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Industry

Trump narrows space for Taiwan independence, mainland scholar says

Wu Yongping is one of the Chinese mainland’s leading specialists on Taiwan affairs and dean of the Institute for Taiwan Studies at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Here he shares his views on signals from the Xi-Trump summit, and discusses peaceful reunification between the mainland and Taiwan and how it could be achieved. SCMP Plus readers get early access to articles in the Open Questions series. How should we read President Xi Jinping’s message to Donald Trump on the Taiwan question during the...

May 17, 2026

Industry

China turns coal power plant exhaust into cheap, effective fertiliser

Fertiliser made using captured carbon and sulphur can boost crop yields compared with conventional versions, Chinese firm says A report published on Monday by China Electric Power News cited a person involved in the project as saying that “flue gas enters from one end of the pipe, and fertiliser comes out from the other end”. China Electric Power News is a newspaper under the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s top economic planner. Carbon capture is the process of extracting carbon dioxide (CO2) from emissions, thereby preventing it from entering the atmosphere and causing climate change. The captured carbon is liquefied and finally buried underground. However, this requires specific geological conditions and the whole process has high start-up and operating costs. Jiangnan Environmental Technology (JNG) has taken a different route by using ammonia to capture the sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide produced by burning coal, then transforming the chemicals into fertiliser. This fertiliser can then be sold, offsetting the cost of capturing the carbon.

May 17, 2026

Industry

China launches new war on deserts with technology tested on far side of the moon

Projects meant to help Xinjiang region build ecological barrier to protect its arable land from erosion and desertification China has launched a new offensive on desertification in western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, deploying the same technology used on the moon to help safeguard food security. The projects are meant to help the region build an ecological barrier to protect the region’s arable land from erosion and desertification, according to a report last month by Science and Technology Daily, the official newspaper of the Ministry of Science and Technology. Among the new technologies being deployed to battle desertification at the edge of the Taklamakan Desert are six environmentally friendly materials for sand control.

May 17, 2026

Industry

How Trump’s China visit may hint the ‘2 eyes of the world’ are learning to live together

The twin superpowers may be slowly learning lessons from the ancient rivalry between Rome and Persia Showing no signs of jet lag, Trump seemed to be in high spirits, glad-handing everyone he met and looking genuinely happy. In Beijing, he was on his best behaviour, temporarily abandoning the signature antics he has so often deployed to bamboozle other world leaders. He followed protocol, spoke like a consummate diplomat and – despite his well-known abstinence from alcohol – even appeared to take a sip of champagne when toasting his Chinese hosts. If an alien had visited Earth this week, it might have concluded that this was a meeting between two great allies, rather than two superpowers locked in an intense rivalry that threatens to collapse global peace and order. Yet, it would be naive to believe that two days of fraternisation between Xi and Trump will reset a relationship fraught with mutual suspicion. While both leaders smiled for the cameras, the readouts released afterwards revealed that each remained strictly focused on their own priorities. Details about any actual deals remain scarce and opaque and many pitfalls lie ahead – particularly over the US handling of the Taiwan issue.

May 16, 2026

Industry

Have Chinese defence firms broken the sniper rifle range record – again?

Ammunition and optics manufacturers say that their weapons were used to set a new benchmark but offer no details Cryptic statements from two Chinese defence companies suggest that a long-distance shooting record may have been broken yet again. The first hint came on April 28, when Chongqing Changjiang Electric Appliances Industries Group, one of China’s biggest ammunition manufacturers, announced that an unspecified product had “successfully refreshed the world record for similar products” during a “specialised test”. The next day, Hunan Huanan OptoElectronic Group – a military optics supplier – said in a brief statement that its product had been used in a “sniper-specific test” and had “again supported the system in refreshing a world record in the same field”. The company praised the optic’s “sharp imaging” and “rock-solid optical axis”, but did not mention any details about the test, the record or which product had been used. One clue is that last year, Huanan OptoElectronic reported that the domestically developed CS/LR24 rifle was able to hit five out of five targets at a distance of 3,017 metres (9,898 feet). That marked a record for a rifle using 8.6mm rounds, a calibre class long dominated by British and US guns.

May 16, 2026

Industry

How to deal with this ‘very Chinese time’ in Western lives

What comes to mind when you think of China, Japan and South Korea? This was a question posed in a second-year sociology seminar during my time at Bristol, and it has stayed with me ever since. We were split into three groups and given 10 minutes to create posters capturing our immediate associations. Japan came first. Sketches of anime, sushi platters and temples appeared. My classmates spoke with enthusiasm, drawing on travel memories or aspirations to visit. A country that, less than a century...

May 15, 2026

Industry

Taiwan casts long shadow over Trump’s summit with Xi

Beijing signals Taiwan will shape broader ties with Washington as Trump weighs future arms sales to the island Taiwan has emerged as the first test of Beijing and Washington’s new “strategic stability” formula, according to analysts. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said on Friday that during Trump’s state visit to China from Wednesday to Friday, the Chinese side “feels during the meetings” that “the US side understands China’s position, values China’s concerns, and, like the international community, does not recognise or accept Taiwan independence”. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump said he and Xi “talked a lot about Taiwan” during their formal and informal exchanges on Thursday and Friday. “I think we’ll be fine,” Trump said. “He doesn’t want to see a war.”

May 15, 2026

Industry

AI supremacy, ‘secret police station’, Taiwan propaganda: 7 US-China relations reads

From China’s nuclear weapons to Trump’s summit entourage, here are highlights from our overseas correspondents in the first half of May 2026 Xi described Trump’s visit as “historical” and “a landmark”, adding that “important consensus was made on issues both sides are interested in”, according to the Chinese summary. A US Senate hearing on nuclear capabilities issued a warning that China has been engaged in an “unprecedented nuclear expansion” in recent years, hours before US President Donald Trump was due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. A Chinese-American man was found guilty of acting as an unauthorised Chinese agent in a case involving a Chinese police station set up in New York’s Chinatown. Prosecutors said he was engaged in expanding Beijing’s influence and intimidating overseas Chinese communities.

May 15, 2026

Industry

Xi-Trump summit: all you need to know from the final day of the meeting in Beijing

We have put together stories from our coverage on the second day of Xi and Trump’s meeting in Beijing. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. ‘We’ll be back’: the latest takeaways from the Xi-Trump talks Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump chat as they stroll through the grounds of Zhongnanhai, with Trump again dangling the idea of a “G2”. 2. Meet Zhou Qunfei: the woman seated between Cook and Musk at China state banquet Zhou...

May 15, 2026

Industry

The Xi-Trump summit is over. What comes next in the US-China rivalry?

The US president’s trip to Beijing has been hailed as ‘fantastic’ and ‘historic’ but there are still many known unknowns in ties In the past, the last day of state visits to China has typically featured a deal-signing ceremony presided over by leaders from both sides. During a photo call after the walk, Xi described Trump’s visit as “historical” and “a landmark”, adding that “important consensus was made on issues both sides are interested in”, according to the Chinese summary. Trump described his whirlwind state visit to Beijing as “fantastic” and once again praised Xi, calling him an old friend of over 11 years and highlighting how their personal connection had made it possible for them to resolve many thorny issues. “Both sides should work together to make thorough preparations, create a favourable atmosphere, and achieve more substantive outcomes for the interactions and exchanges between the two heads of state,” Wang said.

May 15, 2026

Industry

‘May do it. May not do it’: Trump keeps up suspense over arms to Taiwan, says no to war

Xi and he ‘talked a lot’ about Taiwan, US president says, will not be drawn on future of mega arms packages awaiting final approval However, Trump stopped short of approving arms sales to the island, leaving open the future of major arms packages. In an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier in Beijing, Trump said: “I’m not looking to have somebody go independent and we’re supposed to travel 9,500 miles (about 15,300km) to fight a war. I’m not looking for that.” The remarks appeared aimed at Taiwan’s independence-leaning leader, William Lai Ching-te. In the interview, a clip from which aired on Friday morning Eastern time, Trump also reiterated that the US policy on Taiwan remained unchanged. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One after wrapping up his visit, Trump said he and Xi “talked a lot about Taiwan” during their formal and informal exchanges over Thursday and Friday.

May 15, 2026

Industry

Inside Zhongnanhai: Xi welcomes Trump into China’s hidden heart before bidding goodbye

Centuries-old trees and ‘most beautiful’ roses take centre stage as US leader taken on rare stroll around secluded, symbolic seat of power Zhongnanhai, once an imperial garden, now serves as Xi’s official residence and the headquarters of China’s top leadership, housing offices of the ruling Communist Party and the State Council, or China’s cabinet. Generations of senior party and state leaders have lived and worked within the compound since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949. For decades, the compound has been among China’s most secretive sites, occupying an almost mythic role in most public imagination of Chinese politics – hidden behind high walls and guarded gates. On Friday, however, Xi briefly opened part of that world to his American guests, receiving them in a more casual setting than the formal talks on Thursday.

May 15, 2026