Day: December 7, 2025

China’s big money is returning to African infrastructure as its state-owned firms evolve from mere builders into long-term financiers and operators. This is so they have enough “skin in the game”, according to one analyst, as Beijing seeks lasting influence over key transport routes and critical mineral supply chains in Africa. Across the continent, these companies are increasingly financing, building and operating key infrastructure under public-private partnerships (PPP). This financing model became increasingly common after the decline in bilateral loans after 2016, as Beijing rethought its risk exposure and lending…

China’s exports rebounded in November after declining in October, as trade sentiment improved on the heels of high-level China-US talks. Outbound shipments rose 5.9 per cent year on year to US$330.35 billion, customs data showed on Monday. This marked an improvement from October’s 1.1 per cent drop and beat the 3 per cent increase projected by financial data provider Wind. Imports reached US$218.67 billion in November, rising 1.9 per cent year on year, accelerating from October’s 1 per cent growth but missing Wind’s 2.85 per cent forecast. China posted a…

Beijing has hit back with “counter-protests” against Japan’s representations over the weekend mid-air military stand-off northeast of Taiwan near the Miyako Strait, accusing Tokyo of “purely ill-intentioned” rhetoric. The escalation of the diplomatic clash showed that tensions between the two neighbours continue to heighten following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks in November over Taiwan. According to Japan’s defence ministry, there were two separate instances of radar targeting of its F-15J jets on Saturday, involving J-15 fighters launched from China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier. 04:47 Why have Takaichi’s Taiwan comments sent…

China is building the world’s highest unmanned mine at a forbidding altitude of 5,600 metres (18,372 feet), higher than the world’s highest known inhabited settlement. At the Huoshaoyun lead-zinc mine in Hotan county, Xinjiang, domestically developed unmanned mining trucks have successfully completed ore loading and transport testing, according to the state-owned Science and Technology Daily. These machines can operate round the clock, eliminating the risk to workers of exposure to the low-oxygen, frigid conditions of high-altitude environments. This stands as a testament to humanity’s ability to access zones fraught with…

Mainland China’s coastguard has carried out its first-ever search and rescue exercise in a key section of the Taiwan Strait – one of the world’s most strategically vital and busiest waterways. The large-scale drills on Saturday centred around the Taiwan Shoal – a shallow, hazardous stretch in the southern end of the strait. The location underscored Beijing’s first operational presence in the vital choke point where global trade, military strategy and cross-strait politics converge. The Fujian Maritime Safety Administration (MSA), which oversaw the drills, said the rescue exercise would “safeguard…

Huang Yiping is the dean of Peking University’s National School of Development and a member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the People’s Bank of China, the country’s central bank. He also sits on the Hong Kong stock exchange’s Mainland China Advisory Group. In his second Open Questions interview, Huang shares his thoughts on the need for caution in adopting new technologies like stablecoins and artificial intelligence, China’s next five-year plan and whether its tariff ceasefire with the US will last. This interview first appeared in SCMP Plus. For other…