9 h. ago What are China’s plans for deep space exploration and beyond?

The US Senate has approved an extra US$10 billion for Nasa’s Artemis moon exploration programme, giving a major boost to contractors such as Boeing. While many see it as a domestic win over newer space players including SpaceX, it also signals the Trump administration’s determination to stay ahead of China in an intensifying space race. Here we look at how China is expanding its deep-space ambitions, from putting astronauts on the moon to returning rocks from Mars, and how it is posing the most...

Politics

11 h. ago Debate rages over ancient crater after China returns rocks from moon’s far side

A year after China returned the first rock samples from the moon’s far side, scientists are debating whether the mission has answered a central question in lunar science – and whether the country’s rising scientific dominance is challenging who gets to tell the story of the moon’s past. While a team of Chinese researchers believes they may have nailed down the age of the moon’s largest and oldest crater – a colossal impact basin that could hold clues to the early solar system – other scientists,...

Politics

4 d. ago With US tariffs looming, China’s panda diplomacy returns as Japan seeks new loan

Panda diplomacy is back in play as Japan seeks to charm visiting Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng with hopes of securing one or two of the endangered bears on loan. The gesture could help soothe bilateral ties and signal regional unity amid growing unease over US trade policy under President Donald Trump, analysts have said. He, a close adviser to President Xi Jinping, is scheduled to attend the World Expo in Osaka for “national pavilion day” at the Chinese pavilion on Friday. The Yomiuri...

Politics

6 d. ago Neurobiologist Wang Jing leaves US to lead institute at China’s Shenzhen Bay Lab

An eminent neurobiologist has left his tenured professorship in the United States to return to China as the director of the Institute of Molecular Physiology at Shenzhen Bay Laboratory. Wang Jing resigned as chair and professor of the department of neurobiology at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) in January to assume the full-time position at the institute in southern China. The role marks a new direction in a career that has drawn on his experience in several disciplines, including...

Politics

1 week ago This Is How China Plans to Win the Race to Return Rocks from Mars

This Is How China Plans to Win the Race to Return Rocks from Mars  Scientific American

Politics

1 week ago Foxconn mysteriously tells Chinese workers to quit India and return to China

Foxconn mysteriously tells Chinese workers to quit India and return to China  AppleInsider

Politics

1 week ago China Caixin PMI Signals Return to Growth in Manufacturing Sector

China Caixin PMI Signals Return to Growth in Manufacturing Sector  WSJ

Politics

1 week ago China's factory activity returns to growth in June, Caixin PMI shows

China's factory activity returns to growth in June, Caixin PMI shows  Yahoo Finance

Politics

1 week ago Is the US forfeiting its Red Planet leadership to China's Mars Sample Return plan?

Is the US forfeiting its Red Planet leadership to China's Mars Sample Return plan?  Space

Politics

2 w. ago In search of signs of life on Mars with China's sample return mission Tianwen

In search of signs of life on Mars with China's sample return mission Tianwen-3  Phys.org

Events

2 w. ago Chinese team details drone plan to capture Martian samples and avoid bio risks

China has unveiled details about its coming Mars sample return mission, including a plan to avoid biological contamination risks when employing a helicopter drone to collect surface samples and bring potential signs life back to Earth. The Tianwen-3 mission, which is set to bring back at least 500 grams (17.6 oz) of Martian material by 2031 as part of its search for signs of life, will for the first time pair a stationary lander with a drone to extend its sampling reach, according to scientists...

Events

2 w. ago China’s property slump drives Hong Kong investors to Japan amid yen weakness

Global investors, including those based in Hong Kong, are channelling their funds into Japan’s residential property market as returns from assets in mainland China sag in the midst of a four-year slump, according to market consultants. They ploughed in US$11.2 billion of capital into Japanese real estate in the first quarter, or 6 per cent above the five-year average, according to data compiled by Colliers, making it the fifth largest recipient globally. Investors from the US, Singapore and Hong...

Economics

3 w. ago Von der Leyen's return as China hawk ends talk of diplomatic reset

Von der Leyen's return as China hawk ends talk of diplomatic reset  Euronews.com

Politics

3 w. ago ‘We’re not billiard balls’: how China’s EU charm offensive fell flat

For half a year, a heated debate has raged over whether US President Donald Trump’s return to office would push Europe and China closer together. Pragmatists, realpolitikers and Beijing’s allies argued that the EU could not afford a trade war with both of the world’s largest economies while footing the bill for a hot war in Ukraine. For months, EU leaders fuelled the speculation by voicing openness to deeper trade ties with Beijing, in a dramatic rhetorical shift from the previous three years of...

Politics

3 w. ago KOD World Street Dancing Championship returns to Beijing in July

KOD World Street Dancing Championship returns to Beijing in July  China Daily

Politics

3 w. ago Will return of Indian pilgrims to Tibet help ease tensions with China?

China has been urged to use the resumption of visits to Tibet by Indian pilgrims to improve relations between the two countries after years of tensions. Earlier this year, China said it would allow pilgrims to return to the Tibet autonomous region this summer to follow two pilgrimage routes after a five-year suspension caused by Covid controls and ongoing cross-border tensions. It is open to Indian citizens with valid passports who wish to travel to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar for...

Events

3 w. ago Xinhua News | Xi returns to Beijing after attending 2nd China

Xinhua News | Xi returns to Beijing after attending 2nd China-Central Asia Summit  Xinhua News

Politics

3 w. ago ‘A new China shock’: von der Leyen revives hard line on Beijing at G7 summit

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has accused Beijing of deliberately creating a near-monopoly in the global supply of rare earth elements, then weaponising the world’s reliance on those chains. Addressing the Group of Seven summit in Canada on Monday, von der Leyen made a hawkish return to form, reversing a course of toned-down criticism of China spurred by the return of US President Donald Trump in January. In two separate speeches in the first two months of the year, she...

Politics

4 w. ago Smiling, friendly China a perfect antidote to Trump’s angry America

Following the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, China experienced a sharp drop in the number of international visitors and many foreign residents left the country. International tourism was still below pre-pandemic levels as late as 2024. When tourists did not return in large numbers after it reopened its borders in 2023, China began to take measures to reverse the trend and bring foreigners back, rolling out a unilateral 30-day visa-free entry scheme, which now encompasses 47 countries,...

Politics

last month Trump cannot hope to solve a China ‘problem’ he has misdiagnosed

Amid a US-China trade truce, negotiators in London reached a “framework” agreement to activate the Geneva deal, raising hopes for an immediate alleviation of the trade conflict, including potentially a US commitment to revoke some of its tech embargoes in return for China’s relaxation of rare earth export restrictions. The full details of the London agreement are expected to be available after both US President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping have approved it. The two-day London...

Politics