China Hits Out at 'Illegal' US Sanctions on Iran and Trading Partners | BBC News

Aug 26, 2026 | China has vowed to protect its interests after the US announced plans to widen economic sanctions against Iran and its trading partners, which include Beijing.

Foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said China was firmly opposed to what it called "illegal unilateral sanctions" and would take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its rights.

US President Donald Trump has said that the US Navy has removed or detonated all mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

Pakistan say talks with Iranian leaders on the path to peace are making progress.

Trump's Shock South Korea Decision

August 21, 2026 | We know that Donald Trump has made a habit out of rewarding dictators and throwing off the shackles of long-standing relationships with allies.

Today international and political editor Peter Hartcher discusses Donald Trump’s latest appeasement of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, and the threats he’s issued to Oman.

China Evergrande Founder Hui Ka Yan Sentenced to Life in Prison for Financial Crimes

August 20, 2026 | China Evergrande founder Hui Ka Yan has been sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to eight financial crimes, including fraud and bribery. The court also confiscated his personal property and imposed multibillion-yuan fines on Evergrande and Hengda Real Estate. The ruling completes the dramatic downfall of a former Asian billionaire whose debt-fuelled property empire collapsed with liabilities exceeding $300 billion. For more details, watch our story and subscribe to our channel, DRM News.

ALSO READ:

China Sentences Evergrande Founder to Life in Prison: Hui Ka Yan’s punishment caps the downfall of a property empire whose collapse set off a prolonged crisis in the Chinese economy. »

"While Americans Preach about Nonsense, China Lifts People Out of Poverty" | Steve Keen

August 15, 2026

As US Global Dominance Declines, China Is Rising in Every Domain

Ben Norton explains why the US is declining while China is rising.

China’s Latest A.I. Breakthrough Threatens America’s Lead

THE NEW YORK TIMES: China’s Moonshot AI unveiled a freely available artificial intelligence model that seemed to narrow the gap with cutting-edge offerings from U.S. tech companies.

The contest between China and the United States for supremacy in artificial intelligence escalated on Friday when the Chinese start-up Moonshot AI released a new A.I. model that appeared to narrow the lead held by well-funded American competitors.

Moonshot said that the model, Kimi K3, was the world’s largest open-source A.I. system, allowing anyone to use, modify and build on it freely. The company said that Kimi K3 performed as well as leading models from OpenAI and Anthropic at some key tasks.

The release coincided with an address by Xi Jinping, China’s leader, in which he outlined an ambitious vision for global A.I. development that cast China as the champion of an open approach to the technology.

“A.I. development should not be a solo performance by a single country but a symphony of international cooperation,” Mr. Xi said. China was “ready to work with all parties to seize the opportunities of A.I. development,” he said.

The market reaction was immediate. Stocks fell on Friday, with the Nasdaq dropping about 1 percent as investors sold shares of U.S. companies that make the computer chips needed to power A.I., including Nvidia and Intel. » | Meaghan Tobin and Cade Metz | Meaghan Tobin reported from New York and Cade Metz from San Francisco. | Friday, July 17, 2026

Trump's Big Speech Was 'Gibberish,' 'Drivel,' 'Horseshit'

July 17, 2026

When Americans eventually manage to kick Trump out of the White house, the powers-that-be should STRIP Trump of ALL his ill-gotten gains, ALL that he has stolen from the people through CORRUPTION, and put it back into the state coffers, where it belongs. — © Mark Alexander

Trump Setting Stage to Declare Emergency around Midterms, Former White House Attorney Says

Jul 16, 2026 | For perspective on what President Trump is trying to achieve with Thursday night's speech, the limits of his authority and the potential consequences for future elections, Geoff Bennett spoke with Ty Cobb. He was a White House attorney in the first Trump administration, managing the response to special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into alleged Russian election interference.

This gentleman, Ty Cobb, validates my assertion below that Trump is doing this to declare a state of emergency. What Trump is doing here is as plain as the nose on your face! Trump is rotten to the core. — © Mark Alexander

US President Donald Trump Alleges China Committed 2020 Voter Fraud | BBC News

Jul 17, 2026 | US President Donald Trump has delivered a primetime address in which he accused China of interfering in the 2020 election and alleged "shocking vulnerabilities" in American voting systems.

Trump, who spoke from the White House on Thursday, has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims about voter fraud and foreign meddling in the 2020 election which he lost to Joe Biden.

In the half-hour speech, delivered three months before the midterm elections, he said he had declassified hundreds of intelligence files which supported his claims that Beijing had tried to sway the election in Biden's favour.

The US intelligence community has previously concluded China did not interfere in the 2020 election.


Trump is such an objectionable dictator wannabee. Trump's next move will be to declare a state of emergency! This man is simply out to cancel the upcoming elections.

Americans have really got themselves into a pickle by re-electing Trump to be their POTUS. It’s a pickle which is going to be difficult for them to get out of.

By the way, Trump wants to get his ‘Save America Act’ through Congress. There is only ONE WAY for America to be saved and and that is by kicking this MENACE out of office, out of the White House — once and for all! — © Mark Alexander

Xi Jinping Quit Smoking. China Still Cannot.

THE NEW YOTK TIMES: China’s tobacco monopoly has become so financially vital to the government that even its powerful leader has failed to curb the country’s smoking habit.

On a warm spring day in 2012, Xi Jinping, then China’s vice president, met with Bill Gates in Beijing. As the men were walking out of the meeting room, the conversation turned to smoking in a country that consumes nearly half the world’s cigarettes.

Mr. Xi, a former smoker, said he felt much better after quitting years earlier and described tobacco use as a serious problem for China, recalled Dr. Ray Yip, then head of the Gates Foundation in China. Mr. Xi, who would become president the next year, promised to “do something about tobacco,” Dr. Yip said.

Days later, Mr. Gates appeared at an antismoking event with Peng Liyuan, the Chinese leader’s wife and a celebrity singer. Both wore red shirts emblazoned with an antismoking slogan. Yet in the 14 years since, as Mr. Xi has become China’s most dominant leader in decades, Beijing has made only slow progress curbing tobacco use or enacting a national indoor smoking ban. While cigarette sales have fallen across much of the world, China has moved in the opposite direction.

Cigarette consumption in China rose 39 percent from 2003 to 2023, even as it fell 26 percent in the rest of the world. The 2.4 trillion cigarettes sold in China each year account for nearly half the global total, according to a report by a nongovernmental organization founded by former officials from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The percentage of smokers has declined over the last 13 years, as fewer young people smoke, but cigarette sales have steadily grown. Cigarettes prices are low: A pack costs about $3 on average, roughly one-third the price in the United States.

The failure to slow cigarette sales is a measure of the clout wielded by China’s State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, which both regulates the industry and operates the country’s dominant cigarette maker, the China National Tobacco Corporation. » | Joy Dong | Reporting from Hong Kong | Wednesday, May 27, 2026

阅读简体中文版 »

閱讀繁體中文版 »

The Chinese Car Company Beating Tesla | The Global Story

May 26, 2026 | In 2025, the Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD overtook Tesla as the world’s biggest seller of electric vehicles.

As conflict in the Middle East pushes up fuel prices and boosts demand for EVs, Chinese carmakers are seizing the opportunity. Driven by years of state-backed investment and industrial policy, China has quietly become the global powerhouse of EV production, leading the industry in technology, innovation, and affordability, while the US struggles to keep up.

In today’s episode, we speak to Suranjana Tewari, Asia Business Correspondent for BBC News. She explains what BYD cars are really like, and how China won the EV race.

Trump’s Sharp Turn on China: Embracing It as a Peer Power

THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Trump’s warming with Xi Jinping of China, a leader he admires, has ignited anxieties in Washington and across Asia.

This screenshot is from this NYT article. | The U.S. and Chinese governments rolled out a new phrase, “constructive strategic stability,” during President Trump’s meeting in Beijing last month with the leader of China, Xi Jinping. | Kenny Holston/New York Times
After meeting with China’s top diplomat in Malaysia last summer, Secretary of State Marco Rubio uttered a line that made few waves at the time but would later help pave the way for an abrupt change.

The United States and China, Mr. Rubio said, had an “opportunity here to achieve some strategic stability” and find areas of cooperation. He used the phrase again in February while talking about China in the Caribbean, also to little notice.

Chinese officials picked up on Mr. Rubio’s remarks and suggested to their U.S. counterparts even rosier language to describe ties between the two nations, according to two people with knowledge of the previously unreported diplomacy.

The new phrase — “constructive strategic stability” — was rolled out by both governments during President Trump’s meeting in Beijing last month with the leader of China, Xi Jinping.

Although the language sounds stiff and somewhat vague, such diplomatic terms serve as important guideposts. The new catchphrase signals to agencies in both nations, and to other powers, that the United States and China — the world’s two largest economies and most powerful militaries — are looking to work together or limit hostilities, notably on trade and Taiwan. » | Edward Wong | Edward Wong, the author of a book on China, reported from the field during President Trump’s visit to Beijing and Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s trip to India. | Tuesday, June 9, 2026

阅读简体中文版.

閱讀繁體中文版.

Leer en español.

À LIRE AUSSI :

Emmanuel Macron organisera jeudi une visioconférence incluant la Chine pour renforcer la «coopération» économique mondiale avant le G7 : Cette conférence, baptisée «sommet de convergence mondiale pour la croissance», se fera également en présence de plusieurs autres pays émergents. »

Anklage gegen Raúl Castro: China und Russland warnen USA vor Eskalation

BERLINER ZEITUNG: Die Spannungen zwischen den USA und Kuba verschärfen sich weiter. China und Russland stellen sich demonstrativ hinter Havanna, während Donald Trump offen über ein mögliches Eingreifen spricht.

Dieser Screenshot kommt aus diesem Artikel. | Der frühere kubanische Präsident Raúl Castro (94) bei einer Parade zum 1. Mai auf dem Platz der Revolution in Havanna. | © Ramon Espinosa
China und Russland haben die Anklage der USA gegen den früheren kubanischen Präsidenten Raúl Castro als gefährliche Eskalation verurteilt. Peking forderte die die Trump-Regierung auf, Kuba nicht länger mit Sanktionen und juristischen Maßnahmen unter Druck zu setzen. Der Kreml sprach von Methoden, die „an Gewalt grenzen“. Hintergrund ist die Anklage gegen den 94-jährigen Castro wegen des Abschusses zweier ziviler Flugzeuge im Jahr 1996, bei dem vier Menschen starben.

US-Präsident Donald Trump verschärfte den Ton gegenüber Havanna am Donnerstag weiter. „Es sieht so aus, als wäre ich derjenige, der eingreifen wird“, sagte Trump laut AP mit Blick auf Kuba. Einen Tag zuvor hatte er noch erklärt, eine weitere Eskalation sei nicht notwendig. » | Alexander Schmalz | Donnerstag, 21. Mai 2026

LESEN SIE AUCH:

„Es gäbe ein Blutbad“: Kuba warnt USA vor militärischem Angriff: Nach Berichten über ein angebliches kubanisches Drohnenarsenal verschärft sich der Streit zwischen Havanna und Washington. Kubas Präsident Miguel Díaz-Canel warnte die USA vor einem „Blutbad“. »

Xi Says World Is At Risk of ‘Law of the Jungle’ as He Hails China-Russia Links

THE GUARDIAN: Chinese president hosts Putin in Beijing and welcomes relationship as stabilising global force

Xi Jinping said the world was at risk of regressing into the “law of the jungle” and hailed the China-Russia relationship as a stabilising global force as he hosted Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday, just days after hosting Donald Trump.

The Chinese leader welcomed the Russian president with pomp and pageantry as the pair began talks in the Great Hall of the People.

Chinese soldiers stood in position as a military band played the Russian and Chinese national anthems for the leaders in central Beijing. Children waved Russian and Chinese flags and cheered: “Welcome, welcome!” in Chinese before the pair entered the Great Hall.

The scene was reminiscent of Trump’s high-profile meeting with Xi in Beijing last week, when the leaders of the world’s two largest economies discussed issues from trade and investment, to the Iran conflict and Taiwan. » | Alastair McCready in Taipei | Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Why Did Trump Fly to China to Kiss the Ass of the Most Powerful Man in the World?

May 17, 2026 | Trump flew to China to meet with Xi Jinping, and the whole thing looked less like strength and more like desperation.

He’s in way over his head with Iran. The war has exposed what many of us already knew:

Trump loves acting like a strongman, but when the pressure gets real, he runs to actual powerful leaders hoping they can bail him out. This trip wasn’t about “America First.” It was about Trump needing Xi Jinping’s help, needing China’s leverage, needing the red carpets, the dinners, the gifts, the praise, and the pageantry to cover up the fact that he has no real plan.

Reports say Trump left China without major breakthroughs on Iran, Taiwan, or AI, while Xi got the optics he wanted: China standing on equal footing with the United States.

Trump talked about lifting sanctions on Chinese companies buying Iranian oil, but there were no clear, concrete wins announced. This is the problem with fake strength. Trump can talk tough at rallies, insult journalists, threaten political opponents, and pretend he’s some fearless negotiator. But on the world stage, he looks small. Xi Jinping knows it. Iran knows it. The world knows it. Trump didn’t go to China looking powerful. He went looking for a way out.

China dämpft Erwartungen: Peking nennt Ergebnisse von Trump-Besuch „vorläufig“

BERLINER ZEITUNG: Nach dem Staatsbesuch von US-Präsident Trump relativiert Peking die Ergebnisse: Die Vereinbarungen zu Zöllen, Agrarprodukten und Flugzeugkäufen seien bislang nur „vorläufig“.

Nach dem Staatsbesuch von US-Präsident Donald Trump in Peking hat Chinas Handelsministerium die getroffenen Vereinbarungen zu Zöllen, Agrarprodukten und Flugzeugkäufen als „vorläufig“ eingestuft. Details zu Mengen, Werten oder Zeitplänen nannte die Behörde nicht.

In einer am Samstag auf der Internetseite des Ministeriums veröffentlichten Mitteilung hieß es, beide Seiten hätten vereinbart, ein Investitions- und ein Handelsgremium einzurichten. Diese sollten über wechselseitige, produktspezifische Zollsenkungen sowie weitergehende Kürzungen für nicht näher bezeichnete Waren einschließlich Agrarprodukten verhandeln. Die Gespräche über Einzelheiten dauerten an, die Abkommen sollten „so bald wie möglich“ finalisiert werden, teilte das Ministerium mit. » | Sophie Barkey | Samstag, 16. Mai 2026

Trump Looked ‘Nothing Like the Man We Know’ in Beijing

May 15, 2026 | Mark Logan, former Member of Parliament, and Vice-Chair All Party Parliamentary China Group, joins Maddie Hale to analyse Donald Trump’s two day trip to Beijing to meet with Xi Jinping.

Trump Worships Xi Jinping in Embarrassing China State Visit.

May 15, 2026 | Donald Trump spent years portraying China as America’s greatest enemy, yet during his Beijing summit with Xi Jinping he appeared far more comfortable admiring authoritarian pageantry than defending democratic values. The visit exposed a deeper contradiction at the heart of Trump’s politics: his hostility toward China has never really been about authoritarianism, but about competition with a system of centralized power he openly envies.

ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.

Trump Hits Back after Xi Claims US Is ‘Declining Nation’

THE TELEGRAPH: Donald Trump has pushed back on claims made by Xi Jinping that America is a “declining nation”.

The US president accepted that “tremendous damage” had been done to the US in recent years but blamed his predecessor Joe Biden.

“When President Xi very elegantly referred to the United States as perhaps being a declining nation, he was referring to the tremendous damage we suffered during the four years of Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden Administration, and on that score, he was 100% correct,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social ahead of the second day of talks. » | Emily Blumenthal. Connor Stringer Chief Washington Correspondent, Beijing. Allegra Mendelson Asia Correspondent, Taipei. Robert White | Friday, May 15, 2026

Xi Jinping is right, of course. A blind man could see that the US is in steep decline. The country shows all the signs of an empire in decline. It is rotting from within.

Trump is wrong, and very unfair to blame “Sleepy Joe” for the rot. The rot started for America long before Biden’s presidency. Fact is, America has never been the same since 9/11. That attack did more to damage America and its trajectory than is easy to describe in a few words. And when it comes to apportioning blame, Trump himself must share the lion’s share of the blame in recent years. His corrupt and ludicrous presidency has brought America’s decline forward. It has also brought it into sharp focus. — © Mark Alexander

Trump Was Flattering, Xi Was Resolute. The Difference Spoke Volumes.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: In contrast to his rhetoric about China at home, President Trump spoke in conciliatory terms with Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader.

For President Trump, the first day of his visit to Beijing was all about the personal relationship between him and Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader.

“You’re a great leader,” he told his host, whom he has often said he admires for his “powerful” control over a nation of 1.4 billion people. “I say it to everybody.”

Mr. Xi, unsurprisingly, spent little time on flattery. Once the 21-gun salute and precision-marching by units of the People’s Liberation Army were finished, the disciplined Chinese leader plunged right away into setting boundaries for the two country’s relations. The red line was Taiwan, he said, making it abundantly clear that Mr. Trump’s effort at rapprochement could crash on takeoff if he interferes with China’s long-term effort to take control of the self-governing island.

“The U.S. must handle the Taiwan issue with utmost caution,” he said according to a readout from Xinhua, China’s official news agency. The warning came just minutes into his public remarks in the Great Hall of the People, the center of power for the People’s Republic starting just a decade into Mao’s revolution. For Mr. Xi, it was all about setting boundaries, from the start.

The moment seemed to capture the new equilibrium between the two adversaries. Mr. Xi arrived highly scripted, leaving no doubt that for all of China’s problems — deflation, depopulation, the bursting of the real estate bubble — the moment when China acts as a peer superpower had arrived. » | David E. Sanger | David E. Sanger has covered five American presidents and their encounters with China, a subject of his latest book. He reported from Beijing. | Thursday, May 14, 2026