58 h. ago Paraded mainland China weaponry shows Beijing’s focus on Taiwan: analysts

The latest weapons systems featured in China’s Victory Day parade have shown Beijing’s sharp focus on safeguarding its sovereign integrity over Taiwan and its capability to defend against any attempt to break away, analysts observed. Although Taiwan was not directly mentioned in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s keynote address on Wednesday, it is often used by military observers as a yardstick to measure the People’s Liberation Army’s capabilities and progress. The cutting-edge weapons showcased...

Events

4 d. ago Beijing analysts argue China is not trying to build a new world order

Beijing analysts argue China is not trying to build a new world order  Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Politics

4 d. ago How will China’s advanced drones and robobeasts share stage with PLA personnel?

Some 16 years after China first showcased drones in a military parade, there is keen interest in how the People’s Liberation Army has developed its unmanned systems, and how they will be displayed during Beijing’s military parade on Wednesday. Analysts say the breadth and variety of drone systems expected at China’s coming military parade could underscore the PLA’s rapid advances in integrating autonomous technologies across air, land and sea, signalling a shift towards AI-enabled, multi-domain...

Events

8 d. ago China is capping coal production to support prices, top miner and analysts say

China is capping coal production to support prices, top miner and analysts say  Reuters

Politics

1 week ago Trump’s 200% rare earth tariff threat proof of China’s leverage: analysts

Revived threats of tariff increases from US President Donald Trump over China’s supply of rare earth elements highlight the minerals’ importance in global manufacturing, analysts said – and show Beijing its dominance in this area remains a potent source of leverage in trade negotiations. China will face “200 per cent tariffs, or something” unless it continues to ensure shipments of permanent magnets containing the minerals will reach the US, Trump said during a meeting with South Korean...

Politics

1 week ago DeepSeek’s V3.1 model emerges as ‘key pillar’ for China’s chip self

DeepSeek’s recently released V3.1 AI model has unleashed fresh optimism about the prospects of mainland China developing advanced artificial intelligence semiconductors, according to analysts. The Hangzhou-based start-up’s updated model, which supports the innovative data format called UE8M0 FP8, was “ushering in a booming domestic computing power chain”, Huatai Securities analysts said in a research note on Tuesday. That architecture showed that the synergy between mainland-designed software...

Politics

1 week ago Ping An interim profit misses estimates as China’s economy sputters

The first-half profit of China’s most valuable insurance company missed analysts’ estimates, as one-off revaluations of investments eroded the increasing sales of life and health products by Ping An Insurance (Group). Interim net profit fell 8.8 per cent to 68.05 billion yuan (US$9.50 billion) from a year earlier, missing a 4.4 per cent increase that was expected by Bloomberg’s consensus estimate. The value of new business in Ping An’s life and health insurance divisions, a key measure of future...

Economics

1 week ago To counter Beijing in South China Sea, Manila and Canberra forge defence pact

Australia and the Philippines’ push to finalise an “enhanced defence cooperation” agreement by next year underscores how regional allies are accelerating security coordination in response to China’s growing assertiveness in contested waters, a shift analysts say could reshape strategic dynamics in the South China Sea. The talks were announced during a Friday press conference in Manila, where Australian Deputy Prime Minister and defence chief Richard Marles and Philippine Defence Secretary...

Politics

1 week ago Mixed signals from US lead Japan to broaden defence ties to counter China

Japan’s latest naval drills signalled its desire to broaden military ties as uncertainties grow over US defence support, while also sending a message to China, analysts said. Earlier this month, F-35B Lightning II fighters from the British Royal Navy’s 809 Naval Air Squadron conducted landings and launches on the Japanese destroyer-carrier JS Kaga as part of a multinational exercise in the Philippine Sea. The British Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, as well as the US Marine Corps, were present on...

Politics

2 w. ago US show of force could move Venezuela closer to China: analysts

While the deployment of US warships near the coast of Venezuela is intended to heap pressure on the government and limit its already strained capacity for oil shipments, the action would probably serve to bolster China’s extensive economic ties with the South American country, analysts said. Three destroyers and an amphibious squadron with about 4,000 US Marines were dispatched to the Caribbean Sea close to Venezuelan waters, the White House said this week, in an act they said was intended to...

Politics

2 w. ago The US is heaping pressure on Venezuela. What will China do?

Beijing is likely to increase its economic support for Venezuela, its only all-weather strategic partner in South America, as tensions rise between Washington and Caracas. However, analysts suggest that China will hold back on direct military aid or actions that could provoke a direct confrontation with the United States. The assessment comes after Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Thursday that China opposed “any move that violates the purposes and principles of the United...

Events

2 w. ago Nvidia's China Trouble Could Slash Billions From Revenue, Analysts Warn

Nvidia's China Trouble Could Slash Billions From Revenue, Analysts Warn  Yahoo Finance

Events

2 w. ago Why Japan is pushing a transparent development model for Africa

Japan is positioning itself as a partner offering a transparent and “human-centred” approach to development in Africa, providing an alternative to China’s economic influence through what analysts describe as a rules-based and mutually accountable model. Unveiling a proposal to create a regional economic zone linking the Indian Ocean to Africa, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told a major development summit in Yokohama on Wednesday that Tokyo’s approach could boost free trade and regional...

Politics

2 w. ago Nvidia's China Trouble Could Spoil Q3 Outlook, Analyst Warns—'Might Exclude Direct Revenue From...'

Nvidia's China Trouble Could Spoil Q3 Outlook, Analyst Warns—'Might Exclude Direct Revenue From...'  Benzinga

Events

2 w. ago China is turning away from Canadian canola. Will Australia fill the gap?

Canada’s status as the dominant supplier of canola to China appears to be under threat as shipments plunge amid a tit-for-tat tariff battle between the two nations. And Australia is already emerging as an alternative source of the staple vegetable oil, analysts and industry insiders say. China’s imports of canola from Canada fell by 55 per cent year on year to 173,250 tonnes in July – the lowest level recorded since July 2023 – Chinese customs data showed. The value of those shipments was down...

Politics

2 w. ago Analysts warn U.S. power limits risk ceding AI race to China

Analysts warn U.S. power limits risk ceding AI race to China  Quartz

Events

2 w. ago Philippines’ Subic Bay play aims to anchor US naval strategy in Asia

The Philippines is repositioning its historic Subic Bay shipyard as a cornerstone of both its own defence industry and Washington’s naval expansion plans, analysts say, at a time of sharpening US-China tensions and with Manila seeking to revitalise its economy. Speaking to business leaders in Washington on Thursday, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez pitched the Agila Subic Shipyard – once a bustling hub for a subsidiary of South Korea’s Hanjin Heavy Industries, now under new...

Politics

3 w. ago How recent collision may prompt China to rethink how coastguard and navy operate

China may seek better coordination between its navy and coastguards and improve the quality of its coastguard ships after this week’s dramatic collision in the South China Sea, according to analysts. Footage of the incident released by the Philippines appeared to show that the Chinese coastguard ship 3104 sustained serious damage to its bow after colliding with a larger destroyer, the Guilin. “I don’t think it’s good to sit still and just get on with business as usual after the collision,” said...

Politics

3 w. ago Collision between Chinese ships expected to escalate tension in South China Sea

More tension is expected in the South China Sea following a collision between two Chinese vessels, with analysts predicting the incident was likely to prompt Beijing to further increase its presence in the contested waterway. Experts also warned that the incident could push China to enhance coordination between its navy and coastguard to prevent similar accidents in future. On Monday, Manila claimed that a China Coast Guard vessel sustained severe damage to its bow after colliding with a larger...

Events

3 w. ago Will the Philippines and Poland form a security axis against China and Russia?

With Poland bracing for potential Russian aggression and the Philippines contending with sustained tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea, analysts say the two countries may find strategic common ground – not just in their geopolitical outlooks, but also in their shared aspirations as “emerging middle powers”. Warsaw’s dramatic ramp-up in defence spending and its uncompromising stance against Moscow’s provocations have drawn the attention of Filipino security analysts, some of whom see...

Events