Category: Pl

Professor Yan Anlin is one of mainland China’s most highly regarded Taiwan studies experts. A former close aide to Wang Daohan, the mainland representative at the historic talks with Taiwan in 1993, Yan is frequently consulted by Beijing on cross-strait policymaking and sits in on official meetings. Advertisement He currently serves as president of the Shanghai Association of Taiwan Studies as well as the Shanghai Institute for International Strategic Studies. He is also a former vice-president of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies think tank. This interview first appeared in…

Video of a Chinese army unit training with helicopter crews at sea suggested the kinds of cross-unit coordination and front line coastal support exercises that would be required during a conflict around Taiwan, according to experts. Advertisement Earlier this week, state broadcaster CCTV aired videos and interviews featuring pilots from the 81st Group Army’s aviation brigade, a division under the Central Theatre Command that is tasked with defending the capital Beijing and central regions. The reports on Monday and Wednesday were intended to spotlight the growing capabilities of the first…

The US’ “reciprocal tariffs” resemble an indiscriminate attack, hitting not only industrial nations like China and Japan but also highly agricultural economies like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Laos. Advertisement On April 4, China took the lead in retaliating by announcing 34 per cent tariffs. On April 10, the US raised tariffs on Chinese imports to 125 per cent, prompting China to match the US rate increase. Trump later clarified that the tariff rate on China was 145 per cent. As the situation evolves, China must consider more effective…

The United States has been warned to stop being “complacent” and engage with the Global South to consolidate its foothold in its escalating technological competition with China. Advertisement Developing countries were expected to play an “increasingly critical” role in advanced technology over the coming decades, and their ties with China would probably strengthen, according to the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank. “The United States cannot afford to underestimate the role that will be played by the Global South in shaping global technology competition,” the report said. “Failure to do…

China’s ambassador to the United States Xie Feng has said that the United States should avoid the mistakes from the Great Depression of the 1930s amid the escalating tariff war between the two countries. Advertisement Xie was speaking at a Traditional Chinese Medicine open-day event at the embassy in Washington, but he drew on ancient lore as a metaphor for the current trade dispute. He cited the philosophy of addressing causes rather than just symptoms, calling for joint efforts to grow the global economy rather than fighting over the existing…

China’s domestically developed C909 passenger jet has expanded its regional presence, with two of them beginning commercial operations with Vietnam’s budget airline VietJet on Saturday. Advertisement Their debut makes Vietnam the third Southeast Asian country to sign on the planes made by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), after Indonesia and Laos. According to a statement from Comac on Saturday, the civilian jets have been leased from Chinese regional carrier Chengdu Airlines, and will operate on domestic routes between Vietnamese capital Hanoi and Con Dao Island off southern…

China rarely criticises or takes sides in African conflicts, but recent insurgency in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has shown a measured shift in Beijing’s approach. Advertisement So far this year, on at least two occasions, Beijing – through its UN ambassador, Fu Cong – has directly asked Kigali to end its backing of the M23 rebel group and pull Rwandan troops out of the DRC. “China reiterates its hope that Rwanda will heed the call of the international community, stop its military support for M23, and immediately withdraw…

Malaysian durian growers are expected to expand their market share in China this year, buoyed by local consumers’ growing appetite for fresh, naturally ripened fruit. Advertisement The Southeast Asian nation’s durian exports to China have surged this year as a result of a steady supply and improved logistics, food processors and traders said on Friday. “Fresh durians, which are transported to China by air within 48 hours of pickup, are well-received by affluent Chinese consumers,” said Guo Min, deputy marketing director with fresh fruit distributor Joy Wing Mau’s China operations.…

Giant pandas Fu Wa and Feng Yi will be repatriated to China next month as Malaysia prepares to welcome a new pair under a fresh 10-year conservation agreement. Advertisement The new agreement was signed on April 16 in conjunction with the three-day state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Malaysia last week. It allowed Malaysia to host another pair of giant pandas from 2025 to 2035, continuing the long-standing International Cooperation Project on Giant Panda Conservation with China, the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry said on Saturday. To…