Month: April 2026

While the world remains divided over the unresolved issue of toll collection in the Strait of Hormuz, some Chinese experts have proposed pegging fees to oil prices or using exportable digital tokens from China for settlements. If tolls were to be imposed in this strategic chokepoint for global energy trade, settlement mechanisms could be “innovative”, said Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University. “Tolls and settlements could be tied to oil prices or… South China Morning Post

A temporary but fragile ceasefire is in place after US President Donald Trump pulled back from the brink of a wider Iran war. For Beijing, as it prepares for Trump’s high-stakes visit planned for next month, the key question is what the Iran crisis reveals about Trump’s governing style, and whether it has left him emboldened or simply more unpredictable and volatile. The episode is the latest example of what Chinese observers call Trump’s “split” style: abrupt swings between conciliatory talk of… South China Morning Post

A long-awaited EU debate on China has been shelved in favour of the Middle East crisis, highlighting how Europe is struggling to treat Beijing as a strategic priority despite mounting economic pressure. The European Commission’s security college was set to meet this coming Monday to debate the challenges posed by Beijing, as part of what officials were referring to internally as “China week”. It would have been the first strategic discussion among the bloc’s 27 commissioners under President… South China Morning Post

Rising demand for yuan settlement amid Middle East tensions is driving record transaction amounts in China’s cross-border payment system, analysts said, building on years of efforts to bolster financial infrastructure and expand its global network. “The Middle East conflict may have acted as a catalyst,” said Ding Shuang, chief economist for Greater China and North Asia at Standard Chartered, citing rising demand for yuan settlement, particularly in oil trade. China’s Cross-border Interbank… South China Morning Post

On April 7, less than two hours before US President Donald Trump’s declared deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz expired, a two-week ceasefire was announced after being floated by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The deal followed Iran’s delivery of a 10-point proposal to the United States through Pakistani mediators on April 6. According to Iranian officials, Tehran’s acceptance came after a last-minute intervention by China. The breakthrough came seven days after China and… South China Morning Post

The scene: a command tent during a simulated amphibious assault. Radios crackle with static, reports flood in from the beachhead, and the pressure to make life-or-death decisions weighs heavily on the commander’s shoulders. In this haze of uncertainty – the “fog of war” – a new digital soldier is quietly proving it might think faster than any human. The Chinese military has reportedly deployed an artificial intelligence (AI) agent designed to sit beside battalion-level commanders – and act as a… South China Morning Post

Taiwan can learn from the way mainland China uses artificial intelligence, Taiwanese opposition leader Cheng Li-wun said during her visit to Shanghai. The Kuomintang (KMT) chairwoman visited the headquarters of Meituan on Wednesday, where she was welcomed by founder and CEO Wang Xing. The company, which goes by Keeta outside the mainland, operates China’s biggest online takeaway platform, as well as offering grocery delivery, bike rental and other services. The company uses AI extensively to… South China Morning Post

The US and Iran agreed to the ceasefire on Tuesday, just before US President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to reopen the strait or risk being sent back to the “Stone Ages”. Advertisement Trump said he agreed to “suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks” in return for the reopening of the strategically important waterway. He then said on social media that all US military personnel and weapons would stay near Iran until a “real agreement” was reached between the two countries. Advertisement “If…

Next month’s US-China presidential summit will focus on trade rather than investment, reflecting a reluctance to remove all economic constraints, according to the top US trade official. “I don’t think we’re at the point in our relationship with the Chinese where we want to talk about the investment programmes either way, right?” United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Tuesday at a Hudson Institute event in Washington. He cautioned against “premature discussions” as the… South China Morning Post