Advertisement The regulations, released by the Central Military Commission (CMC), were designed to “strengthen political loyalty”, according to the official newspaper PLA Daily. It stressed the importance of Communist Party officials embedded within the military “acting with fairness and integrity in personnel matters, and leading by example”. A commentary published by the newspaper on Monday said the new rules drew “clear political red lines, boundaries on the exercise of power and limits on social interactions”, and “represented a solemn commitment to the entire military”. The report did not say when…
Day: July 21, 2025
EU must strengthen Asian security ties despite US pressure, says Kallas
Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world The EU must strengthen its security and defence partnerships with Asian countries despite pressure from the Trump administration to focus only on Europe’s domestic security, Brussels’ chief diplomat has said, pitching the bloc as a “reliable partner” in contrast with the US. Kaja Kallas told the Financial Times in an interview that counterparts in democratic Asian nations were asking the EU to remain engaged as a security actor…
Chinese officials call on carmakers to clamp down on price spiral
In discussions with major carmakers, China has repeatedly brought up the “irrational competition” driving down prices – an economy-wide issue threatening the buoyancy of emerging growth drivers, particularly new energy vehicles (NEVs) – calling for firms to establish lasting standards to ensure fair and orderly market activity. Advertisement As Beijing seeks to rein in a cutthroat price war driving down growth potential in the sector – a trend that is also fuelling deflationary pressure – industry leaders gathered in the capital for two symposia held over two consecutive days, according…
China-Singapore team’s nanovaccine suppresses cancer recurrence and spread
A joint China-Singapore research team is using nanoparticle technology to create a cancer vaccine that has produced promising results in animal tests – reducing the regrowth and spread of tumours up to seven times more effectively than existing treatments. Advertisement The nanovaccine attacks not only regular cancerous cells but also cancer stem cells (CSCs), which can lie dormant within tumours during treatment, only awakening when conditions are more favourable to the disease. The bioinspired approach developed by the researchers, led by Yang Yanlian from the National Centre for Nanoscience and…
US embassy in China warns exit bans risk straining bilateral relations
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the US-China relations myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. The US embassy in China has expressed concerns about damage to bilateral relations from exit bans, following reports that a commerce department employee had been prevented from leaving the country. The tensions over exit bans come as the two superpowers are locked in a trade war, and ahead of a potential meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The US “closely” tracks exit bans on American…
Chinese bond ETFs top US$50 billion in assets managed
Chinese investors are snapping up exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track bonds, betting on their lower costs and diversified exposure to profit from an environment of stubborn deflation and policy support for the corporate sector. Advertisement Assets managed under such ETFs surged to more than US$50 billion at the end of June, up from $10 billion at the beginning of last year, according to Bloomberg data. The number of those targeting corporate notes increased sixfold since the end of last year to become the fastest-growing segment, accounting for more than half…
New railway lines put Guinea and Algeria on track to send iron ore to China
China is poised to begin receiving iron ore shipments from Guinea and Algeria this year, as Chinese firms complete the railway lines and ports needed to overcome logistical bottlenecks. Advertisement For years, the lack of railway infrastructure connecting mine sites to port facilities had stymied iron ore exports from both nations. These massive projects are strategically important to China as it tries to diversify its supply of iron ore away from Australia and Brazil, which together account for about 80 per cent of seaborne exports. Simandou, in the remote southeast…
China land sales in smaller cities hit lowest level in a decade
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese economy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Land sales across smaller and less wealthy Chinese cities have fallen to their lowest levels since at least 2011, highlighting the bleak prospects for a full recovery across a national real estate market mired in a slowdown. Data from financial information provider Wind shows the total value of all land transactions in third-tier mainland Chinese cities, as ranked by population and economic development, fell 4 per cent to Rmb362bn ($50bn)…
Tech shocks to industry have only just begun
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. A few weeks ago, I had one of those “blink” moments that changed my view of the labour market in America. I was in a shipbuilding factory in Marinette, Wisconsin, owned by the Italian company Fincantieri. Among other things they build giant frigates for the US Navy, vessels that are more than 400-feet long and many stories high. It used to take hundreds of men years to do the kind…
Chinese rust-belt city gambles on the skies – and Russia – to fuel revival
A new airport project in Hegang, a rust-belt city near China’s northeastern border with Russia, marks a high-stakes effort at economic revival in a place better known for its cheap housing – where homes once sold for as little as 20,000 yuan (US$2,790), analysts said. Advertisement The initiative is part of a broader effort to revive the city’s economy after years of stagnant growth, industrial decline and a shrinking population. Hegang’s local population has dropped from about 1.1 million in the 2010s to 850,000 today, while its GDP decreased from…