Brand China is having a moment
China recently got a boost in the popularity polls, courtesy of a popular livestreamer who hails from Ohio. IShowSpeed (whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr) made a whirlwind tour of the country, showcasing the best of its technology and history. His visit, which went viral, came at a time when Brand China is on the ascendant. Chinese technology, blockbuster video games and popular consumer brands have boosted the country's image abroad—helping to build soft power.
Jiehao Chen, The Economist 's China researcher and Gabriel Crossley, our China correspondent, ask: is China becoming cool? And what does the Communist Party have to do with it?
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Scottish Sun
10 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Sir David Murray vows to save Dalzell steel mill as he reveals masterplan
SIR David Murray vowed to be a 'big customer' of Dalzell steel mill if his masterplan to save it becomes reality. The ex-Rangers owner and metal magnate, 73, says he is ready to play a major role in providing Scottish steel for North Sea wind turbines to power the nation's future energy. 4 Sir David Murray vowed to be a 'big customer' of Dalzell steel mill Credit: Andrew Barr 4 The plant in Motherwell is currently mothballed due to cheap Chinese steel imports and a drought in orders Credit: Getty 4 Some 140 workers were furloughed or placed on maintenance duties in April this year Credit: Reuters 4 New Liberty owner Sanjeev Gupta with Nicola Sturgeon Credit: Alan Ewing The plant in Motherwell is currently mothballed due to cheap Chinese steel imports and a drought in orders, with some 140 workers furloughed or placed on maintenance duties in April this year. Sir David has been in talks with Holyrood ministers for a decade over halting the industry's decline. He has now revealed he has held hush-hush negotiations with the UK Government to rescue the mill. His latest intervention comes after PM Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish Secretary Ian Murray blasted SNP ministers in May for allowing the nation's last remaining steel plants — Dalzell and Clydebridge in Cambuslang — to cease production. The Scottish Government orchestrated a takeover of the sites in 2016, putting taxpayers' cash on the line. And Sir Keir insisted last month it was important to 'get those plants up and running again'. Now Sir David has told The Scottish Sun on Sunday: 'There is a lot of political stuff going on over Dalzell. I've been heavily involved in trying to save the plate mill. 'I have spoken to the British Government in the last week and there's a meeting in a few weeks' time. 'The workforce has stayed at home for months and got 80 per cent of their wages. But it could be sorted in a week. We need people in management to work with me. 'I'd be the chairman, I'd help the management, I'd help the business, we'd be a big customer. Former Rangers owner Sir David Murray vows to save Dalzell steel mill with masterplan 'At the time it closed, I was one of its biggest customers. 'At our peak we'd be selling 550,000 tonnes of steel a year. 'That's five Forth rail bridges in weight. Today it's just over one because the fabrication business is diminishing — it's ridiculous that Britain does not have the capacity to roll a steel plate.' Sir David told how there is one mill in the north-east of England which is Ukrainian-owned. He went on: 'The wind turbines being made for the North Sea are much bigger now. 'It's a heavier plate, ideal for Dalzell. There are 50,000 tonnes of steel coming to Teesside this week from Korea to be made into turbines. 'The Scottish Government don't own one wind turbine. Look at the cost of energy. We are buying power from other people who put in these turbines. We need to create growth, jobs and prosperity in this country.' We told last July of fears the Dalzell operation would be mothballed amid a slowdown in work. A report in March by the Community Union, which represents workers at the two plants, said low-cost steel from China and high UK energy prices were hitting British steel production. The union said Dalzell needed investment to become a 'world-leading producer' of a key turbines component. Sir David has long called for an inquiry into the Scottish Government's involvement in the 2016 sale of the Lanarkshire plants to tycoon Sanjeev Gupta and Liberty Steel. The sale was backed by a £7million loan from Scottish Enterprise. MURRAY'S HEART SCARE OP EXCLUSIVE by Rodger Hannah SIR David Murray has lifted the lid on a secret heart op after he was diagnosed with a potentially-fatal medical condition. The businessman fell ill shortly before selling Rangers to Craig Whyte in 2011 — to be told he had an aortic aneurysm. He revealed: 'I was driving home over the Forth Road Bridge and I thought I was having a heart attack. I went into Dunfermline Hospital. I had a scan. It's basically your main blood vessel and the aneurysm makes it expand. 'If it bursts, you've got about half an hour.' Sir David believes the pressure of Rangers' financial issues and the global recession could have contributed to his health scare. He added: 'They told me I needed an operation, which I had in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. 'I shared the information with Craig Brown a few years ago. 'He had an identical thing. His burst but they managed to get him in on time.' Former Scotland manager Brown needed life-saving surgery in 2020. He told the Scottish Sun at the time: 'They say only about three out of ten survive it.' Brown died in 2023 aged 82. But Sir David claims ministers rejected his rival bid because it was potentially incompatible with state aid rules, and has criticised Mr Gupta's management since. He said: 'Ten years ago, I met the Scottish Government and the First Minister [Nicola Sturgeon]. I put a proposal to them and I was told they couldn't do it because they couldn't give state aid. 'Then they lent somebody else £7million who hasn't paid it back.' Mr Gupta, executive chairman of GFG Alliance which owns Liberty Steel, is being prosecuted by Companies House for failing to file accounts for more than 70 companies listed in Britain. He denies any wrongdoing. Ayr-born Sir David spoke exclusively ahead of this Thursday's July publication of his autobiography 'Mettle: Tragedy, Courage and Titles. He remains chair of his family firm, Murray Capital Group, albeit his son, also David, runs day-to-day operations as managing director. He reveals in his new book that some of his teenage grandkids have already attended board meetings. He added: 'There is an opportunity for young people but you better come to the table with a skill. 'You're not coming, as my great friend Sean Connery said, as a member of The Lucky Sperm Club.' The UK Government confirmed Sir David had met with MP Ian Murray. A source said: 'David Murray has met Ian Murray to discuss his concerns about the Dalzell works being mothballed because the SNP cut a bad deal. We encourage the SNP Government to take advantage of the trade deals the UK Labour Government has cut and the industrial strategy which present a huge opportunity for Scottish steel.' Liberty Steel declined to comment. The Scottish Government said its 2016 intervention 'sustained over 100 jobs at Dalzell and retained steelmaking capacity in Scotland.' Scottish Enterprise confirmed: 'We remain in discussion with Liberty Steel regarding repayment of the loan funding.'
South Wales Guardian
17 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Beijing deal will speed China's export of minerals to US
The agreement comes after China retaliated against steep import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Chinese goods, and moved to slow the export of rare earth minerals and magnets much needed by US industrial interests. Mr Bessent said on Fox Business Network's Mornings With Maria that US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping 'had a phone call' previously 'and then our teams met in London, ironed this out, and I am confident now that we, as agreed, the magnets will flow'. 'Part of the agreement was tariffs coming down and rare earth magnets starting to flow back to the US,' Mr Bessent said. 'They formed the core of a lot of our industrial base. They were not flowing as fast as previously agreed.' His comments come after Mr Trump announced two weeks earlier an agreement with China that he said would ease exportation of magnets and rare earth minerals That pact cleared the way for the trade talks to continue. The US has previously suspended some sales to China of critical US technologies like components used for jet engines and semiconductors. But it has also agreed to stop trying to revoke visas of Chinese nationals on US college campuses. Mr Bessent added of critical mineral exports: 'What we're seeing here is a de-escalation.' Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick told Bloomberg TV that the deal was signed earlier this week. China's commerce ministry said on Friday that the two sides had 'further confirmed the details of the framework', though its statement did not explicitly mention US access to rare earths that have been at the centre of the negotiations. 'China will, in accordance with the law, review and approve eligible export applications for controlled items. In turn, the United States will lift a series of restrictive measures it had imposed on China,' it said. Initial talks in Geneva in early May led both sides to postpone massive tariff hikes that were threatening to freeze much trade between the two countries. Later talks in London set a framework for negotiations and the deal mentioned by Mr Trump appeared to formalise that agreement, setting the stage for Mr Bessent's comments on Friday.
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- The Herald Scotland
Is this the best Chinese food in Glasgow? I'm not so sure
Twenty minutes on the treadmill is surely a free pass for noodles and rice, right? I was a fan of this spot's previous incarnation as Salt & Chilli Oriental (also run by Lee), which had a relaxed street food feel and enormous portion sizes that would explain the pre-emptive exercise. The menu was short but sweet and no doubt driven by the city's enduring love affair with all things salt and chilli seasoning that sees restaurants and cafes sprinkle the stuff on everything from hash browns to 'haggis baws'. But Lychee is a different beast, vying to bring the cooler, more sophisticated vibes of its older sister restaurant, first established on Mitchell Street in 2015, to the Southside. While the interiors of the split-level venue on Kilmarnock Road have barely changed, the food offering is now hugely expanded, drawing inspiration from Chinese, Thai and Japanese cuisines. On a Wednesday evening, the place is busy with a mix of families, larger groups and couples. We're shown upstairs, where a tight fit between tables is just on the right side of cosy rather than cramped, before ordering a couple of soft drinks. On another occasion, I'd have been drawn to the cocktail section of Singapore Slings or Lychee Cosmos, which sit at a reasonable £8.50 each. There's a selection of salt and chilli dishes available at Lychee, so we're going for a portion of the squid starter (£7.50) to see if they've still got it, as well as Yuk Sung, spicy minced pork and chicken served with little gem lettuce leaves (£8.50). Though we've not requested them, a small bowl of prawn crackers arrives to munch on as we wait. Some early bonus points there. But, oh dear, that squid is looking awful peely-wally against cubes of green pepper and fiery chilli as our server approaches with the starters. Pictured: Starters of Salt and Chilli squid and Yuk Sung (Image: Newsquest) Close up, it's not much better. Whatever has happened between the journey from the kitchen to our table, there's not a hint of crunch left in these chunky strips of battered seafood slick with oil. There's a good hit of salt and chilli from a surface dusting of dry seasoning, but otherwise the spicy, moreish flavour fails to carry through to the rest of the plate. The Yuk Sung is more appealing. Mixed mince is firm and meaty, holding up in a bowl of soupy sauce that's to be spooned onto boats of lettuce leaves and eaten by hand. With the addition of pickled red cabbage, it's fun and fresh, if nothing more. My confidence in Lychee has been shaken slightly by the time the half-finished plates are cleared, but there's a lot of hope reserved for the main dishes. Pictured: Main dishes selected from the Specialities section of the menu at Lychee Oriental (Image: Newsquest) Both selected from the 'Specialities' section of the menu, the chicken claypot (£14.50) and roast duck (£18.50) are served in identical ceramic dishes. They won't win any prizes for presentation, but with this kind of food, looks don't matter all that much. It's all about the big, punchy flavours that emerge as you get stuck in. After a few spoonfuls of each, I'm still searching. Slices of duck are served with oyster sauce and mushrooms, while the claypot chicken, which sounded like the most adventurous of options on the menu, shares its red beancurd base with cloud fungus and Chinese sausage. The latter is my favourite of the pair, the delicate mushroom caps of cloud fungus and slivers of sausage adding intrigue and layers of texture where bland chicken pieces fall short. But there's not an awful lot that differentiates the taste of these two seemingly contrasting dishes aside from a hint of sweet nuttiness from the redbean. Come to think of it, I'm not sure that in a blind taste test they would be all that distinguishable from the sauce in the Yuk Sung starter either. Eaten with side dishes of wok noodles (£4.50) and egg-fried rice (£4.00), this trio could be from any local takeaway I've tried over the years, rather than a sit-down spot that aims to serve 'the very best Chinese food in Glasgow'. I wonder if we would have had more luck choosing from the crowd pleasers, like Hong Kong sweet and sour or crispy lemon chicken while picking out the best bits of mangetout and tofu skin from the leftovers. Read more: We'll remain seated a while after admitting defeat, but with no offer of a dessert menu, decide to forgo any sweets this time round rather than catching a server's attention. They've been incredibly attentive all night, so this feels like a small oversight rather than a real inconvenience, and we're keen to give them the table back as the restaurant starts to fill up. A quick check on social media later indicates that banana fritters could be the star of their sweet selection, so if that's your thing, be sure to hang around for pudding. I'm not sure what prompted chef Jimmy Lee's decision to transform his Salt & Chilli restaurant into a second Lychee branch, but as we leave, I feel a small pang of sorrow for the demise of a failsafe favourite. I suppose you never really do appreciate what you have until it's gone. Menu: It's a tantalising selection of dishes ranging from crowd pleasers like crispy lemon chicken to more adventurous claypot dishes. Plenty to choose from. 4/5 Service: Aside from a slight hiccup with the lack of dessert menu at the end, the team here is amiable and attentive. 4/5 Atmosphere: The upstairs of the restaurant is cosy, but there's not much room as bigger tables start to arrive. We never quite settle in before feeling we should vacate our seats. 3/5 Price: Lack of wow factor means £18.50 for the roast duck feels steep, but overall prices here aren't bad. They also run a set menu and lunch deals if you're watching your budget. 3/5 Food: I fully expected a knockout meal from Lychee Oriental, but found nothing to rave about in any of our dishes. 5/10 Total: 19/30 Lychee Oriental is located at 67 Kilmarnock Road in Glasgow.
