Thailand and Cambodia fought in their most deadly border clashes in more than a decade on Thursday, with Thai officials reporting 13 civilians and a Thai soldier were killed in rocket and artillery attacks. Clashes broke out on Thursday morning after weeks of simmering tensions over a long-running border dispute between the south-east-Asian neighbours. Both countries accused each other of opening fire first. At least 13 Thai civilians and one soldier were killed in artillery shelling by Cambodian forces, according to Thai authorities, while 14 soldiers and 32 other civilians…
Month: July 2025
FirstFT: Nvidia chips worth $1bn smuggled to China despite Trump export controls
This article is an on-site version of our FirstFT newsletter. Subscribers can sign up to our Asia, Europe/Africa or Americas edition to get the newsletter delivered every weekday morning. Explore all of our newsletters here Good morning, happy Friday and welcome to FirstFT Asia. In today’s newsletter: Inside China’s roaring black market for Nvidia chips Thailand-Cambodia border clashes erupt Singapore’s GIC signals caution on private credit At least $1bn worth of Nvidia’s advanced artificial intelligence processors were shipped to China in the three months after US President Donald Trump tightened…
British carmakers left underwhelmed by UK-India trade deal
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. British carmakers have been left underwhelmed by the UK-India trade deal signed on Thursday, with industry figures saying “very difficult” last-minute talks between London and New Delhi had resulted in a watered-down accord. Under the agreement, tariffs for UK petrol and diesel car manufacturers will not fall to a headline 10 per cent rate until 2031, while a tight cap placed on the number of cars they can sell tapers…
US commerce secretary says next week’s China trade talks could include TikTok
TikTok may come up in trade talks with China next week, but if Beijing does not approve a divestment deal for Chinese owner ByteDance, the app will soon go dark in the United States, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Thursday. Advertisement US President Donald Trump’s administration will allow TikTok to remain in the US “if it’s in American control, and … China can have a little piece or ByteDance, the current owner, can keep a little piece”, Lutnick said, speaking on CNBC. “Americans will have control. Americans will…
China slams US envoy nominee for framing Argentina as great power ‘battlefield’
China has issued a sharp rebuke to comments made by Peter Lamelas, the US ambassador-designate to Argentina, saying they reflected a “Cold War mentality” after he accused Beijing of fostering corruption and being a malign influence across Latin America. Advertisement At his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Lamelas said he intended to travel across Argentine provinces to monitor agreements involving Chinese companies, which he claimed “could lend themselves to corruption”. On Thursday, the Chinese embassy in Buenos Aires condemned the remarks, warning that such rhetoric risked turning Argentina into “a…
Labubu, soft power of a stealthy ‘ugly-cute’ sort, takes on America
Alexandra Schmauch, who works at a property company in Dallas, Texas, was initially sceptical of the Labubu doll craze. As she watched the commotion build on TikTok and many of her friends became avid collectors, however, curiosity got the better of her. Advertisement Eventually, after several attempts, she managed to secure a couple of Labubus, relishing the “blind box” surprise of not knowing which Labubu character was inside. “A lot of the fun is how hard they are to get,” said Schmauch, aged 28. “I was lucky enough to get…
Chinese team’s tough aerogel could shield aircraft from new extremes
Chinese scientists have proposed a novel method for producing aerogels that significantly improves their heat resistance and mechanical properties, with potential for use in high-speed aircraft and space exploration, according to a paper published this month in a top journal. Advertisement Aerogels are lightweight, porous solid materials with extremely low density and exceptional thermal insulation properties. They are widely used for insulation or thermal protection in spacecraft, military equipment and electronics. However, despite their superior insulating abilities, conventional aerogels typically suffer from poor mechanical strength, making them vulnerable to pressure…
US’ anti-Beijing trade plan, China’s oversupply problem: SCMP daily highlights
Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. US agrees deals with Indonesia, Philippines – but are Chinese firms a step ahead? The United States has struck new trade deals with Indonesia and the Philippines, in a move analysts say could indirectly undercut China by reshaping regional supply chains and tapping rare earth reserves – even if Beijing is not explicitly targeted. 2. 6 Chinese university students drown on mine field trip…
The looming deadline for the Panama Canal ports deal
Two ports, one at either end of the Panama canal, have become a battlefront in the power struggle between China and America. Both countries view them as vital to their trading and security interests. By July 27th talks were supposed to wrap up on the terms of a $23bn deal that would see ownership of their terminals, as well as those in 41 other ports in 22 other countries around the world, handed from CK Hutchison (CKH), a Hong Kong-based conglomerate, to two Western firms: BlackRock, an American investment company,…
“Comrade” is making a comeback in China
DURING THE decades when Mao Zedong ruled China, it was common for people to address each other as tongzhi: “comrade”. Like its English equivalent, the word has an egalitarian ring, as well as a hint of revolutionary fervour. But after Mao’s death in 1976, and the market reforms that followed, the term tongzhi started to feel a little dated. Less ideological greetings took its place: like xiansheng (“mister”), meinu (“beautiful woman”) and laoban (“boss”). The Economist