Let’s face it, this was never going to be a meeting of equals. Keir Starmer had been desperate to squeeze in a trip to China for some time. Another country to tick off his list and he always feels a lot better about himself when he’s abroad. Less noise from his unhappy MPs. Plus he loved the pomp and ceremony that came with it. The large flags. The military bands. A country that treated him with respect. Almost. Besides, Mark Carney and Emmanuel Macron had both made recent trips. He…
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A rescue mission for the rules-based order
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The US-shaped hole in global governance is now clear for all to see, and raises what may be a defining geopolitical question of our times: can some version of a rules-based international order be salvaged for the rest of the world? In some areas, at least, there are grounds for hope — if other powers, above all Europe, step up to the task. The most straightforward area is trade, which…
Chinese state media views Starmer’s visit as act of economic pragmatism
Keir Starmer’s visit to Beijing has been cautiously welcomed by Chinese state media as an act of economic pragmatism by a beleaguered British prime minister. The presence of 50 business and cultural leaders with Starmer, who is the first British prime minister to visit China in eight years, was taken as a sign that the UK was prioritising its ailing economy over political considerations. The reported refusal of Starmer to confirm that he would be seen to pressure President Xi Jinping over his relationship with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin,…
What happened when Starmer met Xi Jinping? – podcast
Keir Starmer held talks with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week and proclaimed Britain should have a more ‘sophisticated’ relationship with China. Pippa Crerar, who was with the prime minister on the trip, tells Kiran Stacey what all this means The Guardian
Want to solve deepfakes? Ask citizens what to do
According to Taiwan’s roving cyber ambassador Audrey Tang, social media resembles fire. When contained, it is like a campfire that fosters community and keeps campers warm. Left unchecked, it rages like wildfire, devastating people’s lives. How best to control it? Around the world, politicians are struggling with how to tame the flames of online extremism, disinformation and deepfakes, now increasingly fuelled by AI. This week, the EU launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk’s xAI following public disgust at the circulation of deepfake sexualised images. If xAI is found in…
China rolls out the red carpet for Keir Starmer
Sir Keir Starmer admitted he had to humiliate himself at the court of Xi Jinping on Thursday, but not in the way some of his critics had expected. “Xi’s a Manchester United fan and we arranged to get him a football signed by the players after their game against Arsenal on Sunday,” said one Downing Street insider. United beat Starmer’s Arsenal 3-2 and the prime minister was not happy: “He couldn’t believe he had to hand over that ball.” But on more obviously awkward moments for Starmer in the Great…
Indonesian stocks tumble as Goldman warning adds to MSCI concerns
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Indonesian stocks tumbled as much as 16 per cent in two days as a sell-off triggered by index provider MSCI’s warning about the market’s investability accelerated. The Jakarta Composite index fell as much as 10 per cent on Thursday despite a 30-minute trading halt, after a similar interruption a day earlier when the market fell more than 7 per cent. The slide came after MSCI said it had found “fundamental…
Top chipmakers to boost capital spending amid AI-driven supply squeeze
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The world’s two largest memory-chip makers have said they will increase capital spending “substantially” this year as they expect the AI boom to exacerbate the shortage of semiconductors. But Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix warned in earnings calls on Thursday that the outlays would not come fast enough to improve supply in the short term, as heightened demand for memory chips from AI data centres tests their capacity. “We are…
Top chipmakers warn AI-driven supply squeeze will worsen
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The world’s two largest chipmakers have warned that investment in new capacity will not come fast enough to alleviate an AI-driven supply squeeze in semiconductors. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix said in earnings calls on Thursday that they would increase capital spending “substantially” this year but expected chip shortages to exacerbate in the short term as heightened demand for memory chips in AI data centres tested their capacity. “We are…
Thursday briefing: Will Keir Starmer’s cautious China gamble pay off?
Good morning. The Starmer has landed. Yesterday, Keir Starmer became the first British prime minister to make the trip to China since Theresa May’s in 2018 (meaning a surprisingly large number of PMs didn’t) and has vowed to bring “stability and clarity” to the UK’s approach to Beijing. Ahead of talks with Starmer, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has said the UK’s relationship with his country had gone through “twists and turns” over the years but that a more “consistent” approach was in both their interests. In response, Starmer told Xi…