Category: Media Library

Miner Chemaf emerges as first test of US-DR Congo minerals deal

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Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world The Democratic Republic of Congo is nearing a decision on the sale of Chemaf, the miner that has become a litmus test for the country’s new minerals partnership with the US. Chemaf, which owns the Mutoshi copper and cobalt project, has become a political lightning rod as at least six bidders have emerged for the struggling company that was put up for sale in 2023.  The troubled asset…

Singapore’s public housing model meets the limits of its success

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Even if they don’t know his name, most of Singapore’s 6mn inhabitants have reason to be grateful to Liu Thai Ker. In the eyes of many Liu, who died this month aged 87, was the “architect of modern Singapore”, the man who designed the state-subsidised housing that has underpinned the growth of the former British colony in its six decades of independence. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong praised Liu as the “father of urban planning” in the city-state, while President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said he “helped make Singapore a liveable city in…

Starmer’s China trip thaws relations with Beijing but spurs criticism at home

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Sir Keir Starmer wraps up a four-day visit to China on Saturday, attacked by Donald Trump for his “dangerous” liaison with Beijing, dubbed “Sir Kowtow” in the right-wing press and accused by opponents of coming away with little to show for his schmoozing. Amid tight security and surrounded by aides carrying burner phones, Starmer even ended the trip being asked whether he had been advised to get dressed under the…

The Guardian view on China’s military purge: the risks grow in an age of strongmen | Editorial

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Sir Keir Starmer is only one of the middle power leaders trekking to Beijing to renew relations. No one has forgotten China’s increasing international forcefulness, its handling of the pandemic and its closer relations with Russia as war engulfed Ukraine. But the wildness of Donald Trump’s first year back in power is spurring Canada, France and others to hedge their bets. This, not whisky tariff cuts, is what the British prime minister sought. Mr Trump called the move “dangerous”, but threatens allies and describes Xi Jinping as a “friend”. Set…

Chinese car firm Chery to open European base in Liverpool

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Chinese carmaker Chery is to open a research and development headquarters in Liverpool, in a move that could pave the way for a deal for the British manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover to build its cars. State-owned Chery’s commercial vehicle arm will base the headquarters for its European operations on Merseyside, including research, engineering, and commercial functions. Chery has already made a mark in the UK car market through its Omoda and Jaecoo brands, and it is launching its eponymous brand with an advertising campaign featuring former England footballer Peter Crouch.…

Panama supreme court cancels Hong Kong company’s canal contracts

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Panama’s president said ports at each end of the Panama canal would operate as usual after the country’s supreme court ruled the concession held by a subsidiary of a Chinese company was unconstitutional. The court’s decision on Thursday, which helps US attempts to block any Chinese influence over the strategic waterway, immediately drew a sharp rebuke from Beijing. José Raúl Mulino, Panama’s president, said on Friday that until the court’s ruling was executed maritime officials would work with Panama Ports Company (PPC), a subsidiary of Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison, to…

Who are the UK MPs and peers who had sanctions imposed on them by China?

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Tom Tugendhat MP for Tonbridge; former security minister Tugendhat was first elected in 2015. The son of a high court judge, Tugendhat served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and later became a military assistant to the chief of the defence staff. He chaired the foreign affairs select committee between 2017 and 2022. After the sanctions were announced, he said it was a “direct assault on British democracy and an attempt to silence the British people”. Iain Duncan Smith MP for Chingford and Woodford Green; former work and pensions secretary Duncan Smith,…

China lifts travel ban on British MPs

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. China is lifting its travel ban on MPs and peers who criticised the country’s human rights record and will allow all British parliamentarians to enter the country, Sir Keir Starmer has announced. Starmer said the lifting of the travel ban, which affects four currently serving MPs and two peers, was a vindication of his approach in engaging “constructively” with China during a four-day visit to the country. The UK prime…