Kinaforum

onsdag 4. februar 2026

Chinese University Sought Epstein’s Help To Build Boston Campus

Officials at one of China’s premier universities sought the aid of late American financier and child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in building a branch campus in the Boston area, emails released Friday show.

The correspondence spans more than a dozen emails, part of a tranche of 3 million documents made public by the Department of Justice more than a month after the deadline set by Congress in legislation signed into law by President Donald Trump.

The correspondence involved Epstein, Harvard mathematics professor Martin Nowak and Shing-Tung Yau, a Harvard mathematics professor of more than three decades who acted as an intermediary with senior officials at Tsinghua University, the Beijing-based institution often compared to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

China’s Xi and Russia’s Putin discuss their growing links, ties with US and global crises

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a video call Wednesday to discuss the burgeoning economic cooperation between Moscow and Beijing and their relations with the United States. The Kremlin leader accepted an invitation to visit China twice this year.

The call came amid a series of meetings between Xi and Western leaders who have sought to boost ties with China despite differences over the conflict in Ukraine. European leaders have pressed China for years to end its support for Russia even as Beijing has become the No. 1 trading partner for Moscow, which seeks relief from Western economic sanctions.

“I would like to once again assure you of firm support for our shared efforts to ensure the sovereignty and security of our countries, our socio-economic welfare and the right to choose our own development path,” Putin said in opening remarks that were broadcast by Russian state television.

Trump and Xi discuss Iran in wide-ranging call as US presses China and others to break from Tehran

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed the situation in Iran in a wide-ranging call as the U.S. administration pushes Beijing and others to further isolate Tehran. Trump said the two leaders also discussed a broad range of other critical issues in the U.S.-China relationship, including trade and Taiwan and his plans to visit Beijing in April.

“The relationship with China, and my personal relationship with President Xi, is an extremely good one, and we both realize how important it is to keep it that way,” Trump said in a social media posting about the call.

The Chinese government, in a readout of the call, said the two leaders discussed major summits that both nations will host in the coming year that could present opportunities for them to meet. The Chinese statement, however, made no mention of Trump’s expected April visit to Beijing.

Rayhan Asat: International Law for Some, but Not for All | Opinion

At Davos, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney drew applause for his plea to middle powers to “build a new order that encompasses values.” While President Donald Trump’s saber-rattling has unsettled many, for me and others in my Uyghur community, it was also deeply painful to see Carney feted for his “principled pragmatism” only days after he visited China to forge a new strategic partnership, devoid of any mention of human rights concerns.

I’ve spent the past decade fighting for my own brilliant brother Ekpar Asat, and a million others who have vanished into China’s vast system of camps—mass imprisonment that has, over time, been allowed to harden into a grim “new normal.” This is the exact oppressive system that Czech stateman Václav Havel, whom Carney invoked, urged free people to resist.

China ramps up threats over Panama Canal ruling that handed Trump a major victory

The Chinese government has condemned a ruling from Panama’s top court, warning the Central American country “will inevitably pay a heavy price” unless it changes course.

The rebuke comes shortly after Panama’s Supreme Court ruled to void Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison’s license to operate ports at either end of the Panama Canal. The ruling was seen as a major victory for the Trump administration’s security ambitions in the Western Hemisphere, given that the White House has made blocking China’s influence over the critically important waterway one of its top priorities.

Hong Kong firm begins arbitration proceedings over ruling against its Panama Canal port contract

Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison Holdings said Wednesday its subsidiary has started arbitration proceedings against Panama, after that country’s Supreme Court ruled a concession for the subsidiary to operate Panama Canal ports was unconstitutional.

The company said it strongly disagreed with last week’s ruling, and China warned Panama would pay “a heavy price” if it persisted. Panama has said the two ports at each end of the canal — a critical passage for global trade that links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans — would operate without interruption after the ruling, which was seen by some as a win for the U.S. President Donald Trump administration’s goal of blocking Chinese influence over the canal.

Panama Ports Company, the subsidiary under CK Hutchison that operates the ports, began arbitration proceedings Tuesday under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce. It’s unclear what the impact of the proceedings would be and how long they could take.

US wants to create a critical minerals trading bloc with its allies to counter China

The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it wants to create a critical minerals trading bloc with its allies and partners, using tariffs to maintain minimum prices and defend against China’s stranglehold on the key elements needed for everything from fighter jets to smartphones.

Vice President JD Vance said the U.S.-China trade war over the past year exposed how dependent most countries are on the critical minerals that Beijing largely dominates, so collective action is needed now to give the West self-reliance.

“We want members to form a trading bloc among allies and partners, one that guarantees American access to American industrial might while also expanding production across the entire zone,” Vance said at the opening of a meeting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted with officials from several dozen European, Asian and African nations.

China’s fading power and prestige in South Asia

China sought to prove its capabilities through major projects in South Asia, but those same projects now challenge its image as a rising power.

Over the past two decades, China has expanded its footprint across South Asia, presenting itself as a reliable provider of infrastructure and stability. The US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 further elevated expectations that Beijing would fill the emerging power vacuum.However, recent evidence, from stalled China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects to persistent security threats in Afghanistan, and even Beijing’s inability to facilitate meaningful progress in Taliban-Pakistan negotiations, suggests a widening gap between China’s ambitions and its on-the-ground performance.

This raises a critical question: How much do these mounting project disruptions erode Beijing’s claim to regional leadership and its prestige as Asia’s rising power?

The bus left in 2014: why Modi’s 2026 Budget can’t overtake China

India’s central government budget for fiscal year 2026-27, known as the Union Budget, was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to Parliament on February 1, 2026. It marks Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s latest effort to steer India toward technological and economic self-reliance.

Coming amid global shifts in supply chains and escalating geopolitical tensions, this budget appears as a frantic bid to board a bus that India has missed during Modi’s over a decade in power. Past budgets under his tenure prioritized populist fiscal measures, infrastructure and fiscal prudence at the core but largely overlooked the critical sectors defining today’s global economy: rare-earth minerals and magnets, artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors and green energy transitions.

India sets record budget for infrastructure, defense

India is set to spend a record amount on infrastructure and defense, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told parliament on Sunday. New Delhi plans to invest $133 billion (€112 billion) in infrastructure and $85 billion on defence — an increase of around 9% and 15%, respectively, compared to last year's budget.

The finance minister also announced that the government will scale up manufacturing across seven strategic sectors. They include pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, rare earth magnets, chemicals, capital goods, textiles and sports goods.

"India will continue to take confident steps towards Viksit Bharat (Developed India), balancing ambition with inclusion," said Sitharaman in her national budget speech for the 2026-2027 financial year.

Vietnam boosts EU partnership to match ties to China, US

Vietnam and the European Union have elevated diplomatic relations as both sides seek secure footing amid global trade and security shocks.

The announcement of a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" between Brussels and Hanoi last week places the EU side by side with China, the United States and Russia as one of Vietnam's top-tier diplomatic relationships. Vietnamese President Luong Cuong described it as a "historical milestone underlining the great achievements that the two sides have made," during a meeting with the head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, in Hanoi.

Costa pointed out that the new partnership "highlights the importance we attach to the region and to Vietnam's growing role."

"At a moment when the international rules-based order is under threat from multiple sides, we need to start to stand side by side as reliable and predictable partners," he added.

Trump refuses to be outdone by Europe, signing his own U.S.-India trade deal

U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement Monday that he has agreed a trade deal with India comes hot on the heels of Europe’s own trade agreement with New Delhi, signaling Washington is not willing to be outdone by its global competitors.

The U.S. deal comes after global trading partners like the European Union and India, and China and Canada, have signed their own trade pacts since the new year, leaving America — which has been trigger-happy when it comes to imposing punitive tariffs on trading partners — looking ostracized. Analysts had said those deals, and particularly the EU-India pact, could “light a fire” under the U.S. to get its own stalled trade agreement with India done and dusted, but it has come quicker than most expected.

As a parade of US allies rattled by Trump visit China, Beijing claims a win for its new world order

As US President Donald Trump takes a sledgehammer to longstanding alliances with a volatile foreign policy that’s included threats to take control of Greenland and a spiraling feud with Canada, he’s also creating a significant opening for China.

Look no further than the revolving door of Western leaders hosted by Xi Jinping in recent weeks aiming to reset relations or deepen cooperation with the world’s second-largest economy.

That procession includes the leaders of some of the US’ closest traditional allies: Britain’s Keir Starmer and Canada’s Mark Carney last month, as well as NATO ally Finland’s Petteri Orpo. French President Emmanuel Macron made a visit in December, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected soon.

Flooded by cheap Chinese goods, Latin America is fighting back to protect its industries

China has been flooding Latin American markets with low-priced exports, especially autos and e-commerce goods, as its exporters adjust to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and geopolitical moves.

The world’s second-largest economy has become a major trading partner for many Latin American nations, seeking access to their abundant natural resources and growing markets while expanding its influence in a region Trump views as America’s Backyard. Chinese businesses face slow demand at home. They need new markets for their products as the country ramps up production in many industries. Exports to Latin America, a market of more than 600 million people, and other regions have climbed while exports to the U.S. fell by 20% last year.

US ambassador warns of China’s growing manufacturing dominance

hina has spent decades making inroads in Latin America. Will the ‘Donroe doctrine’ push it out?

Why China is building so many coal plants despite its solar and wind boom

Even as China’s expansion of solar and wind power raced ahead in 2025, the Asian giant opened many more coal power plants than it had in recent years — raising concern about whether the world’s largest emitter will reduce carbon emissions enough to limit climate change.

More than 50 large coal units — individual boiler and turbine sets with generating capacity of 1 gigawatt or more — were commissioned in 2025, up from fewer than 20 a year over the previous decade, a research report released Tuesday said. Depending on energy use, 1 gigawatt can power from several hundred thousand to more than 2 million homes.

Overall, China brought 78 gigawatts of new coal power capacity online, a sharp uptick from previous years, according to the joint report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, which studies air pollution and its impacts, and Global Energy Monitor, which develops databases tracking energy trends.

China to ban hidden door handles on cars starting 2027

China will ban hidden door handles on cars, commonly used on Tesla’s electric vehicles and many other EV models, starting next year. All car doors must include a mechanical release function for handles, except for the tailgate, according to details released by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Monday.

Officials said the policy aims to address safety concerns after fatal EV accidents where electronic doors reportedly failed to operate and trapped passengers inside vehicles. The new requirement will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027. For car models that were already approved, carmakers will have until Jan. 1, 2029, to make design changes to match the regulations.

China criticizes decision to award a Grammy to the Dalai Lama

Beijing on Monday criticized the Dalai Lama ’s first Grammy win, describing the music industry award for an audiobook, narration and storytelling as “a tool for anti-China political manipulation.”

The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader, who lives in exile in India, took the award on Sunday for his book, “Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.” He said in a statement on his website that he saw the award “as a recognition of our shared universal responsibility.”

“I receive this recognition with gratitude and humility,” he added.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said: “It is well known that the 14th Dalai Lama is not merely a religious figure but a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion.”

Torbjørn Færøvik: The Other America - California and the Struggle for America's Soul

There is another America than the benighted mass that has twice voted Donald Trump into the White House—and this America is found above all in California.

“Welcome to California—we believe in science!” reads a banner as we approach Silicon Valley. “Welcome to California—diversity is our strength,” says another. And on the border between Nevada and California, someone has gone so far as to write: “You are now entering Trump-free territory.”

California is the most populous U.S. state, with 39 million inhabitants. The first Spanish soldiers and missionaries arrived here in 1769. Later, hundreds of thousands of settlers streamed to the state in search of gold, and it continues to attract hopeful people from all corners.

“The name California is associated with the future,” writes the American historian Kevin Starr. He points out that the state often defines itself by what does not yet exist, or by what is in the process of emerging—such as new technology, advanced research, and green industry.

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