https://www.scmp.com/rss/522995/feed The latest news and top stories on Liu Pengyu, spokesman and a Minister-counselor of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China to the United States, in Washington DC. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press The Trump administration is placing economic sanctions on a major China-based oil refinery and roughly 40 shipping companies and tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil. The move, announced on Friday, makes good on the Trump administration’s threat to impose secondary sanctions on companies and countries that do business with Iran. It is also part of the Republican administration’s overall ramped-up campaign to cut off Iran’s key source of revenue – its oil exports. Hengli on Sunday denied... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351389/us-sanctions-china-based-oil-refinery-and-40-shippers-over-iran-oil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351389/us-sanctions-china-based-oil-refinery-and-40-shippers-over-iran-oil?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 18:47:34 +0000 Minxiao Chang,Coco Feng Minxiao Chang,Coco Feng The administration of Donald Trump has threatened action to shield the US artificial intelligence industry from being “distilled” by Chinese rivals, in a move analysts say could weed out weaker players in China’s AI sector within a year. In a memo released on Thursday, Michael Kratsios, the science and technology adviser to the US president, warned that “surreptitious, unauthorised distillation campaigns” were enabling foreign entities – mainly in China – to release models that appear to match... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3351359/us-crackdown-threat-could-shake-out-chinas-distillation-ai-copycats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3351359/us-crackdown-threat-could-shake-out-chinas-distillation-ai-copycats?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:00:08 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin Community members and activists have gathered on the University of Michigan campus to pay tribute to Wang Danhao, a semiconductor researcher from China who took his own life after being questioned by US federal agents. About 30 people attended the vigil, organised by peace advocacy group Code Pink to mark one month since Wang died. They formed a circle around an altar set with candles, flowers, incense and his portrait, sharing memories of his life and research, as well as their reactions to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3351223/michigan-community-seeks-answers-death-chinese-semiconductor-researcher-wang-danhao?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3351223/michigan-community-seeks-answers-death-chinese-semiconductor-researcher-wang-danhao?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:00:09 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Though high-level officials in Washington have accused China of undermining global energy security by “hoarding” oil during the US-Israeli war on Iran, import and inventory data suggest Beijing is facing its own supply pressures as the conflict drags on. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday labelled China an “unreliable global partner,” alleging that Beijing has prioritised stockpiling crude over easing global shortages triggered by the war, according to a Reuters report. He also... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350180/us-officials-claim-china-hoarding-oil-what-does-data-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350180/us-officials-claim-china-hoarding-oil-what-does-data-say?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:30:09 +0000 Ling Xin,Khushboo Razdan Ling Xin,Khushboo Razdan Chinese semiconductor researcher Wang Danhao died at the University of Michigan last month, shortly after being questioned by US federal law enforcement. Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for China’s embassy in Washington, confirmed to the South China Morning Post in an email on Monday that Wang had taken his own life. “We are deeply distressed by this tragedy,” Liu wrote, adding that the US had “overstretched” the concept of national security and subjected Chinese students and scholars to unwarranted... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3349211/chinese-embassy-us-confirms-death-semiconductor-researcher-wang-danhao?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3349211/chinese-embassy-us-confirms-death-semiconductor-researcher-wang-danhao?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:00:08 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday that he met with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng a day earlier on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in advance of US President Donald Trump’s much-anticipated speech to the global body on Wednesday. Bessent’s account of the sit-down between the main interlocutors over the past tumultuous year between Beijing and Washington suggests the pieces are in place to go ahead with a summit in Beijing between Trump and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340607/bessent-meets-chinas-he-lifeng-davos-praises-trade-progress-soybeans-rare-earths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340607/bessent-meets-chinas-he-lifeng-davos-praises-trade-progress-soybeans-rare-earths?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 15:42:44 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Blending economic nationalism with geopolitical leverage, US President Donald Trump’s top trade official delivered a pointed message to Taiwan shortly after Washington announced an ambitious deal on Thursday to bring critical technology manufacturing, including semiconductors, back to the United States. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick framed the massive reshoring initiative as not just a business transaction, but as a strategic imperative for Taiwan to maintain favour with the “America... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3340075/lutnick-warns-taiwan-keep-trump-happy-us500-billion-chip-deal-draws-china-rebuke?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3340075/lutnick-warns-taiwan-keep-trump-happy-us500-billion-chip-deal-draws-china-rebuke?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 22:52:49 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun China has called on the US to work together to prevent a resurgence of militarism in Japan, with Beijing signalling that more sanctions could be in the pipeline for Tokyo’s defence industry. “Preventing militarism from harming the world again is in the common interest of both our countries [China and the United States],” Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said in an article published in US-based Executive Intelligence Review earlier this week. “We should rise above... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339449/china-calls-us-form-united-front-against-japanese-militarism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339449/china-calls-us-form-united-front-against-japanese-militarism?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Jan 2026 11:56:47 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan More than a week after US immigration authorities separated 6-year-old Yuanxin from his father during a routine check-in with ICE in New York, it has been confirmed that the child has been placed in the custody of the US Office of Refugee Resettlement. However, his location still remains unknown. The ORR, a federal agency within the US Department of Health and Human Services, is almost always the agency that takes custody of immigrant children classified as unaccompanied or separated minors... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3335428/us-confirms-chinese-boy-federal-custody-his-whereabouts-remain-unknown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3335428/us-confirms-chinese-boy-federal-custody-his-whereabouts-remain-unknown?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2025 20:41:56 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han A leading advisory panel on China policy urged the US Congress on Tuesday to establish a “consolidated economic statecraft entity” to handle technological and other national security challenges posed by China’s “systematic and persistent evasion” of American export controls and sanctions. “This recommendation addresses the critical gap between export controls and sanctions as written and their actual enforcement, recognising that China and Russia continue to successfully circumvent existing... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3333177/us-panel-urges-economic-statecraft-body-tackle-chinas-growing-tech-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3333177/us-panel-urges-economic-statecraft-body-tackle-chinas-growing-tech-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 05:01:06 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan American political commentator and live-streamer Hasan Piker has stirred controversy during his ongoing trip to China with a viral encounter in Tiananmen Square and remarks that critics say amount to promoting Chinese propaganda. On Monday, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington, shared on X (formerly Twitter) an interview Piker did with state-run China Global Television Network last week, writing: “Real reason why mega #US influencer Hasan Piker is in #China.” In the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3333173/hasan-pikers-china-tour-draws-fire-after-viral-tiananmen-police-encounter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3333173/hasan-pikers-china-tour-draws-fire-after-viral-tiananmen-police-encounter?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 22:39:43 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Alibaba Group Holding on Saturday dismissed a Financial Times report alleging its connection with the Chinese military and questioned if the accusation was an attempt to sabotage US President Donald Trump’s recent deal with Beijing. The report said Alibaba was supplying the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with unspecified capabilities that the White House claimed would threaten US national security, citing a memo that included declassified top-secret intelligence. “The assertions and innuendos in... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3332911/alibaba-condemns-ft-report-firms-alleged-pla-ties-completely-false-malicious?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3332911/alibaba-condemns-ft-report-firms-alleged-pla-ties-completely-false-malicious?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Nov 2025 05:50:33 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier In a move that piles up further US leverage in advance of next week’s planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the US trade representative announced an investigation on Friday into Beijing’s compliance with the Phase One Trade Agreement. The latest tit-for-tat salvo comes as the two economic giants amass threats that, if carried through, could cripple the global economy. “The initiation of this investigation underscores the Trump administration’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3330280/us-launches-investigation-chinas-compliance-trumps-2020-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3330280/us-launches-investigation-chinas-compliance-trumps-2020-trade-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 16:21:43 +0000 Fan Chen,Khushboo Razdan Fan Chen,Khushboo Razdan China’s embassy in the United States has warned against a new round of “media warfare” as Washington moves to cut the duration of visas for Chinese journalists. “We do not want to see a new round of ‘media warfare’ between the two countries and urge the US to refrain from taking this erroneous move,” embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said on Tuesday. As part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration, the US Department of Homeland Security proposed in August to cap the stay of mainland Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325032/china-says-shorter-us-visa-mainland-journalists-risks-media-warfare?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325032/china-says-shorter-us-visa-mainland-journalists-risks-media-warfare?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 10:00:18 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier A US State Department employee was sentenced to four years in prison in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Thursday for conspiring to collect and transmit national defence secrets to individuals he believed were working for the Chinese government, according to the US Justice Department. Michael Schena, 42, sold “sensitive” US government documents to people who claimed to be international consultants, according to court documents, despite clear indications and his... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3324402/us-state-department-employee-sentenced-passing-classified-information?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3324402/us-state-department-employee-sentenced-passing-classified-information?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 23:23:54 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings China’s recent exit bans on two American businesspeople do not raise the travel risk for US-based executives, as neither case appears “geopolitical or retaliatory”, an American trade advocacy group has said. “The risk of exit bans, detentions, or other complications has not changed for most travellers,” according to the US-China Business Council, though it acknowledged that the high-profile cases had led companies to reassess their travel procedures to limit risks. In July, Beijing said it had... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3323081/china-travel-risk-american-citizens-unchanged-despite-exit-bans-us-trade-group?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3323081/china-travel-risk-american-citizens-unchanged-despite-exit-bans-us-trade-group?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Aug 2025 13:00:10 +0000 Shi Jiangtao,Alyssa Chen Shi Jiangtao,Alyssa Chen The highly anticipated US-Russia presidential summit in Alaska had raised hopes for progress on ending the Ukraine war, but instead left more questions than answers. Still, observers viewed Vladimir Putin’s diplomatic return to US soil – his first in a decade – as a symbolic win for Moscow. The nearly three-hour talks, which both Putin and Donald Trump described as “productive”, signalled a potential thaw in the fraught US-Russia relationship despite concluding without a ceasefire agreement,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322104/will-trump-putin-thaw-alaska-leave-china-facing-3-way-dilemma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322104/will-trump-putin-thaw-alaska-leave-china-facing-3-way-dilemma?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Aug 2025 14:24:28 +0000