52 h. ago ‘Any time, any place’: Philippine army to be deployed to South China Sea islands

A senior Philippine military official has revealed a soon-to-be-deployed strategy that would involve an army contingent to support law enforcement units on occupied islands in the South China Sea. Observers said the strategy would align with Manila’s policy shift from an internal to external defence posture aimed at protecting the country’s territorial waters. One expert, however, warned that it could lead to more aggressive moves by the Chinese navy and coastguard if Beijing were to view...

Politics

53 h. ago Huawei’s AI chip output limited to 200,000 in 2025, US commerce official says

Huawei Technologies is expected to ship no more than 200,000 of its advanced artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors this year, according to a senior Trump administration official overseeing US export controls, who estimated that “most or all of” those chips would be supplied to enterprises within China. That figure would pale in comparison to the more than 1 million China-specific H20 graphics processing units (GPUs) produced by Nvidia in the last nine months of 2024, according to a January...

Politics

58 h. ago As Chinese exporters explore home market, how are letters of credit helping?

After the United States imposed so-called reciprocal tariffs on imports from China in April, Beijing took steps to help Chinese exporters sell their products domestically. In addition to the staging of product promotion events across the country and the offering of fiscal and financial incentives, Beijing also encouraged the increased use of letters of credit (L/Cs) to help such businesses switch focus to the domestic market. What is a domestic letter of credit? A letter of credit, also known as...

Politics

3 d. 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

4 d. ago Chinese exports to EU surge, but bloc waiting to see if emergency action needed

The European Union says it is “too early to conclude” whether sky-high US tariffs on Chinese goods have caused a diversion of exports to the bloc that would cause it to take emergency measures. This was despite a surge in Chinese exports to the European Union coinciding with a big drop in shipments from China to the United States in May. China’s shipments to the US last month fell by 34.5 per cent from a year ago, while its exports to France rose by 24.1 per cent and to Germany by 21.5 per cent,...

Politics

4 d. ago Top US envoy in Hong Kong may be headed for senior role in Beijing embassy

The top US diplomat in Hong Kong is likely to be heading north to take up a leading role in the United States’ Beijing embassy, the South China Morning Post has learned. Gregory May, who arrived to serve as the US consul general for Hong Kong and Macau in September 2022, is tipped to be a top candidate for a ministerial role in the US embassy in Beijing, according to sources. It is a critical time in the relationship as Beijing and Washington engage in a series of high-stakes talks to manage...

Politics

4 d. ago China, US officials agree to ‘framework’ that will need approvals by Xi, Trump

China and the United States wrapped up two days of high-level trade talks in London with an agreement “in principle to a framework” that each side will bring home for review by their top leaders. “The two sides agreed in principle a framework for implementing the consensus” that Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump reached in their phone call last week, and the consensus of high-level bilateral negotiations in Geneva last month, China’s top trade negotiator Li Chenggang...

Politics

5 d. ago Chinese children under 14 become latest targets of tougher US visa policies

The United States embassy in China has tightened its visa policy for children under the age of 14 years by removing an interview-free application process. The decision follows Washington’s recent threats to “aggressively revoke” the visas of Chinese students studying in the country and increase scrutiny of future applications. In a notice posted on its official visa application website USTravelDocs on Monday, the embassy said that applicants under 14 who submit a non-immigrant visa application...

Events

5 d. ago US students discover Unit 731 horrors, and an American war crime cover

As thousands of students gather this week for the finals of the National History Day contest in the US state of Maryland, one research project may stand out – not only as a sobering reminder of an infamous, often forgotten Japanese military unit, but also for America’s role in keeping its war crimes quiet. The project, a documentary produced by four students from a New Mexico high school, is an investigation of Unit 731 – a secret group that carried out unspeakable experiments on people in China...

Events

6 d. ago US and China begin crunch trade talks in London amid simmering tensions

Top economic officials from China and the United States have kick-started a crucial round of trade talks in London, as the world watches closely to see if the two sides can agree to roll back their “chokehold” controls over critical minerals and advanced technologies. The Chinese and American delegations – led by China’s vice-premier, He Lifeng, alongside US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer – met Monday afternoon, local...

Events

7 d. ago Microplastics from biodegradable material may be linked to diabetes, study finds

Microplastics from a widely used biodegradable material can enter the metabolic cycle of bacteria and cells in the gut after being ingested, a new study has found. Researchers in China and the United States said the microplastics – from polylactic acid – were found to alter the gut metabolism and damage the gut barrier of mice. They said this could potentially contribute to conditions like inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes. “This is the first time in the world that microplastics have been...

Politics

8 d. ago China slams US as research pair face toxic fungus smuggling charge

China has condemned “political manipulation” by the United States and its “overstretched concept of national security”, days after two Chinese researchers were charged with illegally importing a toxic fungus described by US authorities as a “dangerous biological pathogen”. The Chinese Consulate in Chicago said in a statement on Saturday that it was seeking information about the case and had lodged a “stern representation” with the US side. This comes after the US Department of Justice announced...

Events

9 d. ago Big shipowners take wind out of US sails, continue to order vessels from China

While a US port fee targeting ships linked to China has made some vessel buyers hesitant, major shipping companies – including Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world’s largest – are opting to continue working with Chinese shipyards, saying their competitiveness cannot be easily matched in the short term. Despite the United States’ determination to challenge China’s dominance in global shipbuilding, MSC senior vice-president Marie-Caroline Laurent told the Nor-Shipping Forum in Oslo this...

Politics

1 week ago Harvard speech by Chinese graduate exposes class disillusionment at home

Controversy surrounding a speech given by a Chinese Harvard graduate reflects the Chinese public’s “disillusionment” with elite education and “anger at class rigidity”, according to a Chinese academic. Last week, Yurong “Luanna” Jiang, a Chinese Harvard University graduate, delivered a controversial speech amid the ongoing clash between the university and the White House, and uncertainty over United States–China relations. Jiang was the first Chinese woman selected as the student speaker at a...

Politics

1 week ago US still king of critical tech, but China quickly closing gaps: report

The United States continued to lead China in critical technologies, namely artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, semiconductors, space and quantum, according to a report released on Thursday by Harvard University. The authors of the Critical and Emerging Technologies Index, released by the university’s Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs, said the US maintained its competitive edge because of large-scale American public and private investment, a top-notch and diverse...

Science

1 week ago China's CATL to partner with Maersk unit to develop advanced battery products

China's CATL to partner with Maersk unit to develop advanced battery products  Reuters

Politics

1 week ago PetroChina to close last unit of biggest north China refinery end

PetroChina to close last unit of biggest north China refinery end-June, sources say  Reuters

Politics

1 week ago How is China ramping up controls on critical mineral exports amid row with US?

Parts of China that are rich in critical minerals are stepping up enforcement of tighter export controls as the country doubles down on its dominance of world supplies in the face of increasing pressure from the United States. China, the world’s biggest producer of critical minerals, supplies 92 per cent of the refined rare earth elements that are essential in the production of consumer electronics, electric vehicles and hi-tech defence systems. Its export controls mean companies must obtain...

Politics

1 week ago China lifts in public opinion around the world as US drops, survey data shows

Favourable views towards China globally have surpassed those towards the United States for the first time in recent years, a change that occurred between January and late April, according to US intelligence company Morning Consult. By the end of May, China had an 8.8 net favourability rating, compared to -1.5 for the US – which is in stark contrast to January last year when the US rating was above 20 and China was in negative territory, Axios reported on Monday, citing exclusive data acquired...

Politics

1 week ago Xiaomi’s EV unit to become profitable this year, CEO Lei Jun says

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi will start making money from its electric-vehicle (EV) venture by the end of this year, according to its founder and CEO Lei Jun, less than two years after rolling its first units off the assembly line, as demand surpassed expectations. Losses have narrowed, and the unit could become profitable by the third or fourth quarter, local media The Paper reported on Tuesday, quoting Lei during a presentation in Beijing. Xiaomi was confident about its sales following the...

Economics