Month: July 2025

Advertisement Ishiba, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has come under intense pressure since the ruling coalition’s defeat in upper house elections on Sunday. It is the first time since 1955 that the ruling coalition does not have a majority in the upper and lower houses but LDP heavyweights have so far held off on calling publicly for his resignation. The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported on Wednesday that Ishiba told close advisers that he planned to step down by late August. But later in the day Ishiba denied the…

A fresh trade deal between Washington and Tokyo, with Japan pledging investments in the US and opening up its long-protected agricultural sector in exchange for lower tariffs, underscores how even long-standing US allies are not shielded from President Donald Trump’s “America first” push to reshape the global trade paradigm, according to analysts. Advertisement By comparison, they said, China possesses greater bargaining power through its integral role in international value chains developed over the past few decades, with dominance in the realm of rare earths proving to be a big bargaining…

In a reshuffle of China’s top police agency, a public security chief who has crossed career paths with some of the country’s senior leaders, will head a body responsible for the security of leading officials. Advertisement Ling Zhifeng, director of the Ministry of Public Security’s political department, has also been named a vice-minister and head of the Special Service Bureau, also known as the Eighth Bureau. This bureau is one of two agencies responsible for the security of senior Chinese officials. Its task is to ensure the safety of the…

A Chinese analysis of prescription anti-obesity medications has added to evidence that people who use popular GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic to shed pounds face the prospect of “significant” weight rebound once they stop using them – challenges similar to those presented by more traditional slimming strategies. Advertisement Patients saw “significant weight” return eight weeks after anti-obesity medications (AOMs) were stopped, which continued after 20 weeks, the team from Peking University People’s Hospital wrote in an article published in the peer-reviewed journal BMC Medicine on Tuesday. “Weight regain is common…

Advertisement The Indian embassy in Beijing said applications for tourist visas would resume on Thursday. It said applicants must complete an online form then book an in-person appointment to submit the required documents at centres in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou. China’s foreign ministry described the announcement as a “positive move” that served the “common interest” of all sides. “China stands ready to maintain communication and coordination with India to keep facilitating people-to-people exchanges between the two countries,” Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the ministry, said on Wednesday. Advertisement South China…

China’s tropical island province of Hainan will have an independent customs regime by the end of the year, the central government announced on Wednesday. Advertisement Starting from December 18, a separate customs zone will be established in Hainan, which Beijing wants to transform into a free-trade port, as well as a centre for offshore financing and duty-free shopping that will lure tourists and businesses with an internationally competitive tax regime and relaxed visa requirements. A key part of the country’s “dual circulation” economic strategy that aims to boost domestic consumption,…

The US is falling behind China in energy generation, according to Silicon Valley start-up Anthropic, as the artificial intelligence company urges Washington to “slash red tape” surrounding power infrastructure development amid escalating competition with China. Advertisement Last year, China added 400 gigawatts of power capacity, while the US added only “several dozen” – amounting to just one-tenth of China’s total, Anthropic said in a report published on Tuesday, citing numbers from a report in February by Australian think tank Climate Energy Finance. Anthropic, the San Francisco-based firm behind the Claude…