Year: 2025

Small US businesses seek immediate relief from Trump tariffs, calling them crippling

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Saying they cannot afford to wait while trade negotiations unfold, small businesses are calling for relief from US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, warning that surging costs and disrupted supply chains were pushing many companies to the brink of collapse. Advertisement At an event organised Thursday by the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington, small business owners and industry experts urgently sought immediate action as a growing number of US companies – large and small – brace for the disruptive impact of tariffs. The chamber – the country’s largest trade group,…

35 years on, Chinese man seeks justice for ‘stolen’ medical college dreams

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An auxiliary policeman in central China’s Henan province is seeking justice for his “stolen life” after he found out an impersonator had appropriated his college entrance examination results 35 years ago to study at a medical school. Xi Nan, 54, sat for the country’s notoriously gruelling university entrance exams, known as gaokao, in 1990. He had assumed he had fared poorly in it, when he didn’t receive an admission notice. He then applied to join the local public security system where he has served as an auxiliary police officer for…

New CIA videos seek to lure Chinese officials to leak secrets to US

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The CIA on Thursday rolled out two Chinese-language videos aimed at enticing officials in China to leak secrets to the US, the latest public effort by the intelligence agency to ramp up human intelligence gathering on Washington’s strategic rival. Advertisement The move comes after the CIA in October launched a drive to recruit new informants in China, Iran and North Korea by posting instructions online on how to securely contact the agency, following what it said was successful efforts to enlist Russians. The CIA is confident that the videos are…

Uyghur activists condemn Harvard over training for sanctioned China group

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Uyghur human rights advocates are criticizing Harvard University for training officials from a Chinese paramilitary organization sanctioned by the U.S. government for human rights abuses, including mass detention and forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Officials from the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) participated in Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s executive training programs in 2023 and 2024, according to research by the China-focused think tank Strategy Risks. The program, delivered in partnership with China’s National Healthcare Security Administration, focused on health insurance governance and public…

US must re-industrialise, cut China tech reliance, says Trump’s pick for No 2 at Commerce

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America must re-industrialise and cut its reliance on China in critical technologies such as semiconductors, 6G and quantum computing, US President Donald Trump’s nominee for deputy secretary of commerce told senators on Thursday. Advertisement Paul Dabbar’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation came as bipartisan efforts mount in Washington to limit Beijing’s influence over global supply chains and emerging technologies. With China expanding its dominance in electric vehicles, telecoms infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, US lawmakers are pressing the Commerce Department to adopt policies that reinforce…

Apple to report quarterly earnings amid Trump trade policy chaos

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Investors have their eyes on Apple as it prepares to report financial results of the second quarter of the fiscal year on Thursday. The tech giant has been working to calm nervous analysts after Donald Trump levied sweeping tariffs on countries around the world that are likely to complicate supply chains for consumer electronics. Since the beginning of the year, Apple’s stock has slumped 16%. In anticipation of its earnings report, the company’s stock notched up slightly on Wednesday. Analysts are predicting a positive quarter for Apple with an average…

A dangerous stand-off between India and Pakistan

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The surge in tensions between India and Pakistan sparked by a deadly shooting in Indian-administered Kashmir last week has not so far sounded the global alarm it merits. The killing of 25 tourists and a resident in the disputed region was the worst terrorist attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166. New Delhi has linked the violence to Pakistan; Islamabad has denied any connection.…

CIA looks to recruit new Chinese spies with social media videos

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The CIA has released two Chinese-language videos on YouTube and other social media channels in a campaign to sow disillusionment among Chinese Communist party members and boost efforts to recruit spies in China.   The US intelligence agency posted the videos on social media platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, on Thursday. They are titled “Why I Contacted CIA: To Take Control of My Fate” and “Why I Contacted CIA: For…

Vietnam leader’s conciliatory tone on 50th war anniversary fuels hope but skepticism

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Ahead of the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War this week, the chief of the ruling communist party To Lam struck a reconciliatory tone toward people from former South Vietnam. His lengthy commentary, published in state media two days ahead of the anniversary, won praise at home and some cautious hope, mixed with skepticism, among those who fled the country after 1975. The April 30 anniversary is most commonly celebrated domestically as the reunification of the communist North and the U.S.-allied South Vietnam, and this was the…

US national security adviser involved in Signal chat scandal to exit post: reports

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US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser and a top aide versed in China policy will leave the administration, American media reported on Thursday. Advertisement If confirmed, the departure of National Security Adviser Mike Waltz along with his deputy, Alex Wong, would be the first major shake-up in the White House since the president started his second term some 100 days ago. It follows a scandal that broke late last month after the editor of The Atlantic magazine was mistakenly added to a chat on the secure platform Signal by…