Day: June 18, 2025

Israeli strikes one more challenge for new China-Iran rail corridor

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Between the US restoring “maximum pressure” on Iran to deny it a path to nuclear weapons and Israel’s air strikes, a goods train from China quietly arrived at a dry port near Tehran, making the first delivery under the new China-Iran rail corridor project. It had travelled 10,400km (6,500 miles) from the Chinese city of Xian along a trade corridor aimed at slashing delivery times to 15 days, from 30 to 40 days by sea. Advertisement This is an ambitious route, traversing Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and may eventually connect…

Brussels accuses AliExpress of breaking EU digital rules

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The EU is accusing Chinese online marketplace AliExpress of breaching the bloc’s digital rules, as Brussels continues its efforts to utilise landmark legislation to police internet businesses. In preliminary findings issued on Wednesday, regulators said they were worried about the lack of effective measures from AliExpress to prevent the dissemination of illegal content such as counterfeit goods or unsafe products. Brussels also accused the company of failing to appropriately enforce…

China’s central bank chief expects new currency order to challenge dollar

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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese economy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. China’s central bank governor has said he expects a new global currency order to emerge after decades of dominance by the US dollar, with the renminbi competing in a “multi-polar international monetary system”. Speaking at China’s flagship financial forum in Shanghai, Pan Gongsheng said the US dollar had “established its dominance” after the second world war and “retained its status up till now”. He warned of “excessive reliance” on a…

China’s central bank chief expects new global currency order

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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese economy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. China’s central bank governor has said he expects a new global currency order to emerge after decades of dominance by the US dollar, with the renminbi competing in a “multi-polar international monetary system”. Speaking at China’s flagship financial forum in Shanghai, Pan Gongsheng said the US dollar had “established its dominance” after the second world war and “retained its status up till now”. He warned of “excessive reliance” on a…

World’s first non-binary AI chip, China’s quantum aims: 7 science highlights

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We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China’s J-20 stealth fighter’s radar leap credited to semiconductor scientist Xu Xiangang China’s J-20 stealth fighter has tripled its radar detection range, thanks to semiconductor advancements over the past two decades led by Shandong University scientist Xu Xiangang, according to the university. 2. China’s rare mineral gives blind mice ‘super vision’, offers hope for humans Researchers…

Mengzhou spacecraft for China’s moon-landing mission passes landmark test flight

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China has completed the inaugural test flight of its next-generation Mengzhou crewed spacecraft, executing a critical zero-altitude escape trial at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert. Advertisement Developed for China’s 2030 lunar ambitions, the modular Mengzhou spacecraft features two variants: a near-Earth version supporting space station operations with a seven-astronaut capacity and a deep-space model for lunar missions. Its reusable return capsule and advanced technologies place it among the world’s most capable crew vehicles. 01:57 China’s Chang’e-6 mission returns to Earth with first samples from moon’s far…

Carney and Modi reset Canada-India ties after row over Sikh activist’s death

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. India and Canada have mended their bilateral relations, ending a two-year-old diplomatic rift triggered by accusations of New Delhi’s involvement in the death of a Canadian Sikh activist. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Canada and India had agreed to reinstate their top diplomats and renew visa services to each other’s citizens and businesses. This came after he met India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G7 summit in…

Pakistan’s strongman courts US while drawing closer to China

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Pakistan’s army strongman is in Washington on a trip intended to reinforce military and economic ties with the US even as his nuclear-armed south Asian nation draws closer to China. The five-day official visit by Asim Munir, who as chief of the army is Pakistan’s most powerful figure, was agreed despite efforts by India to isolate him following fierce military clashes between Islamabad and New Delhi last month. He is expected to have lunch with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday. The meeting highlights Islamabad’s warming ties with Washington under…

China’s property market recovery stalls as falling prices hit sentiment

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Just days after Premier Li Qiang called for “greater efforts” to halt a decline in China’s housing market, fresh data on Monday laid out why the country’s top leadership still has such cause for concern. New home prices across 70 Chinese cities fell 0.2 per cent in May from the previous month, while those of second-hand homes declined 0.5 per cent, according to a Financial Times analysis — the fastest pace of decline in seven and eight months respectively. Real estate investment was also down 10.7 per cent in the…