lørdag 4. april 2026

China’s Tech Giants Are Recruiting High Schoolers

From a 17-year-old spearheading an AI company’s technical report to high school internships mentored by CEOs, China’s tech giants are increasingly trying to spot and cultivate talented teenagers.

In the most recent publicized example, on March 16, Chen Guangyu, a 17-year-old high school student, co-authored a technical report on large language models for Beijing-based Moonshot AI. The report, published on web-based software collaboration platform GitHub, was later praised by Tesla CEO Elon Musk as “impressive work” on X, sparking heated discussion on Chinese social media.

Chen reportedly joined Moonshot AI’s Kimi chatbot team as a machine learning intern last November and is expected to graduate in June from an international high school in southern China’s tech hub of Shenzhen, Guangdong province. The Kimi report listed three joint first authors: Chen and two established researchers in the field.

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China aims to show global leadership with Iran war diplomacy. US appears uninterested

China is stepping up its diplomacy on the Iran war, putting forward a five-point proposal with Pakistan, rallying support from Gulf countries and opposing a United Nations proposal to use any force necessary to open the Strait of Hormuz.

It is China’s latest push for a more prominent role in global affairs, though it may prove to be more rhetorical than substantive, with the U.S. appearing uninterested in Beijing’s efforts.

“The war with Iran is the priority of all countries in and outside the region,” said Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington-based think tank. “It is an opportunity China will not miss to demonstrate its leadership and diplomatic initiative.”

Danny Russel, a former senior U.S. diplomat, described China’s diplomacy as “performative” and compared the five-point proposal for ending the Iran war with its 12-point plan for Ukraine in 2023, which was “filled with platitudes but never acted on.”



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When Trump Goes to China: It’s the Strategy That Matters

When U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping finally meet in mid-May in Beijing, the optics will be grand and the words may be noteworthy, but the outcome is unlikely to be earth-shattering. Idle speculation about a China-U.S. G-2 condominium or pronouncements that fundamentally alter the nature of the rivalry is largely baseless.

The trip, however, may offer a revealing window into the divergent strategic approaches of the two leaders. In that sense, Trump’s second highly choreographed reception in the Forbidden City may still mark a milestone in a bilateral competition that, at present, is trending in China’s direction.

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Will the Strait of Hormuz Sink NATO?

On Wednesday, after America’s NATO allies refused his call to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz, a furious Donald Trump said he might withdraw the United States from the alliance. No other American president has even hinted at taking such a step: they all considered NATO vital to American national security as well as to global, particularly European, stability. Even if Trump does not act on his threat—his address to the nation left that question unresolved—Trump has broken new ground simply by making it.Before turning to the alliance’s current crisis, it’s worth reviewing how things got to this point.

By the time Trump was first elected in November 2016, the proposition that America’s NATO allies had to spend more on defense was axiomatic within the Washington establishment. Successive administrations insisted that allies get serious about “burden sharing.” 

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As Taiwan steels its defenses against China, some are hatching escape plans

In the face of growing Chinese military aggression, Taiwan has increased defense spending, extended mandatory conscription and revamped its combat exercises, signaling its determination to fight off a potential invasion.

Some of its people, like 51-year-old Nelson Yeh, have been making different plans. Three years ago, Yeh decided to open a bank account in Singapore and move one-fifth of his wealth overseas. Then he applied for citizenship in Turkey, and nine months later obtained secondary passports for himself and his wife.

If Taiwan came under attack, he reasoned, he would be able to access emergency funds and use his Turkish papers to travel freely.

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Eyes Only: How China’s Party Leaders Get Their Information

In China, as in all communist regimes, there exist two types of media: one is publicly available and the other is restricted and accessible only to regime insiders who possess the proper clearances. This second type of media, known as neibu 内部 or for ‘internal circulation’, has received less attention from scholars. The puzzle as to whether a Mao-era institution like internal-circulation media has survived into the twenty-first century stems from a theoretical uncertainty about the role of internal publications in an age when so much information is accessible to regime insiders via the Internet and social media. This article provides a theoretical argument about the function of neibu publications in China. It then argues that these media have retained their original functions and are still of central importance as conduits for transmitting sensitive information to Party leaders in the digital age.

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fredag 3. april 2026

Stanford University wins battle to keep diaries of Mao Zedong's secretary

A court in California has ruled that Stanford University can keep the diaries of a former secretary to Mao Zedong, the founder of modern China.  Li Rui, a top official known for his criticism of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in his later years, had meticulously kept diaries which are now deemed valuable historical records.

Li's daughter began donating his diaries to Stanford when he was still alive, saying this was per her father's wishes. But following his death, his widow sued for the documents to be returned to Beijing. Stanford framed the case as a fight against Chinese government censorship, arguing it was the rightful owner of the diaries and that they would be banned if returned.

On Tuesday, the court ruled the donation made to the Hoover Institution at Stanford was "lawful and in accordance with Li's wishes".

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China is trying to play peacemaker in the Iran war - will it work?

As the war in the Middle East enters its second month, choking the world's energy supply and sending oil prices soaring, China is trying to step in as a peacemaker. It comes as President Donald Trump says US military action in Iran could end in "two to three weeks", but there is no clear sense yet of how that will happen or what comes after.

China joins Pakistan, which has emerged as an unlikely mediator in the US-Israel war against Iran. Officials in Beijing and Islamabad have presented a five-point plan with the aim of bringing about a ceasefire and re-opening the vital Strait of Hormuz.

Pakistan, which has been a US ally in the past, seems to have won over Trump to mediate this conflict.

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Myanmar's coup leader who set off a brutal civil war becomes president

Just seven days after he made the fateful decision to launch his coup against the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on 1 February 2021, General Min Aung Hlaing made a promise; to hold elections, and return to civilian rule, within a year. It has taken him five years to fulfil that promise.

Today, the newly-elected parliament chose him to be the next president. Min Aung Hlaing has already stepped down as armed forces commander, as required by the constitution before he can take the post of president.

But this is civilian rule in name only.

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India has begun its long-delayed population census. Here’s why it matters

India has begun the world’s largest national population count, which could reshape welfare programs and political representation across the country. The previous census in 2011 recorded a population of 1.21 billion. It’s now estimated to be more than 1.4 billion, making India the most populous nation.

The new census had been planned for 2021 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and logistical challenges.The first phase of the count started Wednesday and will roll out around the country through September. The workers will spend about a month in each area collecting information on homes and available facilities and will document housing stock and living conditions.

The exercise will blend in-person surveys with a digital option where residents can submit information through a multilingual smartphone application that integrates satellite-based mapping. The second phase to be conducted from September to next April 1 will record more detailed information, like people’s social and economic characteristics, including religion and caste.

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Inside Trump's Search for a Way Out of the Iran War

Donald Trump was in the Oval Office during the third week of the Iran warwhen a group of his most trusted advisers came to deliver some unwelcome news.

His longtime pollster, Tony Fabrizio, had conducted surveys that indicated the war Trump launched was growing increasingly unpopular. Gas prices had surged past $4 per gallon, stock markets had tumbled to multi-year lows, and millions of Americans were preparing to take to the streets in protest. Thirteen American service members had been confirmed killed. Some of Trump’s key public supporters were criticizing a conflict with no clear end in sight. It fell on White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and a small group of aides to tell the President that the longer the war dragged on, the more it would threaten his public support and Republicans’ prospects in November’s midterm elections.


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How to Be Chinese and Progressive in 2026

 What does it mean to be a Chinese human rights advocate in 2026?


Yaqiu Wang has worked at Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, and the Committee to Protect Journalists, and is currently a fellow at the University of Chicago. She watched DOGE cuts gut reporting on political prisoners, refugee assistance networks, and labor rights work abroad, and argued in ChinaFile that the human rights community must urgently diversify away from U.S. government money.

ChinaFile’s Jeremy Goldkorn recently chatted with Wang about the future of human rights work in China and how it will be funded, politics in the Chinese diaspora, women’s rights progress in China that is not captured by indicators, and how the internet and AI are challenging our notions of free speech. Wang exemplifies how being a Chinese person of conscience right now means navigating between two forces that both want to define you—and finding agency in refusing both definitions.

Below is an excerpt from the interview, edited for clarity.



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The Rise of Chinese Organized Crime in Chile

El Barrio Meiggs is frenetic. There are times of day when it is best to steer clear of it. Tourists are advised to avoid this neighborhood in the Chilean capital Santiago. Those who must pass through keep a firm grip on valuables like wallets, phones, and luggage – me included.

In El Barrio Meiggs, beneath blue tarpaulins, the informal street economy has taken control of its streets and alleys. The eradication of the neighborhood’s informal economy has long been the main challenge for Santiago’s local authorities.

However, these authorities are facing a much greater challenge lately. El Barrio Meiggs has become an operating theater for the fast-growing Chinese organized crime in Chile. It grew silently among the neighbors’ karaoke bars, gaming parlors, and retail Chinese malls, where legal businesses camouflage illegal and criminal activities.

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How China's propaganda is spinning the Iran war

Last week, an AI-generated video produced by Chinese state media symbolizing the US-Israel war with Iranby featuring Persian cats and bald eagles went viral, netting nearly a million likes within hours, and filling up comment boards.

The video offers a window into how Beijing interprets the Iran conflict to shape domestic public opinion, and the core message fed to the Chinese public aligns with a commonly used narrative that the US is an aggressive, declining hegemon, while China remains a steady, peaceful rising power.

The viral video produced by CCTV features the aggrieved "Persian cats" seeking vengeance against the arrogant "white eagle," which dominates a desert realm called the "golden flow valley." The eagle forces the realm to trade scarce resources, called "black iron essence," exclusively using "white eagle gold tickets."

Read more
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Cambodia: Alleged cyber scam boss extradited to China

An alleged core member of an online scam network was extradited from Cambodia to China, Chinese ‌state media ⁠CCTV reported ⁠on Wednesday. "Investigations found that Li Xiong, the former chairman of Huione Group under the Prince Group, is suspected of multiple crimes," state-run CCTV said.

Li was identified as "a core member of Chen Zhi's criminal gang" in the CCTV report. The Cambodian government confirmed in a statement that he was extradited to China.Chen was the founder of Prince Group, one of Cambodia's biggest conglomerates, which, according to its website, is focused on "real estate development, financial services and consumer services."

In January, he was extradited to China. Chen is accused of directing operations of forced labor compounds across Cambodia. Chen had served as an adviser to both Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father, former leader Hun Sen.

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India news: Defense exports surge to over $4 billion

India's defense exports surged to a record more than $4.1 billion (€3.56 billion) in the fiscal year to March 2026, marking a rise of over 60% from the previous year, the government said on Thursday. The defense ministry said exports reached 38,424 billion rupees ($4.1 billion), driven by growing global demand for Indian-made military equipment.

"India is marching ahead towards becoming a global defense manufacturing hub," Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said, adding the increase reflects rising international confidence in the country’s indigenous capabilities.

Government-owned firms accounted for about 55% of exports, with private companies contributing the rest. India currently exports defense equipment, ranging from missiles and artillery to radar systems and electronic components, to more than 80 countries.

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Fact check: Donald Trump speaks on Iran, oil and economy

A month after the start of the war in Iran, President Donald Trump addressed the nation on April 1. Speaking from the White House, he said the US would hit Iran "extremely hard over the next two to three weeks" and "bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong." He also said the American "core strategic objectives are nearing completion."

Trump also spoke about the impact of the war on the economy. Surprisingly, he did not mention NATO, which had been expected ahead of the address. During the 20-minute prepared speech, Trump made some misleading or false statements on Iran's previous leadership and the US economy. DW Fact checkexamined a few claims from his speech.

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Chinese chip firms hit record high revenue driven by the AI boom and U.S. curbs

Chinese semiconductor firms have reported record revenue last year driven by AI demand, a shortage of memory chips and U.S. export restrictions that have pushed Beijing to bolster its homegrown tech industry.

Analysts and the companies themselves are also expecting further revenue surges this year, underscoring how Chinese chip players are capitalizing on strong demand from domestic tech giants looking to build their AI infrastructure. U.S. export restrictions on China’s tech sector over the last few years have added “rocket fuel” on chip demand, amplifying growth from other areas like electric vehicles and AI data centers, according to Paul Triolo, a partner at Albright Stonebridge Group.

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