24 h. ago Moutai, China’s premier liquor brand, may find austerity rules hard to swallow

China’s premier liquor distiller Kweichow Moutai – a brand that had, over decades, become synonymous with sumptuous feasts – is heeding a renewed mandate for austerity from Beijing, distancing its products from the extravagant hard-drinking lifestyle with which it had been linked in the public consciousness. Management at the company, valued at 1.86 trillion yuan (US$258.73 billion), has pledged to comply with strictures stressing thrift – guidelines that have helped to remove Moutai’s expensive...

Politics

24 h. ago China’s top baijiu maker faces sobering reality as austerity trims profits

China’s premier liquor distiller Kweichow Moutai – a brand that had, over decades, become synonymous with sumptuous feasts – is heeding a renewed mandate for austerity from Beijing, distancing its products from the extravagant hard-drinking lifestyle with which it had been linked in the public consciousness. Management at the company, valued at 1.86 trillion yuan (US$258.73 billion), has pledged to comply with strictures stressing thrift – guidelines that have helped to remove Moutai’s expensive...

Politics

31 h. ago China says it will remove all tariffs on African exports to boost trade

China says it will remove all tariffs on African exports to boost trade  Reuters

Politics

36 h. ago China to remove tariffs on nearly all goods from Africa as both criticise US

Twenty more African countries, mostly from the continent’s middle-income nations, are set to gain access to the world’s largest consumer market duty-free as Beijing plans to remove tariffs for all products from every African nation except eSwatini. The measure was announced as African ministers joined Beijing at a meeting in central China affiliated with the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Amid the tariff war, representatives from China and African nations accused the United States of...

Politics

40 h. ago Chinese premier says officials must adapt to ‘complex and severe’ situation

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has urged the nation’s officials to improve their ability to anticipate challenges and accurately implement policies amid a turbulent geopolitical environment. “At present, the task to comprehensively promote the Chinese path to modernisation with high-quality development is heavy and difficult, with the external situation remaining complex and severe,” he said on Wednesday, as reported by state-run news agency Xinhua. During this difficult period, officials needed to...

Politics

3 d. ago Chinese premier urges faster tech applications amid US export controls

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called for a push to speed up the application of new advances in science and technology, as the country accelerates efforts to break its dependence on US tech and develop a world-leading industrial base. In a State Council meeting on Monday, Li called the application of new technologies the “last mile” of innovation, as it links innovation and industry and is important in driving new products and services, state-run news agency Xinhua reported. The premier’s comments...

Politics

4 d. ago US and China begin crunch trade talks in London amid simmering tensions

Top economic officials from China and the United States have kick-started a crucial round of trade talks in London, as the world watches closely to see if the two sides can agree to roll back their “chokehold” controls over critical minerals and advanced technologies. The Chinese and American delegations – led by China’s vice-premier, He Lifeng, alongside US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer – met Monday afternoon, local...

Events

4 d. ago US vows reprieve on some tech export restrictions as talks with China begin in London

Top economic officials from Washington and Beijing have launched a high-stakes round of trade talks in London, with a senior White House official signaling soon after the start that the US will ease some tech export restrictions on China, adding that he expected the Chinese government to ramp up rare earth mineral exports to American markets. The Chinese and American delegations – led by China’s vice-premier, He Lifeng, alongside US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard...

Politics

6 d. ago China to send Vice Premier He Lifeng to UK for U.S. trade talks (SP500:S&P Complete Indices)

China to send Vice Premier He Lifeng to UK for U.S. trade talks (SP500:S&P Complete Indices)  Seeking Alpha

Politics

6 d. ago China vice premier to meet US delegation for trade talks: Beijing

China vice premier to meet US delegation for trade talks: Beijing  The Economic Times

Politics

6 d. ago China to send vice premier He Lifeng to Britain for US trade talks

China to send vice premier He Lifeng to Britain for US trade talks  Reuters

Politics

2 w. ago Dong Jun to skip Singapore forum – and a chance to meet US, Asian defence chiefs

China will downgrade its representation at the Shangri-La Dialogue this year and, in doing so, skip an opportunity for Defence Minister Dong Jun to meet counterparts from the United States and across Asia. In the past, Asia’s premier defence forum has offered a chance for China’s defence minister to make a speech to counter Washington’s narrative in the region and meet other defence chiefs directly. China’s defence ministry said on Thursday that China would send a delegation from the National...

Politics

2 w. ago China’s translations ‘never right’, EU companies’ gloom: SCMP daily highlights

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China offers visa-free travel to 4 Gulf countries following landmark summit China extended its short-term stay visa exemption policy to four Persian Gulf countries on Wednesday, a day after a landmark summit with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Southeast Asian countries. 2. Record levels of pessimism among EU businesses in China, survey...

Politics

2 w. ago Gulf states, China take centre stage at summit of Southeast Asian nations

Gulf states, China take centre stage at summit of Southeast Asian nations  Al Jazeera

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Asian alliance’: how China is forging a new power centre amid the trade war

China is pushing to forge a powerful new economic bloc with countries across Southeast Asia and the Middle East to counteract rising US protectionism, with some analysts suggesting a prototype for an “Asian Union” may be taking shape. Premier Li Qiang attended the opening of a new forum bringing together leaders from China, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Tuesday, where he remarked that the current global tensions offered an...

Events

2 w. ago Chinese premier returns to Beijing after official visit to Indonesia, ASEAN

Chinese premier returns to Beijing after official visit to Indonesia, ASEAN-China-GCC summit in Malaysia  Xinhua

Politics

2 w. ago China, Asean, Gulf states deliver ‘elaborate’ message on economic, energy ties

China, Southeast Asian nations and six Gulf states have pledged to foster closer cooperation with a strong emphasis on economic integration and energy collaboration, marking a milestone in enhancing tripartite alignment to tackle regional and global challenges. In a comprehensive joint statement, leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and China reaffirmed their commitment to a rules-based multilateral trading system and economic...

Economics

2 w. ago Speech by H.E. Li Qiang Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China at the Opening Ceremony of The ASEAN

Speech by H.E. Li Qiang Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China at the Opening Ceremony of The ASEAN-China-GCC Economic Forum_Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America  中华人民共和国驻美利坚合众国大使馆

Politics

2 w. ago China's premier tells ASEAN, Gulf nations to remove trade barriers

China's premier tells ASEAN, Gulf nations to remove trade barriers  Reuters

Politics

2 w. ago ASEAN opens summit with Persian Gulf nations and China as U.S. threatens tariffs

ASEAN opens summit with Persian Gulf nations and China as U.S. threatens tariffs  Washington Times

Politics