Day: May 18, 2025

A Chinese university has removed a news page from its website after coming under fire for announcing the hiring of a prominent Japanese archaeologist. Advertisement Last month, Sichuan University’s school of history and culture in the city of Chengdu announced on its website that one of the world’s leading archaeologists – Kazuo Miyamoto – had started working at the university as a chair professor. Miyamoto, who has spent his career studying East Asia and the Eurasian steppe, would continue contributing to cultural exchanges between China and the West at the…

China’s economy mostly remained resilient in April, despite feeling the effects of the astronomical tariffs in effect before last week, when Washington and Beijing agreed to remove or pause most of the duties imposed as part of their tempestuous trade war. Advertisement With the new agreement providing a 90-day reprieve in the conflict, last month was the only period where the full force of the triple-digit tariffs could be observed in economic data – at least for now. Last month, China’s industrial output grew by 6.1 per cent from a…

China has said it was accelerating work on a “flagship” dam in Pakistan in the wake of India’s recent threats to cut off water supplies. Advertisement The state-owned China Energy Engineering Corporation has been working on the Mohmand Hydropower Project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan since 2019. The project was scheduled to be completed next year. On Saturday state broadcaster CCTV reported that concrete filling on the dam had started, marking “a critical construction milestone and a phase of accelerated development for this national flagship project of Pakistan”.…

China’s yuan has the potential to rival a weakening US dollar as a global currency if Beijing liberalises convertibility and access for foreigners, according to a senior Asian economist. Advertisement China wants more international use of its centrally controlled yuan, and the currency already works fluidly in cross-border purchase settlements, said Hoe Ee Khor, chief economist with the Singapore-based Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office. “The US exceptionalism is over – the beginning of the end,” Khor told the Post on Thursday. “The US dollar is not the safe currency it used…

Advertisement “We need to focus more on implementation and identify the right investment pockets, especially given the recent improvement in market indices,” Kinger Lau said in an interview in Hong Kong on Friday. “Investors should allocate to sectors that offer better risk and reward.” In a research note on Wednesday, Goldman said Chinese equities have fully recovered from a 13 per cent loss incurred after US President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs on April 2. The MSCI China, CSI 300 and Hang Seng Tech Index were trading 2 to 4…

Khalil Hashmi has served as Pakistan’s ambassador to China since November 2023, marking his second diplomatic posting in Beijing. Over his nearly 30-year career, he has held key assignments in several capitals, including Copenhagen, as well as at Pakistan’s missions to the United Nations in both New York and Geneva. He has worked on policy issues including arms control, counterterrorism, human rights and climate change. For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here. Advertisement India and Pakistan have accused each other of ceasefire violations in Kashmir. What is…

The recent armed clashes between India and Pakistan have created an unintended proving ground for competing military technologies. A more consequential narrative is unfolding: Chinese military hardware facing off against Western and Russian systems in real-world conditions. Advertisement Pakistan’s arsenal, shaped by extensive defence cooperation with China, has increasingly incorporated advanced air and missile systems, drones and multirole fighters, in contrast to India’s diversified mix of Russian, Western and domestically adapted platforms. The price differential between Chinese and Western military systems is substantial. Pakistan’s Chinese-made Wing Loong II drones cost…