8 h. ago Taiwan war game triggers US questions over island’s ‘will to fight’

A high-level civilian war game held in Taipei this week has exposed serious vulnerabilities in Taiwan’s defences of its outer perimeter and eastern regions, prompting a retired US admiral to warn that Washington’s involvement depended on “Taiwan’s will to fight”. In the exercise simulating a 2030 cross-strait conflict, Taiwan lost control of key outlying territories – most notably Penghu, a group of islands 50km (30 miles) east of the main island – as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched...

Sport

8 h. ago Taiwan war game triggers US questions over its ‘will to fight’ if PLA attacks

A high-level civilian war game held in Taipei this week has exposed serious vulnerabilities in Taiwan’s defences of its outer perimeter and eastern regions, prompting a retired US admiral to warn that Washington’s involvement depended on “Taiwan’s will to fight”. In the exercise simulating a 2030 cross-strait conflict, Taiwan lost control of key outlying territories – most notably Penghu, a group of islands 50km (30 miles) east of the main island – as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched...

Events

27 h. ago China extracts critical mineral rubidium from brine for first time

Chinese scientists have achieved a breakthrough in the commercial extraction of the critical metal rubidium directly from salt lake brine, potentially slashing dependence on imports – mostly from Canada – that now supply two-thirds of China’s needs. This industrial-scale method produces ultra-pure rubidium chloride from ultra-low concentrations, offering a new domestic source for this strategically vital material. The Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes (ISL) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)...

Politics

38 h. ago Chinese solar firms bank on overseas expansion to survive amid US tariffs

Chinese solar and energy-storage companies will continue to press ahead with their overseas expansion with or without a long-term agreement on trade tariffs, as production abroad holds the key to their long-term survival, according to executives at China’s largest solar industry exhibition. Although the US and China reached a 90-day truce in their ongoing tariff war in May, solar panel exports from China and Southeast Asia to the US are still subject to tariffs of as much as 3,521 per cent, with...

Economics

52 h. ago China to remove tariffs on nearly all goods from Africa as both criticise US

Twenty more African countries, mostly from the continent’s middle-income nations, are set to gain access to the world’s largest consumer market duty-free as Beijing plans to remove tariffs for all products from every African nation except eSwatini. The measure was announced as African ministers joined Beijing at a meeting in central China affiliated with the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Amid the tariff war, representatives from China and African nations accused the United States of...

Politics

52 h. ago Pentagon chief warns China preparing for war, calls Beijing top US threat

Pentagon chief warns China preparing for war, calls Beijing top US threat  Business Standard

Events

62 h. ago Mainland China scientists build electronic war game for Taiwan and nearby waters

A PLA mobile electronic warfare platform deployed southeast of Taiwan activates its emitter, shattering the electromagnetic silence with powerful pulses, which are initially blocked by the island’s towering central mountain range. But while the key eastern military bases are unaffected at first, gradually the signals navigate the complex terrain, reflecting like mirrors off slopes and scattering across rough surfaces. Eventually, they cross the peaks to blanket the entire island and its...

Events

64 h. ago China’s orchard of AI, chip grads now ripe for the pickin’ as tech trade sours

When Jack Wang enrolled as an undergraduate in microelectronics at a prestigious Chinese university, the year was 2019, and China was in the early days of its trade war with the United States. Looking back, his decision to focus on the field revolving around the design and manufacture of hi-tech microchips has proved prescient. Today, it complements Beijing’s aspirations to make world-leading semiconductors amid Washington’s amped-up efforts to curtail China’s technological progress. Indeed, the...

Politics

3 d. ago Huawei founder sheds light on China’s strategy to overcome US curbs

Recent comments from Huawei Technologies founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei regarding US chip restrictions have shed light on China’s strategies to overcome Washington’s sanctions, according to analysts. In a front-page interview published on Tuesday by the People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party, the 80-year-old Ren expressed confidence that there was no need to worry about China’s access to advanced chips, asserting that the nation could achieve computing capabilities comparable to the...

Politics

3 d. ago US and China ease trade war tensions by agreeing ‘framework’ truce in London – business live

US and China ease trade war tensions by agreeing ‘framework’ truce in London – business live  The Guardian

Events

3 d. ago Gold Advances Even After US and China Agree to Ease Trade War

Gold Advances Even After US and China Agree to Ease Trade War  Yahoo Finance

Events

3 d. ago Gold Edges Higher Even as US and China Agree to Ease Trade War

Gold Edges Higher Even as US and China Agree to Ease Trade War  Bloomberg

Events

3 d. ago Trump administration and China agree on "framework" to ease trade war disputes

Trump administration and China agree on "framework" to ease trade war disputes  CBS News

Politics

3 d. ago In China, fears grow of an EV financial crisis amid pricing war

In China, fears grow of an EV financial crisis amid pricing war  CNBC

Events

4 d. ago China’s solar panel makers seek antidote to market ills as glut, price war, tariffs bite

China’s solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers are looking for solutions to years of price wars and losses at home amid excess capacity and waning demand as executives gathered in Shanghai to discuss the problems crippling the industry. They will get a chance to gauge the crisis as the financial hub plays host to the SNEC PV+ Photovoltaic Power Conference and Exhibition from Tuesday to Friday. The conference is the largest of its kind, attracting some 3,000 enterprises from more than 100...

Economics

4 d. ago BYD launches the Seal 06 EV at just $15,000 as a new price war in China erupts

BYD launches the Seal 06 EV at just $15,000 as a new price war in China erupts  Electrek

Economics

4 d. ago Despite military purges, China’s next war ‘could be imminent’ and spread fast

Despite military purges, China’s next war ‘could be imminent’ and spread fast  The Hill

Events

4 d. ago Live updates: Trump officials seek to repair frayed trade war truce with China

Live updates: Trump officials seek to repair frayed trade war truce with China  The Washington Post

Politics

5 d. ago Tariff war ‘not the end of the world’ for Hong Kong companies: trade council chief

The US-China tariff war is “not the end of the world” for Hong Kong businesses, the new head of the city’s Trade Development Council has said, as he outlined strategies to help them capitalise on geopolitical uncertainties. Chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang, who took office on June 1, also said on Monday the council would explore setting up more offices in new markets and rebranding the Asian Financial Forum to include more industry elements. The council has 51 offices around the world, including...

Events

5 d. ago US soybean farmers move to reduce dependence on China as trade war grinds on

Soybean farmers in the United States have stepped up efforts to diversify their export markets while maintaining China as a critical buyer, despite ongoing trade tensions between the two superpowers, according to the head of a leading industry association. Jim Sutter, CEO of the US Soybean Export Council, said that while concerns about possible disruptions persist, China’s strong demand for soybeans – a crucial commodity for food and livestock feed – would ensure the US remains an important...

Events