Month: February 2026

China’s leadership has stressed the need for a more proactive macroeconomic stance to support the country’s new five-year plan, ahead of next week’s annual “two sessions” – one of the country’s most important political events. Chaired by President Xi Jinping, the Politburo – a major decision-making body of the ruling Communist Party – met on Friday and set a decisive tone for policy direction, highlighting the need to expand domestic demand and strengthen new growth drivers. In an official readout released by state-run news agency Xinhua, the Politburo said it…

Global debt climbed to a record high in 2025, rising at the fastest pace since the pandemic, with China and the United States accounting for a large share of the increase, according to a new report. Total global debt surged to US$348 trillion last year, with nearly US$29 trillion of new debt added over the year, the Institute of International Finance (IIF) said. Government borrowing accounted for more than US$10 trillion of the increase, with the United States, China and the euro zone together responsible for roughly three-quarters of the…

China’s top court has hailed a mediated resolution to an international shipbuilding dispute as a landmark example of the country’s anti-sanctions law working to protect domestic industry. “Its ruling’s principles demonstrate China’s firm commitment to safeguarding the multilateral trading system and offer judicial insight towards building a fair and equitable international economic order,” the court said. Advertisement The case centred on a 2023 subcontract between an unnamed Chinese company based in Shandong and a Swiss marine equipment firm. The Swiss firm contracted the Chinese company to build modules for a…

China has stepped in to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan following an escalation of their conflict, urging both sides to end the fighting and settle their disputes through dialogue. This comes after Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan on Friday, including the capital Kabul, and declared “open war” with its neighbour after months of deadly clashes. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Friday that as a neighbour and a friend to both countries, China was closely following developments. She added that Beijing was deeply concerned about…

With China’s currency having steadily strengthened in recent months, the central bank has rolled out a pair of measures to lower foreign exchange hedging costs and support cross-border yuan financing. In a notice on Thursday, the People’s Bank of China refined the framework for domestic banks to conduct cross-border yuan interbank financing, explicitly endorsing their role in providing stable yuan liquidity to offshore markets through regulated channels. The move comes as Beijing has been seeking to enhance China’s offshore yuan market and further internationalise the currency. Advertisement According to the…

China has placed its nationals on high alert following a series of rebel attacks targeting the US$4.5 billion Niger-Benin oil pipeline and an Islamic State raid on the Nigerien capital’s international airport on January 29. On Monday, the Chinese embassy in Niamey urged citizens to avoid high-risk areas and instructed firms to implement emergency response plans as insurgent groups increasingly target Chinese-managed infrastructure. The warning follows recent attacks on the pipeline and a predawn assault on Air Base 101 and Niamey International Airport by Islamic State militants, who damaged several…

China’s rapid expansion of surveillance satellites means protective measures in space are not sufficient for the United States, which needs the offensive capability to “turn around and punch”, a US Space Force general said. According to the US military news website The War Zone, Lieutenant General Gregory Gagnon said China had built “the second-best remote sensing architecture in the world from outer space”. He said China had expanded from fewer than 100 satellites in 2013, when Xi Jinping first came to power, to 1,900 today. 06:25 Will Musk’s moon pivot…