Day: September 16, 2026

The criminal trial of Huawei Technologies on racketeering charges shifted this week into a slower, more laborious pace in what is expected to be a weeks-long trial as the US Government sought to establish on Wednesday that Huawei was intent on learning about a proprietary robot developed by US telecommunications carrier T-Mobile. Matthew Skurnik, assistant US attorney for the Eastern District of New York, spent hours running FBI Special Agent James Diclemis through a series of emails that appeared to show keen interest by US and China-based Huawei officials in…

China said it can now predict weather 10 days in advance at a cutting-edge resolution of 5km (3.1 miles), finer than most major systems in routine use around the world. The advance was achieved by a Chinese-developed weather forecasting model running on Sugon 8,000, a massive home-grown computing system built entirely with domestically made AI chips. Most major global forecasting systems have resolutions of roughly 5km to 10km, according to the China Meteorological Administration and… South China Morning Post

In talks with his Iranian counterpart in Beijing on Wednesday, China’s foreign minister reaffirmed Beijing’s support for Tehran, called for a political settlement to the country’s conflict with the US and warned that regional tensions must not further spill over into Yemen. Wang Yi also urged the earliest possible reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Abbas Araghchi’s trip to China, his second since the US launched large-scale strikes on Iran in late February, came as Washington expanded sanctions and warned of further measures against those who allegedly support Tehran, including…

In the city where just a few years ago Iran and Saudi Arabia signed a peace deal, Prince Turki al-Faisal, chairman of the Saudi think tank the King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies, accused Iran of not respecting “the sovereignty of the Arab states”. In a clear reference to Tehran’s attacks on the US’ Arab allies, Prince Turki told the Xiangshan Forum that this had culminated in “aggressive and unlawful attacks on [the allies’] territories and assets in the recent war”. Brigadier General Mohammad Taghi Osanlou, deputy for…

A former director of a state-owned museum at the centre of a rare high-profile art scandal was sentenced to three years in prison, Chinese state media said on Wednesday. Xu Huping was found to have abused his position at the Nanjing Museum in eastern Jiangsu province and taken bribes, including money and property, for helping others secure projects and business collaborations. He was sentenced to prison for three years and fined 200,000 yuan (US$29,800), according to state news agency Xinhua. South China Morning Post

With just a week to go until Chinese President Xi Jinping heads to Washington for his first state visit in more than a decade, Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun opted for the diplomatic path in his address to China’s premier security conference on Wednesday. Speaking at the annual Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, Dong took veiled swipes at Washington and its allies but – unlike last year – appeared to pull his punches, skipping mentions of contentious issues such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. He also said Beijing would…

The United Nations can count on China’s support, the UN’s peacekeeping chief said in Beijing as he flagged the body’s financial strains – due in large part to Washington’s funding squeeze. Speaking at the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing on Wednesday, UN undersecretary general for peace operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said the international system was under severe strain and the UN urgently needed to adapt its tools to modern realities. Lacroix warned that the global body’s financial situation “is concerning member states” and it cannot be expected to deliver the same results…

A US military honour guard held a rehearsal at the White House as Washington fine-tuned diplomatic protocols and preparations for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to the United States next week. A video clip posted on social media by Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson on Tuesday afternoon Washington time showed service members from various military branches dressed in ceremonial uniform and standing in formation. The drill mirrored the welcome extended to US President Donald Trump on May 14 during his visit to Beijing, where China hosted an elaborate ceremony…