37 h. ago Trump pick for South America command sidesteps China questions at Senate hearing

Days after the operation that abducted then Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump’s nominee to command US forces in Latin America dodged pressure from senators to endorse a military-first plan to counter China’s growing influence in the region. Lieutenant General Francis Donovan, who is nominated to lead US Southern Command (Southcom), repeatedly declined to say whether Washington should rely mainly on force projection to push back against Beijing’s expanding footprint. The...

Politics

3 d. ago Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives in Beijing for a landmark four

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives in Beijing for a landmark four-day visit to China  ABC NewsMark Carney Heads to Beijing to Discuss Canada-China Relations as U.S. Outlook Darkens  The New York TimesCanada’s Carney Lands in Beijing as China Urges Removing Tariffs  Bloomberg.com

Politics

3 d. ago US eases ban on Nvidia's H200 chip sales to China as Beijing urges firms to limit orders

US eases ban on Nvidia's H200 chip sales to China as Beijing urges firms to limit orders  Türkiye Today

Economics

4 d. ago China urges Canada to break from U.S. influence as Carney visits Beijing

China urges Canada to break from U.S. influence as Carney visits Beijing  PBS

Politics

4 d. ago China urges Canada to break from US influence as Mark Carney visits Beijing

China urges Canada to break from US influence as Mark Carney visits Beijing  The Lufkin Daily News

Politics

4 d. ago Taiwan and the US launch joint production of 155mm artillery shells amid blockade fears

Taiwan has begun co-producing 155mm (6.1-inch) artillery shells with the US, as the island moves to strengthen wartime ammunition resilience amid Beijing’s escalating military pressure and concern over supply disruptions in a high-intensity conflict. Taiwan’s defence ministry on Monday said Taipei and Washington had launched early-stage joint production of a new type of 155mm howitzer ammunition. Lieutenant General Lin Wen-hsiang, head of Taiwan’s Armaments Bureau, testified during a legislative...

Politics

4 d. ago China urges Canada to break from US influence as PM Carney visits Beijing

China urges Canada to break from US influence as PM Carney visits Beijing  Norwalk Hour

Politics

4 d. ago Beijing calls on Hong Kong to take lead in globalising traditional Chinese medicine

China’s top health official has called on Hong Kong to serve as a key pillar in promoting traditional Chinese medicine globally, as the city’s leader pledged to align local policies with the national development strategy in the field. At a launch ceremony for the Chinese Medicine Hospital and nearby testing institute on Tuesday, National Health Commission head Lei Haichao offered advice for Hong Kong in advancing the development of traditional Chinese Medicine. “Serve the globe for the benefit...

Politics

5 d. ago Top US commander says China still exerting military pressure in Asia

Top US commander says China still exerting military pressure in Asia  Financial Times

Events

5 d. ago Cuba’s president denies being in talks with US after Trump threats

Cuba’s leader on Monday reacted defiantly to US President Donald Trump’s threats to “make a deal” or pay the price in the aftermath of key ally Nicolas Maduro’s ouster in a US military raid. Trump has been ramping up pressure on Cuba, one of the few Latin American countries still run by an authoritarian leftist administration after Venezuelan leader Maduro’s capture on January 3. “We’re talking with Cuba,” Trump said aboard Air Force One on Sunday, hours after urging Havana to do a deal to head...

Politics

7 d. ago Ford urges Carney not to cut Chinese EV tariffs ahead of Beijing visit

Ford urges Carney not to cut Chinese EV tariffs ahead of Beijing visit  CBC

Politics

9 d. ago Trump wants US$1.5 trillion for ‘dream military’. Will China boost spending in response?

US President Donald Trump’s proposal to boost next year’s military budget to US$1.5 trillion aims to blunt China’s global influence, a move analysts said could push Beijing to speed up its own military build-up with “greater urgency”. On Wednesday, Trump wrote on social media that the US military budget for the 2027 financial year should be raised in the face of “very troubled and dangerous times”. “This will allow us to build the ‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to and, more...

Events

9 d. ago Trump wants US$1.5 trillion for ‘dream US military’. Will China boost spending too?

US President Donald Trump’s proposal to boost next year’s military budget to US$1.5 trillion aims to blunt China’s global influence, a move analysts said could push Beijing to speed up its own military build-up with “greater urgency”. On Wednesday, Trump wrote on social media that the US military budget for the 2027 financial year should be raised in the face of “very troubled and dangerous times”. “This will allow us to build the ‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to and, more...

Events

1 week ago Tokyo Urges Beijing to Revoke ‘Unacceptable’ Export Bans as Diplomatic Rift Widens

Tokyo Urges Beijing to Revoke ‘Unacceptable’ Export Bans as Diplomatic Rift Widens  kurdistan24.net

Politics

1 week ago New KMT chair hopes to take peace message to Beijing while on Taiwan political tightrope

A plan by the chairwoman of Taiwan’s main opposition party to visit Beijing – where she hopes to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping – early this year carries hopes of improving communication amid high tension between the two sides of the strait. While supporters portray Cheng Li-wun’s trip as a potential opening to ease cross-strait tensions, critics warn it risks signalling political alignment with Beijing at a time of rising military pressure. Cheng, who was elected chairwoman of the Kuomintang...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump confirms US captured Maduro, bombed Caracas, hours after China meeting

US military strikes hit Venezuela’s capital before dawn on Saturday, with explosions shaking Caracas as President Donald Trump claimed that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife had been captured and flown out of the country in a US operation. The escalation followed months of warnings from China over Washington’s growing military and economic pressure on the oil-producing nation. In a post on his Truth Social platform hours after the attacks, Trump said the United States had carried out...

Politics

2 w. ago China ‘deeply shocked’ as US attacks Venezuela, captures Nicolas Maduro

US military strikes hit Venezuela’s capital before dawn on Saturday, shaking Caracas as US President Donald Trump reported that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country by US forces. The attack followed months of US sabre rattling and Chinese warnings over growing US military and economic pressure on its oil-producing ally. It also came hours after Maduro met China’s special representative on Latin American affairs, Qiu Xiaoqi, in Caracas. “I...

Events

2 w. ago U.S. urges Beijing to show 'restraint' after drills near Taiwan

U.S. urges Beijing to show 'restraint' after drills near Taiwan  Focus Taiwan

Politics

2 w. ago US urges Beijing to end military pressure against Taiwan, ‘engage in meaningful dialogue’

The US State Department on Thursday urged Beijing to end intimidating military moves in the area around Taiwan that it said creates needless anxiety and stress. Washington’s New Year’s Day message followed a two-day live-fire exercise that Beijing wrapped up on Tuesday, dubbed Justice Mission 2025, that played out on a more extensive scale than its predecessors. “China’s military activities and rhetoric towards Taiwan and others in the region increase tensions unnecessarily,” said Tommy Pigott,...

Events

2 w. ago Xi renews call to boost grain output after trade war sharpens China’s food security push

President Xi Jinping has issued a mandate to expand grain production as China moves to shield its food supply from global volatility, calling for renewed efforts to modernise agriculture and rural areas over the coming year. Speaking at a two-day work conference in Beijing that ended on Tuesday, Xi urged a “no-relaxation” approach to grain output and called for higher overall production capacity and efficiency by integrating high-quality land, seeds, machinery and farming techniques. “We must...

Events