25 h. ago Paraded mainland China weaponry shows Beijing’s focus on Taiwan: analysts

The latest weapons systems featured in China’s Victory Day parade have shown Beijing’s sharp focus on safeguarding its sovereign integrity over Taiwan and its capability to defend against any attempt to break away, analysts observed. Although Taiwan was not directly mentioned in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s keynote address on Wednesday, it is often used by military observers as a yardstick to measure the People’s Liberation Army’s capabilities and progress. The cutting-edge weapons showcased...

Events

27 h. ago US tariff damps holiday mood of India’s jewellers as exports set to fall by 70%

India’s gem and jewellery businesses face a bleak year-end holiday season following Washington’s decision to slap a 50 per cent tariff on the country’s exports, as they warn the move could affect more than two-thirds of their shipments to the United States. On Wednesday, the tariff on India’s exports to the US took effect in response to New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil and weapons. “With the imposition of a 50 per cent tariff, we expect exports to the US to decline by more than 70 per cent....

Politics

64 h. ago Beijing analysts argue China is not trying to build a new world order

Beijing analysts argue China is not trying to build a new world order  Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Politics

3 d. ago How will China’s advanced drones and robobeasts share stage with PLA personnel?

Some 16 years after China first showcased drones in a military parade, there is keen interest in how the People’s Liberation Army has developed its unmanned systems, and how they will be displayed during Beijing’s military parade on Wednesday. Analysts say the breadth and variety of drone systems expected at China’s coming military parade could underscore the PLA’s rapid advances in integrating autonomous technologies across air, land and sea, signalling a shift towards AI-enabled, multi-domain...

Events

7 d. ago China is capping coal production to support prices, top miner and analysts say

China is capping coal production to support prices, top miner and analysts say  Reuters

Politics

7 d. ago Trump aide slams ‘arrogant’ India over Russian oil, dubs Ukraine ‘Modi’s war’

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro sought to raise pressure on India to halt purchases of Russian energy after the US imposed crippling new tariffs on New Delhi, casting the conflict in Ukraine as “Modi’s war”. “I mean Modi’s war because the road to peace runs, in part, through New Delhi,” Navarro said on Wednesday, referencing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. US President Donald Trump’s 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods took effect earlier on Wednesday, a bid to punish the country for...

Politics

7 d. ago India to seek new trade partners, US deal in face of new Trump tariffs

As Washington’s 50 per cent tariff on India took effect on Wednesday, among the highest in place against any country, New Delhi has settled on a hedging strategy – keep seeking a trade deal with Washington while actively searching for alternative trading partners. US President Donald Trump’s harsh move against Indian imports saw the Asian giant launch an urgent diplomatic push to route trade around the US – including with Brazil, China, Russia, Britain, Japan, Australia and the EU. Indian...

Politics

9 d. ago Trump’s 200% rare earth tariff threat proof of China’s leverage: analysts

Revived threats of tariff increases from US President Donald Trump over China’s supply of rare earth elements highlight the minerals’ importance in global manufacturing, analysts said – and show Beijing its dominance in this area remains a potent source of leverage in trade negotiations. China will face “200 per cent tariffs, or something” unless it continues to ensure shipments of permanent magnets containing the minerals will reach the US, Trump said during a meeting with South Korean...

Politics

9 d. ago DeepSeek’s V3.1 model emerges as ‘key pillar’ for China’s chip self

DeepSeek’s recently released V3.1 AI model has unleashed fresh optimism about the prospects of mainland China developing advanced artificial intelligence semiconductors, according to analysts. The Hangzhou-based start-up’s updated model, which supports the innovative data format called UE8M0 FP8, was “ushering in a booming domestic computing power chain”, Huatai Securities analysts said in a research note on Tuesday. That architecture showed that the synergy between mainland-designed software...

Politics

9 d. ago Ping An interim profit misses estimates as China’s economy sputters

The first-half profit of China’s most valuable insurance company missed analysts’ estimates, as one-off revaluations of investments eroded the increasing sales of life and health products by Ping An Insurance (Group). Interim net profit fell 8.8 per cent to 68.05 billion yuan (US$9.50 billion) from a year earlier, missing a 4.4 per cent increase that was expected by Bloomberg’s consensus estimate. The value of new business in Ping An’s life and health insurance divisions, a key measure of future...

Economics

9 d. ago Suicide rate among insured young people in Hong Kong surges to 25%, study finds

Suicide has become the leading cause of death among insured young people in Hong Kong, accounting for a quarter of all deaths in this group, a study on insurance claims has found, warning that term life policyholders are a high-risk group. The Actuarial Society of Hong Kong announced on Tuesday that its research found the suicide rate among residents under 25 had risen from nine per cent in 2001 to 25 per cent in 2022, with the incidence higher than in other age groups. The eight-year-long...

Events

9 d. ago Suicide leading cause of death among insured Hongkongers aged under 25: study

Suicide is the leading cause of death among insured people under 25 in Hong Kong, accounting for a quarter of death-related insurance claims among the group, a professional body has said, warning that holders of term life policies are a high-risk group. The Actuarial Society of Hong Kong said on Tuesday that its research efforts showed that the suicide rate related to insurance death claims involving residents under 25 had risen from 9 per cent in 2001 to 25 per cent in 2022, with the incidence...

Events

9 d. ago To counter Beijing in South China Sea, Manila and Canberra forge defence pact

Australia and the Philippines’ push to finalise an “enhanced defence cooperation” agreement by next year underscores how regional allies are accelerating security coordination in response to China’s growing assertiveness in contested waters, a shift analysts say could reshape strategic dynamics in the South China Sea. The talks were announced during a Friday press conference in Manila, where Australian Deputy Prime Minister and defence chief Richard Marles and Philippine Defence Secretary...

Politics

1 week ago HSBC rolls out fixed mortgage plan at 2.73% ahead of Fed rate cut

Hong Kong’s largest bank has rolled out a fixed-rate mortgage plan, charging lower interest for home loan borrowers ahead of the first relaxation in monetary policy this year, expected in mid-September. HSBC launched a mortgage plan fixed at 2.73 per cent per annum on Monday for either the first three or five years, according to a release. The rate is cheaper than HSBC’s February offer, which came with options of either 3.18 per cent interest for the first three years, or 3.04 per cent for the...

Politics

1 week ago Mixed signals from US lead Japan to broaden defence ties to counter China

Japan’s latest naval drills signalled its desire to broaden military ties as uncertainties grow over US defence support, while also sending a message to China, analysts said. Earlier this month, F-35B Lightning II fighters from the British Royal Navy’s 809 Naval Air Squadron conducted landings and launches on the Japanese destroyer-carrier JS Kaga as part of a multinational exercise in the Philippine Sea. The British Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, as well as the US Marine Corps, were present on...

Politics

1 week ago US show of force could move Venezuela closer to China: analysts

While the deployment of US warships near the coast of Venezuela is intended to heap pressure on the government and limit its already strained capacity for oil shipments, the action would probably serve to bolster China’s extensive economic ties with the South American country, analysts said. Three destroyers and an amphibious squadron with about 4,000 US Marines were dispatched to the Caribbean Sea close to Venezuelan waters, the White House said this week, in an act they said was intended to...

Politics

1 week ago The US is heaping pressure on Venezuela. What will China do?

Beijing is likely to increase its economic support for Venezuela, its only all-weather strategic partner in South America, as tensions rise between Washington and Caracas. However, analysts suggest that China will hold back on direct military aid or actions that could provoke a direct confrontation with the United States. The assessment comes after Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Thursday that China opposed “any move that violates the purposes and principles of the United...

Events

1 week ago Nvidia's China Trouble Could Slash Billions From Revenue, Analysts Warn

Nvidia's China Trouble Could Slash Billions From Revenue, Analysts Warn  Yahoo Finance

Events

1 week ago Why Japan is pushing a transparent development model for Africa

Japan is positioning itself as a partner offering a transparent and “human-centred” approach to development in Africa, providing an alternative to China’s economic influence through what analysts describe as a rules-based and mutually accountable model. Unveiling a proposal to create a regional economic zone linking the Indian Ocean to Africa, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told a major development summit in Yokohama on Wednesday that Tokyo’s approach could boost free trade and regional...

Politics

2 w. ago Nvidia's China Trouble Could Spoil Q3 Outlook, Analyst Warns—'Might Exclude Direct Revenue From...'

Nvidia's China Trouble Could Spoil Q3 Outlook, Analyst Warns—'Might Exclude Direct Revenue From...'  Benzinga

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