
Sixth-gen fighter's capabilities, China's film industry on notice: SCMP daily highlights
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In a future conflict over Taiwan, Beijing's sixth-generation fighter could block the airspace to foreign bases in Guam for up to two hours from 1,000km away, according to a mainland Chinese military magazine.
The offshore yuan strengthened and broke past the 7.2 level against the US dollar for the first time since November, signalling an optimistic shift in market sentiment as hopes of a trade war thaw and fresh demand grows for Chinese assets.
Cosplaying audience members at a screening in New York of Ne Zha 2, the Chinese export that has emerged as the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Photo: AP
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he was ordering a new front in his tariff war – extending his 'America first' blitz to foreign-made films and claiming that Hollywood was being 'devastated' by the number of filmmakers and studios working overseas.

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South China Morning Post
40 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Trump and South Korea's new leader talk tariffs, golf and assassinations in first call
US President Donald Trump and South Korea's new president, Lee Jae-myung, agreed to work toward a swift tariff deal in their first phone call since Lee was elected this week, Lee's office said on Friday. Advertisement Trump has imposed tariffs on South Korea, a long-time ally with which it has a bilateral free trade deal, and pressed it to pay more for the 28,500 US troops stationed there. Separately, Trump allies have aired concerns about Lee's more conciliatory stance towards China, Washington's main geopolitical rival. Lee, a liberal, was elected on June 3 after former conservative leader, Yoon Suk-yeol, was impeached and ousted. The future of South Korea's export-oriented economy may hinge on what kind of deal Lee can strike with Trump, with all of his country's key sectors from chips to cars and shipbuilding heavily exposed to global trade. His term began on Wednesday. Advertisement 'The two presidents agreed to make an effort to reach a satisfactory agreement on tariff consultations as soon as possible that both countries can be satisfied with,' Lee's office said in a statement. 'To this end, they decided to encourage working-level negotiations to yield tangible results.'


RTHK
an hour ago
- RTHK
Court allows Trump restrictions on press for now
Court allows Trump restrictions on press for now AP journalists have been barred from the Oval Office for months over the agency's refusal to call the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America" . Photo: Reuters President Donald Trump can bar The Associated Press from some White House media events for now, a federal appeals court ruled Friday, pausing a lower court order to give access to the US news agency's journalists. AP journalists and photographers have been barred from the Oval Office and from traveling on Air Force One since mid-February because of the news agency's decision to continue referring to the "Gulf of Mexico" -- and not the "Gulf of America" as decreed by Trump. In April, district court judge Trevor McFadden deemed that move a violation of the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and of the press. But on Friday, a panel of judges with the Washington-based federal appeals court ruled that, pending appeal, the government could go ahead and bar AP from "restricted presidential spaces," which it said did not fall under First Amendment protections. The AP, a 180-year-old news organisation, has so far refused to backtrack on its decision to continue referring to the "Gulf of Mexico." In its style guide, it highlights that the Gulf of Mexico has "carried that name for more than 400 years" and the agency "will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen." Since Trump returned to the presidency in January, his administration has sought to radically restructure the way the White House is covered, notably by favouring conservative podcasters and influencers. Two weeks after barring the AP, the White House stripped journalists of the nearly century-old power to decide which of the profession's own number will be members of a pool of reporters and photographers covering presidential events. (AFP)


South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Key question remains after Xi-Trump phone call breaks stand-off
Top-level talks amid tense stand-offs between China and the United States have the power to move markets, and often do. The excitement generated by the 90-day trade war truce agreed in Geneva last month is an example. But it is not matched by reaction to Thursday's call between presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump. Though it is another welcome break in the ice that has formed over the bilateral relationship, it leaves a key question unanswered – what next, if the truce is to succeed in heading off a damaging global tariff war. That is not to say no good at all came from the first call between the two leaders since days before Trump's inauguration in January. The US president said on social media that Xi had invited him and America's first lady to visit China, and he had reciprocated. The details – ceremonial and diplomatic – remain to be negotiated between officials, but a possible opportunity will be the annual Apec Economic Leaders' Meeting to be held in Seoul in November. Both leaders had concrete results to show for the call. Trump agreed to unblock visas for Chinese students in the US, days after the State Department said it would revoke them, and Xi agreed to resume Chinese exports of rare earth minerals, crucial to everyday civilian, strategic and military technologies. Each has dimmed prospects of more constructive dialogue and negotiation between the two sides. A number of technological bans and export controls imposed by Washington remain in place, examples of mixed messaging that does nothing to ease tensions. The tone of the official readouts contrasted, with Trump focusing on trade issues and Xi, besides trade, emphasising the importance of the Taiwan issue and overall bilateral ties. Xi warned the US not to embolden Taiwan separatists to jeopardise China-US relations – an apparent reference to what is seen as an attempt by Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-ti to use the US-China tariff war to gain an advantage. 'Xi emphasised that the US should handle the Taiwan issue with caution,' state television said, to avoid dragging 'the two countries into a dangerous situation of conflict and confrontation'. Hopefully, the next round of trade negotiations will come sooner rather than later – not just for China and the US but for the sake of global trade. The European Union and many other markets are frustrated by the slowing of Chinese rare earth exports. China is similarly facing difficulties because of US technological bans and controls, including critical aviation technology. Both sides must improve communication in all areas to build consensus, clear misunderstandings and strengthen cooperation. That is the best way back to the negotiating table and more positive measures than tit-for-tat bans and controls.