July 17, 2026

03a China

German leader not opposed to Chinese taking over car plants– www.channelnewsasia.com

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German carmakers have long complained of high costs and onerous red tape while critics contend the companies themselves need to restructure and improve how they are run.

Volkswagen boss Blume – who also told staff that four plants might need to close – said in April that he was open to Volkswagen’s Chinese partners using its plants.

However, the group has since sought to dampen speculation of any imminent deals.

Other carmakers in Europe are also partnering with Chinese firms.

Jeep and Fiat owner Stellantis said in May it had formed a joint venture with China’s Dongfeng to share manufacturing, sales and engineering operations on the continent.

China and Xi are seen more favourably than the US and Trump in many nations, Pew study suggests– www.channelnewsasia.com

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Aside from benefiting from the fading memory of the pandemic, China appears to have gained from comparison with the US, Silver said.

“By comparison, we know that China is seen to be a more reliable partner in many places. It’s more likely to be seen to contribute to global peace and stability,” the researcher said.

Notably, those in some US-allied countries have drastically shifted their views in recent years, such as Canada. In the new survey, only 33 per cent of Canadians have positive views of the US, down from 57 per cent in 2023. Over the same period, their favourable opinions of China rose from 14 per cent to 44 per cent.

Trump slapped a barrage of tariffs on Canadian goods last year, and even claimed that Canada could be the “51st state”.

Major European countries — including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands and Italy — all have switched their opinions toward the world’s two largest economies.

People in the UK, where about six in 10 held positive views of the US in 2023, now view China and the US similarly. Three years ago, the spread was 32 percentage points in Washington’s favour.

Of the six countries where people have more favourable views of the US, Israel leads the way. About eight in 10 Israelis view the US positively, compared with 19 per cent for China.

China ups arrests of Christians, demands cult of Xi– www.americanthinker.com

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The Chinese communist government clearly sees the first of the Ten Commandments, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” as a threat.

As reported Sunday in The Telegraph, Chinese authorities have intensified a nationwide campaign against independent Christian congregations, arresting thousands of worshippers and forcing many of China’s “house churches” further underground.

Police have raided churches across the country, detained pastors and lay leaders, and expanded surveillance of believers who refuse to worship in state-approved churches.

Several Chinese Christians who fled the country told The Telegraph that believers increasingly feel they are being treated as enemies of the state simply because their highest allegiance is to God rather than to the Chinese Communist Party.

One Christian told the newspaper that “there is no freedom left,” while another described living under constant surveillance and fearing arrest for attending ordinary worship services. Others said authorities have pressured Christians to join government-controlled churches whose preaching is closely monitored by the Communist Party.

China Becomes an Ethno-Nationalist State?

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China’s Ethnic Unity Law took effect July 1, 2026. The law appears to attempt to advance Han ethnic supremacism both within China and globally. Global concerns about the laws effects on ethnic minorities within China were met by claims from CCP officials that the law was meant to “protect them.”

China Defends Widely Criticized ‘Ethnic Unity’ Law – The New York Times
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Rights groups and Western officials have criticized the law as a threat to Tibetans, Uyghurs and other minorities. Beijing says the measure aims to protect them.

Trump administration accuses China of nuclear proliferation after submarine missile test– www.washingtontimes.com

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The Trump administration on Monday criticized China for conducting a test launch of a provocative submarine-launched, nuclear-capable missile that the State Department called a sign of Beijing’s continuing arms buildup.

China carried out the test launch on Monday of what analysts say is likely an advanced JL-2 missile or new JL-3 multi-warhead submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), a strategic weapon shown during a military parade in September.

A spokesman for People’s Liberation Army navy provided no details on the type of submarine or missile involved, or the launch and splashdown locations, or the distance traveled.

 

Counterpoint: China’s 618 smartphone sales fall 13% year-on-year– technode.com

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According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, smartphone sales in China fell 13% year over year during the month-long 618 shopping festival, as major brands raised prices to offset higher memory costs. Between May 26 and June 21, all major Chinese smartphone brands except Huawei posted double-digit sales declines. Promotions were less aggressive than last year, dampening consumer demand. Honor’s sales dropped 33%, while Xiaomi’s fell 24%.

Ivan Lam, Senior Analyst at Counterpoint Research, said: “Some Chinese smartphone brands priced both their new and existing models higher than comparable devices a year ago. Discounts during this year’s 618 shopping festival were also generally less aggressive, both in terms of price reductions and the range of products included in promotions.” [Jiwei, in Chinese]

NASA Chief says China can soon outsmart US in space exploration: But could shape the future of space |– timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Among the many industries that China and the USA are competing in, space is a rising battleground. The two countries that have tried their best to form a bond in trade and truth but remain contentious in spirit. China is rapidly advancing its lunar exploration program and is expected to eventually send taikonauts to the Moon, as per media reports.

Chinese court hands former local official a death sentence in $325M bribery case– abcnews.com

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WASHINGTON — A court in eastern China on Monday sentenced a former local official to death over taking bribes that authorities said amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars during a three-decade period.

Yang Youlin, a former economic development official in the Jiangsu Province capital of Nanjing on China’ s east coast, “illegally accepted property and assets” valued over 2.21 billion yuan ($325 million) from 1993 to 2023, the Changzhou Intermediate People’s Court said in a statement.

Xi’s General Purges to Continue

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It appears Chairman Xi has not yet consolidated power after what appeared to be an attempted coup a few months ago. It has been announced 6 top PLA Generals, including the powerful procurement head, have been fired. The charges are corruption connected to taking money through the procurement process.

Xi to remove top 6 PLA generals, including procurement head – NewsBytes
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What’s the story

Chinese President Xi Jinping is reportedly preparing to dismiss the top six generals of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The purge includes key commanders of cyberspace and logistics forces, as well as the general responsible for equipment procurement. This comes after Air Force General Xu Xueqiang is to be sacked from his dual role as Director of Equipment Development Department and head of the Manned Space Programme.

Membership termination

National People’s Congress terminated memberships of these generals

The National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s legislative body, has terminated the memberships of these six top generals. This is the first step in a three-step purge process that includes expulsion from the Communist Party and a formal investigation by military prosecutors. The latest dismissals come amid Xi’s ongoing anti-corruption campaign, which has seen at least 104 generals purged over four years, including 62 in the past year alone.

Equipment Development Department at center of corruption scandal

The Equipment Development Department (EDD), which Xu headed, is at the center of a major corruption scandal. The scandal involves alleged irregularities in the testing, approval, and procurement of military equipment. This year alone, heads of state-owned enterprises like Aviation Industry Corporation of China (Avic) and China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) have also been dismissed over this issue.

Christian in China Freed by Trump – thebethlehem.com

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In the wake of a wave of crackdowns on Christians by Chairman Xi’s China, President Trump has successfully convinced the leader to let a Christian pastor go free. The pastor is Ezra Jin Mingri, who appears to have been released as a token “gift” to President Trump.  He was released two months after President Trump’s Beijing visit.

Go Deeper

Nasa Chief Jared Isaacman says the new space race has already begun, and this time it is with China in the race to land on Moon by 2030 |– timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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The competition to return humans to the Moon is no longer being spoken about as a distant ambition. According to Nasa Administrator Jared Isaacman, it has become a direct contest between the United States and China, with both countries working towards lunar landings within a remarkably similar timeframe. Although official schedules suggest the US is targeting a return in 2028 while China has set its sights on landing astronauts before 2030, Isaacman believes the practical difference between those goals is much smaller than it appears. His remarks reflect a growing sense inside the US space agency that the coming few years will shape the future of human exploration beyond Earth. Rather than treating the next Moon landing as a symbolic achievement, Nasa is framing it as the beginning of a much longer effort to establish a lasting presence on the lunar surface before turning its attention towards missions to Mars.

China test-launches ballistic missile from sub in South Pacific, drawing protests– www.cbsnews.com

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Bangkok — China’s military test-launched a long-range ballistic missile Monday from one of its nuclear-powered submarines in the South Pacific, drawing protest and concern from countries in the region.

The missile was launched at 12:01 p.m. and carried a dummy warhead, according the official Xinhua News Agency.

China last conducted a missile test in the Pacific two years ago, firing an intercontinental ballistic missile with a dummy warhead. That previous launch in international waters was the first in decades, since 1980.