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The United States’ forcible removal of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro from power has reignited a debate over international law and sovereignty. But this risks obscuring a more consequential fact: global energy markets are not governed primarily by liberal market logic, but are shaped by geopolitical strategy. Venezuela matters less as a case in itself than as a signal of how energy is being repositioned amid intensifying US-China economic competition. For decades, many assumed that energy...

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Taiwanese rescuers have stepped up the search for a missing airforce pilot who reportedly parachuted out of an F-16V fighter jet on Tuesday evening, according to local media. The pilot took off at 6.17pm on Tuesday for routine nighttime flight training then parachuted from the aircraft at around 7.29pm near Hualien county, after which all contact was lost, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency. The pilot, Hsin Po-yi, graduated from the island’s Air Force Academy in 2019. He had logged more...

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Beijing has added Taiwan’s interior minister and education minister to its sanctions list of “stubborn Taiwan independence figures” for behaviours it said undermined cross-strait relations and promoted Taiwan independence. Chen Binhua, spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), said at a press conference on Wednesday that the interior minister Liu Shyh-fang and education minister Cheng Ying-yao had been designated as “stubborn Taiwan independence figures”. Liu and Cheng are cabinet...

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Chinese researchers have developed a revolutionary form of hybrid rice that can replicate itself through seeds that are clones, faithfully preserving high-yield traits generation after generation. The team says its breakthrough could transform global agriculture by dismantling the biggest barrier to hybrid rice production: the need for farmers to buy expensive new hybrid seeds every season. As hundreds of millions of people around the world face acute food insecurity, hybrid rice has promised...

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A powerful aerospace simulation tool developed by Chinese researchers may have exposed potential vulnerabilities in the design of the United States’ most advanced stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider. The “all-in-one” PADJ-X software system, based on adjoint optimisation technology, was unveiled last month in a paper published by the peer-reviewed Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica. The system, which may be the first fully integrated, multidisciplinary platform for stealth aircraft design, uses...

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China’s new high-power microwave system to counter drones has a longer range than its US military equivalent, according to its developer. The truck-mounted Hurricane 3000 was showcased during China’s huge military parade in September. This week its developer – state-owned defence contractor Norinco – disclosed some details of the weapon system for the first time. “Its effective interception range exceeds 3km [1.86 miles] against light and small [unmanned aerial vehicles] and drone swarms,...

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Irina Zhou’s five-year-old cat has gained about a kilogram every year for the past three years. She knows the extra weight puts her pet at risk of obesity-related diseases and could even shorten his life. “My parents just can’t bear to see the cat go hungry,” the 29-year-old Zhou said. “If the weight starts to affect his health, I might consider trying weight-loss medicines for him.” The idea of using obesity drugs for pets drew public attention after Fosun Pharma’s unit Yao Pharma signed a...

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Shanghai has announced a slew of new investments in hi-tech industries ranging from chips to artificial intelligence (AI) and aviation, becoming the latest Chinese city to unveil ambitious plans to boost local innovation amid an intensifying US-China tech race. The city’s Pudong district unveiled 50 big-ticket projects worth more than 70 billion yuan (US$10 billion) combined on Monday, with most of the investment earmarked to flow into key industries including microchips, AI, biopharmaceuticals,...

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Singapore and Beijing have emerged among the world’s most liveable cities for tech workers, according to Savills’ inaugural Matcha Index, which ranks locations by buzz and by the spaces where these employees can work, connect and spark ideas over a hot – or cold – matcha drink. The index, released on Tuesday, pointed out how cafe culture has become a vital part of the social infrastructure that supports the tech ecosystem, and that matcha lattes have taken over as the “go-to” drink for young...

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[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Just like every dark cloud has a silver lining, insurers are proficient at managing risks and turning them into opportunities. As an ageing population has become a pressing issue around the globe, the booming demand for insurance and annuities presents considerable potential.  China, one of the fastest-ageing countries, is expected to see its personal insurance market expand from four trillion Chinese yuan (US$553...

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[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] When someone says, “I drive an electric vehicle or EV because it protects the environment,” it could be music to the ears of climate advocates. Regardless, EVs have reshaped the global transportation landscape, with major traditional global carmakers now joining the race in battery-powered vehicles. In this new wave of the automotive evolution, no country has achieved what China has done.   The Chinese Mainland market...

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[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] In the time of geopolitical tensions, economic volatility and technological upheaval, individuals and businesses face a pressing question: How to thrive amid these constant disruptions? The insights may lie in a Chinese text with a history spanning more than five millennia: I-Ching, also known as the Book of Changes.  The I-Ching serves as a tool for divination in traditional Chinese knowledge and has become a profound...

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The US operation to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro serves as a reminder for China to bolster its air defences and counter-intelligence protections, observers say. Analysts in China described Venezuela’s air defences – which rely largely on Russian technology – as “full of flaws and slow to react” amid the modern surveillance, cyber, and electronic warfare displayed by US forces in Saturday’s operation in Caracas. The operation could serve as a further case study for China, which has...

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Eight years after leaving Venezuela, David Hou, a native of southern China’s Guangdong province, returned last year, pleased to find what he described as an improved economic environment. That optimism is now shrouded in uncertainty after the United States abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on allegations of narcoterrorism and possessing “destructive devices” – charges he has firmly rejected. While the full impact has yet to be felt, the situation is “making people anxious and very...

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A controversial plan to change Taiwan’s law governing relations with mainland China, which critics said could edge the island towards “de jure independence”, appears to have collapsed within days. The failure of the draft legislation to even reach the legislature’s agenda committee underscored the sensitivity of the issue amid mounting pressure from Beijing, which warned on Sunday that a declaration of independence would mean war. The initiative to amend the Act Governing Relations Between the...

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Amap, the mapping and navigation arm of Alibaba Group Holding, is stepping up research into “world models” – systems designed to simulate real-world environments – as the tech giant pushes deeper into embedding artificial intelligence across its services. The unit planned to launch a new product based on its FantasyWorld model, which was developed by the Alibaba Amap Computer Vision Lab and released in September, according to Shanghai Securities News. Alibaba did not immediately respond to a...

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Premier Li Qiang called for multilateralism and free trade in his meeting with visiting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday and said China would promote cooperation in emerging fields such as high-end manufacturing, new energy and artificial intelligence (AI). Li said China aimed to expand “the breadth and depth of cooperation” to achieve more practical outcomes and was willing to expand market access and integration, according to Beijing’s account of the meeting. “We stand ready to...

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The recent US strike against Venezuela is likely to deepen the Iranian leadership’s concerns about further intervention from Washington but analysts do not expect the leadership will be targeted directly in the same way as Nicolas Maduro. They pointed to the higher geopolitical stakes in the Middle East compared with Latin America and the greater role played by China, Russia and other countries. Before the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, the leadership in Iran had already been...

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BBC journalists have reportedly been instructed not to describe America’s abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro as a “kidnapping”, according to a British newspaper columnist. The editorial instruction was unveiled by Owen Jones on Monday, a commentator with more than a million followers on a social media platform. Jones said a memo from BBC management had been passed to him. According to an image Jones uploaded with his post, the guidelines told BBC’s journalists to use “captured” when...

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China’s car industry is expected to stagnate this year as it tries to catch its breath after years of growth. New energy vehicles (NEVs) are likely to continue increasing their market share but growth will be much lower than in recent years, with the penetration rate reaching around 60 per cent. “Involution” was the major theme last year, and despite efforts by the government and manufacturers, the situation is unlikely to improve until the second half of the year, due to a tepid economy and a...

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China has banned the export of goods with both commercial and military applications to end users linked to the Japanese military amid a protracted diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo. Effective immediately, the export of these items – known as “dual-use” goods – to Japanese military end users, for military purposes, or to any other end users that would “contribute to enhancing Japan’s military capabilities” is prohibited, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced on Tuesday. While “dual-use”...

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China’s top real estate developers continue to shrink, according to industry data. The number of mainland property developers achieving annual contracted sales of at least 100 billion yuan (US$14 billion) dropped to just 10 in 2025 from a peak of 43 in 2020, research firm China Real Estate Information Corporation (CRIC) said in a report on Sunday. Among the top 10 developers, only one, China Jinmao Holdings, reported year-on-year growth in sales, according to CRIC. The ranks of developers in the...

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Chinese investment bank Citic Securities took the top position for overall investment banking fees in Asia-Pacific, excluding Japan, in 2025, driven by its strong business performance in bond and initial public offering (IPO) underwriting, according to a report released on Wednesday by the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG). The Beijing-based brokerage generated US$1.45 billion in investment banking fees during the last year, accounting for 5.8 per cent of the total Asia-Pacific investment...

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China’s ideology chief has again called on propaganda officials to focus on the economy, as the country grapples with a slowdown, high unemployment and weak consumer demand. Cai Qi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, told a national meeting of publicity department heads in Beijing on Monday that “a good start should be set” for the next five-year plan, state news agency Xinhua reported. The country’s new blueprint for social and economic development has officially begun and runs until...

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During a visit to Guangdong, China’s largest provincial-level contributor to gross domestic product, Premier Li Qiang emphasised the need for the province to continue leading the national economy, while Guangdong’s senior officials vowed “extraordinary” measures to drive growth. Li urged Guangdong to “strengthen advantages in innovative development and take the lead in reform and opening up” during his three-day visit from Saturday to Monday, according to Xinhua. His appeal comes as the Chinese...

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