14 h. ago Australia on high alert as PLA naval fleet in Philippine Sea sails south

China’s deployment of a naval fleet, led by a Type 075 amphibious assault ship in the Philippine Sea this week, has triggered a rapid response from Australia. Canberra deployed a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft to track the flotilla, reviving security concerns raised after an unprecedented circumnavigation of the Australian continent by a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fleet nine months ago. US satellite images, first reported by Australian media on Wednesday, confirmed the presence of the Chinese...

Events

14 h. ago Australia on high alert as PLA Navy fleet in Philippine Sea sails south

China’s deployment this week of a naval fleet led by a Type 075 amphibious assault ship in the Philippine Sea has triggered a rapid response from Australia. Canberra deployed a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft to track the flotilla, reviving security concerns raised after an unprecedented circumnavigation of the Australian continent by a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fleet nine months ago. US satellite images, first reported by Australian media on Wednesday, confirmed the presence of the Chinese...

Events

15 h. ago China’s Xiaomi says returns from AI investments ‘far exceed expectations’

Chinese tech firm Xiaomi reaped returns from its artificial intelligence spending in 2025 that “far exceeded expectations”, the company’s president Lu Weibing said in a recorded video posted on Chinese social media platform Douyin. Lu said the Beijing-based company was pivoting to embodied AI after heavy investment in general AI over the past few quarters. The Beijing-based company’s efforts to apply AI in electric vehicles (EVs) and robotics are similar to Elon Musk’s plan of using the advanced...

Politics

63 h. ago Fireworks shop owner dies from pesticide after reporting officials: Chinese media

A fireworks shop owner in Hunan province died from drinking pesticide after publicly reporting officials for disciplinary violations, Chinese media reported. The owner, surnamed Peng, had recently published a video of himself drinking the substance, local authorities in Chenzhou, Hunan province, said in a notice on Monday. A local task force was investigating the matter to ascertain if the allegations were true and would “deal with the incident according to laws and regulations without mercy”,...

Events

4 d. ago Chinese media demands answers as scandal hits US$1 billion hydropower project

A 7.5 billion yuan (US$1.06 billion) hydroelectric construction project in southeast China is under investigation for alleged corner-cutting and legal violations, prompting concerns among experts about serious safety issues and a demand for answers from state media. The Yongan power station in Fujian province is a priority project under the national pumped-storage development goals of the five-year plan covering 2021 to 2025, aimed at safeguarding regional power stability and taking forward the...

Science

5 d. ago Chinese state media praises Hong Kong for fire efforts, vows Beijing’s support

Beijing’s state media has praised the swift rescue and relief efforts by the Hong Kong government after the city’s worst fire in decades, commending its leadership and pledging support in its first editorial commentary on the disaster. The commentary by Xinhua, which typically reflects the stance of the central government, published on Sunday focused on how the tragedy had united the city and urged Hong Kong to move forward. It recognised the leadership of Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu as...

Events

7 d. ago China Media Group's 2025 "Shakespearean Moment" Classical Chinese Poetry Contest Generates Widespread Excitement in North America

China Media Group's 2025 "Shakespearean Moment" Classical Chinese Poetry Contest Generates Widespread Excitement in North America  Newsfile

Politics

8 d. ago Why Beijing is unlikely to ease up on Japan over Takaichi’s Taiwan comments

The diplomatic crisis over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments about Taiwan shows no sign of easing after two weeks, with mainland Chinese commentators predicting Beijing will continue to push for a retraction. However, that demand appears unlikely to be met in the short term, and one diplomatic analyst warned that the pressure tactics should aim to avoid a nationalist backlash within Japan and win support for Beijing’s position. The Chinese foreign ministry and state media stepped...

Politics

8 d. ago Chinese man marries woman 4 hours after blind date, spends US$34,000 in a month

A 40-year-old man has stunned mainland Chinese social media by marrying just four hours after a blind date arranged by multiple matchmakers, subsequently depleting his entire savings of over 240,000 yuan (US$34,000) within a month of marriage. Huang Zhongcheng, hailing from Hengyang in Hunan province, southern China, went on a blind date on the morning of August 21. During the matchmaking process, nine different matchmakers introduced him to the same woman, who works in a beauty salon. “On the...

Economics

8 d. ago Corrupt Chinese officials hold sham votes to approve projects, state media warns

Corrupt local officials in China are manipulating collective decision-making procedures for personal gain and to mask their activities, state media has warned. A report published on Wednesday highlighted examples of behind-the-scenes manipulation where subordinates were told how to vote in advance, and of collusion between corrupt officials or sham public consultations. “In recent years, to standardise collective decision-making, systematic procedures and requirements were introduced in many...

Events

1 week ago Bangkok prison chief suspended over Chinese inmate sex scandal

Thai authorities have suspended a prison chief in Bangkok over allegations that high-profile Chinese inmates were granted access to women in a private cell and other privileges, the justice ministry said. The scandal erupted last week after local media reported two Chinese women were allowed into the Bangkok Remand Prison to visit inmates, allegedly to provide sex services, raising questions over who authorised their entry. The prison detains more than 4,000 men awaiting trial, and has held some...

Events

1 week ago Former editor Hu Xijin urges restraint in official media’s criticism of Japan

A former editor-in-chief of a Chinese nationalist tabloid has called upon official media to manage public expectations properly and refrain from using “harsh language that does not reflect the actual situation” when criticising Japan. Hu Xijin, the former editor-in-chief of the Global Times, affiliated with Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily, said some social media accounts run by official media had used “harsh language that does not reflect the actual situation” when criticising Japanese...

Politics

1 week ago Chinese airlines cancel flights on 12 Japan routes as tensions continue to rise

As a political dispute between Beijing and Tokyo continues to inflame relations, Chinese media reports indicate some domestic airlines have cancelled flights on 12 of their routes to Japan – including paths to popular tourism destinations Kyoto and Osaka – with analysts predicting cancellations to rise within the week. As of Monday morning, flights on these routes had been put on hold, according to a report from financial news outlet Yicai that cited Chinese aviation data platform DAST. Domestic...

Events

2 w. ago Japan’s export of lethal weapons to US ‘extremely dangerous’: Chinese analysts

Japan’s export of lethal weapons sent an “extremely dangerous signal” indicating expanded military capabilities, Chinese observers and media said on Thursday as relations between the two countries continued to nosedive. The assessment followed Japanese media reports on Wednesday that Japan had exported domestically produced Patriot surface-to-air missile interceptors to the United States. The US would use the missiles to replenish its own stockpile as it provided military support to Ukraine in...

Events

2 w. ago Chinese state media calls for research into Ryukyu history amid row with Japan

There have again been calls in Chinese state media for more research into “historical justice” and legal claims around Ryukyu, as a diplomatic row over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan drags on. On Wednesday, state-run Global Times in an editorial called for further studies to be done on the Ryukyu island chain, arguing that it was an important issue that was much more than academic. “The geopolitical position, strategic choices and future trajectory of the Ryukyu...

Politics

2 w. ago China duo watch friend drown, take body home, place on bed instead of calling police

Two men from a village in southwestern China witnessed their friend drown in a reservoir, and rather than alerting the authorities, they took him home, placing him in his bed as if he were merely asleep. The sister of the deceased recently recounted to the Chinese media outlet Lizhi News the distressing sequence of events that unfolded after her brother’s accidental drowning. The revelation has shocked the online community. The incident occurred on September 4 in Sichuan province, where the...

Events

2 w. ago Diplomat 'staredown' video released by Chinese media adds fuel to tensions between China and Japan

Diplomat 'staredown' video released by Chinese media adds fuel to tensions between China and Japan  Korea JoongAng Daily

Politics

2 w. ago China’s LGBTQ community loses key lifeline as Blued, Finka apps vanish

The vulnerability of safe digital spaces for China’s LGBTQ community has been underscored by the abrupt removal of the country’s two most popular gay-dating apps – Blued and Finka – from mainland app stores under government orders. The apps, both owned by Hong Kong-based BlueCity Holdings Ltd, were first noticed missing by Chinese social media users last weekend. Apple confirmed the removals in a statement sent to the South China Morning Post on Thursday, explaining that it follows the laws in...

Politics

2 w. ago Are China’s stars leading fans to be more nationalist – or the other way round?

Grass-roots enthusiasm has played the main role in shaping China’s online nationalist narrative and has pushed celebrities to follow, according to a study published in the American peer-reviewed journal Science Advances last week. Contrary to the common perception that nationalism on Chinese social media space functions more top down and that Beijing uses social media to influence or control public opinion, the study jointly done by researchers from leading universities in the United States and...

Politics

3 w. ago Why Donald Trump’s ‘G2’ label prompts tepid response from China

When US President Donald Trump was about to begin his closely watched summit with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping last month, he wrote a social media post that revived a decades-old concept about the dynamics between the two countries and their role in global affairs. “The G2 will be convening shortly,” he wrote – in all caps – ahead of the talks. The term “G2”, or Group of Two, emerged in the 2000s as a proposal for Washington and Beijing to work together to address global challenges. Over...

Politics