Hong Kong uses DNA to probe death of doctor in suspected E coli cluster
By Wynna Wong
Hong Kong authorities are using advanced genome sequencing to see whether separate infections or underlying factors contributed to the death of a young oncologist after a suspected outbreak of a highly toxic E coli strain at a hospital where two other doctors have also presented symptoms.
One of the experts involved in the investigation said on Wednesday that authorities had not ruled out any possibilities about the cases in the oncology department at Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung.
An oncologist in his thirties died on Friday last week, less than 24 hours after being admitted to hospital.
The doctor showed signs of severe infection, low blood oxygen levels and high fever, which required him to be intubated and transferred to the intensive care unit.
Authorities have indicated the cluster may be an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E coli, although testing has been inconclusive.
“We are not ruling out any possibilities,” Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, chair of infectious diseases at the University of Hong Kong’s department of microbiology, said on a radio show.
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By Wynna Wong
Hong Kong authorities are using advanced genome sequencing to see whether separate infections or underlying factors contributed to the death of a young oncologist after a suspected outbreak of a highly toxic E coli strain at a hospital where two other doctors have also presented symptoms.
One of the experts involved in the investigation said on Wednesday that authorities had not ruled out any possibilities about the cases in the oncology department at Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung.
An oncologist in his thirties died on Friday last week, less than 24 hours after being admitted to hospital.
The doctor showed signs of severe infection, low blood oxygen levels and high fever, which required him to be intubated and transferred to the intensive care unit.
Authorities have indicated the cluster may be an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E coli, although testing has been inconclusive.
“We are not ruling out any possibilities,” Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, chair of infectious diseases at the University of Hong Kong’s department of microbiology, said on a radio show.
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PLA tracks US Navy ships in first Taiwan Strait transit since Trump’s return
By Hayley Wong
Two American naval vessels were spotted sailing through the Taiwan Strait on Monday, according to the People’s Liberation Army, which also said that it was tracking the crossing.
The PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command “organised sea and air forces to follow and monitor the entire movement of the US vessels, and handled them effectively”, according to spokesman Li Xi.
Speaking on Wednesday morning, Li accused the US deployment of sending “wrong signals and increasing security risks”.
The transit was the first by the US Navy since Donald Trump was sworn in as president in January. In a departure from its usual practice, the passage was not flagged by the Indo-Pacific Command on its website.
According to Reuters, the navy confirmed on Tuesday that two ships – an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer the USS Ralph Johnson and the USNS Bowditch, a survey ship – had crossed the strait between Monday and Wednesday.
The Indo-Pacific Command told Reuters that the operation was routine and has not yet responded to an inquiry from the South China Morning Post.
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By Hayley Wong
Two American naval vessels were spotted sailing through the Taiwan Strait on Monday, according to the People’s Liberation Army, which also said that it was tracking the crossing.
The PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command “organised sea and air forces to follow and monitor the entire movement of the US vessels, and handled them effectively”, according to spokesman Li Xi.
Speaking on Wednesday morning, Li accused the US deployment of sending “wrong signals and increasing security risks”.
The transit was the first by the US Navy since Donald Trump was sworn in as president in January. In a departure from its usual practice, the passage was not flagged by the Indo-Pacific Command on its website.
According to Reuters, the navy confirmed on Tuesday that two ships – an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer the USS Ralph Johnson and the USNS Bowditch, a survey ship – had crossed the strait between Monday and Wednesday.
The Indo-Pacific Command told Reuters that the operation was routine and has not yet responded to an inquiry from the South China Morning Post.
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Trump’s Gaza plan has ‘world boiling like a porridge pot’, North Korea says
By Reuters
North Korean state media on Wednesday denounced US President Donald Trump’s proposal to take over Gaza and relocate Palestinians as ludicrous and accused Washington of extortion.
The slim hopes of Palestinians for safety and peace are being crushed by the proposal, a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, without directly naming Trump.
“The world is now boiling like a porridge pot over the US’ bombshell declaration,” KCNA said.
The commentary is aimed at Trump’s shock announcement that the US intends to remove Gaza residents and transform the war-ravaged territory into what the president billed as a “Riviera of the Middle East”.
The KCNA commentary also criticised the Trump administration over its calls to take over the Panama Canal and Greenland and its decision to change the name of the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America”.
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By Reuters
North Korean state media on Wednesday denounced US President Donald Trump’s proposal to take over Gaza and relocate Palestinians as ludicrous and accused Washington of extortion.
The slim hopes of Palestinians for safety and peace are being crushed by the proposal, a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, without directly naming Trump.
“The world is now boiling like a porridge pot over the US’ bombshell declaration,” KCNA said.
The commentary is aimed at Trump’s shock announcement that the US intends to remove Gaza residents and transform the war-ravaged territory into what the president billed as a “Riviera of the Middle East”.
The KCNA commentary also criticised the Trump administration over its calls to take over the Panama Canal and Greenland and its decision to change the name of the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America”.
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Cooperation for AI safety must transcend geopolitical interference
By Fu Ying
As the global community grapples with artificial intelligence (AI) governance, a crucial dialogue is emerging on how different nations approach AI safety and development. At a recent Paris AI Action Summit side event, these discussions highlighted the urgent need for international cooperation despite geopolitical headwinds.
Drawing on my participation in international AI forums and multilateral discussions, I believe China’s experience offers valuable insights into balancing technological advancement with safety considerations while highlighting the challenges and opportunities in global AI governance.
China’s approach to AI safety reflects its national reality and interests. The AI Safety and Development Network, established with government support, is equivalent to other countries’ AI safety institutes. China has a diverse and pluralistic ecosystem of AI application and safety governance, with government departments, institutions and enterprises focusing on and investing in AI safety issues.
The network’s establishment enables every stakeholder to participate, share knowledge and information, and enhance capacity building; there is active participation in international dialogue and cooperation in spite of external challenges. China joined Britain’s Bletchley summit and has followed the development of other countries’ AI safety institutes. China’s technological community also maintains close communication with international counterparts.
The concern about AI safety in China is mostly on two levels. One is in application. China’s State Council released the New Generation AI Development Plan in 2017, emphasising safe, controlled and sustainable AI progress. China’s AI applications are spreading fast, including in finance, urban management, healthcare and scientific research. Risks and challenges have emerged, with urgent demands for government regulation and technical solutions to address these risks.
Based on its experience in cyber regulation, the Chinese government issued AI laws and normative documents, guided by the principle of maintaining a balance between encouraging innovation and mitigating risks. Meanwhile, tech companies specialising in addressing AI safety issues have emerged to develop and deploy risk mitigation.
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By Fu Ying
As the global community grapples with artificial intelligence (AI) governance, a crucial dialogue is emerging on how different nations approach AI safety and development. At a recent Paris AI Action Summit side event, these discussions highlighted the urgent need for international cooperation despite geopolitical headwinds.
Drawing on my participation in international AI forums and multilateral discussions, I believe China’s experience offers valuable insights into balancing technological advancement with safety considerations while highlighting the challenges and opportunities in global AI governance.
China’s approach to AI safety reflects its national reality and interests. The AI Safety and Development Network, established with government support, is equivalent to other countries’ AI safety institutes. China has a diverse and pluralistic ecosystem of AI application and safety governance, with government departments, institutions and enterprises focusing on and investing in AI safety issues.
The network’s establishment enables every stakeholder to participate, share knowledge and information, and enhance capacity building; there is active participation in international dialogue and cooperation in spite of external challenges. China joined Britain’s Bletchley summit and has followed the development of other countries’ AI safety institutes. China’s technological community also maintains close communication with international counterparts.
The concern about AI safety in China is mostly on two levels. One is in application. China’s State Council released the New Generation AI Development Plan in 2017, emphasising safe, controlled and sustainable AI progress. China’s AI applications are spreading fast, including in finance, urban management, healthcare and scientific research. Risks and challenges have emerged, with urgent demands for government regulation and technical solutions to address these risks.
Based on its experience in cyber regulation, the Chinese government issued AI laws and normative documents, guided by the principle of maintaining a balance between encouraging innovation and mitigating risks. Meanwhile, tech companies specialising in addressing AI safety issues have emerged to develop and deploy risk mitigation.
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Top chip designer Sun Nan leaves US and finds ‘room to play’ in China
By Dannie Peng
Tsinghua University chip expert Sun Nan’s return to China went largely unnoticed in the wave of Chinese scientists returning from abroad – that is, until last week, when the prestigious university in Beijing put a social media spotlight on the professor who has helped create more than 50 cutting-edge chips in a little over four years.
According to an article published on Tsinghua’s social media account on Thursday, Sun came back after many years in the United States with the hope of “training chip professionals for China and solving the manufacturing problems of mid- and high-end chip technology”.
Sun, a tenured professor at the university’s department of electronic engineering, returned to his homeland in 2020 after more than a decade in the US. His homecoming came at the height of the China Initiative, a US policy that targeted scientists for suspected ties to Beijing and left researchers feeling “targeted and alienated”.
High-end semiconductors – the components that drive key innovation sectors from artificial intelligence to quantum computing – are a critical area of US tech containment that China is striving to break.
Since joining Tsinghua more than four years ago, Sun and his team have worked on both scientific research and industrial applications, with the aim of producing more reliable and efficient chips at a lower cost. They have taken on a number of major national research projects.
The high-performance circuit design technologies they have developed have been integrated into more than 50 chips, according to the Tsinghua article. These chips have been used for the power grid, high-speed rail, industrial measurement and control, instrumentation, electric vehicles and other fields.
“[These chips] achieved import substitution for similar foreign products and even surpassed foreign counterparts in some core technical indexes to reach the international leading level,” the article said.
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By Dannie Peng
Tsinghua University chip expert Sun Nan’s return to China went largely unnoticed in the wave of Chinese scientists returning from abroad – that is, until last week, when the prestigious university in Beijing put a social media spotlight on the professor who has helped create more than 50 cutting-edge chips in a little over four years.
According to an article published on Tsinghua’s social media account on Thursday, Sun came back after many years in the United States with the hope of “training chip professionals for China and solving the manufacturing problems of mid- and high-end chip technology”.
Sun, a tenured professor at the university’s department of electronic engineering, returned to his homeland in 2020 after more than a decade in the US. His homecoming came at the height of the China Initiative, a US policy that targeted scientists for suspected ties to Beijing and left researchers feeling “targeted and alienated”.
High-end semiconductors – the components that drive key innovation sectors from artificial intelligence to quantum computing – are a critical area of US tech containment that China is striving to break.
Since joining Tsinghua more than four years ago, Sun and his team have worked on both scientific research and industrial applications, with the aim of producing more reliable and efficient chips at a lower cost. They have taken on a number of major national research projects.
The high-performance circuit design technologies they have developed have been integrated into more than 50 chips, according to the Tsinghua article. These chips have been used for the power grid, high-speed rail, industrial measurement and control, instrumentation, electric vehicles and other fields.
“[These chips] achieved import substitution for similar foreign products and even surpassed foreign counterparts in some core technical indexes to reach the international leading level,” the article said.
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Top international school, education foundation allocated 2 Hong Kong campuses
By William Yiu
Two vacant Hong Kong campus sites for as many as 1,000 international school pupils have been allocated to a prominent educational institution and a foundation set up by the family of a late shipping tycoon, as the city strives to attract mainland Chinese and overseas talent.
The Chinese International School (CIS) said the government’s decision to allocate it a campus at Braemar Hill in North Point would allow the institution to significantly increase its enrolment.
Meanwhile, the YK Pao Education Foundation, set up by Anna Pao Pui-hing, the daughter of Pao Yue-kong, and her son Philip Pao Sohmen, will launch its first school in the city after receiving a campus in Kowloon Tong.
On Monday, the Education Bureau shared the results of its 2023 allocation exercise for two vacant sites to help support international schools after announcing it had received a “very positive” response from the sector last year.
Authorities earlier estimated the two sites had a combined student capacity of about 1,000, adding that the campus in North Point could accommodate a minimum of 340 pupils and the one in Kowloon Tong could cater to at least 480 students.
The bureau said the schools could start operating at the sites from around the 2027-28 academic year or the year after – depending on their tenancy arrangements and whether the institutions opted to make any approved renovations or construction work.
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By William Yiu
Two vacant Hong Kong campus sites for as many as 1,000 international school pupils have been allocated to a prominent educational institution and a foundation set up by the family of a late shipping tycoon, as the city strives to attract mainland Chinese and overseas talent.
The Chinese International School (CIS) said the government’s decision to allocate it a campus at Braemar Hill in North Point would allow the institution to significantly increase its enrolment.
Meanwhile, the YK Pao Education Foundation, set up by Anna Pao Pui-hing, the daughter of Pao Yue-kong, and her son Philip Pao Sohmen, will launch its first school in the city after receiving a campus in Kowloon Tong.
On Monday, the Education Bureau shared the results of its 2023 allocation exercise for two vacant sites to help support international schools after announcing it had received a “very positive” response from the sector last year.
Authorities earlier estimated the two sites had a combined student capacity of about 1,000, adding that the campus in North Point could accommodate a minimum of 340 pupils and the one in Kowloon Tong could cater to at least 480 students.
The bureau said the schools could start operating at the sites from around the 2027-28 academic year or the year after – depending on their tenancy arrangements and whether the institutions opted to make any approved renovations or construction work.
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Did China meddle in South Korea’s election? Concern over claims by Yoon supporters
By Park Chan-kyong
Claims by South Korea’s conservative bloc that China meddled in the country’s election could escalate tensions with Beijing and jeopardise trade ties, analysts have warned.
Beijing has voiced strong discontent over the allegations by supporters of suspended President Yoon Suk-yeol, who on December 3 plunged the country into political chaos with a martial law decree that he insisted was necessary to investigate election fraud involving China and North Korea.
Seoul’s election watchdog has dismissed the allegations as baseless.
Adding to the controversy, a viral fake news story on YouTube claims that martial law troops arrested 99 Chinese “hackers” who helped opposition parties at the National Election Commission.
In response, Dai Bing, the Chinese ambassador in Seoul, issued a statement late on Monday condemning the spread of unfounded allegations.
“China has all along upheld the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs. And we have always honoured our word and are completely above board on it,” he wrote on social media.
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By Park Chan-kyong
Claims by South Korea’s conservative bloc that China meddled in the country’s election could escalate tensions with Beijing and jeopardise trade ties, analysts have warned.
Beijing has voiced strong discontent over the allegations by supporters of suspended President Yoon Suk-yeol, who on December 3 plunged the country into political chaos with a martial law decree that he insisted was necessary to investigate election fraud involving China and North Korea.
Seoul’s election watchdog has dismissed the allegations as baseless.
Adding to the controversy, a viral fake news story on YouTube claims that martial law troops arrested 99 Chinese “hackers” who helped opposition parties at the National Election Commission.
In response, Dai Bing, the Chinese ambassador in Seoul, issued a statement late on Monday condemning the spread of unfounded allegations.
“China has all along upheld the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs. And we have always honoured our word and are completely above board on it,” he wrote on social media.
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Salman Rushdie faces his accused stabber in New York courtroom
By Reuters
Salman Rushdie spoke calmly and with occasional dry humour as he testified on Tuesday against the man accused of trying to murder him, the first time the two have been in the same place since the 2022 knife attack on the novelist onstage at a New York arts institute.
Hadi Matar, 26, has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault.
Rushdie, 77, walked into the courtroom dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and grey tie.
Two sheriff’s deputies stood at alert by Matar, seated at a table with his team of public defenders.
The right lens of Rushdie’s spectacles was blacked out, masking the eye, which his attacker’s knife had pierced through to the optic nerve.
“I was aware of this person rushing at me from my right hand side,” Rushdie testified in a courtroom in Mayville, a few kilometres north of the Chautauqua Institution, the lakeside rural arts haven where he was attacked on August 12, 2022.
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By Reuters
Salman Rushdie spoke calmly and with occasional dry humour as he testified on Tuesday against the man accused of trying to murder him, the first time the two have been in the same place since the 2022 knife attack on the novelist onstage at a New York arts institute.
Hadi Matar, 26, has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault.
Rushdie, 77, walked into the courtroom dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and grey tie.
Two sheriff’s deputies stood at alert by Matar, seated at a table with his team of public defenders.
The right lens of Rushdie’s spectacles was blacked out, masking the eye, which his attacker’s knife had pierced through to the optic nerve.
“I was aware of this person rushing at me from my right hand side,” Rushdie testified in a courtroom in Mayville, a few kilometres north of the Chautauqua Institution, the lakeside rural arts haven where he was attacked on August 12, 2022.
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China in ‘axis of evil’: US lawmaker reveals stark vision of countries under Trump and Xi
By Robert Delaney
Starkly divergent views of the US under Donald Trump and Xi Jinping’s China came into focus in Washington on Tuesday, when a lawmaker said Beijing was part of an “axis of evil” and a Chinese academic suggested Trump was trying to carve up the world to the detriment of America’s allies.
Delivering a keynote address at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, US congressman Rob Wittman, vice-chair of the influential House Armed Services Committee, said the American belief in the rule of law was among principles that the US has “in common with other nations around the world”.
“There’s a big contrast between the United States and our allies and China, Russia, North Korea and Iran,” the Virginia Republican said. “That is a building axis of evil. The same thing is emerging today, as we saw in 1938 and we ought to be very, very mindful of that.”
Wittman, who also serves as chairman of the House subcommittee on tactical air and land forces, called for cooperation with allies in a range of military fronts, including shipbuilding and critical minerals supply, to match the defence industrial base that China has built up under Xi.
In particular, he lauded the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue – a strategic group made up of the US, India, Japan and Australia, better known as the Quad – and the Aukus alliance comprising the US, Britain and Australia, which was established by Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, amid growing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Wittman’s usage of the term “axis of evil” echoed testimony before the House Armed Services Committee last year by retired Admiral John Aquilino, then the commander of US forces in the Indo-Pacific, underscoring the degree to which Washington’s military establishment sees Beijing as a grave threat to US interests.
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By Robert Delaney
Starkly divergent views of the US under Donald Trump and Xi Jinping’s China came into focus in Washington on Tuesday, when a lawmaker said Beijing was part of an “axis of evil” and a Chinese academic suggested Trump was trying to carve up the world to the detriment of America’s allies.
Delivering a keynote address at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, US congressman Rob Wittman, vice-chair of the influential House Armed Services Committee, said the American belief in the rule of law was among principles that the US has “in common with other nations around the world”.
“There’s a big contrast between the United States and our allies and China, Russia, North Korea and Iran,” the Virginia Republican said. “That is a building axis of evil. The same thing is emerging today, as we saw in 1938 and we ought to be very, very mindful of that.”
Wittman, who also serves as chairman of the House subcommittee on tactical air and land forces, called for cooperation with allies in a range of military fronts, including shipbuilding and critical minerals supply, to match the defence industrial base that China has built up under Xi.
In particular, he lauded the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue – a strategic group made up of the US, India, Japan and Australia, better known as the Quad – and the Aukus alliance comprising the US, Britain and Australia, which was established by Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, amid growing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Wittman’s usage of the term “axis of evil” echoed testimony before the House Armed Services Committee last year by retired Admiral John Aquilino, then the commander of US forces in the Indo-Pacific, underscoring the degree to which Washington’s military establishment sees Beijing as a grave threat to US interests.
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China’s rust-belt regions at risk of being left behind as coastal economies surge
By Carol Yang
Traditional economic pillars of China’s rust-belt provinces – including property and the fossil fuel industry – have come under considerable pressure, leading to a widened gap with coastal provinces that are riding more lucrative waves of surging exports and technological advancements such as DeepSeek’s new artificial intelligence (AI) model.
Northern China’s Shanxi province, the country’s main coal producer, is a striking case illustrating the regional economic slowdown. It stood alone among China’s 31 provincial-level jurisdictions last year by reporting a decline in nominal gross domestic product (GDP), as its economy contracted by 2.14 per cent.
Nominal GDP measures economic output without adjusting for inflation, reflecting both price changes and real production shifts.
The coal-dependent region also registered the nation’s lowest real GDP growth – or nominal GDP growth adjusted for inflation – at 2.3 per cent, lagging behind the 2.7 per cent growth in the northwest’s Qinghai province and 3.2 per cent in the northeast’s Heilongjiang province, according to government data.
China’s three northeastern provinces – Liaoning, Heilongjiang and Jilin – are among the old industrial bases that have been struggling amid rising debt levels, the loss of market share to eastern regions, and population outflows since the 1990s.
More northern regions have become weighed down by debt and stagnation over the past decade, including the port city of Tianjin, which lies 100km (62 miles) east of Beijing.
Shanxi continues to heavily depend on coal-related industries, but its coal production fell 6.9 per cent in 2024, year on year. Meanwhile, the industrial output of its manufacturing sector dropped 1.1 per cent, while property investment declined 5.1 per cent, according to the province’s statistics bureau.
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By Carol Yang
Traditional economic pillars of China’s rust-belt provinces – including property and the fossil fuel industry – have come under considerable pressure, leading to a widened gap with coastal provinces that are riding more lucrative waves of surging exports and technological advancements such as DeepSeek’s new artificial intelligence (AI) model.
Northern China’s Shanxi province, the country’s main coal producer, is a striking case illustrating the regional economic slowdown. It stood alone among China’s 31 provincial-level jurisdictions last year by reporting a decline in nominal gross domestic product (GDP), as its economy contracted by 2.14 per cent.
Nominal GDP measures economic output without adjusting for inflation, reflecting both price changes and real production shifts.
The coal-dependent region also registered the nation’s lowest real GDP growth – or nominal GDP growth adjusted for inflation – at 2.3 per cent, lagging behind the 2.7 per cent growth in the northwest’s Qinghai province and 3.2 per cent in the northeast’s Heilongjiang province, according to government data.
China’s three northeastern provinces – Liaoning, Heilongjiang and Jilin – are among the old industrial bases that have been struggling amid rising debt levels, the loss of market share to eastern regions, and population outflows since the 1990s.
More northern regions have become weighed down by debt and stagnation over the past decade, including the port city of Tianjin, which lies 100km (62 miles) east of Beijing.
Shanxi continues to heavily depend on coal-related industries, but its coal production fell 6.9 per cent in 2024, year on year. Meanwhile, the industrial output of its manufacturing sector dropped 1.1 per cent, while property investment declined 5.1 per cent, according to the province’s statistics bureau.
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Indian PM Modi’s Washington trip hopes to exploit the strained US-China relationship
By Khushboo Razdan
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Washington this week will focus on a potential trade deal that includes increased US energy purchases by New Delhi, reductions in Indian tariffs on certain American imports, and discussions about India acquiring US-made fighter jets and drones.
Sources familiar with the agenda say that the meetings, which start on Wednesday, are also anticipated to address AI security – particularly in the wake of China’s DeepSeek introduction – the repatriation of hundreds of Indian migrants, and visas for skilled Indian workers.
Modi, who will be joined by Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, is also expected to meet with top American business leaders, and address an India diaspora event.
On Tuesday, Modi met with US Vice-President J.D. Vance on the sidelines of the AI summit in Paris. According to the White House, they discussed assisting “India in diversifying its energy sourcing through investments in clean, reliable US nuclear technology”.
Despite potential concessions, analysts said, New Delhi is unlikely to escape US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which are expected to be announced sometime this week.
Even so, they added, trade issues are not expected to be a major hurdle in strengthening India’s position as a key US partner in the Indo-Pacific region. And while bilateral matters will take centre stage during Modi’s Thursday meeting with Trump, Washington’s strained relationship with China will be an underlying theme.
At the same time, India’s reluctance to fully embrace a security alliance with the US in the Indo-Pacific – particularly within the Quad framework – remains a significant challenge for the second Trump administration.
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By Khushboo Razdan
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Washington this week will focus on a potential trade deal that includes increased US energy purchases by New Delhi, reductions in Indian tariffs on certain American imports, and discussions about India acquiring US-made fighter jets and drones.
Sources familiar with the agenda say that the meetings, which start on Wednesday, are also anticipated to address AI security – particularly in the wake of China’s DeepSeek introduction – the repatriation of hundreds of Indian migrants, and visas for skilled Indian workers.
Modi, who will be joined by Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, is also expected to meet with top American business leaders, and address an India diaspora event.
On Tuesday, Modi met with US Vice-President J.D. Vance on the sidelines of the AI summit in Paris. According to the White House, they discussed assisting “India in diversifying its energy sourcing through investments in clean, reliable US nuclear technology”.
Despite potential concessions, analysts said, New Delhi is unlikely to escape US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which are expected to be announced sometime this week.
Even so, they added, trade issues are not expected to be a major hurdle in strengthening India’s position as a key US partner in the Indo-Pacific region. And while bilateral matters will take centre stage during Modi’s Thursday meeting with Trump, Washington’s strained relationship with China will be an underlying theme.
At the same time, India’s reluctance to fully embrace a security alliance with the US in the Indo-Pacific – particularly within the Quad framework – remains a significant challenge for the second Trump administration.
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Zelensky offers land swaps with Russia to help end Ukraine war
By Agence France-Presse
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to swap land in negotiations with Russia, which freed an American prisoner in a gesture US President Donald Trump’s administration described Tuesday as a goodwill gesture on ending the war.
Zelensky, who will meet on Friday at the Munich Security Conference with US Vice-President J.D. Vance, a vocal critic of US military support to Ukraine, described himself as ready for serious talks.
“We will swap one territory for another,” he said in an interview with The Guardian.
Zelensky, who in the past has refused to cede any territory invaded by Russia, said he was ready to trade land in Russia’s Kursk region which Ukraine seized in a surprise offensive last year.
He acknowledged that Ukraine would not be able to enjoy security guarantees just with European partners. “Security guarantees without America are not real security guarantees,” he said.
Trump took office vowing to end the war in Ukraine, possibly by leveraging billions of dollars in US aid sent by his predecessor Joe Biden, to force Kyiv into territorial concessions.
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By Agence France-Presse
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to swap land in negotiations with Russia, which freed an American prisoner in a gesture US President Donald Trump’s administration described Tuesday as a goodwill gesture on ending the war.
Zelensky, who will meet on Friday at the Munich Security Conference with US Vice-President J.D. Vance, a vocal critic of US military support to Ukraine, described himself as ready for serious talks.
“We will swap one territory for another,” he said in an interview with The Guardian.
Zelensky, who in the past has refused to cede any territory invaded by Russia, said he was ready to trade land in Russia’s Kursk region which Ukraine seized in a surprise offensive last year.
He acknowledged that Ukraine would not be able to enjoy security guarantees just with European partners. “Security guarantees without America are not real security guarantees,” he said.
Trump took office vowing to end the war in Ukraine, possibly by leveraging billions of dollars in US aid sent by his predecessor Joe Biden, to force Kyiv into territorial concessions.
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How Trump’s air force picks signal blast-off in the US-China military space race
By Hayley Wong
Competition in space between the US and China could be about to intensify, with US President Donald Trump’s picks to lead the United States Air Force notable for their strong backgrounds in the field, according to analysts.
Trump has nominated space and air force veteran Troy Meink for the post of secretary, with Matthew Lohmeier, former commander of the space force – which is overseen by the airborne service – expected to serve as deputy.
Experts say the appointments will add to the already-tense US-China military competition in space. Both men have said space should be prioritised, a position also held by Frank Kendall, who was air force secretary in the Joe Biden administration.
The analysts said Trump, who created the space force during his first term, would continue to view space as vital to US national security and superiority, especially as China’s emerging status as a space power challenges traditional American dominance there.
Pending Senate confirmation of his appointment, Meink will be expected to carry out Trump’s executive order for a comprehensive air and missile defence strategy that has been likened to Israel’s Iron Dome.
During the previous administration, Meink was principal deputy director for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the agency established in 1960 to develop and operate space-based intelligence reconnaissance support for the CIA and US military.
The NRO is reported to have signed a US$1.8 billion contract in 2021 with Trump ally Elon Musk’s SpaceX for its Starshield business unit to build a network of hundreds of spy satellites aimed at thwarting any attack.
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By Hayley Wong
Competition in space between the US and China could be about to intensify, with US President Donald Trump’s picks to lead the United States Air Force notable for their strong backgrounds in the field, according to analysts.
Trump has nominated space and air force veteran Troy Meink for the post of secretary, with Matthew Lohmeier, former commander of the space force – which is overseen by the airborne service – expected to serve as deputy.
Experts say the appointments will add to the already-tense US-China military competition in space. Both men have said space should be prioritised, a position also held by Frank Kendall, who was air force secretary in the Joe Biden administration.
The analysts said Trump, who created the space force during his first term, would continue to view space as vital to US national security and superiority, especially as China’s emerging status as a space power challenges traditional American dominance there.
Pending Senate confirmation of his appointment, Meink will be expected to carry out Trump’s executive order for a comprehensive air and missile defence strategy that has been likened to Israel’s Iron Dome.
During the previous administration, Meink was principal deputy director for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the agency established in 1960 to develop and operate space-based intelligence reconnaissance support for the CIA and US military.
The NRO is reported to have signed a US$1.8 billion contract in 2021 with Trump ally Elon Musk’s SpaceX for its Starshield business unit to build a network of hundreds of spy satellites aimed at thwarting any attack.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Can the US keep the upper hand over China in the Philippines?
By Lucio Blanco Pitlo III
A foreign aid freeze, uncertain security guarantees and fears of being marginalised in great power deals have stirred unease in the Philippines as US President Donald Trump’s policy takes form. The opening salvo of the second Trump term has sent jitters through Manila, which stands on the front line of regional flashpoints.
Beyond strategic and security issues, the plight of undocumented immigrants, continuity for pledged projects and a clear economic game plan to compete with China will be key issues on Manila’s radar.
Trump’s immigration policy could immediately affect overseas Filipinos and remittances. An estimated 300,000 Filipinos without legal status in the US are at risk of being deported. Repatriating them requires logistics and reintegrating them would entail costs. The US is the biggest source of cash remittances to the Philippines.
Providing legal assistance to these Filipino immigrants and possibly negotiating for a longer grace period to regularise their stay can be discussed. Worryingly, Trump’s actions may also shape discourse in other Western countries where anti-immigrant views are on the rise.
Trump’s economic approach is another source of concern. Tariffs or threats to impose them against rivals, neighbours and allies alike unsettle markets. High tariffs on goods containing Chinese inputs may also affect producers sourcing materials from China. Trump’s tariffs will hurt Southeast Asian economies.
China is the Philippines’ top source of imports, while the US is among its main markets. Both countries will need to have serious conversations on the rules of origin to mitigate adverse effects on trade and intertwined global production chains.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Lucio Blanco Pitlo III
A foreign aid freeze, uncertain security guarantees and fears of being marginalised in great power deals have stirred unease in the Philippines as US President Donald Trump’s policy takes form. The opening salvo of the second Trump term has sent jitters through Manila, which stands on the front line of regional flashpoints.
Beyond strategic and security issues, the plight of undocumented immigrants, continuity for pledged projects and a clear economic game plan to compete with China will be key issues on Manila’s radar.
Trump’s immigration policy could immediately affect overseas Filipinos and remittances. An estimated 300,000 Filipinos without legal status in the US are at risk of being deported. Repatriating them requires logistics and reintegrating them would entail costs. The US is the biggest source of cash remittances to the Philippines.
Providing legal assistance to these Filipino immigrants and possibly negotiating for a longer grace period to regularise their stay can be discussed. Worryingly, Trump’s actions may also shape discourse in other Western countries where anti-immigrant views are on the rise.
Trump’s economic approach is another source of concern. Tariffs or threats to impose them against rivals, neighbours and allies alike unsettle markets. High tariffs on goods containing Chinese inputs may also affect producers sourcing materials from China. Trump’s tariffs will hurt Southeast Asian economies.
China is the Philippines’ top source of imports, while the US is among its main markets. Both countries will need to have serious conversations on the rules of origin to mitigate adverse effects on trade and intertwined global production chains.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
Elon Musk, China’s ‘top puppet’, poses US national security risks: House Democrats
By Igor PatrickRobert DelaneyBochen Han
US House Democrats on Tuesday used a hearing on Chinese port investments in Latin America to blast billionaire Elon Musk and warn of potential national security risks from Republican plans to shut down the US Agency for International Development.
Convened by a House subcommittee on transportation and maritime security, the hearing focused on how China’s presence in ports in Panama, Peru and Brazil could affect Washington’s interests in the region.
US congressman Carlos Gimenez of Florida said Hong Kong-based company Hutchison Ports’ operations in two ports on the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the Panama Canal gave Beijing “a strategic position over one of the world’s most important waterways”.
“[It] provides the Communist Party with an opportunity to exert influence over commercial shipping, gather intelligence on American and allied vessel traffic and potentially restrict the mobility of our Navy in a time of crisis,” he said.
Gimenez, a Cuban-born Republican from Florida, repeated an argument widely adopted in Washington since US President Donald Trump announced his intention to assert control over the canal.
“The United States cannot and will not accept the scenario where a foreign adversary, one that openly seeks to undermine our global standing, controls infrastructure critical to us, homeland security, military readiness and economic stability,” Gimenez added.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Igor PatrickRobert DelaneyBochen Han
US House Democrats on Tuesday used a hearing on Chinese port investments in Latin America to blast billionaire Elon Musk and warn of potential national security risks from Republican plans to shut down the US Agency for International Development.
Convened by a House subcommittee on transportation and maritime security, the hearing focused on how China’s presence in ports in Panama, Peru and Brazil could affect Washington’s interests in the region.
US congressman Carlos Gimenez of Florida said Hong Kong-based company Hutchison Ports’ operations in two ports on the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the Panama Canal gave Beijing “a strategic position over one of the world’s most important waterways”.
“[It] provides the Communist Party with an opportunity to exert influence over commercial shipping, gather intelligence on American and allied vessel traffic and potentially restrict the mobility of our Navy in a time of crisis,” he said.
Gimenez, a Cuban-born Republican from Florida, repeated an argument widely adopted in Washington since US President Donald Trump announced his intention to assert control over the canal.
“The United States cannot and will not accept the scenario where a foreign adversary, one that openly seeks to undermine our global standing, controls infrastructure critical to us, homeland security, military readiness and economic stability,” Gimenez added.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
