Year: 2026

Rising energy costs driven by Middle Eastern geopolitical tensions may provide some relief to China’s years-long struggle with weak prices, but analysts warn that a spike in oil prices could spark a scenario in which stagnant economic growth collides with rising inflation, hindering the nation’s economic recovery. “Rising oil prices [could] lead to stagflation, which helps increase the inflation rate but also leads to a decline in economic growth and an increase in unemployment,” said Su Jian, an economics professor at Peking University. Su, who is also director of the…

Singapore and China share “common interests” in safeguarding international order amid profound changes in the global landscape and uncertainties from trade wars, according to the city state’s top envoy to Beijing. The world has faced increased challenges, with huge pressure on multilateralism, free trade, and openness since the beginning of last year, Peter Tan Hai Chuan, Singapore’s ambassador to China, warned at an event at Renmin University in Beijing on Tuesday. “But Singapore and China have common interests – upholding the rules-based international order,” he said at the event hosted…

With major Persian Gulf aviation hubs largely paralysed by airspace closures amid the escalating conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran, travellers have flocked to direct Asia-Europe routes, driving a sharp surge in airfares. This week, economy class on most direct one-way Beijing-Paris flights is fully booked, with a small number of economy seats – plus premium economy and business class seats – remaining. Economy seats on an Air China flight on Sunday are already booked out, with a one-way Beijing-Paris business-class ticket priced at around 77,000 yuan ($11,127), according…

Chinese researchers said they have developed a drone with wings made from bamboo, making it 20 per cent lighter and considerably cheaper than a carbon fibre device, according to state news agency Xinhua. The bamboo-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which completed its maiden flight in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin last month, costs about a quarter of the price of carbon fibre cloth, it said. The savings meant that the overall structural costs of a drone made with the new material could be reduced by more than 20 per…