China has surpassed the United States and regained its place as the second-largest bilateral donor to the Pacific Islands, according to a new report published Wednesday by the Lowy Institute. Australia remains the largest donor. Every year, the Lowy Institute, an Australia-based research group, releases a Pacific Aid Map that tracks loans and grants to…
BERLIN — China has overtaken Germany in the use of robots in industry, an annual report published by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) showed on Wednesday, underscoring the challenges facing Europe’s biggest economy from Beijing. In terms of robot density, an important indicator for international comparisons of the automation of the manufacturing industry, South…
Brasilia, Brazil — China’s President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Brazil Wednesday, fresh off a warm reception at summits of the G20 and APEC groups, both held under the cloud of Donald Trump’s White House return. Xi has said he would seek to “further enhance” ties with Brasilia when he meets counterpart…
Islamabad — China said Tuesday it will send troops to Pakistan later this month for the countries first joint counterterrorism military exercise in five years to enhance security cooperation with its South Asian neighbor and close ally. The announcement follows reports that Beijing is pushing Islamabad to permit its security personnel to safeguard thousands of…
China has asked Germany to support efforts to resolve a dispute between the European Union and Beijing over electric vehicle tariffs. Last month, the EU decided to raise tariffs on electric vehicles imported from China to as much as 45.3%. Beijing has been negotiating with the EU to repeal the tariffs and sees Germany –…
Taipei, Taiwan — Hong Kong’s High Court on Tuesday sentenced 45 pro-democracy activists to up to 10 years in jail under subversion charges, marking an end to the largest national security case in Hong Kong under a sweeping law imposed by Beijing. The defendants were accused of conspiracy to commit subversion for taking part in…
Taipei, Taiwan — Numerous children were injured by a vehicle at the gate of an elementary school in central China’s Hunan province on Tuesday morning, reports said. Students were arriving for classes around 8 a.m. at Yong’an Elementary School in the city of Changde when the incident occurred. Few details were immediately available, and it…
Washington — Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a range of measures to boost global development in his remarks Monday at G20 Summit meetings in Rio de Janeiro — highlighting Beijing’s support for its global infrastructure project, the Belt and Road, and a joint technology initiative to support so-called “Global South” nations. Xi said the “Open…
Washington — After a monthslong delay, the national security trial of pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai is due to resume Wednesday in Hong Kong amid continued calls for his immediate release. Founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, Lai has been held in solitary confinement since late 2020. His trial began in December 2023 and was…
President-elect Donald Trump has criticized the CHIPS and Science Act, describing it as providing billions of dollars to wealthy companies. He argued that a better strategy would be to impose a series of tariff to force companies to produce chips domestically. In addition, he proposed imposing a 60 percent tariff on Chinese products specifically and…