2 h. ago US, China trade officials to meet in Malaysia amid escalating rare earths dispute

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Wednesday that he and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would travel to Malaysia later that day as scheduled to meet with Chinese officials over what he called Beijing’s “incredibly aggressive” measures to curb rare earth exports. The meeting is seen as a stepping stone to a sit-down in South Korea next week on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a time of...

Politics

3 h. ago China’s SOEs breathe life into Xi Jinping’s ‘city of the future’ Xiongan

Xiongan, China’s “city of the future” – a project years in the making, championed by President Xi Jinping – is slowly coming to life, as major state-owned enterprises (SOEs) begin relocating to the new metropolis in Hebei province. Sinochem Holdings and China Huaneng Group are among the latest to officially relocate their headquarters to Xiongan this month, each bringing about 1,000 employees, according to local authorities. They join other SOEs like Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Railway Company, which...

Politics

3 h. ago Israel advances West Bank annexation bill during J.D. Vance visit

A bill applying Israeli law to the occupied West Bank, a move tantamount to annexation of land which Palestinians want for a state, won preliminary approval from Israel’s parliament on Wednesday. The vote was the first of four needed to pass the law, and it coincided with the visit of US Vice-President J.D. Vance to Israel, a month after President Donald Trump said that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party did not support the...

Politics

3 h. ago USTR Greer, Treasury's Bessent heading to Malaysia for talks with Chinese counterparts

USTR Greer, Treasury's Bessent heading to Malaysia for talks with Chinese counterparts  Reuters

Politics

3 h. ago In Beijing and Delhi, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Aimed to Balance Consequential Relationships

In Beijing and Delhi, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Aimed to Balance Consequential Relationships  The Diplomat – Asia-Pacific Current Affairs Magazine

Politics

3 h. ago Global leaders’ meeting on women in Beijing promotes new, accelerated process for development

Global leaders’ meeting on women in Beijing promotes new, accelerated process for development  EUobserver

Politics

3 h. ago Chinese state media says US ‘dying’ as Beijing drafts next 5

Chinese state media has labelled the US a failed state, claiming it is “dying from within” as its global hegemony declines. The commentary published in Beijing Daily on Tuesday came as China’s policymakers prepared to outline long-term plans amid intensifying competition with Washington. Beijing on Monday began a key four-day conclave that will determine the country’s development over the next five years. The fourth plenum of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, which runs through Thursday,...

Events

3 h. ago China pushes trilateral currency swap, new drone sighted: SCMP daily highlights

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China eyes currency swap with Japan and South Korea amid trade tensions: source China is in talks with Japan and South Korea – both US allies – about a possible trilateral currency swap to bolster the region’s financial safety net and deepen economic cooperation amid US President Donald Trump’s trade war, according to a source familiar with the issue. 2....

Events

4 h. ago Chinese Threat Actors Exploit ToolShell SharePoint Flaw Weeks After Microsoft's July Patch

Chinese Threat Actors Exploit ToolShell SharePoint Flaw Weeks After Microsoft's July Patch  The Hacker News

Events

4 h. ago Beijing will invite Taiwan guests to mark 80 years since Japan’s surrender of island

Beijing is inviting guests from Taiwan to a key commemoration of Japan’s surrender of sovereignty over the island 80 years ago, despite warnings from Taipei against attendance. The Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) in Beijing announced on Wednesday that guests from the island would be invited to attend the “Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Restoration of Taiwan”, which falls on Saturday. But the actual commemoration may not take place on that exact date, according to past practice. Visits...

Politics

5 h. ago China deploys new floating barrier at Scarborough Shoal, satellite image shows

China has installed a new floating barrier at Scarborough Shoal, according to satellite imagery, as tensions rise between Beijing and Manila over the disputed atoll in the South China Sea. The barrier was seen blocking the entrance to the lagoon at the shoal in the image obtained by Satellogic, a geospatial company headquartered in Montevideo, Uruguay. “New satellite imagery shows an illegal floating barrier installed by the People’s Republic of China at the mouth of Scarborough Shoal,” Luke...

Politics

5 h. ago Prince Harry, Meghan join calls to halt AI surpassing human intelligence

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have joined prominent computer scientists, economists, artists, evangelical Christian leaders and American conservative commentators Steve Bannon and Glenn Beck to call for a ban on AI “superintelligence” that threatens humanity. The letter, released on Wednesday by a politically and geographically diverse group of public figures, is squarely aimed at tech giants like Google, OpenAI and Meta Platforms that are racing each other to build a form of artificial...

Politics

5 h. ago EU to list two Chinese oil refineries, one trader in new Russia sanctions

EU to list two Chinese oil refineries, one trader in new Russia sanctions  Reuters

Politics

5 h. ago China's reusable rocket near launch after successful static fire test

China's reusable rocket near launch after successful static fire test  Interesting Engineering

Events

6 h. ago Beijing boss out to turn things around, starting with Hong Kong champions Tai Po

Beijing boss out to turn things around, starting with Hong Kong champions Tai Po  South China Morning Post

Politics

6 h. ago Nexperia China declares independence from chipmaker’s parent company as Dutch and Chinese officials hold talks

Nexperia China declares independence from chipmaker’s parent company as Dutch and Chinese officials hold talks  Automotive News

Politics

7 h. ago Baidu, public transport firm PostBus to launch robotaxis in Switzerland

Chinese internet search and artificial intelligence giant Baidu is teaming up with Swiss public transport operator PostBus to bring robotaxi services to Switzerland. Beijing-based Baidu and PostBus, a subsidiary of national postal service Swiss Post, said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the two companies expected to start testing their on-demand smart mobility service, AmiGo, in the eastern region of Switzerland by December and scale up trials next year. AmiGo will deploy Baidu’s Apollo...

Economics

7 h. ago China toy platform refund policy requires parents slap child for unapproved spending

A major Chinese second-hand platform has sparked online controversy after allegedly requiring a mother to submit an uninterrupted five-minute video of herself slapping her child as a condition for processing a refund. The case drew public attention when Li Yun, the mother of an unidentified 11-year-old girl, tried to get a refund after discovering that her daughter had secretly spent over 500 yuan (US$70) on trading cards on the Qiandao app. Qiandao is widely regarded as China’s leading platform...

Society

7 h. ago Videos show Israeli settlers attacking Palestinian olive harvesters in West Bank

Israeli settlers descended on Palestinian olive harvesters and activists this week in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, beating them with clubs in an attack Palestinian health officials said sent at least one woman to the hospital with serious injuries. The attack on Sunday in the town of Turmus Ayya, which was captured in videos obtained by Associated Press, came as Palestinians say settler violence in the region is worsening. The United Nations and rights groups have raised the alarm as harvest...

Politics

7 h. ago China calls itself a responsible AI force, as most in US think otherwise

China has positioned itself as a responsible major collaborative force in AI development and governance, contrasting with a recently released survey finding that most Americans view US leadership in the field as crucial. Beijing arrived at its assessment this week as China hosted a workshop on AI capacity building, the third of its kind in two years. The week-long event in Shanghai attracted participants from more than 20 countries. Details of the discussions were not disclosed. “Artificial...

Politics