Day: November 28, 2025

Female sacrifice in China dates back thousands of years earlier than previously believed, a study of ancient DNA has revealed. Evidence from elite burials at a large Stone Age settlement in northwestern China also suggests the existence of an early hierarchical society, with gender preference relating to the type of sacrificial ritual, according to the Chinese archaeologists and anthropologists behind the study. Shimao, located in the Yellow River valley in Shaanxi province, is one of the largest prehistoric settlements discovered in China and dates to the late Neolithic period, about…

Shanghai, mainland China’s top finance and trade hub, is set to double down on efforts to prevent the “hollowing out” of its manufacturing sector even as it pursues global financial centre status. The city’s next five-year plan, which will cover the period from 2026 to 2030, is expected to contain measures designed to lift manufacturing’s share of gross domestic product to no less than 25 per cent, in line with a national imperative to bolster the real economy and promote cutting-edge technology. The move would make Shanghai one of the…

China is betting on bio-manufacturing to boost technological self-reliance and drive economic growth as part of the next five-year plan, elevating the sector on par with electric vehicles and semiconductors. Beijing is upgrading and expanding a nationwide bio-ecosystem, with 43 companies and research institutes selected in the first batch of pilot-scale manufacturing platforms for products ranging from biopharmaceuticals to food additives and enzymes to cosmetics, according to a statement from… South China Morning Post

Yonaguni is the westernmost island in the Ryukyu chain, which would be a key strategic location in the event of a conflict over Taiwan. The Japanese military has already spent years planning operations based on this precise scenario and although specific details have never been officially disclosed, past joint US-Japan exercises can help shed some light on their likely operational plan. Advertisement Her comments triggered the ongoing diplomatic row with Beijing, which regards the remarks as interference in its internal affairs and has demanded she retract them. Advertisement However, reports…

China has halted imports of soybeans from five Brazilian exporters after inspectors found pesticide-treated wheat mixed into a cargo bound for Beijing, officials from both countries said on Thursday. The ban covers two Cargill facilities and one plant each run by Louis Dreyfus Co., CHS Agronegocios and 3Tentos Agroindustrial. Four of the plants are in São Paulo state. One is in Rio Grande do Sul. Advertisement Inspectors in China discovered the contamination during checks at a port. The ship Shine Ruby was carrying about 69,000 tonnes of soybeans. Inside the…

China has expressed “serious concerns” regarding a trade agreement signed last month between Malaysia and the United States, and some analysts suggest it might be related to how the pact could force the Southeast Asian nation to align with Washington’s sanctions regime. The official reaction on Thursday followed a meeting between Chinese and Malaysian commerce officials earlier in the week. While Beijing did not publicly specify the offending clauses, critics point to provisions that ostensibly limit Malaysia’s ability to pursue independent trade deals. Here is why the agreement, which the…

Popular Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki has cancelled a concert in Shanghai scheduled for Saturday evening, following a request to call off the performance. In a notice posted on Chinese social media on Friday afternoon, the organiser of the concert said that the event had been cancelled due to “force majeure”. The organiser gave no details but Hamasaki, Japan’s most prolific singer-songwriter, posted on social media that “key staff members were hastily gathered in the morning, and we received a request to call off the performance”. Advertisement She added that the…