Day: August 20, 2025

China-India talks: Modi praises ‘stable, predictable, constructive ties’

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China’s top diplomat Wang Yi highlighted to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi how dialogue mechanisms between their countries have been revived when the two met on Tuesday, following their latest cautious overture amid a rapidly evolving global landscape. Advertisement In New Delhi, Wang said that during border talks he and India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval had reached a consensus on regular management and control to maintain peace in border areas, properly handling sensitive points and advancing delimitation talks in specific regions, when conditions permitted. Wang said they also agreed…

Labubu frenzy sends Pop Mart profits and shares soaring

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The global popularity of the furry elf doll Labubu helped Pop Mart’s sales more than triple in the first six months of the year. The Chinese toy company’s sales jumped to Rmb13.9bn ($1.93bn), while net profit soared almost 400 per cent to Rmb4.6bn, beating the company’s own forecasts of “at least” 350 per cent given last month. Overseas sales accounted for about 40 per cent of sales. Shares climbed more…

Indian banking billionaire calls for support against Trump tariffs ‘shock’

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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Indian business & finance myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Indian banking billionaire Uday Kotak has called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to channel more budgetary support to small and medium-sized businesses as the economy grapples with Donald Trump’s punishing tariffs. Kotak, founder of India’s third-largest private sector lender, joins a recent chorus of tycoons, business leaders and industry lobby groups pushing New Delhi to help the country withstand the impact of Trump’s 50 per cent tariffs.…

How the Philippines forced China to adjust historic mission to moon’s far side

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Chinese space engineers made small but deliberate changes to last year’s historic sample retrieval mission to the far side of the moon to avoid political friction in the South China Sea, according to a new paper. Advertisement The Chang’e-6 spacecraft left the Wenchang spaceport on Hainan Island on board a Long March-5 rocket in May 2024, returning to Earth the following month with the world’s first lunar samples from the moon’s hidden side. According to the paper published last month by China’s Journal of Astronautics, the Long March-5 flew southeast…