
US should consider barring Chinese citizens from its national labs, Senate hears
The US must do more to keep Chinese citizens from accessing its scientific research, including barring them from the country's national laboratories, lawmakers and experts warned on Thursday, in the latest sign of intensifying government scrutiny of America's research and development systems. 'There's been literally a whole generation of successful efforts by Communist China on stealing stuff,' said Paul Dabbar, CEO of California-based Bohr Quantum Technology and Donald Trump 's former Department of Energy undersecretary for science.
Testifying at a hearing convened by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Dabbar recommended a default 'ban [on] Chinese nationals at the national labs' with the department able to grant waivers. US senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, has championed legislation to prohibit citizens of China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Russia from gaining access to national labs unless they obtain a waiver. via AFP Dabbar's comments came as Washington debates how best to attract top talent for innovation while safeguarding American intellectual property rights and national security.
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AllAfrica
5 minutes ago
- AllAfrica
India's hand in Trump tariff row stronger than it looks
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Senior officials have begun mapping out a menu of counter-moves, from limited retaliatory tariffs to deeper integration with BRICS partners and other non-Western economies. To understand why India is in no rush to fold, it is worth taking stock of how the balance of power has shifted. First, BRICS itself has shaped into a US$32.5 trillion economic coalition after the addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Indonesia. The enlarged group now represents roughly 30–40% of global GDP and accounts for over a fifth of world trade. This is not yet a substitute for the G7 ($46.8 trillion), but it is a credible alternative pole. Second, while the US dollar remains dominant, accounting for around 58% of global reserves and cross-border transactions, its share has been steadily declining, from 72% in 2000. India's trade with Russia, which surged to around $65–69 billion last fiscal year, is increasingly settled in rupees and rubles, bypassing the dollar entirely. 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India's $3.4 trillion economy and 1.4 billion market give it scale; its BRICS membership, combined with Quad, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and G20 roles, gives it reach. This unique positioning allows New Delhi to keep one foot in the Western security architecture while cultivating deep ties to Russia, Iran, the Gulf, and Central Asia. Optionality has a financial dimension too: the more India settles trade in local currencies, the less exposed it is to US financial leverage. That, in turn, blunts the coercive edge of both sanctions and tariffs. Washington's wager appears to be that punitive tariffs will force India into strategic compliance. History suggests otherwise. Sustained tariff wars often prompt global supply chains to reroute, and the early signs here point to a similar outcome. Rather than isolating India, higher tariffs may accelerate the very multipolarity the US seeks to contain. 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South China Morning Post
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- South China Morning Post
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RTHK
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- RTHK
Mexico strikes deal for tri-national 'Earth's lung'
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