Amid global tensions involving Venezuela and Iran, there is hope that the scheduled meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing in April 2026 could arrest America’s aggressive and predatory policies. A possible Trump-Xi détente could also reduce risk-taking in the Taiwan Straits, and push China to take a different position on the Ukraine war. In 2025, Trump accepted an invitation from Xi to visit Beijing in April 2026. The call, as US media reported, was initiated by Xi. This was preceded by a…
the Hong Kong Globe
When Donald Trump pulled back on his plan to impose eye-watering tariffs on trading partners across the world, there was one key exception: China. While the rest of the world would be given a 90-day reprieve on additional duties beyond the new 10% tariffs on all U.S. trade partners, China would feel the squeeze even more. On April 9, 2025, Trump raised the tariff on Chinese goods to 125% – bringing the total U.S. tariff on some Chinese imports to 145%. The move, in Trump’s telling, was prompted by Beijing’s…
Singer Jess Lee reinvented herself as a real estate agent, before making a return to the stage, Xing Wen reports. Her professional summary could have read, “The winner of a hit singing competition in Taiwan; award-winning vocalist; expert in belting out high Cs … and negotiating apartment leases.” For Malaysian singer Jess Lee, turning to real estate became a practical choice when performance opportunities dwindled to almost none in 2020. She moved through the streets and lanes of Taoyuan, Taiwan, listening closely to people from all walks of life as…
China launched a group of internet satellites into orbit late on Tuesday night, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the leading State-owned space contractor. The satellites, part of the 18th group of low-orbit hardware in China’s State-owned internet network, were lifted by a Long March 8A carrier rocket that blasted off at 11:25 pm from the Hainan International Commercial Aerospace Launch Center, a coastal spaceport in Wenchang city, and soon reached their orbital positions, CASC said in a news release. The satellites were designed and made by the…
The ongoing Dutch restrictions against Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia risk causing “multi-layered and irreversible” real-world damage to the stability of semiconductor supply chains in Europe and globally, deputy chief of a chip industry association has warned in an exclusive interview with the Global Times. The comments from Wei Shaojun, vice chairman of the China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA), came in response to the Netherlands placing Nexperia under special administrative measures over so-called security concerns. The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs revealed on October 12, 2025 that it had invoked the 1952…
Chinese A-share tech stocks extended last week’s rally on Monday, with more than half of the sector rising in early trading and seven stocks posting gains of more than 5 percent. On Sunday, Bloomberg described China’s market performance by “another key element of investing in Asia tech.” Earnings growth for a gauge of China’s tech megacaps is poised for a major inflection point in 2026 when it’s expected to overtake Magnificent 7 for the first time since 2022, Bloomberg reported on Sunday. As enthusiasm for the nation’s tech sector picked…
China announced on Friday that it will change export tax rebates for a range of products, including photovoltaic and battery products. The announcement, jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance and the State Taxation Administration, said that export tax rebates for the value added tax of photovoltaic products will be canceled starting from April 1, 2026. Meanwhile, the export tax rebate rate for the value added tax of battery products will be reduced from 9 percent to 6 percent starting from April 1, 2026, and will be eliminated starting from…
In his annual address to French ambassadors at the Élysée Palace in Paris on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron outlined France’s foreign policy priorities, sharply criticizing the US for “gradually turning away” from some of its allies and “breaking free from international rules,” while leveling criticisms and claims against China and Russia, according to a press release issued by the Élysée Palace. A Chinese expert noted that Macron’s criticism appears to be mostly aimed at the US following a series of Washington’s actions, although he also criticized Russia and made…
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” has continued the franchise’s unbeatable winning streak. James Cameron’s latest “Avatar” film has grossed over $1 billion at the global box office, making the franchise the highest-grossing trilogy in history, and is one of only four films in 2025 to cross the worldwide billion-dollar mark. It will likely not break the records of the first or second film. But even so, you cannot argue that the series is anything short of a colossal success. One of the things few people discuss about the “Avatar” films is…
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported Wednesday that a woman shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis has died. Homeland Security officials have described the shooting as an act of self-defense, while Minnesota governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey have pushed back on this account. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated that the shooting occurred when ICE officers fired “defensive shots” in response to the woman “attempting to run over our law enforcement officers” with her vehicle. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem…