Read a version of this story in Tibetan As Chinese officials raised the official death toll from the Nepal-Tibet mudslide to 43 on Saturday, a Tibetan resident told RFA on Sunday that 26 people died in Risur village, Kyirong county, alone, where the Kyirong (Gyirong in Chinese) border post is located. Because entry into the immediate disaster zone was restricted, the Tibetan resident told RFA that he had to trek around the mountain for about three hours to search for relatives, but could not find them. “Many people have gone…
Day: September 7, 2026
As clock counts down to Trump summit, Xi boosts global clout with diplomatic blitz
His summit with Donald Trump is just over two weeks away, but already this month Xi Jinping has had one of his busiest stretches of diplomatic travel in recent years. First he wrapped up the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and then he made a state visit to Egypt. Xi is expected to head off again later this week to visit New Delhi for the Brics summit before he travels to Washington. Beijing has not yet confirmed those two trips, in line with its practice of making…
PLA Rocket Force highlights ‘major danger signal’ from Japan in nuclear terror study
Chinese cities must brace for a potential nuclear attack, a new study has warned, singling out Japan for “sending a major danger signal” to the world. The report, from a People’s Liberation Army medical team, said the likelihood of a large-scale global nuclear war was relatively low. “However, the possibility cannot be ruled out that small or medium-sized nuclear-armed or potentially nuclear-armed states, driven by geopolitical or religious conflicts, could carry out a single nuclear-weapon terrorist attack on neighbouring countries or on key cities of major powers,” they wrote. The…
Rare drone film of suspected dumping spurs Chinese agencies into investigation
Authorities in central China have joined forces to investigate suspected industrial dumping on the Yangtze River following the release of rare drone footage of the activity. The environment bureau in the Hubei city of Wuhan said on Monday that it had launched the inquiry in association with police and transport authorities. The announcement comes less than two weeks after Beijing revised performance assessment rules for officials, holding them accountable for life for serious environmental… South China Morning Post
China vows deeper cooperation with Qatar in energy, AI and Middle East de-escalation
Chinese Premier Li Qiang pledged to deepen cooperation with Qatar in energy, investment, AI and diplomatic efforts to de-escalate Middle East tensions. Li delivered the remarks during a meeting on Monday in Beijing with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is on an official two-day visit to China aimed at bolstering bilateral ties. His visit came as Beijing and Doha sought to navigate an increasingly volatile regional security environment and ensure international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for China’s energy…
China and Russia launch first sea ice survey aboard Xuelong 2 as Arctic tensions swell
China and Russia have conducted their first joint on-site sea ice survey in the Arctic Ocean aboard the Xuelong 2 research icebreaker, as tensions continue to rise over economic opportunities in the rapidly warming northern region. Two researchers from Russia’s Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute boarded Xuelong 2 as part of China’s 16th Arctic Ocean Expedition, according to a report by state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday. According to Lin Long, captain of the Xuelong 2 sea ice team, this joint observation has been more “practical” than previous Chinese Arctic voyages.…
‘Chimerica’ is now a chimera — and global stability is the victim
For a host of reasons, China shock 2.0 looks nothing like its predecessor in the 2000sFinancial Times
China warns against ‘third party’ interference after reports of US pressure on Mexico
Relations between China and Mexico should not be influenced by outside powers, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday, following reports that the United States was pressuring its neighbour over its ties to Beijing. “China-Mexico relations are not directed at any third party, nor should they be influenced by any third party,” Wang told his Mexican counterpart Roberto Velasco Alvarez. He added that China supported Mexico in maintaining its independence, safeguarding its sovereignty and security and opposing external interference, according to the foreign ministry. Velasco, making his first official visit…
AI titans’ ‘circular deals’ are starting to look like ‘daisy chains’
The “circular deals” among AI titans increasingly resemble the “daisy chains” of the 1980s savings-and-loan crisis. Forty years ago, interconnected transactions obscured the dangers, multiplied systemic risks and helped inflate asset values before roughly a third of US thrift banks failed. Today’s financial engineering – an incestuous ecosystem of interlocking multi-year commitments to provide financing, buy semiconductors, secure gigawatts of power and lease data centres – could meet a similar fate, especially if revenue fails to outpace costs or a black swan event eviscerates artificial intelligence (AI) trajectories. OpenAI has…
Taiwan sets up US-backed cyber unit to hunt hidden military threats
Taiwan’s military plans to step up its cyber defences against mainland China with a new threat-hunting team and foreign expertise as it deepens cooperation with the US. The Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command has earmarked NT$95.93 million (US$3.03 million) in its proposed 2027 budget to establish the team and bring foreign experts and instructors to Taiwan for advanced training. According to the budget plan, which still needs legislative approval, the programme would focus on “proactive cyber threat hunting”, moving the military beyond conventional defences, such as firewalls and post-attack…