Page 2 - China

China industrial profits tumble at fastest pace in a year amid weak demand

Profits fell 13.1 per cent year-on-year in November, accelerating from a 5.5 per cent drop in October, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data released on Saturday

India-China ties: Why pragmatic engagement matters more than trust

Chanakya advocated scoring a decisive win whereas Sun Tzu advocated patient encirclement: India must learn to play Weiqi, not chess

China opens world's longest expressway tunnel through Xinjiang mountains

China on Friday opened to traffic a 22.13-km-long tunnel, which it claimed to be the "world's longest", in Xinjiang province. The Tianshan Shengli tunnel, which traverses through the central Tianshan Mountains in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has reduced a treacherous mountain journey of several hours to about 20 minutes, official media reported. According to Song Hailiang, chairman of China Communications Construction Company, the tunnel has set two world records. It is the longest expressway tunnel in the world and has the deepest vertical shaft for a highway tunnel, Song said. The tunnel is a key part of the G0711 Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, which also became operational on Friday, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The expressway serves as a major transport artery linking city clusters in northern and southern Xinjiang. Stretching 2,500 km, the Tianshan Mountains span central Xinjiang, separating the provincial capital Urumqi, the largest city in the

China's grip on critical mineral refining continues, says WEF report

WEF says efforts to diversify critical mineral refining away from China are falling short, leaving supply chains exposed as demand rises from EVs, data centres and power grids

US, Russia were concerned about Pak's nuclear weapons: Declassified files

Putin told Bush that uranium of Pakistani origin had been found in Iranian centrifuges, pointing to possible illegal transfers

Japan's Cabinet approves record defence budget that aims to deter China

Japan's Cabinet on Friday approved a record defence budget plan exceeding 9 trillion yen (USD 58 billion) for the coming year, aiming to fortify its strike-back capability and coastal defence with cruise missiles and unmanned arsenals as tensions rise in the region. The draft budget for fiscal 2026 beginning April is up 9.4 per cent from 2025 and marks the fourth year of Japan's ongoing five-year programme to double annual arms spending to 2 per cent of gross domestic product. The increase comes as Japan faces elevated tension from China. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in November that her country's military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing says must come under its rule. Takaichi's government, under US pressure for a military increase, pledged to achieve the 2 per cent target by March, two years earlier than planned. Japan also plans to revise the ongoing security and defence policy by December 2026 t

Ready to strengthen communication with India: China slams Pentagon report

A Pentagon report submitted to the US Congress has flagged China's claim over India's Arunachal Pradesh as part of its stated "core interests", underscoring Beijing's broader national strategy

China starts issuing licenses to import rare earth magnets into India

China has begun clearing export licences for rare earth magnets to India, easing supply disruptions for automakers and EV makers after months of delays caused by trade curbs

China accuses US of distorting defence policy to strain ties with India

A recent report by the Pentagon said that China 'probably seeks to capitalise on decreased tension' with India to stabilise bilateral relations and prevent a deepening of US-India ties

Russia plans to build nuclear power plant on Moon within a decade

Roscosmos said the purpose of the plant was to power Russia's lunar programme, including rovers

AI threatening Party rule in China? Here's what Xi Jinping's govt is doing

China's worried that Chatbot's ability to generate independent responses could lead people to question Communist Party rule and official narratives

Pentagon report flags China's 'core interest' claim on Arunachal Pradesh

The document outlines that China identifies three "core interests" that are central to national rejuvenation and not open to negotiation or compromise

China's military buildup makes US vulnerable, says Pentagon report

The congressionally mandated report, posted on the Pentagon website Tuesday, is the first version issued during the second Trump administration

Global investors shift bets to Chinese AI amid fears of Wall Street bubble

Chinese AI chipmaker MetaX Integrated Circuits, founded by former AMD executives, jumped 700% in its Shanghai market debut last week

China complains against India at WTO over IT goods tariff, solar scheme

China has approached the WTO seeking dispute consultations with India over import duties on IT goods and local value norms under the solar PV production-linked incentive scheme

China to launch online visa application system in India from today

With the launch of the online platform, applicants are expected to save time during the initial stages of visa processing

Chinese visa scam: Court frames charges against Karti Chidambaram, 6 others

A Delhi court on Tuesday ordered the framing of charges against Congress MP Karti P Chindambaram and six others in connection with the Chinese visa scam case. Special Judge (CBI) Dig Vinay Singh, who was hearing the case against Karti Chindambaram and seven others, ordered the framing of charges against seven accused and discharged one named Chetan Shrivastava in the case. In an order dated December 23, the court ordered the framing of charges against the seven accused for the alleged offence of criminal conspiracy. The detailed order is awaited. Earlier in October 2024, the CBI had filed a charge sheet against Karti Chindambaram and others in connection with alleged bribery in facilitating visas of Chinese nationals for a power company in 2011 when his father P Chidambaram was the Union home minister.

China launches online visa system in India: What changes for travellers

China has launched an online visa application system for Indian travellers, marking a major shift in how visas are processed. Here’s what’s changed, how the new system works, and why it matters now.

China's weather ambitions aim to cut reliance on Europe's ERA5 climate data

Europe's ERA5 is considered the benchmark of climate data, providing details on a range of variables such as rainfall, temperature and wind, spanning more than eight decades

Taiwan detects six Chinese aircraft, six naval vessels around its territory

Earlier on Sunday, Taiwan detected seven sorties of Chinese aircraft, seven naval vessels and an official ship around its territorial waters as of 6 am (local time)