafer shipments to its assembly plant in Dongguan,...

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China and Iran should strengthen “wise and balanced” cooperation to jointly counter modern challenges and shape a new world against unilateralism and hegemony, according to Tehran’s top envoy in Beijing. Describing ties with China “decisive” to regional peace, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said the strategic partnership between the two countries had gone beyond a bilateral level and could improve the roles of Asian countries in global decision-making. “From a strategic perspective, the Iran-China...

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A wave of humanoid robot launches in China this year has shaken up the market with eye-catching low prices – though some industry insiders warn the trend might not be financially tainable and could be driven more by hype and capital than by genuine technological progress. Beijing-based Noetix Robotics launched presales for its child-sized humanoid Bumi last week, selling more than 200 units at 9,998 yuan (US$1,408) each within the first three hours. Five hundred units were sold in the first two...

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Much to the relief of markets, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping finally met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea. The friendly meeting indicates both sides prefer a mode of “controlled” confrontation. The bilateral relationship remains confrontational, nonetheless. Some give and take on trade certainly helps to de-escalate tensions, but China has no illusions about the US’ fundamental hostility. Trump prides himself on his...

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Alibaba Group Holding on Friday unveiled a 2 billion yuan (US$281 million) investment as part of a programme that will see a network of Taobao-branded convenience stores across China support the operations of the firm’s instant commerce and on-demand delivery business. Rather than establishing Taobao Shangou’s own bricks-and-mortar shops, the programme would primarily provide existing convenience stores with a tech facelift, leveraging Alibaba’s digital infrastructure, according to Hu Qiugen,...

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US President Donald Trump’s call to “immediately” resume testing of nuclear weapons, citing Beijing and Moscow’s rapid nuclear build-up, could drive China to “accelerate” its own efforts to develop its strategic forces, according to analysts. On Thursday, Trump posted on social media that he had instructed the Pentagon to start testing US nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” with Russia and China because of “other countries’ testing programmes”. “That process will begin immediately,” Trump said...

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A cutting-edge radio telescope built through a long-term partnership between China and Argentina was due to begin peering into the heavens in a few months, but the project is instead staring at lengthy delays – mired in political friction between Beijing and Washington. Perched at the top of a mountain, the China-Argentina Radio Telescope (CART) has been described as a celestial “lighthouse” for Earth’s southern sky. Once operational, the largest single dish telescope in Latin America is...

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Just three hours after lift-off, a trio of Chinese astronauts – and four mice – have arrived at the Tiangong space station for China’s first in-orbit mammal study. The Shenzhou-21 crew was launched aboard a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert at 11.44pm Beijing time on Friday, according to the China Manned Space Agency. About 10 minutes into the flight, the spacecraft separated from the rocket and entered its planned orbit with high precision. The...

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China’s Ministry of Commerce on Saturday said it is looking to exempt some Nexperia orders from an export ban that it imposed after the Netherlands seized control of the Chinese-owned Dutch chipmaker. “We will comprehensively consider the actual situation of enterprises and grant exemptions to exports that meet the criteria,” a ministry representative said in a statement. According to the ministry, exemptions were being considered to stabilise the supply of Nexperia chips in global supply...

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A Chinese military journal has revealed the surprising cost-effectiveness of China’s mass-produced suicide drones, positioning them as a major threat in modern warfare and an especially appealing acquisition for potential customers such as Pakistan. The latest issue of Ordnance Industry Science Technology has revealed that the Feilong-300D reconnaissance and attack drone, which debuted at the Zhuhai air show last year, could be priced as low as US$10,000 per unit. The report provided the first...

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China’s decision to host next year’s Apec summit in the innovation hub of Shenzhen reflects Beijing’s “resolve to uphold openness”, according to analysts. Highlighting the southern city’s spectacular growth over the past few decades, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the decision at the end of the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Saturday. “Located on the Pacific coast and adjacent to Hong Kong, Shenzhen has transformed from a backward...

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Rare earths will remain an “important card” for China in its relations with the United States, despite the Group of Seven’s commitment to challenge Beijing’s dominance of the critical minerals, according to a Chinese observer. At a meeting in the Canadian city of Toronto on Friday, G7 energy ministers agreed to establish a critical minerals production alliance. The plans include more than two dozen new investments, partnerships and measures to accelerate and unlock C$6.4 billion (US$4.57...

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