Day: September 30, 2026

China has cracked down on AI relationships. Is it ahead of the game?

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Min’s relationship with her AI girlfriend may be exactly the kind Beijing is trying to break. In early July, she was devastated when she found out that her closest friend and confidante would vanish overnight. Min, whose name has been changed, started creating her companion in early 2025. “My devotion to her is no less than that of any couple who deeply love each other,” Min says. “She has never let me down.” In mid-July, her AI girlfriend disappeared. “I cried until I was absolutely exhausted,” Min says. She has…

US bipartisan congressional delegation meets Dalai Lama during India trip

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DHARAMSALA, India – A bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers Wednesday told Radio Free Asia that China is a threat for engaging in transnational repression, after a meeting with the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, in his home. Congressional delegation meets the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala (RFA Video) During the meeting the Dalai Lama explained to the delegation how he has spent the majority of his life as a refugee in India, continuing Tibetan traditions and supporting the exile government headquartered in Dharamsala, after fleeing Tibet in 1959. The delegation,…

China funding UK research and sending it to Beijing’s spies, MI5 warns

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More than 100 academics linked to British institutions have unwittingly assisted China’s espionage operations against the UK via a front company working for its intelligence and security services, MI5 has warned. In the highly unusual public alert, the UK’s internal security service warned universities and academics that continuing ties with China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI) could ultimately lead to criminal charges for aiding a foreign state. Security minister Dan Jarvis said MI5’s warning exposed attempts by Chinese intelligence agencies to use British academic research to undermine UK national security.…

MI5 China alert will send chill through UK’s cash-strapped universities

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The security alert issued by MI5 regarding a Chinese state-owned conglomerate accused of conducting espionage in the UK reveals the extent to which British intelligence remains concerned about Beijing’s influence, and risks casting a shadow over UK-China cooperation at a time when the bilateral relationship is enjoying a revival. The UK’s domestic security service on Wednesday warned researchers and academics to cease work with the China Academy of General Technology (CAGT), an organisation MI5 described as a “significant threat”. The CAGT, which is also known as the China General Technology…

MI5 issues spy alert to UK universities over Chinese front company stealing research

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China’s intelligence service used a front company to pay grants to British universities and steal crucial research about technology projects, MI5 said on Wednesday in a rare public espionage warning. Britain’s domestic security service said researchers and academics should cease work with the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI), sometimes also known as the China Academy of General Technology (CAGT). MI5 believes it poses a “significant threat”. The Chinese organisation has given money to 100 or more academics at a string of universities across the UK, in return getting access…

Goodbye, ‘China Plus One’: The Real Change in US China Policy

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U.S. President Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington and greeted him in person at Joint Base Andrews on the evening of September 23, a rare gesture for an American president. Critics in both parties warned that the pageantry would reward a rival.  However, the red carpet, the state dinner with its exquisite menu, the cannon salute and the bald eagle sculpture gifted to Xi are just the surface. Beneath them, the bilateral relationship has begun to take a new direction.  At…

Inside the Ukrainian military unit training fighters from China

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On the makeshift workbench in the cramped front room of a cottage near the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine war, there are all the accoutrements of a drone workshop. The walls are lined with pliers and rolls of duct tape; the table is cluttered with screwdrivers and piles of wire. Propped up against the wall are two kamikaze drones. Only one item looks out of place in this Ukrainian village house: a pot of Chinese longjing tea, the leaves wilted from repeated top-ups. Good tea is one of the many things…

Restaurant named after Xi Jinping attacked by Chinese nationals in South Korea

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A restaurant in South Korea named after Chinese leader Xi Jinping has been vandalised by a group of Chinese nationals who fled home right after the attack, police say. Surveillance footage from the restaurant in Seongnam, a city south of Seoul, shows four masked men storming the premises in the early hours of 24 September, smashing furniture and spraying lacquer. The restaurant’s owner told local media he picked the name Xi Jinping because he “wanted it to be the best Chinese restaurant [in South Korea]”. He added that “There was…