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The global race to deploy data centres in space to power artificial intelligence (AI) development has begun, with China seizing an early lead. “In terms of the highest performance of space-based computing or the completeness of [the] technological framework, we are at the forefront,” Beijing-based computer scientist Han Yinhe said. Han is a researcher at the Institute of Computing Technology (ICT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, and is taking part in a major initiative to develop...

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After witnessing the effects of a tumultuous trade war with the United States this year, China’s top leaders have issued a directive to fortify the domestic economy against persistent or even heightened trade frictions. Following the annual central economic work conference, which concluded on Thursday and set the agenda for 2026, officials emphasised “better coordinating domestic economic work and international economic and trade struggles”, anchoring a pro-growth strategy for the start of...

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1. Japan, US defence chiefs cover radar row and other China tensions in phone call US and Japanese defence chiefs spoke on the phone on Friday about a confrontation between Chinese and Japanese fighter jets over the weekend, with Tokyo saying it did not seek to escalate the tensions.
2. Mexico slaps tariffs of up to 50% on Chinese goods as US trade pact review...

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When it comes to building next-generation stealth jets, experience is the foundation of speed, reliability and combat readiness. Handing this critical job to a company with no stealth fighter experience could significantly delay progress and hand competitors a strategic gift. This is an open message from Yang Shuifeng, a lead designer of China’s cutting-edge stealth fighters. “The experience and capability of the research and development team cannot start from zero,” Yang, senior engineer and...

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Chinese autonomous-driving technology firm Pony.ai is betting on an “asset-light” strategy and newer generations of low-cost driverless cars to drive growth for its robotaxi operation as the company expects to break even by 2030. Under the asset-light model, Pony.ai would team up with third-party companies – such as taxi operators or ride-hailing platforms – that would fund the deployment of its robotaxi fleet, according to Leo Wang Haojun, chief financial officer. Instead of taking on the full...

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China is expected to set its fiscal deficit ratio at around 4 per cent of gross domestic product in 2026, analysts said, adding the affirmation of a more prominent role for fiscal policy at this week’s central economic work conference indicates a selective approach to increasing government expenditures. In a statement issued after the annual conference ended on Tuesday, officials called for maintaining a “necessary deficit size, total debt and expenditure volume”. The December meeting of...

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The mayor of Taipei is set to travel to Shanghai for a rare joint forum while being watched closely by Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Chiang Wan-an, mayor of Taipei, will travel to Shanghai on December 27 and 28 for the Shanghai-Taipei City Forum, Taiwan’s Central News Agency said on Thursday. On Friday, Xinhua stated that the annual forum, carrying the theme “Technology Transforming Life”, would convene in Shanghai on December 28. The forum, which was first held in 2010,...

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China’s military mouthpiece warned on Friday that provocative actions by right-wing Japanese politicians risked plunging Asia into peril, as Beijing prepared to mark the 88th anniversary of the Nanking massacre amid heightened tensions with Tokyo. PLA Daily published the commentary as sirens are poised to wail across Nanjing, the capital of eastern Jiangsu province, at 10.01am on Saturday for the national memorial ceremony led by the Central Committee and the State Council. Introduced by China’s...

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For three decades, Xu Chongyu was Europe’s secret weapon against the rising tides. From his quiet office at the University of Oslo, his hydrological models have guarded cities from Copenhagen to Brussels, predicting floods before the first clouds formed. But the climate clock was ticking fast and his homeland needed him, so the Chinese-born scientist decided to leave. A homecoming ceremony was held for Xu on December 3 at North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power (NCWU) in...

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China’s new ambassador to the Philippines has said both sides should try to get relations back on a “healthy” course, while President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said differences should be the “exception rather than the norm”. Jing Quan said this would be essential for both countries’ development and beneficial to regional prosperity and progress when presenting his credentials to Marcos on Thursday, according to the Chinese embassy. “China hopes the Philippines will proceed from its fundamental and...

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A Chinese business group has urged the European Union to halt its “discriminatory and disproportionate” use of anti-subsidy probes to target Chinese companies, as Brussels steps up its scrutiny of firms allegedly receiving unfair state subsidies. The EU launched an in-depth foreign subsidy regulation (FSR) investigation against the Chinese security firm Nuctech on Thursday, just days after Brussels reportedly raided the Chinese-invested e-commerce platform Temu’s European headquarters in Dublin...

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Scientists have developed a new type of semiconductor that they hope will overcome a major problem for bioelectronic devices: the immune response that causes the body to reject implants. Bioelectronics is the science of integrating electronic systems with biological systems using devices that can monitor or interact with the body’s natural processes. Advanced examples include brain-computer interfaces, which translate brain signals into commands to control external devices. Researchers in China...

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The 2025 film Nuremberg ends with a sober line from British historian R.G. Collingwood: “The only clue to what man can do is what man has done” – a stark reminder that history repeats when justice does not. While the crimes of Nazi Germany were brought before an international tribunal 80 years ago, the atrocities committed by Japan’s secret Unit 731 in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province during the second world war – have never faced a comparable legal reckoning. The covert unit conducted...

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China is on track to slash its reliance on imported soybeans to less than 30 per cent within a decade, from the current 90 per cent, research from Goldman Sachs suggests, as Beijing accelerates efforts to shore up self-sufficiency – including inoculating its food supply against trade shocks. Demand-management strategies for the crop – a vital source of cooking oil and animal feed, as well as a key commodity at the centre of Beijing’s trade relations with Washington – reduced annual consumption...

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US and Japanese defence chiefs spoke on the phone on Friday about the recent confrontation between Chinese and Japan Self-Defence Force fighter jets, as Tokyo said it did not seek to escalate the tensions. During the call, Japan’s defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his US counterpart Pete Hegseth engaged in a “candid exchange” of views on the “rapidly deteriorating” security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, according to a Japanese defence ministry release. “The two sides stated serious...

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An inherent “asymmetry” of power poses a challenge to resolving South China Sea disputes via the quiet diplomacy traditionally favoured by Southeast Asian nations, a leading Malaysian security expert has said. Chinese analysts said Beijing supported the “Asean way” too, so long as sovereignty claims were resolved bilaterally. They also warned against external interference and “power politics” standing in the way of consensus within the bloc. Ruhanas Harun, an international relations professor at...

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Global investors should shift their focus from Asia’s dominant AI hardware “titans” to a growing group of mid-cap “battleground” sectors that offer stronger growth potential amid intensifying competition, according to BofA Securities. In a report, analysts from the Bank of America investment banking arm mapped more than 330 Asian stocks across 22 subsectors in the artificial intelligence technology layer – representing market capitalisation of nearly US$6 trillion. The most compelling...

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Rising tensions in the Middle East despite the fragile ceasefire agreement in Gaza are continuing to fuel demands for arms in a region where China has emerged as a major supplier. As well as supplying drones and missiles, China is looking to expand its offering into advanced weapons systems, such as fighter jets, but is facing increasing competition from a near neighbour: South Korea. While both have opportunities to expand arms exports, analysts said South Korea was relatively better positioned...

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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday defended her government’s decision to impose new import tariffs, hours after the Senate approved legislation allowing duties of up to 50 per cent on more than 1,400 products from Asian countries. The measure, widely seen as aimed at curbing Chinese imports, comes as Mexico prepares for a review of its trade agreement with the United States and Canada next year. Sheinbaum described the move as part of her administration’s plan to strengthen domestic...

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The senior Democrat on a US congressional committee focused on China is urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to fill the State Department’s vacant post for Arctic affairs, citing intensifying competition with Beijing and adding to growing pressure to address the vacancy. The Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs leads US engagement with the eight-country Arctic Council and coordinates American interests related to safety and security, economic development and intergovernmental cooperation. The...

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With the end of the year approaching, the European Commission is rapidly ramping up its de-risking efforts through a flurry of broadsides against Chinese firms – even as the bloc’s most powerful member states appear to be moving in different directions on China. Foreign subsidy regulation probes were launched against online retailer Temu and Nuctech, a maker of airport scanning equipment, on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. E-commerce giant Temu saw its Dublin headquarters raided by...

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The Trump administration is possibly facing a “dilemma” as tensions between China and Japan intensify, one Chinese analyst has suggested, while another noted that any breakthrough in the diplomatic dispute still hinged on direct engagement between the two Asian neighbours. This week, the downward spiral in ties between China and Japan showed no signs of easing. Beijing issued another travel warning targeting Japan on Thursday – less than four weeks after its previous advisory – this time citing...

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1. US seeks ‘constructive’ reset with China as trade tensions ease: Greer US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer says the United States is striving for a more “constructive” relationship with China after this year’s trade war, even as disputes over minerals and AI chips persist.
2. US commission wants more Mandarin language courses to curb Beijing’s sway A...

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China’s massive aerial drone carrier the Jiu Tian has completed its first flight, adding to the potential swarming capacities of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The Jiu Tian, which is itself a large drone, took to the air for the first time in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, state news agency Xinhua said on Thursday. The report did not mention when this took place. Designed by the First Aircraft Institute of the state-owned aerospace giant Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC),...

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The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that its position on Taiwan remained unchanged after Japan’s finance minister claimed that the health body’s chief executive intended to strengthen ties with the island. On December 6, Japanese Minister of Finance Satsuki Katayama made a social media post in Japanese stating that during a visit to Tokyo, the WHO director general had “explicitly [stated] his intention to strengthen ties” with Taiwan. The post was made following a forum in Tokyo on...

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