16 m. ago Inside China and Tanzania’s ‘very special’ ties – found nowhere else in Africa

Over the past two decades, China has considerably broadened its military and security diplomacy throughout Africa, establishing ties with 53 countries, excluding eSwatini. Observers say that of those countries, Tanzania stands out as an exceptionally strong and enduring military partner for Beijing, with more than 90 per cent of its military arms from China. According to a study released last month by the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, Tanzania has “a very special relationship” with the...

Politics

3 d. ago China AI champion Baidu rolls out sweeping changes to online search platform

Baidu, one of China’s artificial intelligence (AI) champions, said it is using the technology to upgrade and make the most significant changes to the company’s core internet search service in a decade. Beijing-based Baidu has now enlarged the mobile app’s search bar and turned it into a “smart box” that supports long text input and handles more tasks than simple text-based queries and information retrieval, according to the company’s statement on Wednesday. This search box is capable of handling...

Politics

1 week ago Beijing court convicts 60 for drug smuggling over past decade

Beijing court convicts 60 for drug smuggling over past decade  China Daily

Events

1 week ago China Land Sales Income Hits Decade Low, Widening Budget Deficit

China Land Sales Income Hits Decade Low, Widening Budget Deficit  Bloomberg

Economics

1 week ago Open Questions | Jin Liqun reflects on tumult and triumphs in AIIB’s eventful first decade

Open Questions | Jin Liqun reflects on tumult and triumphs in AIIB’s eventful first decade  South China Morning Post

Politics

2 w. ago Caves near China’s ‘Avatar Mountains’ found packed with decade

Caves near China’s ‘Avatar Mountains’ found packed with decade-old trash  CNN

Politics

2 w. ago Cave Explorer Videos Show Decade of Trash in ‘Avatar’ Park in China

Cave Explorer Videos Show Decade of Trash in ‘Avatar’ Park in China  The New York Times

Politics

2 w. ago China weighs strategic impact as US mulls military response in Iran

China is likely to remain cautious about intervening in the escalating Israel-Iran conflict even if the US engages militarily, a prospect that would bring mixed results for Beijing, according to observers. Speculation over US intervention has grown since last Friday, following Israel’s most intense strikes on Iran in decades. Washington has since sent an aircraft carrier from the South China Sea and deployed a large number of fighter and tanker aircraft to the Middle East. US President Donald...

Events

2 w. ago Viral videos prompt mass cleanup of caves near China’s famed ‘Avatar’ mountains

Viral videos prompt mass cleanup of caves near China’s famed ‘Avatar’ mountains  CNN

Politics

2 w. ago China works to clear a decade of garbage from caves near ‘Avatar’ mountains

China works to clear a decade of garbage from caves near ‘Avatar’ mountains  CNN

Economics

2 w. ago World oil demand to keep growing this decade despite 2027 China peak, IEA says

World oil demand to keep growing this decade despite 2027 China peak, IEA says  Reuters

Politics

3 w. ago As the PLA adopts civilian technology, Chinese bureaucracy could hinder progress

For decades, China’s talk of letting the private sector bid for defence orders had mostly been just that: talk. State-owned conglomerates had dominated the sector for decades, but in the middle of 2016, Beijing started to step up its military-civilian fusion strategy, publishing an official list of the sectors where private firms were being encouraged to contribute, such as swarming drone technologies. The plan is a central pillar of China’s ambition to develop a modernised military by 2035 and...

Politics

3 w. ago From Avatar to mountain of rubbish: China pulls decade of trash from caves

Chinese authorities have cleaned up more than 50 tonnes of rubbish from ancient caves in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, a stunning site that inspired a location in Avatar, and punished four officials after the cavities became a stinking dumping ground. The clean-up came around two weeks after a viral video showed the state of a natural cave in Zhangjiajie’s Cili county in Hunan province that had been used for years by nearby villagers to dump rubbish, resulting in garbage piling up “as high...

Politics