Day: October 5, 2025

As China’s population falls, 300,000-strong robot army keeps factories humming

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China’s factories welcomed 295,000 newly installed industrial robots last year, easing fears the nation’s manufacturing juggernaut could falter after the population declined for a third consecutive year. Advertisement The robot boom in the rapidly ageing society is helping offset some of the challenges of a declining workforce and bolstering its manufacturing edge, which is set to sharpen further as humanoid technology matures, analysts said. China’s population has declined since 2022, with a decrease of 1.39 million last year. But the country now boasts a record 2.027 million active industrial robots,…

Japan stocks soar and yen weakens after Takaichi wins race to lead ruling party

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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Japanese business & finance myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Japan stocks surged to record highs and the yen weakened sharply against the US dollar as investors placed bets on a “Takaichi trade” of more fiscal stimulus from the country’s expected next prime minister. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index rose by 4.1 per cent to 47,650 points on Monday in Tokyo as traders reacted to Sanae Takaichi’s election as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic party. The broader…

Hong Kong the launch pad for China’s new financial ideas, UBS China chief says

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In the first instalment of a six-part series about financiers who act as mainland China’s Capital Connectors with the world, UBS Securities’ chairwoman Janice Hu talks about the opportunities and challenges for Hong Kong in its evolution as an international financial hub. Advertisement As Beijing recalibrates trade and investment away from the US, Hong Kong is being cast once again as the launch pad for China’s global ambitions. A surge in cross-border flows between the city and the mainland this year has underscored Hong Kong’s enduring role as China’s financial…

Martin Powers on how imperial China’s politics inform Western societies

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Martin Powers, professor emeritus at the University of Michigan, is a renowned art historian and sinologist specialising in the history of social justice in China. He is the author of four books (including two that won the Levenson Prize for best book in premodern Chinese studies) and numerous articles. His recent work, China and England: The Preindustrial Struggle for Justice in Word and Image, explores visual and verbal evidence of the English Enlightenment response to imperial China’s institutions. This interview first appeared in SCMP Plus. For other interviews in the…

UK government undermined China spying probe to protect Beijing ties, say officials

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Sir Keir Starmer’s government fatally undermined an investigation into Chinese spying against politicians in Westminster to protect the UK’s commercial and diplomatic relations with Beijing, according to senior UK officials, despite concern that a hostile state had infiltrated the heart of British democracy.      Senior UK officials told the FT that last month’s decision by prosecutors to drop the so-called China spying case came after a huge dispute that pitted Starmer’s international security advisers and the Foreign Office against the Home Office, with the latter wanting to press ahead with the…

China needs to chart a new course to become world’s largest importer

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In 2009, China surpassed Germany to become the world’s largest exporter of goods, a position it has maintained for the past 16 years. This export dominance has been instrumental in propelling China’s economy forward, enabling it to overtake Japan in 2010 as the second-largest economy in nominal GDP, trailing only the United States. Advertisement By 2013, China had also eclipsed the US as the world’s largest trading nation in goods, measured by the combined value of imports and exports. These milestones underscore its remarkable transformation from an inward-focused economy to…

Mount Everest rescue under way after snowstorm traps nearly 1,000 people

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Rescue efforts are under way on Mount Everest after a snowstorm trapped nearly 1,000 people in campsites on the eastern side of the mountain, according to Chinese state media. Hundreds of trekkers stranded by a blizzard near the eastern face of the mountain in Tibet were guided to safety by rescuers on Sunday, as unusually heavy precipitation including rain pummelled the Himalayas. As of Sunday, 350 people had reached the small township of Qudang, while contact with the remaining 200-plus trekkers had been made, China Central Television (CCTV) reported. Visitors…

China threatened to retaliate against UK over foreign influence rules

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China threatened to retaliate against the UK government if ministers targeted parts of its security apparatus under foreign influence rules, the Guardian can disclose. Chinese officials warned the Foreign Office that the move would have negative consequences for relations soon after the Guardian reported it was under consideration, according to two government sources with knowledge of the discussions. The disclosure will raise alarm bells given that ministers have so far refused to apply stricter foreign influence rules on lobbyists acting for China or any part of the Chinese state. Only…