4 d. ago China’s 4 core principles show way to peace in South China Sea, think tank says

A state-backed think tank has put forward China’s “four core principles” as a constructive framework for addressing disputes in the South China Sea, while blaming regional tensions on external actors who fuel rival claimants’ actions and weaken the “willingness for maritime cooperation”. “China has long been committed to managing tensions and differences with disputing parties, and exercising great restraint in disputes”, Xinhua Institute, a think tank affiliated with state news agency Xinhua,...

Politics

6 d. ago Vietnam ramps up expansion of South China Sea outposts: think tank

Vietnam has continued to expand land reclamation on its occupied features in the South China Sea, with military-related construction of new ports and airstrips, according to a Chinese think tank. Citing satellite images, the Beijing-based South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI) said on Friday that the Southeast Asian nation had reclaimed nearly 0.78 sq km (0.3 square miles) of land on 11 features in the contested Spratly Islands, known as the Nansha Islands in China, over the past six...

Events

6 d. ago Vietnam ramping up expansion of South China Sea outposts: Chinese think tank

Vietnam has continued to expand land reclamation on its occupied features in the South China Sea, with military-related construction of new ports and airstrips, according to a Chinese think tank. Citing satellite images, the Beijing-based South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI) said on Friday that Vietnam had reclaimed nearly 0.78 sq km (0.3 square miles) of land in the past six months on 11 features in the contested Spratly Islands, which are known as the Nansha Islands in China. In total,...

Events

9 d. ago Chinese Firms Brush Off US Tariff Risks With Domestic Confidence

Chinese Firms Brush Off US Tariff Risks With Domestic Confidence  Bloomberg.com

Economics

1 week ago China adds aerial refuelling to pilot training in move to boost combat readiness

China’s air force has introduced aerial refuelling to its pilot training programme as the People’s Liberation Army tries to step up combat readiness and long-range capabilities. The move was highlighted in a report by state broadcaster CCTV on Friday that included footage from a PLA training video. It showed instructors from the PLA Air Force’s Shijiazhuang Flight Academy piloting two J-10 fighter jets in a refuelling drill, supported by a YU-20 tanker. The J-10 – seen as China’s answer to the...

Politics

2 w. ago Economist warns that financial sanctions could become new US

A prominent Chinese economist has cautioned that financial sanctions and countermeasures could “become a new battleground” in China-US rivalry, while adding that the chance of Washington launching full-scale financial sanctions against Beijing remained slim. Lian Ping, chairman of the China Chief Economists Forum, a government advisory think tank, said that although the odds of full-blown measures remain low, Washington could adopt a strategy of “first targeting specific Chinese entities, then...

Events

2 w. ago European Firms Lose Confidence in China Operations, Survey Shows

European Firms Lose Confidence in China Operations, Survey Shows  Bloomberg

Politics

2 w. ago Confidence of EU firms in China was tanking even before tariffs: survey

European businesses’ optimism about growth and profitability in China has hit a record low, overshadowed by economic downturns and rising geopolitical tensions, according to annual survey findings by a leading foreign business association, which called for the full implementation of recently announced measures aimed at improving the business environment. Conducted two weeks before US President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, the survey of 503 chamber members showed a bleak...

Economics

2 w. ago Record levels of pessimism among EU businesses in China, survey reveals

European businesses’ optimism about growth and profitability in China has hit a record low, overshadowed by economic downturns and rising geopolitical tensions, according to annual survey findings by a leading foreign business association, which called for the full implementation of recently announced measures aimed at improving the business environment. Conducted in January and February, the survey of 503 chamber members showed a bleak outlook even before the China-US trade war intensified in...

Politics

2 w. ago PLA attack on Taiwan ‘unlikely’ but ‘not impossible’ with Trump in White House

A People’s Liberation Army (PLA) attack on Taiwan is “unlikely in the near future” but “not impossible”, given the risks of misperception and miscommunication with the US under President Donald Trump, a British think tank has warned. The US–China relationship is “more strained than it has ever been at any other point in the 21st century”, according to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), which published its latest Asia-Pacific Regional Security Assessment on...

Events

2 w. ago Time for China’s belt and road partners to pony up as debt comes due: think tank

Time for China’s belt and road partners to pony up as debt comes due: think tank  South China Morning Post

Events

3 w. ago Beijing sends clear signal with new law supporting private firms

Beijing sends clear signal with new law supporting private firms - can it restore business confidence?  CNA

Economics