4 h. ago Trump recasts US allies as tools to counter China in security playbook: analysts

US President Donald Trump’s new national security strategy frames America’s allies not just as partners, but as instruments to preserve US primacy and counter China’s rise, analysts say. The strategy urges wealthy allies to increase defence spending, align more closely with Washington on measures such as export controls, and take greater responsibility for their regions, a shift that recasts long-standing alliances as tools in great-power competition. The 33-page document declares that the era...

Politics

24 h. ago Are Singaporean Chinese the ‘least attractive’? Viral image ignites debate

A widely shared image on social media depicting colour sketches of men from different regions in China has ignited debate on the physical appearance of Singaporean Chinese based on their ancestry, with online users concluding they are the least attractive of the gene pool. But psychotherapists say perceptions of beauty might be warped by media and celebrity culture, warning against the normalisation of conversations centred on physical appearance. The discussion was prompted by drawings of male...

Politics

24 h. ago Are Singaporean Chinese the ‘least attractive’? Viral image stirs debate

A widely shared image on social media depicting colour sketches of men from different regions in China has stirred debate on the physical appearance of Singaporean Chinese based on their ancestry, with online users concluding they are the least attractive of the gene pool. But psychotherapists say perceptions of beauty might be warped by media and celebrity culture, warning against the normalisation of conversations centred on physical appearance. The discussion was prompted by drawings of male...

Politics

50 h. ago USMCA urged to form joint mechanism to address China’s national security threats

Witnesses at a US trade agency hearing are pushing officials to put economic security high on the agenda to counter China ahead of a high-stakes review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The hearing convened by the Office of the US Trade Representative on Wednesday – the first public session before next July’s joint review of the free trade deal – kicks off three days of testimony from more than 140 representatives from business, think tanks, academia and advocacy groups. “One...

Events

2 d. ago Air India Expands China Presence Through New Sales Partnership

Air India Expands China Presence Through New Sales Partnership  Travel And Tour World

Politics

3 d. ago Chinese man hides 2 gold bars in chilli sauce jar, sends to ‘friend’ for investment

A Chinese man has caused amusement online after he hid two gold bars inside a jar of chilli sauce and mailed them to another province as part of a scam to fund his stock trading account. The incident recently unfolded in the Jinnan District of Tianjin in northern China when police took down a fraud scheme involving an elderly man. Li Ruifang, a police officer from the Shuanglin Police Station, received an anti-fraud alert indicating that an elderly man, surnamed Zhao, might be in contact with...

Politics

3 d. ago Chinese man comes home to become mover after decade in Australia, business failure

A middle-aged man who studied in Australia for 10 years before working as a house mover in northwestern China has been surprised to find many people contacting him online to learn English. The rush to learn came after people saw him speak fluent English on social media. The interest has prompted Jia Yuhui to create an English training business, according to a report by Jiupai News. Born in the 1980s to a once wealthy family in China, Jia was able to study in Australia for a decade. He returned...

Events

3 d. ago Germany’s China playbook: if you can’t beat them, partner up

German companies are accelerating efforts to partner with Chinese rivals, conceding in fresh survey results that the local competitors appear poised to seize the lead in global innovation. While business sentiment among surveyed German firms in China has seen a slight uptick, optimism has been tempered by fierce price competition and a nationalist “Buy China” push, according to findings from the German Chamber of Commerce’s 2025/26 Business Confidence Survey. About 56 per cent of surveyed firms...

Politics

4 d. ago bound4blue expands eSAIL production in China through regional partnerships

bound4blue expands eSAIL production in China through regional partnerships  Ship Technology

Politics

4 d. ago Anwar says Malaysia has clarified US pact to Beijing, stresses China remains ‘very important’ trading partner

Anwar says Malaysia has clarified US pact to Beijing, stresses China remains ‘very important’ trading partner  Malay Mail

Events

5 d. ago Plump Chinese man ‘builds courage’, goes viral after ‘sports supermodel’ contest

A plump man in China who went up against muscle-bound competitors in a bodybuilding contest has trended on social media and caused much amusement. Videos of 28-year-old Chen Hao at the Chongqing Yongchuan District Youth Fitness and Bodybuilding Competition and College/University ‘Sports Supermodel’ Selection Competition in southwestern China on November 23 have gone viral online, the Nanguo Morning Post reported. While other participants professionally presented their physique on the stage, the...

Culture

6 d. ago Singapore becomes Plan B for Chinese travellers giving Japan a wide berth

Amid the diplomatic fallout between Tokyo and Beijing, Hunanese accountant Echo He feels relieved she has chosen Southeast Asia for her year-end trip with her husband and colleagues, instead of the popular choice, Japan. The latest spat between both nations arose on November 7 when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested her country could deploy its military forces in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait. This infuriated Beijing, which sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited...

Politics

6 d. ago Chinese biker chases TV crew for 100km to show skills, now owns US$99 million firm

From chasing a TV crew for 100km to showcase his motorcycle skills, a once-poor young man from central China has built a thriving motorcycle empire, raking in 700 million (US$100 million) yuan a year. Born into a rural family in Hunan province, Zhang Xue grew up in a shabby home made of bricks and wooden boards with his younger sister after his parents divorced. During one of her visits, his mother gave him a bicycle, sparking his lifelong love for two-wheeled vehicles. After finishing...

Economics

7 d. ago Chinese homeless man fakes wealth, hires women for companionship, lives luxury life

A homeless Chinese man deceived others by posing as a wealthy individual and, over a span of 10 days, managed to “hire” five women for companionship, using their money to fund visits to high-end establishments, buy new clothes, and even acquire the latest smartphone. The scam came to light in August when police in Putuo District, Shanghai, received a report from a woman using the alias Liu Qian. She claimed that she had been swindled by a 36-year-old man surnamed Chen, who pretended to be a...

Society

7 d. ago Macron wants ties based on Europe being ‘a major partner of China’, source says

France hopes to establish a framework for ties between Brussels and Beijing “that serves mutual interests” when President Emmanuel Macron visits China next week, an Elysee Palace source said. “The purpose of [Macron’s] strategic conversation with President Xi Jinping is for Europe to be respected as a major partner of China and not as a variable in tensions,” the source – who chose to remain anonymous, citing professional norms in France – said during a briefing on Thursday. Macron will visit...

Politics

8 d. ago Public outrage over Chinese man placing hell money in Japanese temple donation box

A Chinese man who placed joss paper into a fortune-drawing money collection box at Japan’s Sensoji Temple has sparked online outrage and criticism of bad tourist behaviour. A video that circulated on social media in November showed the unidentified man putting a piece of joss paper, also known as “hell money”, into the box on the desk where fortune sticks are drawn. Visitors are required to put 100 yen (US$1) into the box to draw from 100 bamboo sticks in a tube. They then need to find the...

Politics

8 d. ago Chinese man marries woman 4 hours after blind date, spends US$34,000 in a month

A 40-year-old man has stunned mainland Chinese social media by marrying just four hours after a blind date arranged by multiple matchmakers, subsequently depleting his entire savings of over 240,000 yuan (US$34,000) within a month of marriage. Huang Zhongcheng, hailing from Hengyang in Hunan province, southern China, went on a blind date on the morning of August 21. During the matchmaking process, nine different matchmakers introduced him to the same woman, who works in a beauty salon. “On the...

Economics

9 d. ago France’s Emmanuel Macron to meet Xi Jinping during China trip next week

French President Emmanuel Macron will visit China next week and meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Élysée Palace said in a statement on Wednesday. The three-day visit is scheduled to begin on December 3, with two stops in Beijing and Chengdu, according to the statement. “On this occasion, major issues relating to the strategic partnership between France and China will be addressed, as well as several major international matters and areas of cooperation aimed at tackling the global...

Politics

9 d. ago Tesla affirms confidence in Chinese partners, rejects supplier bans

Tesla does not exclude suppliers based on their country of origin as the US electric-vehicle (EV) maker applies unified and rigorous standards in selecting vendors from around the globe, according to a senior official. Grace Tao, vice-president of the US company, offered a vote of confidence to the more than 400 Chinese manufacturers that supply car components from batteries to heat-control systems to Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory. She made the remarks on Wednesday, in what appeared to be an...

Politics

9 d. ago Tesla affirms confidence in Chinese partners, repudiates supplier ban

Tesla does not exclude suppliers based on their country of origin as the US electric-vehicle (EV) maker applies unified and rigorous standards in selecting vendors from around the globe, according to a senior official. Grace Tao, vice-president of the US company, offered a vote of confidence to the more than 400 Chinese manufacturers that supply car components from batteries to heat-control systems to Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory. She made the remarks on Wednesday, in what appeared to be an...

Politics