Maybe, though, they’re starting to look a little weak. The main appeal of dictators, for a certain sort of British person, has been that at least they make things happen. In the 1930s, it was autobahns and trains running on time. In the 1930s, dictators like Benito Mussolini were admired by some for making trains […] Read more

The driver of the articulated truck lost control on a downhill stretch of motorway in the city of Lanzhou and crashed into the line of 31 vehicles. As well as those killed, authorities said 44 people were hurt including 10 who suffered serious injuries. The lorry crashed into a line of vehicles waiting at a […] Read more

A dog walker in Shanghai. Wenshan has banned dog walking in daylight hours A city in China has banned pet owners from walking their dogs in daylight hours. Pet owners in Wenshan will no longer be able to take their dogs out for a walk between the hours of 7am and 10pm, and they can’t […] Read more

Cuba’s Miguel Díaz-Canel and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un North Korea has unveiled what’s thought to be the first official painting of Kim Jong-un, lifting the leader to a new level of personality cult. While his predecessors’ portraits are all across the country, Kim Jong-un has long been styled as a successor rather than a leader […] Read more

China has promised to further cut import tariffs and open its economy as it tries to address criticisms that its trade practices are “unfair”. In a speech at a Shanghai trade expo, President Xi Jinping also made a robust defence of the global free trade system which he said was “under attack”. The comments are […] Read more

Marise Payne will meet with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi as frosty relations between the two countries thaw Ties strained since Australia accused China of meddling in its domestic affairs Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne will travel to China this week, ending an unofficial suspension of more than six months of visits by top Australian […] Read more

Pakitanian prime minister Imran Khan and during his maiden visit to China held talks with Chinese president Xi Jinping who has agreed to provide 6 billion US Dollar in aid to Pakistan, which is going through a “low point”, in order to minimise the cash-strapped country’s dependence on an IMF bailout package. A loan of […] Read more

A Malaysian Wildlife official displays seized rhino horns and other animal parts at the Department of Wildlife and National Parks headquarters in Kuala Lumpur China has reversed a decade old ban on using rhinoceros horns and tiger bones in medicine. The law, which has been in place for 25 years, has now been altered so that the items can be […] Read more

When General Wei Fenghe, China’s defence minister, took to the stage at the Xiangshan security forum organised by the People’s Liberation Army in Beijing last week, he assured delegations from 64 countries that China’s military “has always been a staunch defender of world peace”. Yet in the same breath he issued a sharp warning: “Taiwan […] Read more