Month: April 2026

Beijing is intensifying its enforcement against tax evasion, extending its reach into consumption taxes, which have been positioned as a critical source of stabilising local government finances that have been hit hard by the nation’s prolonged property crisis. Earlier this month, the State Taxation Administration (STA) released details of eight tax-violation cases involving sectors such as gold jewellery, alcoholic beverages and refined oil. The enforcement actions spanned multiple regions, including the provinces of Liaoning, Jiangsu and Guangdong, signalling a broader tightening of tax compliance for consumer goods. Advertisement In the…

Faced with US-China rivalry and an uncertain future even beyond Donald Trump’s presidency, middle powers are building fluid coalitions and partnerships to hedge against American and wider unpredictability, according to a leading Southeast Asian affairs scholar. Traditional US allies are asserting greater autonomy and forming their own networks to hedge against risks – a shift that is creating openings for smaller neutral states to further diversify their partnerships, while mitigating the danger of picking sides in the US-China competition, according to Kuik Cheng-Chwee, professor of international relations at the National…

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to travel to Pakistan on Friday, according to sources in Islamabad and the country’s state broadcaster, fuelling optimism for a second round of talks between Washington and Tehran. According to a source, Araghchi will travel with a “small team”, arriving by Friday night, Pakistan time. Advertisement A Pakistani official told the South China Morning Post that the Pakistani foreign ministry would make a formal announcement once there was final confirmation of the visit. The Iranian foreign ministry has not made any statement on…

The People’s Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command said on Friday that a naval fleet had “recently” held drills in waters east of Luzon, the northernmost major island of the Philippines. The drills were “a necessary action taken in response to the current regional situation”, said the command, which oversees the South China Sea. Advertisement The deployment coincided with Monday’s launch of “Balikatan 2026”, a 19-day annual large-scale joint exercise led by the United States and the Philippines. Advertisement The command did not say how many vessels took part in the…

Australian mining giant BHP’s decision to adopt a yuan-denominated index for a major Chinese buyer poses a challenge to the US dollar’s long-standing dominance in iron ore pricing, delivering a hard-won victory for Beijing, analysts said. But while the agreement marked a breakthrough in Beijing’s push to gain greater commodity pricing power at a time when the United States faces growing “geopolitical isolation”, analysts stressed that its broader efforts to reshape the old order remained far from complete. Advertisement “The agreement marks the first time China’s own market trading data…

Community members and activists have gathered on the University of Michigan campus to pay tribute to Wang Danhao, a semiconductor researcher from China who took his own life after being questioned by US federal agents. About 30 people attended the vigil, organised by peace advocacy group Code Pink to mark one month since Wang died. They formed a circle around an altar set with candles, flowers, incense and his portrait, sharing memories of his life and research, as well as their reactions to the young man’s death. Bob McMurray, a…

In a commentary on Thursday, PLA Daily pointed to the use of AI in the Middle East war and said it was the first time the technology had been integrated into the entire cycle of operations – from analysis of intelligence to target identification, planning and assessment. “This has practically demonstrated and validated the vast application potential and significant strategic value of AI in the military domain,” the article said, calling AI a “core engine” that was reshaping warfare, the armed forces and the global strategic landscape. Advertisement It said…