Tag - china

 
 

CHINA

A voter casts a ballot for the Upper House election at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 4, 2025
Overseas voting for Upper House election begins
This marks the first time that Japanese living in Taiwan could vote at polling stations on the self-governed island.
The sailing of four China Coast Guard vessels around the Senkaku Islands on Thursday was the first intrusion by Chinese official vessels into the Japanese waters around the islands since Jun. 14, according to the Japan Coast Guard.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2025
Four China Coast Guard ships enter Japanese waters off the Senkakus
The move marks the first intrusion by Chinese official vessels into the Japanese waters around the islands since June 14, the Japan Coast Guard said.
Liu Jianchao, head of the Communist Party's international department, speaks during an event in Beijing on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 4, 2025
Top Chinese official says war with U.S. unimaginable in tone tweak
China is adopting a less confrontational tone with the U.S. days after confirming details of a trade framework with Washington.
Japan's deep-sea drilling vessel Chikyu is seen anchored at a pier in Shimizu port, Shizuoka Prefecture, in 2013.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2025
Japan plans 'world first' deep-sea mineral extraction
Earlier this week the country pledged to work with the United States, India and Australia to ensure a stable supply of critical minerals.
Solar panels and wind turbines at the Huaneng Binzhou new energy power generation project in China's eastern Shandong province on June 11
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Jul 3, 2025
China leading BRICS clean-energy boom with shift into solar, report shows
Most countries in BRICS remain major fossil fuel producers, but the group together produced 51% of the world’s solar energy in 2024 — up from 15% a decade earlier.
The U.S. Commerce Department has told the world’s top semiconductor design software companies that government license requirements for business in China are no longer in place.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 3, 2025
U.S. lifts chip design software curbs on China in trade deal
The move is a sign that an accord reached by both countries in London is indeed being implemented.
The rise of China’s DeepSeek-R1, a low-cost, high-performance open-source AI model, has challenged the belief that only nations with vast computational resources can lead in artificial intelligence, signaling a shift in global AI power dynamics.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 3, 2025
A ‘Sputnik’ moment in the global AI race
Much remains uncertain about DeepSeek’s LLM and its capabilities should not be overestimated — but its release nevertheless has sparked intense discussion.
Pro-democracy activist Jimmy Sham speaks at a League of Social Democrats news conference at their headquarters in Hong Kong on June 29.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 3, 2025
Hong Kong proposes limited recognition of same-sex couples' rights
The move comes as the Hong Kong government seeks to comply with a landmark court ruling from September 2023.
A port near Shanghai. Beijing has often responded to actions it opposes with targeted trade measures.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2025
Beijing braces for U.S. trade deals that aim to shut out China
China is becoming increasingly wary of U.S. efforts to forge deals that could isolate Chinese firms from global supply chains.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday
WORLD
Jul 3, 2025
Swiss say foreign spying threat high, citing Russia and China
The global context has direct implications for Switzerland, a militarily neutral country which hosts multiple international organizations.
An oil tanker unloads imported crude oil at Qingdao port in China in 2022.
BUSINESS
Jul 2, 2025
Major Chinese ports keep Iranian oil flowing despite sanctions
From January to June, terminals in the port clusters around Qingdao, Dalian and Zhoushan have helped China purchase almost 1.4 million barrels a day of Iranian crude.
Workers take a break near a ship under construction at China State Shipbuilding Corp.'s Longxue Shipyard in Guangzhou, China, in November 2011.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 2, 2025
China’s shipyard dominance leads to geoeconomic risks
According to 2024 data from the Chinese government, the country ranks first worldwide in ship completions, new orders and order backlogs.
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (left), Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong (second from left), Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (second from right) and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stand together at the start of a meeting of "the Quad" at the U.S. State Department in Washington on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2025
‘Quad’ nations announce critical minerals initiative amid China concerns
A joint statement was carefully crafted not to directly mention China, but the four Indo-Pacific countries made clear a goal of reducing dependence on Beijing.
Pro-China supporters hold Chinese flags at an event celebrating the 28th anniversary of the former British colony's handover to Chinese rule, in Hong Kong, on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 1, 2025
Hong Kong rights record under fire as it marks China handover anniversary
Lee's government enacted a separate security law of its own in 2024 saying it was needed to restore order.
Members of the Taiwanese military take part in the annual Han Kuang exercises in Taoyuan, Taiwan, in July 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 1, 2025
Taiwan to simulate Chinese invasion in major drill
The annual Han Kuang exercises will last for 10 days and mobilize more than 22,000 reservists, both unprecedented in length and scale.
A banner announces the construction of a photovoltaic solar farm in Cabaiguan, Cuba, on May 21.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 1, 2025
China is quietly supplanting Russia as Cuba's main benefactor
Where many of Russia's most recent promises to Cuba have fizzled, China has discreetly stepped up to fill the void.
Japanese seafood in a supermarket in Hong Kong in July 2023
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2025
China partially lifts ban on Japanese seafood imports in bid to ease frictions
Tokyo labeled the move “a major turning point,” though improving the relationship still faces hurdles over China’s military moves near Japan.
Taiwan, under constant threat from AI-powered disinformation by authoritarian regimes, has emerged as a global leader in digital democratic defense.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 30, 2025
Taiwan provides a model for digital defense of democracy
As the U.S. and others struggle to confront AI-driven disinformation, Taiwan’s resilience has become its latest key export.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in 2016
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 30, 2025
Dalai Lama set to reveal succession plan as China watches
The Dalai Lama has said his successor will be born outside China and urged his followers to reject anyone chosen by Beijing.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama addresses journalists in London in 2008.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 30, 2025
The Dalai Lama: Tibet's spiritual leader, bane of Beijing
A thorn in China's side, Tenzin Gyatso became the face of the Tibetan cause as he crisscrossed the globe, mixing with royalty, politicians and celebrities.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji