Month: April 2026

The rescue of a missing American crew member after Iran shot down an F-15E fighter jet shows the United States’ “comprehensive capability” for carrying out high-risk rescue operations, according to Chinese analysts. On Sunday, United States President Donald Trump confirmed that the missing crew member – one of two on the fighter jet shot down over the southern part of Iran on Friday – had been rescued amid the US-Israel war on Iran. Trump posted to social media that the US military had “pulled off one of the most daring…

For marketing manager Wang Yuan, who sells electric heavy-duty cargo trucks in the rugged landscapes of Xinjiang in western China, business is riding a new and powerful wave. The commercial vehicle company he works for is a major player in the domestic market. The lion’s share of its electric heavy trucks are destined for coal-rich provinces including Shanxi and Inner Mongolia, apart from Xinjiang itself. In Xinjiang alone, according to Wang, sales across all brands reached around 16,700 units in 2025 – a staggering 80 per cent surge from just…

Major powers are closely watching Hungary’s election next week – a vote seen as a referendum on Europe’s right and crucial for Chinese interests in the EU. Recent polls show self-styled “illiberal democrat” Viktor Orban’s Fidesz trailing challenger Peter Magyar’s Tisza Party by between 19 and 23 points among likely voters ahead of an election on Sunday that has been described as “Europe’s most consequential”. For China, Russia and the United States under President Donald Trump, an Orban defeat would remove a partner that has repeatedly blocked EU efforts to…

Repeat short-haul visits by Chinese travellers to South Korea are expected to rise after Seoul eased multiple-entry visa rules, but analysts say the immediate impact may be limited because of growing competition from Southeast Asia and higher airfares linked to the US-Israeli war in Iran. The South Korean embassy in Beijing announced that Chinese nationals who had previously visited South Korea would now be eligible for a five-year multiple-entry visa. Those holding residency status in 14 major cities – including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou – could also apply for 10-year…

Andrew Tilton, chief Asia-Pacific economist at Goldman Sachs, speaks to the South China Morning Post about the long-term future of China’s economy after the “two sessions” in Beijing and ahead of an expected Xi-Trump summit – all during an oil crisis sparked by the US-Israel war against Iran. For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here. What impact will the oil shock arising from the Iran war have on the growth of Asian economies this year? Advertisement Asia is greatly affected by the war as the vast majority…

The US-Israeli strikes on Iran and ensuing conflagration offer a window into how the US-led order works. For all its contributions, it functions like an air conditioner – cooling the American centre by pumping hot air into the periphery. Aggressive interest rate hikes export inflation to emerging markets. Proxy wars outsource geopolitical risk to distant theatres. The United States stays cool while the Global South absorbs the brunt of the heat. But the vents are closing: developing nations are consciously securing defence autonomy, fostering geoeconomic resilience and asserting resource sovereignty.…

Duan Baoyan, a leading architect of China’s “Zhuri” space solar power initiative, wrote in a paper published in Scientia Sinica Informationis last month, that his team had revamped the design of the giant orbital infrastructure. In addition to energy transmission, the new system was required to support a wide range of tasks “such as communication, navigation, reconnaissance, interference and remote control”, he said. Advertisement Duan, a professor of electromechanical engineering at Xidian University in Xian and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, also stressed the need for extremely…