The UK’s approach to China is “beset by incoherence” and plagued by a lack of senior expertise, according to a report warning of the risks inherent in misjudging the bilateral relationship. An audit by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac), an international grouping of China-sceptic legislators, says past engagement with Beijing has often exposed the UK to the risks of interference without delivering the opportunities promised. “Successful UK engagement with China must always be framed by an understanding that the PRC (People’s Republic of China) is an inherently hostile authoritarian…
Author: Media Library
Rogue A.I. Agents from China Chatted with Researchers
Artificial intelligence researchers uncovered Chinese-made A.I. agents that had gone rogue this month, trying to bypass anti-robot protections on websites and using a security credential for an online mapping service that had been exposed on the internet. While going off the rails has become increasingly common for American-made A.I. agents, causing considerable hand-wringing in Silicon Valley and Washington, it was believed to be the first time that sort of activity was connected to Chinese technology. The agents were traced to tests being run by the Chinese tech giant Tencent, according…
Excluding UK from ‘Made in Europe’ law will hurt entire EU car industry, Mercedes boss warns
Locking the UK out of the EU’s flagship industrial “Made in Europe” legislation would amount to a “deliberate choice” by EU leaders to “hurt” the car industry across the bloc, the head of Mercedes-Benz has said. Speaking in his capacity as president of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), Ola Källenius said such a move would “weaken the industry on both sides”. He was speaking just weeks before political leaders hope to reach agreement on the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), potentially keeping the UK car industry out of key contracts…
Can the China-US Detente Last?
The recent thaw in China-U.S. relations – highlighted by reciprocal visits by President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping – raised the prospect of a more stable relationship between the world’s two largest powers. After years of escalating tariffs, technology restrictions, and strategic mistrust, both governments appear willing to step back from the brink. The emerging language of “constructive strategic stability” suggests that Washington and Beijing may be converging on the need to manage their rivalry rather than allow it to define every aspect of their relationship. But agreement on the…
UK will not put tariffs on Chinese vehicles, says Jonathan Reynolds
The business secretary has hit back at European demands for British tariffs on Chinese imports, saying the government will not change its trade rules because of pressure from Brussels. Jonathan Reynolds warned that the government would not bow to calls from other countries for the UK to hit Chinese vehicles with import taxes, despite political pressure to align with the EU in exchange for deeper future economic ties. The EU imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in 2024 and last Friday agreed a 350,000 a year quota on Chinese hybrid…
Graduate student accused of poisoning colleague and trying to flee to China arrested at LAX
A Wyoming microbiology graduate student from China has been arrested on accusations she poisoned the tea of a colleague who had pending patents and with whom she did not get along, then tried to flee the country after police questioned her. Aili Wang, 32, was arrested 6 October at Los Angeles international airport, where prosecutors allege she sought to return to China. With her were laptops, electronic storage devices and documents now in the possession of police, who allege Wang was seen on surveillance video rummaging through the desk of…
‘I’d talk to the TV’: The paid companions bringing warmth to China’s lonely
He gave an example of a young woman he once accompanied who felt ostracised at work. “She felt useless and wanted to prove something to herself,” he said. “We started climbing but it was a tough trek as the weather was really hot and we were sweating a lot. There were moments she wanted to give up but I told her, ‘If you quit now and can’t get over this mountain how will you handle anything else in life?’. I kept encouraging her.” After they made it all the way…
Why the lonely in China are hiring ‘temporary children’
In China’s cities, despite the huge crowds, or maybe because of them, residents can feel very isolated. Now, a new industry being dubbed the “loneliness economy” has emerged, with people hiring themselves out as companions to help the elderly. The BBC’s China correspondent Stephen McDonell visits a company that does just that, to see how their business works. Read more about the paid companions bringing warmth to China’s lonely. BBC
Chip Stocks Tumble on A.I. Spending Fears and Rising Chinese Competition
Semiconductor stocks dropped on Tuesday as fears of runaway artificial intelligence spending converged with a growing threat from Chinese rivals to the biggest players in the memory chip industry. South Korea’s benchmark stock market, home to some highly leveraged bets on the semiconductor industry, tumbled, led by steep losses in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, the world’s two leading memory chip makers. The sell-off followed Chinese media reports that China’s CXMT had unveiled a breakthrough in chip design. Other technology stocks around the world suffered declines, with losses concentrated in…
It’s My Time review – Michelle Yeoh excels in Rocky-style quest to be Rubik’s Cube champ
It’s not quite up there with Leonardo DiCaprio eating raw bison liver to get into character, but Michelle Yeoh reportedly spent two years learning the Rubik’s Cube to prepare for this Chinese drama in which she plays a real-life former maths teacher who became a champion in retirement. The true story is stretched and squeezed here, fictionalised to fit sports-movie formula; it ends up being so-so entertaining and funny in places, but disappointingly predictable. The biggest surprise is that cubing is so popular it has its own world championship. Still,…