Month: September 2025

As a new US port fee targeting China-built or -operated vessels is set to take effect in two weeks, China has revised its international maritime transport rules to allow retaliatory measures, including charging special fees or restricting access to Chinese ports. Advertisement China will implement necessary countermeasures against any country or region that imposes or supports discriminatory bans, restrictions or similar measures targeting Chinese operators, vessels or crews, according to the revision released on Monday. “These countermeasures include, but are not limited to, charging special fees on their vessels when…

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for further enactment of law and regulation, as well as stricter law enforcement, in religious affairs in a push to Sinicise religions in the country, according to state media. Advertisement Xi made the remark on Monday while presiding over a group study session of the ruling Communist Party’s Politburo. “Governing religious affairs in accordance with the law is the fundamental way to properly handle various contradictions and problems in the religious field,” he said, according to state news agency Xinhua. “[We must] enhance relevant…

China’s President Xi Jinping has called for further enactment of law and regulation, as well as stricter law enforcement for religious affairs in a push to sinicise religions in the country, state media reported. Advertisement Xi made the remark on Monday while presiding over a group study session of the ruling Communist Party’s Politburo study session. “Governing religious affairs in accordance with the law is the fundamental way to properly handle various contradictions and problems in the religious field,” he said, according to Xinhua. “[We must] enhance relevant laws and…

World-leading battery scientist Stefano Passerini has taken up a full-time position at Nanjing Normal University in eastern China. Advertisement The 65-year-old Italian researcher – a member of Germany’s National Academy of Sciences – will head the new International Institute for Electrochemical Energy Storage, the university said in a statement. At a ceremony at the Xianlin campus on Thursday, Passerini said his decision to move to Nanjing reflected his confidence in the university’s research, talent and potential. Passerini pledged to build the institute into a world-class research centre and a bridge…

The cheap croissants and no-name detergents that power discount grocers in the US and Europe are now filling shelves in China, where struggling chains are betting on store brands to lure back shoppers. Advertisement Purveyors from Walmart and Wumart to Alibaba Group Holding’s Freshippo are streamlining their sprawling hypermarkets – once packed with name-brand goods – cutting clutter and pushing their own “private label” lines, which promise to match or beat the quality of established brands at lower prices. They are betting that a playbook honed by the likes of…

Meng Fanli, the party chief of Shenzhen, has been promoted party chief of Guangdong’s government, a job that effectively makes him the governor-in-waiting of China’s largest provincial economy. Advertisement Meng, 60, was moved to Guangdong in 2022, when he was assigned as party chief of Shenzhen city, according to the province’s official news outlet Nanfang Daily’s social media account. The title of party chief of the provincial government doubles with the position of governor, and Meng’s appointment in that role is expected to be confirmed by the provincial legislature soon.…