11 m. 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

41 m. 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

41 m. 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

71 m. 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

2 h. ago Malaysia’s new ‘luxury’ taxes hit the middle class where it hurts

In the calm of his kitchen, Christy Yoong once raised a glass to retirement – good wine, imported cheese and the spoils of a life’s work. But as Malaysia’s new tax regime lands with a thud, even these modest pleasures are slipping out of reach. When Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim unveiled his unexpected tax on imported luxuries in June, he promised the pain would be felt only by the affluent. The intent was clear: shore up government coffers by targeting the better-off. Yet the reality, for many...

Events

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

Chinese government officials ban LDS Church activities in Beijing  ABC4 Utah

Politics

8 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

8 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

10 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

11 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

11 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

12 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

13 h. ago Hong Kong’s AI ambitions take shape with 90% of supercomputing capacity now in use

Hong Kong’s ambition to create an artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem is bearing fruit, with more than 90 per cent of the city’s flagship supercomputing centre at Cyberport now in use, according to officials. The AI Supercomputing Centre, which began operations in December, is a cornerstone of the government’s strategy to foster a vibrant local AI ecosystem. Authorities have earmarked HK$3 billion (US$418.6 million) in subsidies to support AI model development and applications. Cyberport said...

Politics

14 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

14 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

14 h. ago Did Trump get his ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ at the US dollar’s expense?

The passage of a sprawling budget bill has raised concerns over the long-term debt of the United States, which analysts said could compound already heightened worries over the reliability of the country’s currency as a safe-haven asset. Winning a narrow 218-214 vote in the House of Representatives on Thursday, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” – which raises spending on border security and defence while making the record tax cuts enacted in 2017 permanent – now heads to US President Donald Trump...

Politics

15 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

15 h. ago Trump's Vietnam pact takes aim at China — but it raises more questions than answers

Trump's Vietnam pact takes aim at China — but it raises more questions than answers  CNBC

Politics

16 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

17 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