3 h. ago Sheinbaum Aims to Calm China Tensions After Tariff Plan Backlash

Sheinbaum Aims to Calm China Tensions After Tariff Plan Backlash  Bloomberg.com

Events

3 h. ago Israel’s PM vows there will never be a Palestinian state: ‘This place is ours’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed an agreement on Thursday to push ahead with a controversial settlement expansion plan that would cut across land that the Palestinians seek for a state. “There will never be a Palestinian state. This place is ours,” Netanyahu said during a visit to the Maale Adumim settlement in the West Bank where thousands of new housing units would be added. “We will safeguard our heritage, our land, and our security.” Last month, the E1 project, which would...

Politics

3 h. ago Suspect in Trump assassination bid talks Hitler, Gaza, Ukraine as trial opens

A suspect on trial for trying to assassinate US President Donald Trump while he played golf in South Florida last year forfeited his right to continue making an opening statement on Thursday when he veered off topic and talked about Adolf Hitler and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Ryan Routh, who is representing himself, was warned by US District Judge Aileen Cannon to stay on topic. The judge twice asked jurors to leave the courtroom so she could deal with the unconventional turn Routh’s opening...

Politics

4 h. ago Beijing condemns Mexican import tariff plan it claims is aimed at China

China on Thursday condemned Mexico’s plan to sharply raise import tariffs on automobiles and other goods from countries with which Mexico does not have trade agreements, calling the measures discriminatory and saying they were the result of outside pressure. Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters Beijing “firmly rejects moves that are taken under coercion to constrain China or undermine China’s legitimate rights and interests under any pretext”. “We will firmly protect our...

Politics

5 h. ago EU wins Trump’s focus on China, but can it deliver on ‘impossible’ demand?

For almost a year, European Union officials have been dangling the carrot of joint work on China policy in front of US President Donald Trump in an effort to keep him engaged in supporting Ukraine. For months, their overtures were ignored. Now that the US leader has tuned in – but only on the condition of maximum tariffs – Europe finds itself in a bind. On Wednesday evening, ambassadors from the EU’s 27 member states were briefed by the bloc’s sanctions envoy, David O’Sullivan, on his trip to...

Politics

7 h. ago Trump, a trail of diplomacy and a possible trip to China to resolve the trade war

Calls this week between top American and Chinese officials are believed to have laid some of the groundwork for a visit to China by US President Donald Trump, possibly in early November. The trip could take place either before or after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea, which gets under way late next month. Trade negotiations are expected to be a key part of the summit, which could take place shortly before a temporary tariff war truce expires on November 10. The White...

Politics

8 h. ago Why did Harvard top mathematician Liu Jun leave the US for China?

When it was officially announced in late August that statistician Liu Jun had left Harvard University and joined Tsinghua University in Beijing, speculation ran rampant. Was it political tension? Research funding cuts? A backlash against Chinese academics in the US? For Liu, the answer is simple – and deeply personal. It “has nothing to do with Trump”, he said in an email to the South China Morning Post, explaining that his decision was not out of political protest or professional...

Politics

9 h. ago Philippines slams China's plan for nature reserve in disputed shoal

Philippines slams China's plan for nature reserve in disputed shoal  Reuters

Politics

9 h. ago Europe’s defence needs threaten push to penalise Israel on Gaza

Amid scenes of destruction and hunger in Gaza and this week’s bombing in Qatar, frustrated European leaders are threatening sanctions on Israel and rethinking ties to their longtime ally. But for all their outrage – including a push for Palestinian statehood and some limited curbs on arms sales – one area they have not touched is Israel’s multibillion-dollar defence industry. European armies are the biggest customers of Israeli-made weapons and defence systems, buying US$8 billion worth last...

Politics

10 h. ago New arts hub in Hong Kong’s east Kowloon positioned to be city’s Broadway

A new arts and performing hub in Hong Kong’s east Kowloon, set to debut in November, is positioned as a leading venue for long-term theatrical runs similar to London’s West End and New York’s Broadway, a government official has said. Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Manda Chan Wing-man said on Thursday that the East Kowloon Cultural Centre would be a hub for art, technology and long-running productions, and hoped that people would associate the area with such performances. “London has...

Politics

10 h. ago Arts hub in Hong Kong’s east Kowloon positioned to be city’s Broadway

A new arts and performing hub in Hong Kong’s east Kowloon, set to fully debut in November, is being positioned as a leading venue for long-term theatrical runs similar to London’s West End and New York’s Broadway, a government official has said. Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Manda Chan Wing-man said on Thursday that the East Kowloon Cultural Centre would be a hub for art, technology and long-running productions, and hoped that people would associate the area with such...

Politics

10 h. ago China backs Three Gorges megaproject, hot on heels of giant Tibet dam

China’s top economic planner has flagged a megaproject to expand shipping capacity on the Three Gorges, slated to span the coming five-year plan, while also calling for greater investment to drive strategic initiatives. In a report submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on Wednesday, Zheng Shanjie, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), underscored the need to push major infrastructure projects such as the new shipping channel on the...

Politics

10 h. ago China to host Xiangshan Forum next week, with attendees from over 100 countries

China will host defence officials from more than 100 countries next week at the Xiangshan Forum, the country’s largest security conference and widely regarded as Beijing’s answer to the Shangri-La Dialogue, state media reported on Thursday. “More than 100 countries, including Vietnam, Singapore, Russia, France, Nigeria and Brazil, have confirmed their attendance, along with representatives of international and regional organisations,” defence ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Jiang Bin said. The...

Politics

10 h. ago Over 100 countries to send defence officials to China’s Xiangshan security forum

China will host defence officials from more than 100 countries next week at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, the country’s largest security conference and widely regarded as Beijing’s answer to the Shangri-La Dialogue. “More than 100 countries, including Vietnam, Singapore, Russia, France, Nigeria and Brazil, have confirmed their attendance, along with representatives of international and regional organisations,” defence ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Jiang Bin said on Wednesday. The broad...

Politics

11 h. ago Bangladesh buys more power from India to meet rising electricity needs

Bangladesh is boosting power imports from India and output from fuel oil-fired power plants in a scramble to meet rising electricity demand as it grapples with constraints on gas supply and coal plant maintenance, industry officials and analysts say. Power imports, mainly from an Adani Power-run coal-fired plant in eastern India, rose 70 per cent in the seven months through July and helped satisfy most of the rising demand, government data showed. Natural gas accounted for about two-thirds of...

Politics

14 h. ago Philippines protests China’s plan for nature reserve at hotly disputed shoal

Philippines protests China’s plan for nature reserve at hotly disputed shoal  The Hindu

Events

15 h. ago China Rocket Force bans nearly 200 suppliers, evaluators after corruption probe

The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force has terminated nearly 200 partnerships with experts and suppliers, following an investigation into procurement corruption covering the past nine years, as scrutiny of the troubled military branch continues. The official China Government Procurement News reported on Tuesday that between August 28 and September 1, the rocket force made announcements on the military procurement network, banning 74 bid evaluation experts and 116 suppliers. Some suppliers and...

Events

15 h. ago China’s rocket force bans nearly 200 suppliers, evaluators after corruption probe

The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force has terminated nearly 200 partnerships with experts and suppliers, following an investigation into procurement corruption covering the past nine years, as scrutiny of the troubled military branch continues. The official China Government Procurement News reported on Tuesday that between August 28 and September 1, the rocket force made announcements on the military procurement network, banning 74 bid evaluation experts and 116 suppliers. Some suppliers and...

Events

17 h. ago Official: China has built world's largest health, disease control systems

Official: China has built world's largest health, disease control systems  chinadailyasia.com

Politics

27 h. ago Kamala Harris says allowing 2024 Biden candidacy was reckless: ‘Joe got tired’

Kamala Harris believes it was reckless to allow former US president Joe Biden to decide to seek re-election in 2024, but she felt she was the last person who could advise her 81-year-old boss not to run, according to excerpts from her new book released on Wednesday. Biden, a Democrat, ended his re-election campaign on July 21, 2024, after a poor debate performance against Republican candidate Donald Trump that prompted aides and party officials to question publicly whether he could endure a full...

Politics