President Donald Trump said Monday he was ready to discuss US arms sales to Taiwan during his visit this week to Beijing, as he suggested his personal chemistry with counterpart Xi Jinping would prevent a Chinese invasion of the island.

The White House said Trump will bring along top US executives including his former nemesis Elon Musk and Apple’s Tim Cook for a trip expected to focus heavily on the US president’s hopes to ramp up trade.

China said it hoped to achieve greater stability between the world’s two largest economies during the visit lasting Wednesday through Friday, the first by a US president since Trump went in 2017.

Asked if the United States should keep selling weapons to Taiwan, a key irritant for Beijing, Trump did not answer directly but said: “I’m going to have that discussion with President Xi.”

“President Xi would like us not to, and I’ll have that discussion. That’s one of the many things I’ll be talking about,” he said, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office.

Trump, after referencing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said of Taiwan, “I don’t think it’ll happen.”

“I think we’ll be fine. I have a very good relationship with President Xi. He knows I don’t want that to happen,” he said.

But Trump also noted that the United States was “very, very far away” compared with China.

When asked for a response to Trump’s remarks, Taiwan’s foreign ministry vowed to “continue to strengthen cooperation” with the United States, the island’s main security backer, and “build effective deterrence capabilities in order to jointly maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”

Congress backs Taiwan

The United States recognizes only Beijing but under domestic law is required to provide weapons for the defense of Taiwan, a self-governing democracy which China considers its own.

Under the 1982 “Six Assurances,” a key foundation of US policy on Taiwan after the switch of recognition, the United States said it would not “consult” with Beijing about arms sales to the island.

Trump has long berated allies as not spending enough on their own defense. Days ahead of his trip to China, Taiwan’s parliament Friday approved a US$25 billion defense spending bill, although it fell short of the government’s proposal.

Pointing to the vote by parliament, a group of US senators led by Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that Trump should immediately green-light a US$14 billion arms package to Taiwan.

“We urge you and your team to make clear that America’s support for Taiwan is inviolable,” wrote the senators, mostly Democrats but including two centrists from Trump’s Republican Party.

While discussing economic concerns, Trump should also state that “American support for Taiwan is not up for negotiation,” they wrote.

New sanctions over Iran

Trump delayed the trip once due to the war he launched with Israel against Iran, which is still rebuffing his appeals for an agreement.

China is the main international customer for Iran’s oil, which Trump has tried to stop all countries from buying through unilateral US sanctions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an interview Sunday with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” said he was unhappy that Beijing had shared missile technology with Iran.

Trump’s Treasury Department on Monday issued sanctions against 12 individuals and entities it said facilitated the sale and shipment of Iranian oil to China.

The sanctions came even as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent prepared to set up Trump’s visit during talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Seoul on Wednesday.

Bessent and He have been the chief negotiators for the United States and China on all trade and economic issues.

In Beijing on Monday, foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said that top-level diplomacy was “irreplaceable” between the two countries.

“China is willing to work with the United States in the spirit of equality, respect, and mutual benefit, to expand cooperation, manage differences, and inject more stability and certainty into a volatile and intertwined world,” he told a briefing.

Asked about US pressure on Iran, Guo said only that China’s position on Iran was “consistent” and that Beijing would continue to play a “positive role” in promoting a ceasefire and peace talks.

Trump and Xi last met face-to-face in October on the sidelines of a regional summit in South Korea.

They agreed then to a one-year truce in a blistering trade war that saw tariffs on many goods exceed 100 percent.

US authorities on Wednesday seized 13 internet domains they suspect were used by Chinese agents to obtain classified information from Americans with security clearances.

Last week, the Five Eyes intelligence alliance — composed of the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand — issued a rare warning that Chinese military intelligence services were using LinkedIn and other job platforms to pry secret information.

In a statement on Wednesday, the US Department of Justice announced the seizure of domain names allegedly used by sham consulting sites to target Americans with access to classified information.

“Today’s seizures send a clear message that any attempts to exploit Americans trusted with access to our nation’s most sensitive information will be exposed and dismantled,” said US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.

Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, said the seizures illustrate “the lengths the Chinese government’s intelligence services will go to as they try to use AI-generated content to trick, recruit, or coerce current and former US security clearance holders into sharing sensitive information.”

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg warned Americans they should treat any offers of quick income for vague consulting “with extreme caution and remain vigilant for warning signs of malicious targeting.”

The unnamed conspirators behind the websites “have denied any involvement by any foreign government,” according to the Justice Department statement.

By Matthew Walsh and Ludovic Ehret

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth struck a measured tone towards China at a major defence forum on Saturday, noting “rightful alarm” over Beijing’s military build-up but saying the United States sought a “stable equilibrium” in Asia.

Hegseth’s headline speech at Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue, which brings together top defence officials and experts from around 45 countries, contrasted with his strongly confrontational remarks on China at last year’s gathering.

Unlike Beijing, which has sent a panel of military experts and scholars instead of defence minister Dong Jun for the second year running, Hegseth is leading a bumper US delegation to the event that provides chances for both open debate and behind-closed-doors diplomacy.

“When we look across the region today, there is rightful alarm regarding China’s historic military build-up and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond,” Hegseth said.

Washington does not seek “needless confrontation in the region”, but rather “a genuinely stable equilibrium (in Asia) that works for Americans as well as our allies”, he said.

That means “a favourable but durable balance of power in which no state, including China, can impose its hegemony and hold the security or prosperity of our nation and our allies in question”, he added.

He said the United States sought “respectful” and “good-faith” engagement with Beijing, adding: “I wish my counterpart was here at this conference, but I look forward to other options when we can cross paths.”

Trump visited China this month, talking up “fantastic” trade deals but giving few details and later suggesting Washington could use its arms sales to self-ruled Taiwan as a bargaining chip with Beijing.

There had been “no change” in Washington’s stance towards Taiwan, but “any decision about future Taiwan arms sales… will rest with” US President Donald Trump, Hegseth said.

Vibe shift

The remarks contrasted sharply with last year’s event, when Hegseth painted China as a potentially “imminent” threat to security and outlined a swaggering vision of muscular American deterrence.

That day, he also took potshots at Beijing’s absent minister, saying: “We are here this morning, and somebody else isn’t.”

Chinese delegate Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, said this year’s address was “much more moderate”.

However, he found Hegseth’s depiction of China “ironic”, adding: “Everyone in the room must have been thinking: who is really hegemonic?

“Given what the US is doing in Iran and has done in Venezuela, I think it’s clear to everyone,” Da said.

US delegate Tammy Duckworth, a Democratic senator and strong Trump critic, said she was “somewhat disturbed” by Hegseth’s remarks, viewing them as overly conciliatory towards China.

“I worry that this administration is being distracted into wars that they’ve started in other parts of the world at the expense of our commitment here in the Indo-Pacific,” she told reporters.

Instead of Dong, China has sent experts and scholars from its army’s academic institutions, led by Major General Meng Xiangqing of the National Defense University.

Analysts have said Dong’s no-show reflects Beijing’s confidence as an established power with little inclination to answer publicly for its assertive moves in the region.

But some argue that China is also running the risk of having no senior policymaker present if two major security issues come up: reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and Beijing’s claim to Taiwan.

Hegseth again urged US allies to spend more on their own defence, singling out South Korea, Japan, Australia and the Philippines for praise while threatening consequences for nations that “free-ride on the generosity of the American taxpayer”.

“Those days are over. Allies who refuse to step up and carry their own weight for our collective defense will face a clear shift in how we do business.”

Iran threat

Hegseth’s remarks came as a peace deal between the United States and Iran to end their war remained elusive.

A White House official told AFP on Friday that Trump, who is weighing a final decision on a potential accord, would only commit if Iran met all his conditions.

But Iran has said “no final agreement” is in place, and its state media has rebutted parts of Trump’s characterisation of the deal.

Hegseth said Washington was “more than capable” of restarting the war if it wanted.

The head of the Pentagon is also due to meet his British and Australian counterparts as part of the AUKUS security alliance.

Australian media outlets have reported, citing unnamed sources, that the AUKUS nations are expected to announce a major project, perhaps involving uncrewed underwater vehicles.

ShutterNut... posted a photo:

Please be aware... Photos are purely for entertainment. I am no expert. Titles are from recognition - what I was told - or a quick search. Polite comments or corrections are welcome.

For the fourth year in a row, Hong Kong’s Victoria Park – historically the site of annual candlelight vigils to remember the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown – will host a patriotic food carnival on June 4.

The fourth edition of “Hometown Market” will be held from June 3 to 7 at Victoria Park, organisers said during a press conference on Tuesday. The event will feature more than 370 booths selling local Chinese delicacies and showcasing performances by robots, organisers said.

Kung Chun-lung, chairperson of the Hong Kong Guangdong Federation, said the carnival will introduce products of “rural rejuvenation,” such as sweet potato, corn, and peanut. The five-day event will also see performances by local celebrities, such as Maria Cordero, as well as a traditional Chinese war dance and a “robotic band,” local media reported.

A section of the event will be dedicated to showcasing the technological innovations of Guangdong province, such as artificial intelligence-powered Chinese medicine consultations, according to organisers’ promotional videos on social media.

Decades of vigils

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Beijing-imposed national security law, tens of thousands of Hongkongers gathered for an annual candlelight vigil on June 4 to mourn the bloody crackdown on student-led protests around Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

The number of deaths is not known, but it is believed hundreds, if not thousands, perished during the People’s Liberation Army’s dispersal of protesters, which ended on June 4, 1989.

Police banned the Tiananmen vigil gathering at Victoria Park for the first time in 2020, citing Covid-19 restrictions, and imposed the same ban in 2021, nearly a year after the national security law came into effect.

The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organised the vigils, disbanded in September 2021 after several of its members were arrested.

No official commemoration has been held since then.

Over more recent years, the Hometown Market has taken place with police patrolling the vicinity, stopping and searching passersby.

Since the onset of the security law, the Hong Kong government has referred to the Tiananmen anniversary as a “sensitive date,” while statues and artworks paying tribute to the 1989 crackdown have been removed from the city’s university campuses.

The Pillar of Shame monument disappeared from the University of Hong Kong in a covert overnight operation on December 23, 2021. The next day, the Goddess of Democracy statue was taken away from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, while the Tiananmen Massacre wall relief was removed from Lingnan University.

A three-judge panel will deliver a verdict in “mid or late July” following the national security trial of the Tiananmen vigil organisers.

Its former leader Chow Hang-tung – along with activists Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho – is charged with inciting subversion. She and Lee pleaded not guilty, while Ho pleaded guilty. They face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors accuse the Alliance of inciting others to topple the ruling Chinese Communist Party through its calls to “end one-party rule” in China, a key tenet of the group since its founding in 1989 after the Tiananmen crackdown in Beijing.

A new paper in the journal landslides (Yang et al. 2026) details the 6.8 million cubic metre Huangci Landslide in China, which was a reactivation on a slope that has suffered two other failures in recent decades.

On 10 December 2025, failure occurred in the large Huangci landslide in Gansu Province, China. The event is described in a new paper (Yang et al. 2026) in the journal Landslides (this link should provide access even though the article is paywalled). The paper is fascinating as this is a very complex slope with an interesting history of deformation, and because large failures do not usually occur in the winter months in this part of China.

The location of the Huangci landslide is [36.08983, 103.32412]. This is a Google Earth image of the site, captured in 2004:-

The geology consists of loess overlying mudstones. As the image above shows, the site had previously failed. The houses at the foot of the slope are the homes of people displaced in 1968 during the impoundment of the Liujiaxia Reservoir. Note also the farmland on the terrace behind the landslide. This is an arid area, so this farming requires extensive irrigation.

According to Yang et al. (2026), the failure that can be seen in the image above occurred on 30 January 1995. About 6 million cubic metres of rock and loess were involved, creating a landslide with a width of about 500 metres and a length of about 370 m.

The Huangci landslide failed again on 14 May 2006, this time with a volume of about 4 million cubic metres. The image below, captured in 2013, shows the aftermath:-

In this failure, 10 houses were destroyed.

The most recent failure of the Huangci landslide occurred on 10 December 2025. This time, a larger mass failed, creating a landslide with a volume of about 6.77 million cubic metres, a length of up to about 740 metres and a width of up to about 420 metres. There is a spectacular video on Youtube showing the aftermath of the failure:-

The still below gives an impression of the scale of the failure:-

According to Yang et al. (2026), this failure destroyed 39 houses plus a range of infrastructure that includes power transmission systems, irrigation systems, water supply systems and transportation facilities. The site had been successfully evacuated as a result of a community-operated early warning system.

As noted above, this is an unusual time of the year for a landslide of this type. However, Yang et al. (2026) conclude that the underlying driver is irrigation on the terrace upslope from the landslide, driving a rise in the groundwater and consequent progressive deformation of the slope. This led to weakening of the mudstones that were buttressing the failure, eventually triggering collapse.

Reference

Yang, Y. et al. 2026. The reactivated Huangci landslide at the Heifangtai terrace, Gansu Province, China, on December 10, 2025. Landslides. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-026-02765-2.

Text © 2026. The authors. CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
Except where otherwise noted, images are subject to copyright. Any reuse without express permission from the copyright owner is prohibited.

Other western acts have attempted to crack country’s music scene since singer’s breakout success in 2018

One week after announcing she was “cancer free”, the British pop star Jessie J did what any recovering patient would do and travelled thousands of miles around the world to perform for an audience of more than a billion people.

On 29 May, the singer-songwriter, whose real name is Jessica Cornish, belted out a stage-rattling rendition of Frank Sinatra’s My Way on the stage of Singer, a hugely popular Chinese singing competition similar to The Voice. She also performed her new song, California, briefly adapting the lyrics to change California to Changsha, the Chinese city where Singer is hosted.

The US consulate in Hong Kong displayed commemorative candles in its windows on the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown on Thursday, while other diplomatic missions paid tribute with social media posts.

The annual move is often blasted by local and Chinese authorities, and has been cited by Beijing as “evidence” of foreign interference in a 6,300-word “fact sheet.”

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, died when the People’s Liberation Army cracked down on protesters around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Hong Kong used to be one of the few places on Chinese soil where annual vigils were held to commemorate the people who died in the 1989 crackdown.

But police banned the gathering at Victoria Park for the first time in 2020, citing Covid-19 restrictions, and imposed the same ban the following year.

No official commemoration has been held since the vigil organiser, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, disbanded in September 2021. Its leaders were arrested and are currently on trial.

Currently occupying Victoria Park – historically the site of Hong Kong’s vigils – is a five-day patriotic carnival organised by pro-Beijing groups.

Diplomatic commemorations

Earlier on Thursday, Britain’s embassy in China shared a social media post featuring an animation with scenes from the bloody crackdown. It was shared without commentary.

The British consulate in Hong Kong posted a reel of a mobile phone held aloft with its torch on, apparently referencing the candlelit vigils.

Washington’s mission in Beijing shared a quote from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating: “Those who sacrificed to uphold their unalienable rights of free expression and peaceful assembly will be vindicated someday.”

In response, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing had “long since reached a clear conclusion regarding that political turmoil that occurred in the late 1980s.”

The Canadian consulate in Hong Kong shared a Facebook post, which read: “Today, Canadians honour the memory of all who lost their lives, were injured or went missing during the Tiananmen Square crackdown on June 4, 1989. Canada stands with the survivors and the families and loved ones who continue to demand accountability.”

Meanwhile, the Australian consulate in Hong Kong shared on Facebook a photo of candles and a statement reading: “Today, we stand with communities worldwide in remembering those who lost their lives at Tiananmen Square on 4 June 1989. Australia remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding human rights, including freedom of association, of expression, and of political participation.”

In June 2019, then-leader Carrie Lam said that the city’s annual vigils were “proof that Hong Kong is a free place.”

A Hong Kong court is now hearing a landmark trial of the Alliance and two vigil leaders, Chow Hang-tung and  Lee Cheuk-yan. They are accused of “inciting subversion” under the national security law, an offence that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years behind bars. 

Another vigil leader – Albert Ho – pleaded guilty when the trial opened in January.

China said Friday it was holding an American citizen accused of espionage, identifying the man as a political analyst at a policy think tank focusing on neighbouring Myanmar.

Min Zin — a founder of the Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar (ISP-M) — “has been subjected to criminal compulsory measures”, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news briefing.

Authorities are holding him “on suspicion of engaging in espionage activities that endanger China’s national security”, he said, without providing further details.

The ISP-M researches the political, resource and conflict dynamics of Myanmar, which was plunged into civil war by a 2021 coup.

Some of their publications detail China’s influence in the borderlands of Myanmar, where Beijing is accused of supporting armed factions which suit its national interests.

It is not clear whether Min Zin was conducting research at the time he was held by Chinese authorities.

A person with professional ties to ISP-M, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, told AFP Min Zin was arrested on June 3 at Kunming airport in Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar.

“He went there to attend a meeting,” said another person with a close relationship to the detained academic, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.

Chinese authorities said the US consulate in Guangzhou had been notified of the case.

“His family and colleagues are following up with the consulate office there,” the second source said. “I know his family is worried.”

Neither the US State Department nor the ISP-M have responded to a request for comment.

The ISP-M is based in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, a hub for political exiles from Myanmar since the coup ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Analysts, including those at the ISP-M, say China has intermittently backed both the military and rebels in the civil war according to its varying economic and security interests.

China proposed changes on Friday to its household registration system, calling for more cities to abolish restrictions that have impacted migrant workers for decades, state media reported.

The permanent residence system, or “hukou”, was first introduced in the 1950s to regulate population mobility, and classifies Chinese people as either “urban” or “rural”.

Most Chinese citizens can only benefit from certain public services, including health insurance and education, where they are registered — generally their place of birth — despite a huge migrant worker population in most major cities.

On Friday, China’s cabinet, the State Council, released guidelines calling for cities to give citizens “fair” access to services despite their residency status, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The document “very much reflect(s) the spirit of the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan”, China’s recently released economic and social blueprint for the next five years, said Ying Zhang of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

“So this is not surprising, though it is encouraging to see these ideas emerging at this particular moment.”

The guidelines called for the “complete elimination” of household registration restrictions on migrants’ participation in employee social insurance.

Their access to “basic medical security” in their place of residence should be strengthened, the statement added.

The guidelines also proposed improving “educational guarantees” for migrant children, including increasing the proportion of them attending public schools during the compulsory education stage.

“Promoting equal access to basic public services for non-registered permanent residents and registered residents is conducive to meeting the people’s growing needs for a better life and releasing domestic demand potential,” the State Council said.

Experts said that smaller cities in China have already implemented similar policies as part of their efforts to attract more people.

“The key question that needs to be examined is the extent to which China’s mega-cities such as Beijing and Shanghai will adopt such measures,” said the EIU’s Zhang.

Between grandstanding, contradictory statements, and secret meetings, something is happening in Cuba. A path has opened that is still full of unknowns, but one that now seems hard to reverse. In recent days, events have accelerated with the unusual visit by the CIA chief to Havana, the U.S. indictment of Raúl Castro — the Cuban Revolution’s last great symbol — and the deployment of an aircraft carrier in Caribbean waters near the island.

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U.S. President Donald Trump has been investing in the stock market while leading the country. He has a vast portfolio of hotels, golf courses, and luxury residential properties bearing his name, valued at more than $6 billion. But he also has a significant stock portfolio that he continued to grow during the first quarter, according to the extensive report containing his financial disclosure, released Thursday night by the Office of Government Ethics. A White House spokesperson maintains that the president does not make decisions about the investment process, which is managed by advisers. They explain that independent financial managers traded on his behalf using programs that track recognized indices.

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