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A Japanese person who claimed to be an active officer of Japan’s Self-Defence Forces illegally and forcibly entered the Chinese embassy in Tokyo, Beijing said. “China is deeply shocked by this incident and has lodged a strong protest with Japan,” Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday. The person admitted to the illegality of their actions and threatened to kill Chinese diplomatic personnel in the name of god, Lin Jian, spokesman for the foreign ministry, told a regular media...

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US biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences agreed to buy Ouro Medicines, which is developing an antibody-based medicine for autoimmune diseases licensed from China’s Keymed Biosciences, in a deal worth up to US$2.18 billion. Gilead Sciences is among a group of global drug makers facing patent expirations and turning to mergers, acquisitions and licensing deals to refill their drug pipelines. Under the agreement, Gilead Sciences would pay shareholders of US-based Ouro Medicines US$1.675 billion...

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In a trip to Xiongan New Area, Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for the area to be transformed into an innovation hub to spark high-quality development in a project intended to take pressure off China’s capital, Beijing. It was the president’s first inspection tour to the “city of the future” after the country’s “two sessions” annual parliamentary meetings and the launch of China’s 15th five-year plan. During an inspection on Monday of the area in Hebei province, about 100km (62 miles)...

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The deepening Strait of Hormuz crisis amid the war in the Middle East is choking the critical flow of not just oil but also fertilisers and perishable goods, and the Global South may face worsening food scarcity, warned the chief of a leading international business organisation. “We’re seeing the impact play out on fertilisers. A lot of people are not fully aware of the importance of the trade, particularly the shipment [of fertilisers] through the Strait of Hormuz and access,” said John Denton,...

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As electric vehicle (EV) use surges globally, scientists have raised concerns about the performance of such batteries in high temperatures, including the possible impact of climate change on their usable lifespan. But a study published this month by researchers in China and the US has found that major advances in EV battery technologies will mitigate the impact of future warming. They studied the impact by creating an advanced model that captures future climate change and EV battery degradation...

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As China and the United States race to develop artificial intelligence (AI), geopolitical barriers are shaping how research, talent and capital flow across borders – or not – and how collaboration might emerge amid rising competition. Speaking in Hong Kong this month, three-time Silicon Valley cybersecurity founder John Whaley painted a picture of an industry that is global yet fragmented, as high stakes push countries to protect sovereign capabilities and data. When asked about the global AI...

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Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s press conference at the annual “two sessions” on March 8 was the Chinese government’s most authoritative statement on the war on Iran since strikes began on February 28. Wang called the war one that “should not have happened” and offered five principles for resolution: respect for sovereignty, rejection of force, non-interference in internal affairs, political settlement and goodwill among major powers. Diplomatic language aside, Wang named no concrete enforcement...

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Private equity investment in the Asia-Pacific region is increasingly flowing into advanced manufacturing and healthcare, as global uncertainties push investors towards businesses with more predictable cash flow, according to Bain & Co research. The move away from the previously dominant technology, media and telecommunications sector “has been a gradual move, driven by the external environment and uncertainties”, said Elsa Sit, practice vice-president in the Asia-Pacific private equity team with...

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Surging oil prices driven by the US-Israel war on Iran could accelerate the global adoption of electric vehicles – a sector that helped China overtake Japan to become the world’s largest seller of automobiles last year. “The closure of the Strait of Hormuz could be a game-changer for EVs,” said David Brown, director of energy transition research at Wood Mackenzie, in a report released on Friday. The “eye-watering” 50 per cent surge in global oil prices so far this month would further incentivise...

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Three Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers have raised prices for some models in response to rising supply chain costs, but analysts say the increases are unlikely to be sustained given weakening domestic demand. Xiaomi became the latest manufacturer to adjust pricing on March 19, announcing that its new-generation SU7 standard version would start at 219,900 yuan (US$31,800) – a 4,000 yuan increase over the previous model. Founder and CEO Lei Jun had attributed the rise to aggressive surges in...

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China’s strategy of promoting open artificial intelligence (AI) models and leveraging manufacturing dominance is “mutually reinforcing”, forming a feedback loop that could challenge US dominance in AI, according to a new report by a US congressional advisory body. “It is the intersection of these two loops – one digital, one physical – that gives China’s open strategy its compounding force and poses the most serious long-term challenge to US AI leadership,” the United States-China Economic and...

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As China undergoes a sweeping economic transition, its regions are also in the process of embracing change. The powerhouses of yesteryear must adapt or risk falling behind, as traditional industries become less reliable growth drivers and new sectors take prominence. In this series, we explore three representative areas of the country as they attempt to navigate this rapidly changing environment. After Joyce Wu moved from Hainan province to Hong Kong in 2013, she marvelled for years at the...

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The United States will face a “critical shortage” of China expertise within a decade that threatens to leave policymakers struggling to manage Washington’s most consequential strategic relationship, a report said on Monday. As China experts retire and the number of Americans studying in China sharply declines, the resulting talent gap presents a “national security and an economic competitiveness” problem, warned the report by an expert working group of the Washington-based non-profit US-China...

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US President Donald Trump’s focus on short-term deliverables and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s bid for bilateral stability is likely to see an exceptionally amicable summit when they finally sit down, despite “unusual” circumstances brought by the Iran conflict, former senior US diplomat Kurt Campbell said. Trump and Xi’s upcoming high-stakes meeting in Beijing, which was postponed for at least five weeks from its original March 31 date, will see both leaders be “extraordinarily polite and...

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Potential US ground operations against Iran might constrain Tehran, but the prospects for reopening the Strait of Hormuz were “highly uncertain”, Chinese analysts said. They also cautioned that any such escalation was likely to result in heavy casualties, with one of them saying Iran “might even welcome” such close combat. US President Donald Trump on Monday announced a five-day halt to military strikes on Iranian power plants. He made the announcement on social media as the US’ 48-hour deadline...

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Tencent Holdings is rolling out a “ClawBot” plug-in for China’s most popular app WeChat as it seeks to capitalise on the OpenClaw craze, even as authorities continue to warn about risks. The move announced on Sunday will allow WeChat’s more than 1 billion monthly active users to command their OpenClaw artificial intelligence agents directly through the app, which is deeply embedded in daily life in China. In recent weeks, almost every Chinese tech giant has announced new offerings based on...

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An AI-generated animation by China’s state broadcaster satirising the US-Israel war on Iran has gone viral, triggering a wave of user-made sequels online. First posted by CCTV on Wednesday, the wuxia-style allegory centres on a war between the “White Eagle” and the “Persian Cat” – clearly representing the US and Iran. Though it does not explicitly mention the war, the animated short closely mirrors the conflict, which started on February 28, when the US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes...

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Iran’s leadership is likely to prove resilient despite US-Israeli decapitation tactics, analysts say. Dozens of senior Iranian officials, including the former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and national security chief Ali Larijani, have been killed since the start of the bombing raids on February 28. Tehran has argued these changes do not matter. “Of course, individuals are influential, and each person plays their role – some better, some worse, some less – but what matters is that the...

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As the Iran war fuels global fears of stagflation, a debate is intensifying over whether the crisis poses an immediate risk to China’s sources of external demand or a strategic opening for its exporters. Mirroring the supply chain upheavals of the pandemic era, the crisis has prompted new questions about whether China will be able to leverage its industrial base and supply-side resilience if a prolonged conflict further fractures global supply chains. “China’s economy looks strong on the surface...

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China is betting artificial intelligence will solve its labour shortage, as policymakers ramp up a nationwide push to deploy AI and robotics across the economy. But it may be worsening a different problem: the erosion of stable jobs for young workers. China’s push has accelerated investment in industrial automation, installing more than half of the world’s robots in 2024 alone and doubling down on AI-enabled production. The strategy is presented as a necessary response to the demographic...

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Taiwan’s defence ministry has outlined a wartime strategy of using long-range firepower to “slow the advance” of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) forces in the event of a cross-strait assault. The ministry report on Monday comes as lawmakers began formal discussions on a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defence budget. The ministry said the military would prioritise targeting the incoming adversary – including amphibious fleets and logistics support forces – as they mobilised and...

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China has pledged to strengthen artificial intelligence (AI) security, including through a new data property rights framework, at a time when users and businesses are rapidly adopting the highly coveted but controversial OpenClaw. On Monday, Liu Liehong, head of the National Data Administration, said security and compliance had become core challenges as AI spread across industry and daily life. Speaking at the China Development Forum, Liu cited challenges ranging from copyright disputes over...

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Major Hong Kong developers Henderson Land Development and Kerry Properties both reported mixed 2025 results, with stronger home sales partly offsetting softer rental income and a subdued commercial property market. The earnings underscored how the city’s developers are shifting focus towards projects that can still generate cash flow, mainly high-end housing in Hong Kong and top-tier mainland cities, while waiting for offices and retail to recover. Recent geopolitical tensions, including the...

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US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the US would halt military strikes on Iranian power plants for five days following discussions with Tehran. Trump said on social media that he had instructed the Department of Defence to “postpone any and all military strikes” against power and energy infrastructure for a five-day period, “subject to [the] success of ongoing meetings and discussions”. “I am [pleased] to report that the United States of America, and the country of Iran, have had, over...

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A steady stream of cars pulled into an ordinary petrol station in Beijing’s Chaoyang District early on Monday afternoon, keeping the pumps far busier than on a normal weekday as drivers rushed to refuel ahead of the year’s biggest price hike at midnight. “I’m taking my lunch break to top up the tank quickly ahead of the price increase, as I fear long queues after work in the evening,” said Frank Jin, an office employee in Beijing. China will raise refined oil prices at midnight, marking the...

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