Tag: Xi Jinping

China’s Leader Xi Seeks to Extend Truce with Trump During U.S. Summit

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When China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, and President Trump meet in Washington this week, the two men will be operating on vastly different clocks. The American president is constrained by the immediate demands of a midterm election in November and a grinding war. The Chinese leader is gearing up for a norm-shattering fourth term as head of the ruling Communist Party, that will keep him in power for another five years. For Mr. Xi, the disparity in political realities gives him an edge in maintaining the truce that the two…

The world freaked out about AI doomsday. Now what?

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Hello, and welcome to TechScape. I’m your host, Blake Montgomery, US tech editor at the Guardian, writing to you while reading and disagreeing with Jenny Odell’s 2019 book How to Do Nothing. I’m pro-screen time. Today in tech, we’re discussing the upcoming meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, in which AI will likely feature prominently. Trump, Xi, AI Last week, the world freaked out about an AI apocalypse. Now the two most powerful men, running the countries with the two most advanced AI industries, are going to discuss that…

Trump Courts North Korea’s Leader, but Might Need China to Reignite the Flame

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The overtures from President Trump to one of his favorite dictators came hot and heavy over the summer. In June, Mr. Trump posted a photo of himself strolling through the tropical grounds of a luxury hotel with Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, during their historic summit in Singapore eight years ago. Weeks later, he wrote online that the two had a “very good relationship.” In that post, Mr. Trump announced that the American military would dial back exercises with South Korea, shocking the close U.S. ally and handing…

China dismisses AI ‘fearmongering’ as spy chief warns of threat to Communist party rule

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China has dismissed what it said were “fearmongering” calls for the US to block Beijing’s AI industry, even as the top Chinese spy chief warned the evolving technology could threaten Communist party rule. The US tech entrepreneur and Anthropic chief executive, Dario Amodei, wrote an essay published over the weekend that called for a global slowdown in AI capabilities, but also said Washington should actively impede Beijing’s advancement in order to keep a technological edge. Warning that AI could give the Chinese Communist party a chance “to militarily dominate democracies”,…

Xi Jinping gets red carpet at Brics summit amid thaw in India-China relations

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The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has received a red-carpet welcome in India for a summit of Brics developing nations, as regional rivals Beijing and Delhi make a public display of thawing relations while quietly competing to lead at a time of shaky US global dominance. As Xi stepped off the plane, he was walked past an honour guard of Indian soldiers and traditional dancers in colourful dresses. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, had already been welcomed by the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, who is…

Why Emerging Powers Keep Joining BRICS, Even When They Disagree

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At a gathering of nations that are challenging the dominance of the United States, Iran’s president took the main stage on Friday, flanked by the leaders of Russia and India, to condemn “military aggression” by the United States. Iran wants to show that Western sanctions have not left it isolated, even as it digs into a war with the United States that has severely restricted the crucial Strait of Hormuz route for oil and other commodities. President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran spoke at the BRICS Business Forum, ahead of the…

Putin arrives in India for Brics summit set to be dominated by Iran and Ukraine wars

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Vladimir Putin has arrived in India’s capital of Delhi ahead of an 11-member Brics summit set to be dominated by wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as economic challenges. The Russian president and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, were due to hold talks with India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, while Chinese leader Xi Jinping was also expected to attend the two-day meeting. Putin arrived at Palam air force Station in Delhi, where he was greeted by India’s minister of state for external affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, according…

Chinese Threat Requires a Broader Spying Mission, C.I.A. Deputy Director Says

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The United States is engaging in a broader range of espionage against China, including Chinese companies, to address the country’s status as both a military and an economic threat, the deputy C.I.A. director, Michael Ellis, said on Tuesday. During a rare public speaking appearance, Mr. Ellis said the nature of intelligence collection by the C.I.A. and other intelligence agencies had evolved considerably since they were created during the Cold War to spy on the Soviet Union. Unlike past geopolitical rivals, China “poses a fundamentally different kind of threat to us…

The world is being driven to the brink by thugs and dictators, but there is a route to a brighter future | Simon Tisdall

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Don’t look up! The world is a mess. The sky could fall in any day. Unending wars, expanding humanitarian crises, rising authoritarianism, dysfunctional democracies, rampant racial and religious extremism, and unchecked lawlessness cast a dark cloud as the west’s new political year begins. Set all that against a backdrop of staggering global economic inequality, corporate and individual greed, irresponsible government indebtedness, dangerous AI gambles, climate breakdown and proliferating nuclear weapons, and a truly apocalyptic global outlook begins to take shape. It’s enough to make anyone shut their eyes, cover their…

China Offers Condolences to Nepal While Emphasizing Disaster Began There

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China’s leader, Xi Jinping, extended his condolences to Nepal’s president on Friday over the hundreds of deaths caused by the landslide on the countries’ border and pledged China’s support in Nepal’s aid efforts. “I am confident that the people of both countries will be able to join hands to overcome the disaster and rebuild their homes,” Mr. Xi said in a message to Nepal’s president, Ram Chandra Paudel, reported by Chinese state media. The message, his first addressed to Nepal’s government since the disaster on Wednesday, noted that the countries…