Young, ambitious oil analysts should treat themselves to a cup of tea every now and then. Why not enjoy it in the lush green hills outside Ningbo, China’s most important crude oil port?
Tankers from all over the world come here to unload their cargoes. From the hills behind the Xinyi guesthouse, there is a magnificent view of the ships coming and going. Some carry oil from Iran, others from Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Last year, Ningbo and the neighbouring city of Zhoushan handled 1.4 billion tonnes of cargo, more than any other port in the world. The traffic here tells us a great deal about the drama now unfolding.
Ningbo lies just south of Shanghai and has a population of ten million. The city acts as a funnel, channeling oil into the densely populated Yangtze River Delta, a vast market of 250 million people. And although China has embraced the green transition, the country remains dependent on crude oil from abroad. It is by far the world’s largest oil importer and is likely to remain so for many years to come.
fredag 28. august 2026
Nepal-Tibet floods: What is a glacial collapse, how common is it?
More than 1,500 people are missing across Nepal and China’s Tibet, including more than 800 foreign tourists, after rare flash glacial-lake outburst floods submerged towns and communities under a sludge of mud and water.
More than 270 people have been killed, but officials say the toll is expected to rise as rescue teams attempt to reach farther areas that have been cut off by the floods, with several key bridges and highways also devastated.With skies still clear above the Nepal-China border, and no rain pouring, officials earlier believed that a magnitude 4.4 earthquake could have triggered the downstream floods.
However, several experts and the United States Geological Survey have confirmed that “the seismic event” was a consequence of “a glacial collapse and debris flow that caused subsequent catastrophic impacts downstream” – rather than the other way around. So, what is a glacial collapse, and is this a catastrophic outcome of worsening climate change?
More than 270 people have been killed, but officials say the toll is expected to rise as rescue teams attempt to reach farther areas that have been cut off by the floods, with several key bridges and highways also devastated.With skies still clear above the Nepal-China border, and no rain pouring, officials earlier believed that a magnitude 4.4 earthquake could have triggered the downstream floods.
However, several experts and the United States Geological Survey have confirmed that “the seismic event” was a consequence of “a glacial collapse and debris flow that caused subsequent catastrophic impacts downstream” – rather than the other way around. So, what is a glacial collapse, and is this a catastrophic outcome of worsening climate change?
ICC chief urges Japan to counter US pressure on the court
Washington escalated its campaign against the Hague-based court last week by sanctioning its Japanese president, Tomoko Akane, and a senior trial lawyer. Japan should try to counter the United States’ efforts to pressure members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to quit the body, its president said, adding that Tokyo’s support is pivotal to ensuring the court’s survival.
Speaking via video link to reporters in Tokyo, ICC President Tomoko Akane called on Japan, the ICC’s biggest financial backer, to help it in its hour of need. “Japan has long made the rule of law a cornerstone of its diplomacy. Consequently, both I and the international community hold high expectations for Japan,” said Akane, a Japanese national.
Speaking via video link to reporters in Tokyo, ICC President Tomoko Akane called on Japan, the ICC’s biggest financial backer, to help it in its hour of need. “Japan has long made the rule of law a cornerstone of its diplomacy. Consequently, both I and the international community hold high expectations for Japan,” said Akane, a Japanese national.
Hong Kong court hears arguments over sentencing for former Tiananmen vigil organizers
Three former organizers of Hong Kong’s annual vigils in remembrance of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown returned to court Friday to argue over their sentences after being convicted of inciting subversion under a national security law imposed by China.
Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung and Albert Ho, former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, were charged in 2021 under the law that has effectively stifled the city’s previously thriving pro-democracy movement. Lee and Chow, who pleaded not guilty, were convicted Aug. 21. Ho earlier entered a guilty plea, which often can result in a reduced sentence.
They face a maximum prison term of 10 years and are expected to be sentenced at a later date. Alex Lee, one of the judges, said they would be sentenced within two weeks.
Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung and Albert Ho, former leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, were charged in 2021 under the law that has effectively stifled the city’s previously thriving pro-democracy movement. Lee and Chow, who pleaded not guilty, were convicted Aug. 21. Ho earlier entered a guilty plea, which often can result in a reduced sentence.
They face a maximum prison term of 10 years and are expected to be sentenced at a later date. Alex Lee, one of the judges, said they would be sentenced within two weeks.
US says Chinese-linked hackers attacked NASA, Senate, and gov’t agencies
The United States said it has disrupted a China-affiliated hacking operation that targeted sensitive US government bodies, including the US Department of Justice, NASA, the Federal Reserve, and the US Senate.
The Justice Department’s announcement, released on Wednesday, said the operation took down two hacking platforms, QScan and QTRouter, that were used to break into internet-connected devices and hide the source of attacks. The infrastructure had been used to compromise critical infrastructure and other sensitive networks in the US and elsewhere since at least 2018, according to an affidavit.
The Justice Department’s announcement, released on Wednesday, said the operation took down two hacking platforms, QScan and QTRouter, that were used to break into internet-connected devices and hide the source of attacks. The infrastructure had been used to compromise critical infrastructure and other sensitive networks in the US and elsewhere since at least 2018, according to an affidavit.
What to know about Mount Kailash, a sacred site for pilgrims missing after floods in Nepal and Tibet
Devotees on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash -- a sacred site in the Himalayas -- were among the many people missing after the massive floods along the border between Nepal and China.
Here’s what to know about the mountain and its centuries-old role as a pilgrimage site. Mount Kailash is a Himalayan peak in southwestern Tibet, near China’s borders with Nepal and India. It rises more than 6,400 meters (21,000 feet) above sea level and lies close to Lake Manasarovar. Both have long been part of Sanskrit religious and literary traditions. Mount Kailash holds sacred significance for Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and the Tibetan Bon tradition. Each associates the mountain with different beliefs and sacred histories.
Here’s what to know about the mountain and its centuries-old role as a pilgrimage site. Mount Kailash is a Himalayan peak in southwestern Tibet, near China’s borders with Nepal and India. It rises more than 6,400 meters (21,000 feet) above sea level and lies close to Lake Manasarovar. Both have long been part of Sanskrit religious and literary traditions. Mount Kailash holds sacred significance for Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and the Tibetan Bon tradition. Each associates the mountain with different beliefs and sacred histories.
Chinese foreign minister calls for US and China to ‘overcome obstacles’ ahead of presidential summit
China’s foreign minister said his country and the United States should overcome obstacles between the nations ahead of an expected summit next month between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Wang Yi met with U.S. ambassador to China David Perdue on Wednesday and called on both sides to “focus on the positive agenda, properly manage differences, remove interference and overcome obstacles to high-level exchanges between the two countries,” Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported Thursday.
China-U.S. relations “still face various risks and challenges,” he acknowledged in a statement released by CCTV. Trump and Xi met in May in Beijing and pledged to keep the relationship stable and maintain the fragile trade truce. Trump invited Xi to meet Sept. 24 in the U.S., but the exact date of the Chinese leader’s visit has not been confirmed.
Wang Yi met with U.S. ambassador to China David Perdue on Wednesday and called on both sides to “focus on the positive agenda, properly manage differences, remove interference and overcome obstacles to high-level exchanges between the two countries,” Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported Thursday.
China-U.S. relations “still face various risks and challenges,” he acknowledged in a statement released by CCTV. Trump and Xi met in May in Beijing and pledged to keep the relationship stable and maintain the fragile trade truce. Trump invited Xi to meet Sept. 24 in the U.S., but the exact date of the Chinese leader’s visit has not been confirmed.
Death toll rises in Nepal-China border disaster as lake poses new flood threat
Rescuers worked through mud and debris Friday in areas devastated by a catastrophic flash flood along the Himalayan border between Nepal and China, continuing the search for hundreds of people still missing as the death toll rose and authorities warned that a newly formed, overflowing lake could trigger further flooding.
Nepal police said Friday morning that the country’s death toll had risen to 469 from 390 a day earlier, as rescuers recover more bodies amid the debris. China has not updated its report of just three deaths in Tibet. Together, the two countries have said that more than 1,500 people are missing.
Nepal police said Friday morning that the country’s death toll had risen to 469 from 390 a day earlier, as rescuers recover more bodies amid the debris. China has not updated its report of just three deaths in Tibet. Together, the two countries have said that more than 1,500 people are missing.
torsdag 27. august 2026
America’s lost Chinese students are staying home instead
The most telling number on American campuses this month is the one that didn’t show up.
New foreign enrollment at US universities fell 20% this past spring from a year earlier, according to a survey of 149 institutions co-published by NAFSA, the association of international educators. Graduate programs did worse, down 24% on average. That slide began well before spring. In August 2025, the month when most students arrive, international student travel to the US was down 19% from the year before. That figure includes returning students.
The instinctive reading is a transfer of wealth: America’s loss, Asia’s gain. There’s evidence for it. Some 82% of surveyed Asia-Pacific institutions outside Australia reported growing international undergraduate numbers, against 47% in Europe.
New foreign enrollment at US universities fell 20% this past spring from a year earlier, according to a survey of 149 institutions co-published by NAFSA, the association of international educators. Graduate programs did worse, down 24% on average. That slide began well before spring. In August 2025, the month when most students arrive, international student travel to the US was down 19% from the year before. That figure includes returning students.
The instinctive reading is a transfer of wealth: America’s loss, Asia’s gain. There’s evidence for it. Some 82% of surveyed Asia-Pacific institutions outside Australia reported growing international undergraduate numbers, against 47% in Europe.
Torbjørn Færøvik: Kina lar seg ikke diktere av USA
Unge, fremadstormende oljeanalytikere bør unne seg en kopp te en gang iblant. Hvorfor ikke nyte den i den irrgrønne åsen utenfor Ningbo, Kinas viktigste råoljehavn?
Hit kommer tankskip fra hele verden for å losse olje. Fra åsene bak gjestehuset Xinyi er det strålende utsikt til båtene som kommer og går. Noen frakter olje fra Iran, andre fra Irak, Saudi-Arabia og De forente arabiske emirater. I fjor håndterte Ningbo og nabobyen Zhoushan 1,4 milliarder tonn gods, mer enn noen annen havn i verden. Trafikken her forteller mye om dramaet som nå utspiller seg.
Ningbo ligger litt sør for Shanghai og har ti millioner innbyggere. Byen er som en trakt som sluser olje til det folkerike Yangtsedeltaet, et enormt marked med 250 millioner mennesker. Og selv om Kina har kastet seg på den grønne bølgen, er landet fremdeles avhengig av råolje utenfra. Landet er verdens desidert største råoljeimportør og vil sannsynligvis være det i mange år framover.
Hit kommer tankskip fra hele verden for å losse olje. Fra åsene bak gjestehuset Xinyi er det strålende utsikt til båtene som kommer og går. Noen frakter olje fra Iran, andre fra Irak, Saudi-Arabia og De forente arabiske emirater. I fjor håndterte Ningbo og nabobyen Zhoushan 1,4 milliarder tonn gods, mer enn noen annen havn i verden. Trafikken her forteller mye om dramaet som nå utspiller seg.
Ningbo ligger litt sør for Shanghai og har ti millioner innbyggere. Byen er som en trakt som sluser olje til det folkerike Yangtsedeltaet, et enormt marked med 250 millioner mennesker. Og selv om Kina har kastet seg på den grønne bølgen, er landet fremdeles avhengig av råolje utenfra. Landet er verdens desidert største råoljeimportør og vil sannsynligvis være det i mange år framover.
Trump’s fallback strategy on Iran faces just one big problem
When US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveiled “Operation Economic Outcast,” threatening damaging new sanctions on countries that refuse to stop doing business with Iran, he didn’t name the one country that could decide its success or failure: China.
The world’s second-largest economy has long been a critical economic lifeline for Tehran, buying up the vast majority of its oil exports – worth an estimated tens of billions in US dollars last year – in addition to other trade. Bringing it on board with the White House’s latest effort to subdue an Iranian leadership stubbornly defiant after almost six months of war, however, is an extremely tall order.
The world’s second-largest economy has long been a critical economic lifeline for Tehran, buying up the vast majority of its oil exports – worth an estimated tens of billions in US dollars last year – in addition to other trade. Bringing it on board with the White House’s latest effort to subdue an Iranian leadership stubbornly defiant after almost six months of war, however, is an extremely tall order.
Around the world, people desperately search for news of missing loved ones after Nepal-China floods
When floodwaters cascaded down deep mountain gorges and swept into a Nepali valley on Wednesday, it devastated already-vulnerable communities that sat along the swollen river, home to many ethnic groups and farmers.
But it also sent shockwaves across the world, with hundreds of foreign nationals unaccounted for. In households across the United States, India, Canada and more, people are desperately waiting for news of their missing loved ones – which include a doctor from Delaware, a New Zealand mother of two, and three young teenagers from the US and Australia. At least 389 people have been killed, according to Nepali police who did not specify how many are foreign nationals.
But it also sent shockwaves across the world, with hundreds of foreign nationals unaccounted for. In households across the United States, India, Canada and more, people are desperately waiting for news of their missing loved ones – which include a doctor from Delaware, a New Zealand mother of two, and three young teenagers from the US and Australia. At least 389 people have been killed, according to Nepali police who did not specify how many are foreign nationals.
US supplies most of the world’s plasma. No country depends on it more than China
As she watched the pale yellow liquid drip into her mother’s vein, Ge Lan felt the weight of every drop. Her mother, recovering from stomach cancer surgery, relied on daily infusions of human albumin to restore her blood protein levels. At about $46 for a 10-gram bottle, the imported blood product was the costliest medicine in her mother’s treatment.
“I just hope (she) gets better soon,” the 44-year-old told CNN. “I’m worried about the money too, but I have no choice.”
Over two months, her mother used 72 bottles, costing the equivalent of seven months’ income for Ge, a local store worker in Henan, central China. Without help from her sister, she said she simply couldn’t have afforded the treatment – and without it, her mother’s condition could worsen.
“I just hope (she) gets better soon,” the 44-year-old told CNN. “I’m worried about the money too, but I have no choice.”
Over two months, her mother used 72 bottles, costing the equivalent of seven months’ income for Ge, a local store worker in Henan, central China. Without help from her sister, she said she simply couldn’t have afforded the treatment – and without it, her mother’s condition could worsen.
After a sexual assault case went viral, China’s corporate drinking culture is under fire
What started as a business dinner between local officials and executives celebrating a lucrative real-estate deal has sparked public outcry in China, after two men were accused of sexually assaulting a woman in their party.
Authorities in the affluent tech hub of Hangzhou have placed a senior executive and a public official under criminal detention for allegedly “forcibly molesting” the woman at a karaoke bar after their dinner, according to an official report of the ongoing investigation. The woman was injured and had to be hospitalized, the report said. Both men have been dismissed from their posts.
Authorities in the affluent tech hub of Hangzhou have placed a senior executive and a public official under criminal detention for allegedly “forcibly molesting” the woman at a karaoke bar after their dinner, according to an official report of the ongoing investigation. The woman was injured and had to be hospitalized, the report said. Both men have been dismissed from their posts.
tirsdag 25. august 2026
China is building a vast ‘national ring road’ uniting the entire PRC borderlands
China is building a vast “national ring road”, known as the “border-coast loop”, meant to be a national unity road in the wake of the recent implementation of its national Ethnic Unity Law, encompassing the borders of the entire current territories constituting parts of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
China has outlined plans to build a massive road-link snaking along the PRC’s land borders and coastlines – an ambitious project that could boost incomes in a string of remote regions, but also provoke geopolitical and ecological risks, reported the scmp.com Aug 23.
It said the project is framed as an effort to boost economic development, social stability and national unity, with its more than 25,000km (15,500-mile) route set to run through several regions with large ethnic-minority populations – including Tibet and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region (East Turkestan).
China has outlined plans to build a massive road-link snaking along the PRC’s land borders and coastlines – an ambitious project that could boost incomes in a string of remote regions, but also provoke geopolitical and ecological risks, reported the scmp.com Aug 23.
It said the project is framed as an effort to boost economic development, social stability and national unity, with its more than 25,000km (15,500-mile) route set to run through several regions with large ethnic-minority populations – including Tibet and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region (East Turkestan).
Trump moves toward levying new tariff on China for flooding market with cheap goods, AP sources say
President Donald Trump is moving toward levying a new tariff on China that would penalize the world’s second-largest economy for flooding the global market with underpriced goods, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Two of the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations still being finalized, said Trump is considering setting the new tariff at 7.5%. It’s a level administration officials believe would not endanger the one-year trade truce between Washington and Beijing or a planned White House meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to take place in late September.
The move, if finalized, appears to be a calibrated effort by the White House to work around a Supreme Court decision earlier this year that struck down Trump’s plan to implement a sweeping, high-tariff scheme not seen since the 1930s.
Two of the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations still being finalized, said Trump is considering setting the new tariff at 7.5%. It’s a level administration officials believe would not endanger the one-year trade truce between Washington and Beijing or a planned White House meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to take place in late September.
The move, if finalized, appears to be a calibrated effort by the White House to work around a Supreme Court decision earlier this year that struck down Trump’s plan to implement a sweeping, high-tariff scheme not seen since the 1930s.
Translation: “You Can’t Address Sexual Assault at Banquets Without Addressing the Nature of Power”
In the censored post translated below, blogger Zhúbùdǎo ("Unyielding Bamboo") responds to reporting by investigative journalist Li Wei’ao on two recent cases of alleged sexual assault by officials. The post first notes other related censorship, and highlights the perennial issue of official statements dictating what is reported, how, and when, which even former Global Times editor Hu Xijin has bemoaned, among others.
A statement was released in the more recent case a day later, announcing the dismissal and detentions of the two men involved—an official and an SOE executive. Zhubudao goes on to examine the power dynamics that give officials perceived license to keep acting this way, arguing that the issue cannot be adequately addressed by responding to each case as it arises. "The problem isn’t someone’s inability to control his lower half," the post concludes, "it’s our fundamental lack of an iron cage strong enough to keep power contained."
A statement was released in the more recent case a day later, announcing the dismissal and detentions of the two men involved—an official and an SOE executive. Zhubudao goes on to examine the power dynamics that give officials perceived license to keep acting this way, arguing that the issue cannot be adequately addressed by responding to each case as it arises. "The problem isn’t someone’s inability to control his lower half," the post concludes, "it’s our fundamental lack of an iron cage strong enough to keep power contained."
Trump admin unveils anti-Iran global sanctions plan, signals China not exempt
The Trump administration on Monday announced a plan to isolate Iran’s economy by threatening to impose secondary sanctions on the “enablers” keeping the Islamic Republic afloat. “We are launching an economic onslaught against Iran’s financial connections around the globe,” Treasury Scott Bessent said as he unveiled the new sanctions scheme, dubbed “Operation Economic Outcast.”
President Donald Trump is calling world leaders and making “specific requests to cease their interactions” with Iran, Bessent said at the Treasury Department. The promised sanctions have yet to be imposed. The U.S. will instead start by sending timelines to individual countries to “shut down activities we have identified,” Bessent said.
President Donald Trump is calling world leaders and making “specific requests to cease their interactions” with Iran, Bessent said at the Treasury Department. The promised sanctions have yet to be imposed. The U.S. will instead start by sending timelines to individual countries to “shut down activities we have identified,” Bessent said.
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