This is Beirut

Asia Cup – Basketball: Lebanon Falls with Honor Against the Philippines

Makram Haddad, 16/07 17:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

They believed until the very end. In Shenzhen on Wednesday, the Lebanese women’s basketball team gave its all against the Philippines, falling just short (73-70) in a nail-biting contest that wrapped up Group B play at the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2025. A painful defeat, as the upset came down to a single free throw or rebound. And yet, despite ...

The US-China Chip War in Dates

This is Beirut, 16/07 09:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump United States China War

The United States has in recent years sought to curb exports of cutting-edge semiconductors to China, with Nvidia and other US chip companies lobbying against its tough restrictions. As Nvidia says it will resume sales of a less powerful AI semiconductor model to China, here is a run-down of the microchip conflict: August 2022: Biden's Chips ...

Luxury Bag Counterfeiting Takes on Major Fashion Houses

Bélinda Ibrahim, 15/07 18:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Luxury Bags China TikTok Viral Counterfeits

At first glance, the video looks like just another promo for cut-price products. A young woman praises a handbag “identical to an Hermès model” for a fraction of the cost. The brand is blurred, but the resemblance is unmistakable. The caption reads: “Luxury brands are all made in China.” In other words: why pay €10,000 for a Hermès bag ...

Rubio Meets China's Wang on Sidelines of ASEAN Talks

This is Beirut, 11/07 09:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

US Secretary of State United States China Malaysia

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday in Malaysia on the sidelines of ASEAN talks, where Washington's tariffs are in sharp focus. Rubio and Wang's first face-to-face meeting since US President Donald Trump returned to office comes as Washington and Beijing are locked in disputes ranging from ...

Taiwan Kicks Off Military Drills in Face of China Threat

This is Beirut, 09/07 08:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Taïwan China Military

Taiwan began its annual military drills on Wednesday with troops joined by the largest-ever mobilisation of reservists for 10 days of training aimed at defending against a Chinese invasion. The "Han Kuang" exercises, which are being held at the same time as civilian defense drills, will run from July 9-18 and feature newly delivered US high-tech ...

Top Chinese Diplomat in Europe to Promote Closer Ties

This is Beirut, 30/06 09:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

China United States Europe Wang Yi

China's top diplomat heads to Europe on Monday for a visit that Beijing said will highlight ties as an "anchor of stability" in a world in turmoil. Wang Yi's tour will take him to the European Union's headquarters in Brussels as well as France and Germany as China seeks to improve relations with the bloc as a counterweight to superpower rival the ...

Trump Says 'Getting Along Well' With China

This is Beirut, 29/06 20:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Trump China USA commercial

President Donald Trump on Sunday dismissed the importance of aggressive actions linked to Beijing including recent arrests of two Chinese nationals accused of smuggling a dangerous pathogen into the United States, saying "that's the way the world works." Trump told Fox News that Washington behaves in a similar way. "You don't think we do that to ...

China's Top Diplomat to Visit EU, Germany, France Next Week

This is Beirut, 27/06 12:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

European Union China Wang Yi Russia

China's top diplomat Wang Yi will head to Europe next week for talks with counterparts from the European Union, Germany and France, Beijing said on Friday as it seeks to shore up fraught ties with the bloc. Beijing has sought to improve relations with Europe as a counterweight to superpower rival United States, though frictions remain over trade ...

Auspicious Signs: How the Dalai Lama is Identified

This is Beirut, 27/06 09:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Dalaï Lama China Tibet

Fourteen Dalai Lamas have guided Tibet's Buddhists for the past six centuries, which believers say are reincarnations of each other, identified in opaque processes ranging from auspicious signs to divination. China says Tibet is an integral part of the country, and many exiled Tibetans fear Beijing will name a rival successor, bolstering control ...

US and China Reach Understanding on Rare Earth Exports

This is Beirut, 27/06 08:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

USA China Trade Rare Earth

China confirmed on Friday details of a trade deal with the United States, saying Washington would lift "restrictive measures" while Beijing will "review and approve" items under export controls. "It is hoped that the United States and China will meet each other halfway," a spokesperson for the commerce ministry said ...

The Day the Middle East Reset Itself

Salam El Zaatari, 26/06 10:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Iran Israel United States China

On the morning of June 22, 2025, the world woke up to the smoldering ruins of Iran’s most fortified nuclear facilities – Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. The strikes, led by Israel and backed silently but unmistakably by the United States, were not a surprise to those watching closely. This wasn’t a spontaneous act of self-defense. It was the ...

Putin, Xi 'Strongly Condemn' Israeli Strikes on Iran, Urge Diplomatic Solution

This is Beirut, 19/06 14:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Iran Xi Jinping Vladimir Putin China

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday strongly condemned Israeli attacks on Iran in a phone call and stressed the need for a diplomatic solution, Moscow and Beijing said. Israel has launched an unprecedented wave of strikes at Iran that prompted Tehran to respond with its own attacks with missiles and ...

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