Day: April 15, 2026

China’s economy grew 5 per cent year on year in the first quarter of 2026, putting Beijing on track to meet its annual growth target even as the US-Israeli war on Iran continues to cloud the global economic outlook. The closely watched gross domestic product growth figure, released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Thursday, beat the 4.86 per cent forecast by economists polled by financial data provider Wind. It marked an acceleration from the 4.5 per cent recorded in the last three months of 2025, which was…

The Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources published the results of marine geological surveys over the past two decades for the seas, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday. The result was an atlas charting the location, concentration and distribution patterns of dozens of elements in seabed sediments, including rare earths, iron, manganese and copper, the report said. Japanese deep sea expedition returns home with rare earth samples Japanese deep sea expedition returns home with rare earth samples CCTV described the document as a “master navigation map” for marine development and conservation…

Rising tensions in the Middle East cast a fresh shadow over the opening of China’s largest trade fair, at a time when the impact of geopolitical shocks is being reflected in the nation’s trade figures. In conversations across sprawling exhibition halls after the Canton Fair opened its doors on Wednesday in China’s manufacturing hub of Guangzhou, domestic exporters and foreign buyers sounded each other out, trying to gauge how far those shocks might ripple through global trade. The threat of US tariffs continues to weigh on sentiment, and exporters across…

US military leaders painted a picture of Chinese military threats, spanning Taiwan and space, as they briefed Congress on the military readiness for the financial year 2027 on Wednesday. The People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) “invasion rehearsals and live-fire exercises near Taiwan and around the region” had illustrated “the need for combat-ready naval forces in the Indo-Pacific”, according to James Kilby, vice chief of Naval Operations. “[The US Navy therefore] remains committed to partnering and burden-sharing with allies and partners around the world to deter and, if necessary, defeat threats to…

A stretch of awkward diplomacy is unfolding in the Indo-Pacific. After India’s 2025 term as the Quad’s rotating chair ended without a leaders’ summit, New Delhi is planning to host a foreign ministers’ meeting that could be framed as a leaders-level discussion, even if the top leaders do not attend, according to two people familiar with the matter. The move is seen as a way to ease India’s ruffled feathers on several counts. Advertisement “It’s akin to putting lipstick on a pig,” said Sourabh Gupta of the Institute for China-America…

The White House on Wednesday dismissed as untrue reports that the US had sought to extend a ceasefire with Iran, while confirming that discussions over a second round of in-person negotiations were under way after marathon talks in Islamabad last week ended without a breakthrough. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that discussions were under way about a further round of talks with Tehran but “nothing is official”, adding that the negotiations would “very likely” be held… South China Morning Post