Page 3 - China

Hormuz and India's neighbours: How China escaped West Asia crisis intact

By sharply reducing oil imports, China not only shielded its own economy from a supply shock (to an extent) - its impact also helped cushion the price shock for other Asian economies, analysts said

Women's public role shrinks in China as rhetoric shifts to family: Study

The Chinese Communist Party (CPC) has long portrayed the protection of women's rights as one of its achievements but studies have found that their role in public life has diminished in recent years, particularly at the highest levels of political and policy leadership. For decades, the Party promoted Mao Zedong's famous slogan that "women hold up half the sky" as a guiding principle for gender equality. But the narrative in China's official media has shifted in recent years, increasingly emphasising women's domestic and familial roles, according to a recent study that analysed articles in the People's Daily, the CPC's official mouthpiece. The ruling CPC, which exercises tight political control over the country, has for decades claimed that women have played an active role in "socialist modernisation and reform and opening up". However, a widening gap in the portrayal of women began to emerge in the late 1990s, according to the study by two Hong Kong-based researchers. Published in

Russia, China take note as Iran conflict depletes US weapons stocks

The Iran war has depleted US weapons stockpiles, resulting in a significant erosion of firepower. A more drawn-out Iran conflict benefits Moscow and Beijing, some analysts say

China's producer inflation eases to 3-month low in July, CPI slows

China's ​leaders, confronting a two-speed ​economy of strong factory output and exports but weak ​domestic demand, have pledged to bolster growth by accelerating fiscal spending

China's robots know Kung Fu and can scale walls. Can they woo investors?

Chinese humanoid robot maker Unitree Robotics is set to raise about $900 million through a Shanghai IPO, as investor interest in embodied AI and robotics continues to grow.

China's exports slow in July despite robust demand for high-tech products

China's exports slowed slightly in July from the month before despite robust demand for high-tech electronics and vehicles. Customs data released Friday showed China's trade surplus narrowed to USD 112.5 billion from USD 125.6 billion in June. Exports rose nearly 24 per cent in July from a year earlier, compared with a 27 per cent increase in June. Imports climbed 27.5 per cent year-on-year, but that was lower than June's jump of 36 per cent. Disruptions to port operations due to typhoons helped to slow trade, analysts said. "The boom in Chinese trade slowed a touch in July but the big picture is that export and import values remain elevated, helped by soaring global demand for electronics and green tech products," Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics said in a report. The Iran war interfered with shipments of aluminum from the Middle East, leading to an increase in Chinese exports of the metal, he noted. Trade data show China has fully transitioned from providing mostly l

US drafting ban on Chinese data centre networking devices, says report

Reuters reported the Trump administration is preparing fresh curbs on Chinese data centre hardware, with optical transceivers emerging as the latest target

China's AI advance creates 'death zone' for rival US model makers

A wave of advanced AI models from Alibaba, Moonshot, ByteDance, DeepSeek and Z.ai is rapidly closing the technology gap with US rivals while intensifying competition on price and performance

Why China's rare earth dominance is weakening across global markets

China's export restrictions on rare earths are accelerating investment in new mines and processing capacity worldwide, potentially weakening Beijing's dominance over critical mineral supply chains

India okayed just one FDI proposal from China, 13 from Hong Kong in FY26

India approved just one Chinese FDI proposal worth Rs 1 crore, while clearing 13 applications from Hong Kong worth Rs 610.42 crore in the last financial year, according to official data. These approvals are important as investments from countries sharing a land border with India have been subject to prior government approval since April 2020 under Press Note 3 of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). The measure was introduced to curb opportunistic takeovers and acquisitions of Indian companies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the government has approved 63 FDI (foreign direct investment) proposals worth Rs 10,292.67 crore, or USD 1.18 billion, during April 2025-March 2026, according to the DPIIT data. Singapore emerged as the largest source of approved FDI proposals in value terms, with five proposals worth Rs 3,259.88 crore (USD 382.52 million) receiving clearance. This was followed by the UK, where five proposals worth Rs 2,477.67 crore (USD

Indian diaspora in China flags anti-India posts, visa curbs at embassy meet

Members of the Indian diaspora in China raised concerns over abusive anti-India content on Chinese social media, declining work visas for professionals, and restrictions on employment for spouses at the Indian Embassy's first Open House in recent years. The mission hosted the outreach initiative on Friday, bringing together a large number of Indian professionals working in various sectors in Beijing to discuss issues affecting the community. Indian Ambassador Vikram Doraiswami, accompanied by Counsellor (Consular, Education and Community Affairs) Nitinjeet Singh and Counsellor (Visa) Ramesh Singh, interacted with members of the diaspora on a range of issues. Among the concerns raised were the increase in abusive content against Indians, including their food habits and culture, on Chinese social media platforms, a decline in the number of job visas issued by China to Indian professionals, restrictions on employment for spouses, and difficulties relating to counsellor ...

China holds military drills near disputed shoal in South China Sea

China conducted military drills near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Saturday as territorial tensions with the Philippines intensify. The joint naval and air drills near the shoal, which is known as Huangyan Island in China and Panatag Shoal in the Philippines, tested the army's ability to coordinate air and sea operations and provide rapid reinforcements, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The drills came after Beijing criticised Manila's attempts to extend its seabed rights in the South China Sea, a vital global trade route with rich undersea deposits of gas and oil that China claims almost in its entirety. The Philippines earlier this week presented its bid to the United Nations to extend its seabed to include the disputed shoal. "The so-called territorial sea baselines of Huangyan Dao designated by the Philippine side are illegal and invalid," the People's Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command said in a statement. China also on Saturday released a

Elon Musk dismisses report of Tesla's potential China business sale

Tesla and SpaceX merger can raise geopolitical hurdles, particularly in ​China, because SpaceX is a major US defence contractor while Tesla operates wholly owned manufacturing facilities in China

China's factory activity contracts unexpectedly in July as demand weakens

China's factory activity unexpectedly slowed in July, the first such contraction in five months, weighing on the pace of broader growth for the world's second-largest economy. The official manufacturing purchasing managers index, or PMI, fell to 49.2 from 50.3 in June, China's National Bureau of Statistics said on Friday, worse than what economists had expected. The sub-index on new orders fell to 48.5 in July - the lowest since 2023 - from 51.2 in June, while the sub-index for production fell to 49.9 from 51.4. PMI readings, based on surveys of factory managers, are measured on a scale of 0 to 100. A reading above 50 indicates an expansion, and below 50 reflects a contraction. "The latest (PMI) reading remains an unpromising start to the first wave of economic data for the second half of the year," Lynn Song, a chief economist for Greater China at ING Bank, said in a commentary. Weakness in domestic goods demand, including in building activity, contributed to the lower PMI figure

China sets up high-altitude drone R&D centre in Tibet near Mt Everest

China has established a drone research and development centre near Mount Everest in Tibet to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for operations in high-altitude areas to bolster border patrols, security, logistics and transport. Tibet, often referred to as the roof of the world, is over 4,000 metres high. The cold high-altitude plateau is also low on Oxygen. With rugged terrain and rapidly changing weather, it is regarded as an ideal ground for developing drone technology, according to Chinese engineers. The Plateau Drone R&D Application Centre was launched at Xizang (Tibet) University onJuly 3, marking the official launch of China's first professional platform dedicated entirely to the research, development and practical deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in high-altitude plateau environments, state-run Xinhua news agency reported earlier from provincial capital Lhasa. The high-altitude centre is expected to provide an advantage for China in its ongoing competition .

BMW is cutting 8000 jobs: Why BMW is reducing its workforce despite strong sales | Layoff

BMW is cutting around 8,000 jobs as slowing demand in China and rising competition from domestic EV makers reshape the global auto industry.

India shifts methanol imports to China amid West Asia conflict: Crisil

Report says supply disruptions and soaring prices prompted India to diversify sourcing away from the Middle East while boosting imports from China

From US to China: How countries punish exam cheating and paper leaks

As Parliament debates tougher penalties for paper leaks, here's how countries from China and South Korea to the US, UK and Singapore punish exam fraud and organised cheating

India must tread cautiously on further easing of Chinese FDI norms

The experience of Asean economies and the European Union shows Chinese investments come with serious implications for host countries