Day: October 24, 2025

Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have started a new round of trade talks in Kuala Lumpur, paving the way for a possible meeting between the presidents of the world’s two largest economies. Advertisement The two sides are expected to discuss issues crucial to China-US economic and trade relations, China’s Ministry of Commerce confirmed on Thursday. The meeting in the Malaysian capital marks the fifth face-to-face meeting between He and Bessent since US President Donald Trump escalated his trade war in April. Bilateral relations between the…

For the first time in more than a decade, Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit South Korea next week, travelling to the historic city of Gyeongju for talks with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung as well as to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit. Advertisement While the trip carries limited expectations for immediate breakthroughs, it is seen as a carefully calibrated step towards resetting strained China-South Korea ties, according to experts. Xi’s last visit in 2014, at the height of Beijing-Seoul relations, culminated in a free-trade agreement that took…

A bipartisan group of 38 US senators is urging President Donald Trump to use his expected summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea next week to secure the release of former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, the latest in the US Congress’s efforts to get human rights on the agenda of the high-stakes meeting. Advertisement In a letter released on Friday, the lawmakers described Lai as a political prisoner and said the case for his release was “more dire than ever” due to his worsening health.…

Advertisement “The education system fundamentally shapes future development potential and opportunities,” Wang said, adding that for an intelligent individual entering university, studying frontier knowledge versus 20-year-old textbook materials created “a stark gap”. Born in 1990 in Zhejiang province in eastern China, the tech entrepreneur did not study at one of the country’s most sought-after universities. During his undergraduate and master’s studies at local universities in Zhejiang and Shanghai, he devoted his time and passion to building low-cost robots, launching his entrepreneurial career soon after graduation. Advertisement As the world enters…

In a move that piles up further US leverage in advance of next week’s planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the US Trade Representative announced an investigation on Friday into Beijing’s compliance with the Phase One Trade Agreement. Advertisement The latest tit-for-tat salvo comes as the two economic giants amass threats that, if carried through, could cripple the global economy. “The initiation of this investigation underscores the Trump administration’s resolve to hold China to its Phase One agreement commitments, protect American farmers, ranchers, workers…

As the presidents of China and the United States prepare to meet in South Korea next week, observers remain sceptical of breakthroughs but see potential for incremental steps towards mutual de-escalation of US-China tensions. Advertisement Without confirming a bilateral meeting with Donald Trump, China’s foreign ministry said on Friday that Xi Jinping would visit South Korea from October 30 to November 1 for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Gyeongju. The White House, however, announced on Thursday that the two leaders would meet on the morning of October 30,…