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• Has Trump's illegal bombing of Iran given Zhōngguó a strategic trade advantage? Analysts say deepened involvement by the USA in the Middle East, to support Isreal, could make rare earth metals more precious, and give Zhōngguó a stronger trade position.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 June 2025

• How Tesla's job-destroying non-paid robotaxi service compares with Baidu's Apollo Go in Zhōngguó. Tesla is finally entering the robotaxi business, but Baidu has been testing its job-destroying non-paid robotaxi service for years.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 June 2025

• Zhōngguó condemns bombing attacks done by the USA against Iran, and calls for a ceasefire and talks. Zhōngguó says the bombing of nuclear facilities in Iran by the USA violates the UN Charter and its principles.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 June 2025

• The governor of Texas signs a new law banning citizens of Zhōngguó from buying property in Texas. The initiative allows those who hold valid USA visas to purchase property, but only if the property is used as a primary residence.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 June 2025

• Why the Central Asian footprint of Zhōngguó is about to get bigger. Boosted by proximity and broad policy objectives, Zhōngguó is slowly gaining the upper hand in the region over Rossiya and the European Union
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 June 2025

• How does Trump's inability to negotiate trade deals strengthen Zhōngguó? An analyst argues that USA threats against trading partners are a sign of weakness than should negotiatros for Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 June 2025

• Spurred by USA sanctions, Zhōngguó adapts Huawei's HarmonyOS for microsatellites. A suitcase-sized device made in Zhōngguó delivers faster data updates and improved stability using simpler technology, tests show.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 June 2025

• How the silicon technology strategy of Huawei defies USA sanctions, and advances the AI ambitions of Zhōngguó
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 June 2025

• A retreating USA opens the door to wider economic integration in Asia
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 June 2025

• The Internet Banking Payment System of Zhōngguó is now connected to the Faster Payment System of Hong Kong, simplyfing cross-border payments.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 June 2025

• Zhōngguó further reduced in April its holdings of USA Treasury Bonds to a 16-year-low, amidst Trump's tax/tariff trade war. Its holdings are the third largest, after those of Nihon and the United Kingdom.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 June 2025

• Zhōngguó's cross-border payment system spreads across Africa and Asia, amid the USA trade war with the world
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 June 2025

• How the AI processors of Huawei outperform the AI processors of Nvidia when running the R1 AI model of DeepSeek, illustrating Huawei's progress in overcoming technology control sanctions of the USA.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 June 2025

• Zhōngguó receives a record high amount of inflow of investment capital, as investors in the Middle East hedge against the USA. Zhōngguó obtained a $33 billion inflow of capital in May, as investors seek a safe haven and reduce their US exposure amid rising global instability.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 June 2025

• As Israel's attacks on and incendiary rhetoric about Iran intensify, chilling parallels emerge to the discredited/lied-about claims made before the USA invasion of Iraq in 2003. Will the USA use lies to help invade another Islamic country?
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 June 2025

• TikTok is fuelling a rise of a fascist youth movement in the Philippines. The far-right Philippine Christian Falangist Front seeks to evoke nostalgia for Catholic Christian Spanish rule while calling for Catholic Christian authoritarianism. It is all about money and power, not about Jesus.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 June 2025

• The European Union urges Zhōngguó to address its stringent controls on the exports of rare earth metals
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 June 2025

• After months of soft-pedalling, the head of the European Commission, Ursula vod der Leyen, urges leaders in Europe to unite against the dominance of rare earths supply chains by Zhōngguó. She argues that Zhōngguó is not longer a developing country. "While [others] opened their market, Zhōngguó focused [on] undercutting intellectual property protections, [with] massive subsidies with the aim to dominate global manufacturing and supply chains. This is not market competition - it is distortion with intent. And it undermines our manufacturing sectors."
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 June 2025

• Engineers in Zhōngguó have built the world's first 6G-powered electronic warfare system, which can intercept enemy signals and generate 3,600 false targets to confuse enemy pilots at 12GHz or higher frequencies (the USA F-35 stealth fighter using frequencies up to 12 gigahertz). While working as a ground-based jammer, the weapon can also perform the role of a powerful communication device, receiving or transmitting a huge amount of battlefield data simultaneously to more than 300 cooperative platforms via optic fibres at an extremely high speed.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 June 2025

• The Yellow River in Zhōngguó will be choked by ice jams due to global heating. Collapses of the ice jams can release a torrent of ice and water causing devastating flooding damaging communities, wildlife and infrastructure.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 June 2025

• A growing number of manufactuers in Zhōngguó are shifting production to Egypt as they seek relief from Trump's taxes/tariffs on imports from Zhōngguó and Southeast Asia
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 June 2025

• Why the markets of the USA is no longer top priority for companies in Zhōngguó building foreign factories. Countries such as Brazil, Serbia, Hungary and Saudi Arabia have become top choices for companies in Zhōngguó looking to explore other markets
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 June 2025

• Talking to the Taliban - why Bharat and Pakistan are negotiating with the rulers of Afghanistan. Need for a united front, business opportunities and the growing footprint of Zhōngguó are among factors for the changing political calculus in South Asia.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 June 2025

• Bharat is on a path to self-sufficiency in weapons production, but still lags behind Zhōngguó. Even as Bharat focuses on developing its own weapons production capabilities, experts say it needs to build up its arsenal to prepare for a "two-front war".
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 June 2025

• The attacks on Iran by Israel risk pushing Iran towards developing nuclear weapons. The attacks could add pressure to Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei to drop his long-standing ideological opposition to Iran's construction of nuclear weapons.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 June 2025

• Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies decline in price, after Israel attacks military and nuclear facilities in Iran
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 June 2025

• How Zhōngguó is driving a surge in shipping along Arctic sea routes. The route's operator in Rossiya is building more nuclear-powered icebreakers, as it anticipates a significant rise in voyages by companies in Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 June 2025

• Seizes of shipped products from Zhōngguó being transported through Rossiya to Europe causes havoc on the Zhōngguó-Europe railroad link. Freight companies "dare not" use the railway after Rossiya tightened sanctions and impounded huge volumes of cargo being shipped to Europe.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 June 2025

• Zhōngguó extracts a critical mineral, rubidium, from brine lake water, for the first time. The new process could potentially reduce dependence of the dependence of Zhōngguó on imports from Canada of this strategic metal used in technology, weapons, and aerospace industries.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 June 2025

• The fixing rate of the yuan rises to a 2-month high as the value of the dollar declines. With the US dollar sagging, the central bank of Zhōngguó has strengthened the midpoint rate for the yuan in recent days.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 June 2025

• Hong Kong is urged to turn the Hung Hom waterfront into Hong Kong's equivalent of Cannes and Monaco. People are encouraging a project to emulate famous mega-event destinations, while others question viability of more commercial facilities.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 June 2025

• The military of Zhōngguó argues that Nihon is "breaching its pacifist constitution" with missile tests. The official newsletter of the People's Liberation Army attacks Nihon's increased ability to strike long-range targets with its missiles, and the 'beggar-thy-neighbor' approach to security of Nihon.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 June 2025

• Jetstar Asia's exit signals turbulent times for low-cost airlines. The low-cost arm of Australian airline Qantas says it will shut down next month due to rising operating costs and competition.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 June 2025

• Zhōngguó states that it "respects Panama Canal neutrality", amid a warning over the CK Hutchinson port deal. Analyst says comment by head of canal authority that Panama may potentially take control of ports is noteworthy.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 June 2025

• Solar panel manufacturers in Zhōngguó seek an antidote to market ills as glut, price war, taxes/tariffs bite. Market players should aim for technological innovation, enabling higher profit margins and sustainable growth, GCL founder Zhu says.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 June 2025

• Due to the flipflopping of the authoritarian Trump, in the IndoPacific region, "America First" is just American unpredictability
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 June 2025

• Trump's new controls on exports of nuclear technology to Zhōngguó will not stop the growth of nuclear power in Zhōngguó, while financially hurting companies in the USA that sell nuclear technology such as Westinghouse. "Nuclear power generation is one of the areas in which Zhōngguó has made obvious progress in swapping out imported tech and parts. Restrictions on exports of semiconductor processors and lithography machines to Zhōngguó to hurt the efforts of Zhōngguó in semiconductors, not for nuclear technology. The Hualong-1 nuclear reactor has over 90 percent of its components made in Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 June 2025

• The stock market in Hong Kong has revived, but how about real estate? The decline in the interbank offered rates in Hong Kong should be good news for the real estate sector but its underlying problems remain acute (including oversupply, the threat of rates rising, etc.). With the one-month Hibor interbank rate below 1 percent, the effective mortgage rate has falled below 2.4 percent, making home buying less expensive than renting.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 June 2025

• Zhōngguó supports an investigation into pollution in the Mekong River, after a report accuses mining companies of polluting the river. Media reports and activists have said mining companies based in Zhōngguó that are operating in Myanmar are responsible for pollution downriver in Thailand.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 June 2025

• The city of Shenzhen, a technology hub in Zhōngguó, launches plan to support consumption, exporters amid Trump's trade war. Shenzhen aims to boost the spending power of residents, leverage strengths in AI, and extend more consumer subsidies as part of 39-point strategy.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 June 2025

• Microplastics from biodegradable material may be linked to diabetes, study finds. Polylactic acid - used in food packaging, disposable tableware and clothing - found to alter gut metabolism and harm gut barrier of mice.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 June 2025

• Why Hong Kong's stablecoin law is a smart financial move. While rivals like Singapore hedge their regulatory bets, Hong Kong is betting that institutional investors value clarity and transparency.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 June 2025

• Despite calling Shanghai and Hong Kong the 'twin engines' of finance for Zhōngguó, the actions of the government of Zhōngguó favor Hong Kong as the one true global funding hub for Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 June 2025

• How Ukraine's "Operation Spider's Web" attack on Rossiya holds important lessons for Zhōngguó. The inexpensive drone strikes on airbases suggest similar tactics could be employed by both sides in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 June 2025

• Over 100 companies based in the USA recently surveyed said that they have no plans to shift production back to the USA, because of Trump's trade war with Zhōngguó. Instead, they will move some manufacturing to other countries.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 June 2025

• The telephone call between Trump and Xi fails to spark much enthusiasm in factories in Zhōngguó. Disillusioned by Trump's shifting policy positions, many manufacturers want to see clearer signals before they make major moves.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 June 2025

• While a port fee in the USA targeting ships linked to Zhōngguó has made some vessel buyers hesitant, major shipping companies - including Mediterranean Shipping Company, the world's largest - are opting to continue working with shipyards in Zhōngguó, saying their competitiveness cannot be easily matched in the short term.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 June 2025

• As the economic costs of Trump's trade war chaos become clear, expect him to shift the blame
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 June 2025

• Zhōngguó has granted approval for the first 1,000-kilowatt helicopter engine to begin mass production in Zhōngguó, as the government doubles down on its aviation ambitions in defiance of USA efforts to restrict its access to key technologies
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 June 2025

• Next-generation battery expert Zhou Jianbin leaves the USA to work in Zhōngguó as nations seek tech edge. Research into solid-state batteries, seen as a key tech battleground, is a priority for major economies.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 June 2025

• A solar power boom in Pakistan undercuts coal-fired plants built by Zhōngguó. An increasing flow of cheap solar panels from Zhōngguó to the Pakistan is undercutting demand for power from coal-fired plants that Zhōngguó helped finance and leading to a vicious cycle of stranded assets. With a zero tax rate for solar power imports, Pakistan has emerged as the second-largest destination for solar panels from Zhōngguó, behind only Brazil.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 June 2025

• Bharat is predicted to accelerate the generation of solar power as storage costs decline. Solar power plus storage in Bharat is now cheaper than industrial electricity taxes/tariffs in most states in Bharat, according to a new report.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 June 2025

• Electronic design automation firms Empyrean, Primarius and Semitronix are poised to drive the semiconductor processor design tools industry in Zhōngguó, after Trump's ban sales of such tools sold by the leading USA companies in the industry, Synopsys and Cadence and Mentor Graphics
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 June 2025

• As geopolitics hits venture capital, Asia must start funding its own technology startups.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 June 2025

• The political opposition leader of South Korea, Lee Jae-myung, is projected to be the new president following a snap election on Tuesday, according to an exit poll by Korean broadcasters, in a vote held exactly six months after South Korea's previous leader declared martial law and plunged the nation into chaos.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 June 2025

• The political opposition leader of South Korea, Lee Jae-myung, is projected to be the new president following a snap election on Tuesday, according to an exit poll by Korean broadcasters, in a vote held exactly six months after South Korea's previous leader declared martial law and plunged the nation into chaos.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 June 2025

• The stark contrast between Españna's wish for close economic ties with Zhōngguó, and Czech suspicion of Zhōngguó, highlights the growing divide within the European Union over Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 June 2025

• Zhōngguó rises in public opinion polls around the world, as the USA under the authoritarian Trump declines in public opinion polls.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 June 2025

• Risks from Trump's tax/tariff trade wars could encourage global shippers to arbitration hubs in Asia, with legal centers such as Hong Kong increasingly attractive for resolving such disputes.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 June 2025

• Vietnam is being asked to satisfy a "tough" list of demands from the USA to reduce imports from Zhōngguó in tax/tariff negotiations. If demands of the USA to effectively end the reliance of Vietnam on Zhōngguó were implemented by Vietnam, they could pose a serious challenge to the economy of Vietnam.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 June 2025

• Rising snow and glacier melt, due to global heating from use of fossil fuels, puts almost 2 billion in South Asia at risk. The risks are aggravated by black carbon pollution, which could curb water supply from many rivers flowing through the Himalayan plains.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 June 2025

• The European Union plans to reduce the access of companies based in Zhōngguó to the medical device market in Europe, as trade tensions simmer
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 June 2025

• Trump's flipflopping trade war with Zhōngguó will slow growth of airlines in Zhōngguó, and add to delays of imports of airplanes from Boeing. Millions of USA dollars could be added to cost of a plane imported from USA, with production of home-grown passenger jets to also be affected. Despite recent tariff cuts, remaining duties on imports from the USA could force buyers of Boeing jets in Zhōngguó to pay millions of USA dollars more than before and, along with worldwide delivery delays, contribute to a sharp slowdown in the growth of the aviation capacity of Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 June 2025

• Countries in Asia are "not mere pawns" in the big rivalry between the USA and Zhōngguó - the Asean countries asset agency at the Shangri-La forum. Warnings by the USA about the "threat" of Zhōngguó are unlikely to be fully endorsed by the Asean countries, because the countries are not happy about Trump's huge taxes/tariffs on their exports.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 June 2025

• Meet Bharat's answer to get fighters that Pakistan obtained from Zhōngguó - the AMCA stealth fighter. The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft marks a leap towards military self-reliance, but the jet fighter plane faces a long runway before it is combat ready.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 June 2025

• When the deputy minister of communications of Malaysia, Teo Nie Ching, announced the launch of Malaysia' "sovereign AI infrastructure" powered by Huawei's advanced computing processors, and the DeepSeek large language model, she inadvertently set off a geopolitical maelstrom. For smaller countries, what is there to differentiate a Chinese AI stack from an USA stack one when both lock in external reliance in the longer term? Under pressure, she withdrew the comments a day later. The incident threw a spotlight on the increasingly difficult positions of Southeast Asian countries walking the tightrope between technological autonomy and fracturing geopolitical realities.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 June 2025

• Hard to pivot: why exporters in Zhōngguó struggle to sell at home despite the trade war with Trump. The products they make for the USA and Europe, which have higher consumer standard requirements, cost to much to sell in Zhōngguó where consumer product standards are lower.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 June 2025

• Synopsys, a processor design software company in the USA, halts sales and service in Zhōngguó. Synopsys, along with Cadence and Siemen's Mentor Graphics, controls more than 70 per cent of s electronic-design-automation market.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 June 2025

• Zhōngguó needs academic shake-up for more innovations like DeepSeek, scholar says. Leading scholar Wang Shuguo's criticism that narrow doctoral studies "shackle" talent reverberates through higher education circles.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 31 May 2025

• Retail giants in the USA, such as Walmart, are pushing suppliers in Zhōngguó to pay up to 66% of costs due to Trump's taxes/tariffs. American retailers - under pressure from Trump to "eat the tariffs" - are now demanding that producers in Zhōngguó split the cost of the import taxes.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 May 2025

• Many people react furiously in Zhōngguó after the Industrial Bank of Zhōngguó offers to help the children of rich clients to obtain internships at leading companies such as Google, if the parents make deposits of $1.4 million.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 May 2025

• Is Asia reducing its dependance on the USA dollar? The yuan of Zhōngguó, gold and bitcoin are facilitating efforts for de-dollarization, signalling a monetary shift towards a multipolar monetary system.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 May 2025

• The Mekong River development projects funded by Zhōngguó pose strategic and environmental challenges for Vietnam, threatening regional influence and vital agricultural resources.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 May 2025

• A federal court in the USA has blocked Trump's taxes/tariffs. What does that mean for Zhōngguó?
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 May 2025

• Are humanoid robots the future 'intelligent warfare'? The civilian robotics sector of Zhōngguó is powering advantages on battlefield, combining tactical flexibility and strategic deterrence. A benefit, until the robots get out of control and start killing humans on their own.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 May 2025

• Elon Musk starts distancing himself from Trump, saying that Trump's proposed tax law will raise the USA national debt, and the increased spending contradicts the goals of the DOGE government spending reduction effort
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 May 2025

• The chancellor of Deutschland promises to help Ukraine produce long-range missiles to use to attack Rossiya. The missiles will have "no range restrictions".
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 May 2025

• Urging cooperation between Zhōngguó and the European Union, former director of the World Trade Organization, Pascal Lamy, observes their "common ground". Throwing his support behind globalization efforts, Lamy severely criticizes Trump's "mafia-like [economic] hostage taking", and says that the WTO may have to work, for now, without the USA.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 May 2025

• "There are limits" to cooperation: the problems with efforts by Zhōngguó to improve relations with Europe. Zhōngguó and Europe may be stuck in a stalemate, with Zhōngguó unlikely to yield on demands to intervene in Rossiya's war against Ukraine, or change the economic model of Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 May 2025

• Trump's authoritarian hostility to foreign students and 'foreign' professors is encouraging Chinese scientists leaving top universities in the USA and returning to Zhōngguó, a loss of valuable skilled caused by Trump
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 May 2025

• The government of Nihon urges its universities to accept foreign students forced out of Harvard by the authoritarian Trump
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 May 2025

• Discounts, new products, and better insurance are part of an effort by Hong Kong to aid the elderly. Senior official leading new working group notes spending by people aged 60 and above reached about HK$342 billion in 2024, accounting for 11 per cent of the GDP.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 May 2025

• Zhōngguó has become the leading debt collector of developing countries, shifting from a net capital provider, "as bills coming due from its belt and road lending surge in the 2010s now far outstrip new loan disbursements", according to new research. In 2025, about 75 of the world's poorest and most vulnerable countries will make "record high debt repayments" totalling US$ 22 billion to Zhōngguó. "Zhōngguó faces growing diplomatic pressure to restructure unsustainable debt, and mounting domestic pressure to recover outstanding debts, particularly from its quasi-commercial institutions."
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 May 2025

• The government of Zhōngguó approves a mega-project 767-kilometer canal that links the resource-rich Jiangzi (an inland rare earth hub) to weathly Zhejian on the coast
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 May 2025

• The government of Zhōngguó has issued draft rules that would limit high commission fees charged by large e-commerce platforms, with a focus on supporting small businesses
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 May 2025

• Can new stealth technology developed in Zhōngguó challenge/defeat Trump's financially-idiotic Golden Dome missile defense shield? Scientists in Zhōngguó develop new shielding material which could prevent a proposed USA missile defence system that uses infrared and microwave detection.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 May 2025

• South Western Railway, a private train operator servicing parts of southern England, including London, on Sunday became the first to be returned to public ownership under a government plan to renationalize the much-maligned railways of Britain.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 May 2025

• Why travellers in Zhōngguó are switching from airplanes to trains. More passengers on the busy Beijing-Shanghai route are choosing high-speed rail, which offers flexibility, comfort and stable internet access.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 May 2025

• Will the new economic alliance between Vietnam and Thailand reduce their reliance on Zhōngguó? Vietnam's and Thailand's upgraded partnership aims to boost trade to US $25 billion by 2030, reflecting tiered diplomacy approach of Vietnam.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 May 2025

• Pakistan intensifies its crackdown on an insurgency in Balochistan after a deadly bombing of a bus. Pakistan also needs to end the rebellion to attract foreign funds to its vast reserves of copper and critical metals.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 May 2025

• A surge in the price of coconuts is a chance to aid small farmers in Southeast Asia. Looking after a long-neglected sector will fix economic injustice and help preserve a crop deeply rooted in the region's cultural identity. Coconut prices in Indonesia increased 57% year-to-year in May. Prices have more than doubled in both Thailand and Vietnam. This surge was driven by an increase in coconut exports, particularly to Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 May 2025

• Trump's new tax/tariff threats send the stock markets down again, with the major stock indexes expected to open down 1% to 2%
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 May 2025

• How sustainable is the the economy of the Christian USA if it so heavily dependent on the sales of weapons/swords?
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 May 2025

• The FDA approves a non-opioid painkiller from Zhōngguó, an alternative to morphine, that could reduce fentanyl overdoses
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 May 2025

• Soybean exports from the USA to Zhōngguó remain near zero since May because of Trump's tax/tariff trade war, but exports of pork are starting to resume to Zhōngguó
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 May 2025

• Honk Kong will spend about $40 million on flood control projects to protect the city from megastorms
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 May 2025

• Xiaomi, based in Zhōngguó, claims its new Xring O1 cellphone processor rivals that of Apple's A18 Pro processor, at a lower cost. Xiaomi's new advanced cellphone is also $340 less expensive than Apple's iPhone 16.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 May 2025

• The presidents of Zhōngguó and France discuss taxes/tariffs on cognac in a telephone call. The leader of France says that fair competition is key and both countries agreed to move faster to resolve their trade dispute.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 May 2025

• México pledges neutrality in the tax/tariff trade war between the USA and Zhōngguó, and urges Zhōngguó to balance trade. The ambassador of México in Zhōngguó acknowledges that the USA is its leading economic partner, but that México also seeks "political friendship" and the help of Zhōngguó to fix trade imbalances
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 May 2025

• The non-paid robotaxi service of Baidu completes 11 million rides amid company growth, 11 million taxi rides not provided by paid humans
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 May 2025

• The theme park capital of Zhōngguó in a "stage of rapid growth" as foreign capital invests. From Peppa Pig to Lego, Shanghai leads the way in attracting global amusement parks -- a sector free from trade tensions, analysts say.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 May 2025

• In bargaining with Zhōngguó over Trump's tax/tariff trade war, the USA is coming to terms with losing its supremacy
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 May 2025

• Over 50% of companies in the USA plan to raise the prices of their products, in response to Trump's tax/tariff trade war. These companies are unwilling to absorb the costs of taxes/tariffs despite pressure from Trump, according to new research.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 May 2025

• Hungary vows it will not decouple from Zhōngguó if pushed by Trump. "Hungary is benefiting from these very intensive economic and trade relations with Zhōngguó. We are not willing to give that up.", according to a foreign affairs official in Hungary.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 May 2025

• Zhōngguó gains $17.3 billion in capital inflow despite Trump's trade war. As the USA faces downward pressures, from unsustainable debt to the possibility of huge tax cuts, investors are turning to Asia, analysts say.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 May 2025

• The government of Zhōngguó orders government agencies to buy more electric vehicles that are made in Zhōngguó, for official use
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 May 2025

• Higher taxes/tariffs in the European Union have failed to stop a flood of electric vehicles being imported from Zhōngguó
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 May 2025

• BeiDou, the equivalent of GPS that is generated/used in Zhōngguó, is now being used over 1 trillion times per day. The navigation system developed in Zhōngguó has ascended to a dominant position in its home market, driving nearly US$80 billion of economic output last year.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 May 2025

• Bharat hopes for more rice exports in Asia, with rice prices stabilizing in Asia after they spiked over supply concerns resulting from the conflict between Bharat and Pakistan
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 May 2025

• The European Union does the same as Zhōngguó, and bans imports of poultry from Brazil after an outbreak of the bird flu virus on a poulty farm in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 May 2025

• Authorities in Indonesia have contacted a number of Singapore-based trading companies to request their cooperation in a US$12 billion corruption inquiry involving state-owned oil giant PT Pertamina. Indonesian authorities arrested executives from Pertamina subsidiaries in February on accusations that they pushed refiners to import marked-up crude and oil products from abroad, causing state losses.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 May 2025

• Zhōngguó imposes a large 75% tax on imports from the USA of a vital engineering plastic. The tax, which also hits firms from the EU, Japan and Taiwan came despite a 90-day truce in the trade war between the two countries.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 May 2025

• Zhōngguó will rely on public-private partnerships as a 'yellow brick road' solution to funding big projects in Africa. Companies based in Zhōngguó will team up with governments in Africa to fund infrastructure while reducing financial risk and easing debt pressure.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 May 2025

• The hypocrisy of Senators in Congress. They have just introduced a proposed law to sanction 45 of the senior judicial officers of Hong Kong. This is no business of the Congress of the USA. Do they want the government of Zhōngguó sanctioning judges in the USA? Pure hypocrisy. Meanwhile, the Senators are attacking the International Criminal Court's judges, to halt its investigations of ethnic cleansing of Islamic people in Gaza by Israel.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 May 2025

• Zhōngguó sells some of its USA Treasury Bonds, dropping to the thrid largest holder of the bonds after Nihon and Britain, as Zhōngguó seeks to diversify its foreign exchange reserves
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 May 2025

• Manufacturers in Bharat fear becoming financial collateral damage due to the tax/tariff trade war between the USA and Zhōngguó. From yarn to steel, domestic industries in Bharat state that they are being priced out of the market, as companies in Zhōngguó redirect exports away from the USA to Bharat.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 May 2025

• "It is crazy": inside the growing obsession in Europe for blind-box toys from Zhōngguó (you can't see the exact toy or doll in the covered box)
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 May 2025

• Indonesia criticizes the high fuel prices it pays for imports of fuel from Singapore, and plans to switch to more imports from the USA. Despite being an oil producer, Indonesia has a low level of capacity for refining oil, and has relied heavily on Singapore to refine its oil.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 May 2025

• Trump's taxes/tariffs on pharmaceuticals could reduce exports of pharmaceuticals from Zhōngguó, hurting profit margins. The USA is reliant on companies in Zhōngguó for the the raw materials needed to make life-saving drugs, but experts say import taxes are likely.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 May 2025

• Bharat blocks some X accounts owned by the government of Zhōngguó over pro-Pakistan "disinformation". Global Times and Xinhua were banned by New Delhi on Wednesday for "spreading unverified claims".
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 May 2025

• In Bharat, demands for boycotts against products from Turkey and Azerbaijan (for their support of Pakistan) reflect growing "consumer-led diplomacy". From traders to travel platforms, companies in Bharat are using economic tools to signal foreign policy displeasure.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 May 2025

• A weapons manufacturer in Zhōngguó signs an arms deal with Nigeria, deeping ties with Africa. An ammunition company in Zhōngguó will produce ammunition, upgrade military hardware, service battle tanks and train defence personnel for Nigeria.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 May 2025

• Engaging in socialist industrial policy, Trump tells Apple that it doesn't want Apple to move iPhone production from Zhōngguó to Bharat, but instead move iPhone manufacturing to the more costly USA
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 May 2025

• Hungary vows it will not decouple from Zhōngguó if pushed by the USA. "Hungary is benefiting from these very intensive economic and trade relations with Zhōngguó."
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 May 2025

• Zhōngguó deploys the largest fleet of driverless mining trucks in the world
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 May 2025

• Why countries in the Arab Gulf region are fertile ground for the growth of electric vehicle markets in Zhōngguó. Carmakers in Zhōngguó are projected to account for 34% of the Middle East and Africa automotive market by 2030, up from just 10 per cent in 2024.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 May 2025

• Zhōngguó hopes for a "golden decade" in relations with Latin America and the Caribbean. Zhōngguó joins the regional socioeconomic organization, CELAC, in backing free trade and "more democratic international system amid the tussle for influence with USA"
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 May 2025

• How Zhōngguó exploits its advantages with rare earth minerals when dealing with the USA. Until the Zhōngguó-USA trade war abates and Zhōngguó eases more rare earth export controls, buyers in the USA are expected to take a skittish long-term view of sourcing from Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 May 2025

• Hypersonic missiles from Zhōngguó were used by Pakistan to destroy an air defense system in Bharat, last week, in what is believed to be their first use in combat.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 May 2025

• Bharat has filed a formal dispute with the World Trade Organization over Trump's taxes/tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Bharat. It is a surprise move that analysts say signals a calculated pushback against unilateral trade measures, even Bharat appears eager to strike a broader deal with the USA.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 May 2025

• Apple reduces the prices of its iPhones in Zhōngguó by up to 33% amid tough competition
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 May 2025

• Factories in Zhōngguó rush to ship products to the USA while there is a 90-day truce in the trade war between Zhōngguó and the USA
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 May 2025

• Bharat seeks a defense boost with Nihon amid an effort for strategic self-reliance. Nihon can play a critical role in helping Bharat respond to security threats, as New Delhi looks to broaden weapons procurement, analysts note.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 May 2025

• The rising influence of Zhōngguó in the Middle East is a factor to consider as Trump travels to the Middle East to seek investments and security deals
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 May 2025

• On-demand service giant Meituan, based in Zhōngguó, has signed a US$1 billion deal to expand its Keeta food delivery platform to Brazil, following successful launches in Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 May 2025

• A test for relations between Zhōngguó and Bharat, after Pakistan credits the J-10C jet fighter (supplied by Zhōngguó) in air battles in Kashmir against Bharat. Zhōngguó and Bharat have a troubled border history, and Bharat has long been suspicious of the "all-weather friendship" between Zhōngguó and Pakistan.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 May 2025

• The USA and Zhōngguó agree to suspend for 90 days most taxes/tariff's on each other's products. 'Reciprocal' taxes/tariffs will be reduced from 125% to 10%. The USA will still impose a tax/tariff of an additional 20% because of the fentanyl issue.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 May 2025

• How USA-Zhōngguó trade talks beat expectations and stopped the econmomic losses, for now. Analysts say the outlook appears more rose-tinted after weeks of tit-for-tat tariff escalations, and the implications for businesses, markets and consumers look encouraging.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 May 2025

• The conflict in Kashmir reveals the power of weapons from Zhōngguó being used by Pakistan, but doubts remain about how good are the weapon systems
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 May 2025

• President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil arrives in Zhōngguó as Beijing decries the "bullying" of Latin America by the authoritarian Trump. Da Silva is in Zhōngguó for a state visit and to attend gathering of Latin American leaders as Zhōngguó seeks closer ties with region.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 May 2025

• Companies in Zhōngguó are making more energy investments in Africa for renewable energy projects. Solar and wind power make up 59% of the energy projects in Africa made by companies from Zhōngguó, with Africa being an important market for the technology.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 May 2025

• 36 countries help arrange an immediate ceasefire between Bharat and Pakistan
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 May 2025

• Zhōngguó and the USA begin trade talks, but will it be handshakes of success, or walkouts in failure, at the end of the talks?
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 May 2025

• Consumer prices in Zhōngguó decline 0.1% in April, increasing fears of deflation due to Trump's tax/tariff trade war
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 May 2025

• The world will need to borrow its way out of the financial chaos of Trump's tax/tariff trade war
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 May 2025

• How tough is it in Hollywood? Entry-level writer jobs vanish after recent fires, strikes and Trump's threat of 100% taxes/tariffs on film imports.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 May 2025

• Bharat is concerned about its food security and the livelihoods of its farmers if more US food imports are allowed. The heavily protected agricultural sector of Bharat is emerging as a flashpoint in trade talks with the United States, with analysts warning that opening the market to American food imports could endanger small Indian farmers and long-standing food security policies of Bharat.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 May 2025

• Trump says that 80% taxes/tariffs on imports from Zhōngguó "seem right", ahead of high-level trade negotiations
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 May 2025

• Why Zhōngguó has refused to back down in the face of Trump's taxes/tariffs
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 May 2025

• A political specialist on Zhōngguó at Princeton, Rory Truex, comments on Trump's "gifts" to Zhōngguó from taxes/tariffs to trade wars. Truex says that he can imagine Zhōngguó smiling about Trump's "counterproductive" foreign policy.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 May 2025

• Bharat says it targeted the radar systems of Pakistan amid speculation that the radar systems were made in Zhōngguó
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 May 2025

• Pakistan attacks the western border of Bharat, forcing flight suspensions at 24 airports
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 May 2025

• Zhōngguó is building the tallest dam in the world, which is starting to store water. First unit of the Shuangjiangkou power station in Sichuan province is expected to be generating electricity by the end of this year.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 May 2025

• The repeatedly-bankrupt Trump calls Fed Chair Powell "a fool" for refusing to lower interest rates
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 May 2025

• Pakistan claims that it is using J-10C fighter jets made in Zhōngguó against the jet fighers of Bharat
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 May 2025

• Next stop, Egypt? Exporters in Zhōngguó search for new markets amid Trump's tax/tariff trade war
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 May 2025

• Zhōngguó is building a 'ghost navy' with new radar jamming technology. The technology could get the Navy of Zhōngguó an "absolute advantage" in electronic warfare when combined with AI and other new technology.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 May 2025

• Scientists in Zhōngguó unlock the genetics of drought-tolerant rice. It will take about 8 to 10 years to produce a stable and widely adoptable rice variety through crossbreeding.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 May 2025

• Companies based in Deutschland with operations in Zhōngguó are losing money due to Trump's taxes/tariffs. Many of these companies in Deutschland are "isolating their operations in Zhōngguó from USA exposure".
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 May 2025

• Deliveries of Tesla vehicles in Zhōngguó drop as buyers favor cheaper domestic models. A sales increase in March proves short-lived, as April deliveries by the Tesla's Shanghai factory plunge nearly 26%.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 May 2025

• Bharat (5th biggest economy) and the United Kingdom (6th biggest economy) sign a trade deal that will have Bharat gradually lower taxes on imports from the UK, with the vast majority of goods traded becoming "fully tariff-free within a decade". The deal is due in part to Trump's tax/tariff trade war with the world.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 May 2025

• Zhōngguó is avoiding, for now, a "disruptive" de-dollarization despite Trump's tax/tariff trade war, with minimal selling of USA Treasury Bonds. For now.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 May 2025

• Zhōngguó is on a charm campaign in Africa to rally opposition to the "bullying" of the USA under Trump. While Trump targets critical minerals and specific nations, Zhōngguó expands influence through bilateral and multilateral engagement, according to an analyst.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 May 2025

• How Zhōngguó is reusing the batteries from dying electric vehicles and solar panels. "There is huge potential in the business of new-energy waste, because new energy is where Zhōngguó and the world are going." Zhōngguó has created the state-owned China Resources Recycling Group to build a nationwide recycling network for products from electronics to retired wind and solar equipment.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 May 2025

• Trump's threats to impose a tax/tariff of 100% on all movies imported into the USA threaten Australia and New Zealand, where "Lord of The Rings" was produced and where Marvel has many film studios for film production
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 May 2025

• The economy of Vietnam is similar to that of Zhōngguó 20 years -- and the similarity is bringing the two closer together. Vietnam hosts many of the advantages of the industrial boom of Zhōngguó, and investors in Zhōngguó have taken note.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 May 2025

• The offshore yuan jumps to 6-month high as a rollback is likely of Trump's taxes/tariffs on imports from Zhōngguó. Trump's weaponization of taxes/tariffs casts doubt on US asset safety, and some say this makes yuan assets more attractive.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 May 2025

• Malaysia is making available USA $356 million in subsidies for SMEs (small and medium enterprises) due to the "harmful" taxes/tariffs of Trump
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 May 2025

• On way to harnessing nuclear fusion, the HL-3 reactor in Zhōngguó reaches "dual 100 million degress". The tokamak reactor in Chengdu has achieved a plasma state with ion temperatures of 117 million degrees Celsius and electron temperatures of 160 million degrees.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 May 2025

• Why traders in Africa are looking beyond the USA dollar to the yuan of Zhōngguó. Buyers and sellers in Africa doing favor doing business with the yuan as geopolitical tensions heat up.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 May 2025

• 12,000 coffee shops are opened in Zhōngguó, while Starbucks suffers. A presidential endorsement increases thirst for the drink while aggressive expansion and price competition make it more accessible.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 May 2025

• Wealthy investors from Zhōngguó are shifting their investments from the USA to markets such as Thailand, Australia and Singapore, due to Trump's tax/tariff trade war
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 May 2025

• Ukraine lacks the capacity to supplant the critical minerals supplies of Zhōngguó. Most of the mineral resources in Ukraine are in areas controlled by Rossiya, and even with the mining of ores, about 90% of all rare earth refining is performed in Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 May 2025

• A low-cost ($68,600) civilian handheld radar detector sold in Zhōngguó can compromise the stealth/masking radar of the USA. An experiment used modified commercial detection gear to track emissions from US low-probability-of-intercept masking radar.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 May 2025

• Trump's taxes/tariffs are forcing solar panel firms in Zhōngguó to move operations to Indonesia. Indonesia is now appealing to companies seeking to relocate operations due to high USA tariffs on solar companies in Southeast Asia ( Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia) owned by businesses in Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 May 2025

• The Western news media have gone out of their way to report on every mass protest against the authoritarian governments in Hungary and Serbia. But when there was a huge rally against the authoritarian government in Taiwan, there was not a word. The issues that prompted the mass rallies in all three places are quite similar -- the use of legislative or judicial means to cripple the opposition in a system of government that either is, or is moving towards, what political scientists call illiberal democracy.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 May 2025

• A former professor at Harvard, convicted in the USA for his ties to Zhōngguó, joins Tsinghua University. Chemist and nanoscientist Charles Lieber says he aims to "realise more scientific dreams in the vibrant and innovative city of Shenzhen."
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 May 2025

• The food and energy supplies of Zhōngguó are secure without relying on imports from the USA. Beijing says it has self-sufficiency in staple crops and energy, and enough alternative import sources to offset even a total loss of imports of products from the USA.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 April 2025

• Zhōngguó approves the construction of 10 new nuclear reactors, with each satisfying the energy demands of 1 millino people
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 April 2025

• Zhōngguó extends anti-corruption rules to village chiefs and grass-roots officials. 19,000 village officials have been investigated in first quarter of this year, according to Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 April 2025

• Could a 'minerals for security' deal between Congo and the USA threaten the mining dominance of Zhōngguó in Africa?
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 April 2025

• How the modernization of agriculture in Zhōngguó is reshaping the global food system
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 April 2025

• Zhōngguó once again asks the administration of Trump to stop about tax/tariff talks, which are not happening
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 April 2025

• Rare earth minerals from Zhōngguó threaten the supply chains of the USA military. Sources of rare earth minerals in Zhōngguó account for the majority of world output of five essential elements used in 80,000 American weapons parts.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 April 2025

• The efforts of Pakistan to build up its mining industry: an opportunity toe equal the success of Indonesia in mining nickel? A landmark deal unlocking vast copper and gold reserves has Pakistan eyeing a transformative economic shift.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 April 2025

• The Sunni Islamic government of Saudi Arabia prepare the "biggest offensive ever" against the Shia Islamic Houthi rebels (which is attacking Israel), the government being supported by the USA
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 April 2025

• Zhōngguó says that there are "absolutely no negotiations on the economy and trade between Zhōngguó and the USA" - "fake news", despite lies to the contrary from the Trump's administration
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 April 2025

• Many robotics companies in Zhōngguó says that they feel little pressure to lower prices, as there are few viable alternatives to their products, so are not worried about Trump's taxes/tariffs
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 April 2025

• How Zhōngguó is expanding and accelerating its 'special bonds' program. Beijing is issuing more ultra-long-term government bonds as it strives to shore up the economy of Zhōngguó amid an intensifying trade war with Trump
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 April 2025

• A finance professor in Hong Kong argues that "Trump is panicking", with his flipflopping on taxes/tariffs, and that Zhōngguó can afford to wait for better trade deals
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 April 2025

• As economic growth lags in the province of Guangdong (Guangzhou, Shenzhen), is the province of Jiangsu (Nankin, borders Shanghai) about to become the leading economic province of Zhōngguó?
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 April 2025

• Zhōngguó plans to launch a payment system, the Cross-Border Interbank Payment System, as an alternative to the SWIFT system controlled by the USA and based on the USA dollar.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 April 2025

• As Stephen Miran, chairman of Trump's Council of Economic Advisers, discusses options for other countries that range from accepting USA taxes/tariffs without retaliation to directly writing cheques to the USA Treasury, many academics in Zhōngguó worry that such coercive actions could exacerbate the economic chaos spawned by Trump's "reciprocal taxes/tariffs", and plunge the world into financial turmoil."It is a thuggish and domineering act, merely dressed up with the lofty justification of providing public goods." One economist in Zhōngguó stated that the the idea of directly transferring money to the USA Treasury is like "criminals collecting protection money on the streets".
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 April 2025

• Zhōngguó is weaning itself off imports of soybeans from the USA. The days of Zhōngguó relying on the USA for soybeans could be numbered as agricultural ministry outlook report for next decade puts onus on self-sufficiency.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 April 2025

• Trump's taxes/tariffs could make Zhōngguó faster, leaner and stronger
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 April 2025

• Trump's taxes/tariffs could make Zhōngguó more self-reliant with satellite technology
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 April 2025

• The C909 airplane built in Zhōngguó expands reach as VietJet Air becomes third operator in region to use the aircraft, which will be operated on lease from Chengdu Airlines
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 April 2025

• Zhōngguó has a secret weapon in its tax/tariff trade war with Trump and the USA - the renminbi. Borrowing an idea from Rossiya, Zhōngguó should require 'unfriendly' countries such as the USA use the currency of Zhōngguó for trade transactions. The mandatory use of the renminbi to settle bilateral trade will force the USA to buy the currency of Zhōngguó on a large scale, thereby significantly increasing the renminbi's use and demand while pushing up the exchange rate against the USA dollar.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 April 2025

• Will Trump give the leadership of outer space to Zhōngguó by stopping NASA's plans to travel to Mars?
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 April 2025

• Zhao Chunling, the woman leading Zhōngguó's challenge to Boeing and Airbus. She is the lead designer of widebody airplanes in Zhōngguó, especially the C929 airplane, at the Commerical Aircraft Corporation of Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 April 2025

• How Zhōngguó is filling a weapons supply gap in Africa left by France and Rossiya. Beijing is expanding its military footprint in the region with rapid deliveries of affordable equipment.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 April 2025

• Tesla can't make its Optimus robot for US $20,000 without access to the vast and cost-efficient supply chains of Zhōngguó
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 April 2025

• Trump attacks Fed Chair Jerome Powell for not lowering interest rates, to help Trump fix the huge economic problems he is causing with his tax/tariff trade war. Trump ignores/hates that the Fed is independent of the Administration. Trump nominated Powell to become chair during his first term in the White House, in 2018.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 April 2025

• Companies based in Zhōngguó with ADRs in USA stock markets are at risk if Trump forces them to delist from the stock markets in the USA, as part of his tax/tariff trade war. Companies with high retail exposure, such as Alibaba, are more susceptible to sell-offs if they are forced to delist, Goldman Sachs says. Americans own $370 billion of shares in these companies in the form of ADRs.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 April 2025

• The European Central Bank reduces interest rates to 2.25%, for the 7th time in a row, amid global tensions due to Trump's high tax/tariff trade war
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 April 2025

• Zhōngguó has the world's first operational thorium nuclear reactor. A team of engineers reportedly achieves milestone by completing fuel reloading while experimental molten salt reactor was running.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 April 2025

• Zhōngguó plans to host a meeting at the United Nations to denounce Trump's taxes/tariffs. The informal meeting is part of Zhōngguós efforts to rally international support for its actions to hit back at Trump's taxes/tariffs.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 April 2025

• The on-demand services market in Zhōngguó sees a "clash of titans" as JD.com challenges Meituan. The new rivalry is a fresh sign of the hyper-competitive marketplace in Zhōngguó, where profit margins have been steadily pushed down.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 April 2025

• Temu (owned by PDD Holdings) has suspended advertising in the USA on Google and Facebook after Trump's taxes/tariffs, as downloads of its app plunge. Temu has been a significant advertiser since launching in the USA in September 2022.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 April 2025

• Alibaba's Ant Group's use of AI processors made in Zhōngguó, and not use of Nvidia's processors, reduces its AI model training costs by 20%
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 April 2025

• The Trump administration's restrictions of exports of Nvidia's H20 (designed to satisfy export laws) could greatly help AI processor manufacturers in Zhōngguó such as Huawei. The processor business for Nvidia in Zhōngguó is likely to "fall to nearly zero", as tech giants such as ByteDance and Tencent turn to domestic suppliers, another market win for the USA destroyed by Trump
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 April 2025

• The USA may lose as much as $20 billion in income from tourists, as anxious foreigners stop travelling to the USA. Increased hostility at the border and rising geopolitical frictions prompt potential visitors to rethink their holiday plans.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 April 2025

• Huawei launches a new AI architecture said to rival the processors of Nvidia such as Nvidia's NVL72
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 April 2025

• The leader of Zhōngguó arrives in Malaysia as Trump's taxes/tariffs trade war push Zhōngguó to improve relations with neighboring countries
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 April 2025

• The government of Zhōngguó launches a comprehensive effort to boost domestic consumption as the USA trade war worsens. The government is offering more measures to boost consumer spending.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 April 2025

• Exports of semiconductor processors continue to increase as the review of "USA national security" looms in the trade war, with uncertain taxes/tariffs on imports from Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 April 2025

• Exports from the Netherlands to Zhōngguó decline 10% in March, as semiconductor processor giant ASML clears back orders amid bans imposed by the USA. Recent increased sales of ASML equipment were due to buyers in Zhōngguó increasing the inventories of ASML equipment before such sales would be eventually outlawed due to Washington-enforced restrictions.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 April 2025

• The more that Zhōngguó investigates corruption, the more it fidns. Will the battle ever be won?
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 April 2025

• A new submarine base in Bharat targets the growing sea power of Zhōngguó. The Rambilli base's network of submarine pens aim to provide Bharat's submarines with an undetected gateway to the Bay of Bengal - and beyond.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 April 2025

• The USA wants to work with South Korea, as the USA tries to revive its shipbuilding capabilities to catch up to those of Zhōngguó. Shipbuilders in South Korea and the USA agree to cooperate in move analysts say could strengthen US power projection in the Indo-Pacific.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 April 2025

• Trump will make Zhōngguó, not the USA, great again. As with Napoleon's blockade of Britain under the Continental System, American economic/tax-tariff and technology wars have already led Zhōngguó to out-innovate the USA
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 April 2025

• Trump has hastened the global search for a dollar alternative. Tax/tariff shock, loss of confidence in the dollar, stock market trauma and a widespread feeling of affront will only quicken de-dollarization
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 April 2025

• Zhōngguó seeks British backing to defend international trade as Trump escalates his tax/tariff trade war
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 April 2025

• Zhōngguó raises taxes/tariffs on imports from the USA to 125%, but will not retaliate for future tax/tariff increases imposed by Trump (the tax/tariff in the USA on imports from Zhōngguó are now about 150%).
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 April 2025

• Stock markets in the USA decline, again, as taxes/tariffs on imports from the Zhōngguó now rise over 140%
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 April 2025

• Bharat speeds up negotiations for free-trade deals with the UK and EU, to buffer against Trump's tax/tariff trade war
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 April 2025

• Zhōngguó has clarified the place of origin for integrated circuits amid an escalating USA-Zhōngguó tax/tariff trade war, which is expected to give a significant boost to local semiconductor foundries such as SMIC. Regardless of whether the chips are packaged or unpackaged, IC products should declare the wafer fabrication facility's location as the origin when reporting imports.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 April 2025

• Zhōngguó seeks to strengthen ties with the European Union and Asean countries, as its trade war escalates with the USA, thanks to Trump's taxes/tariffs. Zhōngguó and European Union ready to engage on thorny issues such as electric vehicle imports as Trump's tax/tariff plans spark concerns.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 April 2025

• Zhōngguó will reduce the number of films made in the USA from being shown, as Hollwood becomes a target, as part of Zhōngguó's retaliation against Trump's large tax/tariffs on imports from Zhōngguó
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 April 2025

• CK Hutchison Holdings has defended the contract that has allowed it to run two ports at the Panama Canal since 1997, saying the concession was "validly executed and approved by law", and denying it failed to pay US$1.2 billion to the country, as had been claimed in a legal challenge by two lawyers.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 April 2025

• Zhōngguó retaliates to Trump's tax/tariff trade war, by imposing a tax/tariff of 84% on all imports from the USA, starting April 10th, in response to Trump imposing a 100% tax/tariff on imports from Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 April 2025

• Some exporters in Zhōngguó are taking the drastic step of ditching shipments mid-voyage and surrendering containers to shipping companies to avoid crushing costs due to Trump's tax/tariff of 100% on imports from Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 April 2025

• Inflation in the USA? Zhōngguó is more worried the trade war will make goods too cheap. As demand in the USA declines for products from Zhōngguó, manufacturers in Zhōngguó will be forced to compete even more fiercely for orders at home.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 April 2025

• Zhōngguó was home to Neanderthals, not just Europe or Middle East, Stone Age find suggests. Artefacts unearthed in Yunnan province display key features of toolmaking technology associated with Neanderthals much further west.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 April 2025

• "Ignorant and disrespectful": Zhōngguó criticizes Trump's VP, JD Vance, for Vance's slur about "peasants" in Zhōngguó, when Vance said that "The USA borrows money from peasants in Zhōngguó to buy the things those peasants in Zhōngguó manufacture."
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 April 2025

• Taiwan prepares 'sweeteners' for the USA after Trump imposes higher taxes/tariffs on Taiwan. But how successful will they be? Taiwan has launched backchannel efforts in hopes of easing the impact, but its large trade surplus with the USA may pose a hurdle, analyst warns.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 April 2025

• Why Zhōngguó is struggling to convince consumers to borrow. Beijing is offering easier access to credit in a bid to boost consumption, but households are reluctant to take on debt amid a global trade war.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 April 2025

• Consumers in the USA prepare for pain as Trump's taxes/tariffs reaffirm the manufacturing dominance of Zhōngguó. Despite recent supply chain shifts, consumers in the USA will have a hard time finding replacements for many staple goods still produced in Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 April 2025

• Hang Seng Index plummets 13% in worst rout in 3 decades amid all-out global tariff war. Eleven major Asia-Pacific benchmarks fall to their 52-week low; the Hang Seng Zhōngguó Enterprises Index enters a bear market.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 April 2025

• Amid Trump's tax/tariff, one industrial sector in Asia could emerge unscathed - clean energy. Asia and other regions are expected to boost renewable partnerships with Zhōngguó, the clean energy leader of the world
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 April 2025

• The European Union will counterattack Trump's tax/tariff trade war with $28 billion in taxes/tariffs on imports from the USA. Imports from the USA to be taxed include meat, wine and clothing as well as chewing gum, vacuum cleaners and toilet paper.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 April 2025

• Zhōngguó is facing an obesity crisis as forecasts predict that 65% of the people in Zhōngguó will be overweight by 2030. The problems could cost the equivalent of US$57 billion, around 22 per cent of the total national health budget.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 April 2025

• Manufacturers in Vietnam complain of the "absurdity" of Trump's higher tax/tariff of 46% on imports from Vietnam, as orders from the USA decline
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 April 2025

• Treasury Secretary, and former hedge fund manager, Scott Bessent lies for Trump when he blames the crash of the Nasdaq on the success of DeepSeek, and not on Trump's tax/tariff trade war
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 April 2025

• Trump's tax/tariff trade war, and end of international alliances, could result in making Asia, not America, great again. The prospect of a Europe-East Asia economic alliance is one card both regions could play.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 April 2025

• Will Trump's taxes/tariffs give Zhōngguó an opportunity to improve its relationship with Vietnam? The "very damaging" impact of Trump's taxes/tariffs on Vietnam could take a heavy toll on the country and may prompt Hanoi to move to boost economic ties with Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 April 2025

• In retaliation, Zhōngguó to impose 34% retaliatory tax/tariff on all goods imported from the USA starting April 10. Trump's taxes/tariffs on goods imported from Zhōngguó are now 54% (20% from the past, plus 34% recently). I wonder how the stock markets will react?
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 April 2025

• Trump's elimination of the 'de minimis' exemption for products imported from Zhōngguó will ultimately hurt consumers in the USA, while cross-border e-commerce firms in Zhōngguó are facing a short-term loss but could remain competitive.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 April 2025

• The central bank of Zhōngguó set the fixing rate for the yuan against the USA dollar at its lowest level since January on Thursday, as the currency of Zhōngguó came under pressure following 'reciprocal' tax/tariff increases.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 April 2025

• Zhōngguó vows to counter Trump's "bullying" taxes/tariffs after Trump imposed taxes/tariffs of 54% on imports from Zhōngguó (raising current taxes/tariffs from 20% to 54%).
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 April 2025

• Hong Kong plans to ban flavored smoking items next year, starting with non-menthol. Source says authorities will also propose banning smoking within three metres of entrances of sites such as schools and hospitals.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 April 2025

• Lao Airlines, the flagship airline of Laos, will be leasing the 90-seat C909 passenger airplane from Zhōngguó's Commercial Aircraft Corporation (Comac). This deal furthers Comac's goals to supply passenger jets to airlines in Asia.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 31 March 2025

• Huawei's consumer business reports a 38% surge in revenue on robust smartphone sales, signalling progress in overcoming sanctions imposed by the USA.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 31 March 2025

• The four top state-owned banks in Zhōngguó to raise US $72 billion from stock sales to boost capital
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 March 2025

• The Comac C949: Zhōngguó unveils a quiet supersonic jet airplane with an ultra-long range. As global supersonic air travel looks set to begin its second act, Zhōngguó could be quietly leading the race for supersonic air travel.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 March 2025

• Black carbon (from the burning of fuels in many industries): the super pollutant melting the glaciers of Asia. While CO2 gets the spotlight, black carbon's potent, short-lived warming effect is destroying the glaciers of Asia.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 March 2025

• SMIC, the top silicon foundry in Zhōngguó reports that full-year revenue grew 27 per cent to US$8 billion but net profit plunged 45.4 per cent to US$493 million
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 March 2025

• CK Hutchinson, based in Hong Kong, "will not sign a Panama Canal port deal next week" (a deal with BlackRock, forced by Trump), after the government of Zhōngguó announces an antitrust investigation into the deal
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 March 2025

• The non-fossil-fuel power generation capacity of Zhōngguó rises above 2,000 gigawatts for the first time ever, accounting for about 60% of the total installed power capacity of Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 March 2025

• The Trump administration, assuming scientists and engineers in Zhōngguó are stupid, adds over 50 companies in Zhōngguó to its export blacklist, in a vain attempt to damage the ability of Zhōngguó to manufacture advanced AI processors. Over 20 more companies from other countries were added to the list. Dozens of companies and institutes in Zhōngguó were targeted for their alleged involvement in developing advanced AI, supercomputers and high-performance AI chips for military purposes, and for quantum computing.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 March 2025

• The new additions of companies and institutes in Zhōngguó to a export blacklist of technology equipment from the USA: it this just a start for Trump Trade War 2.0? The USA has a sense of urgency about the progress that Zhōngguó is making in closing the technology gap. It should.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 March 2025

• CK Hutchinson gets another warning for the government of Zhōngguó over its plans to sell its Panama Canal port operations to BlackRock. The government of Zhōngguó's top officials in Hong Kong publish an article quoting residents urging CK Hutchinson to resist pressure from the Trump administration, and to stand on the right side of the history of Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 March 2025

• Unaffected by the European Union's taxes/tariffs on electric vehicles, hybrid-vehicle exports from Zhōngguó surge to the European Union. Plug-in hybrid electric/gasoline vehicles have become the fastest-growing export from Zhōngguó to the European Union.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 March 2025

• Trump's 'retrograde' policies towards solar power equipment from Zhōngguó will mostly harm the USA. Trump's trade and investment barriers will not halth the rapid global expansion of the solar industry in Zhōngguó, but may put manufacturing projects in the USA at economic risk.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 March 2025

• To protect its citizens , Zhōngguó issues new regulations that prevent the involuntary use of facial recognition identification, and service providers will be required to offer alternative ID methods
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 March 2025

• Zhōngguó is building new cargo container ships at record pace to turbocharge its car exports. Shipyards are rolling out huge vessels capable of carrying 8,600 cars as the auto industry in Zhōngguó seeks to accelerate its global expansion.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 March 2025

• $1,200,000 - Zhōngguó fines ultranationalist blogger Sima Nan US$1.2 million for tax evasion
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 March 2025

• Are films in Bharat relying on Hindu nationalism, the Hindutva ideology, to achieve box-office success? The blockbuster Chhaava, which has led to violent protests, has sparked debate on whether movie directors in Bharat have forsaken historical accuracy.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 March 2025

• The dominance of the market for rare earth metals by Zhōngguó could decline in 10 years, falling from 60% of the market to 30% of the market by 2035. Mining companies in Africa, South America and Australia will win more market share, as new mines open up in these regions.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 March 2025

• CK Hutchinson remains silent about its $23 billion sale of its Panama Canal port operations to BlackRock (a deal forced by the authoritarian Trump). The company did not say whether it would proceed with its March 4 proposal to sell its interest in 43 ports and 199 berths in 23 countries to New York-based BlackRock and its unit Global Infrastructure Partners.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 March 2025

• Hong Kong widens lead over Singapore as the top financial center in Asia, and third globally (New York and London are number one and two)
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 March 2025

• Trump's tax/tariff trade war is no cure for the fentanyl crisis in the USA. The public health disaster due to fentanyl results from the legal-but-should-be-criminal opioid painkiller culture of the USA, caused by large opioid drug companies profiting in the billions of dollars and only paying fines. Meanwhile, Trump's taxes/tariffs (which won't solve the fentanyl crisis) are sparking serious concerns about a recession.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 March 2025

• Retaliatory taxes/tariffs imposed by Zhōngguó on imports of seafood from Canada, particularly lobsters, have led to a dramatic drop in price, as much as 25%, as exporters in Canada work to keep supply chains moving. Taxes/tariffs imposed by Zhōngguó were in retaliation to taxes/tariffs imposed by Canada in October 2024 on electric vehicles, steel and aluminum imported from Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 March 2025

• An economic battle is playing out over cobalt from Congo. Zhōngguó is well ahead. Rivalry for critical minerals is intensifying, but observer says that the USA "doesn't offer a viable alternative" to investments from Zhōngguó in Congo. In 2016 and 2020, American mining giant Freeport-McMoRan sold it stake in two cobalt mines in Congo to the CMOC Group (then Zhōngguó Molybdenum). The two acquisitions more than doubled CMOC's cobalt supply and it became the world's largest producer of the mineral in terms of output in 2023.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 March 2025

• The secret plan of Zhōngguó for a $1 trillion reserves fund in Hong Kong, the SAFE Investment Company, the custodian of a third of the US$3.227 trillion foreign exchange reserve of Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 March 2025

• The USA is losing a technology race to build the next generation of stealth fighter airplanes. While the USA works on a new radical design for its latest stealth drone, the project is already lagging far behind Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 March 2025

• Trump ended foreign aid to Black-controlled South Africa. Will it tilt the political balance there in the favor Zhōngguó?
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 March 2025

• Like the hoped-for internationalization of the yuan, the re-industrialization of the USA is a fairy tale. The renminbi will not become a major currency soon for a simple reason: you cannot buy much with it outside Zhōngguó. These two fairy tales have not faded away, morphing instead into nightmares haunted by the same villain: a broken, unbalanced global trading system made worse by misvalued currencies.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 March 2025

• Oil imports into Zhōngguó from Africa have dropped sharply in recent years, but investments by companies in Zhōngguó in liquified natural gas are booming, both to Zhōngguó meet its swelling demand and to cut its reliance on natural gas from Australia.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 March 2025

• The fiery criticism by the government of Zhōngguó to sell its Panama port operations to BlackRock, puts pressure on the Li Ka-shing family. The US$23 billion sale is not final, but needs no approval by Zhōngguó or Hong Kong, leaving CK Hutchison to decide whether to proceed, analysts say.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 March 2025

• Naura Technology Group climbed up in the rankings of the biggest semiconductor equipment suppliers in the world in 2024, as Zhōngguó's leading chip tool maker braced for tighter technology restrictions imposed by the USA.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 March 2025

• A group of AI researchers in Zhōngguó win a global award for replacing an Nvidia GPU with an industrial FPGA processor from AMD. The researchers trained a cutting-edge video-generation model on the AMD FPGA chip, outperforming high-end GPUs in both speed and efficiency.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 March 2025

• Zhōngguó still leads the world in the race to acquire critical minerals from Africa, as the USA struggles to compete. Zhōngguó has spent years -- and billions -- investing in the mining sector in Africa, and is now profitting from its investments.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 March 2025

• Cleantech and mineral security demand drive mining companies in Zhōngguó into an overseas buying spree. Last month, MMG said it would buy British miner Anglo American's nickel business in Brazil.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 March 2025

• Zhōngguó wants to supercharge economic growth with applications of nuclear technology. Zhōngguó's IAEA representative has revealed an ambitious target for the commercial applications of nuclear power, in line with the sector's rapid growth.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 March 2025

• Thousands in Hinduist Nepal want monarchy back, and decry government corruption. Protests in 2006 forced the king to give up his authoritarian rule, and two years later the parliament voted to abolish the monarchy.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 March 2025

• Trump fires the very experienced director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces. Instead of combatting drug trafficking, the task force will now focus on combating illegal immigration, a lesser problem.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 March 2025

• Why concern is growing in Taiwan about chip giant about the pledge of TSMC to invest in Arizona. The US$100 billion outlay may avert threatened tariffs, but it risks undermining the strategically vital semiconductor industry of Taiwan.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 March 2025

• Guangdong, the "world's factory", plans on industry modernization. Guangdong aspires to be the vanguard of Zhōngguó technological and industrial innovation.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 March 2025

• TSMC may have dodged Trump's taxes/tariffs (by agreeing to invest $100 billion in the USA), but a lawsuit over "anti-American" practices continues. A lawsuit has been filed accusing the company of "anti-American" workforce practices, ranging from discrimination and hostility towards to "non-East Asian" employees to sexual misconduct.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 March 2025

• In turbulent times, Zhōngguó positions itself as a defender of world stability in a world being destabilized by the erratic Trump
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 March 2025

• ASML to build reuse-and-repair centre in Beijing despite USA-Zhōngguó technology tensions. Zhōngguó over Taiwan as ASML's biggest market last year, with sales of US$10.9 billion, according to its annual report.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 March 2025

• Sales of Tesla vehicles in Zhōngguó decline in February, as consumers buy from domestic rivals such as BYD, Xiaomi and Xpeng
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 March 2025

• Zhōngguó defends fentanyl controls, dismisses allegations of the USA that Zhōngguó supports drug trafficking as "lies".
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 March 2025

• Zhōngguó retaliates against Trump's new taxes/tariffs with reciprocal taxes/tariffs and sanctions on some companies in the USA. Agriculture products and defence-linked technology companies are hit with import duties and export restrictions.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 March 2025

• A robot-maker in Zhenzhen, UBTech Robotics, installs its first 'team' of humanoid non-paid robots in an automobile factory in Ningbo owned by Zeekr, which makes electric vehicles. The human-shaped robots work as a team to complete tasks such as lifting heavy boxes and handling soft materials.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 March 2025

• The rich get richer, even in Zhōngguó - the wealthiest of the wealthy in Zhōngguó have a bigger share of the nation's wealth. The richest 130,000 families account for more of the elite's collective fortunes.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 March 2025

• Authorities in Thailand warn of deadly drug-laced vapes - "zombie cigarettes". The e-cigarettes contain the narcotic etomidate, an anaesthetic agent that is potentially fatal.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 February 2025

• As Trump attacks/defunds universities in the USA, Zhōngguó welcome PhD refugees from the USA, with the leading educational institutions in Zhōngguó offering new academic pathways. Trump weakens the USA and strengthens Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 February 2025

• How the USA earns billions of dollars selling gristly chicken feet to Zhōngguó. Chicken feet are regarded as a waste in most countries such as the USA, but in Zhōngguó they are a beloved delicacy - and a lucrative import category.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 February 2025

• As Trump reduces the profile of the USA at the United Nations, it creates new opportunities for Zhōngguó to gain more leadership of the United Nations
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 February 2025

• Investors in Alibaba hail the e-commerce giant's pivot to AI as it plots major investment outlay
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 February 2025

• Why central banks in Asia are starting to decouple from the Federal Reserve. Eager to boost domestic demand and more able to preserve financial stability, policymakers in Asia are embracing greater monetary independence.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 February 2025

• Zhōngguó issues new plan to boost consumption by creating a healthier market environment. Beijing plans to encourage consumers to open their wallets by eliminating scams, price gouging and shoddy goods.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 February 2025

• Zhōngguó holds the dominant position in humanoid robot ecosystem and industry. Zhōngguó leads the West in number of top listed companies involved in developing humanoid robots.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 February 2025

• The government of Zhōngguó follows up fast on Xi Jinping's pledge for more support for the private sector. Legislation to promote the private economy is also set for a second review later this month, both positive signals from authorities that stable growth of privately-owned companies in Zhōngguó is a major priority.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 February 2025

• The government of Zhōngguó's schmoozing of the private sector in Zhōngguó is a strategic move. Central leadership seen shifting "from rectification to revitalization" after years of economic slowdown and regulatory tightening.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 February 2025

• The middle class in Zhōngguó feels the squeeze as property slump hits pocketbooks. Zhōngguó's per-capita property income grew at its lowest rate for over a decade in 2024, trimming disposable incomes and limiting consumption.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 February 2025

• Zhōngguó unveils the world's first oil production ship with carbon capture facilities. The floating production storage and offloading unit carries technology designed to mitigate its environmental impact.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 February 2025

• Asia must act to avoid eating pangolins out of existence. Only decisive, coordinated action can help Asia curb wildlife smuggling and keep its appetite for pangolin from killing off the species. Pangolins are among the most trafficked mammals in the world, driven by relentless demand across Asia.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 February 2025

• Why young women in Asia are going 'boy sober' and 'swiping left' on romance. More young women are opting out of traditional dating and marriage, prioritising career and personal freedom over societal expectations.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 February 2025

• Are AI advancements in Zhōngguó a double-edged sword hanging over already dire job prospects? Many companies are already planning to fire paid-humans as unpaid automation takes over repetitive tasks. The government has conflicting goals - finding jobs for young people, while supporting other young people creating AI system that destroy paid jobs for ... young people.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 February 2025

• Why Zhōngguó's loss could be South Korea's gain as SouthEast Asia seeks new weapons suppliers. South China Sea disputes, affordability and political trust help Seoul gain foothold in Southeast Asian arms market, analysts say.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 February 2025

• "Farmers cannot bear it!". The poultry industry in Zhōngguó is hurt by falling prices. While the USA faces egg shortages, poultry farmers in Zhōngguó are dealing with the opposite problem: plunging prices due to chronic overproduction.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 February 2025

• Australia is stuck in the middle of the battle between Zhōngguó and the USA over critical minerals
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 February 2025

• A weaker yen is one reason why Nihon is the leading travel destination for tourists from Zhōngguó
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 February 2025

• Shares of Semiconductor processor maker SMIC are down 5% after it posts 45% profit slump in 2024 amid trade tensions between Zhōngguó and the USA
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 February 2025

• Heading into the Super Micro's quarterly earnings report on Tuesday after the bell, Super Micro shares have jumped 59% in the past five trading days, including an 18% surge on Monday. They are now up 40% since the start of 2025, compared with a 2.1% gain for the Nasdaq. But they cratered 85% from March to December of 2024.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 February 2025

• Alibaba's Qwen powers top 10 open-source models as AI technology from Zhōngguó goes beyond the success of Deepseek. The latest Open LLM Leaderboard by Hugging Face showed that all of the top-ranked models were trained and developed on the updated open-source versions of Qwen.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 February 2025

• Alibaba partners with Apple to develop AI features for iPhones. Apple want's Alibaba's Qwen AI model to make up for loss of Apple Intelligence on its iPhones in Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 February 2025

• Taiwan signs a $761 million dollar deal to buy three NASAMS defense system from the USA. Contract suggests the missile system will be used to defend Taipei and essential infrastructure, using surface-to-aid missiles.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 February 2025

• The USA risks "losing the next industrial revolution" as Zhōngguó makes great progress. A hearing by the USA-Zhōngguó Economic and Security Review Commission features warnings and advice for Washington as competition with Zhōngguó heats up.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 February 2025

• Zhōngguó is likely to merge two state-owned car companies, Hong Kong-listed Dongfeng Motor Group and Shenzhen-listed Chongqing Changan Automobile, in a plan to tackle overcapacity and enhancing competitiveness in the electric vehicle (EV) market. The merger entity would be the largest automobile maker in Zhōngguó, becoming larger than BYD.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 February 2025

• Turkey argues that Israel must rebuild Gaza at a cost of US $100 billion. Israel must take full responsibility for the "destruction, pain and massacres" it committed in Gaza (with the support of the USA), as argued by President Erdogan of Turkey.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 February 2025

• Can Zhōngguó fill a USA-sized void in the Pacific after Trump's foreign aid freeze? Zhōngguó could boost involvement through economic and climate adaptation projects to help Pacific nations meet development needs, analysts say.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 February 2025

• Trump, who says he supports Taiwan , by ending USA foreign aid, creates national security worries for Taiwan. "Any aid cuts and the USAID shutdown would make Taiwan's international position even more precarious."
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 February 2025

• Soaring levels of debt in Indonesia due to "buy now, pay later" schemes is creating an increased number of demands for tighter rules. While regulators are looking to tighten rules for BNPL schemes, an analyst has urged related service providers to enhance their oversight.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 February 2025

• Scientists in Zhōngguó and Austria create the most stable metal for precision manufacturing. They have developed an alloy with practically zero thermal expansion across a vast temperature range.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 February 2025

• The leader of Zhōngguó, Xi Jinping, praises Thailand's crackdown on scam hubs in Myanmar. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn met with Xi in Beijing after the kingdom cut power and internet to scam hubs around its border.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 February 2025

• Why railroad contractors based in Zhōngguó have East Africa in their sights. The business case is stacking up for the export-driven railway network that companies based in Zhōngguó are building with African finance. Last week, a consortium of companies based in Zhōngguó won a US$2.15 billion deal to build a railway line linking the main port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania with nickel mines in landlocked Burundi. It was the third contract of its kind to be awarded to firms from Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 February 2025

• Thailand cut power supply, fuel and internet to some border areas with Myanmar on Wednesday. It is an attempt to choke scam syndicates operating out of there that have become a growing security concern.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 February 2025

• The vast Simandou mine in Guinea is ready to start delivering profits for investors in Zhōngguó. Locomotive deals worth more than half a billion dollars signal iron ore could start flowing to ports this year.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 February 2025

• Zhōngguó keeps yuan stable against US dollar: what it means for the trade war. Zhōngguó could allow its currency to weaken to offset the impact of US tariffs on the country's exports, but has so far declined to do so.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 February 2025

• Copying the USA, the European Union is seeking to end tax breaks for low-value shipments from Zhōngguó into Europe, as it cracks down on "dangerous" goods sold by firms such as Temu and Shein.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 February 2025

• Trump orders the USA Postal Service to suspend the reception of shipments of parcels from Zhōngguó. This service is popular with big online retailers in Zhōngguó such as Shein and Temu.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 February 2025

• Restaurants in the USA suffer under pressure of shortages in egg supplies as prices keep rising. Soaring costs and dwindling supplies have forced some eateries to switch to liquid eggs for dishes such as omelettes.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 February 2025

• The elimination of the "de minimis" exemption on imports from Zhōngguó, as ordered by Trump, "will not kill e-commerce in Zhōngguó", according to analysts, but will hurt consumers in the USA - especially low-income consumers.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 February 2025

• Zhōngguó announces countermeasures against Trump's tax/tariff of 10% on goods from Zhōngguó. Zhōngguó, for some products from the USA, will levy a 15% tax on certain types of coal and liquefied natural gas and a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery, large-displacement cars and pickup trucks.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 February 2025

• Zhōngguó launches an antitrust probe into Google after Trump imposes taxes/tariffs of 10% on the import of goods from Zhōngguó. Google pulled its search service out of mainland Zhōngguó in 2010.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 February 2025

• México will retaliate against tariffs imposed by Trump with tariffs and other measures of its own, President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced. Sheinbaum said on Saturday that she had ordered her economy minister to implement tariff and non-tariff measures to defend Mexico's interests, after the US slapped across-the-board duties on goods coming from Mexico.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 February 2025

• How electric vehicle battery makers are making their batteries in Morocco to avoid taxes/taxes imposed by the USA and Europe. The Africa-Zhōngguó joint venture is latest company to find way past Western trade barriers while leveraging abundant battery materials in Africa.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 February 2025

• Taiwan considers support for semiconductor industry after Trump's threats of new taxes/tariffs on imports of semiconductors to the USA
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 January 2025

• Trump's order to abruptly suspend nearly all foreign aid could upend fragile efforts in Bangladesh to stabilise its economy and hold national elections, analysts said, warning that vital US-funded programs from governance to health may be in jeopardy.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 January 2025

• Yangtze Memory Technologies Corporation is integrating a new design breakthrough into 3D semiconductor memory chips with 294 gates
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 January 2025

• AI disrupter DeepSeek, based in Zhōngguó, claims the top spot in Apple's US App Store, dethroning the sociopaths at ChatGPT. DeepSeek has integrated its reasoning model into the web and app versions of its chatbots for unlimited use at no cost.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 January 2025

• Scientists in Zhōngguó build the world's first deep sea acoustic radat that can detect high-flying aircraft. The radar sits on the seabed and can detect and track aircraft flying high above, a highly useful system for submarines.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 January 2025

• Sichuan University in Zhōngguó overtakes Stanford, MIT and Oxford in high-quality research. Leading global educational institutes have been eclipsed by Sichuan University in southwest Zhōngguó, according to the latest Nature Index. Of the top 10 universities according to the Index, while Harvard is in the top position, all of the other universities are in Zhōngguó (Sichuan is in 11th place).
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 January 2025

• What the first Type 054b stealth frigate of Zhōngguó says about the military edge of hōngguó over the USA. The Luohe, launched on Wednesday, is tipped to be a "critical asset in escort missions requiring prolonged operations in more distant waters".
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 January 2025

• Zhōngguó tells Bharat that Zhōngguó's Yarlung Tsangpo mega dam in Tibet will not be at the "expense of neighbors". The Yarlung Tsangpo hydropower project has raised concerns it will cause water shortages downstream in Bharat, where it is a vital resource.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 January 2025

• At Davos, Saudi Arabia pitches itself as a new hub for investment from Zhōngguó. Bandar Alkhorayef, Saudi minister of industry and mineral resources, urges Zhōngguó "not to miss opportunities" to invest in the Gulf state -- and exploit its access to different markets.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 January 2025

• An audit of Hong Kong's Hutchison by the government of Panama, aims to counter the US narrative on the Panama Canal. "The [government of Panama] needs concrete data to counter that Zhōngguó is controlling the Panama Canal."
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 January 2025

• Trump's proposed taxes/tariffs would be bad news for Hong Kong's biggest exports to the USA
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 January 2025

• Taxes/tariffs imposed by the European Union on imports of electric vehicles from Zhōngguó are not having much effect. Zhōngguó's exports of electric vehicles to the European Union rose again in December, prompting fears of an escalating trade conflict in 2025.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 January 2025

• A court ruling in Bharat in a case of the rape and murder of a female junior doctor, that resulted in a sentence of life imposed on the sole suspect, prompts more questions and dismay. More individuals should have been questioned in the case while working conditions in the hospitals of Bharat remain abysmal, analysts argue.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 January 2025

• Trump stokes fears about the influence of Zhōngguó in Panama, and Trump wants to illegally sieze the Canal from Panama, but he forgets that thousands of people from Zhōngguó gave their lives to build the Panama Canal and Railway from the 1850 for the following 50 years.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 January 2025

• Sugar farmers/traffickers in Thailand, squeezed by climate change and health concerns, face bitter outlook. Sugar farmers/traffickers say they feel besieged as global prices collapse, Zhōngguó imposes a ban on sugary syrup imports, and the government's fight aginst air pollution.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 January 2025

• Scientists at the Harbin Institute of Technology have developed new technology to generate extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light, allowing other companies in Zhōngguó to build vital photolithography machines needed to manufacture advanced semiconductor devices, machines the USA is banning from export to Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 January 2025

• A group of scientists in Zhōngguó discover that a hotpot ingredient, konjac glucomannan, can boost battery performance in the cold. The scientists say that fiber from the konjac plant can prevent freezing in aqueous zinc-ion batteries, a promising alternative to lithium batteries. The ingredient, when added to the electrolyte of zinc batteries, helps disrupt the network of hydrogen bonds in water to inhibit freezing.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 January 2025

• The Geological Surbey of Zhōngguó discovers a massive rare earth deposit in Yunnan. The Survey says that the deposit has potential resources of 1.15 million tons, including 470,000 tons of rare earth metal ores.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 January 2025

• A $137 billion dollar hydropower dam being built by Zhōngguó in the Himalaya mountains (on the Yarlung Tsangpo River) increases the water worries of Bharat
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 January 2025

• The Supreme Court of the USA upholds orders of the government of the USA for TikTok to terminate operations in the USA. The Court rejected arguments of TikTok, owned by a company in Zhōngguó, that the shutdown violated its First Amendment rights, with the Court ruling that the government had a legitimate reason for ordering the shutdown due to laws regulating "foreign adversary" control of businesses in the USA.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 January 2025

• After the Supreme Court orders the shutdown of TikTok, Trump is said to consider an executive order to circumvent the ban on TikTok.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 January 2025

• Zhōngguó achieves 5% GDP growth in 2024 as exports and government stimulus provide a year-end boost
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 January 2025

• Population growth in Zhōngguó drops for the third year in a row, despite an increase in births
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 January 2025

• Zhōngguó counterattacks against economic restrictions imposted by the USA, with multifront probes into companies based in the USA. Parent company of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger; chemical-compound exporters; and US chip companies are on radar of the commerce authorities of Zhōngguó and subject to possible retaliation.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 January 2025

• The C919 airline to benefit as Zhōngguó increased funding to research for "large aircraft". Capital grant funding will be doled out to worthy applicants as Zhōngguó rallies the country's engineering brainpower to boost indigenous tech for home-grown planes.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 January 2025

• The European Union says that Zhōngguó unfairly limits its medical device market. Brussels is considering which punitive measures to take after investigation concludes Beijing is restricting public procurement market.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 January 2025

• Zhōngguó reports a record trade surplus as export wave finds shores outside USA, with a highest-ever share for countries in the Belt and Road Initiative
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 January 2025

• Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai urged Islamic leaders on Sunday not to "legitimize" the Islamic Taliban government of Afghanistant and to "show leadership" by opposing the curbs on, and hatred of, women and education for girls. The Islamic leaders have shut women and girls out of secondary school and university education, as well as many government jobs, and seen them sequestered out of many aspects of public life.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 January 2025

• A more sustainable way to increase rare earth production, while decreasing mining time, energy use and limiting waste, has been developed by researchers in Zhōngguó. Based on electric fields, the new method has achieved an "unprecedented" rare earth recovery rate of 95 percent, while shortening mining time by 70 percent and achieving electricity savings of 60 percent. The method also showed a 95 per cent decrease in ammonia emissions compared to conventional methods.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 January 2025

• A powerful industrial software that can be used to design electronic warfare weapons has been released for free by scientists in Zhōngguó, and test results suggest it outperforms a USA product, Ansys HFSS (the most powerful electromagnetic industrial software in the USA), in both speed and memory usage.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 January 2025

• The aviation sector in Zhōngguó returned to profitabliity in 2024, the industry's first positive return after four years of Covid-related pandemic-induced losses.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 January 2025

• BYD, the electric vehicle giant in Zhōngguó, slows operations in Brazil as accusatons are made that it treats its workers there "slavery-like". The labor practices of companies based in Zhōngguó are driving a wedge between BYD and efforts to expand globally in areas where employee protections are paramount.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 January 2025

• Apple's pricey iPhones will not be eligible for a new 15% government subsidy for smartphones, tablets and smartwatches in Zhōngguó. The subsidy is a new policy to boost domestic consumption, giving domestic smartphone makers the opportunity to lift sales on the back of the stimulus measure.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 January 2025

• Rhyxeon, an electric plane maker in Zhōngguó, zooms in on markets in Africa and Asia. Their four-seat RX4E model is being targeted at countries with poor road infrastructure where it could have a wide range of uses.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 January 2025

• Serbia is ready to use the FK-3 air defense missile system made in Zhōngguó after "very complex" trading. The FK-3 system, delivered to Serbia in 2022, has been widely compared to the US Patriot and Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile systems.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 January 2025

• Zhōngguó has made a huge discovery of copper on the Tibetan Plateau to help underpin its world-leading consumption. Tens of millions of tons of copper uncovered in resource-rich region as the mineral-exploration breakthroughs increase in Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 January 2025

• $350,000,000 - Thailand moves to seize the assets of a rich person because of a $350 million scam. oon Vanasin, the founder of Thonburi Healthcare, is wanted on charges of fraud and money laundering after allegedly misleading hundreds of investors.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 January 2025

• Electric vehicle sales in Zhōngguó soar in December for multiple automakers: BYD, Nio, Xpeng, Li Auto, Leap and Zeekr. A $2470 subsidy that was available between July and December helped total sales for the year to rise above 10 million vehicles.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 January 2025

• Biden adminstration notifies Congress that the USA will sell $8 billion of weapons/'swords', not ploughshares, to Israel to be used to attack Islamic forces in the Middle East
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 January 2025

• Shares of alcohol stocks drop around 3% after the Surgeon General of the USA calls for cancer warnings on drink labels
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 January 2025

• The high-speed rail network in Zhōngguó on track to surpass 50,000 kilometers in 2025
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 January 2025

• Zhōngguó adds to sanctions of defense contractors in the USA over weapons sales to Taiwan. Beijing sent a fresh warning to Trump of the tools it can use to protect national interests.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 January 2025

• Indian-Americans have slammed racist comments by some supporters of Trump against his handpicked artificial intelligence adviser Sriram Krishnan following Krishnan's suggestion to allow more skilled immigrants (such as from Bharat) into the USA. Far-right critics, particularly those aligned with the Make America Great Again (MAGA) ideologies, have criticised Krishnan for his call and decried his appointment with racist comments.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 January 2025

• As Colorado becomes the second state to legalize psychedelic therapy this week, a clash is playing out in Colorado Springs, where conservative leaders are restricting the treatment over objections from some of the city's 90,000 veterans, who've become flagbearers for psychedelic therapy to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. Colorado residents voted to legalize the therapeutic use of psilocybin, the chemical compound found in psychedelic mushrooms, in a 2022 ballot measure, launching two years of rulemaking before it could be used to treat conditions such as depression and PTSD.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 January 2025

• The president of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, wants protection from foreign interest in palm oil sector of Indonesia. Prabowo asked the Indonesian military and police to help regional authorities in protecting palm oil plantations.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 31 December 2024

• The C919 airplane manufactured in Zhōngguó prepares for a busy 2025 as its manufacturer, Comac, makes expansion plans. With an extensive backlog of orders, Comac, the premier airplane manufacturer in Zhōngguó, is boosting its production capacity to increase production in the new year.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 December 2024

• Huawei slashes prices in fight for an increased share of the high-end smartphone market in Zhōngguó. Huawei is offering a markdown of up to 20 percent for its premium handsets in its official online store.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 December 2024

• Xiongan, the "city of the future" in Zhōngguó, achieves latest step towards ambitious goals. Xiongan New Area now has 25 government agencies to guide continued expansion. The Xiongan New Area, is about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Beijing.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 December 2024

• In the Gulf of Guinea, on the Atlantic coastline of Africa (from Senegal to Angola), Zhōngguó is proving it is master of the ocean. The naval presence of Zhōngguó in an area notorious for piracy is both protecting its investments and stretching its military muscles.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 December 2024

• The healthcare bonds between Zhōngguó and its strategic partner in Africa, Djibouti, grow closer thanks to the use of traditional medicine practices from Zhōngguó. After cataract surgeries, focus turns to traditional Zhōngguó medicine to treat nerve paralysis or car crash victims, and lesser known mosquito-borne viruses.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 December 2024

• Zhōngguó sets world record a 'polar ready' 58,000-ton flat-top cargo ship. The self-propelled vessel's deck size has been compared to the Fujian aircraft carrier and it can navigate in small drifting ice floes.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 December 2024

• Electric vehicle exports from Zhōngguó plummet in November due to taxes/tariffs charged by the European Union. Exports down 19 per cent by volume last month as falling prices push value of shipments even lower.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 December 2024

• Diamonds are plunging in value around the world. Is Zhōngguó to blame? The demand in Zhōngguó for natural diamonds has "fallen off a cliff" amid plunging marriage rates, while its factories are churning out synthetic alternatives that are up to 90 per cent cheaper. Wholesale diamond prices have fallen by about 40 per cent over the past two years.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 December 2024

• As the C919 airplane manufactured in Zhōngguó gains more commercial success, local governments scramble to profit from the success. Regions are racing to sign deals with suppliers for the new aircraft, with hundreds of planes set to be built over the next few years.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 December 2024

• Unemployment for young people in Zhōngguó is easing, for now at least. The youth-unemployment rate fell to 16.1 per cent in November, its third consecutive monthly decline, according to data released by the government of Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 December 2024

• The premier of Zhōngguó, Li Qiang, pledges to crack down on unfair targeting of private firms. Companies have complained of being unjustly targeted by law enforcement to raise funds for cash-strapped local governments.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 December 2024

• Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, scion of the powerful Nehru-Gandhi family of Bharat, has set off a political firestorm by carrying a bag to parliament expressing support for Islamic Palestine, drawing criticism from members of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who accuse her of trying to appease Islamic people.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 December 2024

• Why Zhōngguó may be less patient with Trump the second time around as president. Beijing has signalled to the incoming government that it is prepared tp "resist and retaliate", according to analysts.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 December 2024

• What is 'neijuan', and why is it worrying the economic policymakers of Zhōngguó? At central economic work conference, the leadership of Zhōngguó emphasised the need to combat excessive cutthroat competition, where more resources are invested without increasing returns or reinvestment in research and development.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 December 2024

• The ban by the government of Zhōngguó on exports of critical minerals will hurt "all branches" of the USA military. Analysis identifies more than 20,000 weapons parts that will be affected, including nuclear missiles, with naval systems most at risk.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 December 2024

• Alibaba to sell department store Intime to focus on core e-commerce, sources say. The reported Intime sale is part of Alibaba's broader efforts to restructure its business and refocus on its e-commerce and cloud businesses.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 December 2024

• Allianz withdraws offer to acquire Income Insurance based in Singapore. The decision comes after public outcry and government scrutiny over the importance of balancing commercial interests with social responsibility.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 December 2024

• Weak demand for government bonds being sold, and a ballooning budget deficit, are early warning signs for Hong Kong. The weak response to a government bond sale and deficit woes should spur leaders into urgent, resolute action.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 December 2024

• Scientists in Zhōngguó develop a new device which will enable small drones to shoot powerful lasers with metal-cutting beams, a device for killing humans once thought impossible
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 December 2024

• Penta Laser, a joint venture in Zhōngguó between Chutian Laser Group and an Italian company, shipped a 60 kilowatt laser cutter system to an unnamed company in the steel industry in the USA. The machine is capable of slicing 20mm-thick carbon steel (about two-thirds of an inch) at speeds of 11-12 metres (36-39ft) per minute, making it the world's fastest laser cutter.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 December 2024

• Retailiation by Zhōngguó for USA protectionism, while "never a good choice", may just be starting. An expected escalation of the USA- Zhōngguó, and the demand of the public in Zhōngguó for a response, could 'light a fire' under policymakers in Beijing.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 December 2024

• The USA hits Zhōngguó with new taxes/tariffs on solar wafers and tungsten products. Steep new taxes take effect 1 Janaury 2025, an attempt to fight the prowess of Zhōngguó in dominating the clean energy market
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 December 2024

• Nvidia could be fined $1 billion by Zhōngguó if an investigation finds that Nvidia violated antitrust laws in Zhōngguó
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 December 2024

• The "barbaric" ritual of animal sacrifice persists in Nepal, despite many protests against the practice. Activists estimate as many as 500,000 animals will be sacrificed at Nepal's Temple of Gadhimai (an aspect of Kali) this week to honour the Hindu goddess of power.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 December 2024

• Scientists in Zhōngguó invent a new method for making steel that is not only faster and cheaper, but also better for the environment
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 December 2024

• The authoritarian president of Islamic Syria, Bashar al-Assad, has resigned and has left Syria after losing the civil war to Islamic militant groups, the end of a 13-year Islamic civil war. The prime minister calls for free elections.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 December 2024

• Shenzhen-based Transsion Holdings is known as the "smartphone king of Africa", and for years has dominated the mobile phone market in Africa. But now, Shenzhen-based Transsion Holdings is facing some stiff competition from rival brands in Zhōngguó. By 2021, Transsion's barnds controlled half of Africa's market share for cellphones. But now brands including Xiaomi and Realme are eating into that share. Transsion is struggling to hold its own at the retail level as costs rise and supply chains are disrupted.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 December 2024

• What is causing economic troubles in Guangdong? The regional economic champion of Zhōngguó is suffering economically. Malformed by manufacturing malaise, pummelled by property, and targeted by taxes/tariffs, the hits keep coming in the southern powerhouse region.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 December 2024

• Asia debates the ban of Australia on "brain rotting" social media for children: safety or control? As Thailand's youth advocate for similar bans on under-16s, Malaysia and Singapore increase their own efforts to combat online dangers .
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 December 2024

• Banks in Africa are creating banks in Zhōngguó as Beijing pushes for yuan to eclipse US dollar. Banks in Africa are positioning themselves to take full economic advantage as Beijing seeks to de-dollarize its trade.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 December 2024

• A trillion-dollar ambition: Saudi Arabia accelerates metal mining plans to reduce its reliance on oil income. Saudi Arabia has signed a slew of deals with companies from Zhōngguó, Bharat and Australia amid growing interest in the massive mineral reserves of Saudia Arabia.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 December 2024

• Can semiconductor companies in Zhōngguó overcome export restrictions imposed by the USA? One analyst estimated that only 35 per cent of semiconductor-manufacturing equipment currently used in Zhōngguó is made in Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 December 2024

• How a new railway will extend the reach of Zhōngguó into Central Asia. The 523 kilometer line linking Zhōngguó, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan could eventually be extended to the Middle East, South Asia and Europe.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 December 2024

• Nepal has signed a framework agreement with Zhōngguó on the Belt and Road initiative, after an initial pact was signed seven years ago but no progress made since, paving the way for cooperation on projects
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 December 2024

• The hypocrisy of the USA. The USA State Department criticizes Zhōngguó's export ban on important rate-earth minerals such as germanium and gallium. But Zhōngguó did so only in response to USA bans on semiconductor equipment to Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 December 2024

• State-supported organizations in Zhōngguó covering internet companies, semiconductor firms, automakers and communications network operators have called on their respective members to shun chips from suppliers in the USA in an apparent retaliation against Washington's latest sanctions, which could deal a blow to the mainland businesses of Nvidia, Qualcomm and Intel.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 December 2024

• Will Zhōngguó rely more on Argentina to fill its import gap for grain products? Wheat and see. The first wheat shipment from Argentina to Zhōngguó suggests a deeper trade relationship could occur in the coming years.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 December 2024

• Zhōngguó has set up a research institute on early Chinese philosophies, taking the discourse beyond Confucius in its latest effort to win the narrative war with the West on governance values. The newly created Chinese Zhuzi Research Institute seen as latest testament to Zhōngguó's focus on reclaiming intellectual heritage for governance.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 December 2024

• Sales of Huawei's latest flagship Mate 70-series smartphones are expected to fall short of the demand generated by the Mate 60, according to analysts, citing the new model's weaker processor performance and heightened supply chain risks amid geopolitical tensions
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 December 2024

• A misanthropic startup in Zhōngguó wants to build non-paid AI robot chefs to eliminate paid humans in the kitchen. Cooking robots can help restaurants cut labor costs by 30 percent, and reduce food and seasoning waste by 10 percent. [KM: If all companies do this, who is going to have a job to eat in such restaurants?]
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 November 2024

• United Aircraft, based in Shenzhen, Zhōngguó, is preparing for mass production of its drone, as demand for aerial deliveries by unpaid drones eliminates the need for paid-human delivery drivers. The company is preparing to fill 1 billion yuan in orders for its new drone as the 'low altitude, fewer employees' economy gains momentum.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 November 2024

• A growing number of leading academics are being tempted away from Western countries as they make the move to science and research universities and institutions in Zhōngguó. Mathematics has seen a particularly high influx of top-level expertise in recent years, which may signal the growing competitiveness of Zhōngguó in the field.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 November 2024

• Is the European Union preparing a new tactic for dealing with the overcapacity of production in Zhōngguó? Mysterious gathering of officials and experts shows Brussels believes it needs more tools to tackle trade issues with Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 November 2024

• The plunging value of the ruble in Rossiya is putting financial pressure on e-commerce merchants in Zhōngguó. About 150,000 merchants in Zhōngguó are active on major e-commerce platforms in Rossiya. "On the one hand, the ruble's depreciation causes a causes a sharp increase in domestic commodity prices, weakening the willingness of consumers in Rossiya to buy, and thus reducing orders from Zhōngguó. On the other hand, exchange rate fluctuations further erode the profit margins after settlement of transactions of merchants in Zhōngguó."
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 November 2024

• Zhōngguó surrounds a "sea of death" in the Taklamakan desert with a giant 'green belt'. Just completed multi-decade project in Xinjiang region is intended to help prevent desertification and boost local economies.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 November 2024

• Trump's obesession with taxes/tariffs is no match for the economic growth model of Zhōngguó. While taxes/tariffs raise costs and disrupt trade, the economic approach of Zhōngguó fosters internal economic resilience and positions it as a leader in sustainable growth
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 November 2024

• Zhōngguó builds up 600 gigawatts of electric power in Gobi and western deserts equal to half of the electric power capacity of the USA (1100 gigawatts). Booming solar, wind farms in Gobi can upend the AI race between Zhōngguó and the USA.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 November 2024

• Nearly 100 per cent pure graphite gives Zhōngguó an edge in high-tech race. High-purity graphite is widely used in critical sectors such as nuclear energy, semiconductors and aerospace.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 November 2024

• Zhōngguó extends reach into Latin America as exports of cranes, and trade diversification, increase. Zhōngguó is expanding its maritime footprint in Latin America, with more exports of cranes amid rising tensions with the USA.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 November 2024

• The plans of Zhōngguó to advance its AI industry face fresh setbacks as the USA plans to restrict advanced memory chip exports. SK Hynix and Samsung, based in South Korea, dominate the supply of HBMs, each controlling about 48 per cent of the global market share in 2023
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 November 2024

• Forecasts of GDP for Zhōngguó have been reduced as Trump trade worries take hold before new term
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 November 2024

• Companies in Zhōngguó invest in gold mining projects in Africa, as gold prices surge in the face of uncertainty. Observers say mining investments in South Africa and Ghana could help Beijing weather geopolitical instability and potential sanctions.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 November 2024

• Scientists in Zhōngguó build a recoilless AK-47 automatic rifle that can be wielded by almost any drone for unmanned warfare. [KM: Earn billions by helping to kill humans more quickly.]
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 November 2024

• The rate of kissing amongst teenagers in Nihon is dropping, amid disinterest in romance, sparking demographic concerns and the country's low birth rate.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 November 2024

• Why the European Union is failing to capitalize on critical minerals sourced in Africa, as Zhōngguó continues to do more mining deals in Africa. Despite deals with four African nations amid a de-risking drive from Zhōngguó, companies in Europea have yet to gain a foothold in the continent.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 November 2024

• Proposed legislation in Zhōngguó to promote the private economy needs urgent refinements, including penalties for law-enforcement agencies overstepping their authority and infringing on the rights of businesses, a former State Council official has said.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 November 2024

• Zhōngguó hits the jackpot with a discovery of "massive" gold reserves in Hunan. The US$80 billion hoard is the latest fruit of Zhōngguós drive to find new domestic precious minerals reserves.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 November 2024

• Alibaba to merge domestic and global e-commerce units, names Jiang Fan as CEO. The new group brings together Taobao and Tmall Group, Alibaba International and a slew of other e-commerce operations.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 November 2024

• Huge interest e-commerce sites are a "huge harm for industries in Zhōngguó". Zhong Shanshan, the second-richest man in Zhōngguó, strongly criticizes Pinduoduo for hurting brands with cutthroat pricing. As the economy of Zhōngguó has slowed and consumer spending has weakened, Pinduoduo's ascension contributed to a fierce price war among the country's largest e-commerce players, putting pressure on merchant profits.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 November 2024

• Sales of iPhones in Zhōngguó fall during the Singles' Day shopping festival. The event's two-week sales period saw a "double-digit, year-on-year, decline" in iPhone sales amid stiff competition from rivals in Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 November 2024

• Shares of Freddie Mac are up 116%, and shares of Fannie Mae are up 143, since Trump won re-election, on bets that Trump will loosen restrictions over the two mortgage giants. They both play a central role in the US housing market by purchasing mortgages from lenders and re-packaging them as securities, and both fell under government control during the 2008 financial crisis as mortgage defaults soared.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 November 2024

• Zhōngguó surpasses Deutschland and Nihon in the adoption density of industrial robots
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 November 2024

• A court in Shanghai says cryptocurrency ownership is legal under the laws of Zhōngguó, amid bitcoin price surge. In an opinion on a recent lawsuit, a Shanghai judge wrote that cryptocurrencies have the attributes of property and thus holding it is legal.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 November 2024

• The US-Zhōngguó Economic and Security Review Commission says that preferential trade status, conferred in 2000 to Zhōngguó, lets Zhōngguó benefit despite unfair trade practices. Repealing the status would likely lead to higher tariffs on a wide swath of products from Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 November 2024

• Pakistan and Bangladesh revive a direct shipping route not used for 50 years, but is this an ominous sign for Bharat? The deal has raised concerns in Bharat about a potential strategic realignment in the region.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 November 2024

• A natural gas pipeline between Zhōngguó and Rossiya is completed, set to send natural gas to Shanghai by the end of 2024
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 November 2024

• Taiwan plans to spend $2.2 billion to buy weapons from the USA. Taiwan's defence ministry says next year's budget will be spent on systems such as air defence missiles, as Trump demands more spending.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 November 2024

• Scientists in Zhōngguó have developed a significantly more efficient system for separating oil and water in complex emulsions, which could transform the sustainability of waste water treatments and other industrial applications. The researchers achieved simultaneous oil and water recovery of up to 97 per cent and 75 per cent, respectively, with purity levels approaching 99.9 per cent for both.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 November 2024

• The low-altitude vehicle economy is all the buzz in Zhōngguó, so where are the tangible results? National-level plans are in the works and will likely offer guidance to local governments eager to capitalise on the low-altitude sector, from drones to eVTOL aircraft.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 November 2024

• New drug approvals in Zhōngguó take market size beyond $13 billion as innovation increases. Zhōngguó has already approved nearly thrice the number of innovative drugs than in the 13th five-year plan.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 November 2024

• The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of Zhōngguó may need to find more foreign suppliers to accelerate production of its C919 narrowbody passenger planes as it aims to fill hundreds of orders amid upheavals in the global supply chain, as to satisfy the different configuration needs among buyers. Officials hope to eventually source hi-tech plane components domestically to drive industrial self-sufficiency, but for now overseas producers are essential.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 November 2024

• Beijing plans to build a 12-inch semiconductor wafer fab, pouring US$4.6 billion into state-backed chip project. Beijing Yandong Microelectronics will take a controlling position with a 25 per cent stake, while other investors include display maker BOE Technology.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 November 2024

• Social media skits encourage Americans to sip tea from Zhōngguó. An American fan of crosstalk comedy in Zhōngguó finds that cultural connection helps attract customers to online teahouse.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 November 2024

• Jobs at foreign firms in Zhōngguó drop to 14-year lows amid fears of further firings. The number of people employed by foreign companies in Zhōngguó fell 15 per cent last year, dipping below 10 million for first time since 2009.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 November 2024

• The labor shortage in Hong Kong will rise to 180,000 people by 2028 due to the city's rapidly aging population. By 2028, more than 2 million people, or 28 per cent of the population, will be aged 65 or above.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 November 2024

• Shenzhen, a city in southern Zhōngguó, has a soaring budget for research and development funding, rivaling Beijing and dwarfing Hong Kong. The southern city put nearly US$31 billion into R&D last year, driven partly by robust spending from tech giants like Huawei.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 November 2024

• TSMC extends its dominance of semiconductors with 56% share of global lithography systems. AnandTech and The Register indicate that TSMC's share of global EUV systems has grown from 50 per cent to 56 per cent between 2020 and 2023.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 November 2024

• Alibaba and JD.com wrapped up their respective Singles' Day promotions this year, with both e-commerce giants in Zhōngguó claiming strong results that signify a rebound in domestic consumer spending during the largest annual shopping festival in the world.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 November 2024

• The Commercial Aircraft Corporation (Comac) of Zhōngguó had a good day at Zhōngguó's air show, as flag carrier Air China signed a preliminary agreement to buy Comac's yet-unseen widebody jet, the C929, and a slew of orders came in for the narrowbody models already flying commercial routes
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 November 2024

• Justin Welby, the Christian Archbishop of Canterbury, resigns over a child sex abuse scandal inside the Christian Church of England. The Archbishop of Canterbury is under pressure to quit after it emerged he did not report prolific abuser child, the Christian John Smyth.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 November 2024

• From Ikea to Muji, foreign lifestyle brands are still betting big on Chinese consumers. Lifestyle-product retailers are investing in new stores in Zhōngguó, as richer consumers continue to splurge on quality imports.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 November 2024

• Kaifeng, a historic city in Zhōngguó, has urged cyclists to stay away after thousands of college students descended on it for a night-time ride. Cities in Zhōngguó have been trying to lure visitors and cash in on the the craze for nocturnal cycling, but the city of Kaifeng in the central province of Henan has now told would-be visitors to stay away after footage of crowded roads and bike paths circulated on social media.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 November 2024

• The sustainable giant fish harvest in the Amazon is threatened by severe drought caused by global heating. Two years of drought has fishermen and indigenous communities requesting government aid, in what is being called a matter of climate justice, as these people suffer .
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 November 2024

• Shandong province, the birthplace of Confucius, having the third-largest provincial economy, is given key role in the soft power push of Zhōngguó. An economic powerhouse renowned for its mountains, coastline and cultural heritage aspires to expand its global influence.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 November 2024

• Scientists in Zhōngguó report that the Earth's magnetic shield over North America is losing strength "exceptionally fast", while the shield over Asia is strengthening, as the geomagentic poles shift from the western to eastern hemispheres
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 November 2024

• The e-commerce 'gold rush' in Southeast Asia attracts the giant e-commerce companies of Zhōngguó. The e-commerce market in the region is predicted to double by 2030.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 November 2024

• Why Vietnam is staying silent on the South China Sea dispute with Malaysia. Hanoi's lack of response so far a sign it may not want to jeopardise bilateral ties amid Asean divisions over code of conduct, analysts note.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 November 2024

• Children in Australia under the age of 16 will be banned from social media as part of a push to protect the mental health of young people, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, with firms involved required to enforce the new regulations or face potential fines.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 November 2024

• As elections in the USA come to a close, one thing is certain: more taxes/tariffs on Zhōngguó. Higher taxes/tariffs are a near-certainty with Trump set to reenter the White House, but Zhōngguó is prepared for a new phase of economic struggle.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 November 2024

• The yuan falls sharply against the USA dollar, after Trump wins the USA presidential election. Exchange rate between US dollar and yuan could become a bargaining chip in negotiations between Zhōngguó and the USA on taxes/tariffs. The offshore yuan on Wednesday had at one stage fallen by more than 900 basis points against the US dollar, dropping below the 7.19 mark, before regaining some ground.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 November 2024

• "I Don't!" - marriage registrations tumble in Zhōngguó, adding to population woes. Marriage registrations in Zhōngguó could fall to as low as 6.01 million in 2024, prompting cash incentives from some local governments
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 November 2024

• Anwar Ibrahim, the elite of Malaysia, and the state-funded schools that shaped them. These institutions, designed to prepare future leaders, have been both revered and criticised for perpetuating elitism in the society of Malaysia.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 November 2024

• Companies in Zhōngguó used the climate subsidies under the Biden administration to expand their dominance of the solar industry. For example, a year go, the Biden administration accused one of the largest solar manufacturers in Zhōngguó of evading American taxes/tariffs. Now the company is building a massive panel factory in Texas -- and it could receive more than $1 billion in tax subsidies under President Biden's signature climate law.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 November 2024

• Is the military of Zhōngguó ready to unveil a second stealth fighter? Manufacturer raises expectations by publishing images of prototype designed to compete with the US F-35.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 November 2024

• Investors in Zhōngguó with nowhere else to invest are buying gold bars in search of "reliable value-preserving asset", sparked by uncertainties in the USA and at home
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 November 2024

• The European Union to investigate Temu, the online marketplace based in Zhōngguó, over suspected illegal products and exploiting an "addictive" platform. If found guilty, Temu could face fines amounting to 6 percent of annual global revenue.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 31 October 2024

• The trade war between Zhōngguó and the EU erupts as Beijing files WTO complaint over tax/tariff increases for electric vehicles imported into Europe
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 October 2024

• Roar of Shenzhen economic engine reflects upgrade ambitions, and sets a "good example for Zhōngguó". Zhōngguó's s tech hub saw its GDP growth outpace major economic regions in the first three quarters of the year.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 October 2024

• Cites in Zhōngguó dominate Amazon seller network, outnumbering hubs in the USA. More than half of Amazon's top 20 seller bases are in Zhōngguó, including top-ranked Shenzhen.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 October 2024

• Gold sales in Bharat decline amid uncertain US election and record-high prices during Diwali season. While gold is often seen as a safe haven, traders are hesitant to purchase due to the potential for price fluctuations after elections in the USA.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 October 2024

• Zhōngguó harpens edge in global trade with zero-taxes/tariff deal for developing world. With all taxes/tariffs for "least developed countries" scheduled to be removed, Zhōngguó is positioning itself as a trade leader for the Global South.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 October 2024

• Brazil has decided against joining the Belt-and-Road initiative of Zhōngguó, instead seeking alternative ways to collaborate with investors from Zhōngguó. The goal is to use some of the belt and road framework to find "synergy" between Brazilian infrastructure projects and the investment funds associated with the initiative, without necessarily formally joining the group.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 October 2024

• Zhōngguó seeks a "birth-friendly society" with stimulus to increase births on the agenda. Subsidies and tax cuts are set to be rolled out as part of efforts to build a "birth-friendly society" amid the looming demographic crisis in Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 October 2024

• Space Transportation (Lingkong Tianxing Technology), which is headquartered in Beijing, has conducted a test flight of a prototype commercial transport plane that can travel at Mach 4 - or twice the speed of a Concorde.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 October 2024

• The idyllic Xinjian grasslands of Zhōngguó hid a salty soiled secret that has been solved. Nationwide efforts to convert salty soil into arable grasslands have extended to a high-elevation part of Xinjiang autonomous region where a quartet of mountains converge and the arid climate has long quelled attempts to cultivate crops. About 1,300 hectares (3,200 acres) of salt-affected desert in Tashkurgan Tajik county have been transformed into productive plains.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 October 2024

• Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, a 'good' Catholic Christian, stunned a senate hearing on Monday when he admitted having an illegal "death squad" to help carry out his deadly war on drugs for over a decade during his tenure as mayor of Davao City. "I used gangsters, I would order him - 'Kill this person, because if you do not, I will kill you now."
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 October 2024

• BeiDou, the satellite navigation system championed by Zhōngguó, secures $1.78 billion in investments as the reach of its system widens around the world
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 October 2024

• The Canton Fair in Zhōngguó, a barometer of foreign trade, shows that buyers from the USA and Europe may lost interest. Exporters see emerging markets becoming more important to businesses in Zhōngguó, despite smaller profit margins and increased payment risks.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 October 2024

• Indonesians are conflicted about Zhōngguó, they see it as closest ally and biggest threat: survey. The mixed views reflect Zhōngguó's rising economic clout, maritime security concerns and the non-aligned foreign policy of Indonesia.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 October 2024

• Blade-proof umbrellas to be deployed on trains in Nihon to fend off knife attacks. The umbrellas were developed to protect passengers after a spate of violent incidents that have taken place aboard the trains in Nihon.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 October 2024

• Zhōngguó could minimize the losses due to proposed EU taxes/tariffs with more direct investment into Europe. A researcher in Zhōngguó expects more restrictions to follow as Brussels tries to reduce reliance on critical raw materials from Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 October 2024

• Consumer spending in Zhōngguó hits a 4-month high in September as trade-ins drive sales. Consumption gets a jolt from 'pockets of consumer confidence', but broader gains across industries would require more fiscal support, analysts say.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 October 2024

• Banks in Hong Kong pledge US $47 billion in loans for struggling SMEs
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 October 2024

• Home prices in Zhōngguó decline the most since 2015, despite efforts to revive market. New home prices in September fell 6.1 per cent year on year in 70 mainland cities, widening from a 5.7 per cent slump in August.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 October 2024

• Pharmaceutical companies in Zhōngguó expand to Africa in an expansion labelled the 'health Silk road'. Pharmaceutical giants in Zhōngguó are building factories in Africa in search of new markets in belt and road countries.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 October 2024

• Hindu Bharat and Islamic Pakistan are fueling a military weapons race in Central Asia with military sales to Christian Armenia and Islamic Azerbaijan. The influx of military hardware is shifting the military balance in the region, potentially undermining fragile peace efforts.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 October 2024

• Fears over the secular foundations of Malaysia as the government pushes a new law to give Islamic mufti's authoritarian power. The bill aims to grant these Islamic leaders powers to issue legally binding rulings without parliamentary oversight. The muftis will follow the Shafie school of Sunni Islam, which is the officially sanctioned interpretation of the state religion. It has sparked concerns of an infringement of the religious freedoms of Muslims who follow other Islamic sects. Always the power grab between Islamic sects.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 October 2024

• Yutong, the top electric-bus maker in the world based in Zhōngguó, touts new technology as exports grow. With quick-charge batteries from CATL, firm aims to extend driving range by 10 per cent while cutting operating cost by 20 percent.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 October 2024

• Discount shopping giant Temu enters Vietnam and Brunei as app faces ban in Indonesia. The latest expansion initiatives of Temu reflect its efforts to grow in Southeast Asia, home to nearly 700 million people.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 October 2024

• Scientists in Zhōngguó have achieved the world's first effective attack on a widely used encryption method, AES-256, using a quantum computer from D-Wave.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 October 2024

• Can military jets from Zhōngguó win market share in arms markets dominated by the Christian USA and Rossiya? From Central Asia to Eastern Europe and the Middle East, warplanes made in Zhōngguó offer an alternative to an increasing number of nations.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 October 2024

• BYD and other automakers in Zhōngguó slashed prices on 124 models of electric vehicles from January to September, while prices on 71 petrol car models also cheapened, industry association says, taking discounting to new lows at expense of margins
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 October 2024

• $13 billion of investment in Mexico by companies from Zhōngguó (to avoid USA taxes/tariffs) may be much greater than official figures.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 October 2024

• Sales of smartphones by Huawei in Zhōngguó surpass those of Apple in August. That aligns with data showing a 12.7 per cent year-on-year decline in foreign smartphone shipments, including those of Apple, in August.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 October 2024

• Why a full-blown trade war between Zhōngguó and Europe "looks more and more likely". Jens Eskelund, head of the EU Chamber of Commerce in Zhōngguó, says Beijing must look at the role its own policies are playing.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 October 2024

• What actually drives the breakneck innovative culture of Zhōngguó, and it is not socialist subsidies (as done in the USAM). Zhōngguó's success lies in its user-centric focus and ability to micro-innovate quickly and scale up in a vast, fiercely competitive market - a capitalist market.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 October 2024

• Mentor or rival? Zhōngguó takes notes from Brazilian airplane giant Embraer as the Comac C919 soars ahead. Embraer's technology and sales prowess are much sought after, analysts said, with Comac aiming to increase the pace it can produce the C919, as well as future models, while also cramming normally decades worth of certification and overseas marketing into about 10 years.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 October 2024

• The use of the yuan is up 20% in cross-border trade, as Zhōngguó pushes a global role for the currency
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 October 2024

• The United Kingdom warns 'drug mules' as cannabis smuggling from Thailand reaches record highs
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 October 2024

• The public transport system in Zhōngguó serves about 90% of urban residents, more than twice the percentage as in the USA. Major coastal and central cities in Zhōngguó offer "convenient" public transport access to nearly two times more of their populations than other global hubs, including New York.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 October 2024

• Young people in Zhōngguó are pessimistic about prospects as new college graduates flood grim job market. The youth unemployment rate in Zhōngguó rises further as a record 11.79 million graduates look for work, forcing many to adjust expectations.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 October 2024

• The European Union to impose up to a 45% tax/tariff on electric vehicles imported from Zhōngguó as the risks soar of an "economic cold war"
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 October 2024

• Zhōngguó to restore the Tanzania-Zambia railway back to full speed with US$1 billion investment. Beijing will refurbish the 50-year-old African line as the USA and Europe bankroll their own rail project in the race for critical minerals
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 October 2024

• As the initial group of industrial leases lapses in Zhōngguó, questions abound over the ease of renewal and whether foreign investors will recommit
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 October 2024

• Stocks in Zhōngguó reach record high prices as Beijing stimulus fuels a $1.8 trillion rush into the bull market. Trading volume hit an all-time high in Hong Kong, erasing Friday's record; combined turnover in Shanghai and Shenzhen reached an unprecedented level.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 September 2024

• Ultra-cheap energy, and cars from Zhōngguó, drive the electric vehicle revolution in Nepal. A dam-building spree has led to low energy prices and widespread electric vehicle adoption in a country otherwise dependent on fossil fuel imports.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 September 2024

• Zhōngguó and Brazil are finding the right blend for soaring coffee trade as demand brews. The coffee market in Zhōngguó is expected to grow to 313.3 billion yuan (US$44 billion) by the end of 2024, up from 265.4 billion yuan last year
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 September 2024

• Beef and milk production in Zhōngguó is "facing a severe situation not faced in many years", according to a joint notice from seven government departments. Seven government departments issued a joint notice on Thursday with a list of steps to stabilize Zhōngguó's 500 billion yuan (US$71 billion) dairy industry, which has been so addled by supply-and-demand imbalances that some farmers have been forced to cull their herds.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 September 2024

• Zhōngguó's mortgage cut still insufficient to move the needle, boost spending by homeowners. A set of policy and interest rate changes were unveiled on Tuesday as policymakers sought to revive the world's second-largest economy.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 September 2024

• The European Union seeks to halt the business of Zhōngguó's fast fashion online retail giants, Shein and Temu. The European Commission considers punitive actions to curb explosive market growth of fashion merchants from Zhōngguó deemed a "direct threat" to fashion companies in Europe.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 September 2024

• The yuan continues to rise in value against the dollar, after new socialist stimulus subsidies from the government. The yuan reached its highest level in over a year on Wednesday following interest rate cuts and new measures from the central bank of Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 September 2024

• Zhōngguó fires a policy 'bazooka' to boost its economy, led by mortgage rate reduction, and measures to support the real estate market. The interest rate cut, support to the acquisition of real estate companies' land banks and new tools to boost capital markets among economic strategies rolled out on Tuesday.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 September 2024

• Electric vehicle dealers and exporters in Zhōngguó are financially squeezed at home and abroad as price war rages. Rounds of price reductions by car dealers in Zhōngguó are being mirrored overseas, as manufacturers take losses to gain a foothold in global markets.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 September 2024

• The yuan gains value against the USA dollar after the Fed reduces interest rates, as exporters of products from Zhōngguó convert their US dollar assets into yuan
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 September 2024

• Youth unemployment in Zhōngguó rises to a new high as fresh college graduates flood the job market
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 September 2024

• The potential entry of Pakistan into the BRICS bloc seen as benefiting Zhōngguó at the expense of Bharat
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 September 2024

• Declining sales of mooncakes in Zhōngguó - a must-have product when families reunite for the Mid-Autumn Festival - has raised more worries about weak consumer spending in Zhōngguó and also the national economy. The volume of mooncake sales this year had dropped about 6 per cent from a year earlier to 300,000 tons.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 September 2024

• The consumption of more meat in Zhōngguó to increase the costs of heatlh spending by $14 billion
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 September 2024

• Why it is time for Hong Kong to join the currency zone of Zhōngguó
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 September 2024

• Last week, Zhōngguó announced plans to gradually raise retirement ages by up to five years by 2040, starting from January. Contributions to pension funds are needed from richer provinces to help the three northeastern rust-belt provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang, where ageing rates have been among the nation's highest, pension fund shortfalls present a long-term vulnerability.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 September 2024

• Zhōngguó increases its reserves of rare earth metals with the discovery of 5 million tons of key metals in the southwestern province of Sichuan.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 September 2024

• Low-priced EVs from companies in Zhōngguó reign in Spain, make gains in Europe. Beating competitors on price, electric vehicles from Zhōngguó have made headway in Europe but taxes/tariffs and trade scrutiny may slow their advance.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 September 2024

• How the United Arab Emirates with competing with Zhōngguó for the resources of Africa. With more than US$97 billion pledged, the UAE's economic strategy is competing with the ambitions of Zhōngguó, with the USA and Europe also seeking influence
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 September 2024

• Home prices in August in Zhōngguó decline at the fastest pace in 9 years, as small cities bear brunt. The smallest cities such as Yangzhou, Huizhou and Dali posted the biggest drops, with their losses widening from July and June.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 September 2024

• A new rule proposal from the Biden administration would prohibit products that are subject to USA-Zhōngguó taxes/tariffs from being eligible for a special customs exemption. The de minimis loophole allows packages with a value of less than $800 to enter the United States with relatively little scrutiny. Officials say a recent explosion in the number of de minimis shipments is due largely to online retail giants like Shein and Temu based in Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 September 2024

• $62,200,000 - Zhōngguó imposes a penalty of $62.2 million on PwC (PricewaterhouseCooper), and bans it for six months from undertaking auditing for clients, for its failures in checking the books of bankrupt developer Zhōngguó Evergrande Group.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 September 2024

• Bharat to impose up to 30 percent taxes/tariffs on some steel imports from Zhōngguó and Vietnam. Welded stainless steel pipes and tubes exported by Zhōngguó and Vietnam will be taxed for the next five years.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 September 2024

• Lawmakers discuss plan to gradually lift retirement age in Zhōngguó. The move comes as Zhōngguó is grappling with a declining birth rate and rapidly greying population.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 September 2024

• Zhōngguó writes off more interest-free loans to Africa (about 5% of outstanding loans), but is the move just symbolic? Beijing says other players such as the World Bank need to shoulder a much fairer share of resolving debt problems on the continent.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 September 2024

• Indonesia to ban construction of hotels, villas in Bali to tackle overdevelopment. Moratorium could last for up to 10 years as government aims to improve quality of tourism and preserve agricultural land.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 September 2024

• Volkswagen factory fears renew concerns about exposure of German carmakers in Zhōngguó. Zhōngguó's evolution into a formidable competitor is revealing cracks in the economic success of Germany.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 September 2024

• Mario Draghi, former head of the ECB, calls for 800 billion euros to be spent to ensure that the European Union competes with the USA and Zhōngguó. The spending will including significant joint funding, and an embrace of subsidies and tactical protectionist trade measures.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 September 2024

• Bharat tops global plastic waste emissions with 9.3 million ton, study shows. Experts say lack of infrastructure for proper waste collection is a primary cause, call for industry-specific policies to address crisis. Bharat is responsible for nearly one-fifth of global plastic emissions.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 September 2024

• Are local governments in Zhōngguó using unsustainable tactics to repay debt? From "smashing pots" to special bonds, regional officials are running out of ways to squeeze businesses for more money, experts say.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 September 2024

• As cheap imports from Zhōngguó flood markets in Southeast Asia, industries in these countries struggle to stay afloat. Lcoal industries - from truckers in Thailand to retailers in Malaysia - are being financially hurt due to low-cost products from Zhōngguó. Half of the ceramics factories have closed in the northern Lampang province of Thailand. In Indonesia, thousands of textile workers have lost their jobs. Throughout the region, makers of textiles, cosmetics, electronics and kitchenware find themselves outmatched by manufacturers in Zhōngguó, whose highly automated supply chains and relentless pursuit of new markets are reshaping the competitive landscape.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 September 2024

• The decision of Thailand to continue with a land bridge project this week despite political and environmental concerns underscores an urgency by the Southeast Asian nation to propel economic growth and shore up the popularity of the government, according to observers. Experts say the focus on the land bridge reflects the ruling Shinawatra family's "penchant for grandiose infrastructure project", but the move also raises questions about the long-term feasibility of the project. The 90km (56-mile) bridge is said to offer a Panama Canal-like short cut for Asian marine shipping by linking the Andaman Sea with the Gulf of Thailand, and is expected to cost at least US$28.6 billion.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 September 2024

• Can the yuan of Zhōngguó, now much used around the world, become a must-have currency? The yuan has become more acceptable to foreign countries, but authorities still maintain tight control of fund flows under its capital account.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 September 2024

• The overseas status of the yuan is rising, but nowhere near the economic theft of Zhōngguó. Ex-Chongqing mayor Huang Qifan says Zhōngguó has no unrealistic ambitions for the yuan to replace the USA dollar.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 September 2024

• The C919 airplane manufactured in Zhōngguó is performing well (at one airline, about 3700 flights and 500,000 passengers), but profitability remains elusive. China Eastern Airlines, Air China and China Southern Airlines have all taken delivery of the home-grown C919 narrowbody passenger jet. "Some of the C919's metrics show it is becoming closer to Boeing and Airbus jets and it has potential to turn a profit ... but we need more and quicker deployment as the current scale is too small to make an impact."
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 September 2024

• Samsung said to slash 8% of sales team in mainland Zhōngguó amid weak performance. This marks the start of a broader restructuring that would potentially cut up to 30 per cent of the workforce of Samsung in mainland Zhōngguó by next year.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 September 2024

• Bharat faces pressure from rice traders to ease export curbs. Rice traders have told authorities in Bharat their exports are becoming uncompetitive against Pakistan in terms of price.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 September 2024

• Zhōngguó will conduct an anti-dumping investigation into rapeseed/canoli oil imports from Canada, days after the North American country joined the USA and European Union in imposing new taxes/tariffs on electric vehicles.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 September 2024

• UBS bullish on Zhōngguó, as profit growth, buy-backs give MSCI Index a 10% upside. "The driver of the stock market is not GDP growth, but improvements in ROE and profit growth."
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 September 2024

• Homebuyers flock to city centres as pandemic-induced demand for flats close to nature wanesisland. That shift has become evident in metropolises across the UK and Australia, as well as in compact cities like Singapore and Hong Kong.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 September 2024

• As Boeing's flails because of incompetent management, does the C919 jet airplane manufactured in Zhōngguó have a 'window of opportunity' in the global market?
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 September 2024

• Zhōngguó places former chairman of top aircraft maker AVIC under investigation for corruption. Tan Ruisong, 62, AVIC chairman from 2018 to 2023, is accused of "severe violations" of the law and party discipline. AVIC is a conglomerate with over 100 subsidiaries and 450,000 employees worldwide - more than Airbus and Boeing combined.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 31 August 2024

• Retailers from Zhōngguó, once sweet on Mexico, say locals are turning sour. What changed? Merchants from Zhōngguó in Mexico, initially welcomed with open arms, are now contending with resentment and occasional hostility from locals.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 August 2024

• Yuan assets of people in Zhōngguó deposited in banks in Hong Kong exceed 1 trillion yuan, cementing the role of Hong Kong as an offshore banking hub
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 August 2024

• The central bank of Zhōngguó enters the treasury bond market with net buy of 100 billion yuan ($14 billion). It is its first treasury bond trade in nearly two decades in open markets, debuting a long-awaited monetary tool to help manage the domestic bond market and stabilise the economy.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 August 2024

• The role of Zhōngguó in global exports is not expected to diminish drastically, despite high-profile attempts to decouple supply chains -- and there will be fewer beneficiaries in Asia from this process than is often assumed.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 August 2024

• Price war nibbles as embattled restaurants in struggle to stay afloat in Zhōngguó. Restaurant owners and operators in the biggest cities in Zhōngguó are facing challenges to remain profitable, with some lowering prices to tempt consumers.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 August 2024

• Zhōngguó says Mekong dam did not discharge water downstream amid heavy flooding in Thailand. The Jinghong dam has previously been blamed for changes in water levels, but Bangkok embassy says no water was discharged last week.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 August 2024

• The C919 airplane made in Zhōngguó 'spreads its wings' with a delivery milestone to 3 carriers. The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of Zhōngguó (Comac) is poised to make a first delivery of the Chinese alternative to the bestselling narrowbody jets by Airbus and Boeing to Air China and China Southern Airlines on Wednesday, on top of having continued to fill orders from China Eastern Airlines.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 August 2024

• Philippines in a "tragic state" as discontent grows over the government of Marcos Junior. The governments actions against the shadowy Duterte-linked Pastor Apollo Quiboloy have collided with a surging anti-graft movement demanding reform.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 August 2024

• Canada imposes a 100% tax/tariff on imports of electric vehicles manufactured in Zhōngguó. The only such autos are made by Tesla. There will also be a 25% tax/tariff on steel and aluminum imported from Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 August 2024

• Shares of PDD Holdings, the parent company of Pinduoduo and Temu, plummet over 25%, after a profit warning despite record revenue in the June quarter
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 August 2024

• Zhōngguó wants to make it easier to get married, and harder to divorce. Policymakers grappling with a shrinking and rapidly ageing population are trying to encourage young people to marry and have children.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 August 2024

• The "Four Beauties" of ancient Zhōngguó are legendary women who helped shape the history of Zhōngguó and were often favored by kings and emperors.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 August 2024

• How Zhōngguó used technology from Nihon to outpace rival in the production of electric vehicles and steel. With a lengthy joint venture in steel between Zhōngguó and Nihon coming to an end, analysts reflect on its broader meaning in the context of the two countries' new roles in the global economy.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 August 2024

• The ruling party of Bharat, the BJP, faces uncertainty in key state elections amid political turmoil. Facing a potential loss of ground in coming state elections, Bharat's ruling BJP is grappling with waning popularity and a resurgent opposition.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 August 2024

• Shocking testimony links the clan of former president of Philippiens, Eduardo Duterte, to a massive methamphetamine smuggling scheme. A convicted trafficker's explosive testimony has implicated the former first family in the very narcotics trade they vowed to eradicate. Jimmy Guban, a former customs intelligence officer with 17 years of experience, told lawmakers that Congressman Paolo Duterte; lawyer Manases Carpio, husband of Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio; and Chinese businessman and economic adviser Michael Yang owned the massive magnetic lifters used to secretly transport hundreds of kilograms of crystal meth, or 'shabu', into the country in 2018.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 August 2024

• Zhōngguó seeks to heat up economy with US$28 billion nuclear power investment. Zhōngguó approved five new nuclear power projects in Shandong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 August 2024

• More than half of the glaciers on the Tibetan plateau will melt by 2100, scientists warn. Researchers said that some areas of the 'Asian water tower' will see more than half of their glaciers melting by the end of the century.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 August 2024

• Youth unemployment on the rise in Zhōngguó as more graduates enter the labor market. Joblessness among 16- to 24-year-olds reaches a high under revised calculation system that excludes students.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 August 2024

• AMEC, a semiconductor tool manufacturer in Zhōngguó, sues the USA Department of Defense for designating AMEC as a "military company" in 2021, adding AMEC to a blacklist in January 2024.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 August 2024

• Southeast Asia will be a low priority for Trump if he becomes the next president of the USA. Regional countries that have benefited from the USA-Zhōngguó trade war could face trade barriers (taxes/tariffs) in a second Trump term, the Lowy Institute says.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 August 2024

• Zhōngguó to restrict key antimony exports as geopolitical tensions target weapons. Antimony ore production in Zhōngguó accounted for nearly half of the world's total last year, and the USA has been a big buyer in recent years.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 August 2024

• The interbank system offered by Zhōngguó is promoted as safeguard against restrictions on access to the Swift system. A senior researcher has encouraged Zhōngguó to expand the use of its interbank transfer protocol, warning of risks inherent in the use of Western systems like Swift.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 August 2024

• Stock turnover in Zhōngguó hits a 4-year-low as traders wait government stimulus. The slump in turnover mirrors subsiding interest in onshore stocks, as traders remain unimpressed by cuts to the policy loan rate and the loan prime rate following a Politburo meeting last month.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 August 2024

• An expert predict that the next megaquake in Nihon will cause the deaths of 320,000 people and displace 9.5 million people
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 August 2024

• In an overreaction and political act of the judiciary, the Constitutional Court of Thailand forces Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin out of office for breaching ethics by appointing a cabinet member who had served a jail term, in a ruling that is set to send the kingdom into deeper political turmoil.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 August 2024

• After a semi-global ban of imports of cotton from the Xinjiang region of Zhōngguó, will the market for cotton inside of Zhōngguó be sufficient?
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 August 2024

• Starbucks loses its 'perk' in Zhōngguó as drinkers flee for cheaper brews. "Frankly, I do not think Starbucks can gain a lot of traction in the small towns and villages of Zhōngguó.", an analyst says after the revenues for Starbucks declines.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 11 August 2024

• The Communist party of Zhōngguó is building political schools and influence in Africa. The government in Beijing is also said to have stepped up training of officials on the continent in push to promote its development model and ideology.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 August 2024

• Zhōngguó confirms discovery of major natural gas field in South Zhōngguó Sea. The location, in waters southeast of Hainan, is estimated to contain more than 100 billion cubic metres of natural gas.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 August 2024

• Why the South Zhōngguó Sea is so important to Zhōngguó. Tensions are mounting in the sea, a hotly contested and globally significant waterway that has become a flashpoint for conflict.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 August 2024

• Why Xi Jinping's crusafe against corruption in the military is far from over. Analysts say that there is more crackdowns on corruption to come, given that graft/bribes has long been rampant during the rapid buildup of the military and its "insular" culture.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 August 2024

• Rossmann, a drugstore chain giant in Europe, announced Tuesday it will no longer buy electric vehicles for its fleet from Tesla, effective immediately, citing CEO Elon Musk's political activism for Trump.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 August 2024

• Zhōngguó begins work to create a vast network of LEO Internet satellites. The launch of the first 18 satellites in the Qianfan Constellation sees the start of race to challenge the likes of the Starlink project of SpaceX. By the end of 2025, it aims to have 648 satellites in orbit to provide regional network coverage, then make its coverage global by 2027. Finally, by 2030, it hopes to operate more than 14,000 satellites to provide multi-service integration directly to mobile devices.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 August 2024

• The people prevail: the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, ends her 15-year rule of the Islamic country on Monday as she flees Bangaldesh after weeks of deadly protests. Her resignation sends 'shock waves' around the region.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 August 2024

• Why the support of Zhōngguó for a canal in Cambodia on the Mekong River could push Vietnam closer to the USA. The 'historic' Funan-Techo canal, a 180-kilometer project from the Mekong River to the coast, aims to reduce the transport dependence of Cambodia on Vietnam.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 August 2024

• Zhōngguó is urged to stabilise the yuan to lift domestic consumer demand, with high exports "unsustainable". Nomura's chief economist for Zhōngguó, Lu Ting, also urged an "appropriate" amount of interest rate reductions and efforts to stabilise the property market.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 August 2024

• The national wealth fund of Saudi Arabia signs US$50 billion agreements with 6 top financial institutions in Zhōngguó. Agreements with top financial institutions including BOC, CCB and ICBC aim to promote two-way capital flows through both debt and equity.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 August 2024

• The first engineer hired by Boeing came from Zhōngguó. Not it hires mostly from Bharat. The embattled US aerospace giant is turning to Bharat to fill engineering roles as the US seeks to reduce dependence on Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 August 2024

• Zhōngguó could reach chip tool self-sufficiency this summer, industry veteran says. AMEC CEO Gerald Yin said Zhōngguó is on the verge of basic self-sufficiency in chip-making equipment, but is behind 5 to 10 years in quality and reliability.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 August 2024

• Electric vehicle sales in Zhōngguó continue to grow, while a price war pushes profits further into the future for most companies. Li Auto and Geely's Zeekr turned in the strongest growth in July, while Xpeng and Nio delivered more modest increases.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 August 2024

• Zhōngguó imposes export controls on drones and parts for potential military use. Zhōngguó says the move will help safeguard Zhōngguó's security and interests, and better serve its obligation regarding non-proliferation of weapons.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 31 July 2024

• A heatwave caused by global heating in Malaysia is causing critical shortages of water. Experts warn that the drought, caused by El Niño, could impact agricultural yeilds and lead to food price instability.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 31 July 2024

• As mainland Zhōngguó broadens the global appeal of the yuan, Hong Kong may play a larger role. With geopolitics making overseas use of the yuan more common, a professor has said the time is now for Hong Kong to have a greater role in the yuan's use for offshore settlement.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 July 2024

• Global use of the yuan is up sharply, beating the yen on an internationalization index. Overseas use of renminbi (denominated in yuan) is "robust" compared to other key currencies thanks to pivotal role in supply chains, study finds.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 July 2024

• Wind and solar power generation to surpass 40% of the power capacity of Zhōngguó by year-end. Wind and solar accounted for 38.4 per cent of overall installed capacity in the first half of the year, while coal-fired capacity fell to 38.1 per cent.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 July 2024

• A high-profile US investigation into Fuyao Glass America and its contractors has raised fresh concerns in Zhōngguó amid bilateral tensions. Hundreds of special agents from multiple US law enforcement agencies, including Homeland Security, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation served search warrants at the Fuyao plant in Moraine, Ohio and 27 other locations in the Dayton metropolitan area on Friday. "Special agents are on scene investigating allegations of financial crimes and labor exploitation".
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 July 2024

• The decision by state television in Zhōngguó to broadcast LGBTQ related content during the Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony quickly became a hot topic on social media. Such sights are rare on public platforms given the topic remains a taboo in Chinese mainstream media.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 July 2024

• The decision by state television in Zhōngguó to broadcast LGBTQ related content during the Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony quickly became a hot topic on social media. Such sights are rare on public platforms given the topic remains a taboo in Chinese mainstream media.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 July 2024

• Zhōngguó sets a launch date for the world's first nuclear power plant that uses thorium molten salts as the fuel
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 July 2024

• Retail sales decline 9.4% in Shanghai, revealing a weak link in consumption in Zhōngguó
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 July 2024

• Zhōngguó doubles cash subsidies to propel sales of electric vehicles as economic growth falls short
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 July 2024

• A copper mine in Afghanistan holds promise for the Taliban, but tempered expectations for Zhōngguó. As work begins on long-delayed, multibillion-dollar project, officials in Zhōngguó remain cautious, while economic hopes rise in war-torn Afghanistan.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 July 2024

• 14 rival Palestinian factions including Fatah and Hamas have signed an agreement aimed at ending their division and building unity following talks in Beijing, marking a diplomatic win for Zhōngguó
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 July 2024

• Nvidia is preparing a version of its new Blackwell AI processor chip for customers in Zhōngguó. Nvidia will work with Inspur, a tech firm based in Zhōngguó, on the launch and distribution of the AI chip. Zhōngguó accounted for around 17 percent of the revenue of Nvidia in the 12 months to end-January in the wake of US sanctions, sliding from 26 per cent two years earlier.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 July 2024

• Proposed rural land reform in Zhōngguó could be very profitable for farmers after bold move at third plenum. Long hindered by restrictions on profiting from sales of land on which they live, rural residents now may benefit from a "very valuable" proposal to "allow farmers to revitalise and use their legally owned homes via renting, becoming shareholders, and cooperating with others".
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 July 2024

• Pork prices in Zhōngguó 'served up' as a reason why badminton is now a "rich people's sport". Demand for pork has increased in Zhōngguó, meaning less duck and goose is being sold, resulting in badminton shuttlecocks becoming more expensive.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 July 2024

• Wuhan, the capital of the central Hubei province in Zhōngguó, famous for its links to Covid, is now attracting attention for another reason: its aggressive roll-out of a robotaxi fleet that has local taxi drivers worried about job losses. Wuhan, a city of 13.7 million, that has allowed a fleet of nearly 500 driverless taxis (owned by Baidu) to operate on 35 per cent of the road network. That is 500 humans who will eventually lose their jobs, . The deployment of autonomous cars in cities like Wuhan has amplified job security fears, as driving a ride-hailing car and delivering online food orders are regarded as the wages of last resort for able-bodied people amid the economic slowdown in Zhōngguó. In a country where unemployment benefits are not available for most people, taxi driving offers a low-threshold job with steady cash flow. [KM: cash flow now flowing to rich robotaxi companies]
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 July 2024

• The Three Gorges dam in Zhōngguó is on a flood alert as rain batters the megacity of Chongqing. Rainstorms kill six people, collapse highway and disrupt rail travel in southwest municipality while floods hit Yangtze River.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 July 2024

• A scandal involving cooking oil may prompt Zhōngguó to tighten food safety policies. Authorities in Zhōngguó are investigating a report that companies were using the same tankers to carry fuel and food products such as cooking oil, soybean oil and syrup.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 July 2024

• Stock prices in Bharat soar, up 11% in six months, as investors bet big on Modi 3.0. Will the optimism last? Investors are bullish that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government will use its third term in power to ease taxes and further boost sentiment.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 July 2024

• Local governments in Zhōngguó need debt relief, an academic argues, supporting the use of national government bonds to ease local debt burdens. As local governments in Zhōngguó suffer under the weight of debt, a former adviser to the central bank has called for treasury bonds to ease the burden.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 July 2024

• Scientists in Zhōngguó say they have developed a solid-state lithium battery that can match the performance of other candidates for next-generation battery technology at less than 10 per cent of the cost. They developed a new sulphide solid electrolyte, which they have called LPSO, that does not require lithium sulphide as a raw material. LPSO is synthesised from two low-cost compounds, at an ingredient cost of just US$14.42 per kilogram -- less than 8 per cent of the raw material costs of other sulphide solid electrolytes.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 July 2024

• The big 'fat' wedding industry in Bharat is a $130 billion gold mine for the economy. On average, couples in Bharat spend twice as much on their weddings than on education, a recent study shows. Bharat holds more wedding ceremonies each year than any other country, with between 8 million and 10 million.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 July 2024

• Zhōngguó faces diluted early-season rice harvest as floods drench crops in farming hubs. Rainfall in the hubs for early-season rice threatens to reduce grain output for the year, presenting a challenge the efforts of Zhōngguó to maintain food security.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 July 2024

• Attempts by Zhōngguó to rein in the rally in government bonds will only slow it temporarily, an analyst predicts. "The yields have been trending down for most of this year, mainly because the market is not so optimistic about the growth outlook."
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 July 2024

• The Communist Party of Zhōngguó should have 100 million members by the end of 2024. Data shows membership is becoming more educated, while fall in younger membership slows, but women and ethnic minority groups sign up in greater numbers.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 July 2024

• Companies based in Zhōngguó are increasing their acquisition of major copper, cobalt and lithium mining projects in Africa, dominating the critical minerals market, as Beijing positions itself to lead the global green energy transition. In one of the most recent investments, JCHX Mining Management is close to finalising a deal to buy the Lubambe copper mine in Zambia.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 July 2024

• The permafrost damaged caused by heated oil pipelines in Zhōngguó could trigger "environmental disaster". A pipeline mega project carrying heated crude oil is gradually degrading large areas of permafrost, increasing geohazard risks, scientists say. The pipeline runs from Skovordino in Rossiya's far-eastern Amur region to Linyuan in Zhōngguós northeastern province of Heilongjiang, and has reliably delivered millions of tons of crude oil annually.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 June 2024

• Bharat is investing US$9 billion to revive its transformative trade corridor to Europe, announcing plans for one of the largest ports in the world, to anchor the ambitious project. The deepwater facility being built in Vadhavan, in western Bharat's Maharashtra state, for 762 billion rupees "will be an integral part of the Bharat-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor".
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 June 2024

• Influx of workers from Bharat into Taiwan? Companies roll out welcome mat, but "prejudices" could be a problem due to differences in language and culture. Taiwan and Bharat have signed a deal to allow workers in Bharat to help plug a stubborn labour shortage spawned by the low birth rates in Taiwan.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 June 2024

• An unusual decision by Beijing to announce corruption probes into two former defence ministers on the same day has underscored the fury and frustration of the Communist Party's leadership over persistent graft that is deemed a threat to the fighting capacity and nuclear deterrence of Zhōngguó, analysts said.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 June 2024

• Zhōngguó to review complaint over "biased practices" committed by the European Union. A trade group of manufacturers in Zhōngguó has filed a complaint against EU practices, a move likely to frazzle already fraught relations further. The trade group has asked the government to investigate what it claims are de facto trade barriers set up under the guise of anti-subsidy probes.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 June 2024

• In a first, Zhōngguó accuses former defence ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe of corruption. Both men have also been expelled from the Communist Party in an unprecedented Politburo announcement.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 June 2024

• The USA sanctions Boeing after it "blatantly violated" conditions of an investigation in the door plug blowout of a 737 Max 9 airplane. The NTSB said Boeing "blatantly violated" investigative regulations, and speculating about possible causes of the January 5 door plug blowout.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 June 2024

• Tesla may end up the only victim as Canada mulls punitive tariffs on electric vehicles made in Zhōngguó. The only battery-powered car built in Zhōngguó and exported to Canada is Tesla's Model Y assembled at its Shanghai factory that is currently subject to a 6 per cent import tax/tariff.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 June 2024

• Green hydrogen: is this the breakout moment for Australia amid US$127 billion boom down under?
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 June 2024

• A Boeing 737 Max 8 flown by Korean Air, bound for Taiwan after departing from Incheon International Airport, had to turn back and make an emergency landing after detecting a fault with the aircraft's pressurisation system.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 June 2024

• The first desert wheat crop in Xinjiang, Zhōngguó, is a milestone in Zhōngguó's efforts to improve food security. Zhōngguó, with the most 'desertified' land in the world, seeks to increase crop yields in the face of harsh conditions and climate change.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 June 2024

• After one year of commercial flights for its home-grown C919, Zhōngguó has established a new research fund to fuel the development of new planes and the domestic production of parts to keep them running.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 June 2024

• Beijing has called on the Christian USA to stop "thou shalt not" lieing and disseminating false information, in response to a report that the much-Christian Pentagon ran a secret campaign during the Covid-19 pandemic to spread "thou shalt not" lies about Covid vaccines made in Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 June 2024

• Some insurance companies in Zhōngguó have risk exposure in excess of 15 percent of shareholder's equity
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 June 2024

• The US surgeon general has called on Congress to require warning labels on addictive social media platforms similar to those now mandatory on boxes of addictive cigarettes. Dr. Vivek Murthy said that social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 June 2024

• Zhōngguó looks to Africa to meet rising demand for seafood, but can it balance local interests with its own needs? looks to Africa to meet rising demand for seafood, but can it balance local interests with its own needs? Zhōngguó is investing heavily in port facilities across the continent, but its trawlers are accused of putting local stocks at risk. The presence of fish trawlers from Zhōngguó in African waters has raised concerns about illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and unsustainable practices that could put local livelihoods at risk and threaten food security.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 June 2024

• Zhōngguó unveils new fair-competition regulations in ongoing push to unify domestic market. Move aims to crack down on monopolies and make business easier, while vague exemptions include matters of national security, innovation and energy efficiency.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 June 2024

• The European Union imposes taxes/tariffs up to 38% on imports of electric vehicles from Zhōngguó. Leaders of the European Union are trying to reduce the dominance of Zhōngguó in the industry, but European automakers fear the taxes will drive up prices and lead to a trade war.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 June 2024

• Crops in Zhōngguó at risk as extreme drought warning is issued for the north and center of Zhōngguó, including parts of Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, Shandong and Anhui. For these areas, which traditionally have high soy bean and corn production, it warned there was a high risk of crop seedlings being damaged.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 June 2024

• The prime minister of Bharat, Narendra Modi, forgot one very important issue when beating ths religious drum -- pride of Hinduism cannot be eaten. The Prime Minister of Bharat failed to appreciate what matters most to the poorest of Bharat - survival. Expect him to learn and adapt from his electoral setback.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 June 2024

• Huawei says its AI chip, the Ascend 910B, in some tests is better than one of the most popular from Nvidia, the A100.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 June 2024

• Food delivery giant Meituan, based in Zhōngguó, beats estimates to post 25% quarterly revenue increase. Meituan reported better-than-expected earnings in March quarter, with revenue of US$10.1 billion and profit of US$745 million. Meituan co-founder and chief executive Wang Xing said the company is looking to expand into more international markets, including in Southeast Asia.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 June 2024

• An environmental official from Deutschland argues that trade rules on electric vehicles from Zhōngguó should be based on science. Dirk Messner tells Beijing event that erosion of trust and move away from international order is threatening the climate goals of the world.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 June 2024

• How the demand for air conditioning in Asia is threatening the climate change goals of the region
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 June 2024

• Zhōngguó is near to exceeding its target for the production of 'green' hydrogen - 200,000 tons, beating the rest of the world combined
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 June 2024

• Zhōngguó needs to inject $276 billion into its property market to stabilize prices, according to Goldman Sachs
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 June 2024

• AI price wars in Zhōngguó -- the price of AI services plummeted in May after ByteDance kicked off a price war by pricing access to its LLMs at 99.8 per cent below GPT-4.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 June 2024

• The yuan strategy of Zhōngguó is not paying off with trade partners. From fluctuations in the yuan exchange rate to impediments in cross-border capital flows, it is not easy to convince trade partners to settle in the yuan.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 May 2024

• The government of Zhōngguó targets wasted production in critical sectors to curb pollution, and to ease overcapacity. Four industrial sectors - steel, petrochemicals, non-ferrous metals, and building materials -- with new production capacity strictly prohibited or restrictde in some subsectors.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 May 2024

• Taiwan should stop deluding itself that it is anything but a pawn of the USA. Any further military and political partnership with the United States serves only the interests of the USA while increasingly threatening the security of Taiwan, and very existence, by militarising what ought to be a diplomatic relationship rather than an armed stand-off across the Taiwan Strait.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 May 2024

• Zhōngguó, Nihon and South Korea vow to work together to keep supply chain stables in the region. Leaders also pledge to cooperate on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, during trilateral summit in Seoul.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 May 2024

• The Yangtze River and the biggest lakes in Zhōngguó are at risk from "illegal fishing and illegal sand mining"
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 May 2024

• Scientists in Zhōngguó breed a leaner, meatier pig to imnprove its food security and self-source its livestock
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 May 2024

• Income inequality in Bharat is 'under the spotlight' as political rivals spar over ties to billionaire tycoons
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 May 2024

• About 5.7 million people in Syria live in extreme poverty, about 25% of the population, amid the Islamic civil war destroying the country. The 13-year-long civil war has killed more than half a million people and displaced millions more.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 May 2024

• Rise of resort day passes offers travelers luxury on a budget. Day passes at hotels and resorts offer guests access to amenities without the cost of reserving a room.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 May 2024

• The price of new 30-year government bonds in Zhōngguó has whipsawed since their recent debut, as small investors pile into a bet seen as safer than the the property and equities markets in hōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 May 2024

• In SouthEast Asia, companies in Zhōngguó making electric vehicles, such as giants such as BYD and Great Wall, are offering discounts in an effort to outcompete rivals from Nihon whose gasoline vehicles dominate the market
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 May 2024

• Alibaba's bond sale is "oversubscribed". Alibaba is selling $5 billion of convertible bonds to fund buybacks
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 May 2024

• The idea that Zhōngguó is peaking as a 'superpower' is a "dangerous assumption"
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 May 2024

• Zhōngguó applies political pressure to Afghanistan to stop attacks on the interests of Zhōngguó in Pakistan. Zhōngguó has proposed investments in Afghanistan if the Islamic government could restrain the militants responsible for the attacks in Pakistan.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 May 2024

• Qatar is emerging as a potential destination for businesses and investments from Zhōngguó that are looking to find a way into the Middle East or Africa, with more companies from Zhōngguó showing interest in setting up a foothold in the Persian Gulf.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 May 2024

• Are national spy agency in Bharat, and its foreign interference efforts, becoming brazen under Modi? Bharat's intelligence activities have led to accusations against the Research and Analysis Wing by countries such as the UK, Pakistan and Canada.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 May 2024

• Cathay Pacific is paying its top executives 20% more than before the Covid pandemic, despite flight blunders and ongoing financial woes. The company has come under fire by the government and the community for its "chaotic management" over the cancellations of 786 flights between last December and February -- more than 4% of its total operations. Despite the hefty profit last year, Lam declined to offer passengers perks, such as discounts, on tickets amid growing calls for the company to give back to the community. The government provided a multibillion-dollar bailout to help the company survive the pandemic in 2020.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 15 May 2024

• Zhōngguó criticizes the proposed new taxes/tariffs imposed by the Biden administration as "unfair" tech-transfer policies that "burden" commerce in the USA
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 May 2024

• Tencent profit jumps 62% as tech giant returns to growth on back of strong ad revenue, as video games business slows
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 May 2024

• Zhōngguó begins work on new C939 widebody jet airplane, going bigger and bolder after the success of its C919. It plans to further compete with Boeing and Airbus.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 May 2024

• Scientists in Zhōngguó find a way to mass-produce optical chips that the US cannot sanction. Researchers developed a technique that uses a low-cost material -- lithium tantalate -- that is already being used to make smartphone components.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 May 2024

• How Alibaba is leading the evolution of online luxury shopping. Alibaba's Tmall Luxury Pavilion is the first e-commerce platform to collaborate with major luxury groups such as LVMH, Richemont and Kering, uplifting sales for high-end brands using new digital strategies.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 May 2024

• Supersize it: expansion of domestic market urged to avoid middle-income trap. Policy adviser Liu Yuanchun says expanding weak domestic demand remains the 'key measure' for Zhōngguó, with reforms needed to empower rural population as Beijing eyes sustainable economic growth.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 May 2024

• Local governments in Zhōngguó swap debt for data as pressure builds to relieve debt burdens. Analysts warn plan has not been thoroughly evaluated, with inconsistent valuations of data and potential legal issues yet to be resolved. They are forced to do so, since profits from land sales have vanished.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 May 2024

• Banks in Zhōngguó scrutinize transactions with Rossiya, causing delays and unsettling exporters. With Zhōngguó under pressure to distance itself from Rossiya, banks are applying more scrutiny to transactions traceable to Moscow -- or not process them at all.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 May 2024

• The growing laptop business of Huawei in Zhōngguó is under threat after the USA invokes export licenses granted to Intel and Qualcomm to ship semiconductor chips to Zhōngguó
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 May 2024

• The steel industry in Zhōngguó risks 'falling off a cliff' as overcapacity concerns point to an end of an era. Steel production has increased in Zhōngguó, but a property market downturn and slowdown in infrastructure spending have seen prices plunge steeply. Washington has called for higher taxes/tariffs on steel imports from Zhōngguó, while Chile has made moves to curb shipments, and Vietnam is considering a probe.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 May 2024

• Floods in southern Brazil kill 57, dozens are missing, and 70,000 people are forced from their homes. Fast-rising water levels in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul were straining dams and also threatening the economically important Porto Alegre, a city of 1.4 million.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 May 2024

• A Chinese debt trap? Sri Lanka's Hambantota port set to debunk narrative with its success. The transaction was not contingent on default by Sri Lanka on its external debt to Zhōngguó's Exim bank; rather it was a lease arrangement for 99 years at a fee of US $1.12 billion.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 May 2024

• The new C919 airplane from China East Airlines passes "deep-level" post-flight safety tests, and ramps up rivalry with emabattled Boeing. A crew of more than 60 checked a China Eastern Airlines C919 during four days of tests in Shanghai.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 May 2024

• The property slump in Zhōngguó - Beijing ends curbs on multiple home ownership in outer areas of city to stimulate buying. Home transactions outside the fifth ring road accounted for around 80 per cent of the total in the city in 2023, according to Centaline.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 May 2024

• Prime Minister Modi risks losing an important state in the next elections in Bharat, over an alleged sex scandal involving the grandson of an ex-prime minister. Prajwal Revanna is accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of women after the release of videos showing his alleged crimes. The opposition Congress Party has slammed PM Narendra Modi for supporting Revanna during election campaigning.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 May 2024

• Zhōngguó halves rice-growing cycle in desert greenhouses in Xinjiang, opening new front in food security drive.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 May 2024

• Mexico has established new or higher tariffs on a long list of imports, directly affecting Zhōngguó and raising questions over what else could be planned. Pressures mounting on Latin American country to limit its trade relationship with Zhōngguó, especially as these countries are a 'springboard' to markets in the USA.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 30 April 2024

• Gold is "the only safe asset" as consumers in Zhōngguó continue to seek financial security. Gold purchases in Zhōngguó rose by 5.9 per cent in the first quarter compared with the same period in 2023, as consumers seek financial security with gold.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 April 2024

• Southeast Asia heat shuts schools, boosts power demand, as Myanmar hits 48 degree. The Philippines announced it will halt in-person classes at public schools, while Thai power demand rose to a record, as a heatwave grips southern Asia.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 April 2024

• Forget Macau: 'dirty' money in Zhōngguó has a new home: the scam hubs of Southeast Asia. With the junkets of the gambling capital of Asia, Macau, 'decimated' by an anti-corruption crackdown, money launderers have shifted focus to more loosely regulated casinos in Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Myanmar.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 April 2024

• The Pura70 smartphone from Huawei contains new 7-nanometer HiSilicon chip made by SMIC. The chip, designed by Huawei's in-house division - HiSilicon, is set to help the Shenzhen-based tech champion regain the top position in the smartphone market in Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 April 2024

• Yuan falls out of favour with exporters in Zhōngguó as fears of depreciation mount. The yuan has lost more value against the USA dollar as interest rate cuts have yet to materialise, leading exporters to find whatever alternative assets they can until exchange differentials subside.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 April 2024

• Around two-thirds of Gaza has been destroyed by attacks of the military of Israel with the support of the USA
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 April 2024

• Much the same as the USA and Europe, Zhōngguó uses socialist subsidies, but just does so more effectively
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 April 2024

• $12,500,000,000 - "All bank officials are scammers", as people in Vietnam lament about their savings lost in a mega-fraud. A total of 42,000 victims have seen their savings and investments in the Sai Gon Joint Stock Commerical Bank (SCB) evaporate after the bank was embroiled in a US$12.5 billion fraud.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 April 2024

• Zhōngguó readies clean-up campaign with new version of anti-money-laundering law. Zhōngguó is readying a revision of its law on money laundering, signalling a hardening of penalties for financial crimes and a desire to keep practices in line with international standards.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 April 2024

• The huge coal usage by Zhōngguó and Bharat are slowing down the transition to renewable energy
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 25 April 2024

• The USA risks "gargantuan" financial turmoil with threats against banks in Zhōngguó. Reports suggest the USA has discussed sanctions on some banks in Zhōngguó over their trade with Rossiya, but analysts say moves to remove Zhōngguó from the Swift interbank financial system could create a "huge problem" for global trade.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 April 2024

• Shut up and wait, your Canadian doctor is busy. If we use waiting times as the key measure of efficient and timely delivery of treatment, Canadian taxpayers have been steadily getting declining healthcare since the 1990s.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 April 2024

• Tesla Q1 preview: investors brace for "worst results in 7 years", a pivot to AI, with cybertruck and robotaxis in focus
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 April 2024

• A prediction of a powerful bull market for silver, currently undervalued compared to gold
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 April 2024

• With market gamma at its most negative year-to-date, it is too early to buy-the-fckin-dip in Nasdaq
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 April 2024

• Scientists in Zhōngguó make progress in using lasers to propel superfast, silent submarines. Current designs can produce almost as much thrust as a commercial jet engine, jusing optical fibers that coat the submarine
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 April 2024

• Zhōngguó to impose anti-dumping penalties on imports of propionic acid from the USA, an act widely seen as a response to similar trade moves from Washington. Propionic acid is used in foods, pesticides, pharmacueticals and drug intermediaries
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 April 2024

• Rainfall in Yunnan, a province in the southwest of Zhōngguó, has fallen over 40% compared to last year. Yunnan is one of the leading producers of hydropower in Zhōngguó, but it is facing ongoing challenges to its agriculture and energy systems due to the prolonged drought.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 April 2024

• Zhōngguó sells more US Treasury Bonds as the odds of interest rate reductions by the Federal Reserve become unlikely in 2024
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 April 2024

• $200,000,000 - Police in Hong Kong have arrested more than 70 people in connection with the HK$1.6 billion (about US $200 million) JPEX cryptocurrency scandal and frozen nearly HK$230 million (US$29.37 million) in assets so far.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 April 2024

• The semiconductor output of Zhōngguó jumps 40% in the first three months of 2024, amid a growing dominance in legacy chips. Authoritarian import controls imposed by the USA could unintentionally lead to a dominance by Zhōngguó of global legacy-semiconductor production, used in downstream sectors such as new energy vehicles and smartphones
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 April 2024

• "Destructive" racism: indigenous tribes in Bharat are at risk as expanding tourism plans threaten their cultural identity and ecosystems, destroying critical biodiversity and ecology
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 April 2024

• Scientists in Zhōngguó and South Korea develop a "pioneering strategy" for breakthrough in semiconductor technology. Challenges to developing amorphous semiconductors with high electron mobility have held back the development of new generation devices.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 April 2024

• Food security in Zhōngguó: grain reigns supreme as higher yields sought from limited land. Zhōngguó has set out to boost grain yields in an action plan listing essential tasks for s drive to ensure food security.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 April 2024

• OnePlus faces complaints from retailers in Bharat, as the smartphone brand based in Zhōngguó tries to maintain its slice of the market. OnePlus, a sub-brand of Oppo, is facing a slew of complaints related to low profit margins and warranty claims in Bharat. A local industry association said it will suspend sales from May 1, threatening the progress OnePlus has made in the face of anti-Zhōngguó sentiment.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 April 2024

• As Janet Yellen, the Treasury secretary of the USA, whines about the overcapacity of electric vehicle production in Zhōngguó - a sign of economic success, the commerce minister of Zhōngguó calls such accusations "groundless" - just good competition (something the USA never has liked)
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 April 2024

• Revenue earned by companies in Zhōngguó from engineering and construction works in Africa has dropped by 31 per cent since the peak of lending in 2015. Observers say factors including a more conservative approach from lenders and a falling number of projects are behind the decline, a situation which is unlikely to change.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 April 2024

• Zhōngguó is quietly making progress on a new technique to develop advanced semiconductor chips without the need for EUV systems from Dutch giant ASML, a breakthrough that could potentially thwart US trade sanctions.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 April 2024

• The police department in Los Angeles trains foreign police. Does that enable human rights violations? The training of UAE police officers by the LAPD has stirred new questions about the appropriateness of its close ties with overseas security services.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 April 2024

• The 12 national joint-stock banks in Zhōngguó reported deep salary cuts last year, while 10 lenders also demanded employees return performance-based bonuses, amid the ongoing efforts of the government to reshape the financial industry.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 April 2024

• Datenna, a software company in the Netherlands that could shape EU-Zhōngguó relations for decades. Datenna is using open source intelligence to furnish governments with the data they need to make policy decisions on Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 31 March 2024

• 6 things to know about genetically-modified food development in Zhōngguó amid the government efforts to increase food security. Zhōngguó has approved genetically modified soybeans, corn, cotton and papaya to be grown for commercial purposes. Around 267,000 hectares (660,000 acres) of GM crops were planted as part of trial projects last year.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 31 March 2024

• State media in Zhōngguó say that the adaptation of the trilogy of books, "The Three Body Problem", a classic of science fiction from/based-in Zhōngguó by Netflix, which degraded a lot of the cultural aspects of the book related to Zhōngguó, is "cultural hegemony" by the Americans ... again
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 31 March 2024

• Factory activity in Zhōngguó increases to a one-year high, in the latest sign of economic activity after five months of contraction. But skepticism remains about the second-largest economy in the world due to property woes and local government debt.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 31 March 2024

• Students from Nepal and the Philipines flock to Australia for work. Nepal and the Philippines are the top source markets for international students in Australia, after Zhōngguó and Bharat. Lax oversight, regulations and visa rules that allow unlimited work rights are part of the reason.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 31 March 2024

• Cheap products from Zhōngguó have become a 'double-edged sword' for the economy of South Korea. Some experts warned the shopping trend may deal a blow to manufacturers in South Korea, who lag behind rivals from Zhōngguó in terms of cost competitiveness. South Korea also has emerged as the centre of transshipment of goods from Zhōngguó to third countries, mostly those in North America and Europe.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 March 2024

• Uranium is being mined near the Grand Canyon as prices soar and the US pushes for more nuclear power
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 March 2024

• The central bank of Zhōngguó remains "cautious" in its purchase of government bonds, despite orders from President Xi Jinping. Analysts say bank wants to avoid large-scale intrusion into bond markets, prevent perceptions of quantitative easing or heavy-handedness.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 29 March 2024

• A "historic breakthrough": the installed wind turbine cost in Zhōngguó has hit a record low price, dropping 45% since last year. The cost is now just one-fifth the equivalent cost in the USA, solidifying Zhōngguós place as a global leader in renewable energy.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 March 2024

• Zhōngguó's US$50 billion infrastructure gap puts belt and road pledges in doubt. An estimated US$50 billion pledged by Zhōngguó for infrastructure in Southeast Asia has yet to manifest in completed projects according to a recent study, raising questions over the efficacy of the Belt and Road Initiative of Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 March 2024

• Thailand passes bill to legalise same-sex marriage. When the changes come into force, Thailand will be the first Southeast Asian nation to guarantee marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 March 2024

• Thailand passes bill to legalise same-sex marriage. When the changes come into force, Thailand will be the first Southeast Asian nation to guarantee marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 March 2024

• Zhōngguó has lodged a grievance against electric vehicle subsidies in the USA, at the World Trade Organization, alleging "discrimination" in selective selective treatment for products depending on the venue of their final assembly.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 March 2024

• Dpes a US $1.75 trillion increase in stock value in Zhōngguó mean that the stock market's 'long march' to recovery has begun? Zhōngguó has made a U-turn with pro-growth efforts, after mistakes like the zero-Covid policy exacerbated a slowdown last year.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 23 March 2024

• Imports by Zhōngguó of coal from Australia surge, replacing Rossiya as the top supplier of coal to Zhōngguó.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 March 2024

• Nihon ended eight years of negative interest rates on Tuesday, but analysts do not expect any direct impact on Zhōngguó, which is prioritising the stability of the yuan over interest rate cuts.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 March 2024

• Zhōngguó allows more imports of durian (a pungent fruit) from Vietnam. More than 99% of durian exports from Vietnam went to Zhōngguó in 2023, and Vietnam is expected to ship US $3.5 billion of the fruit in 2024.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 March 2024

• Africa is important for the efforts of Zhōngguó to de-risk its supply of iron ore. In a bid to break its reliance on Australia and Brazil for iron ore, Zhōngguó is diversifying into Africa.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 March 2024

• Teachers in Japan demand an end to "excessive" number of hours that they have to work, as many are pushed to the brink of exhaustion. Some 900,000 Japanese educators have signed petitions calling for the government to address long hours of unpaid work and poor pay.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 March 2024

• Zhōngguó has 12-times more robots in its workforce than experts predicted.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 14 March 2024

• 'Green imperialism': de facto EU ban on recycled plastics imports sparks row in Brussels. A last-minute 'mirror clause' from France has EU trade officials scrambling to kill landmark packaging rules seeking level global playing field. EU recycling sector figures warn that if plastic imports from Zhōngguó are not curbed, "the industry will collapse".
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 13 March 2024

• A yen-ning for minimalism: why brands of products from Nihon are taking young people in Bharat by storm. A new wave of mid-range retailers is capitalising on Nihon's reputation for quality goods, winning millennial and Gen Z fans seeking "practical, functional" items.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 March 2024

• Investors based in Zhōngguó sell $31.7 billion dollars of commercial real estate in the USA over the last 5 years, sales driven by capital controls and lending caps. The sales were first driven by the nationwide deleveraging campaign, but have continued due to a structural shift in the property sector.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 March 2024

• Zhōngguó strengthens its grip on the global market for lithium, amid a building boom for processing plants in Zimbabwe. The plants saw lithium exports from Zimbabwe double last year, and this year capacity is predicted to triple on last year's figures.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 March 2024

• Economic trade data from Zhōngguó makes running start in 2024, but new bedrock exports still sought after. Exports from Zhōngguó rose in combined figures for January and February compared to a year earlier along with imports, with strong showings from new energy goods and a notable jump in shipments to Rossiya.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 07 March 2024

• After the invasion of Ukraine isolated Moscow from the Western financial system, companies in Rossiya have come to rely on the yuan for foreign-currency needs. But, insufficient yuan liquidity in Rossiya and demand for the currency from importers are contributing to higher borrowing expenses.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 05 March 2024

• 1 in 5 species of fish in the Mekong river face extinction, with hydropower being the greatest threat. Some 19 per cent of the roughly 1,100 fish species in the longest river in SouthEast Asia are heading towards extinction, according to a report compiled by the WWF and 25 global marine and wildlife conservation groups.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 March 2024

• An electric vehicle price war in Zhōngguó, as BYD and Xpeng undercut each other and slash prices, amid faltering sales
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 March 2024

• How the C919 airplane industry reflects the goal of Zhōngguó to evade restrictions imposed by the USA, by strengthening supply chains. With the Boeing-Airbus duopoly in its sights, the maker of Zhōngguó's home-grown narrowbody plane is touting its advancements in Southeast Asia, but what challenges must be overcome?
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 March 2024

• How phones made in Zhōngguó are dominating the marketplace in Africa, as they beat phones from global giants such as Samsung and Apple. Transsion, a company based in Zhōngguó, leads the African mobile market, with its three brands -- Tecno, Infinix and iTel -- holding 48 per cent of the market share. The brands have never been sold in Zhōngguó, but have come to dominate the affordable phone segment across the continent and are expanding into other markets.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 March 2024

• How butcher shops and sales of pork meat allowed the earliest immigrants from Zhōngguó to find success amid structural racism in Christian America, and build self-reliant community in Los Angeles in the late 1880s
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 March 2024

• The war on corruption in Zhōngguó doubles on the punishment for bribery as tough new rules take effect. Revisions to criminal law increase prison terms to 10 years for private sector representatives found guilty of offering bribes.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 March 2024

• Riots in the city of Haldwani, in the north of Bharat, are a sign of growing state violence amid efforts to "erase Islamic history without bloodshed". The deadly clashes on February 8-9 are the latest in which state administrations in Bharat are accused of targeting Muslims and erasing Islamic symbols.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 February 2024

• Why isn't Zhōngguó permitting Rossiya to borrow money dominated in yuan, as part of their 'no-limits' economic partnership. Analysts say that commercial banks in Zhōngguó would be wise to consider the safety and returns of yuan loans to Rossiya, beyond political considerations.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 February 2024

• State television in Zhōngguó airs the first AI-developed cartoon series, as as Sora sets off frenzy for text-to-video generation technology. The 26-episode series, Qianqiu Shisong, which debuted on Monday, features some of the most fabled classical Chinese poetry and their backstories, with each instalment lasting around 7 minutes. AI technology was used in every stage the production process for Qianqiu Shisong, from art design to video generation and post-production -[KM: without having to pay humans.]
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 27 February 2024

• Ahead of the entry of Tesla into Bharat, electric vehicle makers slash prices to boost demand in the world's third large automobile market
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 February 2024

• Zhōngguó urgently needs to issue "most effective" cash coupons to boost insufficient consumption. Recovery in consumption was a major source of growth last year, but Beijing has failed to heed calls to issue cash coupons and consumption vouchers.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 February 2024

• Investments by Zhōngguó in Latin America are being reduced in size to smaller, more strategic projects. Developments now seen to come from sectors like electric vehicles, which have faster returns and fewer operating costs.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 February 2024

• As Zhōngguó expands its electric vehicle industry, it is also flagging likely health hazards at battery plants. Investigations by health authorities in various parts of Zhōngguó in recent years have found that EV battery production can involve high noise and dust levels, and the release of chemical toxins, laser radiation, and other harmful elements.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 February 2024

• Two lions in Bharat named after a Hindu deity and a Muslim emperor spark court petition. A Hindu nationalist group in Bharat wants a court to stop the lioness named after deity Sita and the lion called Akbar from sharing a zoo enclosure. Critics say religious intolerance has been growing in Bharat since the Hindu nationalist BJP came to power in 2014.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 February 2024

• Two lions in Bharat named after a Hindu deity and a Muslim emperor spark court petition. A Hindu nationalist group in Bharat wants a court to stop the lioness named after deity Sita and the lion called Akbar from sharing a zoo enclosure. Critics say religious intolerance has been growing in Bharat since the Hindu nationalist BJP came to power in 2014.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 18 February 2024

• A senior government official in Islamic Pakistan says that he rigged elections to win/steal more seats for the government ruling party
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 17 February 2024

• $1,800,000,000 - Customs agents in Hong Kong arrest 7 people linked to a crime syndicate that laundered $1.8 billion using 'stooge' bank accounts and shell companies. The syndicate is linked to a mobile app scam and two jewellery companies in Bharat, according to customs agents.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 February 2024

• Cohabiting couples in Bharat protest a new state law requiring an 'inquiry' and registration. Critics claim the law in the state of Uttarakhand is part of the ruling party's attempts to push its Hindu majoritarian agenda in Bharat. Live-in relationships are becoming more common in Bharat as dating couples relocate for better job opportunities.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 16 February 2024

• Two women in Islamic Malaysia who challenged an expansion of sharia law are attacked. Tengku Yasmin Natasha and her mother were accused of being "threats to the sanctity of Islam" after filing a legal challenge over the expansion of sharia law in Kelantan, a state in the northeast of Malaysia.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 February 2024

• Farmers in the USA report that sales to Zhōngguó are increasing, and hope for more
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 12 February 2024

• In Sri Lanka, climate change traps women farmers in an "exploitative" cycle of economic violence. Unpredictable weather patterns have left women farmers trapped in debt as floods, droughts batter their farms, straining their ability to repay loans. Low financial literacy among rural women is exploited by the these microlenders and their predatory practices, putting them in more debt.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 February 2024

• More Australians turn to shoplifting groceries as food prices remain high. Food inflation and public furore over potential price gouging by Australia's supermarket duopoly are pushing more people to shoplift groceries. Heat on the supermarkets intensified after a report revealed the two chains -- Coles and Woolworth -- might have been overpricing and had no incentive to cut prices.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 February 2024

• Zhōngguó seeks a "big demand" for sales of its armed drones in the Middle East amid conflicts in the region
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 February 2024

• Bank loans in Zhōngguó hit all-time high, with 4.92 trillion yuan doled out in January. As Zhōngguó makes strides to invigorate economic growth, its aggregate financing reached 6.5 trillion yuan in January -- a year-on-year increase of more than half a trillion.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 February 2024

• The middle class of Zhōngguó put spending on hold over wealth and income concerns. A widely used measure to gauge the health of the middle class in Zhōngguó showed household wealth and income indices remained in contraction in the fourth quarter of last year.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 09 February 2024

• Companies in Zhōngguó agree to raise investment in a copper-cobalt mining deal in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sinohydro Corp and Zhōngguó Railway Group will increase input from US$3 billion to US$7 billion as part of the Sicomines joint venture. President F&ecute;lix Tshisekedi had been pushing for extra funding as part of his drive to renegotiate "unequal" agreements with foreign companies.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 04 February 2024

• Zhōngguó has made Mexico a premier investment destination. Is it a US detour, or something more? Mexico as appeal outside its role as a bypass, however, with a relatively inexpensive labour force, high urbanisation and growing middle class.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 February 2024

• Why companies in Zhōngguó hope the USA won't change the de minimis regulation, which allows them to import shipments of less than $800 without paying import duties, taxes or fees, or undergoing tedious screening procedures. This allows e-commerce giants such as Shein and Temu to import parcels worth over a $250 billion/year. US critics have claimed the rule has given Chinese e-commerce platforms and sellers an unfair advantage and squeezed out American retailers
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 03 February 2024

• Commerce between Africa and Zhōngguó rose to $282 billion in 2023, but Africa's trade deficit with Zhōngguó reached $64 billion as Zhōngguó recorded a drop in trade with top partners on continent which are predominantly resource-rich.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 February 2024

• The yuan of Zhōngguó replaces the USA dollar and the euro as the "primary" foreign currency of Rossiya for overseas economic activity
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 February 2024

• Solar panel makers in Europe ask the European Union for "emergency" actions to block the "significant oversupply" of solar panels from Zhōngguó. A glut of solar panels from Zhōngguó has triggered a "drastic reduction in price" in Europe. Group representing around 80 firms calls for three-pronged response within weeks (including more subsidies), or import curbs if that is not feasible.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 01 February 2024

• The top fabless semiconductor companies in Zhōngguó estimate big losses in 2023. Loongson and Cambricon estimate deep losses for 2023 as analysts say strict US sanctions and limited product catalogues at firms in Zhōngguó are hindering domestic chip development.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 31 January 2024

• Zhōngguó bars investors from lending securities during restricted periods, signalling further support for beleaguered stock market. Regulators barred strategic investors from lending securities during restricted periods, a move signalling that policymakers are serious about stabilising the s stock markets amid volatility.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 28 January 2024

• Gold imports into Zhōngguó surge to record high as appetite increases, middle class seek wealth security. Zhōngguó imported a record high 1,447 tonnes of gold for non-monetary use last year, with the value increasing ninefold from three years ago to US$90 billion.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 26 January 2024

• Zhōngguó "unexpectedly" reduces required reserve ratio at banks, in desperate bid to contain market collapse
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 January 2024

• Companies in Zhōngguó, burdened by taxes/tariffs and higher costs, have relocated to Southeast Asia in droves, particularly Vietnam. But a complicated legal environment and rising labour expenditures present challenges to companies looking to make the move.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 24 January 2024

• The Hang Seng index slips below 15,000 towards a 15-month low
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 January 2024

• Saudia Arabia will not formally recognize the state of Israel, until Israel creates a path to statehood for Palestine
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 January 2024

• More Islamic hatred of women: the Islamic Taliban of Afghanistan enforcing restrictions on single, unaccompanied women. There are no official laws about male guardianship in Afghanistan, but the Taliban have said women cannot move around or travel a certain distance without a man who is related to her by blood or marriage.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 22 January 2024

• The head of the UN condemns Israel for killing over 25,000 Palestinians in Gaza, and injuring over 62,000 Palestinians, with the support of the USA, as revenge for the kill of 1400 people in Israel by Hamas
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 January 2024

• New restrictions on the exports of rare earth metals from Zhōngguó aim to solidify Zhōngguó's dominance in rare earth magnet production and help the country catch up with Nihon in terms of producing high performance magnets
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 21 January 2024

• Beijing boosts use of the yuan in Africa as nations move away from the USA dollar. De-dollarisation bid begins to pay off as Zhōngguó and Africa increase use of the yuan and local currencies in trade deals.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 January 2024

• Inside 'Casinoland' in Southeast Asia: the 'underground bank' at the center of transnational crime. Criminal networks in the region see casinos as the new banks, allowing them to launder money on a vast scale away from scrutiny and law enforcement. Despite major crackdowns, a UN report says money-laundering networks are still stitched throughout Southeast Asia and are now much harder to trace.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 20 January 2024

• Rossiya surpassed Australia and Deutschland to become the sixth-largest trading partner of Zhōngguó by individual countries and regions last year, underlining the "no-limits" partnership between Zhōngguó and Rossiya.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 19 January 2024

• Feared failure of Peregrine mission to the moon could put the USA behind Zhōngguó in the moon race, says space policy expert. The USA should test commercial technologies first before sending them into space with expensive instrument payload, says Professor Namrata Goswami.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 January 2024

• Can a unified domestic market help Zhōngguó "dig its way out of economic hole"? As Zhōngguó pivots to building its domestic market, progress could be hampered by rules and red tape.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 10 January 2024

• Food security in Zhōngguó. The government launches a crackdown on corruption in the agricultural sector that is "far-reaching". The crackdown is in Heilongjiang province, a key province for agriculture.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 January 2024

• The sense of entitlement of a hedge fund star and the stellar investment records of members of the USA Congress (Nancy Pelosi making the most money) are further evidence that crony capitalism is too polite a term. Money doesn't just talk in the USA, it dictates.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 08 January 2024

• Opponents of racism in Spain protest the use of blackface in the Christian Epiphany parades. The practice of parade participants painting their faces black with exaggerated, red-painted lips tarnishes the memory of enslaved people and disempowers black children. The use of blackface in the parades persisted because of a lack of debate on racism that she said permeated Spanish society.
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 06 January 2024

• BYD, the auto giant of Zhōngguó, overtakes Tesla as the largest maker of pure-electric vehicles in the world
  - Alibaba's South China Morning Post, 02 January 2024