Day: August 24, 2025

China must accept India is looking after itself

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The evolving dynamics between China and India, the world’s most populous nations and rising economic powers, are at a critical juncture. Recent developments have shown encouraging signs in bilateral relations, with both sides expressing a willingness to re-engage constructively. Advertisement Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently visited New Delhi, where he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. This has renewed the momentum of high-level exchanges and paved the way for Modi’s visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit…

Investigation under way into fatal bridge collapse in Qinghai province

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Four people remained missing on Sunday after a railway bridge collapsed in the northwestern Chinese province of Qinghai, killing 12 people. Advertisement The central government has sent a task force to investigate the failure, which occurred on a section over the Yellow River at about 3am on Friday, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The report said 16 workers were on the Jianzha Yellow River Super-large Bridge carrying out a tensioning operation when a steel cable snapped. According to media reports, a resident nearby said he was woken by a loud…

Chinese team to delve into deep history of Egypt’s ancient Sekhmet Temple ruins

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A team led by the Shanghai Museum will embark on a joint archaeological research project with Egypt in October at the Sekhmet Temple ruins, a complex on the west bank of the Nile River. Advertisement The temple is part of the ancient Memphis archaeological site dating back over 5,100 years, at a site that was then the capital of ancient Egypt and the home of the god Ptah. For Beijing, the cooperation represents both an academic pursuit and a strengthening of bilateral ties, but international experts say China’s involvement could…

Taiwan referendum on reopening last nuclear plant fails

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A referendum to push for the reopening of Taiwan’s last nuclear plant has failed to reach the legal threshold to be valid, though the president said the island could return to the technology in the future if safety standards improved. The plebiscite on Saturday, backed by the opposition, asked whether the Maanshan power plant should be reopened if it was “confirmed” there were no safety issues. The plant was closed in May as the government shifts to renewables and liquefied natural gas. The small Taiwan People’s party proposed the referendum…

Chinese ownership of US farmland no threat to American security, envoy says

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China’s top envoy in Washington has rejected suggestions that Chinese ownership of US farmland is a national security threat, saying such claims are “completely unfounded”. Advertisement Addressing a soybean industry event in Washington on Friday, Xie Feng, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, said Chinese investors owned less than 0.03 per cent of the total farmland in the US. “How can it pose a threat to US food security as some have claimed?” Xie said, according to a transcript of his speech published by the Chinese embassy on Saturday.…

South Korea’s president heads into Trump talks on troops, trade and Pyongyang

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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will meet Donald Trump for his first face-to-face talks over America’s decades-long role on the Korean peninsula, amid speculation that the US is preparing to scale back its military presence. The US has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea under an alliance that dates back to the Korean war. But Washington wants Seoul to take on more of the burden of deterring nuclear-armed North Korea, as the US shifts its focus to containing China’s growing military strength. Lee will also be tasked at Monday’s White…

Australian steak influx threatens UK beef, farmers warn

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An influx of Australian steak into the UK is undercutting domestic production, British farmers have warned, as the livestock sector starts to feel the effects of post-Brexit trade deals. A sharp uptick in imports of prime Australian cuts such as strip loin and rib was eroding confidence in the livestock sector, the National Farmers’ Union and National Beef Association told the Financial Times. “These high-value cuts have the most distorting impact upon the UK beef market,” said David Barton, NFU chair of the national livestock board, because they are sold at…