Month: August 2026

China to build environmental monitoring station near disputed Scarborough Shoal

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China has approved the construction of a marine environmental observation station to monitor an area that includes the disputed Scarborough Shoal, a persistent flashpoint in tensions with the Philippines in the South China Sea. The Zhongsha Islands Marine Ecological and Environmental Field Observation and Research Station, proposed by the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was given the green light on July 31, the SCSIO announced on Tuesday. The approval reflects the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ commitment to “leveraging science and technology to…

As Xi’s US visit approaches, basic details of planned AI talks remain uncertain

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With Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned visit to the United States just weeks away, Washington and Beijing are still struggling to arrange a hoped-for dialogue on artificial intelligence, with the venue, participants and scope of the talks yet to be settled. Two sources familiar with the discussions said Washington had yet to decide which part of the US government should take the lead. The two sides had also not agreed on whether technical experts and private-sector representatives should be included, among other questions. While Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has led…

Europe Hurries to Fund More Cutting-Edge Businesses to Compete With China and U.S.

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The shiny cylindrical tanks and slant-roofed control panels shoved against a wall in C3 Biotech’s laboratory have essentially been turned into a multimillion-dollar graveyard of high-grade stainless steel equipment. All of this state-of-the art gear was discarded during the company’s quest to discover a cheap way to convert agricultural waste like potato peels or sugar beet pulp into acrylic glass, a material widely used in manufacturing. Nigel Scrutton, a co-founder of C3 Biotech in Stockport, England, makes a point of showing off these expensive failures before explaining that the eureka…

Is South China Sea warship breakdown a sign US is ‘taxing reserve capacity’?

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A US guided-missile destroyer that was adrift in the South China Sea without power last month is a sign that America is taxing its reserve capacity as its operation against Iran drags on, according to an analyst. “This is an extremely unusual occurrence and a variety of equipment and process failures would have to have taken place,” said Brad Martin, a former US Navy captain who is now a senior policy researcher at Washington-based think tank the Rand Corporation. “Failures such as this are a predictable outcome of issues such…

Shares in humanoid robot firm Unitree surge 600% on Chinese stock market debut

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Unitree, the world’s biggest humanoid robot maker, has made a spectacular entry on to China’s stock market, with its shares surging by more than 600%. The Chinese company’s robots have gained global fame via viral videos of them performing martial arts, running at Olympic speeds and serving as backup dancers for pop stars. Two Unitree robots in a fighting demonstration at the World Robot Conference in Beijing on Wednesday. Photograph: Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images Shares in the business, officially known as Yushu Technology Co, rose to as high as 1,100 yuan…

Alleged sexual assault by local official and businessman sparks outrage in China

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Chinese authorities have arrested a local government official and a businessman suspected of sexually assaulting a woman at a business gathering, in a case that has sparked outrage in the country. The woman was allegedly assaulted at a karaoke bar in Hangzhou after an official dinner involving executives from several companies and officials. Local authorities said an investigation had found the woman was sexually assaulted by both men, adding that she had been pushed to the ground by one of them, causing injuries to her lower back. Both suspects in…

Mongolia apologises after China raises security concerns about protesters at oil camp

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A senior Mongolian official has apologised after the Chinese embassy raised concern that Mongolians were “harassing the camp” of a Chinese-invested oil exploration company on Friday. According to Mongolian media, protesters went to the Kherlen Tohoi XXVIII oil exploration area on August 14, attempted to halt exploration work by Mongolia Foison Energy and conducted a social media live stream. Social media footage shows two women dumping items belonging to Chinese workers onto the ground. How China’s energy structure cushions the blows of global oil crisis Two Mongolian citizens involved in…