Day: April 6, 2026

China’s six largest state-owned banks are set to distribute more than 420 billion yuan (US$61 billion) in dividends for 2025, extending record-high payouts and strengthening their appeal as a source of stable income as investors rotate into defensive assets amid low interest rates. Combined payouts from Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), China Construction Bank (CCB), Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China, Bank of Communications and Postal Savings Bank of China were expected to reach about 427.4 billion yuan, up 1.6 per cent from a year earlier, according…

A research team at a Chinese university has developed a new way to make high-end infrared chips that could slash their cost dramatically and improve the performance of smartphone cameras and self-driving cars. The key breakthrough was finding a way to make the chips using conventional manufacturing techniques, rather than the exotic, costly materials that were relied on before. Mass production is set to begin by the end of the year, according to a press release from Xidian University. Advertisement The chips detect short-wave infrared (SWIR), which is invisible to…

Control of the seas has long defined power in the Asia-Pacific. From strategic chokepoints to contested fishing grounds, maritime space has shaped the region’s economic lifelines and geopolitical tensions. But a quieter contest is unfolding – less visible, yet potentially more consequential. It is not a contest over territory but over data. As satellite surveillance, digital tracking and advanced analytics transform how the ocean is monitored, a new question emerges: who controls the information that defines maritime reality? While legal frameworks such as the UN Convention on the Law of…

US dollar-denominated funds could face more hurdles when investing in Chinese tech and biotech companies as Beijing adopts a stricter approach to companies seeking listings via offshore incorporated vehicles. Indicative of Chinese regulators’ caution in overseeing sensitive industries, industry sources say the move ensures that any sale of assets does not escape regulatory scrutiny. And for any offshore incorporated structures that are approved, the stock regulator requires listing applicants to provide detailed explanations of foreign exchange arrangements and overseas investment procedures. Advertisement The shift comes as the China Securities Regulatory…

France and Germany have ramped up diplomatic efforts to contain the fallout from an escalating Middle East oil crisis, seeking to project European autonomy and distance themselves from the US-Israeli war on Iran. But as the conflict entered its second month, analysts said this was more about damage control than a leadership bid. They said while Berlin and Paris were at the forefront of calls for de-escalation they had limited room for manoeuvre given their security dependence on Washington. Joint American-Israeli strikes on Iran that began on February 28 have…

US President Donald Trump has claimed that ordinary Iranians were urging the US to keep bombing their own country in pursuit of “freedom”, as he renewed his warning of sweeping strikes on Iran’s critical infrastructure if negotiations fail ahead of his Tuesday deadline. Sounding triumphant after what he described as a “dangerous” operation to rescue a wounded American pilot from deep inside Iran, Trump on Monday warned that Iran could be “taken out in a night”, saying US forces had the capability to destroy major facilities within hours if a…

Whether it wraps up quickly or drags on, the repercussions of the US-Israeli war on Iran will echo for years, reshaping warfare, geopolitics, energy security and global perceptions of American tactical and strategic power. In the first of a three-part series, Mark Magnier looks at how the Iran war may alter Beijing’s approach to potential conflict over Taiwan, asymmetrical weaponry and the United States as an adversary. The US military is formidable, well-disciplined, projects deadly force rapidly and is tactically impressive. However, its drone warfare has struggled – even as…