Xizhou’s internationally celebrated Linden Centre is a symbol of the deep roots of US-Chinese relations. Forty years after its seeds were sown, its founder’s plans to leave speak volumes Financial Times
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China’s Asian Affairs Reshuffle
On July 21, President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa awarded Shen Minjuan, China’s ambassador to the country since 2023, Mongolia’s Order of the Polar Star (Altan Gerege), the country’s highest state honor for foreign nationals. Barely a week later, on July 29, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) updated its official organizational roster: Shen had taken office as director-general of the Department of Asian Affairs, succeeding Liu Jinsong. The speed of the promotion was striking. So was its symbolism. For Mongolian policymakers and analysts who observed Shen’s nearly three-year tenure up close, her…
China’s Military Is Now Using AI to Plan Strike Operations
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force now uses an AI system that draws up plans for large-scale strike operations. Instead of being released with great fanfare, the system appeared in a CCTV documentary released in early August to mark the PLA’s 99th anniversary. The system is described as prioritizing targets from a pool of hundreds, coordinating dozens of formations, and assigning tasks to more than 100 tactical units. According to the documentary, it has already been used in multiple missions. The timing lines up neatly with Xi Jinping’s instruction…
Alibaba’s latest AI model puts it back in the great game
The ecommerce and cloud company hopes to recoup some of its lost shine with Monday’s releaseFinancial Times
Congress should hold Trump’s feet to the fire on chips
The US urgently needs to broaden its export control regime if it’s serious about winning the AI raceFinancial Times
Both Trump and young Americans are warming to China
The president and Gen Z voters are far more open to a co-operative relationship with Beijing than hawks in CongressFinancial Times
Insurance and bank stocks slide amid China tax crackdown fears
Move to impose levy on returns from policies that serve as investment products causes consternation in Hong KongFinancial Times
FirstFT: China launches global tax hunt
Also in today’s newsletter: Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis steps down and Iran says agreement reached with Oman on Hormuz shipping routeFinancial Times
Lobga Rangzen, the Tibetan Activist Who Set Himself on Fire in Manhattan
It was 91 degrees in Manhattan and even hotter on the pavement, but the Tibetans gathered as planned outside the Chinese Consulate. Amid the waving flags and synchronized chants, one of the protesters, Ngawang Tashi, looked for his friend Lobga Rangzen. Lobga Rangzen was a stalwart of events like this. His friends joked that he was happier at protests than on his birthday. At protests, he felt most useful to the cause of Tibetan independence from China — a cause to which he was so devoted, he had even put…
China hits back at US with sanctions and tighter drone export rules
Beijing’s retaliation highlights tensions ahead of Xi Jinping’s planned trip in September Financial Times