As China and the Netherlands prepare to hold talks next week over the Nexperia chipmaker dispute, Beijing has the patience to resolve the issue through multiple rounds of negotiations to ensure the case remains isolated, analysts said. On Thursday, Dutch Economy Minister Vincent Karremans said a senior government delegation would visit Beijing “to continue our efforts to find a mutually agreeable solution”. The Dutch government took the unusual step of seizing control of Nexperia from its...

Entrepreneurs and legal experts have welcomed a move by Shanghai and its neighbouring provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui to regulate cross-regional market enforcement, saying it will offer relief from arbitrary inspections, overlapping investigations and profit-driven law enforcement. The four jurisdictions have introduced China’s first mechanism designed to rein in cross-jurisdictional and profit-driven law enforcement, establishing a formal coordination framework to standardise...

As companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin make headlines for sending non-astronauts into space on pricey private tours, a Chinese state firm is expected to unveil its own space tourism programme this week, joining other domestic enterprises as they attempt to make headway in the rapidly emerging – and US-dominated – market. China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), the primary contractor for the country's space programme, will unveil details of its inaugural tour at the China Hi-tech...

Chinese firms must be extra vigilant in Europe as policymakers there weigh tougher measures against a pair of iconic hi-tech suppliers while France has threatened to suspend fast-fashion retailer Shein, analysts say, as the moves come after a seizure of Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia. The European Commission’s reported plan to force member states to phase out Huawei Technologies and ZTE gear from telecoms networks could mark a fresh regulatory hurdle while serving as a warning to roughly 3,000...

China-US relations are likely to become more volatile in the coming years, with both sides competing to win over third countries – a dynamic already reshaping global supply chains, according to analysts. “We’re going to see cycles of ups and downs. They’re going to test each other,” said Scott Kennedy, senior adviser at the US think tank Centre for Strategic and International Studies, at a forum in Beijing on Thursday. “What we’ve seen over time is the amplitude of those cycles that has got...

Stronger stimulus measures are needed to halt the decline in China’s embattled property sector, as Beijing aims to guide the national economy towards a stable and healthy trajectory, according to Citigroup. An incentive package – including interest rate reductions, tax cuts, further relaxation of home purchase restrictions and the buy-back of idle land – could help revitalise the real estate industry, said Yu Xiangrong, Citi’s chief economist for Greater China, during a media briefing in...

A northern Chinese region that boasts the world’s biggest rare earth element (REE) mine is looking to develop its second-largest city, Baotou, into a world-leading hub for critical materials. And analysts say the effort could further shore up China’s leading position in the supply chain. In a 10-year development plan, which includes intentions to build a “solid ecological security barrier”, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region said it will make comprehensive progress on the protection and...