Xi Jinping's Daughter Faces Call to be Deported From US

Chinese President Xi Jinping's daughter is facing calls to be deported by far-right conservative commentator Laura Loomer. Xi Jinping's daughter, Xi Mingze, graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology in 2014.

Loomer said that Xi Mingze still resides in Massachusetts as a foreign student. However, there is no publicly available evidence that she remains in the U.S. The New Yorker reported in 2015 that after graduating from Harvard University Xi Mingze returned to China and has maintained a low profile since. «She lives in Massachusetts and went to Harvard! Sources tell me PLA guards from the CCP provide her with private security on US soil in Massachusetts!»

Loomer tagged key figures in the current U.S. administration, including President Donald Trump. She did not provide evidence for these claims or say what her sources were.

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Beijing Hits Back After Hegseth Calls China a Threat

China has it back at Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth after he described the country as a threat to the United States, amid growing tensions between Washington and Beijing. "Hegseth deliberately ignored the call for peace and development by countries in the region, and instead touted the Cold War mentality for bloc confrontation," the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Hegseth said on Saturday that the U.S. is stepping up its efforts to resist China's plans to "dominate and control" Southeast and East Asia. China's defense minister was absent from this year's event and sent a lower-level delegation instead. The remarks sparked fury from Beijing as the relationship between the two superpowers remains on edge, with tensions escalating over trade, security, and regional influence.

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Australia asks China to explain 'extraordinary' military build-up

Australia's defence minister Richard Marles has called on China to explain why it needs to have "such an extraordinary military build-up". He said Beijing needs to provide greater transparency and reassurance as it is the "fundamental issue" for the region.

Meanwhile, the Philippines defence minister Gilberto Teodoro Jr has called China "absolutely irresponsible and reckless" in its actions in the South China Sea. The ministers had separately addressed reporters on the sidelines of an Asian defence summit held in Singapore. China has yet to respond to either Marles or Teodoro. Organised by the think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Shangri-la Dialogue has traditionally been anchored by the US and China, which have been jostling for power in the region.

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The fallout from Trump's war on Harvard will long outlast his presidency

Donald Trump has had a busy seven days. On Monday, he threatened to redirect $3bn in Harvard research funding to vocational schools. On Tuesday, the White House sent a letter to federal agencies, instructing them to review the approximately $100m in contracts the government has awarded Harvard and "find alternative vendors" where possible. On Wednesday, he had more to say on the matter still.

"Harvard's got to behave themselves," he told reporters gathered in the Oval Office. "Harvard is treating our country with great disrespect, and all they're doing is getting in deeper and deeper and deeper."

When combined with other administration attempts – freezing more than $3bn in research grants and suspending foreign students from enrolling in Harvard – Trump's directives represent a frontal attack on one of America's most prestigious, and wealthy, institutions of higher education.

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Trump’s foreign policy frustrations are piling up

Every president thinks they can change the world – and Donald Trump has an even greater sense of personal omnipotence than his recent predecessors. But it’s not working out too well for the 47th president. Trump might intimidate tech titans to toe the line and use government power to try to bend institutions like Harvard University and judges, but some world leaders are harder to bully.

He keeps being ignored and humiliated by Russian President Vladimir Putin who is defying the US effort to end the war in Ukraine. Russian media is now portraying Trump as the tough talker who always blinks and never imposes consequences.

The president also thought that he could shape China to his will by facing down leader Xi Jinping in a trade war. But he misunderstood Chinese politics. The one thing an authoritarian in Beijing can never do is bow down to a US president. US officials say now they’re frustrated that China hasn’t followed through on commitments meant to deescalate the trade conflict.

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South Korea is voting for a new president after six months of political chaos. Here’s what to know

After half a year of political turmoil, uncertainty and division, South Korea will vote for a new president to succeed Yoon Suk Yeol, the disgraced former leader who plunged the democratic nation into chaos by declaring martial law in December.

This election feels particularly significant; the country, a US ally and Asian economic and cultural powerhouse, has floundered for months with a revolving door of interim leaders while navigating Yoon’s impeachment trial and a multipronged investigation into the fateful night of his short-lived power grab.

All the while, South Korea’s economy has suffered, with US President Donald Trump’s trade war and a potential global recession looming in the background. Two men are each promising to help the country recover if elected – a lawyer turned politician dogged by legal cases who survived an assassination attempt, and a former anti-establishment activist turned conservative minister.

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