Day: June 18, 2025

The envoys of the world’s two leading powers painted starkly different pictures of US-China ties, each offering a competing assessment of the state of their economic relations – just as a recently agreed framework to ease trade tensions hangs in limbo. Advertisement Speaking at the US-China Business Council in Washington on Wednesday, Chinese ambassador Xie Feng called the trade relationship “generally balanced” and tariffs on Chinese imports “still unreasonably high”, warning that the US goods deficit would not shrink while export controls, visa denials, and barriers to Chinese firms persist.…

As Beijing looks to shore up China’s economic growth amid mounting challenges, Premier Li Qiang has called on Jiangsu province, a key manufacturing hub on the country’s east coast, to step up its efforts in technology, trade and consumption. Advertisement During a three-day visit to the province from Monday, Li emphasised the importance of embracing innovative development, stimulating effective demand, fostering entrepreneurship, and deepening reform and opening up to support China’s sustained economic growth. “Jiangsu has a solid economic foundation and strong capabilities, but it also faces higher development expectations,”…

Huawei Technologies is seeking to deepen its role as a global supplier of artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G infrastructure for network operators, as the telecoms industry faces market saturation. Advertisement Speaking at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Shanghai on Wednesday, Huawei deputy chairman Eric Xu Zhijun said that 40 years of rapid development in the telecoms industry had led to a period in which “basic consumer needs are met and growth is stagnant”. Xu identified four key paths to industry growth in his keynote speech: tapping new user groups…

Videos circulating on Chinese social media that appear to show rehearsals for a major military parade are providing an early glimpse of the scale and symbolism expected when China marks the 80th anniversary of its Victory Day in September. Advertisement On Wednesday, a clip posted to the Instagram-like platform RedNote – also known as Xiaohongshu – showed at least 45 People’s Liberation Army helicopters flying in formation. The aircraft formed ceremonial patterns, including a heart, the numbers “8” and “0”, and also flew in groups of three, with each carrying…

As the world watched anxiously whether the Middle East descends into wider war and the US actively joins Israel against Iran, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth sidestepped direct questions before Congress on Wednesday and otherwise declined to shed insights into the administration’s plans. Advertisement The Pentagon chief told the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee that the final decision on what course America would take was in the hands of US President Donald Trump, describing his own role as furnishing the White House with options. In response to sharp questioning by Democratic…

A brain drain hitting American universities is expected to gather pace before the start of the new academic year as funding cuts and attacks on academic freedom have led increasing numbers of academics to question whether they wish to stay in the United States. Advertisement Last month, the historians Timothy Snyder and Marci Shore, who are married to each other, announced their departure from Yale University to join the University of Toronto, citing concerns over the direction of American democracy during Donald Trump’s presidency. Meanwhile, professors who face funding cuts…