The Latest Breaking News from China

According to monitoring organisation Article 19, more than two-thirds of the world's population has less freedom of expression than a decade ago. RFI spoke with the NGO's senior director David Diaz-Jogeix about the results of its report.

Japan’s coast guard has held a joint exercise with counterparts from the United States and the Philippines, as the three Pacific nations beef up defense cooperation in the face of China’s expanding maritime activities

Yeah, this one's going on the wishlist ASAP.

Softbank’s Masayoshi Son is leading efforts to build one of the largest investments in history by finding backers for a $1 trillion AI hub in Arizona.

The sprawling resort, the first of its kind in China, boasts a mini replica of the Shanghai waterfront

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White House crypto and AI czar David Sacks shared his concerns over Chinese chipmakers getting too close to U.S. tech capabilities for comfort. Sacks estimates Huawei's growth has been helped by overly strict computer hardware export rules, making international customers less likely to buy American.

China has approved some rare earth export licences, offering slight relief to strained global supply chains. Yet with shipments still down sharply and licensing opaque, Europe's auto sector remains exposed to Beijing’s strategic resource grip.

The European Union has confirmed a ban on Chinese companies from participating in EU government tenders for medical devices exceeding €5 million – another piece in an ongoing tit-for-tat trade tensions between Brussels and Beijing.

The move came shortly after a British warship crossed the strait, an act welcomed by Taiwan but condemned by Beijing as provocative.

From Li-ion batteries and electric vehicles to drones and solar panels, nearly all clean technologies depend on critical raw materials, such as lithium, nickel and cobalt. As the demand for these technologies surges, so too does the demand for their components, placing immense pressure on supply chains.