Day: January 2, 2026

US President Donald Trump is meeting US Ambassador to China David Perdue at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Friday, rounding off a day of diplomacy that began with a call with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The engagements come at a delicate moment for the administration as it seeks to align its “America first” regional approach amid a deepening diplomatic rift between Tokyo and Beijing over Taiwan, and following Washington’s recent approval of its largest-ever arms sale to the self-governed island. Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China, to…

When Arthur Sze translates classical Tang dynasty poetry into English, he writes Chinese characters by hand, slowing himself to the pace of brush strokes and gaps. This deliberate resistance to speed is central to the craft of the US’ 25th poet laureate, and to his belief that poetry must be treated with care if it is to cross borders with depth intact. Sze only translates poems he loves, noting that he’s done just 75 translations over a five-decade-long career. “I don’t work on assignment. I need to think about the…

The Chinese public’s favourability towards the United States saw a “notable” rebound in 2025 to reach a three-year high, according to a new study by Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy (CISS). The annual Chinese Outlook on International Security survey, released on Wednesday, also found that the share of respondents holding a positive view of Sino-US relations increased by a “substantial” margin over the last year. Despite this warming sentiment, domestic support for assertive trade policy remained high, with nearly 90 per cent of those polled voicing support…

One of the most resonant words in the United States today is “affordability”. From rent and utilities to groceries and medical bills, prices seem to keep climbing. The term has helped Democrats win a string of local elections. It has also become a favourite target of US President Donald Trump. At a rally in Pennsylvania last month, the US president dismissed talk of affordability as a Democratic “hoax”. That stance came months after Trump revived the threat of sweeping tariffs, declared “Liberation Day” and vowed to restore factories to American…

Those big-ticket transactions – 8.27 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion) for Hua Hong and 40.6 billion yuan for SMIC – signalled a fresh round of consolidation in the country’s semiconductor industry, as Beijing’s tech self-sufficiency drive gathered pace amid heightened rivalry between China and the US. Advertisement The acquisition would help Hua Hong add a monthly production capacity of 38,000 65-nanometre and 40-nm chips, boosting its asset base and profitability, according to a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange. Hua Hong shares gained 9.42 per cent to close at HK$81.30…

As a diplomatic row sees Japanese company executives put visits to China on hold, Beijing is preparing to roll out the red carpet for South Korean business leaders accompanying President Lee Jae-myung on a state visit starting Sunday. The contrasting receptions highlight how geopolitics is reshaping corporate ties in East Asia. Analysts expect continued friction between Beijing and Tokyo in 2026 to accelerate Japanese efforts to de-risk from the Chinese market. Conversely, Beijing’s warming relations with Seoul are seen as poised to spur more business engagement. The Japan-China Economic Association…

President Lee Jae-myung of South Korea will seek Beijing’s support on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and press to lift an unofficial cultural content ban when he travels to China for a state visit next week, according to Seoul. Lee’s four-day trip from Sunday will make him the first sitting South Korean president to visit China since 2019. Lee will first travel to Beijing, where he is due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday afternoon, their second summit in two months. They last met in South Korea on…

China’s top party journal has called for a stronger package of policies implemented in one go – rather than through “piecemeal-style steps” – to stabilise the country’s struggling property sector, as the market remains vital to the domestic economy and consumer demand. The article published by Qiushi, the Communist Party’s leading theoretical journal, said policymakers should take concrete steps to stabilise the property market, urging them to implement measures that are “aligned with market expectations and rolled out with sufficient force in one go, rather than through piecemeal-style steps”. The…

A video released by the People’s Liberation Army during a military drill this week has sparked debate about whether Taiwan failed to detect a J-20 stealth fighter and how close the aircraft might have come to a key military airport on the island. The video was released by the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command on Tuesday – the second day of the “Justice Mission 2025” joint military exercises around Taiwan. The footage shows a PLA J-20 flying near an unidentified landscape that some observers say resembles the area surrounding the Pingtung…