Month: April 2026

The US visa system rolls out the “red carpet” for spies and aids China’s alleged efforts to steal American innovation, senators charged at a congressional hearing on Wednesday, as Washington and Beijing intensify competition for dominance in artificial intelligence and advanced technologies. Through its permissive legal channels, the US is “inviting, welcoming, come on in with the red carpet rolled out” people who steal military and commercial secrets, Republican Senator Ashley Moody of Florida told the Senate Judiciary Committee, adding that it keeps “her up at night.” “We’re doing this…

Few people have heard of Huangyan, a booming industrial district of Taizhou, a city in eastern China’s Zhejiang province. Yet without it, many cars would likely be heavier, more expensive and less energy efficient, while everyday household goods would probably cost more. The town specialises in plastic components and moulding equipment – unassuming products that rarely make the news, but sit at the heart of modern manufacturing. For years, Huangyan’s producers have dominated this supply chain, leaving households and multinationals reliant on them. Advertisement In a world awash with plastic,…

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick sought to quell fears in Senate testimony on Wednesday that American technology was aiding China’s military, but drew scepticism given the US president’s willingness to sell advanced semiconductors. Lutnick asserted before the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee that US President Donald Trump was striking a “delicate balance” on the technology transfer issue given his cordial personal relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, claiming that China has not bought any advanced chips “as of today”. “There is a delicate balance in the relationship with China. President Trump…

The United States is concerned that several African countries revoked overflight clearances for Taiwan’s leader at China’s behest, the US State Department said on Wednesday, calling the incident an abuse of the international civil aviation system. Taiwan this week said the Seychelles, Mauritius ‌and Madagascar unilaterally revoked flight permits for leader William Lai Ching-te’s aircraft to cross airspace they manage on a planned trip to eSwatini, one of Taiwan’s allies. It is the first instance of a Taiwanese leader having to cancel an entire foreign trip due to denial of…

The on-again, off-again US-Iran peace talks are casting doubt on whether Donald Trump will make his planned visit to Beijing in a few weeks, though the war could raise the diplomatic stakes of the trip if it does go ahead, Chinese observers say. Hours before a two-week ceasefire was set to end, the US president announced on Tuesday that he was prolonging the fragile truce with Iran. Advertisement The last-minute flip-flop underscores the deep mistrust between the foes and raises the question of whether Trump is ready to head to…

Chinese battery cell manufacturers are poised to benefit from the US-Israeli war in Iran, according to Fitch Ratings, even as fierce competition, overcapacity and thin margins weigh on some downstream firms. Advertisement “We believe that China’s leading energy storage cell manufacturers will be the bigger winners because they hold an overwhelming advantage globally,” Wang added. As an example, she noted that Chinese producers of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries – commonly used in electric vehicles and energy storage systems – possessed “absolute” advantages in technology, cost-efficiency and industrial scale. “Consequently,…