Kinaforum

tirsdag 28. april 2026

Made in China means made in Yiwu

The city of Yiwu in Zhejiang province is small by Chinese standards, with fewer than 1.9 million inhabitants. But it is a global trade hub, home to the world’s largest wholesale market for small commodities. More than 80% of Christmas decorations sold worldwide are said to come from Yiwu.

Some basic statistics capture the scale of the Yiwu International Trade Market: 6.4 million square metres, 75,000 stands, over 2.1 million product lines, and around 220,000 visitors a day. Nearly 600,000 containers are loaded here every year and shipped to more than 200 countries or territories.

Yiwu doesn’t showcase flashy innovations but instead comprises a reliable manufacturing network dedicated to the large-scale production of everyday goods. An order placed at a stand goes out to decentralised clusters of factories spread across the Zhejiang countryside and beyond.

Global military spending rise continues as European and Asian expenditures surge

Global military expenditure increased to $2887 billion in 2025, the 11th year of consecutive rises, bringing the global military burden—military expenditure as a share of gross domestic product (GDP)—to 2.5 per cent, its highest level since 2009. At 2.9 per cent, the annual spending increase was significantly smaller than the 9.7 per cent increase recorded in 2024. However, this slowdown is largely accounted for by a drop in US military spending. Outside the USA, total spending grew by 9.2 per cent in 2025.

‘Global military spending rose again in 2025 as states responded to another year of wars, uncertainty and geopolitical upheaval with large-scale armament drives,’ said Xiao Liang, Researcher with SIPRI’s Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme. ‘Given the range of current crises, as well as many states’ long-term military spending targets, this growth will probably continue through 2026 and beyond.’

Trump feeds America’s enduring appetite for destruction

Donald Trump still has the capacity to shock. The American president’s unauthorized war against Iran finds him in a vicious destructive mode, recently threatening to push Iran “into the Stone Ages” and to end Iranian civilization if Iran did not agree to “unconditional surrender.”

Even as the passing weeks have left Iran still standing, Trump’s words and deeds have already inflicted severe damage on the global economy and regional peace in the Middle East. Trump’s turn toward a wartime posture is striking, but not entirely unexpected. His second-term conduct shows a growing tendency to push an earlier taste for disruption toward outright destruction — at home and abroad.

He now routinely acts in the belief that those who dare to resist his plans deserve the severest forms of punishment that imperial presidential power can deliver. But Trump’s conduct is grounded in centuries of American experience. The US has an enduring tendency toward retribution and destruction.

China’s science surge is not a problem — America’s retreat is

China’s rapid rise in science has hit a milestone. The country’s investment in research and development has reached parity with – and by purchasing power measures has surpassed – that of the United States, according to a March 2026 report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Both nations have crossed the US$1 trillion threshold on research spending.

For 80 years, the US operated the most productive scientific and technological enterprise in human history. Breakthroughs and advances that came from American labs included the internet; the mRNA vaccine; the transistor and its children, semiconductors and microprocessors; the Global Positioning System; and many more.

China seeks to block US tech giant Meta from AI acquisition

China has said it is blocking tech giant Meta from an acquisition of artificial intelligence (AI) startup Manus, tightening scrutiny of investment in domestic startups developing frontier technologies from the United States.

China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on Monday that it was prohibiting the foreign acquisition of Manus, without specifically naming Meta. The move highlights Beijing’s increased concern over US acquisitions of Chinese AI talent and intellectual property, as Washington tries to limit Chinese tech firms’ access to advanced US chips.

It was not immediately clear on what grounds China was seeking the annulment of a deal involving a Singapore-based company and how, if at all, a completed acquisition transaction would be unwound. Manus, which has Chinese roots but is based in Singapore, provides general-purpose AI agents designed to carry out complex tasks with minimal human intervention.

Watching Iran, China Hopes to Learn New Tricks for the Taiwan Strait

Even as China wants the latest Middle Eastern conflict to wind down so it doesn’t damage China’s export-oriented economy, militarily, the conflict has been an intelligence gold mine for China. Beijing has shownit is tracking U.S. efforts in the Strait of Hormuz closely, fine-tuning its estimates of U.S. capabilities. China is also studying how Iran has largely succeeded in keeping the U.S. Navy outside the Persian Gulf and disrupting commercial shipping there.

Iran’s use of geography and low-cost units to impose economic pressure on the United States and its allies is a plan China may seek to implement itself in the Taiwan Strait during any future confrontation with the U.S. over Taiwan.

The Pentagon May Not Be Telling Trump the Full Picture About the War

In closed-door meetings, J. D. Vance has repeatedly questioned the Defense Department’s depiction of the war in Iran and whether the Pentagon has understated what appears to be the drastic depletion of U.S. missile stockpiles.

Two senior administration officials told us that the vice president has queried the accuracy of the information the Pentagon has provided about the war. He has also expressed his concerns about the availability of certain missile systems in discussions with President Trump, several people familiar with the situation told us. The consequences of a dramatic drawdown in munitions reserves are potentially dire: U.S. forces would need to draw from these same stockpiles to defend Taiwan against China, South Korea against North Korea, and Europe against Russia.

Iran’s Supreme Leader No Longer Reigns Supreme

On Apr. 17, when Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened to commercial shipping, the backlash within Iran was immediate. Hardline commentators in Iran, semi-official news outlets, and voices on state television questioned the timing and the language of his statement.

On Saturday, Iranian armed forces declared that the Strait was closed again because the United States continued its naval blockade of Iran.On Apr. 17, when Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened to commercial shipping, the backlash within Iran was immediate. Hardline commentators in Iran, semi-official news outlets, and voices on state television questioned the timing and the language of his statement. On Saturday, Iranian armed forces declared that the Strait was closed again because the United States continued its naval blockade of Iran.

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China industrial profits jump 15.8% in March, fueled by AI and chip boom despite oil shock risks

Profits at China’s industrial firms grew at their fastest pace in six months in March, even as the Middle East war upended global oil markets and sent raw material costs soaring. Industrial profits jumped 15.8% from a year earlier in March, the sharpest growth since September last year, National Bureau of Statistics data showed Monday, quickening from the 15.2% surge in the first two months of this year.

In the first three months this year, enterprise profits rose 15.5%, the fastest start to a year since 2017, barring the pandemic-driven spike in 2021.

How will the United States and China power the AI race?

As artificial intelligence (AI) drives a surge in energy demand in both the United States and China, each country faces choices about how to expand power generation in order to remain at the technological frontier. Washington and Beijing will need to find ways to increase access to energy within an atmosphere of geopolitical competition. The decisions and trade-offs both countries make in sourcing energy to support AI advances will have spillover effects far beyond their borders, shaping global markets, infrastructure, and supply chains.

To assess these dynamics, the Global China project convened four authors representing a diversity of viewpoints. In the written exchange below, they wrestle with how energy demand may constrain each country’s AI advances. They also offer diverging views on whether the United States should welcome Chinese investment in American clean energy technology and manufacturing or whether America should wall itself off from Chinese participation in its market.

How climate change threatens the economic backbone of the Pacific

The vast Pacific Ocean and the islands dotted within it produce more than half of the world's tuna Among the islands are 33 scattered across the centre that encompass the country of Kiribati. Here more than 70% of government revenues come from selling tuna fishing licenses to foreign fleets - the highest proportion of any nation.

Kiribati has a tiny land mass. When all the islands are combined it is about the size of New York City. However, it has a huge swathe of territorial waters, otherwise known as its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Totalling more than 3.4 million sq km (1.3m sq miles), the EEZ is spread across three separate parts, surrounding the country's three groups of islands - Gilbert, Phoenix and Line.

Indian Dalit man's alleged custodial death and a family's wait for justice

On 8 March, a 26-year-old man died in a hospital in southern India's Tamil Nadu state, allegedly due to injuries he sustained in police custody. Almost two months later, his body is still in a hospital morgue. His parents say that they will collect it and conduct his last rites only after the policemen responsible for their son's death are arrested. They allege that Akash Delison was brutally tortured by the police after he and his friend, Gopi, were arrested in a criminal case.

Akash died two days after his arrest while Gopi remains in judicial custody. Akash and his family are members of the Dalit community, which lies at the bottom of a harsh caste hierarchy.

The Chinese sports brand taking on Nike and Adidas

China's economy was just starting to open up in the late 1980s when a determined high school dropout made his way to Beijing with 600 pairs of shoes. Ding Shizhong had them made in a relative's factory and now he was going to sell them. The money he earned paid for his first workshop where he began making footwear for other companies. The 17-year-old was one of China's many newly minted entrepreneurs as capitalism took off under the watchful eye of its Communist Party rulers. But, as it turns out, Ding had much bigger plans.

Kim Jong Un opens memorial for N Korean soldiers killed in Ukraine war

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov have unveiled a memorial in Pyongyang for North Koreans who have died fighting in the Ukraine war. Military jets flew overhead and white balloons were released into the air as Kim and Belousov unveiled a statue and opened a memorial museum.

It is not known how many North Korean soldiers are fighting against Ukraine, but South Korean intelligence estimates that at least 15,000 have been sent to help Russia recapture parts of western Kursk. Seoul also estimates that about 2,000 North Koreans have died in the conflict - neither Pyongyang nor Russia have provided any official numbers.

How China is gaining from Iran war by showing it is different from US

As Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz this week, the pragmatic approach Beijing has taken to the US-Israel war on Iran was on full display.

Speaking to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) on the phone on Monday, Xi reiterated China’s support for “all efforts conducive to restoring peace and stands for resolving disputes through political and diplomatic means”.“The Strait of Hormuz should maintain normal passage, as this serves the common interests of regional countries and the international community,” Xi said, according to a Chinese readout of the call.

The readout did not specifically mention any of the key players in the war, although the United States and Iran have, between them, brought the strategic waterway to a standstill for the past seven weeks. Iran moved to close the strait to most marine traffic following the launch of the war on February 28, while the US launched a blockade of all Iranian ports on April 13.

1951: The Agreement That Changed Tibet Forever

Spring in Tibet is a season of life and renewal. The long-stretched Lhasa Valley suddenly takes on a fresh green hue, and in April daytime temperatures can rise above 20 degrees Celsius. Yet with the spring winds come bitter memories from a not-so-distant past. This year marks 75 years since Tibet was officially incorporated into the People’s Republic of China.

The agreement was signed by Chinese and Tibetan representatives during a ceremony in Beijing in May 1951 (see image). The Dalai Lama later claimed that the Tibetans had been subjected to intense pressure and were in reality forced to sign.

“As soon as the first meeting began, the senior Chinese representative presented a draft of a fully prepared agreement consisting of ten articles,” the Dalai Lama writes in his book My Land and My People (1962). According to him, the draft was discussed for several days, while the Tibetan envoys insisted that Tibet was an independent state.

Geocultural forces reshaping China’s economic map

On April 1, the National Bureau of Statistics of China released the latest GDP rankings for the country’s various provinces and municipalities. The data showed consistent growth across major metropolises, but also revealed a significant geographic shift in the Chinese economy.

The data ranked Jiangsu and Zhejiang first and third, respectively, among Chinese provinces by GDP per capita, while Guangdong ranked fourth. Yet 20 years ago, Guangdong held an undisputed first place, with Zhejiang and Jiangsu a distant third and fourth. The shift is even more apparent at the city level. In 2005, nine cities from Guangdong appeared in the top 25 by GDP per capita, compared with five from Jiangsu and two from Zhejiang.

Twenty years later, only three Guangdong cities remain in that group, while Jiangsu and Zhejiang have grown to seven and four, respectively.

Japan builds up its ‘southern shield’ as faith in US security cover falters

Japan’s southern island of Kyushu is known for its volcanic landscape and tonkatsu ramen, but the popular tourist destination is ground zero for one of the greatest shifts in Japan’s defence strategy since 1947, when it formally renounced the use of war to settle international disputes.

In late March, Japan deployed long-range missiles to Kumamoto Prefecture on the island’s southwest coast. Unlike previous defence installations, these missiles could hit China, reflecting the fact that Beijing has ranked as Japan’s top national security threat above North Korea and Russia since 2019.

Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters at the time that “Japan faces the most severe and complex security environment in the post-war era” and the country must strengthen its “deterrence and responsiveness”.