Day: June 20, 2025

Football coach Pan Xin was impressed by the vibrant atmosphere at the Jiangsu City Football League’s opening match a month ago, but admits to being surprised it has persisted. Advertisement The game drew a large crowd – including senior provincial officials – with cheerleaders adding a dash of colour, and was broadcast live by state media, he said. “It felt like a great start to the event, but I didn’t anticipate such a lasting impact,” said Pan, who coaches a youth football team in Danyang, Jiangsu province. Over the past…

A deadly border skirmish between Thailand and Cambodia late last month has put China’s neighbourhood diplomacy to the test as Beijing seeks to maintain stability in a region crucial to its strategic interests. Advertisement Analysts said China would probably monitor the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute closely while avoiding direct mediation. They added that Beijing might work with Asean to prevent future direct confrontations between troops along a 4.6 sq km (1.78-square-mile) stretch of disputed land. Thai and Cambodian officials met for the first time last weekend following an exchange of fire…

Chinese civilisation is deeply rooted in the virtues of sympathy, respect and love towards the elderly. For instance, Confucian teachings promote the idea that filial piety is the root of virtue and place great emphasis on the moral duty of the younger generation to care for and honour their elders. Advertisement This long-standing cultural ideal has helped shape familial relationships and defined broader societal norms. Needless to say, there are numerous examples of preserving filial piety. Yet in today’s fast-paced and increasingly individualistic society, these values are too often forgotten…

The United States failed this week to reach a tariff deal with Japan, a key Pacific Rim ally, and has threatened to notify multiple countries of new duty rates on imports after talks with only one, the United Kingdom, have shown any results. Advertisement Those developments, which made the US look weak in the short term, should prompt China to take a harder line with Washington on reaching a deal, analysts said. China, the world’s second-largest economy, was hit especially hard by US President Donald Trump on April 2, which…

Huawei Technologies has unveiled the latest version of its proprietary operating system (OS), HarmonyOS 6, new artificial intelligence (AI) models and its CloudMatrix 384 AI rack architecture, as the Chinese technology giant accelerates efforts to build out its in-house software ecosystem in the face of ongoing US sanctions. Advertisement The company introduced a beta version of HarmonyOS 6 at its annual developer conference on Friday, highlighting new features such as AI agents. Richard Yu Chengdong, chairman of Huawei’s consumer business group, said the update was now available to developers, but…

China is seeking to become the chief architect of new models of global governance in the wake of the rapid retreat of the US from the international stage under Donald Trump, with Beijing saying the existing mechanisms do not properly represent the interests of developing nations. Advertisement Placing the organisation in Hong Kong also sent a message to the world that the city is moving beyond its traditional image as a gateway to the mainland’s economy and can play an increasingly political role as China’s bridge to the Global South.…

US President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated his two-week timeline for deciding whether America would join Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, calling it the “maximum” window for action in an apparent bid to pressure Tehran to negotiate. Advertisement Asked by a reporter whether the US could launch a strike before the two-week deadline, Trump on Friday replied: “I would say two weeks would be the maximum.” The American leader also on Friday declined Iran’s call for him to urge Israel to stop its air strikes, saying, “It is very…

A high-ranking Chilean lawmaker is facing renewed scrutiny after records showed she helped arrange for a Chinese businessman to join an official parliamentary trip to China, where he coordinated logistics and took part in meetings with mainland authorities. Advertisement Messages revealed by investigators on Thursday showed Karol Cariola, a member of Chile’s Communist Party and former president of the country’s Chamber of Deputies, may have used her position to benefit a Chinese national on several occasions. Prosecutors are now examining whether her actions amount to influence peddling, an allegation she…