Year: 2025

President Xi Jinping has sent a new warning to Chinese cadres – “no one should harbour any illusions” that they can get away with corruption as there will be no let-up in the long-running anti-graft campaign. He told officials at a key political meeting in October there would be no place for the corrupt to hide, according to excerpts from his speech released on Wednesday. “[We must] maintain a high-pressure stance against corruption at all times, investigate and punish corruption cases according to the law and regulations, and severely punish…

Pictures have emerged in China that appear to show a truck-mounted electromagnetic catapult system for large drones on a cargo ship apparently converted for military use, triggering speculation on social media platforms. Some images circulating online since the weekend show three linked eight-wheeled low-loader trucks in a line with a large combat drone mounted on a shuttle-like fixture at the rear. The configuration appears to form a ground-based launch track with visible details suggesting an electromagnetic propulsion system that could provide a runway-independent launching capability for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles…

Despite China-EU trade frictions, Paris and other European cities remain the top destinations for Chinese travellers, with growing China-France trade and visa-free entry spurring companies like Air France-KLM to explore new opportunities. The Franco-Dutch airline group reported strong inbound demand from Europe in 2025, driven by China’s visa-free policy for travellers from more than 30 European nations, covering both business and leisure segments. In the first three quarters, the company posted a 6 per cent year-on-year increase in unit revenue from its Asian market, with a passenger load factor of…

Moonshot AI, developer of the highly lauded Kimi AI models, saw IDG Capital lay out US$150 million to lead the latest financing round, with existing stakeholders Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings also participating, Chinese technology news outlet LatePost reported on Wednesday. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. The fresh injection of capital pushed Moonshot AI’s valuation to US$4.3 billion, according to the report. The company now holds more than 10 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion) in cash reserves, LatePost reported, citing an internal letter by founder and CEO Yang…

Few developments over the past quarter century have been as consequential or widely debated as China’s ascent to global prominence as the vanguard of a rising Global South. To understand this change, we must look not only at outcomes but at the underlying drivers that made them possible. China’s development over the last 25 years did not occur by accident. It was not the result of any single policy. Rather, it was the cumulative product of farsighted design and vision as well as an evolving relationship between state guidance and…

China has built and launched a super-powered artificial intelligence (AI) system designed to tap directly into its national supercomputing network and conduct high-level scientific research on its own. The scheme was launched on December 23, a month after US President Donald Trump unveiled the Genesis Mission – an “AI Manhattan Project” aimed at securing US technological dominance. While the US plan is bound by tight timelines, requiring proof of progress within 270 days, China has already deployed its system at scale, serving more than a thousand potential institutional users nationwide.…

More young Chinese consumers are opting for bed-and-breakfast stays at private villas to ring in the New Year, drawn to the larger space, set-up options and enhanced privacy offered by these properties, leading to a fresh round of competition for hoteliers. That has prompted B&B operators to step up efforts in creating distinct ritualistic experiences – such as group countdown events, fireworks displays and complimentary bottles of wine – to attract more guests while standing out in a crowded market. “The festive rituals can highlight homestays’ strengths in atmosphere and…

China is expected to solidify its position as a hi-tech manufacturing powerhouse over the next decade as it edges closer to “innovation and excellence” alongside the United States, Germany and Japan, according to new reports issued by Chinese institutions. The documents, published on Tuesday, stated that China had achieved its “strategic goal” of becoming the world’s fourth-most-advanced “manufacturing power” in 2024, adding that the sector would play a central role in “real” economic development over the coming decade. The assessment was based on the manufacturing power index, developed by the…

Paul Cheung was recently named president of the Committee of 100, a non-profit organisation of influential Chinese-Americans that promotes bilateral exchanges between China and the United States on all fronts. In this Open Questions interview, Cheung talks about the role of C100 in addressing anti-Asian hate in the US and bridging the gap between the two biggest economic powers in their ever-growing rivalry. For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here. What’s your strategy as president of the Committee of 100 (C100) to keep a neutral US-China connection…