Exclusive | Chinese Premier Li Qiang set to visit Australia in June, live lobster import ban expected to be lifted

The major topics of the visit, however, remain unknown. “The Australian government has consistently advocated – including during the recent visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi – for the full and timely removal of all trade impediments, including those affecting exports of live rock lobster to China. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry … Read more

Janet Yellen in China: how far did trip move the ball for US-China relations as presidential election looms?

The week-long trip to China by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sidestepped core economic disputes, and without headway, analysts said the pressure of November’s presidential election could force the Biden administration “to be more aggressive” on the trade front. Yellen ended her second trip to China in 10 months on Tuesday, having met Chinese officials … Read more

Janet Yellen in China: US treasury secretary aiming to keep trade relations on firmer footing

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen arrived in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Thursday for the first leg of her week-long trip aimed at helping manage the trade relations between the world’s two largest economies. Yellen, who arrived in Guangzhou just after 6pm local time, media reports said, was greeted by China’s vice-minister of … Read more

China’s foreign investment, confidence push gathers speed as top officials highlight ‘win-win opportunities’

China’s top leadership has gone all out to revive confidence and lure foreign investment in intensive meetings with foreign business leaders in recent days, setting out the “win-win opportunities ahead”, as Beijing seeks to achieve a seemingly challenging economic growth target for 2024. In a rare move, nearly all top-level officials responsible for economic affairs … Read more

Global Impact: cut off from high-end chips, how much is the US tech war hurting China’s AI ambitions as Sora highlights worrying gulf?

That is not necessarily blind optimism. Open-source models lag behind the likes of OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Sora, but they are rapidly catching up. Many Chinese products are based on Meta Platforms’ Llama 2 model, which is free to use and maybe a year behind OpenAI’s latest and greatest, by some estimates. The open-source nature of … Read more

China’s construction for Indonesia’s new capital Nusantara to lead growing overseas city-building portfolio

“It’s fair to say that China has the strongest squad of engineers and constructors, who have benefited from the country’s building boom since the mid-2000s,” said Xu Tianchen, a senior China-based economist with the Economist Intelligence Unit. “China is also experienced in providing full life cycle solutions, from financing to construction and maintenance, which make … Read more

China ups the ante in hunt for foreign investment, hi-tech firms, but will Beijing follow through with actions?

A second visit to a foreign firm in less than 12 months – after Xi toured a Guangzhou-based display company in April that had received investment from South Korean conglomerate LG – was touted by Xinhua as a “further and clearer declaration of expanding high-level opening up to the world”. China’s Xi wants market-ready scientific … Read more

EU chamber warns of ‘slow-motion train accident’ with China, says something needs to change

“Something will need to change because Europe cannot just accept that strategically viable industries constituting the European industrial base are being priced out of the market,” he said. “That is where trade becomes a security question.” As US, EU anxiety grows, will overcapacity curb exports of China’s ‘new three’? Tensions between China and the European … Read more

With ‘made-by-China’ under US pressure, Mexican trade probes spark concerns over curbs

Mexican tariffs on Chinese steel products indicate a willingness to accommodate US demands, analysts said, with additional trade curbs in the run-up to November’s presidential election set to add to the concerns of Chinese producers and investors. Mexico’s Ministry of Economy imposed a provisional compensatory duty of 31 per cent on Chinese steel nail producers … Read more

China’s Inner Mongolia seeks to avoid economic, security impact of ‘hollowing out’ amid population pressure

China’s northern Inner Mongolia autonomous region would prioritise addressing the “hollowing out” of its border areas amid population concerns that could hinder its economic development and add to security risks. “Inner Mongolia … has more than 4,000km (2,485 miles) of borderline, shouldering a major political responsibility in safeguarding national security and border peace,” said Wang … Read more