Month: July 2025

Ten officials in China’s northwestern Gansu province are under investigation for oversight failures, after the provincial disease control agency and a hospital were discovered to have falsified test results during a major kindergarten lead poisoning scandal. Advertisement This comes nearly two weeks after police in Gansu’s Tianshui city detained eight people over their involvement in the poisoning that left more than 200 kindergarteners with high lead levels in their blood, in a case that shocked the nation. According to an investigation report released by the provincial government on Sunday, the…

This year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea is probably the best opportunity for Xi Jinping and Donald Trump to meet in person this year, multiple sources have said. Advertisement They said Trump might visit China before going to the Apec summit between October 30 and November 1, or he could meet his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the Apec event. According to South Korean media reports, Xi plans to attend the event in Gyeongju, but Trump’s participation is yet to be confirmed. Earlier this month Chinese Foreign…

An American citizen who works for the US government has been blocked from leaving China for months, possibly on national security grounds, after travelling there recently, the South China Morning Post has learned. Advertisement A source familiar with the matter said that a naturalised US citizen, originally from China, was detained by authorities upon landing in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, in April. The exact reason for the exit ban, as these restrictions are typically known, could not be confirmed, though the source said it related to actions Beijing deemed harmful to…

US President Donald Trump’s return to tariff diplomacy is on full display in Southeast Asia as he boasts of trade deals with first Vietnam, then Indonesia. The region faces some of the world’s steepest US tariffs come August 1, and many countries have rushed into last-minute talks to avoid economic fallout. Advertisement Trump has announced a 19 per cent tariff on all Indonesian goods entering the United States under a deal, down from 32 per cent, with Indonesia agreeing in return to buy 50 Boeing jets and spend US$19.5 billion…

China’s role as Southeast Asia’s largest infrastructure financier is increasing its regional influence at a time when the United States and the European Union are slashing their foreign aid budgets, a new report by an Australian think tank said. Advertisement With the Trump administration in the United States scrapping about US$60 billion in aid and European countries pulling back more than US$25 billion, “the centre of gravity” in Southeast Asia’s development finance landscape “looks set to drift East, notably to Beijing, but also Tokyo and Seoul”, the Lowy Institute report,…

Shangri-La Group has launched its super-luxury hotel brand in mainland China, Shangri-La Signatures, featuring a convergence of cultural heritage and nature aimed at attracting wealthy tourists amid a rebound in demand for leisure experiences. Advertisement The company was spearheading a move among global hoteliers to focus on unique offerings, operational agility and the evolving preferences of Chinese travellers to stay abreast of the competition. “Affluent Chinese travellers, particularly millennials and Gen Z in mainland China, are reshaping the meaning of luxury,” said Ulrich Jablonka, general manager of the Silk Lakehouse…

China needs to engage and cooperate more effectively with the Global South on AI governance to counter US moves to hobble its technological progress, according to analysts. Advertisement They also said that as the US retreated from its leadership role it could be “sidelined during a critical period” as the global norms and rules around artificial intelligence were shaped, while China continued to push forward conversations on governance. Jiang Yuhao, a researcher with the Institute of Public Policy, an independent think tank under the South China University of Technology, said…

China and Vietnam are set to conduct their first joint army training exercise, according to the Chinese defence ministry. Advertisement In a statement posted on its website on Sunday, the ministry announced that the joint exercise would be held this month in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, which borders Vietnam. Military ties between the Communist Party-led neighbours have deepened in recent months despite territorial disputes, as the close economic partners seek ways to navigate the US tariff war. The two sides have long carried out joint naval and land…