"In a recent maritime incident that has escalated tensions between Taiwan and China, two Chinese fishermen perished after their speedboat capsized during a chase with the Taiwanese coast guard near the Kinmen archipelago.
Xiaomi, the leading player in India's smartphone market, has voiced concerns over the intensified scrutiny of Chinese companies, which is causing apprehensions among smartphone component suppliers about establishing their operations in the world's largest internet market.
"BASF, the German chemical conglomerate, announced its decision to divest from two joint ventures in Xinjiang, China, amidst rising concerns over alleged human rights abuses linked to its local partner, Xinjiang Markor Chemical Industry Co.
"Microsoft and OpenAI have disclosed how nation-state-backed hacking groups from Russia, North Korea, Iran, and China are harnessing the power of advanced AI tools, such as ChatGPT, to fortify their cyber-attack strategies.
China's economy grew 5.2% in the second quarter from a year earlier, slightly above expectations, as exporters capitalized on a temporary trade truce with the United States. But fresh concerns about domestic demand, persistent deflation, and rising unemployment signal that momentum may be difficult to sustain without additional policy support.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday in a bid to stabilize relations after years of diplomatic and trade tensions, pledging to pursue cooperation and open communication despite persistent geopolitical rifts across the Indo-Pacific.
China's exports surged 5.8% in June compared to a year earlier, defying expectations and setting a brisk pace for global shipments as Chinese firms rushed to beat the next round of U.S. tariffs set to take effect in August. According to Chinese customs data released Monday, the country's rare earth exports soared 60.3% to a record high of 7,742 tons, as buyers scrambled to secure critical materials ahead of new trade restrictions. The positive trade figures boosted China's CSI 300 index by 0.22% and lifted sentiment across Chinese financial markets.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, describing the first in-person encounter between the two officials as "constructive" despite escalating tensions over tariffs, trade policy, and China's support for Russia's war in Ukraine. The high-level meeting occurred on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum, where Southeast Asian nations voiced unease over President Donald Trump's sweeping new tariff package targeting both rivals and allies in the Indo-Pacific.
Taiwan launched its largest-ever Han Kuang military exercises on Wednesday, initiating 10 days of live-fire drills simulating a Chinese assault on its command systems and communications infrastructure. The exercises began just hours after a Chinese military spokesperson reaffirmed Beijing's commitment to "inevitable reunification," escalating tensions between the two governments.
China's factory-gate prices fell 3.6% in June from a year earlier, the steepest drop since July 2023, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The decline, deeper than the 3.2% fall forecast by economists in a Reuters poll, underscores intensifying deflationary pressure across the world's second-largest economy amid persistent oversupply, waning consumer demand, and global trade tensions.
Eight individuals have been arrested in China following a food safety scandal in which over 200 kindergarten children in Gansu province were diagnosed with lead poisoning after consuming contaminated meals at their school.
Germany summoned the Chinese ambassador to Berlin on Tuesday after a Chinese warship allegedly directed a laser at a German surveillance aircraft taking part in a European Union maritime security operation over the Red Sea, escalating tensions between the two countries amid concerns over China's military activity in international waters.
The Biden administration has lifted export restrictions on chip-design software to China, easing one of the more contentious trade controls imposed amid escalating tensions earlier this year. The move, announced Thursday by major U.S. and European software firms, signals incremental progress in U.S.-China trade negotiations and comes as both sides begin rolling back retaliatory measures.
China's factory activity contracted for the third consecutive month in June, with the official manufacturing purchasing managers' index rising slightly to 49.7 from 49.5 in May, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. While the figure met analysts' expectations, it remained below the 50-point threshold separating expansion from contraction, signaling continued strain on the world's second-largest economy.