China’s freeze on video game licenses continues. South China Morning Post notes that the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) has not released a list of newly approved titles since July 2021. Because of this, state-run newspaper Securit…
Xi Jinping vows Taiwan’s ‘reunification’ with China will be fulfilled
Chinese president says island’s ‘independence separatism’ is a ‘danger to national rejuvenation’ following a week of tensionChina’s president, Xi Jinping, has vowed to realise “reunification” with Taiwan, without mentioning the use of force, after a we…
Joe Biden and Xi Jinping to hold virtual meeting this year – White House
Biden administration announces plan after meeting between US national security adviser and China’s top diplomat The US president, Joe Biden, and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, are planning to meet by video link before the end of the year, a senio…
Is China stepping up its ambition to supplant US as top superpower?
Analysis: Joe Biden has cleared the decks to focus on China. But how imminent is the danger?It may have been an inelegantly, even ineptly, executed pivot, gratuitously alienating key allies, but by leaving Afghanistan and forming the Australian, US and…
Embattled property firm Evergrande rattles financial markets
Investors worried about Chinese developer draw parallels with 2008 collapse of Lehman BrothersChina’s embattled property developer Evergrande Group has caused concern among investors worldwide. With $300bn (£220bn) owed to its creditors and key debt in…
‘Betting on a low carbon future’: why China is ending foreign coal investment
Xi Jinping’s promise reflects growing awareness of the climate crisis in China and falling renewable pricesTuesday’s pledge by China’s president, Xi Jinping, to cease building new coal-fired power projects outside the country is welcome news to environ…
Evergrande: will it collapse and what would happen if it did?
If Chinese property company Evergrande sinks under its $300bn debt its failure would resound across the global economyEvergrande Real Estate – or Heng Da Group in Chinese – owns more than 1,300 building projects in more than 280 cities across China. C…
Xi’s army: from ‘hiding and biding’ to building China’s dream
The combat capability of the People’s Liberation Army may still be a ‘work in progress’ but it is catching up through influence and trainingWhen Covid-19 swept across Iran last March, killing more than 1,000 people including the senior commander of the…
Making waves in the Pacific: how Boris Johnson’s Global Britain went rogue
Defence pact with Australia and the US increases chance of confrontation with China and spurs nuclear proliferationLife got a little more dangerous last week. It wasn’t due to the pandemic or the climate crisis. It was entirely the result of the consci…
China roundup: Beijing wants tech giants to shoulder more social responsibilities
This week, the gaming industry again became a target of Beijing, which imposed arguably the world’s strictest limits on underage players. On the other hand, China’s tech titans are hastily answering Beijing’s call for them to take on more social responsibilities and take a break from unfettered expansion.