Halfway across the world, Jessica is confronting the same expectations from within China. After studying in Shanghai and Europe and working at an international organization in New York, where a mentor once urged her to stop working late and “enjoy the New York night,” Jessica returned to China to finish her master’s thesis and enter the domestic job market.
onsdag 30. september 2026
China’s Young Women Are Rewriting the Rules of Adulthood
In the U.S. state of Hawai‘i, Iris lives far from the pressures of urban China. Growing up in Zhejiang, she spent much of her childhood on what her mother called “self-improvement”: Olympiad math, piano lessons, and daily swimming. After graduating from New York University (NYU), Iris chose a simple, quiet life in Hawai‘i, using geographic distance to protect her personal autonomy from the pressure facing Chinese women in their 20s to settle down, marry, and have children.
Halfway across the world, Jessica is confronting the same expectations from within China. After studying in Shanghai and Europe and working at an international organization in New York, where a mentor once urged her to stop working late and “enjoy the New York night,” Jessica returned to China to finish her master’s thesis and enter the domestic job market.
Halfway across the world, Jessica is confronting the same expectations from within China. After studying in Shanghai and Europe and working at an international organization in New York, where a mentor once urged her to stop working late and “enjoy the New York night,” Jessica returned to China to finish her master’s thesis and enter the domestic job market.
Nepal floods leave women and girls vulnerable Lekhanath Pandey in Kathmandu
One month after deadly flash floods in Nepal swept away Karishma Tamang's community in Rasuwa District, the pregnant 26-year-old is still struggling to find a safe place to call home. Karishma, who is expecting her second child, has been moving from place to place with her 4-year-old daughter since the devastating floods swept through Nepal's Bhotekoshi-Trishuli river corridor near the Chinese border at the end of August.
"Initially, we were kept in a covered hall at Bidur Municipality in Nuwakot District," she told DW, adding that hundreds of people shared the same shelter for days.
"Now we have shifted to a small makeshift family tent at the nearby Barahachaur area. Still, we can't sleep during rainy nights as it leaks when it rains." Her brother and his two children remain missing after the flood.
"Initially, we were kept in a covered hall at Bidur Municipality in Nuwakot District," she told DW, adding that hundreds of people shared the same shelter for days.
"Now we have shifted to a small makeshift family tent at the nearby Barahachaur area. Still, we can't sleep during rainy nights as it leaks when it rains." Her brother and his two children remain missing after the flood.
Trump disputes his ambassador’s account that he asked China’s president if he wanted to buy US arms
President Donald Trump disputed that he asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping if he wanted to buy weapons from the United States, contradicting an account from the U.S. ambassador to China.
Trump on Monday acted confused when a reporter asked him about Ambassador David Perdue’s remarks over the weekend, suggesting the diplomat was confusing China with Taiwan. But then Trump said “maybe it’s a good idea” to make such an offer to China. The whiplash over the prospect of arms sales from the U.S. to its ascendant geopolitical rival underlines the Trump administration’s often uncoordinated and contradictory approach to China, including Xi’s pomp-filled state visit to Washington last week during which Trump appeared to get little in return on key issues.
Perdue, speaking to Shannon Bream on Fox News Channel’s “Fox News Sunday” days after the summit, didn’t specify when the offer was made. But such a proposal, if realized, would upend generations of U.S. policy toward China and Taiwan and expose U.S. technology to a potential foe.
Trump on Monday acted confused when a reporter asked him about Ambassador David Perdue’s remarks over the weekend, suggesting the diplomat was confusing China with Taiwan. But then Trump said “maybe it’s a good idea” to make such an offer to China. The whiplash over the prospect of arms sales from the U.S. to its ascendant geopolitical rival underlines the Trump administration’s often uncoordinated and contradictory approach to China, including Xi’s pomp-filled state visit to Washington last week during which Trump appeared to get little in return on key issues.
Perdue, speaking to Shannon Bream on Fox News Channel’s “Fox News Sunday” days after the summit, didn’t specify when the offer was made. But such a proposal, if realized, would upend generations of U.S. policy toward China and Taiwan and expose U.S. technology to a potential foe.
Factory activity returns to expansion in a positive sign for China’s economy
China’s factory activity expanded in September for the first time in three months, striking a more positive tone as Chinese officials look to bolster economic growth. The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index, or PMI, climbed to 50.1 from 49.8 in August, China’s National Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday. The index reading, based on an official monthly survey of companies, was in line with what economists had expected.
China’s disputed satellite refueling heralds new space war era
Recent disclosures about China’s purported in-orbit servicing operations have intensified a quiet revolution in space, where the mechanics of satellite sustainment are swiftly becoming the frontline of great-power counterspace rivalry.
This month, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Chinese researchers claim the country carried out a pioneering in-orbit refueling operation on a high-altitude navigation satellite, though orbital tracking data raise doubts about whether the mission occurred, according to recent scientific papers and satellite specialists.
This month, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Chinese researchers claim the country carried out a pioneering in-orbit refueling operation on a high-altitude navigation satellite, though orbital tracking data raise doubts about whether the mission occurred, according to recent scientific papers and satellite specialists.
As US tech leaders call for rules on AI, China already has them
Recent warnings from American AI leaders have created the impression that the world is only beginning to confront the dangers of advanced artificial intelligence. Dario Amodei, chief executive of tech company Anthropic, has called for governments to intervene to slow the development of increasingly powerful AI models.His proposal begins with independent evaluators embedded inside AI companies, moves on to regulation and progresses to government-backed coordination among democratic states.
Ultimately, it seeks global agreements with China on testing of AI systems, dangerous applications of the technology and the pace of AI development. Yet there is a China-shaped hole in this narrative. The Asian superpower is portrayed as the difficult final participant in a governance system that the US and its allies must first create.
In fact, China has already established an extensive system of AI rules, assessment, filing, technical standards and government oversight. Here’s how China’s AI governance system has developed in stages alongside the technology itself.
Ultimately, it seeks global agreements with China on testing of AI systems, dangerous applications of the technology and the pace of AI development. Yet there is a China-shaped hole in this narrative. The Asian superpower is portrayed as the difficult final participant in a governance system that the US and its allies must first create.
In fact, China has already established an extensive system of AI rules, assessment, filing, technical standards and government oversight. Here’s how China’s AI governance system has developed in stages alongside the technology itself.
tirsdag 29. september 2026
Torbjørn Færøvik: Confucius - From Mao's Enemy to China's Sage
High-speed trains shoot out of Beijing’s railway station for Qufu several times a day. In late September, every seat is taken as “everyone” wants to celebrate Confucius’s birthday.
China’s great moral philosopher is said to have been born in Qufu in 555 BC. The date is uncertain too, but September 28 is the traditional day of commemoration. Confucius’s hometown lies in Shandong province, about 530 kilometres south of Beijing. The fastest train takes just two hours and four minutes. Once you arrive, you need only follow the crowds to the first of several temples dedicated to Confucius. The ceremonies begin at sunrise, with solemn processions, readings and “sacred” Confucian music.
US, China should treat AI risk like a pathogen, not a missile
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping wrapped up their Washington summit on September 25 with a two-month extension of the trade truce and warm words about friendship.
On artificial intelligence, the leaders mostly ratified what their deputies had sketched in New York days earlier: a formal US-China dialogue on AI, plus an American proposal for a channel to notify each other when an AI incident rises to the level of national security. That channel is thinner than the label suggests. For now, by several accounts, it amounts to an open line between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Vice-Premier He Lifeng rather than any standing body of technical people. Trump had posted that morning that he wanted to leave “super intelligence” exactly where it is. He got his wish.
On artificial intelligence, the leaders mostly ratified what their deputies had sketched in New York days earlier: a formal US-China dialogue on AI, plus an American proposal for a channel to notify each other when an AI incident rises to the level of national security. That channel is thinner than the label suggests. For now, by several accounts, it amounts to an open line between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Vice-Premier He Lifeng rather than any standing body of technical people. Trump had posted that morning that he wanted to leave “super intelligence” exactly where it is. He got his wish.
US and China release $60 billion nonsensitive product lists for tariff cuts after Trump-Xi meeting
The United States and China on Monday released reciprocal lists of nonsensitive products worth about $30 billion each that will see tariff cuts, from American hair products to Chinese toys, in a deal expected to help bolster bilateral trade.
The details came days after Chinese President Xi Jinping met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington in his first state visit to the U.S. since 2015. The U.S. had already reduced tariffs against China after Trump’s tariffs reached as high as 145% at one point last year, as tensions between the two countries eased.
China’s commerce ministry said in a statement the agreement will help strengthen trade cooperation.
The details came days after Chinese President Xi Jinping met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington in his first state visit to the U.S. since 2015. The U.S. had already reduced tariffs against China after Trump’s tariffs reached as high as 145% at one point last year, as tensions between the two countries eased.
China’s commerce ministry said in a statement the agreement will help strengthen trade cooperation.
Taiwan says US arms sales to island are unchanged, but a $14B package remains on hold
Taiwan’s defense minister said Tuesday that existing U.S. arms sales to Taiwan remain unchanged, and that Taipei remains in talks with the U.S. over individual deals. A record $14 billion arms package to the island, however, remains stalled.
The minister’s remarks come as concerns mount that President Donald Trump could halt arms sales to Taiwan. China has pressed Washington to halt the arms sales, most prominently during a May summit in Beijing between Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping. The United States paused the $14 billion arms deal after that meeting.
“As for arms sales, we are in continuous discussions with the Americans on this,” Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo told reporters in front of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. “We haven’t received any notice of any changes to sales or our cooperation.”
The minister’s remarks come as concerns mount that President Donald Trump could halt arms sales to Taiwan. China has pressed Washington to halt the arms sales, most prominently during a May summit in Beijing between Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping. The United States paused the $14 billion arms deal after that meeting.
“As for arms sales, we are in continuous discussions with the Americans on this,” Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo told reporters in front of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. “We haven’t received any notice of any changes to sales or our cooperation.”
China rolls out new measures to bolster its property sector and economy
China on Tuesday rolled out new measures to help boost its economy and sluggish property sector as pressures ramp up ahead of a year-end target for hitting the government’s economic growth goal. The measures, some of the bigger moves made this year by Chinese officials, include encouraging targeted bank lending and new subsidies for homebuyers’ mortgage interest payments.
China’s central bank — the People’s Bank of China — said it will be lowering the interest rate for its “pledged supplementary lending” facility, or PSL, by a quarter of a percentage point, bringing the one-year rate down to 1.5%.
PSL is low-cost financing that China’s central bank provides to its major state policy banks to support state and public projects. The central bank said that by cutting the rates it hopes to better incentivize banks and better “serve national strategies.”
China’s central bank — the People’s Bank of China — said it will be lowering the interest rate for its “pledged supplementary lending” facility, or PSL, by a quarter of a percentage point, bringing the one-year rate down to 1.5%.
PSL is low-cost financing that China’s central bank provides to its major state policy banks to support state and public projects. The central bank said that by cutting the rates it hopes to better incentivize banks and better “serve national strategies.”
Malaysia begins sending back Rohingya refugees despite safety warnings
Malaysia has begun sending nearly 1,500 Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar, describing their return as voluntary despite warnings from the United Nations and rights groups that Myanmar remains unsafe for them.
Dozens of buses arrived under police escort at a stadium near the Lumut naval base in northwestern Malaysia on Tuesday, the AFP news agency reported. Journalists were barred from the grounds. The passengers were expected to be processed before being taken to the base and transported to Myanmar by ship.
The Myanmar army has repeatedly cracked down on the country’s Rohingya minority, including a wave of violence in 2017 that many rights groups have described as genocide, and which set off a major refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh, Malaysia, India and other neighbouring nations. Myanmar does not officially recognise the Rohingya as an ethnic community with local roots, instead describing them as “Bengalis” — in effect, calling them Bangladeshi migrants.
Dozens of buses arrived under police escort at a stadium near the Lumut naval base in northwestern Malaysia on Tuesday, the AFP news agency reported. Journalists were barred from the grounds. The passengers were expected to be processed before being taken to the base and transported to Myanmar by ship.
The Myanmar army has repeatedly cracked down on the country’s Rohingya minority, including a wave of violence in 2017 that many rights groups have described as genocide, and which set off a major refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh, Malaysia, India and other neighbouring nations. Myanmar does not officially recognise the Rohingya as an ethnic community with local roots, instead describing them as “Bengalis” — in effect, calling them Bangladeshi migrants.
WHY IS THE CCP SO OBSESSED WITH “CONTROLLING” THE NEXT DALAI LAMA?
This year, the 14th Dalai Lama celebrates his 91st birthday. At last year’s 90th birthday celebrations, during the opening ceremony of an important religious conference held in Dharamsala, India, the Dalai Lama spoke via video and once again made clear: “The institution of the Dalai Lama will continue,” and “no one has the right to interfere in this matter.”
These words sounded calm, yet nearly every one of them was directed squarely at Beijing.
For it is the Chinese Communist Party — and only the CCP — that has spent decades attempting to intervene in, and even seize control of, the Tibetan Buddhist reincarnation system.
In fact, Beijing has been laying the groundwork on the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation for many years. Through law, propaganda, historical research, ideological remodeling, religious control, and the shaping of international opinion, the CCP is attempting to accomplish something entirely unprecedented: enabling an avowedly atheist communist regime to claim the authority to determine the “reincarnated soul” of Tibetan Buddhism’s highest spiritual leader.
These words sounded calm, yet nearly every one of them was directed squarely at Beijing.
For it is the Chinese Communist Party — and only the CCP — that has spent decades attempting to intervene in, and even seize control of, the Tibetan Buddhist reincarnation system.
In fact, Beijing has been laying the groundwork on the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation for many years. Through law, propaganda, historical research, ideological remodeling, religious control, and the shaping of international opinion, the CCP is attempting to accomplish something entirely unprecedented: enabling an avowedly atheist communist regime to claim the authority to determine the “reincarnated soul” of Tibetan Buddhism’s highest spiritual leader.
mandag 28. september 2026
Struggle over Hormuz and Bab el‑Mandeb straits is centuries old
Over recent months, the straits of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb have become synonymous with geopolitical jostling. Whoever controls these narrow waterways governs the flow of maritime traffic from the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean – and with it, a vitally significant chunk of global trade.
However, conflict over these straits is almost as old as modern maritime trade itself. The war between the US and Iran over these chokepoints is just the latest chapter in a centuries-long history of extra-regional powers attempting to influence or dominate the Middle East by sea.
Ming China offers one of the earliest examples of an extra-regional power projecting its power through naval might and diplomacy. In 1405, the Chinese Muslim admiral, explorer and diplomat Zheng He embarked on the first of seven expeditions across the Indian Ocean. Commanding fleets of more than 300 vessels, he reached the town of Hormuz around 1414, then Aden in Yemen, passing through Bab el-Mandeb into the Red Sea.
Taiwan not openly discussed at Xi and Trump meeting
US President Donald Trump picked his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping up directly from the airport and in his welcoming remarks he praised the strong friendship between their two nations, as well as recalling how China and the US fought together as allies during World War II.
"Look at the greatness that we had together fighting in World War II," he said. "Brave American pilots volunteered to come to China and fight for the very survival of the legendary country," he said at the White House, referring to the Flying Tigers air corps that fought alongside China against the Japanese between 1941 and 1942.
However, these pilots did not actually volunteer to fight with the People's Republic of China, whose leader was visiting Washington and which was not founded until 1949. The Americans were risking their lives for the former Republic of China, whose government relocated to Taiwan after communist victory in the Chinese Civil War in 1949.
"Look at the greatness that we had together fighting in World War II," he said. "Brave American pilots volunteered to come to China and fight for the very survival of the legendary country," he said at the White House, referring to the Flying Tigers air corps that fought alongside China against the Japanese between 1941 and 1942.
However, these pilots did not actually volunteer to fight with the People's Republic of China, whose leader was visiting Washington and which was not founded until 1949. The Americans were risking their lives for the former Republic of China, whose government relocated to Taiwan after communist victory in the Chinese Civil War in 1949.
Trump asked China’s president if he wants to buy US arms, ambassador says
President Donald Trump has justified the pending U.S. arms sale to Taiwan to Chinese President Xi Jinpingby downplaying it as just one of many sales Washington makes around the world — even asking Xi if he’d be in the market for U.S. arms, Trump’s ambassador to China said on Sunday.
David Perdue said Trump raised the prospect of the arms sales from the U.S. to its ascendant geopolitical rival, an unlikely offer that if consummated would upend generations of U.S. policy toward China and Taiwan and potentially expose U.S. technology to a potential foe. Perdue, speaking to Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday” days after Trump hosted Xi for a state visit in Washington, didn’t specify when the offer was made.
David Perdue said Trump raised the prospect of the arms sales from the U.S. to its ascendant geopolitical rival, an unlikely offer that if consummated would upend generations of U.S. policy toward China and Taiwan and potentially expose U.S. technology to a potential foe. Perdue, speaking to Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday” days after Trump hosted Xi for a state visit in Washington, didn’t specify when the offer was made.
Why the Official Policy of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile Can Only Be the ‘Middle Way’
Recently, during the second session of the 18th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, a private member’s motion was tabled seeking to establish “Tibetan independence” as the official policy of the Central Tibetan Administration. The motion failed to secure a majority at the threshold vote on whether it should proceed to debate, receiving 15 votes in favour and 23 against, and was ultimately rejected. This episode once again underscores that, within the current legal framework, democratic procedures, international realities, and strategic considerations, the “Middle Way” remains the only sustainable official policy of the Central Tibetan Administration.
The Middle Way is not a temporary decision. It is an official position that emerged from prolonged internal discussion, was advocated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, has been repeatedly affirmed by the Parliament, and enjoys majority support within the exile community.
US challenges China on secret nuclear tests as arms race looms
A mounting standoff over allegations of covert Chinese nuclear testing and rapid arsenal expansion has collided with an intensifying domestic debate within the US over whether it must abandon its decades-long test moratorium.
US officials are pressing China in confidential diplomatic talks over suspected low-yield nuclear testing and a rapid strategic expansion across at least seven secret domestic sites, intensifying strategic friction against the backdrop of high-stakes summit diplomacy between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, multiple media outlets reported.
US officials are pressing China in confidential diplomatic talks over suspected low-yield nuclear testing and a rapid strategic expansion across at least seven secret domestic sites, intensifying strategic friction against the backdrop of high-stakes summit diplomacy between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, multiple media outlets reported.
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