Tower of peace or sin? Why China demands that a Japanese wartime monument be demolished

Mainland Chinese state media has called for the demolition of a wartime monument in Japan, rekindling a long-standing source of bilateral tension as Beijing and Tokyo remain locked in a diplomatic row over Taiwan. Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account run by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, said on Saturday that Japan seized more than 370 stones from the countries it invaded during the second world war – mostly from China – and used them to build Hakko Ichiu Tower, which the account described as “a tower of sin” promoting militarist…

Japan spelled out its stance on Taiwan. It’s what Tokyo didn’t say that angers Beijing

China has accused Japan of attempting to “mislead the public and hope that somehow the issue would resolve itself” after its foreign minister selectively quoted its position on Taiwan from a joint communique that was the foundation of establishing their diplomatic ties in 1972. During a parliamentary session on Monday, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi repeated Tokyo’s position on Taiwan as stated in the document that established and normalised ties with Beijing, although he did not read out parts of that document and others that reflected China’s stance on the Taiwan…

China’s escalation dominance over Trump

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world On the grounds of never interrupting your enemy while he is making a mistake, Xi Jinping is 2025’s winner. The year’s hinge moment was Donald Trump’s cave-in to Xi in South Korea in late October. Trump’s trade war climbdown marked a new epoch. After mulling decoupling for years, talk of US-China divorce was suspended. Even so-called de-risking is now in question. Trump awarded their meeting a 12 out…

Biren Technology’s Hong Kong IPO gets green light as China’s AI chip firms rush to list

Biren, which designs high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs), received regulatory approval to list on the Hong Kong stock exchange, according to a China Securities Regulatory Commission filing on Monday. This was expected to put the company on track to become the first GPU developer to go public in Hong Kong. Co-founded by Wall Street veteran and entrepreneur Michael Zhang Wen in 2019, Biren planned to float about 372 million shares, but has not yet disclosed its fundraising target. According to mainland Chinese reports, the company could raise about US$300 million…

‘Resilient balance’: China-US ties to remain steady in Trump’s term, scholar predicts

A prominent Chinese expert on US affairs says the competitive relationship between Washington and Beijing is likely to remain stable for the rest of Donald Trump’s presidential term – a prospect crucial for China’s strategic planning. The China-US rivalry has achieved a “resilient balance”, Ni Feng, researcher and former director of the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), said at a symposium held in Shenzhen on Sunday. Unlike the competition of the past six years – which was driven by a cold war mindset…

MetaX set for Shanghai debut amid market frenzy over AI chip stocks, Nvidia uncertainty

Founded in Shanghai in September 2020 by former engineers at Advanced Micro Devices, MetaX priced its initial public offering at 104.66 yuan per share, which was expected to raise 4.2 billion yuan (US$596 million) from the sale of 40.1 million shares, with net proceeds estimated to reach 3.9 billion. That was the second-highest share price offer this year on the Nasdaq-style Star Market, behind Moore Threads’ 114.28 yuan. Based on its offer price, MetaX’s implied market capitalisation stood at about 37.7 billion yuan. That was nearly 79 per cent higher…

Australian police probe Isis and Philippine links to Bondi gunmen

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The alleged perpetrators of a terror attack on a Jewish event in Sydney on Sunday night were inspired by Isis and had travelled to the Philippines last month, Australian authorities said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told a press conference on Tuesday that there was evidence the attack was “inspired” by Isis, which he said followed an “evil ideology”. “Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State, allegedly…

China’s build-up of Yellow Sea facilities expected to fuel South Korean suspicions

According to a report published on Monday by the website Beyond Parallel, operated by the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies, there has been “growing” Chinese activity in and around the Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ) in the Yellow Sea. It said Beijing was building buoys in the area and could not rule out the possibility that they could have military uses. Advertisement Both South Korea and China have overlapping claims relating to their exclusive economic zones in the PMZ. Under a 2001 deal, the two sides agreed to allow…

China’s ultra-hot heat pump breakthrough paves way for melting ore with sunlight

For over a century, the dream of efficiently concentrating low-grade heat into high-temperature industrial energy has been constrained by a stubborn ceiling: 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit). Now, a team from China has shattered that temperature limit. Using a revolutionary heat pump with no moving parts, they achieved an output of 270 degrees with a 145-degree heat source to drive the cycle. Developed by a team led by Luo Ercang at the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the technology could generate…

Chinese biotech Scizeng’s global licensing deal to yield up to US$1.44 billion

A Chinese biopharmaceutical firm has sealed a global licensing deal valued at up to US$1.44 billion, the second in a week, as a wave of cross-border tie-ups shows no sign of abating despite headwinds from the US Biosecure Act. Shanghai Scizeng Medical Technology, a unit of Changchun High-Tech Industry, has agreed to grant US-based Yarrow Bioscience exclusive global rights to develop, manufacture and commercialise GenSci098, an injectable therapy for thyroid eye disease and Graves’ disease, both of which are autoimmune conditions. The deal excludes mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and…