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Time of India
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Early days, but Dalai Lama succession potential friction point in Sino-Indian ties
Dalai Lama (AP photo) The 14th Dalai Lama's announcement of a succession plan, ruling out any Chinese role in the matter, set off a firestorm with the Chinese ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, saying in a detailed response that the reincarnation must comply with 'religious rituals and historical conventions as well as Chinese laws and regulations'. While it's still early days, the contentious issue of finding a successor for the revered spiritual leader upon his death can also potentially lead to another flashpoint in India's relationship with China that has shown several signs of improvement in the past 9 months. Beijing is likely to choose its own successor to the Dalai Lama and will closely follow how India, home to the Tibetan government-in-exile, reacts to the likely dual succession. The Beijing-based China Tibetology Research Center, which is responsible for shaping China's Tibet policy, warned in 2019 that bilateral ties would be adversely impacted if India chose to disregard the appointment of Dalai Lama through the 'traditional' process. Unlike the US though, India has not spoken officially on the succession issue and it's unlikely it will be in any hurry to do so now. The Center told a visiting Indian media delegation, which included this reporter, that no wise leader or friendly country would do that but also remarked that India can stay away or not publicly endorse the Chinese pick. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo For China, the Dalai Lama succession is an internal process that has been followed since 1792, when the Qing dynasty apparently introduced it. The Dalai Lama, however, has said in the past that his successor could come from his followers in India and that a Communist China, which rejects religion, should have no role in such religious affairs. Apart from identifying the next Dalai Lama in China, Beijing lists drawing of lots from a golden urn and recognition of the central government as essential elements of finding a successor, saying the current Dalai Lama was himself chosen through the same process. For India, the Dalai Lama remains a spiritual figure - deeply respected even by the Indian people - who has not been allowed to conduct political activities on Indian soil. Beijing, however, has often attributed motives to his spiritual and religious actions and the fact that he has been allowed to visit Arunachal Pradesh that is claimed by China. It was perhaps not a coincidence that the 73-day India-China Doklam military standoff at Doklam in 2017 took place barely a couple of months after the Dalai Lama's visit to the Indian state. In 2011, the Dalai Lama transferred his political authority to the Tibetan government-in-exile that's based in India. India has been silent on the succession issue, which will likely be a long-drawn process, unlike the US which maintains that reincarnation is a religious issue with no role for any State in it. While Beijing sees the reincarnation as a matter of Chinese sovereignty, the US believes it's about religious freedom and human rights and threated to raise the US at the UN in 2019. In his announcement, the Dalai Lama said that only his Trust and "no one else' has any role to play on the succession issue. Xu said in his response that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, the Panchen Erdeni and other grand Living Buddhas must go through the Golden Urn lottery procedure, and selected candidates would be subject to approval by the central government of China. 'The practice of Living Buddha reincarnation has continued over 700 years, and has formed rigorous religious rituals and historical conventions,' he said.
Business Times
14 hours ago
- Business
- Business Times
Baidu overhauls search engine with AI features, voice function
[BEIJING] Baidu is overhauling China's most popular search engine with AI features and a voice function in its most sweeping revamp for years. The Beijing-based company said it wants to make its mobile app more like an AI chatbot that can help users with writing, drawing and trip planning tasks. It will focus less on keywords and more on natural language searches and also allow users to perform searches by voice in several Chinese dialects. Baidu's search engine has grown bloated and overly complicated in recent years, executives told reporters on Wednesday (Jul 2) at an event in Beijing. 'Baidu search has to change, and we are voluntarily looking for changes,' said Zhao Shiqi, the company's search boss. 'We don't intend to beat others, we need to beat our former self.' Baidu's search platform now contends with social apps like ByteDance's Douyin and AI-native browsers for eyeballs. Its online marketing revenue has declined for four consecutive quarters, underscoring its loss of users. Executives have said that AI-generated search content would eventually help advertising pick up. Baidu on Wednesday also rolled out its first image-to-video model to compete with the likes of ByteDance and Kuaishou. Executives hope the AI generation function will help marketers create engaging videos on Baidu's social feeds. Baidu counts on AI to drive inference demand for its nascent cloud division, which competes with much larger rivals like Alibaba Group Holding It's also hoping that its Ernie foundation models will stay competitive against DeepSeek, seeding an entire ecosystem of AI-native applications. In April, Baidu rolled out Ernie 4.5 Turbo and Ernie X1 Turbo, the latest versions of its flagship foundation and reasoning models that it said are faster and cheaper than previous iterations. The X1 Turbo was designed to compete with open-sourced models like Alibaba's Qwen and DeepSeek, which have gained greater recognition within the global developer community. BLOOMBERG
Business Recorder
17 hours ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Copper gains as traders likely to continue shipping ahead of possible US tariffs
SINGAPORE: Copper rose on the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange on Wednesday, as traders are expected to continue rushing metal shipments to the US ahead of potential import tariffs, further tightening already low inventories elsewhere. The most-traded copper contract on the SHFE gained 0.62% to 80,520 yuan ($11,238.43) per metric ton, as of 0105 GMT, or the highest price range so far in 2025 around the latter half of March, and the three-month copper on the LME inched up 0.12% to $9,945.5. 'Other than expectations of better demand from China with higher PMI in May and the US with better job market, low copper inventories at the SHFE and LME amid the continuing shipment to the US before the imposition of the import tariffs have been supportive to the price,' a Beijing-based metals analyst from a futures company said. Copper hits three-month high on stronger China data Copper stocks in LME-registered warehouses dropped 66% since the middle of February to 91,250 tons, and copper inventories in the warehouses monitored by the SHFE also fell by 66% since early March to 81,550 tons as of last Friday. Copper inventories in China typically rise in the summer months due to low seasonal demand. 'US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Washington's negotiations with Beijing will focus first on reciprocal tariffs, and only later on duties on copper and other raw materials,' ANZ said. 'A delayed decision on tariffs would justify a premium on US copper, giving traders more time to ship metal before levies take effect.' SHFE aluminium gained 0.61% to 20,685 yuan a ton, tin gained 0.4% to 268,420 yuan, lead inched up 0.2% to 17,170 yuan, nickel grew 0.16% to 120,580 yuan, while zinc fell 0.4% to 22,165 yuan. LME aluminium gained 0.33% to $2,607 a ton, lead gained 0.2% to $2,042, and zinc inched up 0.06% to $2,715.5.
The Star
a day ago
- Business
- The Star
Video shows drone rescuing stranded man during flood in China
This photo shows submerged buildings at a flood-affected village in Kaili, in southwestern China's Guizhou province on June 28, 2025. — AFP A Chinese drone operator was transporting the belongings of villagers displaced by flooding when he spotted a man on a roof. He used the drone to lift the man and move him to safety, the operator told a state broadcaster. The video, which was widely circulated on social media, showed an area in the Guangxi region, in southern China, flooded with green-grey water, and a man dangling from a long cord attached to the drone, which set him down on a road. The rescue happened more out of luck than design. The owner of the drone, Lai Zhongxin, normally uses his vehicles to spray fertilizer and transport construction materials, the CCTV report said. Drones have been used in south and southwestern China to provide aid to areas hit by torrential rains this past week. Hoisting large canvas bags filled with relief supplies, they flew over pools of floodwater and traffic-clogged roads, as extreme weather set off mass evacuations and emergency alerts. The drones also sprayed disinfectant on silt-covered fields. Louis Liu, the founder and CEO of DAP Technologies, a Beijing-based consultancy specializing in air mobility, compared the rescue of the man to an excavator being used to lift someone in a fire in the absence of other tools. 'Normally, people aren't allowed to use an agricultural drone to suspend a person in midair,' he said. 'But in an emergency, if someone is about to drown, that's something the law would overlook.' 'Developing drones specifically for rescuing people is definitely an area for development,' he added. 'Many in the industry are already attempting it.' Last week, firefighters in the southern city of Shenzhen carried out a drill using drones that flew up and down a glass skyscraper, spraying jets of water. Drones are already commonly used in cities like Shenzhen for delivering takeout food and packages. In March, China's Civil Aviation Administration issued approvals that would allow two companies, EHang and Hefei Hey Airlines, to operate drones for commercial passenger services. The role of drones has become more visible since last year, when Premier Li Qiang identified the 'low-altitude economy,' referring to the use of this technology in airspace under 1,000 meters (1,094 yards), as a national priority. – ©2025 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Video shows drone rescuing stranded man during flood in China
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox BEIJING - A Chinese drone operator was transporting the belongings of villagers displaced by flooding when he spotted a man on a roof. He used the drone to lift the man and move him to safety, the operator told a state broadcaster. The video, which was widely circulated on social media, showed an area in the Guangxi region, in southern China, flooded with green-grey water, and a man dangling from a long cord attached to the drone, which set him down on a road. The rescue happened more out of luck than design. The owner of the drone, Mr Lai Zhongxin, normally uses his vehicles to spray fertiliser and transport construction materials, the CCTV report said. Drones have been used in south and south-western China to provide aid to areas hit by torrential rains this past week. Hoisting large canvas bags filled with relief supplies, they flew over pools of floodwater and traffic-clogged roads, as extreme weather set off mass evacuations and emergency alerts. The drones also sprayed disinfectant on silt-covered fields. Mr Louis Liu, the founder and CEO of DAP Technologies, a Beijing-based consultancy specialising in air mobility, compared the rescue of the man to an excavator being used to lift someone in a fire in the absence of other tools. 'Normally, people aren't allowed to use an agricultural drone to suspend a person in midair,' he said. 'But in an emergency, if someone is about to drown, that's something the law would overlook.' 'Developing drones specifically for rescuing people is definitely an area for development,' he added. 'Many in the industry are already attempting it.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World US Senate approves divisive Trump spending Bill Singapore A second chance to excel: 3,800 private candidates taking O- and A-level exams in 2025 Multimedia Right on track: Meet the new JB-Singapore RTS Link train Opinion US strikes on Iran: The impact ripples on, from Baghdad to Beijing Singapore 'He fought till the end': Man who survived acid attack as a baby dies of cancer at 26 Singapore Judge rejects woman's claim that she owns 99% of Bukit Timah condo mostly paid for by ex-boyfriend Business Binance to keep hundreds of staff in Singapore despite crackdown, sources say Asia Thai PM's suspension could spell end of Shinawatra clan's era of political dominance Last week, firefighters in the southern city of Shenzhen carried out a drill using drones that flew up and down a glass skyscraper, spraying jets of water. Drones are already commonly used in cities like Shenzhen for delivering takeout food and packages. In March, China's Civil Aviation Administration issued approvals that would allow two companies, EHang and Hefei Hey Airlines, to operate drones for commercial passenger services. The role of drones has become more visible since 2024, when Premier Li Qiang identified the 'low-altitude economy', referring to the use of this technology in airspace under 1,000m, as a national priority. NYTIMES
