Harvard speech sparks privilege debate, China GDP growth outlook: SCMP daily highlights
Catch up on some of SCMP's biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider
subscribing
Emotional remarks by a Chinese student who delivered this year's Harvard University commencement speech have sparked a debate in China about barriers to elite education.
China's economy is projected to grow by 4.3 per cent next year, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said this week as it trimmed a 10th of a percentage point off its previous forecast in the light of ongoing world trade strife.
A rendering of a Tiandu test satellite. Photo: Deep Space Exploration Laboratory
China's Tiandu-1 satellite has entered a critical fuel-efficient orbit that synchronises with the motion of the Earth and moon, but claims that it is the first spacecraft to achieve the feat have been challenged by US and Canadian experts.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
26 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Trump's top economic officials to meet with China counterparts in London next week
US President Donald Trump's top economic officials will meet with their Chinese counterparts on Monday. 'I am pleased to announce that Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Jamieson Greer, will be meeting in London on Monday, June 9, 2025, with Representatives of China, with reference to the Trade Deal,' Trump said on social media. 'The meeting should go very well. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' More to follow... Advertisement
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Over 700 American scholars of China urge Marco Rubio to pause visa constraints on students
More than 700 American scholars of China have signed a petition urging US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to pause moves to impose visa restrictions against Chinese students. In their letter, the group of primarily US-based academics argued that the policy would have a 'direct negative impact on US innovation and competitiveness, as well as undercut the long-term economic strength of the higher education sector in the United States'. 'We therefore urge you to reconsider this move and to pause any implementation of the planned policy change pending further review, including consultation with key stakeholders both inside and outside the US government,' they wrote. Play The 731 signatories, drawn from top US private and public universities as well as regional colleges, include Andrew Nathan, a professor of political science at Columbia University; Barry Naughton, a renowned authority on the Chinese economy at the University of California San Diego; and Jessica Chen Weiss, a professor of China studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Trump-Xi call: China hawk Rubio missing in action as leaders rekindle trade hopes
The conspicuous absence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio from preparations for the much-anticipated phone call between Chinese and US leaders – and from subsequent trade talk announcements – has raised questions about his influence in shaping bilateral ties. Advertisement US President Donald Trump on Thursday described his 90-minute conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping as 'very positive', and announced on his social media platform that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent , Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer would head future negotiations with China. Observers said the call, following a 90-day truce last month, rekindled hopes of cooling heightened US-China tensions over tariffs and global supplies of rare earth minerals, placing trade talks as the most pressing and dominating issue for bilateral ties in the near future. They noted a shift in Washington's approach to China, driven largely by economic pragmatism and Trump's preference for personal deal-making, while some said it signalled Rubio's diminished role in US-China ties. In the past, direct engagements between US and Chinese leaders were usually preceded by groundwork involving China's top diplomats and their US counterparts, namely, the secretary of state or the national security adviser. Advertisement Regular face-to-face dialogue between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also Xi's top foreign policy aide, and former national security adviser Jake Sullivan and former US secretary of state Antony Blinken helped set the stage for Xi's multiple meetings and calls with Trump's predecessor Joe Biden.
