Day: May 2, 2025

China has “lots to learn” if it hopes to transition from a bystander to a credible mediator in the Middle East, according to analysts, who noted that Beijing faced major challenges in engaging Syria’s new government. Advertisement They made the comments during a virtual panel on Monday held by US-based think tank the Foreign Policy Research Institute. While meeting the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations Fu Cong in New York on Monday, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said the two countries would “work together to build a long-term strategic…

With the passage of a law designed to bolster China’s private economy, Beijing’s frequent shows of rhetorical support for businesses face a litmus test as the legislation is set to come into force on May 20. Advertisement Observers and entrepreneurs are closely following the implementation of the Private Economy Promotion Law to determine whether the measure has teeth. Of particular interest is how the law will impact the ability of firms to take local-level governments to court, and how it will protect the private sector from fines that have long…

For Shanghai resident Kong Jiongjiong, a missed opportunity meant the difference between a windfall and a potential loss. Advertisement Kong, a journalist, paid 1.5 million yuan (US$206,289) in 2015 for a 50-square-metre (538 sq ft) flat in Shanghai’s Hongkou district, using her life savings and loans from a bank. Just months later, a nearby parcel of land was sold at a record price of 70,000 yuan per square metre, more than double what she paid. She hesitated to sell, believing prices would go higher. But the momentum did not last.…

As Washington and Beijing circle each other warily with US-China trade and the global economy hanging in the balance, a seemingly simple yet hugely freighted impediment remains how to open communication channels, analysts said. Advertisement One approach floated by Chinese officials would see special envoys created by Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. But the US has balked at this idea, preferring to see Trump, a self-avowed master deal maker, negotiate directly with Xi. That is an approach the Chinese have rejected as too risky and lacking in certainty, they added.…

China’s leading manufacturer of specialised cleaning robots for skyscrapers and solar panels is grappling with the suspension of its first deal with a US-based client over increased tariffs on Chinese products, as businesses face disruptions from US President Donald Trump’s trade policies. Advertisement Guangdong Lingdu Intelligent Technology Development, which sells its robots under the brand X-Human, signed a contract worth 12 million yuan (US$1.6 million) with its first US customer earlier this year. However, the customer suspended the deal after the US imposed additional tariffs, Lingdu chief operating officer Jackey…

When 15-year-old Benjamin Qin Muji began writing his essay during the China trials for the International Philosophy Olympiad in Shanghai earlier this year, there was one question on his mind. Advertisement “Do machines have the ability to think and feel pain?” Benjamin posed to his readers, the judges of the competition for high school students. Benjamin argued that artificial intelligence, with its remarkable ability to process multiple streams of information and synthesise new ideas, could indeed think and, therefore, was conscious. But AI could not feel pain because it lacked…

Leela Roye, a senior at Boston University, has been too busy thinking about final exams and college graduation to focus much on US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats and impending US- China trade war. Advertisement But Roye is surrounded by classmates who love the cheap prices of online Chinese retail sites like Shein and Temu is aware those prices could rise dramatically starting on Saturday. “A lot of people, especially in college, shop in those places because the prices are so low compared to things you can find in the…

The US State Department office that negotiates science and technology agreements could be upended under an agency reorganisation, raising concerns among analysts that such a move could weaken US science diplomacy and international research collaboration. Advertisement In its push to shrink the federal government, President Donald Trump’s administration has announced a major restructuring of the State Department. While the department has not said whether it plans to eliminate the Office of Science and Technology Cooperation (STC), a LinkedIn posting by one of its staffers indicated this was in the works.…