Today
Way beyond Sputnik: China’s AI drive just the tip of the iceberg
America’s mass manufacturing revolution more than a century ago – embodied in the Ford Model T – changed everything. China is doing the same now.
- 33 mins ago
- Frank Yuan
Yesterday
- Analysis
- Trade wars
China’s Xi plays cool hand in Trump’s tariff war
The presidents face off in trade negotiations, but Beijing’s measured response to new levies shows just how much it has learned since last time.
- Jessica Sier
- Opinion
- Trump diplomacy
China’s Mr Big won’t cave to Trump for nothing
The US president thinks he has the upper hand in the trade war. But Xi Jinping might be ready to make some hard decisions.
- Shuli Ren
This Month
China hits back at Trump with tariffs on US coal, LNG, crude
China will impose a 15 per cent tariff on coal and LNG products and 10 per cent on crude oil and other products in response.
- Andrew Tillett, Jessica Sier, Matthew Cranston, Michael Read, Alex Gluyas and Angela Macdonald-Smith
Trump tariffs could hit Australian miners through China slowdown
Fresh US levies could knock Australia’s bottom line through reduced demand for key commodities, as Chinese manufacturers face mounting pressure to cut output.
- Jessica Sier
January
China building ‘doomsday’ command 10 times bigger than the Pentagon
The complex would be the world’s largest military command centre and include bombproof bunkers for leaders, say US intelligence officials.
- Demetri Sevastopulo, Joe Leahy and Ryan McMorrow
‘Vindicated’: China celebrates DeepSeek shock in US
Inside China, social media exploded on the news that a home-grown start-up had made an AI tool that was more efficient than any in the United States.
- Li Yuan
How DeepSeek’s ‘nerdy’ billionaire stunned Silicon Valley
Hedge fund manager and entrepreneur Liang Wenfeng built an AI model on a tight budget despite US attempts to halt China’s high-tech ambitions.
- Eleanor Olcott and Zijing Wu
China’s economy loses steam ahead of new year holiday
The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index fell to 49.1, the lowest since August, missing economists’ forecast for a modest expansion.
- Yujing Liu
Rio Tinto offers $472m to settle Mongolian mine tax dispute
The miner is hoping the deal will settle the Oyu Tolgoi tax stoush as it ties up loose ends over its copper bet amid the Glencore merger speculation.
- Jessica Sier
South Korean president’s supporters riot over his arrest
Yoon Suk Yeol’s backers, armed with metal beams and police shields, stormed a Seoul courthouse after a judge issued an arrest warrant.
- Kim Tong-Hyung
‘No choice but crypto’: China’s graduates flee jobs crisis
Young educated Chinese, faced with few opportunities in a shrinking market at home, are relocating across Asia to trade cryptocurrencies full-time.
- Jessica Sier
South Korea president detained in huge law-enforcement effort
The South Korean leader said he agreed to submit to questioning to prevent a “bloody” clash between his bodyguards and the police.
- Choe Sang-Hun and Jin Yu Young
Hong Kong’s expat party hub transformed by Chinese influx
Lan Kwai Fong was once the area in Hong Kong most associated with the city’s nightlife and its expat community, but it now serves a more mainland Chinese clientele.
- Shirley Zhao and Diana Li
Rubio set to say China cheated its way to superpower status
The harsh words reflect the senator’s reputation as a China hawk, and could potentially set up the Trump administration for an early clash with Beijing.
- Nick Wadhams
China’s smokers light up global tobacco sales despite bans
Unlike in much of the world, where strict controls have led to a sharp decline in smoking, research suggests cigarette sales in China have risen in recent years.
- William Langley and Haohsiang Ko
China corporate profits set for third year of declines
The Asian giant is grappling with a two-speed economy, with strong exports offsetting weak domestic demand as households cope with a deep property slump.
- Joe Leahy and Tina Hu
Japan’s enduring fascination with kamikaze pilots
Japanese tourists still flock to memorial sites to remember the young men who crashed their planes into Allied warships.
- Alexander Wooley
- Opinion
- China relations
Seven truths on why Taiwan always will be China’s
Some Australian media recently provided a platform for false Taiwanese views about the one-China policy. Here are the reasons they are wrong.
- Xiao Qian
The new, very dangerous Chinese warplane that isn’t a stealth fighter
The mysterious airborne early warning and control aircraft could give the Asian nation a huge advantage in any military action against Taiwan.
- David Axe
Long on the run, a hit man gives one last confession
Edgar Matobato says he killed for former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte for 24 years. Now he’s ready to testify at the International Criminal Court.
- Hannah Beech
South Korea’s political turmoil embroils family dynasties
A protracted political stand-off could delay crucial corporate governance reforms aimed at reining in the powerful family conglomerates and that is already triggering a backlash.
- Jessica Sier
Chinese airlines rush into Europe as Western carriers retreat
Scandinavian Airlines, Lufthansa, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have all suspended some routes to the mainland in 2024, citing cost pressures from avoiding Russia.
- Chan Ho-him and Philip Georgiadis
Xi Jinping’s most trusted confidante has a new job: Winning Taiwan
He was fascinated by democracy as a student but Wang Huning has been the definition of a party insider for the past three decades.
- Chris Buckley
At least 95 dead after earthquake rocks Tibet
The epicentre of the magnitude 6.8 quake that hit on Tuesday morning was in Tingri County, in Shigatse city, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
- Phila Siu and Jing Li