COMMENT | ANA PALACIO | US President Donald Trump’s designation by various publications as one of the most influential people of 2025 is not surprising. But it is nonetheless striking: rather than being honored for his leadership – for, say, resolving crises or consolidating institutions – Trump is being recognized for shattering norms, upending …
Read More »China to adjust or cancel export tax rebates for photovoltaic and battery products
BEIJING | Xinhua | China announced on Friday that it will change export tax rebates for a range of products, including photovoltaic and battery products. The announcement, jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance and the State Taxation Administration, said that export tax rebates for the value added tax of …
Read More »Washington lines up slew of health deals as US and China vie for influence across Africa
Signatories must guarantee that genetic sequence data and samples from potential outbreaks are shared with the US within 5 days of detection SPECIAL FEATURE | JEVANS NYABIAGE | Washington is securing bilateral health deals with countries across Africa to ensure direct access to critical pathogen data and specimens following the United States’ …
Read More »What challenges does the world economy face in 2026?
From trade tensions and high debt burdens to fears of an AI stocks bubble, the global economy will face an array of risks that could dampen growth in the new year ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | The global economy weathered a whirlwind of challenges in 2025, including sharp trade tensions, uneven yet moderate …
Read More »Xi meets Ireland PM
BEIJING | Xinhua | China is willing to strengthen strategic communication with Ireland, deepen political mutual trust and expand pragmatic cooperation to benefit the peoples of both countries and add momentum to China-EU relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday. Xi made the remarks when meeting with Taoiseach of …
Read More »Chinese, ROK leaders hold talks on bilateral ties, int’l affairs
BEIJING | Xinhua | Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Jae Myung in Beijing on Monday, with both sides agreeing to enhance bilateral strategic partnership, promote practical cooperation, and strengthen multilateral coordination. It is Lee’s first visit to China since he …
Read More »America’s Post-Trump China Strategy
Although diplomacy has long been at the forefront of Sino-American engagement, the rise of politically constrained coupled with new strains of nationalism in the US and China, has rendered it ineffective COMMENT | STEPHEN S. ROACH | With the United States in the hands of an unstable president, diplomacy …
Read More »Can America win the new race for scientific leadership?
COMMENT | NANCY QIAN | As geopolitical tensions rise, competition for the cutting-edge science and talent that underpins advanced technology has heated up. The United States, China, and other major powers now regard leadership in areas like AI, semiconductors, quantum technologies, and biotechnology as central to military capability, economic security, …
Read More »Japan talks tough
COMMENT | IAN BURUMA | It didn’t take long for Japan’s hawkish new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, to rile the Chinese government. On November 7, just weeks after her election, Takaichi responded to a question in parliament about a possible Chinese attack or blockade against Taiwan by saying that it could constitute …
Read More »China’s sacred revolutionary heartland Yan’an launches high-speed rail link
* A bullet train departed Yan’an on Friday, linking the sacred revolutionary heartland to the country’s high-speed rail network. * More than half of the new route crosses soft, water-sensitive loess, presenting world-class engineering challenges. * The line’s opening has brought China’s high-speed rail mileage to over 50,000 km. XI’AN, …
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