Chinese Robot Makers Race to Replace Workers, Attract Western Buyers
“Last year, I visited 11 robotics companies in China across five cities…All of them were engaged, in different ways, in the race to…commercialise robots capable of replacing human workers—and some of them already have eager western buyers.” @Changxche https://t.co/jen93jcxA4
Rumor: New Yalu River Bridge to Open Autumn 2026
“China and the DPRK have revived transport links…Yet one key project remains suspended…for more than a decade: the New Yalu River Bridge…A rumour currently circulating in Dandong…may be aiming to open the bridge in or around Autumn of 2026.” @Sino_NK https://t.co/4blxm8Shiz
Hua Guofeng Stabilized CCP After Mao’s Death
“Hua was never a popular leader, and his departure was met with a collective shrug. But the Party should be grateful: he kept it together after the death of Mao. Given how fractured the CCP was at the time…‘this was...
China’s Rapid Robot, Drone, Autonomous Rollout Outpaces US
“China feels different from America…You can’t ‘feel the AGI’ yet, or at least I can’t, but you feel everything else—robots, drones, autonomous driving…This has to do with the speed and cost of deployment, but also…Beijing’s…priorities.” @Changxche https://t.co/zHisc4vGJg
China's Aviation Regulator Skips Second Annual Crash Update
Reuters: China’s aviation regulator has not released an annual update on its investigation into a deadly China Eastern Airlines crash for the second year in a row, letting the fourth anniversary pass without providing any insight into the cause. https://t.co/KJ0yOnAqJc
China Cracks Down on Lawyers Defending Jailed Christian Leaders
China Targets Lawyers Defending Jailed Christian Leaders—Arrest of pastor Ezra Jin has drawn criticism from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. lawmakers @BrianSpegele https://t.co/dFy26iokX4 https://t.co/dFy26iokX4
Taiwan Mobilizes Civil Defense to Counter Chinese Threat
Taiwan’s All-Hands-on-Deck Plan to Fend Off China—A civil-defense movement gains momentum across the self-ruled island @joyuwang https://t.co/S54wvPxc54 https://t.co/S54wvPxc54
Super Micro Staff Indicted for Illegal AI Server Sales
Super Micro Computer Employees Arrested for Alleged Sales to China—An indictment alleges the three men conspired to sell servers housing AI technology to buyers in China https://t.co/dFYGL3rcpX https://t.co/dFYGL3rcpX
U.S. Says China Won’t Invade Taiwan in 2027
China Isn’t Planning to Invade Taiwan in 2027, U.S. Concludes—Beijing views an amphibious attack as a losing gamble, intelligence assessment says @joyuwang https://t.co/QOqBlNWNu6 https://t.co/QOqBlNWNu6
OpenClaw Mirrors China's AI Hope and Fear
NYT: In the span of a month, an artificial intelligence assistant called OpenClaw has come to embody both China’s excitement and its anxiety about what A.I. can do. @megatobin1 https://t.co/pylgYFMPj3
China's Energy Shock Unavoidable Despite Renewables and Reserves
The Economist: China cannot escape the energy shock—Despite renewables and reserves, it will suffer https://t.co/hzNezKxOUo
Pentagon Tests China‑War Missiles in Gulf Strikes
For the Pentagon, there is benefit to demonstrating its missile capabilities in combat: The strikes on Iranian vessels from across the Gulf were conducted with the same types of missiles the U.S. is planning to use in case of war...
China Covertly Sustains Iran with Oil and Rockets
How China Is Quietly Helping an Isolated Iran Survive—From buying oil to selling rocket parts, China gives Iran critical support @austinramzy @RoryWSJ https://t.co/xCbI1lO7VO https://t.co/xCbI1lO7VO
Trump’s China Delay Signals End of US Asia Pivot
.@JohnDelury: “Are we witnessing the end of the Pivot to Asia?…Trump’s desire to delay his China trip sends a clear message to the region that Washington has a serious bandwidth problem.” https://t.co/z3Dfcg9e3q
US Welcomes Chinese Dependence, Resists Chinese Market Involvement
.@ZichenWanghere: “The United States is comfortable with economic ties that deepen Chinese reliance on U.S. supply—yet far less willing to tolerate even tightly constrained forms of Chinese participation in the U.S. economy.” https://t.co/DoXfoZWKzl
Middle East Crises Keep Presidents From Confronting China
In Delaying China Summit, Trump Faces a Familiar Mideast Distraction—The war in Iran is the latest example of why multiple presidents have found it so hard to focus on the U.S.’s most formidable rival @BrianSpegele https://t.co/L9yyo9jgqr https://t.co/L9yyo9jgqr
BYD Brings Rapid‑stop Charging to Europe, Upping Competition
BYD is taking its quick-stop charging technology to Europe this year. It is another challenge for Western automakers competing with Chinese rivals there and at home—and potentially in the U.S. someday. @ryanfelton https://t.co/gSUlkTsjC9
China’s Strong Start Hides Uneven Growth Amid External Risks
Chinese Economy’s Bright Start Masks Uneven Growth as External Risks Loom—Data released showed industrial production rebounded on surging exports https://t.co/ccsgwcicJL https://t.co/ccsgwcicJL
Alibaba Consolidates AI Under New Unit to Boost Global Competitiveness
Alibaba Group has formed a business unit overseeing all its AI businesses, as the Chinese tech giant seeks to solidify its position in the global artificial-intelligence race. @Tracyyyqu https://t.co/SPTDYBkQW4 https://t.co/SPTDYBkQW4
Trump Announces Xi Summit in Five to Six Weeks
Trump Says Meeting With Xi Taking Place in Five to Six Weeks—President Trump said his planned summit in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping will take place in about five or six weeks. @KThomasDC https://t.co/8gdFGagYZb
Trump Pivots to Dealmaking, Seeks Delayed US‑China Summit
Trump Shifts U.S.-China Strategy on Trade to Dealmaking—Plus, President Trump has asked Beijing to delay his summit with Xi and some have signaled renewed openness to bilateral investment @Lingling_Wei https://t.co/XagDzu9g7G https://t.co/XagDzu9g7G
China Approves First Invasive Brain‑computer Interface, Launches Research Hubs
“Days after Chinese regulators approved…the world’s first invasive brain-computer interface device cleared for commercial use in patients, Shanghai announced three new research centers aimed at accelerating the technology’s development.” @SixthTone https://t.co/q1mrOAY82F
Humanoid Robot Rentals Plunge 80% in China
“In the spring of 2025, renting a humanoid robot for a corporate event in China cost…10,000 [to] 20,000 yuan per day. By March 2026, JDcom’s rental storefront lists a Unitree humanoid, with on-site engineer included, starting at 1,796 yuan.” @poezhao0605 https://t.co/yotqwvFfWf
Trump Claims U.S. Requested Delay of Xi Summit
Trump Says U.S. Has Asked to Delay Summit With China’s Xi—President Trump said the U.S. had asked to delay a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping that had been expected to begin later this month in Beijing. @KThomasDC https://t.co/RIlqe39hUE
U.S. Softens Ban on Uyghur Forced‑Labor Goods
“Amid the…turns in the Trump administration’s China trade policy, one feature has attracted little attention: the [U.S.] has apparently eased its efforts to block imports of goods made using the forced labor of China’s Uyghur population.” @economicsnoah https://t.co/C9UGkHv9WW
China Resumes Island Building in South China Sea
SCMP: “Is Beijing stepping up island building in South China Sea after 10-year pause?…China has significantly stepped up its land reclamation activities on a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, according to satellite images.” https://t.co/ldcaW2FKcB
Trump, Xi Explore Formal Mechanisms to Manage US‑China Trade
Reuters, citing sources: “The two sides discussed the establishment of new formal mechanisms to help manage trade and investment between the world’s two largest economies that may be considered by Trump and Xi in Beijing, the sources said.” https://t.co/8xXdogaiRy
Air China Restarts Beijing‑Pyongyang Direct Flights, Business‑Class Only
Bloomberg: Air China will resume direct flights between Beijing and Pyongyang on March 30, according to booking information on travel platform Ctrip. Only business-class was available for the March 30 Pyongyang-Beijing flight, for $990. https://t.co/C3Gy22RFny
China's 2026 Economy Starts Steady, Boosting Consumption Shift
China’s Economy Off to Steady Start in 2026 Amid Lowered Expectations—Better-than-expected performance in first two months of year opens space for Beijing to pursue goal of shifting toward consumption-led growth @ByXiaoXiao @TByGraceZhu https://t.co/KtqJ6NLc1z https://t.co/KtqJ6NLc1z
China Resumes Taiwan Encirclement Flights After Unexplained 10‑Day Pause
China Resumes Military Flights Around Taiwan After Sudden 10-Day Hiatus—Beijing hasn’t explained why it abruptly stopped what had become a routine practice, nor its resumption @joyuwang https://t.co/z19UmfOrMn https://t.co/z19UmfOrMn
Xi Labels U.S. Dangerous After Trump’s Iran, Venezuela Moves
For Xi, Iran War Reinforces View of U.S. as Dangerous Superpower—Trump’s military actions in Iran and Venezuela set tense stage for a coming superpower summit @austinramzy https://t.co/1gsSWd2hed https://t.co/1gsSWd2hed
Nationalist “Main Melody” Films Lose Blockbuster Momentum
The Economist: “‘Main melody’ films, as big-budget productions carrying nationalist propaganda are known, are in a rut. Such titles were once blockbusters, topping the box office every year between 2017 and 2023, except 2019. Those days are now gone.” https://t.co/kCR1KEu0O6
Taiwan's Chinese‑free Drones Soar Onto Ukraine Battlefield
The Economist: Taiwan’s bid to export drones free of Chinese parts is taking off—The island’s unmanned aerial vehicles are already in use on Ukraine’s front line https://t.co/0WgU5M7FCu
Trump's Actions Push Russia and China Closer Together
.@AlexGabuev in FT op-ed: “‘The one thing you never want to happen is you never want Russia and China uniting. I’m going to have to un-unite them’…Fourteen months into his second presidency, Trump’s actions are having precisely the opposite...
U.S. Better Equipped for Prolonged Oil Price Surge
Washington Post: Years spent preparing for a global energy crisis have left the country and its economy better positioned than most to endure a long-term hike in the cost of oil and gas. https://t.co/Z93avoq3HM
Beijing‑Pyongyang 24‑Hour Train Resumes, Easing Ties
The 24-Hour Train Between Beijing and Pyongyang Is Back on Track—The resumption of railway travel restores some normalcy to a rocky relationship between North Korea and China @timothywmartin @chuqin_jiang https://t.co/A8nPnkjONl https://t.co/A8nPnkjONl
ByteDance Secures Nvidia's Blackwell AI Chips Despite Ban
China’s ByteDance Gets Access to Top Nvidia AI Chips—TikTok parent, pushing global expansion, plans to tap Blackwell processors that are barred for export to China @JonathanEmont @lizalinwsj https://t.co/cTBSVMnK4r https://t.co/cTBSVMnK4r
China's February Passenger Car Sales Plunge 25%
China’s Auto Sales Drop as Demand Cools—Retail sales of passenger cars fell 25% in February @ivy_jiahuihuang https://t.co/Frh2Ytf9an https://t.co/Frh2Ytf9an
Ships Claim China Ties to Dodge Iran War Attacks
AP: Some commercial ships near or in the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf have declared themselves as China-linked since the Iran war began, marine traffic data show, as their operators apparently try to reduce risks of being targeted in...
Luxury Fleet and Helicopter Reveal Opulent Cambodian Travel
“He also had fleets of black Mercedes-Maybachs and Toyota Alphards, some with ‘5555’ on their license plates. Within Cambodia, he traveled with two bodyguards and on a private helicopter, according to a person familiar with the matter.” https://t.co/51xEsr12US
Chinese Flight Lull Fuels Taiwan's Uncertainty Amid Middle East Focus
Mysterious Lull in Chinese Military Flights Leaves Taiwan Guessing—Pause stokes uncertainty about Beijing’s intentions as world focuses on Middle East @joyuwang https://t.co/f0x5nq3FHt https://t.co/f0x5nq3FHt
Ukraine Achieves China-Free Drone Production Milestone
NYT: Ukraine Reaches a Milestone: Making ‘China-Free’ Drones—The country has prioritized self-sufficiency in producing a crucial battlefield weapon, though weaning itself fully off cheaper Chinese components is difficult. https://t.co/1VEbDkSJyw
WeChat Cracks Down on Feminist, LGBTQ, Mental Health Accounts
“In what is becoming an annual event, a spate of bans on the eve of March 8 International Women’s Day has struck numerous WeChat public accounts focused on feminism, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights…and promoting mental health.” @CDT https://t.co/PUc2VIdUO1
Xi Pushes Forced Ethnic Unity, Criminalizing Cultural Dissent
Xi Enforces His Demand for Ethnic Unity Across China—After crackdowns on Uyghurs, Tibetans, law threatens punishment for anyone who doesn’t embrace common language and culture @ByChunHan https://t.co/SSqyEwn7sh https://t.co/SSqyEwn7sh
Americans See China as Alien, Fueling Chinamaxxing Meme
Washington Post op-ed: “Chinamaxxing is an effective meme precisely because Americans still see China, the world’s second-largest country by population and only other superpower, as incredibly alien.” https://t.co/xuaBorhEus
CRINK's Demise Highlights Fragmented Anti‑US Alliance
“One casualty of the strikes on Iran should be the ugly acronym ‘CRINK’…Although the four countries share an opposition to the United States…there is little that unites…beyond the Chinese Communist Party’s solipsistic pursuit of its own interests.” https://t.co/p4n7y6ZuGu
Latin America Appeases US, Banks on Chinese Cash
NYT op-ed: “For years, Washington’s Latin America policy has oscillated between neglect and alarmism…The result is a region that has learned to nod to U.S. concerns while quietly cashing Chinese checks.” https://t.co/fuVrwW6AHG
U.S. War Undermines Global Standing, Boosts China’s Influence
“This war hugely damages U.S. standing in the world, which means that China has much more scope to establish its own standing in the Middle East and the Global South generally,” said Steve Tsang, director of the @SOAS_CI in London. @yarotrof...
China’s Record 2025 Trade Surplus Fuels Ongoing Tensions
China’s Export Machine Keeps Pumping Ahead of Trump Visit—After record trade surplus in 2025, new figures suggest tensions will persist @LandersWSJ @TByGraceZhu https://t.co/siI2mnk49t https://t.co/siI2mnk49t
China Buffers Iran Oil Shock with Stockpiles, EV Shift
China Has Spent Years Preparing for the Iran Oil Crisis—Massive oil stockpiles and a shift to electric vehicles help insulate the economy from supply disruptions in the Mideast @BrianSpegele https://t.co/xq1mMRdTGu https://t.co/xq1mMRdTGu