🌍 Peter’s Perspective Bi-weekly news blog

Grounded in the same four pillars as my book West meets East, this page brings you the stories shaping mainland China, Singapore and Taiwan. If you don’t speak Mandarin, but want a clear insider-informed view that complements Western perspectives – you’re in the right place. Every two weeks I scan trusted East Asian sources like SCMP, Caixin, Straits Times, Xinhua and Taipei Times but also Reuters to bring you the top 20 stories you need to know. Just like in my book, each edition is organized around four key themes: 

PEOPLE & CULTURE: From martial arts revivals and sports to Asia’s most creative cultural exports.
LEADERSHIP & ECONOMY Trade shifts, five-year plans and tech-powered policy transformations.
TECH & INNOVATION: Semiconductors, AI, and university spin-offs that are redefining global innovation.
CLIMATE , ENERGY & FOOD: From battery breakthroughs to sustainable change.

Stay curious – Bookmark, check every other Friday for fresh insights and share this page! 

🌏 September 19 – October 2, 2025

  • How did Golden Week crowds, lantern nights and bubble tea reshape city life?
  • What do EU chokepoints, China’s debt push and a Berlin spy case reveal?
  • Where are AI training, Saxony–Taiwan labs and Apple’s launch taking tech and what is China’s energy strategy?

People & Culture news

  • Record railway travel kicks off China’s “Golden Week” — 23.13 million trips on day one set a new single-day record as National Day overlapped Mid-Autumn, per CCTV data cited by Reuters. 🚆| 2 Oct 2025 Reuters
  • Hong Kong’s Mid-Autumn guide —  From Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance to low-key lantern walks, SCMP rounds up chill, non-crowded picks so you can soak up the Mid-Autumn vibes. One-stop inspiration for anyone planning a culture-centric city break. 🌕 | 25 Sep 2025 South China Morning Post
  • Taiwan bubble tea takes over Maryland — Taipei Times covers a record crowd at the Taiwan Bubble Tea Festival near Washington, DC — culture, snacks, live performances. How tapioca pearls make it to the USA. 🧋 | 22 Sep 2025 Taipei Times
  • Sport as identity check — Hong Kong rower Chiu Hin-chun’s National Games campaign shows how mainland events are a proving ground for HK athletes. A useful read on cross-border rivalry and ambition. 🚣 | 29 Sep 2025 South China Morning Post
  • Singapore’s biggest Mid-Autumn lanterns yet — Jurong Lake Gardens is hosting its largest display (through Oct 12), with 1,200 lanterns celebrating reunion themes. 📸 | 26 Sept 2025 The Straits Times

Leadership & Economy news

  • Europe hunts for chokepoints it can weaponise against China — SCMP reports Bureaucrats look for leverage against coercion from Beijing and Washington but what would it take for Brussels to act?  🧭 | 3 Oct 3 2025 South China Morning Post
  • China to set up a local-debt taskforce — Caixin says Beijing plans a dedicated finance ministry department to tackle trillions in local government liabilities. That’s code for long-game deleveraging. 🧮 | 29 Sep 2025 Caixin
  • German case shows politics–China link — The Straits Times covers a Berlin court jailing a far-right aide for spying for China, underscoring how Europe’s domestic politics and China policy now blur. Expect more compliance and security chat in EU-China corridors. 🔐 | 1 Oct 2025 The Straits Times
  • Regional outlook cools — Xinhua relays the ADB’s trimmed growth forecast for developing Asia amid a shakier trade backdrop. Higher tariffs imposed by the United States, along with elevated trade uncertainty, are expected to weigh on the region’s growth. 📉 | 30 Sep 2025 Xinhua
  • Taiwan to surpass South Korea wealth — Taiwan is set to surpass South Korea this year in terms of wealth for the first time in more than two decades, marking a shift in Asia’s economic ranks made possible by the ascent of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. 📈 | 20 Sep 2025 Taipei Times

Technology & Innovation news

  • China counts 5,300+ AI firms — Xinhua highlights rapid growth in China’s AI ecosystem, shown at major expos with service robots and new applications across cities. A useful snapshot of the scale behind China’s AI push 🤖 | 1 Oct 2025 Xinhua News
  • Taiwan considers high-tech strategic partnership with US — Taiwan is considering forming a high-tech strategic partnership with the US, which wants increased Taiwanese investment, Taipei’s top tariff negotiator said yesterday, giving an update on talks with Washington. 🤝| 2 Oct 2025 Taipei Times
  • Saxony–Taiwan Science Conference opens — Taipei Times reports Dresden’s first Saxony–Taiwan forum to deepen semiconductor and electronics R&D, alongside TSMC’s new fab plans. This connects Taiwan’s chip expertise with Germany’s engineering base. 🔧 | 1 Oct 2025 Taipei Times
  • Apple’s iPhone 17 launch in Beijing — Reuters notes queues and strong first-day buzz — a stress test for Apple’s China playbook vs. Huawei/Xiaomi. 📱 | 19 Sep 2025 Reuters
  • Singapore trains all public servants in AI basics — The Straits Times covers new mandatory AI-literacy courses to help officers use tools responsibly and improve services. A model many EU cities could borrow for trusted AI roll-outs 🎓| 19 Sep 2025 The Straits Times

Climate Action, Energy & Food news

  • China’s peak-carbon sprint (2026–2030) — Caixin’s cover story lays out the final push to peak emissions by 2030 — grid reform, storage, clean-power build-out and coal’s shrinking role. 🌍 | 22 Sep 2025 Caixin See also China’s 15th Five-Year Plan to push energy independence by Jens Kastner | 9 Sep 2025
  • Where renewables lead in China — Caixin’s “Chart of the Day” shows northern provinces topping wind/solar generation. 🌱 | 19 Sep 2025 Caixin See also China Energy Transition Review by Ember | 9 Sep 2025
  • Chinese farmers’ harvest festival celebrated across China — Xinhua highlights Farmers’ Harvest Festival events across China — food tasting, seed showcases, rural revitalization narratives. 🌾 | 23 Sep 2025 Xinhua
  • World’s first China-Europe Arctic express route opens at China’s Ningbo-Zhoushan Port — Shortened journey reduces costs, increases efficiency for companies. One to watch for Danish, Dutch and German ports. 🚢 | 29 Sep 2025 Global Times
  • US to support soybean farmers amid China lag, expect news Tuesday, Bessent says  — U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday that the federal government would support American farmers in light of China’s refusal to buy soybeans and that an announcement would be made on Tuesday. 🌾 | 2 Oct 2025 Reuters

🌏 September 5 – 18, 2025

  • Can design weeks, drag tours, and lantern festivals show how culture becomes both heritage and future branding in Asia?
  • How are China’s cooling growth numbers, Taiwan’s AI-driven exports, and Germany’s auto anxieties all connected in one trade chessboard?
  • Will Asia’s bets on domestic chips, humanoid robots, and mega data centres deliver independence—or just new dependencies in the tech war?

People & Culture news

  • Singapore Design Week turns the city into a giant ideas lab — From Sep 11–21, installations and pop-ups take over museums and neighborhoods under the theme “Nation by Design,” with plenty of free or low-cost stops. Great for mixing work trips with after-hours culture. 🎨 | 13 Sep 2025 The Straits Times
  • Photo exhibition & film week in Brussels mark WWII anniversary — Xinhua covers screenings and exhibits at China Cultural Center Brussels, tying history to contemporary exchanges. A neat EU-China culture bridge you can actually visit. 🎬 | 6 Sep 2025 Xinhua News
  • LGBTQ drag tours to showcase Taipei’s colors — Taipei launches “Color Taipei 2025” with themed city walks and cultural stops ahead of Pride Month. Tourism meets inclusivity in an easy weekend plan. 🏳️‍🌈 | 15 Sep 2025 Taipei Times
  • Mid-Autumn Festival lights up Singapore’s Chinatown — Lantern streetscapes and nightly events celebrate “60 Glorious Years,” with family-friendly performances through the season. It’s the most photogenic way to learn the legends. 🏮 | 18 Sep 2025 The Straits Times
  • Beijing to roll out new rules on Chinese language use in ethnic integration drive — China’s top legislative body is reviewing draft laws promoting the use of standard Mandarin among minority groups, in both spoken and written form, to build a “unified national identity.” It reflects how language policy is again being used to shape identity in living culture. 😊 | 10 Sep 2025 South China Morning Post

Leadership & Economy news

  • China’s August data cools; growth target under question — Industrial output and retail sales both undershot forecasts, reinforcing the “slow grind” narrative. Useful pulse-check for those exporting to China. 📉 | 15 Sep 2025 Reuters
  • Global South forum gathers in Kunming — Xinhua details a 5-day meet of 500 journalists, scholars and officials to hash out media & development cooperation. It shows how China uses platforms beyond summits to shape economic narratives. 🧭 | 5 Sep 2025 Xinhua News
  • Taiwan upgrades its GDP outlook; rates unchanged — The central bank kept the benchmark at 2% and lifted 2025 growth forecasts on AI-driven exports—while flagging U.S. tariff risks. Clear signal of resilience plus caution. 💹 | 18 Sep 2025 Reuters
  • National Development Council credits TSMC & AI for Taiwan’s GDP leap — Taipei Times reports market-share records and strong foundry momentum feeding national figures. Handy context if you sell into semiconductor supply chains. 🏭 | 18 Sep 2025 Taipei Times
  • Germany’s Merz pledges support for auto sector as US-China rivalry heats — At Germany’s IAA Mobility show, Chancellor Merz promised a summit to address competition from China & the U.S., calling for more innovation and less regulatory friction. It spotlights how European industry must adapt in a global trade war context.🚗 | 9 Sep 2025 Reuters

Technology & Innovation news

  • Cyberport weighs Chinese Graphic Processing Units for Hong Kong supercomputing — SCMP reports the hub is testing multiple mainland chips to reduce Nvidia reliance amid export controls. A peek at how ecosystems diversify under tech-war pressure. 🧠 | 14 Sep 2025 South China Morning Post
  • AI2 Robotics (China) eyes IPO within 1–2 years — Reuters says the humanoid maker is banking on industrial demand; timing will ride hardware cycles and capital markets. A bellwether for Asia’s robot moment. 🤖 | 11 Sep 2025 Reuters
  • Shanghai to cluster 1,000 AI firms — Xinhua’s business desk highlights the city’s push to concentrate AI companies, signalling deeper talent + capital pools. Urban policy as an innovation accelerant. 🧩 | 17 Sep 2025 China Daily
  • SEMI: Taiwan tool billings to double in 2025 — Taipei Times cites chip-equipment momentum as fabs race to meet AI demand. The capex arrow is still pointing up. 🛠️ | 9 Sep 2025 Taipei Times
  • China spotlights major data centre project using domestic chips — China Unicom is building a huge data centre in Xining using mostly AI chips made domestically by Alibaba’s T-Head and others, as part of Beijing’s push to reduce dependency on foreign tech. It signals that self-sufficiency in real hardware is becoming less of a promise and more of an unfolding reality. 🤖 | 17 Sep 2025 Reuters

Climate Action, Energy & Food news

  • China’s thermal coal imports stay red-hot — September arrivals are set near 27m tonnes, extending August’s 9-month high; utilities are balancing reliability as renewables scale. A real-time read on energy security trade-offs. 🪨 | 18 Sep 2025 Reuters
  • Singapore inks carbon-credit pact with Vietnam — The Straits Times reports a government-to-government framework enabling high-quality cross-border offsets. Regional climate finance is getting practical. 🌳 | 17 Sep 2025 The Straits Times
  • Chinese VP calls for global green-energy push in Beijing — At an international conference, Han Zheng urged collaboration on renewables, grid interconnection and smart energy. It’s a window into Beijing’s climate diplomacy language. ⚡ | 9 Sep 2025 Xinhua News
  • Asia’s clean energy push may stall without policy stability — Industry leaders at a Singapore conference warn that coal subsidies, unpredictable policy and weak grid infrastructure are major obstacles, even as demand for renewables surges. The warning suggests that technology and investment aren’t enough: stable governance matters. ⚡ | 10 Sep 2025 Reuters
  • EU split over climate target, deal next week in doubt — EU member states are clashing over how ambitious to be for a new 2040 target and the role of carbon credits. The debate reflects domestic political pressures and differing views on how much to lean on foreign offsets vs. internal emissions cuts. 🔥 | 9 Sep 2025 Reuters

🌏 August 22 – September 4, 2025

  • How do ancient calendars, the Hungry Ghost Festival, and street crafts like sugar-blowing stay relevant in 2025 city life?
  • Is the SCO turning from a security club into a green-development engine—and what could pipelines, minerals deals, and Taiwan ties mean for EU supply chains?
  • With tighter U.S. chip rules and China’s move toward absolute carbon caps, who adapts fastest in AI, energy, and industry?

People & Culture news

  • Why the Chinese calendar sometimes has 353, 354 or 355 days – A friendly explainer on how lunisolar calendars work, leap months, and what that means for festivals you’ll see across Chinese-speaking societies. Great context for planning Mid-Autumn treats or Lunar New Year trips. 😊 | 22 Aug 2025 South China Morning Post
  • Singapore launches a S$100 Culture Pass for adults — New “Culture Bonus” credits make it cheaper to catch gigs, museums, and films, aiming to boost local arts audiences. Perfect for Singaporeans mixing work + weekend and want low-cost culture. 🎟️ | 27 Aug 2025 The Straits Times
  • SCO Museum Alliance exhibition opens in Tianjin — Museum from Shanghai Cooperation Organisation members roll out joint displays to deepen cultural understanding alongside the leaders’ summit. It’s a live snapshot of soft power in action. 🖼️ | 31 Aug 2025 China Federation of Literary and Art Circles
  • Keeping Hong Kong’s “sugar-blowing” craft alive — Meet artisans preserving a whimsical street art form—sculpting animals from molten sugar in minutes. Sweet nostalgia meets craftsmanship. 🍬 | 2 Sep 2025 South China Morning Post
  • Demons, spirits, ghosts and monsters in Chinese mythology — A playful guide to “yao, jing, gui, guai” as Hungry Ghost Festival approaches, with movie and folklore references you’ll recognize. Great fuel for late-night festival strolls. 👻 | 4 Sep 2025 South China Morning Post

Leadership & Economy

  • China’s factory activity shrinks again in August — The fifth straight month of contraction, with businesses still cautious despite the 90-day US-China tariff truce extension. Useful pulse-check for export-exposed firms to China. 📉 | 1 Sep 2025 Reuters
  • Germany–Canada “friend-shores” minerals, with China in mind — Reuters details a pact to secure nickel, cobalt and rare earths outside China—part economics, part geopolitics. Europe’s supply strategy is quietly rewriting battery and EV math. It links EU industrial policy to Asia’s resource chessboard 🔋 | 26 Aug 2025 Reuters
  • SCO leaders issue the Tianjin Declaration — Xinhua’s readout highlights security cooperation and economic coordination, signalling tighter political messaging among members. It shows how summit communiqués set the tone for cross-border deals. 📝 | 1 Sep 2025 Xinhua
  • Taiwan’s business climate ‘flashing green’ — Indicators point to firmer momentum, with tech demand still a key driver amid tariff jitters. Handy context if you sell into Taiwan’s electronics supply chain. 🟢 | 29 Aug 2025 Taipei Times
  • US senator backs joint weapons production with Taiwan — A high-level visit floated co-producing drones and more, even as Taiwan navigates a 20% US tariff under the new regime. Security and trade are increasingly intertwined. 🛰️ | 30 Aug 2025 Reuters

Technology & Innovation news

  • U.S. revokes fast-track export status for TSMC, Samsung in China — Reuters reports the ending of “validated end-user” waivers, meaning licenses will be needed for some tools at Chinese fabs. It’s a real-world example of policy hitting factory floor logistics 🧰 | 3 Sep 2025 Reuters
  • Cambricon rockets to China’s most valuable stock —Caixin spotlights how a domestic AI-chip champion surged on booming orders and Nvidia’s China limitations—then issued a risk warning on its own share price. Hype meets fundamentals in real time. 🚀 | 29 Aug 2025 Caixin Global
  • Chinese firms still want Nvidia chips despite government pressure not to buy — Despite controls, Reuters says demand persists for “China-compliant” accelerators as AI build-outs continue. It shows how AI demand bends around guardrails 🧠 | 4 Sep 2025 Reuters
  • China tops global nanotech patent filings — A new white paper highlights leadership in nanomaterials and applications spanning energy, medicine and electronics. The rise of AI has brought revolutionary opportunities to nanotechnology. 🔬 | 31 Aug 2025 Xinhua News
  • TSMC extends its global foundry lead — Taipei Times cites TrendForce data showing a record market share on AI-driven demand, widening the gap with Samsung and SMIC. Pricing power plus advanced nodes equals momentum. It’s the scoreboard that matters to every AI hardware roadmap 🏁 | 3 Sep 2025 Taipei Times

Climate Action, Energy & Food

  • China Carbon Briefing: Shanghai cooperation summit; ETS ‘absolute emissions cap’; China’s heatwave adaptation— Carbon Brief reports The SCO grouping, which includes China, India, Russia and others, adopted a “statement on sustainable energy development and approved a roadmap for implementing the strategy for energy cooperation” out to 2030, according to the full text of the declaration published by the Hindustan Times. ⚡ | 4 Sep 2025 Carbon Brief
  • China’s coal-to-chemicals boom, explained — Reuters tours mega projects turning coal into plastics and gas as Beijing chases energy security—cheap feedstock vs high emissions is the trade-off. Capacity could double in five years. It’s a clear view of how “security vs sustainability” plays out in steel and plastics supply chains 🏭 | 4 Sep 2025 Reuters
  • China sets top-level plan to expand its carbon market —Caixin says the ETS will reach more industries by 2027 and standardize paid allowances by 2030. Bigger coverage = bigger incentive to decarbonize. It’s the policy lever to watch for cement, steel and aluminium footprints ♻️ | 27 Aug 2025 Caixin Global
  • SCO’s ‘Green Tianjin Initiative’ gets a push — Xinhua highlights new cooperation on environmental protection aligned to the summit’s communiqués. Regional club diplomacy is quietly greening project pipelines. 🌱 | 30 Aug 2025 Xinhua News
  • Offshore wind lifts revenues at Taiwan’s China Steel — A monthly report shows output gains at the Zhong Neng wind farm off Changhua, underscoring how China Steel is leaning into green cash-flows from it’s Zhong Neng subsidiary. 🌊 | 30 Aug 2025 Taipei Times

🌏 August 8 – 21, 2025

  • Is Asian storytelling going fully global—from Ne Zha 2’s English dub to Singapore’s city-wide festivals?
  • Are targeted Chinese consumer subsidies and Singapore’s upgraded outlook enough to steady regional growth?
  • Can cleaner supply chains, stricter solar discipline, and big Taiwan climate spends turn ambition into measurable impact?

People & Culture news

  • Ne Zha 2 goes global with Michelle Yeoh in the English dub. The Chinese animated mega-hit gets an English release, with Yeoh spotlighting how Chinese mythology can stand alongside Zeus and Thor in mainstream cinema. The film has already broken global animation records and now aims for wider audiences. This shows how Asian storytelling is moving from niche to universal appeal. 🎬 | Aug 20, 2025  Reuters
  • Singapore’s National Day Parade draws 200,000 in a sea of red and white. A huge crowd turned downtown into a live stage celebrating music, fly-pasts and community spirit. The event doubled as a post-pandemic barometer of how public celebrations are bouncing back. It’s a window into how national rituals stay fresh for a young, urban audience. 🎆 | Aug 20, 2025 The Straits Times
  • Hong Kong’s Haw Par Mansion hosts ‘Sunset Serenade’ jazz nights. The restored heritage mansion is drawing new crowds with summer concerts that blend history and nightlife. The venue’s architecture adds a cinematic backdrop to the music. It’s culture you can literally walk through—great for city explorers. 🎷 | Aug 15, 2025  South China Morning Post
  • Animation ‘Nobody’ becomes China’s top 2D domestic film. The low-budget, high-heart feature surged via word-of-mouth and fan art, beating heavyweight studio titles. It highlights a growing appetite for smaller, personal stories in China’s movie scene. It proves discovery can still beat hype. 🖍️ | Aug 19, 2025 South China Morning Post
  • Five things to do at Singapore Night Festival. Find your kampung chill in a quiet bamboo sanctuary in the city. Travel back to the era of soft neon lights in Singapore. Get up close to a 2.5m-wide luminous crab sculpture that draws from the region’s crustacean folklore. 🍢 | Aug 20, 2025  The Straits Times

Leadership & Economy news

  • China’s July data: factory output, retail sales growth slump in blow to economy. China’s factory output growth slumped to an eight-month low in July, while retail sales slowed sharply, raising pressure on policymakers to roll out more stimulus to revive domestic demand and ward off external shocks to the $19 trillion economy. 📊 | Aug 15, 2025  Reuters
  • Germany’s foreign minister warns Indo-Pacific tensions hit Europe too. Ahead of his Asia trip, he criticized China’s “aggressive” behavior and flagged the Taiwan Strait as a European economic and security concern. Berlin is linking Indo-Pacific stability to its own prosperity. It shows how Europe’s China stance is getting more strategic—and vocal. 🌍 | Aug 17, 2025 Reuters
  • Singapore raises 2025 growth forecast but warns for effects of US tariffs. With inflation easing, the city-state sees a slightly brighter path for jobs and investment. Logistics and travel add tailwinds to trade-exposed sectors. It’s useful context for Asia-EU investors eyeing resilient hubs. 📈 | Aug 12, 2025 The Straits Times
  • Six Taiwanese firms make 2025 Fortune Global 500 list. Contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), made the 2025 Fortune Global 500 list of the world’s largest firms by revenue. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), also known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團), ranked highest among Taiwanese firms, placing 28th with revenue of US$213.69 billion. 🏭| Aug 1 2025 Taipei Times
  • Loan interest subsidies seen spurring Chinese consumption. Xinhua outlines plans to reduce borrowing costs for big-ticket items and services, aiming to lift domestic demand. The signal: targeted, household-level easing over broad stimulus. It shows policymakers leaning into micro-moves to shift macro-mood. 💳 | Aug 13, 2025 Xinhua News

Technology & Innovation news

  • Nvidia preps a new China AI chip (reportedly “B30A”) to outpace H20. Designed to comply with U.S. export rules, it targets roughly half the oomph of a flagship B300 while keeping high-bandwidth memory and NVLink. Samples could reach Chinese partners soon. It’s a real-time example of geopolitics shaping silicon. 🤖 | Aug 19, 2025 Reuters
  • Huawei’s Kirin 9020 revealed inside new 5G handsets. A teardown points to SMIC manufacturing, signaling advances in domestic chip capabilities despite controls. The phones anchor Huawei’s premium lineup. It hints at a faster climb up the value chain for China’s chip ecosystem. 📱 | Aug 19, 2025 South China Morning Post
  • China’s No. 2 foundry (Hua Hong) to absorb a chipmaking sibling. The state-backed consolidation aims to cut overlap, sharpen strategy and improve efficiency. Q2 revenue rose even as margins remain thin. It’s consolidation as industrial policy in action. 🧩 | Aug 19, 2025  Caixin Global
  • Taiwan’s ITRI: AI demand to lift semiconductor output >22% this year. The institute upgrades its outlook as advanced nodes and packaging surge; TSMC’s guidance also rose. Packaging and testing segments are catching a tailwind. It’s a clean read on how AI turns into real factory orders. 🏗️ | Aug 18, 2025 Taipei Times
  • China launches another batch for its internet-satellite constellation. A Long March-5B lifted a group of LEO satellites from Hainan to expand future connectivity. It’s part of a steady cadence of space-internet build-outs. It shows the race for the next-gen network isn’t only on the ground. 🛰️ | Aug 13, 2025 Xinhua News

Climate Action, Energy & Food news

  • China says solar sector needs to curb overcapacity. Industry talks emphasize phasing out outdated lines and curbing “disordered” price wars, after big losses in 2024. Analysts see consolidation as the path back to profits. It’s the solar sector’s moment of truth after years of hyper-expansion. ☀️ | Aug 19, 2025 Reuters
  • Lithium prices jump as CATL’s mine halt adds fuel to speculation. Futures surged on the Guangzhou exchange amid supply questions and heavy trading. Fundamentals still look wobbly, analysts warn. It’s a reminder that battery minerals trade on narratives as much as tonnage. 🔋 | Aug 18, 2025 Reuters
  • Singapore’s recycling story: the half we don’t see. A new explainer notes the overall recycling rate fell to 50% in 2024 and explores why domestic recycling lags. The piece breaks down contamination, sorting, and behavior. It’s practical insight for cities trying to cut waste in real life, not just on paper. ♻️ | Aug 19, 2025 The Straits Times
  • Taiwan earmarks NT$900bn for a safer, greener transition. President Lai said the plan seeks to crowd in NT$4tn of private co-investment while boosting resilience. The focus: competitiveness, sustainability and social readiness. It’s a big-tent climate plan designed to mobilize whole-of-society capital. 🌱 | Aug 18, 2025 Taipei Times
  • China’s green development aims to benefit global supply chains. In a recent interview, experts told Xinhua that renewables build-out and greener sourcing can ripple abroad. Think cleaner inputs and steadier costs. It’s a reminder that decarbonization choices in one giant market affect everyone’s bill. 🌍 | Aug 14, 2025  Xinhua News

🌏 July 25 – August 7, 2025

  • How are a blockbuster summer in China, SG60 soundtracks in Singapore, and HK–EU film tie-ups rewriting the playbook for youth culture and soft power?
  • How will new U.S. tariff moves on Taiwan and semiconductor rules reshape Asia’s
    chip strategy—and Europe’s supply chains?
  • Can China’s clean-energy surge, Singapore’s rising renewables, and Taiwan’s EV incentives lower bills while keeping cities cooler in a warming summer?
People & Culture
  • China’s summer box-office blows past ¥7 billion – Cinemas posted their best mid-season earnings ever, driven by feel-good comedies and patriotic action flicks.  The rebound hints at how young Chinese are rediscovering nights out after a long streaming binge era. 📽️ | 4 Aug 2025 Xinhua News
  • Taiwan’s Atayal fishers win 11-year fight for ancestral waters – A court ruled tribespeople may again cast lines inside a protected reservoir, blending indigenous rights with eco-tourism.  Shows how modern law can safeguard centuries-old traditions.🎣 | 8 Aug 2025 Taipei Times
  • Singapore’s SG60 playlists drop seven fresh anthems – The Straits Times rounds up songs mixing EDM with Malay gamelan for the city-state’s 60th birthday. Gen Z producers made national pride sound TikTok-worthy. 🎵 |  6 Aug 2025 The Straits Times 6 Aug 2025
  • Hong Kong Summer IFF: 10 must-see movies – SCMP’s festival guide spotlights indie Asian sci-fi and Danish co-productions. Why cine-files care: festival partnerships hint at future EU-Asia box-office mash-ups.🎬 | 29 Jul 2025 South China Morning Post
  • Chongqing’s National Book Expo draws China’s readers – The 33rd National Book Expo opened in Chongqing with hundreds of publishers and themed exhibitions that promote reading culture nationwide. Organisers highlighted digital reading and local storytelling to engage younger audiences. 📚 |Jul 26, 2025 Xinhua Net

Leadership & Economy

  • Singapore launches Economic Strategy Review – Five task-forces will future-proof jobs, AI and green finance. How a small state pivots when global tariffs shift. 💼 | 4 Aug 2025  Xinhua News
  • Trump’s new tariff order ruffles Taiwan – Taipei Times warns a 20 % levy could push TSMC deeper into the US. Shows how geopolitics steers the world’s chip hub. 💸| 7 Aug 2025 Taipei Times
  • China’s Politburo strikes ‘cautious but flexible’ tone – Caixin says leaders prefer targeted aid over mega-stimulus after 5.3 % H1 GDP. Hints at selective boosts for creative industries. 📊 | 1 Aug 2025 Caixin Global
  • EU-China summit delivers few wins – SCMP notes Brussels left Beijing with goodwill but no big tariff relief as US pressure looms. Did Europe’s role as swing partner in US-China trade chess just got clearer? 🌍 | 29 Jul 2025  South China Morning Post
  • MAS holds Singapore-dollar band steady amid tariff risks – Straits Times reports cautious stance to tame imported inflation. Shows how a currency-band model could inspire smaller countries navigating big-power shocks. 💱 | 30 Jul 2025  The Straits Times

Technology & Innovation

  • China tops world with 5,100 AI firms – Xinhua tallies 15 % of global total; 71 AI unicorns fuel the boom.  Scale = cheaper AI services heading to European-language markets. 🤖  |  28 Jul 2025 Xinhua News
  • Huawei open-sources Ascend chip toolkit – SCMP: move aims to rival Nvidia’s CUDA and woo global devs. That move would help “speed up innovation from developers” and “make Ascend chips easier to use. 🛠️  | 5 Aug 2025 South China Morning Post
  • Rare-earth détente lets Nvidia H20 chips back into China – Caixin details dual easing of US export curbs and Chinese mineral quotas. Shows how minerals diplomacy shapes the semiconductor race. ⚡| 26 Jul 2025  Caixin Global
  • Singapore’s AI inflow tops S$4 bn in a year – Straits Times maps mega-bets from Alibaba Cloud to BHP.  The Lion City is turning into Southeast Asia’s AI computing , a handy jump-off for EU creatives.💾 | 4 Aug 2025 The Straits Times
  • OCBC teams with NUS & NTU on quantum fraud-detection – Bank will trial quantum algorithms for real-time risk. Will financial quantum-tech reach European fintech via joint research grants? 🧩 |  5 Aug 2025  The Straits Times

Climate Action, Energy & Food

  • Made-in-China cooling gear goes global – Xinhua shows smart fan-hats and cooling fabrics selling out amid heatwaves.  Climate-tech commerce links Hangzhou to Hamburg summers. 🧊  | 1 Aug 2025 Xinhua News
  • Taiwan to extend EV tax breaks to 2029 – Policy aims to double electric-car uptake.  EU auto giants sourcing Taiwan batteries might benefit too.  🚗 | 6 Aug 2025 Taipei Times
  • China’s clean-energy blitz ‘solves several problems at once’ – SCMP op-ed links 54 % solar surge to jobs and energy security.  Opinion of Andy Xie: By increasing investment in renewables, China’s economy stands to benefit from more sustainable growth rates and improved terms of trade. ☀️ 6 Aug 2025 South China Morning Post
  • Power prices plunge despite record heat – Caixin finds dropping  wholesale rates in Guangxi as renewables flood the grid.  Shows importance of green energy for the consumer. ⚡ |  1 Aug 2025 Caixin Global
  • Singapore’s renewables share hits record high – Imports plus rooftop solar lift green electricity usage to 10 % of demand. Good development for tropical city-state using lot’s of fossil fuels.  🌬️ | 2 Aug 2025 The Straits Times

🌏 July 11 – July 24, 2025

  • Are drone shows, global-street foods carnivals and snack-filled book fairs reshaping Asia’s cultural playbook for Gen Z tourists?
  • Can a Beijing-Brussels summit ease tarrifs and fuel greener business across Europe?
  • From satellites to typhoon-proof wind turbines, is East Asia testing vital climate solutions?

People & Culture

  • Yi Torch Festival re-ignites Guizhou’s night sky – 10,000 flaming torches, drone formations and live Yi folk rock drew crowds to Liupanshui, with officials eyeing 150 k+ visitors and big livestream numbers. It shows how minority rites are being rebooted as Insta-friendly tourism boosters. 🔥 | 18 Jul 2025 Xinhua News
  • Taiwan’s Sunset Rollercoaster levels up at Fuji Rock – The indie darlings will play the Japanese mega-fest’s 40k-capacity Green Stage, alongside a Taiwan–Japan rookie stage tie-up. It underlines how Mandarin-language acts are cracking the region’s biggest rock podiums. 🎸 | 18 Jul 2025 Taipei Times
  • Macau cooks up a ‘Cities of Gastronomy’ carnival – Street chefs from six continents, art markets and tasting passes turn Senado Square into a global food court as the city pivots from baccarat to bibimbap. Culinary tourism is the new jackpot. 🍲 | 14 Jul 2025 South China Morning Post
  • Hong Kong Book Fair goes snack-tastic – The week-long fair adds a “World of Snacks” hall and sports expo to lure Gen Z readers with bubble-tea demos and esports show matches, targeting >1 million visitors. Books meet bites for maximal FOMO. 📚| 11 Jul 2025 South China Morning Post
  • Liverpool mania warms up Hong Kong Football Festival – 27,000 fans watched the Reds train at Kai Tak Stadium ahead of the July 26-28 mini-tournament, boosting hotel bookings and merch drops. European footie fandom still packs economic punch in the Pearl River Delta. ⚽  | 24 Jul 2025 South China Morning Post

Leadership & Economy

  • China-EU summit: Xi woos Brussels with ‘win-win’ talk – Meeting EU chiefs in Beijing on July 24, President Xi promised easier market access and green-tech cooperation, as both sides try to calm a €300 bn trade gap. The get-together will steer 2025’s biggest China-Europe reset. 🤝 | 24 Jul 2025 Xinhua News
  • 16 m drop out of China’s medical insurance pool – Caixin finds local deficits and ageing pressures pushing millions to quit a key basic-care plan, signalling fiscal strains that could reshape China’s social contract. 🩺  | 16 Jul 2025 Caixin Global
  • Chinese firms in Europe urge ‘substantive’ summit deal – A Paris-based lobby of 400 companies wants tariff cuts and regulatory clarity ahead of the Beijing leaders’ summit, showing business anxieties run both ways across the bloc. 🇪🇺  | 22 Jul 2025 South China Morning Post
  • Taiwanese wallets less gloomy – Cathay Financial’s July survey shows consumer-confidence edging up as stock bulls outnumber bears for the first time in months, hinting at mid-year spending momentum. 💳 | 22 Jul 2025 Taipei Times
  • Singapore core inflation unmoved at 0.6 % – June data surprised analysts with flat prices, giving the MAS breathing room and young consumers a brief cost-of-living break. 🥤  | 23 Jul 2025 The Straits Times

Technology & Innovation

  • TSMC books four new 1.4-nm ‘mega-fabs’ – The chip titan will start construction in Taichung this year, aiming for 2028 production and >20,000 new jobs. Taiwan is doubling down on bleeding-edge silicon to keep rivals a node behind. 🖥️ | 20 Jul 2025 Taipei Times
  • ASML still bullish on China sales – The Dutch lithography giant told Caixin that mainland orders will stay >25 % of revenue despite export-control noise, spotlighting Europe’s tight entanglement with China’s chip build-out. 🛠️ | 17 Jul 2025 Caixin Global
  • AI ‘teachers’ school China’s edtech firms – A Caixin deep-dive shows start-ups racing to launch GPT-powered tutoring bots, but parents still want real grades before paying. The jury’s out on robo-report cards. 🤖  | 18 Jul 2025 Caixin Global
  • Nvidia boss hails China’s open-source AI – Jensen Huang called DeepSeek, Qwen and Kimi “world-class” models as H20 chip sales to China resume, framing open code as Beijing’s competitive edge. ⚙️ | 17 Jul 2025 South China Morning Post
  • Shijian satellites may have docked in space first – Tracking data suggests Shijian-21 refuelled Shijian-25 in geostationary orbit, a feat the US aims to replicate only by 2026. China’s on-orbit servicing ambitions just got real. 🛰️  | 14 Jul 2025 South China Morning Post

Climate Action, Energy & Food

  • HK students light rural Rwanda with solar – A PolyU team installed off-grid panels for 120 homes, blending climate service learning with South-South tech transfer. Sunshine diplomacy in action. ☀️ | 18 Jul 2025 Xinhua News
  • Typhoon Wipha batters Taiwan, turbines hold – 200 mm rains cut ferries but offshore wind farms stayed online, proving new storm-hardening standards pay off. Weather resilience is quietly powering Asia’s green grid. 🌪️ | 20 Jul 2025 Taipei Times
  • China starts building a mega-dam in Xizang – Caixin reports a 70-GW hydropower project paired with cross-grid trading pilots to balance wind-solar surges, hydro’s comeback in the clean-power mix. 💧 | 22 Jul 2025 Caixin Global, see also Reuters
  • Lab turns CO₂ into table sugar – Chinese chemists demo a catalyst that converts methanol to white sugar, hinting at future carbon-negative sweeteners and bio-plastics. Sweet science could clean the air. 🍬 | 22 Jul 2025 South China Morning Post
  • Heat dome grips China, 40 °C plus looms – Meteorologists warn of record-breaking temperatures across 17 provinces, raising power-grid and crop-yield fears as climate volatility escalates. 🔥 | 22 Jul 2025 The Straits Times

🌏 June 27 – July 10, 2025

  • Why are festivals across Hong Kong, Singapore and Macao mixing pop music, streetwear and foodie culture to lure new crowds?
  • Can a tiny rise in China’s prices and a bold €4.5 trillion growth plan really steady Asia’s economy—and open fresh doors for Europe?
  • Could home-grown AI chips and space-grown rice push East Asia ahead in the race for both cutting-edge tech and food security?

People & Culture

  • Hot-air balloons meet Cantopop (Hong Kong) – The AIA International Hot Air Balloon Fest will float panda-, dinosaur- and rabbit-shaped balloons above Victoria Harbour this September while stars Joey Yung and Leo Ku play nightly gigs, with organisers eyeing 80 000 visitors and a tourism bump. This mash-up of Insta-ready visuals and classic Cantopop shows how Hong Kong is repackaging tradition for Gen Z wanderlust. 🎈
    | 7 Jul 2025 South China Morning Post

  • Singapore’s July gig-fest – From the Skechers Sundown street-culture bash to Esplanade’s month-long Jazz in July sessions (plus Indonesian rockers D’Masiv), Singapore is packing club, park and mall stages with affordable shows that blur music, sneaker and F&B scenes. A reminder that the Lion City sells lifestyle diversity, not just high-tech skylines. 🎵
     | 10 Jul 2025 The Straits Times

  • Macao’s Lotus Flower Festival blooms again – The 25th edition opened with art markets, folk parades and – yes – lotus-flavoured desserts, underscoring the city’s push to pivot from casinos to slow-travel culture. For foodie tourists, petals are the new poker chips. 🌸
    | 6 Jul 2025 Xinhua News

  • Taiwanese film composer makes history in Italy – Chiang Yi-chen became the first Asian (and first woman) to win Emerging Composer at the Apulia Soundtrack Awards, boosting Taiwan’s creative soft power in Europe. Proof that Mandarin beats can top Western red carpets. 🏆
    | 9 Jul 2025 Taipei Times

  • Voice-chat app rocked by gambling scandal (China) – Caixin reveals how “Banban” hosts embedded covert betting games, prompting regulators to tighten live-stream rules and sparking debate on digital vice versus free expression. It’s Twitch-culture with Chinese characteristics – and consequences. 🎰
    l | 4 Jul 2025 Caixin Global

Leadership & Economy

  • Tiny uptick, big relief – China’s CPI rises 0.1 % – June’s first inflation gain in five months eased deflation fears even as factory prices slid 3.6 %. Analysts say more stimulus is still likely, but the data hint consumers are spending – at last. 💸
    | 9 Jul 2025 Caixin Global

  • Economic add-on: ¥35 trn in five years – A top official told Xinhua that China’s 2021-25 GDP increment will exceed 35 trillion yuan (≈€4.5 trn), powered by digital and green sectors. Beijing is still betting on scale to outpace headwinds. 📈
    | 9 Jul 2025 Xinhua News

  • Taiwan’s inflation cools to 1.37 % – Slower food and energy price rises gave Taipei extra room to support growth without stoking costs, economists say. Stability matters as export orders wobble. 🧊
    | 9 Jul 2025 Taipei Times

  • Berlin stopover: Wang Yi warns EU on ‘Russia loss’ – China’s foreign minister told Brussels that a weakened Moscow would hurt Europe’s security, framing Beijing as pragmatic mediator while courting German business. A sharp play on geopolitics and trade. 🧐
    | 4 Jul 2025 South China Morning Post

  • Singapore core inflation dips to 0.6 % – Lower services and food prices surprised analysts and may keep the MAS from tightening policy in October, easing wallets for Gen-Z consumers. 🍜
    | 4 Jul 2025 The Straits Times

Technology & Innovation

  • AI-chip start-up Sunrise nets ¥1 bn – Spun out of SenseTime, Sunrise began mass production of its S2 GPUs and raised almost US$140 m, fuelling China’s quest for home-grown AI silicon. 🚀
    | 1 Jul 2025 Caixin Global

  • Eyes like a cyborg – Chinese researchers built a quantum-dot vision sensor that adapts to darkness-to-sunlight changes in 40 s – way faster than humans – opening doors for autonomous drones and AR glasses. 🤖
    | 6 Jul 2025 South China Morning Post

  • Shenzhou-19 crew debriefs Beijing – Fresh from orbit, the three taikonauts detailed experiments on smart materials and space-grown rice, underscoring China’s steady march toward its 2030 moon goals. 🌕
    | 9 Jul 2025 Xinhua News

  • TSMC says U-S fabs won’t slow global push – The chip giant told investors its Arizona build-out won’t cannibalise capacity elsewhere, signaling confidence in meeting record AI demand while hedging geopolitical risk. 🖥️
    | 7 Jul 2025 Taipei Times

  • Baidu overhauls search with Gen-AI – The Chinese web titan rolled out a 1 000-word natural-language engine to claw back market share and monetise AI ads, showing Big Tech’s race to re-invent the browser. 🔍
    | 3 Jul 2025 The Straits Times

Climate Action, Energy & Food

  • Polysilicon giants plan rescue merger – Facing a brutal price war, China’s top solar-grade silicon makers aim to acquire weaker rivals and stabilise a market that underpins the world’s solar panels. Strategy over subsidies. ☀️
    | 9 Jul 2025 Caixin Global

  • Offshore wind powers up fast – China added 4.4 GW of sea-based turbines in H1 2025 and is on track for 9 GW this year, with 22 GW more under construction – proof the deep-sea boom is real. 🌬️
    | 8 Jul 2025 South China Morning Post

  • Hydro boost in Yunnan mountains – A third generating unit at the Huangdeng hydropower station went online, part of China’s plan to balance variable wind and solar with big-dam baseload. 💧
    | 5 Jul 2025 Xinhua News

  • Typhoon Danas tests – and vindicates – Taiwan’s offshore wind fleet – More than 400 turbines survived 160 km/h gusts, even as 450 000 homes briefly lost grid power, bolstering confidence in storm-ready engineering. 🌪️
    | 8 Jul 2025 Taipei Times

  • China building 510 GW of new renewables – A Global Energy Monitor report quoted by The Straits Times shows China constructing 74 % of all solar-wind projects underway worldwide – a scale that will shape global carbon math. ⚡
    | 8 Jul 2025 The Straits Times

🌏 June 13 – 26, 2025

  • What is Zhang Zhi Yi’s new movie, toy monsters suddenly Asia’s hottest tickets—and could they set the next global culture wave?
  • Can China’s new game plan—bigger paychecks and easier IPOs—break through Europe’s red tape and power a €13 billion battery dream?
  • Will robot-dog patrols, driverless testing and a planet-wide solar-wind grid make East Asia the lab for tomorrow’s green tech?

People & Culture

Leadership & Economy

Technology & Innovation

Climate Action, Energy & Food

Check-out West meets East on LinkedIn!