Category: BBC

When Daidai realised her father was too old to slaughter two pigs for a traditional community feast in the run-up to Chinese New Year, she turned to social media. She didn’t want him to feel bad. “Can anyone help me?” she asked on Douyin, China’s version of Tiktok, at the end of last week. “My father is old. I am worried that he can’t handle these pigs.” Daidai, who’s in her 20s, promised that those who came to their village, Qingfu, to assist would be treated to a pork banquet.…

The US government has given chip giant Nvidia the green light to sell its advanced artificial intelligence (AI) processors in China, the Department of Commerce said on Tuesday. The H200, Nvidia’s second-most-advanced semiconductor, had been restricted by Washington over concerns that it would give China’s technology industry and military an edge over the US. The Commerce Department said the chips can be shipped to China granted that there is sufficient supply of the processors in the US. President Donald Trump said last month that he would allow the chip sales…

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney is en route to China for a pivotal visit aimed at resetting ties with Beijing and finding new economic opportunities for his country outside the US. It will not be an easy task, with pressure on Canada to balance its goal of diversifying trade without risking damage to its relationship with Donald Trump or compromising national security and human rights commitments. But with ongoing uncertainty over Canada’s trade future with the US – its largest customer – the country now finds itself seeking to repair…

Beijing has had considerable success in persuading Latin American states to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China, with Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras all siding with the $19tn economy’s talk of strategic partnership over the last 20 years. BBC

“Everyone felt jittery, and no-one knew what would happen,” says Stella, who has developed a habit of petting and squeezing her plushies since Covid. She had to spend a lot of time at her home, in Beijing, which had some of the strictest lockdowns in China, if not the world. BBC

Finland’s delegate to last month’s Miss Universe pageant held in Thailand has sparked a racism firestorm over a viral photo that showed her pulling the corners of her eyes. Sarah Dzafce, who has been dethroned, uploaded the photo with the caption “eating with a Chinese”. The slanted-eyes pose is often seen as disrespectful to East Asians. The post drew backlash in Japan, South Korea and China against the 22-year-old and even against her country’s flag carrier, Finnair. Back home in Finland, the prime minister said on Monday making such gestures…

Media tycoon and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai has been found guilty of foreign collusion following a landmark trial in Hong Kong. Lai was arrested in 2020 under the national security law imposed by Beijing in response to huge pro-democracy protests. Critics say the law has been used to crack down on dissent, although Beijing and Hong Kong defend it as necessary to maintain stability. Here’s everything you need to know about the case, and what the outcome means for Lai, and Hong Kong. Video by Kellie Highet and Meiqing Guan…

Mexican lawmakers have approved a package of new tariffs, impacting hundreds of products, many of which come from China. The measures, which President Claudia Sheinbaum has said are needed to boost domestic production, were passed by the Mexican Senate on Wednesday. The levies are set to take effect on 1 January 2026 and will apply to goods like metals, cars, clothing and appliances. Dozens of countries that do not have a free trade agreement with Mexico will be affected, including Thailand, India and Indonesia. The move comes as Mexico is…

Japan has protested after Chinese fighter jets locked radars on Japanese aircraft as tensions between the two nations worsened. Locking radar onto an aircraft is considered a threat because it can signal a potential attack. Japan said there were two such incidents Saturday off its southern Okinawa islands. Japan said it scrambled fighter jets in response to the Chinese J-15 fighter jets, while Beijing accused Tokyo of “harassing” its forces during a training exercise. No injuries or damage were reported. Diplomatic ties between Japan and China have spiralled since last…

China and Japan’s coast guards have given different accounts of a confrontation that occurred near a group of geopolitically sensitive islands in the East China Sea. China’s Coast Guard said on Tuesday that a Japanese fishing vessel had illegally entered the waters of the Senkaku Islands – which Beijing calls the Diaoyu Islands and claims as Chinese territory, despite their being administered by Japan. Japan’s Coast Guard, meanwhile, said it intercepted and expelled two Chinese Coast Guard ships as they approached the fishing vessel. The confrontation comes as diplomatic ties…