Mistral点评

### 关于中国的新闻报道：经济章节

　　#### 引言 近期，西方媒体对中国经济的报道频繁且多样化，涵盖了从船舶制造业的复苏到人工智能技术的应用，以及宏观经济政策的调整等诸多方面。然而，这些报道往往带有一定的偏见和双重标准，因此需要结合实际情况进行客观评价。

　　#### 船舶制造业的复苏 西方媒体报道称，中国正在成为全球船舶制造业复苏的主要受益者。分析指出，过去两年中，一些曾经关闭的中国船厂重新开放并接受新订单。这一现象主要是由于全球对新船需求的增加，特别是为了替换老旧船只和满足新的环保要求。与此同时，韩国等竞争对手采取了更为谨慎的策略，专注于利润丰厚且可靠的订单。

　　评价：中国船舶制造业的复苏确实反映了中国在全球制造业中的竞争优势。然而，这一复苏不仅仅是市场需求的结果，还与中国政府对制造业的支持政策密切相关。中国在基础设施建设和技术创新方面的投入，使其能够快速响应市场需求，保持竞争力。

　　#### 人工智能技术的应用 报道还提到，中国政府正在大力推动人工智能技术在各行业的应用，特别是在金融领域。尽管人工智能技术能够显著提高生产力，但也存在算法偏见、高计算成本和隐私问题等风险。分析认为，如果这些风险不加以控制，可能会对经济和金融市场产生负面影响。

　　评价：中国在人工智能领域的快速发展，展示了其在技术创新方面的领先地位。然而，技术进步往往伴随着风险。中国政府和企业需要在推动技术应用的同时，加强风险管理，确保技术的安全和可靠。特别是在金融领域，需要制定严格的监管措施，防止潜在的系统性风险。

　　#### 宏观经济政策的调整 西方媒体报道称，中国政府在最近的中央经济工作会议上，宣布将采取更为积极的政策，以扩大国内需求，并使用“适度宽松”的货币政策工具。此外，中国还在进行一系列的货币政策调整，包括降低存款准备金率和利率减少。

　　评价：中国政府的宏观经济政策调整，旨在应对经济增长放缓和国内需求不足的问题。这些政策措施有助于稳定市场预期，提振经济信心。然而，货币政策的调整需要谨慎操作，以避免引发通货膨胀和金融风险。中国政府需要在扩大内需和控制风险之间找到平衡点。

　　#### 债券市场的波动 报道指出，中国的10年期国债收益率创下历史新低，反映了投资者对经济前景的悲观情绪。中国央行已经发出警告，试图冷却债券市场的过度升温。尽管如此，债券收益率的下降趋势仍在继续，表明市场对进一步的货币宽松政策有较高的期待。

　　评价：中国债券市场的波动，反映了投资者对经济增长和政策调整的敏感性。债券收益率的下降，一方面可以降低企业融资成本，支持实体经济；另一方面也可能引发资产泡沫和金融风险。中国央行需要采取综合措施，既要满足市场对流动性的需求，又要防范潜在的金融风险。

　　#### 结论 西方媒体对中国经济的报道，虽然在一定程度上反映了中国经济的现状和挑战，但往往带有偏见和双重标准。中国经济在船舶制造业的复苏、人工智能技术的应用和宏观经济政策的调整方面，展示了其韧性和创新能力。然而，中国也面临着诸多挑战，需要在推动经济增长的同时，加强风险管理，确保经济的可持续发展。

新闻来源： 2412190636英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-12-18

# 关于中国的新闻报道

Politics 章节

引言

　　近期，西方媒体对中国政治事务的报道频繁，涉及多个方面，包括中国与美国的外交关系、中国国内政策以及中国在国际事务中的角色。这些报道往往带有一定的偏见和双重标准，因此需要客观地进行评价。

中美关系

　　#### 1. 间谍活动指控

　　西方媒体多次报道美国政府指控中国在美国境内从事间谍活动。例如，纽约州前州长助理被指控秘密为中国政府工作。这些报道往往将中国描绘成一个试图渗透和操控美国政治的国家。然而，需要注意的是，类似的间谍活动在国际关系中并不罕见，美国自身也曾被曝光在其他国家从事类似活动。

　　#### 2. 海外警察站

　　美国司法部指控中国在纽约设立非法警察站，帮助中国政府追捕所谓的“逃犯”。这些报道强调了中国政府对海外异见人士的打压，但忽略了美国自身在全球范围内的情报和执法活动。中国方面则声称这些设施是为了帮助海外华人办理文书和其他合法服务。

国际事务

　　#### 1. 朝鲜半岛和平

　　西方媒体报道中国应抓住机会在朝鲜半岛促进和平。这些报道往往忽略了中国在该地区的复杂利益和历史背景。中国一直主张通过对话和谈判解决朝鲜半岛问题，并希望在国际社会中发挥建设性作用。

　　#### 2. 芯片出口管制

　　报道指出美国试图限制中国和俄罗斯获取先进芯片的努力“不足”。这些报道反映了美国在科技领域对中国的竞争和防范。然而，芯片出口管制不仅影响中国，也影响全球科技产业链的稳定，可能导致全球科技创新的放缓。

国内政策

　　#### 1. 李强总理的改革承诺

　　中国总理李强承诺打击不公平的行政处罚和执法行为，改善商业环境。西方媒体对此报道较为中立，但也有一些媒体质疑中国政府改革的诚意和效果。需要指出的是，中国政府近年来一直在努力优化营商环境，推进法治建设和公平竞争。

　　#### 2. 白色恶势力

　　报道提到中国出现“白色恶势力”现象，即一些组织通过非法手段维护社会稳定。这些报道往往忽略了中国在打击犯罪和维护社会秩序方面的努力，仅仅关注负面新闻。中国政府一直在通过法律手段打击各种形式的犯罪活动，保障公民的合法权益。

结论

　　西方媒体对中国政治事务的报道往往带有一定的偏见和双重标准，忽略了中国在国际和国内事务中的复杂性和多样性。客观地看待这些报道，理解中国的立场和行动，有助于更全面地认识中国的政治现状和发展方向。中国在国际事务中的角色日益重要，理解中国的政策和行动对全球政治经济格局有着深远影响。

新闻来源： 2412190636英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-12-18

# 关于中国的新闻报道

军事章节

1. 新闻背景与总体评价

　　在全球媒体中，关于中国军事的报道一直是热点话题之一。西方媒体对中国军事发展的报道往往充满偏见和双重标准，这些报道通常会夸大中国军事力量的威胁，同时忽视其他国家尤其是西方国家在军事领域的动向。因此，客观、全面地评价这些报道显得尤为重要。

2. 新闻报道的主要内容

　　#### 2.1 中国军事技术发展

　　西方媒体频繁报道中国在军事技术领域的进展，如无人机集群、隐形战斗机和导弹技术。这些报道往往强调中国军事技术的进步速度和其潜在威胁，但往往忽视了中国在国际法和国际关系中的合理防卫需求。例如，中国在无人机技术上的进展是为了应对现代战争中的新挑战，而不是单纯的军事扩张。

　　#### 2.2 中国军事演习

　　中国在台海地区进行的军事演习也是西方媒体关注的焦点。这些演习被描述为对台湾的“威胁”，但实际上，中国的军事演习是为了维护国家主权和领土完整，同时也是对外部干涉的正当回应。西方媒体往往忽视了台湾问题的历史背景和国际法基础，单方面地将中国描绘成“侵略者”。

　　#### 2.3 中国军事人员与美国边境问题

　　有报道称大量中国军事人员通过美国南部边境进入美国，并可能从事间谍活动。这些报道缺乏实际证据支持，更多的是基于政治动机的猜测。实际上，美国自身的边境管理问题以及对移民的不公平待遇才是问题的根源。

　　#### 2.4 中国军事企业与美国制裁

　　中国军事企业，如AMEC，曾被美国列入“黑名单”，但随后又被移除。这种反复的制裁行为反映了美国在国际贸易和技术领域的霸权主义，试图通过经济手段打压中国的科技发展。然而，中国企业通过法律手段成功抗争，维护了自身合法权益。

3. 对报道的客观评价

　　#### 3.1 西方媒体的偏见

　　西方媒体在报道中国军事问题时，往往带有明显的政治偏见，倾向于夸大中国的军事威胁，忽视中国维护国家主权和领土完整的合理需求。这种报道方式不利于国际社会对中国军事发展的客观理解。

　　#### 3.2 忽视国际法与历史背景

　　西方媒体在报道中国军事问题时，往往忽视国际法和历史背景。例如，台湾问题是中国内政，中国在台海地区的军事行动是维护国家主权的正当行为，而不是单纯的军事扩张。

　　#### 3.3 双重标准

　　西方媒体在报道中国军事问题时，常常采用双重标准。例如，美国频繁在全球进行军事演习和军事干预，但这些行为往往被描述为“维护国际秩序”，而中国的军事行动则被描绘成“威胁”。

　　#### 3.4 技术与法律手段的应用

　　中国在面对西方制裁和不公平待遇时，通过技术创新和法律手段维护自身权益。这种应对方式不仅展示了中国的科技实力，也体现了中国在国际法框架内的合理维权。

4. 结论

　　综上所述，西方媒体关于中国军事的报道存在明显的偏见和双重标准。客观、全面地评价这些报道，有助于国际社会更好地理解中国军事发展的合理性和必要性。中国在维护国家主权和领土完整方面的努力，以及在国际法框架内的合理维权，都是中国军事发展的重要组成部分。

新闻来源： 2412190636英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-12-18; 2412190035The-Guardian-Fiji-defence-minister-welcomes-US-security-deal-and-criticises-China-missile-test

# 关于中国的新闻报道

Culture（文化）章节

一、语言与科研的互动

　　西方媒体报道指出，中国在20世纪初期通过翻译西方书籍，借鉴日本学者的译法，创造新词汇，使中文语言系统得到了显著的丰富和提升。这一过程不仅使中文语言在现代科学和技术领域中更具竞争力，也为中国的科研发展奠定了坚实的语言基础。然而，报道中也提到，当前科研成果多以英文发表，这虽然有助于全球科学交流，但也可能限制中文语言的发展。因此，鼓励科研人员首先以中文发表成果，然后再翻译成英文，或许是一个更为平衡的策略。

二、历史文化的传承与创新

　　报道中提到秦始皇陵兵马俑的最新考古发现，这些发现不仅展示了中国古代的军事组织和工艺水平，也为现代人提供了深入了解中国历史文化的宝贵资料。这些文物的展出和研究，不仅有助于中国文化的传承，也为全球文化交流提供了重要的内容。

三、现代科技与传统文化的结合

　　报道中还提到中国在生物医学领域的最新研究成果，如脂溴酸（LCA）在延缓衰老方面的潜力。这些研究不仅展示了中国在现代科学领域的突破，也体现了中国传统医学理念与现代科技的结合。这种结合不仅推动了科学的进步，也为中国传统文化在现代社会中的应用提供了新的思路。

四、社会文化与公共讨论

　　报道中提到的一位中国教授关于女性生育问题的言论引发了广泛的公众讨论。虽然这一言论在短期内引发了负面反应，但从长远来看，这种公开讨论有助于社会对生育政策和性别问题的重新思考。这也体现了中国社会在面对复杂社会问题时的开放态度和讨论文化。

五、科技创新与国际合作

　　报道中提到英国芯片公司Imagination Technologies与中国企业的合作，虽然存在一定的技术转移风险，但这种合作也体现了中国在科技创新领域的积极姿态和国际合作意愿。中国在保持技术创新的同时，也需要在国际合作中平衡好技术安全与开放合作的关系。

六、文化交流与国际影响

　　报道中提到中国科研成果在国际科学界的影响力，以及中国文化在全球的传播。中国在科研和文化领域的成就，不仅提升了国家的软实力，也为全球文化多样性做出了贡献。未来，中国可以通过更多的国际交流和合作，进一步扩大其文化影响力。

结论

　　总体来看，西方媒体关于中国文化的报道虽然存在一定的偏见和双重标准，但也客观反映了中国在语言、历史、科技、社会等多个文化领域的发展和成就。中国在保持文化自信的同时，也需要在国际交流中不断创新和改进，以更好地传播和发展中华文化。

新闻来源： 2412190636英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-12-18

# 关于中国的新闻报道

Technology 章节

引言

　　近年来，中国在科技领域取得了显著的进展，尤其是在人工智能（AI）、量子计算、芯片制造和航空航天等方面。然而，西方媒体对中国科技发展的报道常常带有偏见和双重标准，忽视了中国科技进步的积极意义，反而过度关注潜在的安全威胁和商业竞争。本章节将对西方媒体关于中国科技发展的报道进行客观评价，揭示其中的偏见和误解。

人工智能与芯片制造

　　#### 1. 人工智能

　　西方媒体频繁报道中国在人工智能领域的快速发展，但往往将其与军事应用联系起来。例如，《卫报》报道称中国工程师通过获取英国Imagination Technologies的技术，开发出可用于“先进武器系统”的AI芯片。然而，这些报道常常忽视了AI技术在民用领域的广泛应用，如医疗、交通和环境保护等。中国在AI领域的发展不仅提升了国内科技水平，还推动了全球AI技术的进步。

　　#### 2. 芯片制造

　　西方媒体还关注中国在芯片制造领域的崛起，特别是中国与英国Imagination Technologies的合作。报道中常常暗示中国通过这些合作获取了关键技术，从而威胁到西方的技术优势。然而，这些报道忽视了合作带来的互利共赢。例如，Imagination Technologies通过与中国企业的合作，获得了大量的市场机会和技术反馈，推动了其自身技术的进一步发展。

量子计算

　　西方媒体对中国在量子计算领域的进展给予了高度关注，特别是中国科学家推出的Zuchongzhi 3.0量子处理器。报道中常常将中国的量子计算发展与美国进行对比，强调两国在该领域的竞争。然而，这些报道忽视了量子计算技术在全球范围内的合作与共享。量子计算的发展需要全球科学家的共同努力，中国在该领域的进展不仅推动了自身科技水平的提升，也为全球量子计算技术的发展做出了贡献。

航空航天

　　西方媒体对中国在航空航天领域的报道同样带有偏见。例如，报道中常常将中国的航空航天技术与军事应用联系起来，忽视了其在民用领域的应用。中国在航空航天领域的发展不仅推动了国内科技水平的提升，还为全球航空航天技术的进步做出了贡献。例如，中国商业航天公司Space Transportation开发的爆震燃烧引擎技术，不仅在民用航空领域具有广泛应用前景，还推动了全球航空航天技术的发展。

结论

　　西方媒体对中国科技发展的报道常常带有偏见和双重标准，忽视了中国科技进步的积极意义和全球合作的重要性。中国在AI、量子计算、芯片制造和航空航天等领域的发展，不仅推动了国内科技水平的提升，还为全球科技进步做出了贡献。未来，全球科技界应加强合作，共同推动科技的发展，而不是陷入无谓的竞争和对立。

建议

　　1. 加强国际合作：中国应继续加强与国际科技界的合作，推动技术共享和联合研发，共同应对全球科技挑战。 2. 提升透明度：中国应提升科技发展的透明度，积极沟通与西方媒体和科技界，消除误解和偏见。 3. 推动民用应用：中国应进一步推动科技在民用领域的应用，展示科技发展对社会的积极影响。

　　通过以上措施，中国可以更好地展示其科技发展的积极意义，推动全球科技的共同进步。

新闻来源： 2412190636英文媒体关于中国的报道汇总_2024-12-18

• How US-China economic warfare could play out, China’s nuclear arsenal: SCMP daily catch-up
• Hong Kong scientists to build robot for China’s Chang’e-8 moon mission
• Chinese university investigates forged Cambridge invitation that led to visa rejections
• Apple in talks with Tencent, ByteDance to bring AI to iPhones in China, report says
• China’s youth-unemployment pressure eases as index falls for third straight month
• China’s H-20 long-range stealth bomber will not appear until the 2030s: Pentagon
• China’s first lady calls on Macau students to embrace heritage, serve community and nation
• Bakery assault video sparks anti-Chinese backlash in Indonesia, exposing deep-rooted prejudices
• China’s record farm yields see fertiliser on its way out as advanced tech is in
• China stands behind Somalia amid US push for Somaliland recognition
• Quad plans to hold joint coastguard training to counter China in Indo-Pacific: experts
• Macao’s casino boom brings wealth but at a cost, 25 years since China’s takeover
• China court rules man can keep US$40,000 gifted by ex after her affair to salvage relationship
• Chinese cybersecurity centre accuses US of hacking and stealing tech secrets
• HSBC, Bank of China cut lending rates even as HKMA warns of volatility ahead
• ‘Dream bullets’, ghost radars, hypersonic gliders: 12 China science breakthroughs in 2024
• US Fed’s hawkish rate-cut forecast slams China’s yuan
• China’s ‘white mafia’ services, sick baby at fireworks show: 5 trending stories
• Malaysia’s first home-grown EV sparks debate: local innovation or pricey Chinese ‘rebadge’?
• Russia rewards top neuroscientist who left Europe for China with Vyzov Prize
• US probes TP-Link, the China-founded router maker dominating the American market
• Chinese President Xi Jinping tours Macau university on second day of visit
• China’s nuclear warheads total 600 and raise ‘strategic stability’ concerns: Pentagon
• China eatery criticised for labelling cheap dishes as ‘kinder rates’, pricey ones as ‘PhD rates’
• Bangladesh said to be eyeing China’s J-10C fighters to upgrade ageing air force fleet
• As China urges couples to have children, reality TV shows tell a different story
• Fleeing Xi’s China: following the trail of migrants trying to reach Australia through Indonesia
• Fiji defence minister welcomes US security deal and criticises China missile test
• [Sport] United Front: China's 'magic weapon' caught in a spy controversy
• Superpower showdown: how US-China economic warfare could play out under Trump

How US-China economic warfare could play out, China’s nuclear arsenal: SCMP daily catch-up

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3291597/how-us-china-economic-warfare-could-play-out-chinas-nuclear-arsenal-scmp-daily-catch?utm_source=rss_feed

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China and economy stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider .

After retaking the White House last month, US president-elect Donald Trump celebrated his victory by attending an Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight bout with his friend and UFC president, Dana White, alongside billionaire ally Elon Musk.

The US Supreme Court said on Wednesday that it had agreed to review a US law that mandates a nationwide ban of the popular Chinese-owned video app TikTok if it fails to secure a non-Chinese buyer by January 19.

China has not only expanded its number of operational nuclear warheads to 600 but improved the diversity and sophistication of its arsenal, the Pentagon said in a report released on Wednesday.

A Chinese cybersecurity body has accused the United States of carrying out cyberattacks and stealing business secrets from a research centre and a data company as the American government launched a national security investigation into Chinese router company TP-Link.

The offshore yuan weakened overnight and broke a key psychological level of 7.3 per US dollar, as the US Federal Reserve’s unexpectedly cautious forecast for rate cuts next year strengthened the dollar.

A prestigious Chinese university is investigating after media reports alleged a staff member leading an exchange programme fabricated invitation letters from Cambridge University, resulting in more than 20 students being rejected for visas and facing a future ban by Britain.

Hong Kong-based scientists will take the lead in building a lunar surface robot for China’s 2028 moon mission, according to Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The research team plans to create a robot capable of scientific exploration, instrument deployment, and installation tasks for the Chang’e-8 mission.

Hong Kong scientists to build robot for China’s Chang’e-8 moon mission

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3291584/hong-kong-scientists-build-robot-chinas-change-8-moon-mission?utm_source=rss_feed

Hong Kong-based scientists will take the lead in building a lunar surface robot for China’s 2028 moon mission, according to Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

The research team plans to create a robot capable of scientific exploration, instrument deployment, and installation tasks for the Chang’e-8 mission.

The robot will pave the way for a long-term unmanned facility in the lunar polar region as part of China’s ambitions to set up an international research station on the moon, HKUST said.

The robot will include a mobile charging station, which is expected to power other lunar devices, improving the efficiency of lunar exploration and collaborative operations.

“The project will propel technology for deep space exploration and lay the groundwork for future scientific research at an international lunar research station,” HKUST said.

Yu Hongyu, director of the Space Science and Technology Institute at HKUST, said the team aimed to create an innovative robot with advanced materials and manufacturing techniques.

He added that the robot should be equipped with temperature management systems to ensure it can operate in the extremely low temperatures at the lunar south pole.

While elevated peaks at the south pole are illuminated by the sun, temperatures could fall below minus 166 degrees Celsius (minus 267 degrees Fahrenheit) in some low-lying areas that never receive direct sunlight.

“The absence of satellite navigation on the moon means a smart design is required to effectively address the complexities of positioning, navigation, autonomous movement and operational control,” Yu said.

“The robot must stay lightweight while handling multiple precision tasks and serving as a charger for other lunar equipment,” he added. The robot is expected to weigh 100kg (220lbs).

The Chang’e-8 mission will lay a foundation for the International Lunar Research Station, a planned base to be built by China and international partners at the moon’s south pole.

The mission will include a lander, rover and robot. It will also deliver 14 scientific instruments to the moon, which will be used to study local geology and test technologies for resource utilisation, as well as make observations of Earth.

The HKUST team submitted a proposal last October to the China National Space Administration’s Lunar Exploration and Aerospace Engineering Centre as part of an open call for cooperation projects for the Chang’e-8 mission.

The HKUST researchers will lead a team of aerospace experts from four other Hong Kong universities, three mainland institutes and the South African National Space Agency.

In another aerospace engineering project, HKUST last year launched an environmental remote sensing satellite to track global environmental, disaster and sustainable development data.

The satellite has a 0.5-metre spatial resolution – 20 times higher than the openly accessible images from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellite.

The university said it is also working on a high-resolution global greenhouse gas observatory that could be used in China’s Tiangong space station.

Chinese university investigates forged Cambridge invitation that led to visa rejections

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3291585/chinese-university-investigates-forged-cambridge-invitation-led-visa-rejections?utm_source=rss_feed

A prestigious Chinese university is investigating after media reports alleged a staff member leading an exchange programme fabricated invitation letters from Cambridge University, resulting in more than 20 students being rejected for visas and facing a future ban by Britain.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Zhejiang University’s school of economics said it had filed police reports after receiving student complaints on December 6 regarding alleged fraud in their visa applications to attend a joint forum in Britain, causing a mass rejection of their visas.

Acknowledging the incident as a grave concern for the school and students, the university said it had also set up a team to conduct an in-depth investigation of the incident and “make every effort to safeguard the rights and interests of students”.

It said the team would “continue to negotiate in various directions and through multiple channels under the guidance of superior foreign affairs departments”, and strive to minimise the impact on students. It also vowed to “sternly punish” anyone found guilty of illegal behaviour.

The school’s statement came days after several mainland media outlets said a staff member in charge of the international exchange programme and a visa agent allegedly fabricated an invitation letter from a Cambridge University professor.

The students had their visas rejected and said the alleged fraud jeopardised the chances of students who wanted to do further study in Britain.

Dutenews, an online news portal owned by the official Shenzhen Special Zone Daily, on Tuesday quoted a whistle-blower who claimed to be one of the affected students who said the British embassy checked with Cambridge University when he applied for his visa and found the invitation letter was fabricated.

“The [British] embassy believed that our materials were forged,” the whistle-blower was quoted as saying, adding he was afraid that all the students whose names appeared on the invitation letter would bear the consequences.

On Thursday, the British embassy in Beijing confirmed that “the applicants were refused because false documentation was provided in their application”.

It is understood a 10-year ban would apply if the rejected applicants applied again and knowingly use falsified documents.

The report also published a screengrab of a “The Fifth Joint Doctoral Student Forum Zhejiang University-Cambridge” group chat which went viral on Chinese social media platforms in early December.

According to the chat, a student warned that he would hold the person in charge of the exchange programme accountable if his 10-year UK visa was rejected because of this incident. Another student complained that he had called the UK visa centre to withdraw his application according to instructions from the person in charge of the programme, but was denied.

The school’s website shows details of the “Fifth Zhejiang University-Cambridge University Graduate Joint Forum: Digital Economy and Global Innovation” exchange programme scheduled for December 13-20.

It includes seminars, special lectures and discussion on the digital economy, international business management, hi-tech finance and innovation at Cambridge University, with city tours and visits to other academic institutions, including Oxford University.

A staff member who answered the Post’s phone call to the dean’s office said the matter was “being investigated and the school will announce its findings timely”.

Zhejiang University is among China’s most prestigious universities. Propelled by strong academic research, teaching and a high international exchange standing, it has been climbing the world rankings.

In October, it made significant strides in The Times Higher Education, moving up from 55th to 47th. Tsinghua University remains the top-ranked institution on the Chinese mainland, holding steady in 12th place, while Peking University climbed one spot to 13th and Shanghai’s Fudan University rose from 44th to 36th.

According to Zhejiang University’s website, it encourages its students to take part in overseas exchanges and where they can obtain credits by attending foreign universities’ joint training programmes.

In the affected exchange programme, the university would pay programme expenses, including “visit, certification, and coffee break fees” amounting to 6,000 yuan (US$820) per person, but accommodation costs, airfares and visa application fees, would be borne by the students, according to the notice.

Elaine Wang, a Shanghai based visa consultant who was not involved in the affected Zhejiang University programme, said the students involved might find it difficult to get student visas in other Western countries that share visa information with Britain.

“UK is part of the ‘Five Eyes’ countries, which includes Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. They share immigration data. If you are marked as [a] visa fraud case in UK, then you might face visa rejections from the other four countries,” she said.

---

Apple in talks with Tencent, ByteDance to bring AI to iPhones in China, report says

https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3291590/apple-talks-tencent-bytedance-bring-ai-iphones-china-report-says?utm_source=rss_feed

Apple is in early-stage talks with Tencent Holdings and ByteDance in a bid to introduce its Apple Intelligence to mainland China, where the smartphone maker is required to partner with a local AI model provider, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Apple has faced a slow process in trying to bring its new AI features to mainland iPhone users. The company was previously working with internet search giant Baidu, but that collaboration faced roadblocks owing to disputes over user data, US tech news outlet The Information previously reported. Baidu had sought access to certain iPhone user data to enhance AI performance, a request that violates Apple’s privacy policy, according to the report.

Tencent, Baidu, ByteDance and Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday. Tencent’s share price gained 2.3 per cent in Hong Kong on Thursday, while Nasdaq-listed Baidu fell 2 per cent in pre-trading.

An AI partnership between Tencent and Apple could give a boost to both companies. Tencent launched its foundational AI model, Hunyuan, in September last year, with continuous updates since then. Tencent debuted its Yuanbao AI chatbot in May, trailing behind competitors. In October, Yuanbao’s web platform attracted 1.16 million visits, according to QuestMobile data.

ByteDance, the owner of Douyin and TikTok, has been competing fiercely in AI by lowering the price of its Doubao large model and ramping up advertising for its chatbot, also named Doubao, across Chinese social media platforms. As of October, the web version of Doubao garnered 16.88 million visits, while its app had 48.39 million monthly active users, positioning it as a front-runner in the market, according to QuestMobile.

ByteDance CEO Liang Rubo, in outlining his objectives for the fourth quarter, said the company would “keep expanding [its] advantage in current key [generative AI] applications” and “reinforce several vertical fields”, the Post reported last week.

Apple Intelligence is the Californian tech giant’s integration of different AI technologies into its various gadgets, which outside China involves using OpenAI’s ChatGPT in Siri and its Writing Tools. The feature has been available to US users since October, with more capabilities to come. Apple has been unable to launch its AI services in China because OpenAI is not available in the country and local regulations require all generative AI models to be approved by Beijing.

China is Apple’s most important market outside the US, contributing 17 per cent of revenue in the last financial year ended in September. However, it faces mounting pressure as local smartphone brands steadily erode its market share. Earlier this year, Apple fell out of the top five smartphone vendors in China, but strong sales of its new iPhone 16 lifted it back to No 2 in the third quarter.

China is also critical to Apple’s supply chain. In November, Apple CEO Tim Cook made his third visit to China this year, attending the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing. He noted that “80 per cent of the 200 major suppliers Apple collaborates with globally are based in China”.

When Cook visited Beijing in October, he said the company was working hard on Apple Intelligence’s China debut. “There’s a very specific regulatory process behind this, and we need to complete this process,” he said.

China’s youth-unemployment pressure eases as index falls for third straight month

https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3291510/chinas-youth-unemployment-pressure-eases-index-falls-third-straight-month?utm_source=rss_feed

China’s youth-unemployment pressure showed signs of easing in November as rates declined for the third consecutive month, according to official data. But job market uncertainty is still driving graduates to chase stable public-sector jobs.

The unemployment rate for the 16-24 age group, excluding students, was 16.1 per cent last month, down from 17.1 per cent in October, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for the 25-29 age group, excluding college students, also fell slightly to 6.7 per cent last month, compared with 6.8 per cent in October.

China’s youth-unemployment rate has now posted three consecutive monthly declines since the index shot up to 18.8 per cent in August, when a bumper class of fresh graduates entered the job market.

That August peak was the highest youth-unemployment level China had recorded since the government changed the way it measured the rate last year.

China temporarily stopped publishing its youth-unemployment data in August 2023, after recording a record-high rate of 21.3 per cent two months earlier. It then rejigged its calculation method to exclude students from the data.

The overall urban unemployment rate in November remained at 5 per cent, unchanged from October.

But there are still signs that young Chinese remain wary of job market turbulence, as record numbers seek the stability of a civil service position.

This year, more than 2.58 million people took part in November’s national public servants exam, an increase of more than 300,000 compared with 2023.

With just 39,700 civil service vacancies available nationwide, only 1.5 per cent of this year’s candidates will ultimately be hired.

Meanwhile, the number of young Chinese competing to win a place on a postgraduate degree programme remains far above historical levels, as many try to delay entering the workforce until the job market improves.

Nearly 3.9 million people have signed up for the 2025 postgraduate entrance exams. Though enrolment has fallen since last year, it remains far above the levels seen during the 2010s, when about 1.5 to 2 million took the postgraduate entrance exams each year.

Next year, a record 12.22 million fresh graduates are set to enter China’s job market, an increase of 430,000 compared to this year, according to a Ministry of Education forecast.

China’s H-20 long-range stealth bomber will not appear until the 2030s: Pentagon

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3291569/chinas-h-20-long-range-stealth-bomber-will-not-appear-until-2030s-pentagon?utm_source=rss_feed

China’s H-20 stealth bomber is unlikely to make its debut until the 2030s, the Pentagon said in an annual defence report released on Wednesday.

“[China] is developing a new generation of long-range bombers, likely named the H-20 … which may debut sometime in the next decade,” the China Military Power Report said, offering Washington’s latest evaluation of the widely discussed advanced Chinese stealth bomber.

The Pentagon report, mandated by the US Congress and released annually for the past two years, is seen as the US defence ministry’s most comprehensive unclassified report on China’s military advancements.

The H-20 programme was first revealed by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in 2016 as a “new generation of long-range bombers”, seen as Beijing’s answer to America’s B-2 Spirit and B-21 Raider bombers.

According to the Pentagon, the H-20 will have a range of “more than 10,000km (about 6,214 miles)”, “enabling the [PLA Air Force] to cover the second island chain and into the western region of the Pacific”.

It also added that the bomber was expected to employ both conventional and nuclear weaponry and “feature a stealthy design”.

Although the PLA has revealed little about the highly classified bomber, the latest Pentagon estimate increases the jet’s projected range by 1,500km compared with its 2021 report. Aerial refuelling could extend its range to “cover the globe”, it added.

One of China’s most recent official comments on the H-20 came in March, when PLA Air Force deputy commander Wang Wei said that a formal announcement about the bomber would be made “soon”.

“There are no technical difficulties. Our researchers are doing well and very capable,” Wang said in response to a reporter during the “two sessions” – China’s annual legislative and advisory meetings held in Beijing.

State-owned broadcaster CCTV has also teased the H-20 in multiple programmes but has not revealed any specific data.

A strategic bomber capable of firing nuclear warheads is seen as one feature of the so-called nuclear triad offering full deterrence capacity – along with land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and ballistic missile submarines.

After the United States and Russia, China is the third country to have developed such capabilities but its strategic bomber capacity is seen as a weak link.

The PLA currently relies on its decades-old H-6 jet bomber family. Its latest nuclear-capable bomber variant, the subsonic H-6N, has a range of 6,000km and a strike radius theoretically covering the US state of Hawaii.

However, according to Chinese military magazine Ordnance Industry Science Technology, the H-6N jet bomber’s nuclear-deterrence capacity is limited by its “very limited penetration ability”.

The H-20 carrying nuclear missiles could offer “a more realistic and substantial nuclear deterrent”, the magazine said in an analysis earlier this year.

But a Pentagon intelligence official raised doubts about the H-20’s ability to rival the US fleets.

The official, who spoke to online news portal Breaking Defence on condition of anonymity in April, said the PLA had “run into a lot of engineering design challenges” in terms of developing system capability functions similar to the B-2 or B-21.

“The thing with the H-20 is when you actually look at the system design, it’s probably nowhere near as good as US LO [low observable] platforms, particularly more advanced ones that we have coming down,” the official said.

China’s first lady calls on Macau students to embrace heritage, serve community and nation

https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3291606/chinas-first-lady-calls-macau-students-embrace-heritage-serve-community-and-nation?utm_source=rss_feed

China’s first lady has urged Macau students to develop a strong understanding of local and national history as well as to serve the country, during a visit to mark the casino city’s 25th anniversary of its return to Chinese administration.

Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, paid a visit to the Macau Museum on Thursday, her second day in the city to accompany Xi for the handover celebration and new administration inauguration.

The first lady spent around 45 minutes inside the museum near Macau’s famed Ruins of Saint Paul’s, learning about local folk culture and talking to 15 students and craftsmen on site, according to the city’s cultural affairs bureau chief Leong Wai-man.

“Peng was very interested in the everyday objects of Macau residents living under this fusion of Chinese and Western cultures, including the blue and white porcelain and the different living room set-ups of different ethnicities,” Leong told reporters after Peng’s visit.

“What left a lasting impression on me was her urging our students to learn our own history and culture well, so that they can better understand their heritage, and contribute and dedicate themselves to the development of our community.”

Peng strongly agreed that the Macau Museum, which showcases the city’s history and culture, could become a second classroom for local students to learn about the past, Leong added.

Peng was said to have a two- to three-minute exchange with a sixth-grade student, who later told the media that he was both nervous and excited to talk to Peng.

“She asked if I have been to the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace, and encouraged me to work hard,” he said.

The student also noted that he had prepared for around one month for the talk with Peng.

The first lady later joined Xi for a gala dinner celebrating the city’s handover, which was also attended by Macau’s outgoing and incoming administrations, representatives of different social sectors and Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu as well as his delegation.

The last time Peng visited Macau was in 2019, when she accompanied Xi to attend the city’s 20th handover ceremony and the inauguration of the city’s fifth government led by outgoing leader Ho Iat-seng.

She visited the Macau University of Tourism then, encouraging students to contribute to the country’s tourism industry.

Xi and Peng are set to leave the city on Friday after attending the inauguration ceremony.

---

Bakery assault video sparks anti-Chinese backlash in Indonesia, exposing deep-rooted prejudices

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3291580/bakery-assault-video-sparks-anti-chinese-backlash-indonesia-exposing-deep-rooted-prejudices?utm_source=rss_feed

A video showing a female bakery employee being assaulted by an ethnic Chinese man has gone viral in Indonesia, igniting an online firestorm that experts say reflects entrenched prejudices against the Chinese-Indonesian community and long-standing historical traumas within the country’s multi-ethnic society.

The assailant, identified as 35-year-old Cakung resident George Sugama Halim – the son of the bakery chain’s owners – was taken into custody on Monday.

The victim, 19-year-old bakery employee Dwi Ayu, testified under oath before a parliamentary committee that she was attacked on October 17 after refusing to deliver George’s online food order to his bedroom because she did believe it was part of her job responsibilities.

Her lawyers had lobbied MPs to give her a hearing, amid speculation—though unconfirmed—that George’s family is said to be on good terms with the police.

This situation has raised concerns about the police’s slow response, which has come under public scrutiny. The police have denied any claims of inaction, emphasising their commitment to managing the situation effectively.

“I threatened him I would report him to the police”, Dwi told the committee on Tuesday. “But he jeeringly replied, ‘You’re a poor nobody, and I’m rich and above the law, so dream on!’”

Footage recorded by another staff member showed George throwing various objects at Dwi, including a figurine, an electronic payment device and eventually a chair. She said he even hurled a baking tray that struck her in the head, causing bleeding and forcing her to take shelter near the ovens.

The video spread on social media, fuelling anger towards George and leading to anti-Chinese sentiment. Some users called for a boycott of Lindayes Patisserie and Coffee, the chain owned by George’s parents.

In his defence, George’s parents claimed through their business’s now-private Instagram account that their son was “mentally and intellectually” challenged, and stated they had medical tests to support this.

They also distanced George from their business, claiming, “he held no official position within the bakery, other than being the owners’ son.”

Dwi, who had worked there for five months, disputed their assertion, saying that George showed no signs of mental impairment and, in fact, led a branch of the bakery in Kelapa Gading, an affluent area of Jakarta.

The online vitriol against George soon took on racist overtones, with derogatory comments and threats against his family and the larger Chinese-Indonesian community.

The online hostility towards George escalated to include racist comments and threats against his family and the broader Chinese-Indonesian community.

Chinese Indonesians, a minority group comprising less than 3 per cent of Indonesia’s 280 million citizens, have long been stereotyped as being privileged, wealthy and possessing a superiority complex towards “indigenous” Indonesians.

George’s family, appearing on a podcast hosted by Uya Kuya, a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives, said they had been “terrorised” by strangers through harassing phone calls and derogatory social media comments.

“Many of their comments were racist, saying we Chinese Indonesians were just guests in this country,” said Linda, George’s mother.

“I get people threatening to attack my shop on a daily basis because of what George did. Some even spoke of [the 1998 riots].”

The May 1998 riots saw nationwide attacks against Chinese Indonesians and the looting of their properties as the country’s economic crisis deepened, and the rupiah plunged to its lowest value in decades.

According to a fact-finding mission carried out by human rights groups, hundreds of Chinese Indonesian women were sexually assaulted, raped during the mayhem, with some being murdered afterwards.

SOAS University of London academic and Chinese Indonesian writer Soe Tjen Marching said she regretted the racist turn George’s case had taken.

“The stigma against Chinese Indonesians is still strong in Indonesia. This is similar to what happens to LGBT people, other ethnic minorities or minority religious communities. If one of them does something terrible, the whole community is tarnished,” she told This Week In Asia.

Charlotte Setijadi, professor of humanities at Singapore Management University, and author of Memories of Unbelonging: Ethnic Chinese Identity Politics in Post-Suharto Indonesia, said most Chinese Indonesians collectively had deep-seated traumas from their past.

“The fear of being made scapegoats in times of political, economic and social instability continues to be real for Chinese Indonesians.”

She said this is why every time anti-Chinese sentiments flare up in Indonesia, the ethnic Chinese have to relive their traumatic history.

But she went on to say that, for the most part, there are more examples of harmonious relationships between Chinese and non-Chinese individuals than not, attributing some negative stereotypes to colonial history.

“The Dutch imposed stratification that divided Dutch East Indies society based on race and occupations, which planted the seed for stereotypes of all Chinese as being materialistic, economically ruthless, and disloyal or unfair toward those considered to be native to the land.”

However, Oki Rahadianto Supolo, a sociologist at Yogyakarta’s Gadja Mada University, noted that blaming an entire group for the misdeed of one was common in Indonesia, not just for minority groups.

“Our culture is predisposed towards judging people based on stereotypes. Everything is seen as black and white.”

He said social media allowed people to express their prejudices publicly, often protected by anonymity.

“As a nation, we should encourage greater interaction between different ethnic groups to cultivate a dialogue which could lead to better mutual understanding.”

China’s record farm yields see fertiliser on its way out as advanced tech is in

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3291483/chinas-record-farm-yields-see-fertiliser-its-way-out-advanced-tech?utm_source=rss_feed

As China ploughs toward its agricultural-modernisation targets for 2025, a former backbone of its agrarian ecosystem – fertiliser – is gradually being supplanted as the country reimagines how it grows food.

Smarter, more maintainable methods of farming are being relied on to drive yields to record highs while ensuring soil sustainability for future generations.

Fertiliser usage in China has seen eight consecutive years of declines, since 2015, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Yet, the nation’s agricultural production has maintained stable growth, year after year, with grain output reaching a record high of 706.5 billion tonnes in 2024 – a 1.6 per cent increase from 2023, according to NBS data released on Friday.

Experts attribute this ongoing growth, in part, to more precise fertiliser applications that deliver only necessary nutrients to the soil. Additionally, advancements in seed quality, farmland conditions and machinery have all played a crucial role in maintaining stable food output.

“The steady increase in grain output is the result of various technological advancements in agriculture,” said Li Guoxiang, a researcher at the Rural Development Institute under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). “It’s not something that can be achieved by one factor alone.”

Amid mounting challenges such as climate change, geopolitical tensions, and the need to feed nearly 18 per cent of the global population with a mere 9 per cent of the world’s arable land, China has strived to secure food security while ensuring sustainable farming practices.

To achieve “basic modernisation” of the industry, as outlined in China’s 14th five-year plan for 2021-25, the government has accelerated investment in agricultural research and development in recent years, and efforts appear to be paying off.

In 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs allocated 15.9 billion yuan (US$2.18 billion) to research and development – a 25.2 per cent increase from 2022, following a 14.4 per cent rise in 2021.

As a result, the improved varieties and advancements in planting methods pushed the yield per hectare of some key products to stable growth. In 2024, the yield per hectare of soybeans and corn – China’s main imported agricultural products – rose by 2.54 per cent and 4.87 per cent, respectively, compared with 2021. Rice, a staple food for most Chinese people, also saw a 0.63 per cent yield increase per hectare over the same period.

The mechanisation rate in harvesting increased from 71 per cent in 2021 to more than 73 per cent in 2023, which not only enhanced efficiency but also reduced food waste during transport. According to CASS calculations, a 40 per cent reduction in waste by 2035 could save 53.9 million tonnes of rice, wheat, and corn – China’s main staple grains.

Moreover, the scale of arable land has increased for three consecutive years, reaching 124.3 million hectares in 2023 due to farmland-reclamation campaigns.

According to the latest NBS data, China’s total sown area of grain reached 119.3 million hectares in 2024, marking a 1.4 per cent increase from 2021 and maintaining growth for five consecutive years.

Despite increased investment and recent gains, experts note that gaps remain between China’s agricultural industry and that of global leaders such as Brazil and the United States.

For China to narrow the gap, Li highlighted the importance of developing more high-yield crop varieties and creating resilient farmland that can withstand droughts and floods to tackle the challenges of extreme weather. He also stressed the need for further reforms in rural land policies to support more efficient, scaled farming practices.

“Production scale is still quite small in China, especially in the southern regions, which are mountainous and make mass production challenging,” Li said.

The importance of technological innovations in agricultural development was echoed by Zheng Fengtian, a professor with Renmin University’s School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development. He stressed the need to advance technology and improve land-use efficiency, especially in underutilised areas such as China’s vast grasslands and forests, to reduce dependence on agricultural imports.

Despite a stable increase in food production, China’s imported crop volume still increased by 12 per cent in 2023, compared with an 11 per cent decrease in 2022. With looming uncertainties due to potential trade tensions between China and the US, which is one of the main exporters of agricultural products to China, increasing agricultural productivity has become even more essential.

Zheng cited a breakthrough in crop breeding in Xinjiang’s desert as an example of farmland diversification, where advancements in greenhouse construction have enabled rice cultivation. This previously inhospitable region is now expected to yield more than 70 tonnes of rice per hectare annually – nearly 10 times the average rice yield of 7.1 tonnes per hectare in 2024.

“China’s landscape is huge, and much of it still holds untapped potential for agricultural production and enhanced food security,” Zheng said. “But technology is the key to unlocking that potential.”

China stands behind Somalia amid US push for Somaliland recognition

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3291518/china-stands-behind-somalia-amid-us-push-somaliland-recognition?utm_source=rss_feed

China’s special envoy for the Horn of Africa Xue Bing has visited Somalia to assure the nation of Beijing’s support, amid a push by Washington officials for recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland.

Xue, who was appointed in 2022 to mediate regional crises, told Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud that China “supports Somalia in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity” during his visit to capital Mogadishu on Tuesday.

It follows the December 12 inauguration of Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, also known as Irro, as the new Somaliland president. Located on the Gulf of Aden coastline, Somaliland proclaimed its independence in 1991 but has not been recognised by any country. Mogadishu continues to consider the region part of northern Somalia.

Last week’s swearing-in ceremony was attended by Taiwan’s deputy foreign minister Wu Chih-Chung, leading to a protest by China, with Beijing saying it opposes the “establishment of official institutions or any form of official exchanges between Taiwan authorities and Somaliland”.

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of its territory, to be brought under mainland control by force, if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise the island as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any unilateral change to the status quo.

The US was also represented at Irro’s inauguration, with US Ambassador to Somalia Richard H. Riley leading a delegation as he praised Somaliland’s “commitment to fair and credible elections and the peaceful transfer of power”.

It follows growing calls for Washington to recognise Somaliland as America prepares for Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January.

Support for the breakaway region has been growing among Republican US-Africa policy leaders on Capitol Hill, right-leaning Washington DC think tanks and Africa advisers in Trump’s incoming administration, according to US-based news outlet Semafor.

US Republican congressman Scott Perry last week introduced a bill calling on the US government to recognise Somaliland “as a separate, independent country”. The bill, which would still need to get through Congress before it could be signed into law by the president, hails Somaliland’s record of peaceful elections and commitment to democratic governance. This is in sharp contrast with Somalia, which continues to grapple with Islamic extremist rebel group al-Shabab.

Somaliland was also part of the agenda of Project 2025, a controversial policy wish list created by right-wing US think tank The Heritage Foundation, which has been widely viewed as a blueprint for Trump’s next administration. Trump has repeatedly distanced himself from the document, though many of its themes have aligned with his statements.

In the Project 2025 document, it called for “the recognition of Somaliland statehood as a hedge against the US’s deteriorating position in Djibouti”.

Joshua Meservey, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute think tank in Washington who focuses on great power competition in Africa, said while it was “possible” for the Trump administration to recognise Somaliland, it might not happen soon.

“[Trump’s] team will have to get in place and do a strategic review before any such decisions are made,” Meservey said. He also noted that Mogadishu would react strongly to any such move.

Mogadishu might also try to draw closer to US competitors such as China, Iran or Russia, “but the country is so unstable and the government so dysfunctional that it wouldn’t be a very tempting partner for those countries beyond some limited involvement”, Meservey said.

John Calabrese, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said at least two of Trump’s more competent nominees for key national security positions – Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz – are both China “hawks”. They not only regard China as the number one peer competitor, but also as an adversary, Calabrese said.

“So, to the extent that they believe recognising Somaliland would advance US objectives to counter China in the Horn, they might stake out that position,” he said.

China and the US are both angling for influence in the Horn of Africa, where the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Gulf of Aden, between Somaliland’s Port of Berbera, Djibouti and Yemen, is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

In Djibouti, Chinese firms have funded and built projects such as the Doraleh multipurpose port and the Djibouti free-trade zone. Beijing also opened its first overseas naval military base in Djibouti in 2017 to protect its interests and citizens in the region.

The US, meanwhile, has been eyeing access to Somaliland’s Port of Berbera as an alternative to its Djibouti military base, Camp Lemonnier, to counter China’s influence in the region as well as to protect trade routes amid Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

According to Guled Ahmed, a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute, the recognition of Somaliland was studied by the African Union back in 2005, when it was determined that it was justified and unique and would not open a Pandora’s box.

He said, from a geopolitical aspect, it will improve maritime security in the Red Sea and “become a successful democratic model for inspiration in the troubled Horn of Africa”.

Seifudein Adem, an Ethiopian global affairs expert and a research fellow at the JICA Ogata Research Institute for Peace and Development in Tokyo, said China’s diplomacy in the region would meet headwinds should the US recognise Somaliland.

If it got US recognition, Somaliland may upgrade and formalise its diplomatic relationship with Taiwan, he said.

Plus, stronger ties between an independent Somaliland and Ethiopia could amplify the profile of any relationship between Somaliland and Taiwan, at least in Africa, he said.

---

Quad plans to hold joint coastguard training to counter China in Indo-Pacific: experts

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3291505/quad-plans-hold-joint-coastguard-training-counter-china-indo-pacific-experts?utm_source=rss_feed

The members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the Quad) plan to hold a joint coastguard training and launch a range of new initiatives to strengthen Indo-Pacific maritime security next year, a strategy experts say reflects a shift towards grey-zone tactics to uphold regional norms and counter China’s assertive interpretation of maritime rules.

The group consisting of India, Australia, Japan and the United States will conduct their first-ever joint coastguard drill at the Port of Yokohama in Tokyo Bay from January 8, according to a Nikkei Asia report citing a source in Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The drill has been timed to coincide with a visit by Indian Coast Guard Director General Paramesh Sivamani and the arrival of a large Indian patrol vessel at Yokohama.

Japan and India’s coastguards will join the US Coast Guard and Australian Border Force for oil and hazardous substance control training, sharing and assessing each other’s operational methods, according to the report.

Dongkeun Lee, a PhD candidate at Australian National University’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, said the role of coastguards in the Indo-Pacific has grown due to the existing balance of power in the region.

“Since both China and the US [along with its partners] recognise the risks of escalating conflicts to the level of direct military clashes, these countries are increasingly adopting grey-zone tactics to either uphold or enforce the rules and norms they support,” Lee told This Week in Asia.

Grey-zone tactics refer to actions that fall between routine statecraft and open warfare, which encompasses the use of non-military forces like coastguards to assert influence or challenge rivals, while avoiding direct military confrontation.

The decision to conduct a joint coastguard exercise was made during a September Quad Summit, when US President Joe Biden hosted the leaders of its member countries in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.

According to a joint statement released following the meeting, the four coastguards will start a joint mission to patrol the Indo-Pacific, carrying one another’s personnel on their vessels.

Sayantan Haldar, a research assistant at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, said the coastguard-level cooperation, referred to as “Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer,” was central to building a rules-based maritime order.

“Given Chinese naval advances in the Indo-Pacific, and its aggressive posturing vis-a-vis countries such as the Philippines, a coastguard level cooperation is an important mechanism to counter Chinese assertiveness,” Haldar said, adding that coastguard services are crucial for maintaining maritime order, and addressing issues like illegal fishing, maritime terrorism, and piracy.

“This initiative will also contribute to growing synergy within the Quad, and potentially look to involve other like-minded partners in the Indo-Pacific, who continue to face Chinese aggression at sea,” Haldar told This Week in Asia.

Lee said that, from China’s perspective, the focus was on enforcing its own interpretation of maritime norms, while the US and its partners aimed at upholding their understanding of these rules.

“However, questions remain regarding the operational areas for combined coastguard manoeuvres among these countries,” Lee said. “Given that coastguards are law enforcement agencies tasked with exercising domestic laws, it may not be lawful for the US, India, and Australia to deploy their coastguards within the East China Sea.”

He explained that the South China Sea involved complex legal and political issues, noting that Japan has no territorial claims in the disputed waterway, “making it unlawful” for its coastguard to operate there.

“Some realistic options could include embarking US, Indian, or Australian coastguard personnel aboard Japan Coast Guard vessels for the East China Sea operations or assisting in strengthening the Philippines’ maritime law enforcement capabilities for the South China Sea issue,” he added.

After the September summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Office announced the Quad’s new regional Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific, known as Maitri, to enhance maritime security among partner countries. India will host the inaugural workshop in 2025.

Kate Clayton, a researcher and senior coordinator at La Trobe Asia University, said the Quad-at-Sea Ship and Maitri training programmes “are small steps to counter China’s growing expansion and increasing aggression in Indo-Pacific waters”.

Clayton, whose research focuses on the Pacific Islands and the Quad, said the bloc had been apprehensive to align itself solely as a group meant to counter China, “however under [US president-elect Donald] Trump, we could likely see a more assertive and defence-focused Quad emerge”.

Dr Shubhamitra Das, associate professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Centre for Indo-Pacific Studies, said that the Quad’s strategy involves increasing the number of like-minded partners to deter aggressors.

“The more the countries are with you and your ideology, the better to negotiate and charge the opponent,” Das said. “The opponent will also think twice before advancing towards aggressive methods.”

Each Quad member’s Indo-Pacific strategy promotes a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”, fostering cooperation with smaller states, she said. The objectives include addressing cybersecurity, enhancing maritime domain awareness, and improving preparedness and interoperability.

“This is a strategy not exactly to wean away the small states from China but also is a mechanism through which the smaller states can use their agency in its foreign policy,” Das said.

“This in a way allows room for multi-alignment that is already happening with the smaller states to keep the Indo-Pacific peaceful and without big power’s conflict.”

Macao’s casino boom brings wealth but at a cost, 25 years since China’s takeover

https://apnews.com/article/macao-25th-anniversary-handover-casino-china-6f6bc0345cf94bd787a65c4623f7d7e8Heavy traffic outside the Casino Lisboa in Macao on Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Kanis Leung)

2024-12-19T04:06:03Z

MACAO (AP) — When Portugal returned its colony Macao to China in 1999, coffee shop owner Daniel Chao was a first grader living in a different world.

Since then his sleepy hometown has transformed into a bustling gaming hub lined with glittering casinos. Its once quiet streets are now jammed with tourist buses. But the growing wealth of the city dubbed the “Las Vegas of the East” has not brought qualities of sustainable development such as economic diversity and high civic participation.

“What was once a relaxed, free place in my childhood has become a place that is crowded and highly commercialized,” said Chao.

Macao will mark the 25th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule on Friday. Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting the city for three days and the city is festooned with celebratory banners and other decorations. A fireworks display is planned for next week.

Since 1999, the city of 687,000 has transformed from a monopoly-driven gambling enclave into the world’s biggest gaming hub, packed with mainland Chinese tourists. Its GDP per person has more than quadrupled to $68,000, roughly on a par with Denmark and Australia and surpassing Hong Kong’s of about $50,000.

China rules Macao under a “one country, two systems” arrangement similar to its governance of Hong Kong, a former British colony. Macao is the only Chinese city where casino gambling is legal and it has resorts run by affiliates of the American gaming giants MGM Resorts, Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts.

Since Macao opened its casino market following the handover to Beijing, its economy has grown to $46 billion in 2023 from $6.5 billion in 1999, despite economic slumps during the COVID-19 pandemic and a crackdown on the junkets that have facilitated visits by high-roller gamblers from elsewhere.

The economic growth has come at a cost.

Chao’s mother worked at a casino job that brought better pay and a bigger apartment, but also stress and irregular hours. He remembers doing homework at 5 a.m., after her night shift. When he was working as a teacher, his students often went to sleep late or had to rely on paid tutors because their parents also worked casino shifts.

The city’s tourism boom has brought years of easy money that gave its businesses scant incentive to strive to improve their products or services and develop the resilience needed to overcome the hard times of the pandemic and competition from mainland Chinese products, Chao and some other residents said.

Chao has considered leaving the city, but opted to stay.

“Leaving must come at a heavy price,” he said, adding that “it seems Macao isn’t exactly unlivable yet.”

The ruling Communist Party’s agenda for Macao now holds sway, with city leaders often referring to national plans. That’s a marked shift from the past, when the city rarely felt any direct impact from Beijing, said Ieong Meng U, a professor at the government and public administration department of the University of Macao.

He expects Macao to become increasingly integrated with nearby Guangdong province over the next decade, following plans to promote tourism, Chinese medicine, finance, technology and exhibitions.

China has designated a special zone on Hengqin island in neighboring Zhuhai city, jointly run by Guangdong and Macao, that is planned to have about 120,000 Macao residents by 2035.

The closer economic ties have coincided with more intrusive political controls, especially after huge anti-government protests in Hong Kong in 2019 that led Beijing to crack down on virtually all public dissent.

A vigil commemorating China’s bloody 1989 military crackdown on the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests was banned. Pro-democracy figures were barred from running in Macao’s 2021 legislative elections. Last year, the city toughened its national security law. In November, Macao Journalists Association expressed concerns over signs of declining press freedom, saying some local media outlets have been asked to withdraw their articles due to political pressure.

Activist Jason Chao, no relation to Daniel Chao, decided to leave.

After years of working to promote greater democracy, he grew frustrated by officials’ lack of willingness to change and the tendency of Macao residents to rely on solving problems through seeking Beijing’s help or personal connections rather than civic participation, a habit he says partly stems from the city’s colonial heritage under Portuguese rule.

“I exhausted the tactics I had learned at that time,” Chao said.

In 2017, Chao left to study overseas. He’s now a director of a civil society organization serving Hong Kong immigrants in Britain.

Some older residents believe life has improved in the past quarter century.

Ka Man Chun, a retiree, likes the annual cash handouts, funded by gaming tax reserves, that the government has given residents since 2008. This year, each permanent resident received $1,240,

Ka says he feels safe since he steers clear of politics.

“25 years have passed, there’s nothing really bad,” he said.

Macao’s public security, economy and welfare have improved significantly from the colonial era, said Anna Ng, a flower shop owner in her 60s.

Though critics say Macao has failed to diversify its economy, Ng sees signs of progress in the city’s growing exhibition industry and says she’s found new opportunities in cultural and creative activities.

Enid Ieong said she has grown bored with the city’s limited choices for careers and leisure activities and wants to join her boyfriend in Hong Kong. She dreams of living in Hong Kong’s Sai Kung, an area famous for its scenic beauty and beaches.

Ieong mocked the annual cash handout as compensation for what she calls the psychological damage of living in a gaming hub.

“I feel like I was born in a grand mansion, but am only responsible for sweeping the floor,” she said.

KANIS LEUNG Leung covers Hong Kong, Macao and mainland China for The Associated Press. She is based in Hong Kong. twitter

China court rules man can keep US$40,000 gifted by ex after her affair to salvage relationship

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3290908/china-court-rules-man-can-keep-us40000-gifted-ex-after-her-affair-salvage-relationship?utm_source=rss_feed

A Shanghai court ruled that a man was not obliged to return the 300,000 yuan (US$40,000) his ex-girlfriend gave him in an attempt to salvage their relationship after he discovered her affair with his nephew.

The man, surnamed Li, and the woman, identified as Xu, met in 2018 and soon began dating. Two years later, Li discovered that Xu had been unfaithful with his nephew, as reported by the Shanghai Morning Post.

Angered by the betrayal, Li wanted to end their relationship, but Xu wrote him a letter of apology.

“I have deeply reflected on my mistakes. Yes, I’ve cheated on you multiple times, causing you immense pain,” Xu wrote. “I am sincerely remorseful. I will correct my mistakes and compensate you with my sincerity.”

In the following two days, Xu transferred 300,000 yuan to Li through several bank transactions as a form of apology.

Li forgave her, and their romantic relationship continued until 2022, when he discovered she was still involved with his nephew.

This revelation prompted Li to end the relationship decisively, but afterwards, Xu demanded the return of the 300,000 yuan she had given him two years earlier.

According to Xu, the money was a gift contingent upon their marriage. Since they had broken up and the condition of marriage no longer existed, she claimed Li should return the money.

Li rejected her request, arguing that Xu had cheated on him multiple times and caused him significant emotional distress; therefore, he considered the money compensation for her actions.

Xu subsequently took her ex-boyfriend to court in Shanghai. After hearing the case earlier this year, the court concluded that the nature of the disputed funds aligned more closely with Li’s explanation.

The court ruled that Li was not required to return the money, as it had been given by Xu voluntarily at a time when she wished to continue their relationship. The court did not classify it as a gift.

The case has sparked considerable discussion on mainland social media.

“My God, their relationship is so chaotic!” commented one netizen.

Another observer remarked: “It’s more dramatic than novels or television dramas.”

Conversely, one user expressed a different perspective: “The money was compensation for the loss of love and loyalty.”

Infidelity frequently makes headlines in China.

In August, two senior doctors in eastern Zhejiang province were involved in a violent confrontation over a nurse with whom they both had an extramarital affair. One of the doctors sustained serious injuries and was admitted to the intensive care unit he oversees.

---

Chinese cybersecurity centre accuses US of hacking and stealing tech secrets

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3291521/chinese-cybersecurity-centre-accuses-us-hacking-and-stealing-tech-secrets?utm_source=rss_feed

A Chinese cybersecurity body has accused the United States of carrying out cyberattacks and stealing business secrets from a research centre and a data company as the American government launched a national security investigation into Chinese router company TP-Link.

The National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team/Coordination Centre of China, a non-governmental body that monitors cybersecurity threats, said in a statement on Wednesday that it had found and “dealt with” these attacks.

The statement was widely carried by state media.

Since August, an advanced material design research unit has been targeted in suspected cyberattacks by American intelligence agencies, it said.

An analysis showed that the attacker used a breach in an electronic document security management system to invade the company’s server and deployed a Trojan horse virus to more than 270 hosts through a software upgrade service, the statement said, adding that the virus took control of these hosts and stole commercial secrets.

Another attack took place in May 2023, according to the centre. The attacker used a breach in Microsoft Exchange software to invade the email server of a large hi-tech enterprise specialising in smart energy and digital information.

The attacker implanted back-door programs into the company’s server and stole email data, then attacked and took control of more than 30 devices to steal commercial secrets, the centre said.

In its latest weekly report, the centre said it coordinated with cloud service providers, domain name registration service organisations, app stores, provincial sub-centres and international organisations to handle 146 network security incidents, including 92 cross-border ones.

The report also identified 2,950 data security breaches and warned of several breaches in software programs including Adobe Illustrator, Android, IBM Cognos Controller and Apache NIMBLE.

China and the US have frequently traded accusations about cyberattacks in recent years. The US has been pushing to crack down on China-linked technology firms deemed a possible threat to US networks and data.

On Wednesday, media reported that the US government had launched an investigation into Chinese router maker TP-Link following reports that the company’s devices had been targeted in Chinese cyberattacks.

Earlier this month, a top White House official said at least eight US telecoms firms and dozens of countries had been affected by a Chinese hacking campaign.

China has denied these accusations. Earlier this month, the Chinese embassy in Washington said, “The US needs to stop its own cyberattacks against other countries and refrain from using cybersecurity to smear and slander China.”

Last year, Beijing said in a report that the US Central Intelligence Agency used powerful cyberweapons to attack other countries, including China.

According to the report, investigators captured and extracted a large number of Trojan programs, functional plug-ins, and attack platform samples that they said were closely associated with the CIA, revealing an “empire of hackers” under US control.

HSBC, Bank of China cut lending rates even as HKMA warns of volatility ahead

https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3291437/hong-kong-cuts-base-rate-quarter-point-475-us-fed-signals-fewer-cuts-2025?utm_source=rss_feed

HSBC and Bank of China (Hong Kong) (BOCHK), Hong Kong’s top two banks, lowered their prime lending rates for a third time this year, trimming the cost of borrowing to the lowest level in two years.

HSBC said it would trim its prime rate by 12.5 basis points to 5.25 per cent from Friday, the lowest since August 2022. BOCHK said it would cut its rate by the same level from Monday. The banks also said they would reduce their savings rates by the same margin to 0.25 per cent annually on deposits above HK$5,000 (US$640), while no interest will be paid on deposits below that threshold.

Other lenders will announce their rate decisions later this afternoon, in line with HSBC’s move.

“HSBC has decided to lower its Hong Kong dollar deposit and lending rates following another US rate cut, bringing a cumulative reduction of 62.5 basis points since September,” said Luanne Lim, CEO of HSBC Hong Kong.

“The future path of rates remains highly uncertain going into 2025. We will continue to monitor the external environment and local economic outlook, ready to adjust our rates as needed.”

Lim’s concerns were shared by the head of Hong Kong’s de facto central bank who warned the interest rate environment would remain volatile next year after it cut rates for the third time this year in line with the overnight move by the US Federal Reserve, lowering the cost of funds to ease the burden on mortgage borrowers and companies.

“The US next year will continue to cut rates, but the pace and frequency of rate cuts may be less than initially expected,” Eddie Yue Wai-man, the CEO of Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), said in a briefing on Thursday.

“If the interest rates remain at a relatively high level for some time, the extent and pace of future interest rate cuts would be subject to considerable uncertainty,” he said, adding that the public should carefully assess and manage their borrowings.

The HKMA’s 25 basis points cut took its base rate to 4.75 per cent, the lowest level since December 2022.

Hours earlier, the Fed said it would maintain its target rate in the range of 4.25 to 4.50 per cent. However, optimism with the widely expected cut was punctured by the Fed’s unexpectedly hawkish forecast of only two more reductions in 2025.

Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng Index traded 1 per cent lower as of 10:45am after the downbeat forecast sent Wall Street reeling in late trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 2.5 per cent, while the Nasdaq Composite plunged 3.5 per cent.

“A slower pace of [rate] cuts really reflects both the higher inflation readings we have had this year and the expectations that inflation will be higher” in 2025, Fed chairman Jerome Powell said after the final meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) this year. “We are closer to the neutral rate, which is another reason to be cautious about further moves.”

Yue said the HKMA’s rate cut by a full percentage point since September has reduced the cost of funding, benefiting the property market and the overall economy. “We have seen property transactions increase over the past two months, while property prices have also become more stable.”

The latest rate cut by HSBC and BOCHK will lighten the monthly burden on mortgage borrowers by about HK$351 to HK$22,452, according to mortgage broker mReferral, based on a typical HK$5 million, 30-year loan at prime rate minus 1.75 per cent.

“Continued rate cuts will have a positive impact on the property market and increase the confidence of potential buyers,” said Eric Tso Tak-ming, chief vice-president of mReferral. “It is expected that both the volume of transactions and property prices will rise in the future.”

The Fed has entered a new phase of monetary policy – the pause phase, Brandywine Global Investment Management said in a research note after the rate cut.

“The longer it persists, the more likely the markets will have to equally price a rate hike versus a rate cut,” said Jack McIntyre, a portfolio manager at the US fund manager. “Policy uncertainty will make for more volatile financial markets in 2025.”

“Looking ahead, we do anticipate a pause in interest rates in early 2025, with inflation proving sticky,” said Jacky Lam, financial consultant at Charles Schwab Hong Kong, said in a research note on Wednesday before the latest move.

The HKMA has followed the Fed’s monetary policy in lockstep since 1983 under its linked exchange rate system to preserve the local currency’s peg to the US dollar.

Before the rate cut cycle began, the Fed and HKMA increased their rates 11 times between March 2022 and July 2003, taking it to the highest level since December 2007.

A pledge by the incoming Trump administration to add import tariffs would be inherently inflationary, as the higher costs are passed to consumers. That would keep US inflation “higher for longer,” economists say.

The US annual inflation rate was 2.7 per cent in November, slightly higher than 2.6 per cent in October and the Fed’s target of 2 per cent. The inflation was also much lower than 3.1 per cent a year earlier and record high of 9.1 per cent in June 2022.

The one-month Hibor, or Hong Kong interbank offered rate, weakened to 4.4835 per cent on Wednesday from 4.9853 per cent at the beginning of this year. Three-month Hibor fell to 4.3528 per cent from 5.0716 per cent over the same period, according to data published by the Hong Kong Association of Banks.

Later on Thursday, Standard Chartered, Bank of East and other lenders will announce whether they plan to adjust their lending and deposit rates. They have cut their prime rate twice since September by a combined 50 basis points.

It is up to Hong Kong commercial banks to decide on the timing of their deposit and lending rates.

‘Dream bullets’, ghost radars, hypersonic gliders: 12 China science breakthroughs in 2024

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3291451/dream-bullets-ghost-radars-hypersonic-gliders-12-china-science-breakthroughs-2024?utm_source=rss_feed

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China science stories of the year. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider .

Chinese scientists have sent a hypersonic aircraft with a remarkably bulky body soaring through the sky, reaching a speed that could cover the distance from Beijing to New York in two hours.

Chinese scientists have achieved a breakthrough in submarine detection by successfully creating a radio-emitting source in the sky using high-energy microwave synthesis technology.

Chinese scientists have unveiled Zuchongzhi 3.0, a 105-qubit quantum processor that puts China on par with the United States in the race to build the world’s most powerful quantum computer.

In 2015, China set out on an ambitious 10-year plan – dubbed “Made in China 2025” – to achieve self-reliance, innovation and strength in the manufacturing industry within 10 years.

A Chinese radar research team’s scientific paper that took a deep dive of underwater discovery has been recognised in this year’s awards from the international journal Applied Optics.

China is a step closer in its quest to measure elusive particles called neutrinos with the installation of a massive subterranean sphere detector in the country’s south.

China’s hypersonic weapons are poised for a significant upgrade, according to scientists involved in a project to develop a new type of hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV).

Chinese scientists have found water molecules in lunar soil for the first time, a discovery that could be fundamental for understanding how the moon evolved and how to exploit its resources.

Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed the Chang’e-6 lunar mission’s historic achievement after the first rock samples collected from the moon’s far side landed on Earth at 2.07pm Beijing time on Tuesday.

Passengers my be able to watch ultra-high-definition videos or enjoy online gaming on their smartphones while travelling at 1,000km/h (621mph) on high-speed trains in China.

Chinese naval scientists claim to have created a smart shell for kinetic energy weapons that could reshape the military landscape.

Chinese doctors say a minor surgery to treat Alzheimer’s disease is “effective for 60 to 80 per cent of patients”, sparking hopes that it could be a game-changer for those affected by the devastating disease.

US Fed’s hawkish rate-cut forecast slams China’s yuan

https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3291502/us-feds-hawkish-rate-cut-forecast-slams-chinas-yuan?utm_source=rss_feed

The offshore yuan weakened overnight and broke a key psychological level of 7.3 per US dollar, as the US Federal Reserve’s unexpectedly cautious forecast for rate cuts next year strengthened the dollar.

In the early hours of Thursday, the yuan depreciated to over 7.32 per US dollar – a higher number signals relative yuan weakness – reaching its lowest level since November 2023, while the latest data showed an uptick in the Chinese currency’s share of global payments.

The yuan’s decline was driven by the Fed’s latest projections, which signalled only two quarter-point rate cuts in 2025 as it cut the rate on Wednesday by 25 basis points to a range of 4.25 to 4.50 per cent – a more hawkish outlook than markets had anticipated.

Chen Zhiwu, chair professor of finance at the University of Hong Kong, said the yuan will face continued depreciation pressure next year, as the Fed is likely to slow its pace of rate cuts while China is expected to adopt “stronger rate reductions”.

“Especially with Trump potentially imposing more tariffs on goods, the Chinese government may need to show greater tolerance for a weaker yuan to stabilise exports,” Chen said.

On Thursday morning, the People’s Bank of China set the midpoint rate – also known as the fixing rate – at 7.1911 per US dollar, the lowest level in two weeks, while the offshore yuan traded at 7.31 against the US dollar Thursday afternoon.

The yuan came under huge pressure after Trump was re-elected US president last month, with the offshore rate dropping to around 7.3 per US dollar earlier this month in anticipation of a strong US dollar policy and hawkish stance on China.

The Communist Party’s Politburo – the country’s major decision-making body – last week pledged to adopt a “moderately loose” monetary policy, rhetoric not used since the global financial crisis in 2009.

The stance was later reiterated at the annual tone-setting central economic work conference, which promised “timely cuts to interest rates and the reserve requirement ratio” to support the economy.

On the yuan, Beijing said it would continue to maintain the basic stability of the national currency’s exchange rate to keep it at a reasonable equilibrium.

“We need to keep in mind that [the yuan’s weakening] is mostly driven by a strong US dollar,” said Zhang Zhiwei, chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management, who noted how the Chinese currency has appreciated against a basket of other major currencies, such as the euro and the Japanese yen.

Meanwhile, the yuan moved up a position to the 4th most active currency for global payments by value in November, according to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (Swift), the world’s largest interbank messaging service, on Thursday.

The yuan’s share of global payments rebounded to 3.89 per cent last month, after steep declines over the prior two months to 2.93 per cent. Before that, the yuan’s share had stayed above 4 per cent for 10 consecutive months, peaking at a record high of 4.74 per cent in July.

Swift data showed the yuan’s payment value increased by 22.12 per cent last month compared with October, while in general all payments currencies decreased by 8.09 per cent.

China’s ‘white mafia’ services, sick baby at fireworks show: 5 trending stories

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3291453/chinas-white-mafia-services-sick-baby-fireworks-show-5-trending-stories?utm_source=rss_feed

We have selected five Trending in China stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider .

A viral video of a 16-month-old boy in China, who died in his mother’s arms while watching fireworks, has touched the hearts of millions of internet users.

A Hong Kong woman shared her disappointing experience at a “matchmaking corner” in southern China, where she faced rejection due to her age and height of only 154cm, igniting ridicule and humorous debate among mainland netizens.

A Chinese mistress paid a “divorce fee” of 1.2 million yuan (US$165,000) to the legal wife of her married lover, only to have her petition for a refund rejected by the court after the wife accepted the money but refused to divorce.

An increasing number of young women in China are enlisting the services of the so-called “white mafia” to assist them in dealing with troublesome ex-boyfriends or dishonest landlords.

Christmas is joyful, and festive tunes can elevate the holiday spirit. Therefore, it may seem surprising that some of these celebratory tracks could be deemed “dangerous”.

---

Malaysia’s first home-grown EV sparks debate: local innovation or pricey Chinese ‘rebadge’?

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3291444/malaysias-first-home-grown-ev-sparks-debate-local-innovation-or-pricey-chinese-rebadge?utm_source=rss_feed

Malaysia’s first home-grown electric vehicle (EV) has triggered a debate on whether it is great value for money or a pricey Chinese knock-off, as locals remain unconvinced over the ability of the country’s flagship carmaker to keep pace in the hypercompetitive EV market.

Proton, Malaysia’s first car company, launched its e.Mas7 on Monday, stepping up to the EV plate with a sports utility vehicle crafted with clean panels that wrap seamlessly around the body, all for an entry price of under US$25,000.

The roll-out came less than two years after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim mandated that Proton and fellow national marque Perodua develop and bring to market their own EVs by 2025.

The push was part of the government’s efforts to get a foot in the door for local industry players, as well-capitalised Chinese EV makers increasingly crowd out markets in Southeast Asia to cushion hundreds of millions of dollars in potential losses from damaging tariffs imposed by the US and European nations.

The e.Mas7 received “more than 1,000 units of pre-launch bookings”, according to a spokesperson from PRO-NET, Proton’s new energy vehicle arm in charge of the EV’s marketing.

But the e.Mas7 appeared to have struggled to win over fans on Malaysia’s often bellicose social media, with many dismissing it as a watered down and overpriced “rebadge” of the Galaxy E5 built by Chinese carmaker Geely.

Numerous posts compared its sticker price – which Proton has set at 109,800 ringgit (US$24,950) for its entry level model and 123,800 ringgit (US$28,136) for its premium offering – to the Galaxy E5 which is going for between US$16,883 and US$21,550 in China.

“To those who will buy this overpriced Chinese rebadged – I will be laughing at every single one of them when I see them on the road soon, lol,” read a post on X by user Jet Law.

Proton has repeatedly denied claims the e.Mas7 was a mere rebranding of the Galaxy E5.

Proton chief executive Li Chunrong told local media in August that the car was developed concurrently with the Galaxy E5 to slash lead times in producing prototypes and that the e.Mas7 was subjected to 100,000km of rigorous testing and specifically designed for the Malaysian market.

Geely bought a 49.9 per cent stake in Proton in 2017, barely a year after a 1.5 billion ringgit (US$224 million) injection by the Malaysian government to prop up the local firm struggling to compete with foreign brands and complaints of lower standard cars.

Proton’s alleged reputation for sub-par quality, however, continued to loom large as critics pointed to the company’s poor record of quality control despite preferential treatment from the government, which has for decades imposed high tariffs on foreign models sold in the country.

“This is a national car but the people end up paying extra. But it’s okay, 200 engineers made the effort to change the logo in front to proton … congratulations Malaysia for its first EV,” read one post on X.

But not all were unimpressed by the e.Mas7.

Avid EV proponent Shahrol Halmi said Proton’s latest offering provides good value on paper, especially with its competitive pricing compared to its closest competitor, the Atto3 EV SUV which China’s BYD is selling for 149,800 ringgit (US$34,045).

Shahrol, president and co-founder of the Malaysian EV Owners Club, said the e.Mas7’s premium model was especially compelling with the built-in navigation and trip planning functions, which help map out routes to the nearest available charging stations across the peninsula.

“Definitely yes!” he said when asked if he would seriously consider buying the e.Mas7.

“We are actually looking for an additional EV for our sons to drive,” he said, while admitting he will not give up his 2017 Tesla Model S due to its free access to supercharging facilities.

Malaysia’s government wants EVs to make up 80 per cent of all vehicles on the road by 2050, part of the push to achieve net zero emissions by that year.

Prime Minister Anwar said at the e.Mas7 launch that this was necessary as land transport was the country’s second-largest contributor to greenhouse gases.

---

Russia rewards top neuroscientist who left Europe for China with Vyzov Prize

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3291474/russia-rewards-top-neuroscientist-who-left-europe-china-vyzov-prize?utm_source=rss_feed

A prominent neuroscientist who left Europe to join a brand new research facility in China has won one of Russia’s top science awards for opening up the possibilities of non-invasive studies of brain activity in real time.

Nikos Logothetis was awarded the Vyzov Prize’s discovery category for his contributions to the development of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and its introduction into the study of human brain activity.

“When I started, I realised to my surprise that people have no idea what fMRI signals are,” said Logothetis, co-director and senior investigator at the International Centre for Primate Brain Research in Shanghai.

According to the Vyzov Foundation, Logothetis was recognised for making it possible to study brain activity non-invasively at a high resolution, potentially leading to new ways to diagnose and treat neurological conditions like depression and Alzheimer’s disease.

Logothetis said it was an “extremely nice” surprise to win the international category, which this year received more than 600 nominations from scientists in more than 30 countries.

He is the first non-Russian to win the prize, which was established in 2023 in partnership with the government. Logothetis will receive his award at a ceremony in Moscow on Thursday night.

Before joining the centre, Logothetis was director of cognitive processes at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Germany until 2022. He also held positions in Britain and the US, and is a member of various academies and societies.

Reflecting on the research that eventually led him to his fMRI discoveries, Logothetis said he was initially interested in studying perception and consciousness, particularly what parts of the brain are activated by visual stimuli.

This initial interest led to his work on bistable perception, the phenomenon that occurs when the same stimulus can be observed in different ways. A classic example is the image of a white vase on a black background that can also be seen as two faces.

Logothetis said that the study of the impact of alternations in perception on neuron activation led him to combine multidisciplinary methods like electrical stimulation with functional imaging.

This opened up the potential to make direct recordings of a single neuron or a small population of neurons along with the activity of the whole brain using fMRI, allowing examination of how local brain changes impact the whole brain.

“And this, of course, makes a lot of things that you could never even imagine perceivable and understandable,” he said.

But his work was not without controversy. Logothetis was taken to court in Germany for alleged violations of animal welfare regulations during his research using monkeys. All charges were dismissed in 2018.

While Logothetis was given the opportunity to continue his research at the Max Planck Institute, he had many “bad and unpleasant moments” with animal activists both in Europe and the US.

“At some point I reached a level that I could not have it any more”, he said, adding that it was at this time that he was approached by colleagues in China who wanted him to continue his research there.

“[China] at this point is in a very good phase,” Logothetis said, citing its “very impressive” technological developments. The country also wants to expand scientific research and is supportive of it, he noted. Neuroscience research is “definitely a high priority”.

According to Logothetis, the primate research centre – currently in the last stages of its establishment – could be open to collaborating with Russian and other international researchers once it is fully operational.

The centre’s mission is to study the brain as a complex dynamic system, by monitoring the different brain regions at the same time in an effort to understand the influence of perception and stimuli, according to its website.

Artem Organov, chairman of the Vyzov Prize scientific committee, said the international category was created because “science should not be a victim of politics” and that it differed from many others because scientists could self-nominate.

The foundation received nominations for this year’s international prize from many countries, including the United States, India, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, and South America.

While the distribution of countries was fairly even, “slightly more” nominations came from China, Organov said.

US probes TP-Link, the China-founded router maker dominating the American market

https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3291446/us-probes-tp-link-china-founded-router-maker-dominating-american-market?utm_source=rss_feed

The US government has launched a national-security investigation into TP-Link, the China-founded router maker whose equipment now dominates the American market and has been targeted in repeated Chinese cyberattacks, people familiar with the matter said.

The investigation opens a new front in the US push to crack down on China-linked technology firms deemed a possible threat to US networks and data. It singles out a company that had largely escaped national-security notice even as TP-Link came to lead the market for home and small-office routers, which relay information from the internet to devices such as computers and smartphones.

Investigators from the Commerce Department subpoenaed TP-Link this month seeking details including its company structure, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing a matter that has not been publicly announced. The inquiry was reported earlier Wednesday by the Wall Street Journal.

The investigation was launched in response to an August letter by the co-chairs of a bipartisan House of Representatives select committee on China, the people said. The lawmakers urged the agency to investigate the “glaring national security issue” posed by TP-Link’s dominant US market share.

They also cited Chinese laws requiring companies to aid the state’s military and intelligence objectives, and frequent Chinese state-backed cyberattacks exploiting routers.

The executive order that serves as the basis for the investigation gives the US sweeping power to ban information and communications technology firms linked to foreign adversaries from operating in the US if they are found to pose an “unacceptable risk” to national security.

A Commerce Department spokeswoman declined to comment on the investigation.

A spokeswoman for TP-Link Systems said the company “welcomes opportunities to engage with the US government to demonstrate that its security practices are fully in line with industry security standards, and to demonstrate its ongoing commitment to the US market and US consumers”.

The company in recent months accelerated an effort to distance itself from its Chinese origin. TP-Link Systems is an entity based in Irvine, California, that was renamed in July, according to the spokeswoman. It is no longer affiliated with TP-Link Technologies, the company founded in China in 1996 and long co-owned by brothers Zhao Jianjun and Zhao Jiaxing, according to the spokeswoman.

Following a restructuring process this year, Zhao Jiaxing now owns 97.5 per cent of the China business, and Zhao Jianjun and his wife own 100 per cent of the US and other businesses that have been consolidated under the California entity, she said.

The couple intend to become US permanent residents and apply for citizenship, she added.

The moves to distance the company from China follow in the footsteps of other firms that have come under US regulatory scrutiny and only deepened investigators’ scepticism of TP-Link, the people familiar with the matter said.

Ownership aside, the people familiar with the probe said investigators fear that TP-Link is using what many US national security professionals refer to as “the Huawei playbook”.

That is a reference to claims by the US government and lawmakers that Huawei Technologies is a Chinese government spy tool that became a dominant player in the global networking equipment sector on the back of improper state subsidies. The company and Beijing have denied those assertions.

US regulators have imposed restrictions that make it harder for Huawei to sell equipment in the US and buy parts from American suppliers.

In the TP-Link investigation, US officials have been struck by data showing how TP-Link undercut competitors on price to amass a majority share of the US market for routers aimed at homes and small businesses – dubbed SOHO routers – in less than six years, the people familiar with the matter said.

TP-Link’s market share gains have come alongside an increase in Chinese state-sponsored hacking activity targeting SOHO routers, further alarming investigators, they said.

Hackers can intercept or alter communications running through routers as well as remotely disable them, cutting off users’ internet access. They can also use compromised routers to assemble a botnet to disguise the origin of attacks against their ultimate targets.

TP-Link routers were among the various brands – including American ones – exploited by Chinese state-sponsored hackers who launched the massive Volt, Flax and Salt Typhoon attacks, US officials have determined, according to some of the people familiar with the matter.

Those hacks targeted US critical infrastructure such as water and transport networks, as well as telecoms and internet firms. Investigators are also concerned about a series of Chinese state-sponsored hacks dubbed Camaro Dragon that used compromised TP-Link routers to target European foreign affairs entities.

There is no evidence that TP-Link was complicit in any of the attacks. Security researchers at Lumen Technologies’ Black Lotus Labs, which identified the Flax Typhoon hack, and at Check Point Software Technologies, which identified Camaro Dragon, have also said they found no such evidence.

“The hackers use the devices as an anonymisation network,” Check Point’s Itay Cohen said in an interview. “They don’t care who makes them.”

TP-Link now has about 60 per cent of the US retail market for Wi-fi systems and SOHO routers compared with about 10 per cent of the market at the start of 2019, according to the data that investigators are reviewing, the people familiar with the inquiry said. In the category of Wi-fi 7 mesh systems – the most advanced on the market – TP Link has almost 80 per cent of the US retail market, that data shows, according to the people.

TP-Link has also recently signed deals with internet service providers who then supply the routers to their customers, according to a post by Wi-fi NOW, a trade group of which TP-Link is a member. The company signed 300 such agreements over the past two years, primarily with wireless internet service providers, the post says.

In a speech in September, Representative John Moolenaar, the Michigan Republican who serves as co-chairman of the House China committee that sent the letter prompting the TP-Link investigation, said policymakers should be on the lookout for “loaded guns” and not “smoking guns” when it comes to the China threat.

Looking for a “smoking gun” is “the wrong way to think about China-related risk”, he said, without mentioning TP-Link. “After all, a smoking gun means a shot has already been fired.”

He described the threat as coming from “Chinese companies that, because of the technology they provide or the supply chains they impact, pose an unacceptable risk to our country’s security”.

The new authorities under which the Commerce Department is now investigating TP-Link were designed to assess China risks from that perspective. In June, the agency blocked Russian-controlled cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab from doing business in the US due to its assessment that it threatened security as opposed to any overt act.

At the time, the Commerce Department warned the action would be “the first of many”.

Chinese President Xi Jinping tours Macau university on second day of visit

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3291464/chinese-president-xi-jinping-tours-macau-university-second-day-visit?utm_source=rss_feed

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited a university in Macau on the second day of his trip to the city.

He arrived at Macau University of Science and Technology at 10am on Thursday after he left Xinzhuyuan guest hotel, according to media reports.

During his speech at the airport on Wednesday, Xi pledged to “go around, take a look and deliberate” on Macau’s development plans during his three-day tour.

He also described Macau as the “cherished pearl of the motherland”, saying the city’s development “gradually unleashes deep potential accumulated over time”.

The president is expected to make other community visits, and attend a gala dinner and cultural performance in the evening. He will swear in Chief Executive-designate Sam Hou-fai on Friday.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will also travel to Macau in the afternoon for evening events.

China’s nuclear warheads total 600 and raise ‘strategic stability’ concerns: Pentagon

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3291438/chinas-nuclear-warheads-total-600-and-raise-strategic-stability-concerns-pentagon?utm_source=rss_feed

China has not only expanded its number of operational nuclear warheads to 600 but improved the diversity and sophistication of its arsenal, the Pentagon said in a report released on Wednesday.

“China had a very, very small, relatively outdated nuclear arsenal” two decades ago, said Michael Chase US deputy assistant secretary of defence for China, Taiwan and Mongolia, at the report’s launch at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.

“What we’ve seen over time is that they’ve expanded to a nuclear triad, with the [People’s Liberation Army] Navy having ballistic missile submarines conducting deterrence patrols,” Chase continued.

In addition, in recent years, there has been “increasing diversity in capabilities like precision-strike capable missiles with lower-yield nuclear warheads”, he added.

The China Military Power Report, mandated by the US Congress and issued annually for the past two decades, is the Pentagon’s most comprehensive unclassified report detailing China’s defence capability.

Wednesday’s report largely captured developments in China through December 2023, with some significant developments in 2024.

In recent years, the Pentagon has repeatedly assessed that China’s nuclear arsenal development was exceeding US expectations, noting first in its 2021 report that Beijing’s nuclear warheads could top 1,000 by 2030.

As of May 2023, the Pentagon estimated that China possessed more than 500 operational nuclear warheads. By mid-2024, that number had surged by about 20 per cent to 600, according to Wednesday’s report.

By comparison, the US had 3,748 active nuclear warheads as of 2023, according to the Department of Energy.

China has rejected limiting its growth under international arms control agreements, arguing that the US and Russia, which hold the largest stockpiles of nuclear weapons, bear the greatest responsibility to curb their arsenals.

It has maintained that it will keep its nuclear force at a level necessary to meet its national-security needs.

On Wednesday, Chase said China’s expansion and diversification of its nuclear capabilities “raises a lot of concerns about strategic stability”. He pressed Beijing to be more “forthcoming” about its nuclear modernisation.

Chase also highlighted a lack of transparency in China’s defence spending, saying it was likely about 40 to 90 per cent higher than published budget figures. This reflected a “longer-term ambition to really become a global military,” he said.

What is clear, according to some experts, is that China does not seek nuclear parity.

“The Chinese logic holds that once a retaliatory capability threshold is met, marginal increases in nuclear weapons thereafter have no strategic significance,” said Oriana Skylar Mastro of Stanford University in her latest book, Upstart: How China Became a Great Power, released in October.

Wednesday’s report outlined China’s shortcomings as well, including deficiencies in the quality of its personnel.

For the first time, the report included a section on the PLA’s challenges with anti-corruption.

In recent years, several Chinese defence officials have been investigated or deposed, including, most recently, Miao Hua, the director of the Central Military Commission’s political work department.

Miao is under investigation for suspected “serious violations of discipline” – a common euphemism for corruption.

The “dramatic nature of the anti-corruption hunt” indicated Beijing’s “serious concern” with the PLA’s ability to execute its capabilities, said Ely Ratner, US assistant secretary of defence for Indo-Pacific security affairs.

Ratner added that it was not clear that China was getting any closer to executing a “short, sharp invasion of Taiwan at acceptable cost” compared to the past two years.

While the Pentagon said Beijing had intensified political and military pressure against Taiwan in 2023, Ratner on Wednesday stressed that “invasion is neither imminent nor inevitable”.

American officials have frequently cited 2027 as a critical point for when they expect Beijing to be capable of mounting a serious military threat to Taiwan, the self-governed island that many regard as a potential flashpoint between the two powers.

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary.

Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.

Ratner also drew attention to the report’s discussion of China’s energy vulnerabilities, which focused on its challenge in securing cost-effective and diverse hydrocarbon supplies.

“If a military conflict consisted of a naval blockade, the PRC would be cut off from a significant amount of its hydrocarbon imports,” according to the report.

“As far as I can tell, the PRC has no answer to [these vulnerabilities] at this point, and that’s significant,” Ratner said.

The report’s release comes weeks after Beijing and Washington agreed to maintain human control over the decision to use nuclear weapons, after a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden in Peru.

It also comes after Chinese defence minister Dong Jun declined to meet US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin during a summit of defence ministers in Laos.

China’s defence ministry blamed the US for the rebuff, saying Washington was “solely responsible” because it had recently approved a weapons package for Taiwan, which for the first time included advanced surface-to-air missiles.

Dong and Austin held a video call in April and met on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore in May, their first and so far only in-person meeting.

In its report, the Pentagon pointed to a lack of clarity in Beijing’s commitment to military-to-military communications.

“We are not having the level of strategic conversations that we need to be having about risk reduction,” Ratner said on Wednesday.

The report also addressed what Washington considered positive developments. Since 2023, the PLA has reduced the number of “coercive and risky air intercepts” of US platforms compared to the past two years, it said.

That development, Ratner said, could be attributed to the Pentagon’s “extraordinary steps” to expose that activity and “very senior-level diplomacy” between the two sides.

The Pentagon identified China as the US’s “pacing challenge” in its national defence strategy in 2022.

---

China eatery criticised for labelling cheap dishes as ‘kinder rates’, pricey ones as ‘PhD rates’

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3290903/china-eatery-criticised-labelling-cheap-dishes-kinder-rates-pricey-ones-phd-rates?utm_source=rss_feed

A restaurant in southern China has sparked controversy by marking prices not with traditional numbers, but rather through various academic levels.

The eatery, whose name remains undisclosed, is located in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, and specialises in Cantonese cuisine, according to the news portal Shangyou News.

On its menu, customers will notice that instead of numerical prices, each dish is labelled with academic levels written in Chinese characters.

This unconventional pricing strategy categorises dishes priced at 10 yuan (US$1.4) as “kindergarten”. Dishes costing 13 yuan are classified as “primary school”, while those at 16 yuan are labelled “junior secondary school”. Dishes priced at 18 yuan are referred to as “senior secondary school”, and those at 20 yuan are termed “tertiary college”.

A “bachelor’s degree from first-tier universities” corresponds to 26 yuan, while the same degree from “second-tier universities” means the dish costs 23 yuan, and from “third-tier universities” at 22 yuan.

“A master’s degree” means 28 yuan, and a “PhD degree” dish costs a high 29 yuan.

At the top of this pricing system is the title of “academician”, which refers to members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences or the Chinese Academy of Engineering. This prestigious honour is considered the pinnacle of scientific achievement in mainland China, with dishes priced at 32 yuan for this title.

The cheapest dish in the restaurant, priced at five yuan, is labelled as “bai ding”, meaning illiterate in Chinese.

For instance, a dish of shrimp dumplings is relatively expensive, sold at the “PhD” rate of 29 yuan.

An employee of the restaurant informed the media that they have employed this unique pricing system for several years.

An official from the municipal market supervision authority described it as merely a “marketing behaviour”, allowing the eatery to set prices as they see fit.

“It’s difficult to determine whether this practice is right or wrong,” the unidentified official was quoted as saying.

The restaurant has generated widespread discussion on mainland Chinese social media, with users divided over its distinctive pricing approach.

“It’s a blatant form of educational discrimination. It will offend many individuals with lower educational achievements,” one person commented on Baidu.

“Does this imply that the more advanced degrees a person holds, the higher their income will be?” questioned another netizen.

However, some others see no issue with the creative pricing system.

“It’s simply an unusual business idea. We should encourage creativity and not be overly sensitive,” remarked another commenter.

Bangladesh said to be eyeing China’s J-10C fighters to upgrade ageing air force fleet

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3291420/bangladesh-said-be-eyeing-chinas-j-10c-fighters-upgrade-ageing-air-force-fleet?utm_source=rss_feed

Bangladesh appears to be considering an upgrade of its ageing fighter jets, and China’s J-10C is reportedly an option. But observers note the 4.5-generation multirole fighter would be a costly addition to the country’s fleet and risk inflaming tensions between China and India.

The assessment came after Bangladesh Air Force Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan visited China last month and told reporters that his country was “devotedly trying to acquire multirole combat aircrafts and attack helicopters”, according to defence news website Indian Defence Research Wing.

The report also cited sources saying that the Bangladesh Air Force was considering purchasing 16 J-10CE fighters, the export variant of the J-10C, in the first phase of the upgrade.

During the visit, Khan attended the Zhuhai air show, China’s biggest showcase for defence and commercial aerial platforms.

The Bangladeshi air chief’s visit aimed to “further strengthen the existing cordial relations” and expand the scope of cooperation, according to Bangladesh’s military.

He also visited the headquarters of China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC), a state-owned defence company focused on aviation.

Bangladesh is China’s second-biggest arms buyer after Pakistan, the first country to order J-10C fighters from China.

In 2018, the Bangladesh Air Force sent a delegation to China to survey the performance of the multirole fighter jet.

But while Dhaka continues to lean on China for weapons procurement, analysts said the J-10C is not the only option for the South Asian country to replace its ageing aircraft.

“Given Bangladesh’s long history of defence cooperation with China, it is certainly possible that Bangladesh may seek to purchase J-10C,” said Timothy Heath, a senior international defence researcher at US-based think tank Rand Corporation.

Heath said that Bangladesh “has an ageing air force and its aircraft need replacement”.

However, while Bangladesh could afford the J-10C, it may need to buy fewer of the aircraft than its current inventory of J-7 fighters, he said, adding that Dhaka might also be considering other fighter types.

The J-10C Vigorous Dragon fighter, often compared to the American-made F-16 fighter, first entered service with the Chinese air force in 2018.

It is a variant of the J-10 4.5-generation multirole combat aircraft and is equipped with a Chinese-produced WS-10B engine.

Bangladesh currently has 36 F-7MG fighters in service, according to a report by aviation publisher FlightGlobal. The F-7MG is a derivative of the J-7 series designed for Bangladesh.

Bangladesh also has trainer aircraft from China, including the K-8, along with Chinese tanks, vessels, and missiles.

China delivered 16 F-7MG fighters to Bangladesh in 2006 and again in 2013, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Collin Koh, a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, said the Bangladesh Air Force used the Russian-designed MiG-29 as its “mainstay fighter” while flying the F-7MG as a second-line fighter.

“If Bangladesh is thinking of replacing the MiG-29 and F-7, besides the more expensive Western models, the other choices would be Chinese, Russian or even the South Koreans,” he said.

However, Dhaka does not have close security ties with Seoul, and Russia’s export capacity has decreased since the war in Ukraine, leaving China’s J-10 series as “a logical option”, he said.

Song Zhongping, a military commentator and former instructor of the People’s Liberation Army, said while China would welcome J-10C orders from Bangladesh, Dhaka might not need such advanced fighters for the level of security risks it faces.

He said that replacing the J-7 with the FC-1, a third-generation multirole fighter, “might be the best choice”, while replacing it with the J-10C “would have skipped a generation”. Song added that the J-10C would cost almost double the price of the FC-1.

But if Bangladesh were to opt for the 4.5-generation J-10CE, it would “signal a closer relationship between the two countries”, Heath said. He added that this would likely antagonise India, which remained sensitive to Chinese military cooperation with countries along its border.

It would also make Bangladesh the second of India’s neighbours to acquire Chinese fourth-generation fighters, which could add to the tensions between Beijing and New Delhi.

Egypt has reportedly ordered the J-10C to replace its ageing fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcons, but no official announcement has been made yet.

As China urges couples to have children, reality TV shows tell a different story

https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3291138/china-urges-couples-have-children-reality-tv-shows-tell-different-story?utm_source=rss_feed

For weeks, a married friend has been watching a divorce reality show and telling me how much he wanted these couples to break up. One man was too manipulative, another didn’t appreciate his wife’s contributions and one woman was just needy.

I still wondered how a married man could wish for others to get divorced. So I watched the show myself. In the first 10 minutes of the first episode of the fourth season, when an interviewer asked Yang Zi, an entrepreneur and husband to actress Huang Shengyi, what his wife’s hobby was, he stuttered and asked her, “Do you really have any hobbies?”

Another couple wasn’t any better. The wife, a pet vlogger named Ge Xi, suggested that one of the most extraordinary things she had done in almost 10 years of marriage was to stay with her husband, internet celebrity Liu Shuang. This couple started bickering as soon as they got out of the car.

The reality show, See You Again, is produced by Mango TV and invites three celebrity couples on the brink of divorce on a trip for a few weeks, where they live together, discuss marital issues and at the end of this period, decide whether they want to get divorced or give marriage another try. During the show, a panel observes and comments on the couple’s interactions.

From this season’s very first episode, the show has dominated the charts. According to a media tally published last month, it has been viewed more than 800 million times on Mango TV, with a view rate of 40 to 50 million on the day new episodes are released.

On social media, it’s also one of the most discussed topics. People take the show quite seriously, debate it passionately and use powerful, emotional words to criticise these flawed relationships.

“There’s no reason for them to not get divorced,” an internet user wrote on Chinese social media when talking about Ge Xi and Liu Shuang, saying that Liu was always contradicting Ge, preaching and acting like a giant baby.

Relationship reality shows started gaining more popularity in China around 2018, spanning a variety of dynamics from dating and fathers taking their children on trips to celebrity couples living under the same roof with their in-laws and now people seeking divorce.

Producers know how to tap into public sentiment and keep the discussion alive. Through their elaborate packaging, conflicts between couples are highlighted and magnified for the public to debate and judge. This season of See You Again focuses on the problems couples encounter in their daily lives.

Producers have told interviewers that they deliberately picked couples with issues that were “more painful and more real”. Ge Xi had apparently admired her husband’s success when they got married but he had since lost millions of yuan of her money in failed investments and was now too lazy to have a career.

The third couple, Mai Lin and singer Li Hangliang, fell in love when they were young and couldn’t even afford to pay rent in Beijing. They are much better off now, but, according to the producers, Mai lost a part of herself after becoming a housewife.

I don’t think the spirited public discussion around the show is solely a by-product of its production. Debates about the show reflect the public’s changing attitude towards love and marriage, especially as Chinese authorities are encouraging people to have children.

Despite the government’s current family planning goals, people are more inclined to talk about the pain of marriage and childbirth. After news of domestic violence or femicide, there is often online discussion about women being more careful when entering a long-term commitment.

When the government adopted a policy to make divorce more difficult through a one-month cooling-off period, some said the period should be imposed before marriage so people could contemplate the consequences of their choices. When watching See You Again, internet users are keen to identify flaws they consider toxic in a relationship.

Meanwhile, people are now more understanding of the plight of women. Some came to defend Mai’s treatment of Li because she had suffered in the relationship. They noted that she was a full-time housewife with postpartum depression while all Li had to do was write songs while he was away from home.

While some have criticised such reality shows for stirring up trouble and amplifying conflict to get the public’s attention, they undoubtedly offer a window into changing public opinion. If the discourse around See You Again creates a channel for people to discuss the institution of marriage, the show has served its purpose.

Fleeing Xi’s China: following the trail of migrants trying to reach Australia through Indonesia

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/18/china-migrants-migration-route-indonesia-australia-ntwnfb

Paul, an Indonesian fisherman, says he was working as a rideshare driver in the dusty streets of Kupang in West Timor when he came across half a dozen Chinese men on the side of the road. They were wet up to their waist, carrying a backpack each, and spoke no Indonesian.

“They had walked from the beach, from the mangrove forest to the main road. They said they had difficulty with their boat engine,” Paul recalls. They asked for directions to a nearby hotel … and went on their way. Paul, a former people smuggler from Rote Island, called the police. “I used to bring people like this.”

Five of the group had flown into Bali on tourist visas and travelled to South Sulawesi, allegedly to meet people smugglers who would take them by boat to Australia, a few hundred miles away. But not far from Kupang the boat ran into trouble, a court would later hear. The passengers were dropped off and they waded ashore, then made their way through a coastal village to the main road where they met Paul.

Interactive

They are not the only Chinese people to have passed through this small city in remote Indonesia, suspected of looking for a fisherman to take them across the sea.

The men are allegedly among a growing number of Chinese fleeing their home country, where rising authoritarianism under the rule of Xi Jinping and the difficulties of a faltering economy has prompted some people to look for a way out. The phenomenon has become so widely discussed online that it has its own nickname: runxue, or run philosophy, a coded term for emigration.

Some are relocating on student or business visas, joining growing diaspora communities in places like Japan or Thailand. But tens of thousands of others who don’t qualify or have the resources for such pathways are fleeing in other unconventional and often dangerous ways, known as zouxian, or walking the line.

Most head for the US, trekking from South America through the hostile jungle of the Darian Gap. In September the Guardian revealed a small but growing number were also flying into the Balkans to find smugglers to take them to Germany. Now, another emerging high-stakes escape route has been revealed, through the Indonesian archipelago to a smuggler’s boat destined for Australia.

The numbers are a drop in the ocean compared with the masses of asylum seekers fleeing conflict and deprivation around the world, and these Chinese migrants in Indonesia are treading a path well worn by people escaping wartorn countries like Afghanistan and Myanmar. But experts say the arrival of Chinese people on this route signals growing discontent at home.

Some Chinese migrants in the US and Europe have said tightening restrictions on political, religious and social freedoms during Xi’s rule led them to flee. Others cited stifling public health policies during the pandemic, and the economic downturn, housing crunch, and youth unemployment crisis that followed.

Meredith Oyen, an associate professor at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County, specialising in Chinese migration, says politics and economics are push factors.

“The zero-Covid policy ended up destroying a lot of small businesses and a lot of middle class people’s economic life … The combination of that and the draconian nature of some of those policies led to frustrations and more political dissatisfactions.

“Even if you’re not driven by political repression, the experience of bankruptcy in China is political, it has more blowback on your life compared to places like the US. So it feels like if you’re just going to be languishing in China and you don’t see hope for recovery in a way that makes you a welcome member of society, you might as well risk it.”

The Guardian travelled to Indonesia to piece together the journey and find out why and how Chinese people are deciding to risk the notoriously dangerous – and usually unsuccessful – path.

‘Anyone coming with us?’

For many embarking on zouxian, their journey starts on the Chinese social media platform, Douyin. Douyin has become a common channel to recruit fellow migrants, with people openly stating that they want to smuggle themselves into Australia. Dozens of comments on these videos use cryptic terms to express their interest in joining.

Ten months ago, a 29-year-old man from Heilongjiang with the username “Tian Ci”, posted that he’d found a boat, and was looking for “sincere people to go with”. Four months ago, he commented under a Douyin ad for an Australian immigration consultant that he was ready. “Anyone coming with us?” he said.

His next stop was Bali in mid-August, where he posted a video of himself drinking beer with some Indonesian men, at Suri’s hotel in Kuta. A few days later he posted again: “wish you luck and wish me luck”. His IP location then switched to “unknown”.

The Chinese passengers fly in to places like Bali, Jakarta and Sulawesi on the tourist visas-on-arrival Indonesia introduced this year, or to neighbouring countries like Timor Leste, Brunei, or Malaysia, and make their way over various borders to meet smugglers for the final journey to Australia.

Smugglers told us that boats often leave from privately owned coastland in Kupang, or from Rote island where crew members have long been recruited from fishing villages. Some boats exit through Mulut Seribu, or “Thousand Mouths”, a chaotic network of islands and mangrove forests creating myriad exit routes to evade authorities.

Interactive

Others said boats also leave from the sparse southern coastline between Kupang and Timor Leste, including the tiny district of Kolbano. Outside a small store at the end of the same street where the sodden migrants had trekked in from the mangroves, a group of Timorese drivers say the road to Timor Leste is well travelled by people looking to meet smuggler boats.

‘More than one group has gone this way’

The group Paul came across didn’t make it far. Their repaired boat was intercepted by authorities, and the five Chinese passengers and six crew (including one Chinese man, Jiang Xiao Jia) were arrested. Four of the passengers were deported and the crew were put on trial charged with people smuggling and visa law offences.

The Kupang court has heard allegations that the five passengers – Chen Xu, Li Ke Yang, Zhao Jin Xiang, Wang Dong Fang, and Dai Zhong Hai – paid US$5,000-$7,000 each to Jiang to be taken to Australia. They told the court they wanted to find work in Australia. Jiang, a Chinese national who police said has lived in Sulawesi for three years with his local wife and two children, denies the allegation, saying he was organising a fishing expedition.

The money is significant for those who agree to smuggle people to Australia. Rote is one of the most impoverished districts of Indonesia, its people relying on farming and fishing for survival. Paul says he was recently offered 25m rupiah (US$1,560/£1,200) and a boat to take a group, but he refused, saying he has a family now and doesn’t want to risk a fourth stint in Australian detention.

On a warm afternoon in Papela, a quiet fishing village on the eastern end of Rote, Abdullah Pello is sitting on his front porch with a small crowd of people smugglers and a local police officer.

Pello, who says he hasn’t run a smuggling venture in 10 years, finds the arrival of Chinese a curious development. “It used to be all Middle Eastern people,” he says. “Now it’s mostly the Middle East and China.”

His neighbour, Abdul Pello, says he has encountered at least two groups of Chinese migrants, including one that paid for a boat with five outboard motors to “go fast”. Another man says that in 2023 a group of Chinese people asked him to buy a boat and meet them at Kolbano.

“I refused … They don’t let them enter,” he says referring to the Australian authorities. But he thinks the boat still went, with another crew not from his village.

“More than one group has gone this way, all Chinese people. They only say they want to get to Australia.”

It is not clear how many have tried to get to Australia. Indonesian authorities did not respond to requests for information. Cases involving Chinese migrants have been reported sporadically since at least 2020. The Timorese drivers say one vessel carrying Chinese people capsized near Kolbano earlier this year, killing all but one passenger, but the Guardian was unable to verify the story.

In March 2024, Australian media reported 15 Chinese people flew into Bali on tourist visas, then went to Kupang and were reported to police after they asked fishermen how to reach Australia. They were returned home, with police saying they could not detain people for just asking questions.

In April a group of 10 Chinese people walked on to an Australian airbase in northern Western Australia, claiming asylum after travelling from Indonesia. In May, two were reportedly turned around at sea near Darwin. Late last month a group of nine reportedly landed near the Coburg Peninsula in Arnhem Land. That came just weeks after four Chinese men were found on nearby Croker Island. The men were dropped off by a long shallow fishing boat, and were discovered “stressed and shaking” by Indigenous rangers patrolling for illegal fishermen. Shown a photo, the men on Rote identify the boat as a Sulawesi fishing vessel, painted black for either people smuggling or illegal fishing.

Further investigation has found that the four men, at least one from Louhe city in Henan, very likely left from or near Kupang.

Based on interviews with local people who recognised a photo of two of the men, the Guardian believes they were part of a group of six who stayed at the Hotel Winslow in early November for two nights. They booked on the Indonesian Traveloka app under false names, and slept in room 115, ordering in food before saying they were getting a bus to Timor Leste.

In Australia they told the Garngi rangers – who gave first aid and sheltered them in their remote community until authorities arrived – that they feared persecution in China and wanted to claim asylum.

Interactive

“The local community and traditional owners … quickly realised these fellas were escaping something desperate,” Garngi ranger coordinator Bryan Macdonald says. “They all said they feared for their lives.”

Macdonald said the community wanted to know where the men were now, but they got just “standard responses” from authorities. Australian Border Force said only: “a group of unauthorised maritime arrivals” from one smuggling venture were transferred to a regional processing centre – likely Nauru – in November.

The Australian government is notoriously secretive about its highly contentious policies, refusing to discuss “on-water matters”. A 2023-24 annual report said there were “zero successful maritime people smuggling ventures”, meaning all known ventures were intercepted or its passengers captured on arrival.

‘Eventually, someone will die’

One of the biggest questions about this apparent new pathway for fleeing Chinese people is why they think it is a good idea. For more than a decade Australia has refused to resettle any asylum seekers who arrive by boat, instead sending them to draconian offshore processing centres in Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

For Chinese migrants, Australia’s military-led policy means that successfully landing in Australia and claiming asylum automatically precludes them from being able to stay in Australia. But the alternative – sneaking in to live an undocumented life – seems impossible. Most landing points are in the most remote parts of Australia, with harsh climates, dangerous animals, and hundreds of kilometres to the nearest town or city.

“Eventually, someone will die,” the chair of the Northern Land Council, Matthew Ryan, said last month. “These poor blokes were dumped with no food or water and left to fend for themselves.”

Speaking generally, the Australian Border Force told the Guardian its tough policies show Canberra “will not tolerate Australia being targeted” by “criminal people smugglers”, who it said were selling false hope to vulnerable people for financial gain.

But people still want to make the trip.

‘I envy other people who can run’

The laneways of Ubud are a far cry from a camouflaged fishing boat on the West Timor coast. But a retired Chinese woman on holidays in Bali is well aware of the pathway. She tells the Guardian she dreams of “running”.

“I envy other people who can ‘run’ but I am not capable of doing so myself,” she says, adding that her adult children would also “run” if it weren’t so difficult, dangerous and expensive. But she says she knows many others who have.

“Some of them flee to the US, some of them make it, some of them don’t, and they share pics in the group,” she says of a dedicated WeChat group that has since been blocked. Some of the members flew to Bali and Brunei, presumably with the boat journey to Australia in mind.

She says information is usually shared in these sort of groups, using coded language to try to avoid China’s strict censorship and digital surveillance. China’s internet firewall blocks a lot of international sites and information. It is one possible explanation for why people who dream of zouxian – through Indonesia, the Darian Gap, or the Balkans – do not seem fully aware of the risks.

But she says life is getting economically, politically and socially tougher for people in China, especially for the young, and they want a way out.

“The situation [in China] was better before the pandemic, and after the pandemic they said there would be an explosion of wealth, but there was not,” she says. “The houses, the economy, and the huge amount of foreign investment left, we all know it very well … It’s just, you know, I can’t say that freely.”

China does not release statistics on people leaving, but the UN’s refugee agency – which has registered around a third of all displaced people and refugees – recorded 137,143 asylum seekers from China in 2023, five times the number registered a decade earlier at the start of Xi’s rule. By July this year it had grown to 176,239.

Two of the men Paul came across on that Kupang road are still in immigration detention. A detention centre employee tells the Guardian he has been communicating with them using Google Translate, and now they just want to go home. He says neither they nor the four others since deported have received visits from Chinese consular officials, comparing them with detainees from other countries who had been visited by ambassadors. China’s embassy did not respond to queries.

The highly publicised failed missions have not deterred everyone. Last week, a Chinese resident commented on a Douyin video about zouxian to Australia. “I’m at the end of the road. I can’t survive any more. I want to go. I want to go very much,” he said.

On another post, a Jiangsu resident replied to a video looking for people smugglers. “Sign me up for one,” he wrote.

Additional research by Elcid Domininggus Li and Fadiyah Alaidrus

Fiji defence minister welcomes US security deal and criticises China missile test

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/19/fiji-defence-minister-pio-tikoduadua-us-security-deal-china-missile-test

Fiji’s defence minister has stressed the need for stability in the Pacific and welcomed moves to strengthen security ties with the US, while adding to criticism over China’s recent missile test for posing a threat to peace in the region.

Fiji, a country of about 1 million people strategically located in the Pacific, maintains ties and receives support from Washington and Beijing amid a wider struggle for influence by the two powers in the region.

In November, the US secretary of defence, Lloyd Austin, made a historic visit to Fiji, pledging $4.9m to modernise the country’s military and signing a deal on “logistics cooperation”. The two countries are also in talks over a status of forces agreement which would set rules for US military personnel in Fiji. The agreement would enable the US to “deploy and redeploy forces in support of Fiji”, Austin said.

Speaking to the Guardian, Fiji’s defence minister Pio Tikoduadua said the $4.9m pledged by the US will help the country’s military “change some of its weapons, particularly the small arms, such as rifles that the peacekeepers use abroad”.

Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tonga are the only Pacific countries that have their own militaries. The US agreement would support Fiji’s forces as it seeks “the best and latest weapons, that’s why we need to renew the capabilities of our soldiers sent out for peacekeeping,” Tikoduadua said.

Fiji has about 4,000 personnel in its regular forces deployed in assistance missions including in Iraq, Golan Heights and South Sudan.

Austin’s visit to Fiji was the first by a US defence secretary to the Pacific country. It marked the latest effort by Washington to increase aid to island nations and boost security partnerships as it jostles with Beijing for influence in the Pacific.

China has also delivered aid and policing assistance to countries across the region. Earlier this year, Fiji said it would uphold a policing cooperation agreement with China after reviewing the deal. But Beijing prompted concerns after conducting a missile test earlier this year in the Pacific Ocean.

After the launch in September, New Zealand’s foreign minister, Winston Peters, said the test landing in the South Pacific was “an unwelcome and concerning development”. Tikoduadua joined other leaders in the Pacific – including China-aligned Kiribati – in criticising and raising concern over the test.

“China is a friend to Fiji, and we respect each other. It’s unfortunate that they’ve fired this missile into our space, I hope they don’t fire another one because friends don’t do that to each other. Friends don’t go shooting missiles into each other’s neighbourhood,” Tikoduadua said.

“We want to live in an ocean of peace. Our space is not for nuclear or missile testing.”

A statement from the Chinese embassy in Fiji said the test launch was “in line with international law and international practice” and “not directed against any country or target”.

It said the test was “normal military training” and China “supports the efforts of relevant countries to establish nuclear-weapon-free zones”.

Tikoduadua emphasised the importance of bigger countries respecting the sovereignty of Pacific Islands and said Fiji made its decisions independently. He added Fiji was “not trying to please the US or China” but wanted to pursue stability in the region.

“We stand for democracy as well and the values it entails, we want to work together in the future to look at common ideals and security interests,” he said.

[Sport] United Front: China's 'magic weapon' caught in a spy controversy

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c878evdp758o

Getty Images

Reuters

Supplied

Getty Images

Superpower showdown: how US-China economic warfare could play out under Trump

https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3291395/superpower-showdown-how-us-china-economic-warfare-could-play-out-under-trump?utm_source=rss_feed

After retaking the White House last month, US president-elect Donald Trump celebrated his victory by attending an Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight bout with his friend and UFC president, Dana White, alongside billionaire ally Elon Musk.

Days later, Trump, the well-known fan of mixed martial arts, started to announce his pick of a group of diehard supporters for his “America first” agenda who are expected to come out swinging at China – America’s most consequential geopolitical rival – in his second term.

From Howard Lutnick, a Wall Street executive who has been vocal about tariffs, to Peter Navarro, a hawkish economist sanctioned by Beijing, choices made by Trump for his economic team signal that competition and conflicts between the world’s two largest economies are set to intensify, according to analysts.

And some say that China, which has maintained a stable team of loyalists to President Xi Jinping and gained experience with Trump in his first term, may respond with more composure – as demonstrated in the ancient Chinese martial art of tai chi – while trying to dissolve attacks from the United States.

Vice-Premier He Lifeng, who has been the “Chinese lead in US economic and trade talks” since last year, is expected to play a pivotal role in dealing with what looks to be shaping up as a fresh round of trade contentions.

Unlike when Trump first entered politics and had to rely on the opinions of establishment Republicans, his strong return has elevated loyalty to his primary criterion for selecting candidates, aiming to minimise any constraints on presidential power.

“As for their stance on China, these individuals are generally tough and hawkish,” said Zhou Mi, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, a think tank affiliated with the Ministry of Commerce.

“Compared with the security and other teams, Trump’s economic team shows a bigger tendency to apply stronger pressure on China,” he said. “At the same time, they are less inclined towards engagement with China.”

The Chinese team, however, is seen to resemble tai chi practitioners in the way that they tend to use softness and flexibility to overcome hardness.

“Regardless of external pressure or cooperative intentions, China has maintained a steady framework and approach,” Zhou said.

“At the global level, it adheres to multilateral rules and seeks solutions within multilateral frameworks,” he said. “On a bilateral level, it utilises laws, regulations, and policy measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of businesses while creating a more favourable environment for all parties to grow in China.”

Craig Chan, head of global currency strategy at investment bank Nomura, described the cabinet that Trump has announced so far as “extremely hawkish, extremely in the pro-tariff camp”.

Tariff hikes that Trump has threatened to impose on China and the rest of the world before and after his victory “will probably get implemented right at the start of his term”, Chan projected. “Last time, it was a year and a half of the trade war, this time, there’s the potential that it could be faster – maybe it’s faster with China.”

Trump has named Lutnick, the Cantor Fitzgerald CEO with a bold vision of eliminating income tax and replacing it with tariffs, as his commerce secretary – a role that is crucial to Sino-American economic relations.

Heading one of the largest firms of interdealer brokers, the man believes that globalisation undermines US workers. “Tariff the rest of the world and keep them the heck out,” he once said.

Trump said Lutnick would “lead our tariff and trade agenda”, with special responsibility for the Office of the US Trade Representative, which is not yet officially part of the Commerce Department.

While it is still unclear how exactly Trump will organise the trade posts in his new administration, the nominee for the trade-representative role is also an advocate of trade protectionism.

Jamieson Greer, an international trade lawyer, served as chief of staff to former trade representative Robert Lighthizer, the architect of Trump’s tariffs on some US$370 billion worth of Chinese imports during his first term.

Lighthizer was well known for his hostility toward Beijing and his protectionist views, as reflected in his book, No Trade Is Free.

As his protégé, Greer played an important role in negotiating with Chinese officials on the phase-one trade deal signed in January 2020. Under that deal, China committed to purchasing some US$200 billion worth of American goods over two years, which it failed to do.

Cheng Fengying, a senior researcher with China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations in Beijing, said that unlike during Trump’s first term, when the trade representative was parallel to the commerce secretary, it will now to be under the latter, signalling a tendency to play down negotiations.

Tariff hikes are not the end game for Trump, but rather the means to pressure countries held accountable for their social issues, she said.

Late last month, Trump vowed to charge Mexico and Canada a 25 per cent tariff on products coming into the US, on the first day of his administration, as retaliation for illegal migration from the American neighbours.

He also pledged to increase tariffs by 10 per cent above existing levels on Chinese goods until it prevents the flow of illegal drugs into the US.

“The status of the trade representative seems to be declining, but the goal to solve issues is becoming even clearer,” Chen said.

She warned that China should also watch out for the Treasury secretary nominee, Scott Bessent, who would be given broad authority over tax policy, public debt, international finance and sanctions, if approved by the Senate.

A disciple of George Soros, the head of New York-based hedge fund Key Square Capital Management helped Soros “break” the Bank of England in the 1990s. Bessent is also known for betting against the Japanese economy a decade ago.

“China needs to pay attention to the yuan and prevent it from being shorted,” Chen said.

Describing those people as “capable and ready to get things done”, she added that, “unlike the team in Trump’s first term that fell into chaos, it’s unlikely to see them fail this time”.

Trump replaced three chiefs of staff, three secretaries of homeland security and two secretaries of defence due to “disagreements” and other issues during his first administration.

Another key role on the president-elect’s economic team was given to Navarro, a fierce China hawk and long-time aide who was in federal prison for four months earlier this year after being held in contempt of Congress for defying a congressional subpoena.

After serving as director of the White House National Trade Council in the first Trump administration, the economist has been named “senior counsellor for trade and manufacturing”.

On the other side of the negotiation table is a team of Chinese technocrats led by Vice-Premier He Lifeng, who also directs the office of the Central Finance and Economic Affairs Commission, a key decision-making body headed by the president.

The 69-year-old He has kept in contact with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen via a dialogue mechanism that launched in July 2023.

Along with him is commerce vice-minister Wang Shouwen and finance vice-minister Liao Min, both of whom participated in the trade talks during Trump’s first term. The two have maintained working-level communication with their US counterparts in the administration of US President Joe Biden for the past year and a half.

Although Trump’s camp comprises supporters of his “America first” and “Make America Great Again” agendas, they do not fully agree on every issue.

Kevin Hassett, a veteran economic adviser to several former presidents who is known for being less aggressive than Lighthizer, is tapped to lead the National Economic Council in Trump’s second administration.

Hassett emerged as a prominent advocate for Trump’s policies during both his first administration and his second presidential campaign, but Hassett once remarked that he “didn’t have the DNA of a Trump adviser” and also acknowledged that tariffs can weaken economic growth.

John Gong, a professor of economics at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said: “Some of [Trump’s] picks are relatively moderate, such as Bessent, who I think, while supporting Trump’s idea of bringing back manufacturing, will not seek to decouple with China.”

The hedge fund manager views tariffs as a sanctions tool for achieving the president’s foreign policy objectives. However, “I would recommend that tariffs be layered in gradually,” Bessent said in a CNBC interview last month before he was picked.

Uncertainty also surrounds how effectively anti-China policies could be implemented, given that Lutnick’s business ties in China sparked controversy after he was recommended to lead the commerce department.

Lutnick’s financial services firm, BGC Group, was reported to have a joint venture in Beijing with the state-owned China Credit Trust. And the other firm under his helm, Cantor Fitzgerald, has helped Chinese firms go public in the US.

The Wall Street billionaire was among the many wealthy men Trump has tapped to help form a potentially richer-than-ever administration in American history, sparking questions about how motivated Trump will be to fulfil his pledge to “rescue the middle class”.

The total net worth of the billionaires in the Trump administration looks to be at least US$383 billion – higher than the gross domestic product of 172 countries, according to the US News & World Report.

Compared with the hawkish advisers around Trump, Elon Musk – the world’s richest man, with a net worth estimated at more than US$400 billion, as well as extensive business interests in China and other regions – is increasingly being seen as a potential diplomatic bridge for Trump’s second term.

While not formally part of the president-elect’s cabinet, with its core 15 members needing to be confirmed by the US Senate, Musk is still considered a close confidant of Trump. Musk and Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy were jointly tapped to lead the newly established “Department of Government Efficiency”, tasked with reducing federal government expenditures.

One of the largest donors to Trump’s second presidential campaign, Musk has been lauded by Trump as the “greatest cutter”, owing to the aggressive workforce reductions in Musk’s business empire.

Musk’s investments and significant business interests in China have also led some observers to view him as a potential intermediary for behind-the-scenes communication between China and the Trump administration.

Yang Jianwen, an economic researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said: “Unlike politicians, Musk is a businessman who tends to be more flexible, so he may play the role of [Henry] Kissinger in the future superpower competition.”

Kissinger, an American diplomat who served as US secretary of state and national security adviser a half-century ago, was best known for helping former president Richard Nixon establish relations with China.

However, it remains unclear whether Musk would be personally interested in such a role, or if Trump and his cabinet would invite Musk to participate in shaping US-China policy.

Chen, the Beijing researcher, expected Musk to play a bridging role “to some extent”, but warned that China should not pin too much hope on him. “He’s not as hostile to China as the others, but never expect too much from him,” Chen said.

Ray Dalio, an investor and founder of Bridgewater Associates, has said that, under the collaboration between Trump and Musk, US economic renovation will come via “industrial policies that are designed to improve productivity and efficiency without much worry given to the people or issues”, such as climate change, poverty and inclusion.

“As long as the Trump-Musk partnership lasts, they will be the main designers and implementers of this new domestic order,” he wrote in a piece for Time magazine last month.

Some analysts say that, as a smackdown of economic officials is brewing, the US-China superpower rivalry ultimately boils down to a fight between their presidents.

“Trump’s core criterion for selecting his team is loyalty to his will,” said He Weiwen, a senior fellow with the Centre for China and Globalisation, a Beijing-based think tank. “Therefore, there are only quantitative differences, but no essential differences, between team members in implementing Trump’s policies.

“The focus should be Trump’s will, and everything else should be secondary.”

While it remains to be seen how cohesive Trump’s new team will be, his last administration was known for its frequent turnover. In contrast, China’s team has remained relatively stable over the years, said Zhou, the researcher from the commerce ministry think tank.

Stressing that there has been consistency in China’s response to external challenges, Zhou said that such an approach is “not influenced by personnel changes but rather reflects a sustained effort over the past several years”.

Multiple negotiations between the US and China took place in the first 10 months of their trade war that kicked off in July 2018, with Lighthizer and Liu at their countries’ respective helms for the talks.

But negotiations broke down in May 2019, and the Trump administration raised tariffs on Chinese goods. It was not until the phase-one deal was signed in early 2020 that trade ties began to improve, but more setbacks followed. And in January 2022, Biden refused to lift the Trump-era tariffs, pointing to China’s failure to honour its commitment to buy an additional US$200 billion worth of American goods and services by that time.

Representatives from the Chinese side who engaged in those negotiations and are still holding key positions today include agriculture minister Han Jun, who then was deputy head of the ministry.

In the Biden era, China and the US established two dialogue channels – the Economic Working Group and the Financial Working Group – to manage differences in Sino-American ties, as the presidents met last year in a landmark summit.

However, the future of those working groups appears to be up in the air following their most recent meetings this month.

It is unclear whether Trump will keep the mechanism going as observers expect his clash with China to intensify.

Additional reporting by Luna Sun, Maple Leung

---