Tag Archives: China

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday described the United States as an ally to both mainland China and Taiwan, while at the same time asserting that its relationships have not shifted, hours after US President Donald Trump enacted legislation deepening US ties with the self-governed island. Asked about concerns among some in Washington about the Trump administration’s approach to …

As it fights to survive in the new era of economic warfare, the European Union wants to turbo-boost efforts to de-risk its ties with China, using two new proposals. Launched on Wednesday, the blueprints will combine to upgrade the bloc’s economic arsenal and unpick its heavy reliance on China for critical minerals, including rare earths. The first, an economic security …

Japan’s position on Taiwan remains unchanged, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Wednesday, referring to a 1972 commitment that led to the normalisation of ties between Beijing and Tokyo. “The Japanese government’s basic position regarding Taiwan remains as stated in the 1972 Japan-China joint statement, and there has been no change to this position,” Takaichi told the Japanese parliament. …

We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China’s new tech war warriors: PhD graduates without a thesis China’s top defence university is piloting a scheme that allows PhD students to graduate with a …

The whereabouts of a six-year-old boy from China remain unknown after he was allegedly separated from his father while both were held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New York last week. The city’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday raised the issue on social media, saying that the first grader, named Yuanxin, was “arrested and separated” along with …

At a lengthy, end-of-year cabinet meeting, US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said that “just a couple of days ago, China announced that they were going to halt all purchases from Brazil because they had found some irregularities in some of the soybeans they’re buying from Brazil”. Rollins cast the move as a “continued signal that this country and our farmers …

The US Supreme Court lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s tariff war and the recent budget fight on Capitol Hill might have dragged down – if not sunk – one of Washington’s proposed tools to spearhead its strategic competition with China. Ten months after Trump’s executive order authorising the creation of the nation’s first-ever sovereign wealth fund (SWF), there are still …

China’s finance minister has called for a more proactive fiscal policy to boost domestic demand, strengthen industrial security and advance technological self-reliance while mitigating debt risks, as Beijing prepares for one of its most important economic planning meetings of the year. Finance Minister Lan Foan outlined the country’s top fiscal priorities on Tuesday in an editorial published in the People’s …

Northern regions across China are introducing “snow breaks” this winter as part of broader efforts to stimulate domestic tourism and spending amid deflationary pressures. Northeastern Jilin province is the latest to announce the initiative, with plans to give primary and secondary school pupils a short holiday from Wednesday to Sunday. The additional days off will not shorten the traditional winter …

The European Union has formally terminated a long-running dispute with China at the World Trade Organization, centred on Beijing’s alleged coercion of Lithuania in 2021. In a statement circulated to WTO members, the bloc said it was abandoning the case “considering the key objectives behind this dispute have been met and relevant trade has resumed”. The case arose after Lithuania …