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WHO is ‘critical in protecting US business interests’, says CEO of firm that may see lean years if Trump carries out vow
The (WHO) could see lean years ahead if the US withdraws membership under the new Trump administration. Such a withdrawal, promised on the of ’s new administration, would in effect cut the multilateral agency’s funding by one-fifth.
The severe cut would be uncharted territory for the WHO, potentially curtailing public health works globally, pressuring the organization to attract private funding, and providing an opening for other countries to influence the organization. Other countries are not expected to make up the funding loss.

Facing the loss of their favorite app, users have flocked to another China-based platform. The resulting cross-cultural exchanges have been revealing. The TikTok ban is expected to come into force on ...

From a ‘golden era’ to post-pandemic mistrust, the UK has had a turbulent relationship with the world’s second-largest economy
In the last decade, Britain’s relations with China have been on a rollercoaster. In 2015, during the visit of Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the UK, then chancellor George Osborne was able to declare the two countries were in a “”. He did this with the conviction that with a growing economy and rising middle class, China offered plenty of opportunities for Britain. But by 2022, Rishi Sunak had declared the “”. And in 2023, deputy prime minister labelled China Britain’s greatest economic security threat, to align closer with the position of the US, and through fears of deeper Chinese espionage and interference in the outside world. Seldom had a diplomatic boom-bust cycle happened so rapidly and so completely.
In view of extremes such as these, to see a return to unvarnished, largely conventional engagement looks like a revolution. In the past, Rachel Reeves turning up in Beijing for a , as she did over the weekend, would have attracted little notice. China is, after all, still the world’s second largest economy and accounts for about a fifth of global GDP. Its , despite recent domestic economic turbulence, constitutes one of the most dynamic and sought-after consumer groups on the planet. But in 2025, such a visit looks like radical action because of the dramatic deterioration that occurred in the final years of the Conservative administration.
Kerry Brown is director of the Lau China Institute, King’s College London. He is the author of

Americans fleeing the looming TikTok ban have been warmly welcomed to app Xiaohongshu – or RedNote – despite China’s tight restrictions on what can be posted
“It is the coolest thing,” says Huang Ziyan, a longtime user of Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, describing the experience as a “21st-century Tower of Babel”.
Huang is referring to the influx of US “TikTok refugees” fleeing the impending ban and the resulting cross-cultural exchange that has seen Americans warmly welcomed – and sometimes given a few helpful tips.

RedNote's Chinese users say it is the first time they have been able to speak directly to Americans online.

World leaders also reportedly discussed Taiwan and fentanyl in first direct contact since 2021
China’s president, , has spoken to the US president-elect, , on the phone in the first direct contact between the two men since 2021.
Days ahead of Trump’s inauguration, Trump and Xi spoke on Friday to discuss TikTok, trade, fentanyl and Taiwan.

Bassist and composer Mark Izu, a pivotal figure in San Francisco’s Asian American arts scene since the 1970s, has died, leaving a vast, influential body of cross-cultural creations encompassing jazz,

As the app is on the brink of being expelled, the president-elect has been working to make good on his pledge to save it
In the run-up to the election, Donald Trump made a plea to his followers. “FOR ALL THOSE THAT WANT TO SAVE TIK TOK IN AMERICA, VOTE TRUMP!” he posted to his Truth Social account in September. Since then, he’s been working to make good on that pledge.
He hosted TikTok’s CEO, Shou Chew, at his Mar-a-Lago estate in December, implored the US supreme court to delay a TikTok ban and he’s now reportedly to postpone the app’s disappearance. Chew is slated to join Trump at his inauguration in what appears to be a show of solidarity with the embattled executive.

Chinese president declines US president-elect’s unusual invitation but sends special representative Han Zheng
The president, , will not attend , but he is sending his vice-president, Han Zheng, as his special representative.
The decision, announced on Friday in China by the foreign ministry, came more than a month after Trump extended the unusual invitation to Xi, a break from tradition since no heads of state have previously made an official visit to the US for the inauguration.

American officials on Friday slapped a Chinese company and a man affiliated with China's Ministry of State Security with sanctions for their roles in cyberattacks in December.

American officials on Friday slapped a Chinese company and a man affiliated with China's Ministry of State Security with sanctions for their roles in cyberattacks in December.

Latter part of 2024 ‘recovered remarkably’ after stimulus measures, says National Bureau of Statistics
China’s economy grew by 5% in 2024, in line with government targets but at the slowest rate since 1990 outside the Covid pandemic, according to official data.
Growth accelerated through the year, with an expansion of 5.4% in the final quarter, up from 4.6% in the third quarter, according to Beijing’s National Bureau of Statistics.