2 h. ago Chinese ambassador’s ‘grandstanding’ advice for Australia raises eyebrows

The Chinese ambassador to Canberra has urged Australia not to be “incited” by Nato’s support for demands by the US to raise defence spending sharply and instead should cooperate with Beijing to resolve regional disputes. Analysts say the “unsolicited advice” is unlikely to sway Canberra and could backfire by reinforcing distrust of Beijing, ahead of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to China and amid an ongoing debate in Australia over its defence spending. In an opinion article published...

Politics

2 h. ago Why Singapore refused to be a ‘Third China’ – and how Lee Kuan Yew made it clear

In his new memoir Ink and Influence: An OB Markers Sequel, Cheong Yip Seng reflects on the intersection of geopolitics, media, and identity through the lens of his long career as editor-in-chief of The Straits Times. In this excerpt, Cheong recounts a revealing moment during an official visit to China in 1976 with then-prime minister Lee Kuan Yew. Among the officials present was S.R. Nathan, later Singapore’s sixth president, who witnessed Lee subtly rebuff a Chinese attempt to influence the...

Politics

2 h. ago Chinese robot maker Dobot’s humanoid cooks steak from 1,800km away using VR

A humanoid robot from the Chinese firm Shenzhen Dobot successfully cooked a steak – even sprinkling salt with its fingers – while being remotely controlled by an operator 1,800km away using a virtual reality (VR) headset. A video of the feat, published on Friday on the company’s official WeChat account, showcased its latest technology – which could eventually disrupt how humans perform housework, conduct surgeries, inspect nuclear plants and even explore outer space. The cooking was performed by...

Politics

2 h. ago Opinion | Chinese companies must now focus on wooing consumers at home

Opinion | Chinese companies must now focus on wooing consumers at home  South China Morning Post

Politics

3 h. ago Chinese baby gains online fame for skateboarding with protective gear and nappies

An 11-month-old baby in southwestern China has been skateboarding independently for two months, earning viral fame for his confident posture in videos shared by his parents. The baby, affectionately nicknamed Juanjuan, is not yet a year old but already exhibits impressive skill on the skateboard, all before mastering the art of walking. The family lives in Chengdu, Sichuan province. Juanjuan’s father, Liu Daolong, is a former snowboarding athlete and a member of the Chinese national snowboard...

Politics

7 h. ago Chinese government officials ban LDS Church activities in Beijing

Chinese government officials ban LDS Church activities in Beijing  ABC4 Utah

Politics

10 h. ago Chinese National Team Kicks Off Training Camp in Beijing in Lead

Chinese National Team Kicks Off Training Camp in Beijing in Lead-Up to World Championships  SwimSwam

Politics

10 h. ago Guinea bauxite exports up 36% to 99.8 million tons on Chinese demand

Guinea bauxite exports up 36% to 99.8 million tons on Chinese demand  Reuters

Politics

12 h. ago Russia damages Chinese consulate in Odesa as Chinese drone parts found in Kyiv following similar attack

Russia damages Chinese consulate in Odesa as Chinese drone parts found in Kyiv following similar attack  The Kyiv Independent

Events

13 h. ago Beijing fears Russia's defeat due to nuclear arsenal risks – Chinese expert

Beijing fears Russia's defeat due to nuclear arsenal risks – Chinese expert  Ukrinform

Events

13 h. ago Chinese captain in Baltic sea cable damage case appears in Hong Kong court

Chinese captain in Baltic sea cable damage case appears in Hong Kong court  Reuters

Events

14 h. ago Beijing is enabling Moscow’s crimes: Ukraine finds Chinese parts in Russian drones used in 4 July most massive strike of war

Beijing is enabling Moscow’s crimes: Ukraine finds Chinese parts in Russian drones used in 4 July most massive strike of war  Euromaidan Press

Events

16 h. ago China Will Not Allow Russia to Be Defeated in Its War in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Minister Says

China Will Not Allow Russia to Be Defeated in Its War in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Minister Says  UNITED24 Media

Politics

16 h. ago China tells India to stop using Tibet to interfere in Beijing’s affairs

China has urged India to stop using Tibet issues to interfere in domestic affairs, again spelling out Beijing’s position on the succession of the Dalai Lama. The Chinese foreign ministry made the call on Friday, a day after a senior Indian minister said that only the Dalai Lama and the trust he set up had the authority to identify his successor as the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism. The comment is in opposition to China’s long-held position that the succession should be in line with...

Politics

17 h. ago DeepSeek’s LinkedIn AI job listings show hunger for international Chinese talent

Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up DeepSeek has posted a flurry of new job openings on the professional networking site LinkedIn over the past week, coinciding with Meta Platforms’ aggressive hiring blitz amid an intensifying global race for AI talent. The Hangzhou-based company listed 10 new positions online, including two internships focused on large language models. Other roles include deep learning researchers, core systems engineers, front-end developers and full-stack engineers,...

Society

18 h. ago China TV host faces criticism for serving men drumsticks, women wings, exposes bias

A renowned Chinese TV host ignited a heated online controversy after openly expressing her preference for boys over girls and presenting drumsticks to two young men instead of a young woman during a show. Zhu Dan bizarrely justified it by stating that “boys need more nutrition to grow.” Zhu, 44, hailing from Zhejiang province in eastern China, is celebrated for her work on popular TV programmes like Do You Remember and The X Factor. She is a mother to a daughter and a son with her husband, actor...

Culture

19 h. ago Chinese sales of foreign phone makers, including Apple, drop 9.7% in May

Chinese sales of foreign phone makers, including Apple, drop 9.7% in May  Reuters

Politics

19 h. ago ‘Powerful’: why Shandong’s visit to Hong Kong is geopolitically significant

As Hong Kong celebrates the 28th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule, Beijing has once again deployed a powerful naval fleet, this time spearheaded by the aircraft carrier Shandong, highlighting both symbolic significance and strategic resolve amid escalating geopolitical tensions. China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier and its fleet arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday morning, embarking on a five-day visit, which is set to include public tours this weekend. The Shandong is...

Politics

19 h. ago France fines Shein US$47 million for ‘deceptive’ pricing amid EU scrutiny

The French government has fined online retailer Shein €40 million (US$47 million) for “deceptive marketing practices” and incomplete information about the environmental impact of its products. The penalty was announced just days after a European Union official said on Monday that he was “deeply concerned” about the millions of small parcels entering the region every day, many from Chinese-founded platforms like Shein and Temu. The fine by France’s Ministry of Economy followed investigations...

Economics

19 h. ago Rare earth exports should never come between us, China’s Wang Yi tells Europe

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has downplayed EU concerns over restrictions on rare earth exports and offered assurances that the needs of European companies will be met if they adhere to proper application procedures. Controlling dual-use goods was a sovereign right and an international responsibility for all nations, Wang said during a news conference with his German counterpart in Berlin on Thursday. He was responding to a question about European companies’ unease over Beijing’s export...

Politics