5 d. ago Trump’s world view offers Beijing a window of opportunity on Taiwan

Since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, a growing chorus of Chinese officials and analysts have talked of an unprecedented window of opportunity for Beijing to recalibrate its domestic and international strategies. At its heart lies the Taiwan question, a perennial flashpoint in relations between Washington and Beijing. As the Trump administration ramps up its “America first” policies abroad, the US – the self-appointed world’s policeman for seven decades – has embarked on an...

Politics

1 week ago China’s power equipment firms ride AI boom amid demand from US, emerging markets

The race to develop artificial intelligence has pushed governments and technology giants to build new electricity plants and upgrade their decades-old grid networks, creating significant opportunities for Chinese power equipment companies, according to analysts. Chinese firms have been benefiting from the spillover of a US order boom, which was driven by US President Donald Trump’s push for tech leaders like Meta and SoftBank to invest in AI infrastructure. “The US buys products from Japan and...

Economics

2 w. ago Japan’s export of lethal weapons to US ‘extremely dangerous’: Chinese analysts

Japan’s export of lethal weapons sent an “extremely dangerous signal” indicating expanded military capabilities, Chinese observers and media said on Thursday as relations between the two countries continued to nosedive. The assessment followed Japanese media reports on Wednesday that Japan had exported domestically produced Patriot surface-to-air missile interceptors to the United States. The US would use the missiles to replenish its own stockpile as it provided military support to Ukraine in...

Events

3 w. ago ‘Compliance maze’: EU scrutiny of Huawei, ZTE, Shein ups stakes for China firms

Chinese firms must be extra vigilant in Europe as policymakers there weigh tougher measures against a pair of iconic hi-tech suppliers while France has threatened to suspend fast-fashion retailer Shein, analysts say, as the moves come after a seizure of Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia. The European Commission’s reported plan to force member states to phase out Huawei Technologies and ZTE gear from telecoms networks could mark a fresh regulatory hurdle while serving as a warning to roughly 3,000...

Politics

3 w. ago India’s Tejas fighter jet gets US engines to battle Pakistan’s Chinese air power

India has secured a contract with the US to supply engines for its indigenous Tejas fighter jets, reinforcing defence ties despite trade tensions – even as military analysts say that Pakistan’s superior Chinese-supplied warplanes remain a formidable threat. State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Friday announced it had signed an agreement with US-based General Electric Company (GE) for the supply of 113 F404-GE-IN20 engines and a support package for India’s Tejas Mk1A light combat...

Events

3 w. ago Can the Fujian aircraft carrier catapult the PLA Navy deep into the Pacific?

The launch of the Fujian, China’s third and most advanced aircraft carrier, has been cause for celebration in Chinese media, with mainland analysts hailing it as superior to its US counterparts and a force for projecting power further into the western Pacific. But overseas analysts have been more tempered, suggesting that there is still a big gap between the naval force of the People’s Liberation Army and the United States in terms of the number of carriers, combat systems, personnel proficiency...

Transport