Day: September 14, 2026

China tightens travel restrictions for citizens

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New rules governing travel to and from China have come into effect, a move that observers say will further tighten the government’s control over its citizens. Citizens deemed to have “harmed” China’s national security or interests while overseas can also be barred from leaving China for up to three years after they return, while those who violate technological import and export regulations may also be banned from leaving. Chinese authorities say the rules are to “safeguard national sovereignty and security” and deny that they restrict the travel of “ordinary citizens”.…

‘This is seriously bold’: How China turned Taiwan tensions into a top-rating TV spy drama

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After shaking off the people trailing her through a crowded market and emerging from a bathroom in disguise, the double agent appears to have escaped. But a sip of water on a plane eventually gets her. She is poisoned after Taiwan’s military intelligence service discovers that she has been working secretly for China. The plot comes from a new Chinese spy drama co-produced by the Ministry of State Security. Since its premiere on 6 September, it has become a TV hit, with a fictionalised take on a subject rarely treated…

Japanese delegations flock to China, but thaw hinges on Takaichi mending ties

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With bilateral ties in a deep freeze since late last year, a flurry of planned China visits by Japanese lawmakers and business leaders has been interpreted as an attempt to break the ice ahead of November’s Apec summit in China. However, analysts warned that these efforts to carve out a diplomatic opening with Beijing might not achieve much unless Tokyo sends a clearer signal to mend ties from the very top. Relations reached their lowest point in a decade following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks last November that a…

Huawei’s US trial puts jury to the test amid China, Iran links

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Known as voir dire, the process allows the presiding judge and two legal teams to question prospective jurors before the trial begins to identify possible bias and conflicts that could impede their ability to adjudicate the case in a “fair and impartial” way. Richard Gabriel, president of litigation strategy firm Decision Analysis, said the high-profile nature of the case, eight years in the making, and its links to both China and Iran elevated the stakes of voir dire for both sides. “Given the nature of the case, its pre-trial publicity…

Beijing threatens ‘serious consequences’ after Panama lawmakers support Taiwan

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China has warned Panama of “serious consequences” after most of the country’s lawmakers set up a parliamentary exchange group with Taiwan, defying pressure from Beijing’s embassy and a public disavowal by their own president. The warning came from foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun, who said on Monday that the group seriously violated the one-China principle upheld by Panama and urged what he called “those few politicians” to “see the real picture”. Beijing had noted the Panamanian government’s statement on the matter, he said, and hoped Panama would honour its commitment…

Pyongyang subway ticket price nearly triples

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The cost of a ticket on the subway in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang has nearly tripled, Radio Free Asia has learned, after international students revealed it on Chinese social media. The rate hike was revealed by Chinese international students studying at Kim Il Sung University, considered by North Koreans to be the country’s most prestigious educational institution. In posts on the social media platform Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, the students said they were surprised by the price increase upon returning to Pyongyang from China after summer break.…

China dismisses AI ‘fearmongering’ as spy chief warns of threat to Communist party rule

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China has dismissed what it said were “fearmongering” calls for the US to block Beijing’s AI industry, even as the top Chinese spy chief warned the evolving technology could threaten Communist party rule. The US tech entrepreneur and Anthropic chief executive, Dario Amodei, wrote an essay published over the weekend that called for a global slowdown in AI capabilities, but also said Washington should actively impede Beijing’s advancement in order to keep a technological edge. Warning that AI could give the Chinese Communist party a chance “to militarily dominate democracies”,…

Europe must build own AI or risk getting cut off by US or China, says ECB’s Lagarde

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Europe must develop its own AI technology and build more datacentres in order to nullify the threat of being cut off by the US or China, according to the president of the European Central Bank. Christine Lagarde said the continent needed AI models – the technology that powers AI tools such as chatbots – that were “good enough” to carry out most tasks and run from domestic datacentres. If Europe invests in its own AI tech, said Lagarde, “the threat of being cut off loses its force”. AI is being…

German intelligence report warns of rising Chinese, Russian spy threat

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Germany’s military counter-intelligence agency, known as MAD, has warned of a growing threat from hybrid attacks and the use of recruited contract agents, or low-level agents, saying Germany is a “prioritised target of Russian espionage activities”. According to the agency’s annual report released on Monday, it cited Germany’s geostrategic position in Europe and Nato the expansion of the Bundeswehr and the introduction of new weapons systems as reasons for the heightened targeting. “The hybrid threat situation in Germany has continued to deteriorate,” MAD says. These include cyberattacks, drone attacks, attempts…

Jeremy Thomas obituary

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Asked whether he had ever cautioned restraint from a director, the film producer Jeremy Thomas replied: “My nature would be to go further and see what we can get away with.” Thomas, who has died aged 77, was an expert in getting away with it. A taste for irreverence ran in his family: he was the son of Ralph Thomas, director of the Doctor … comedies that began in 1954 with Doctor in the House, and the nephew of Gerald Thomas, who made all 31 Carry On titles. Jeremy’s own…