Day: February 20, 2026

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un triumphant at rare congress

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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. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has hailed the country’s “great successes” as he opened a rare national party congress with a triumphalist address that highlighted the reclusive regime’s increased confidence. The 5,000-delegate congress, which takes place every five years over several days and opened on Thursday, is Pyongyang’s biggest political event and is used to set policy goals and codify major shifts in ideology, foreign policy, economic planning and…

Could medical care help cure China’s services trade deficit?

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Chinese demand for overseas schooling, holidays and medical treatment has contributed to a persistent deficit in the country’s services trade, but signs of a tentative counter-current are emerging as a growing stream of foreign patients heads to China. While patients in the United States or Europe may wait months to secure their first appointment with a specialist, an entire medical journey can be compressed into just a few days in Shanghai, Beijing and other Chinese megacities. Advertisement The contrast has become a trending topic on Chinese social media platforms as…