tirsdag 3. mars 2026

Did Germany's Merz pull off business balancing act in China?

During talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang this week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized expanding economic ties with China in the face of erratic US trade policy, while at the same time addressing concerns over managing competition and heavy trade imbalances.

"We have very specific concerns regarding our cooperation, which we want to improve and make fair," Merz said during a meeting with Li on Wednesday. Notably, he avoided referring to China as a "systemic rival," a term used by predecessor Olaf Scholz that served to irritate Beijing. Merz, who traveled to China with 30 German business leaders, also met leading Chinese and German business figures in Hangzhou, China's tech hub.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning highlighted the German business delegation as an example of "practical cooperation" that said "a lot about Germany's expectation of and confidence in deepening practical China-Germany cooperation."

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Iran’s Oil Trade With China—What To Know

Global shipping has ground to a near halt in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf since the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on Saturday.

Iran has declared the waterway effectively closed, stranding more than 100 vessels in the strait, through which roughly a quarter of the world’s seaborne energy passes each day. Oil prices hit a 14-month high of $82 Monday and remain elevated as the conflict widens, with Tehran's retaliatory strikesexpanding to hit oil refineries in Gulf neighbors hosting U.S. bases.

“With no quick de-escalation in sight, the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed and Iran showing a willingness to target energy infrastructure in the region, upside risks remain and they grow the longer the conflict drags on,” IG Australia market analyst Tony Sycamore said, per Reuters.

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Iran to do ‘utmost’ to protect China’s citizens amid US-Israel attacks: FM

The Iranian minister of foreign affairs has briefed senior members of China’s central committee and his counterpart, Wang Yi, promising to do everything to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens in the country amid the war launched by the US and Israel.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the comment in a call on Monday with Wang, which focused on the situation in Iran as Tehran defended “itself at all costs”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing said in a statement. “Seyed Abbas Araghchi noted that the Iranian side will do its utmost to guarantee the safety and security of Chinese personnel and institutions,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Araghchi told Wang that Washington had “launched war against Iran for the second time during their ongoing negotiations”, despite the two sides having made “positive progress in the latest round of negotiations”.

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What China’s response to the US attack on Iran says about its foreign policy

The day the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, China waited several hours before taking its first official position. It said it was “highly concerned” and called for an immediate halt to military operations and the resumption of dialogue. The next day, Foreign Minister Wang Yi condemned the strikes as unacceptable and again called for more talks.

There were no indications of direct intervention — but such an expectation wouldn’t be realistic. As in other recent conflicts, including last year’s attack on Iran, China has condemned the use of force while remaining on the sidelines, keeping in mind its long-term interests. This time, those interests include a highly anticipated visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to Beijing, expected to take place around early April.

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China’s economic ambitions hit limits to growth as its national congress meets

China’s progress in building a modern economy, evident in its kung-fu fighting robots and self-parking cars, is hitting limits as a downturn in its housing industry drags on, small businesses suffer and young people struggle to find jobs.

The gap between Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s high-tech, artificial intelligence-driven ambitions and the hard realities of slowing growth is the backdrop for the annual meeting of the country’s largely ceremonial national legislature, the National People’s Congress, which begins Thursday.

During the meetings, which draw about 3,000 deputies to Beijing, top leaders will outline China’s annual target for growth and the congress will endorse a five-year blueprint of policy priorities until 2030.

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mandag 2. mars 2026

China’s Surprise New Hit Is a Dating Show for Middle-Aged Singles

“Would you like to meet me?” Wang Yan, 47, asks into a walkie-talkie.

Dozens of meters away in a sunflower field in southwestern China, Liu Yugang — a divorced father in his 50s — answers without hesitation: “Yes, I would.”

The two have never spoken. Armed only with a name, a photograph and a brief profile, they choose each other from a distance and step aside for their first date. They trade stories, laugh easily and sketch a cartoon portrait of themselves together. Liu jokes that it looks like a wedding photo.By nightfall, Wang chooses someone else.

The twist is built into “Forever by Your Side,” a dating show that has surged to the top of Chinese streaming charts since December. In a genre typically dominated by people in their 20s, the series centers on contestants in their late 40s and early 50s — many divorced, some with children, all carrying decades of lived experience.

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North Korea Codifies Nuclear Statehood and Hostile ‘Two-State’ Relations at 9th Party Congress

The Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), which concluded its final session on February 25, fundamentally reordered the geopolitical framework of the Korean Peninsula. Through a comprehensive review of the party’s strategic direction, Kim Jong Un, the autocratic leader of North Korea, formalized the permanent severance of ties with South Korea and institutionalized a high-tech nuclear doctrine for the newly elected WPK leadership.

The Ninth Congress – held for seven days from February 19 to 25 – served as a definitive proclamation that North Korea has moved beyond the era of nuclear aspiration, cementing its status as a permanent nuclear-armed state with an operationalized arsenal.

A pivotal outcome of the Congress was the formalization of “Haekpangasoe,” translated literally as “nuclear trigger.” In the report on the Ninth Congress released by Korean Central News Agency, North Korea’s state media outlet, Haekpangasoe represented an integrated nuclear crisis response system designed to ensure that the national nuclear shield could be operated promptly and accurately at any moment.

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After North Korea party congress, Kim gifts rifles to officials, daughter

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has presented new sniper rifles to top government and military officials following a weeklong governing party congress lauding his leadership. State media highlighted an image of his teenage daughter taking aim at a shooting range as her increasingly prominent appearances stoke speculation that Kim is grooming her as a future leader.

Kim presented the rifles to senior party and military officials on Friday, calling them a sign of his “absolute trust” and gratitude for their commitment over the past five years since the last Workers’ Party of Korea congress in 2021, according to North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency on Saturday.

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As China’s economy slows, some young people are snapping up cheap apartments to ‘retire’ early

The “Life in Venice” housing development, a multibillion-dollar replica of the Italian city on the Chinese coast, stands silent. Many of the tens of thousands of homes are hollow husks of concrete and alabaster. But in recent years the remote, partially abandoned complex has drawn unlikely new residents like Sasa Chen, a burned-out young Chinese woman who until recently worked a high-earning finance job in Shanghai, China’s bustling commerce hub.

The appeal?

Chen pays just 1200 RMB, or $168, a month for her apartment in faux Venice in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu. It’s so cheap that it’s allowed Chen to retire at the tender age of 28. Experts say Chen is part of a broader trend that has seen a growing number of young people across China migrating to small towns and cities, taking advantage of cheap real estate prices that have been plummeting since the COVID pandemic.

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China is the clean energy superpower, but there’s another snapping at its heels — and it’s moving even faster

Prem Chand is one of the many rickshaw drivers who spend their days darting and weaving along Delhi’s hectic roads. And like an increasing number of the city’s many thousands of rickshaws, Chand’s vehicle is electric.

He used to drive a gas-powered cab but ditched it eight months ago when he did the math and realized an e-rickshaw was far cheaper to run. Plus there’s an added bonus: it pumps no tailpipe pollution into the city’s famously toxic air.

“This is good for my pocket and for my environment, so why wouldn’t I make the switch?” Chand said.

Electric three-wheeler vehicles dominate in many Indian cities, relied on for short journeys between metro stations, offices, shops and homes. It’s not just an urban phenomenon, either; e-rickshaws have proliferated in rural areas. Across India, nearly 60% of all three-wheeler sales are now electric.

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Why Is Xi Still Purging His Generals?

The purges have renewed doubts that corruption may have undermined PLA readiness by compromising equipment, personnel, and training. Moreover, many key positions are vacant or staffed by less experienced officers, raising questions about China’s ability to conduct major operations. At a minimum, this points to added risks for Xi to order the PLA into combat during this decade. Making matters worse, it also appears that the system within the PLA that is responsible for preventing corruption in the first place is broken.



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India, Canada aim for trade pact by year end, agree uranium deal

India and Canada will aim to conclude a free trade ⁠pact by ⁠the end of this year, says Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, as the ⁠two countries seek to boost economic ties after two years of a strained relationship.

Speaking after talks with Carney, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the two countries would soon finalise a “comprehensive economic partnership” which is expected to increase bilateral trade to $50bn by 2030 from nearly $9bn in 2024-25.India and Canada began advancing negotiations on a long-pending trade agreement last year. Carney said the two sides were aiming to conclude the deal by the end of the year.

“This is not merely the renewal of a relationship. It is the expansion of a valued partnership with new ambition, focus, and foresight,” he said on his first official trip to New Delhi.

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søndag 1. mars 2026

Torbjørn Færøvik: The Temple of Heaven - Ritual and Power in Imperial China

Since it is Sunday, it seems fitting to pay a visit to China’s most beautiful building. For what other Chinese structure can compare with the Temple of Heaven in Beijing? “An architectural masterpiece,” was the verdict when UNESCO placed it on its World Heritage List.

Curiously enough, that did not happen until 1998. By then the temple had stood for more than five hundred years.

The Temple of Heaven lies in the southern part of central Beijing, just over four kilometers south of the Forbidden City. The entire park, with its green grounds, covers nearly 2.7 square kilometers and is therefore larger than the Forbidden City. In the new millennium it is surrounded by broad avenues and modern city life, yet within its walls one finds a striking calm.
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Torbjørn Færøvik: Himmelens tempel - Kinas vakreste bygning

Siden det er søndag, passer det å avlegge et besøk i Kinas vakreste bygning. For hvilken annen kinesisk bygning kan måle seg med Himmelens tempel i Beijing? «Et arkitektonisk mesterverk», lød dommen da UNESCO førte det opp på sin verdensarvliste.

Forunderlig nok skjedde det ikke før i 1998. Da hadde tempelet stått der i mer enn fem hundre år.

Himmelens tempel ligger i den sørlige delen av det sentrale Beijing, vel fire kilometer sør for Den forbudte by. Hele området med sitt grøntanlegg dekker nesten 2,7 kvadratkilometer og er dermed større enn Den forbudte by. I det nye årtusen er det omgitt av brede avenyer og moderne byliv, men innenfor murene finner vi en påfallende ro.
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Kim Jong Un at party congress builds a wall with South Korea

The Ninth Congress of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party covered ground this past week that was familiar from its last gathering five years ago. Kim Jong Un proclaimed his goals of state-driven economic development, a military buildup focused on nuclear weapons and his singular and unchallenged leadership.

Even the message to the United States was not new: Stop your “hostile” attitude and accept North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, and maybe we might be willing to talk to you. The only surprise lay in Kim’s deep antagonism toward South Korea, making it clear that the demilitarized zone was no longer just a temporary demarcation line but now a wall of deep and unalterable division of the Korean Peninsula into two completely separate states.

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Kim’s daughter is a princess – but not necessarily crown princess

South Korea’s spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, is reported to have issued an assessment earlier this month that Kim Jong Un has settled on a daughter of about 13 as his successor.

It’s possible the future will play out the way the government analysts are now predicting. The NIS, after all, does have vast resources to call upon before making such a determination. And the agency’s vision got a publicity boost when the daughter and Kim appeared in matching leather jackets at the Workers’ Party Congress, held in Pyongyang during the week that’s just ending.

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Minxin Pei:Old Wine in a New Bottle: What is the CCP’s Overall Strategy for Solving the Taiwan Issue in the New Era?

The number of incursions by People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft into Taiwan’s ADIZ shows a qualitative change after 2021. In 2021, incursions by 972 aircraft were recorded. But in 2022, incursions by 1,597 aircraft were recorded. In 2023, incursions of 1,669 aircraft were recorded. In 2024, the first year of newly elected President Lai Ching-te’s term, the number of aircraft entering the ADIZ rose to 3,615. In the same period, the number of Chinese warships and coast guard ships operating in the waters close to Taiwan also rose dramatically.

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Occidental Fall: Assessing Chinese Views of U.S. Decline

China’s leadership, state media, and foreign policy analysts consider the U.S. a declining but dangerous power. That assessment has remained durable since Michael Swaine analyzed views in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in his 2021 essay for China Leadership Monitor, though the frequency of that assessment has fluctuated. 

The resilience of such views in the PRC press reflects genuine assessments of U.S. internal contradictions, the Chinese Communist Party’s Leninist predisposition to see capitalist powers as declining, and a desire to buttress the party’s own propaganda. Notably, contrary to previous expectations, the persistence of PRC views of U.S. decline do not seem to have prompted a shift toward a more aggressive policy. Instead, until recently, this assessment seems to have led Chinese officials to judge that time is on China’s side, and the PRC should avoid provoking the U.S., which has the capacity to lash out at China even as it declines.

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