World Today

①China's top political advisory body starts its annual session. What are the key issues dominating this year's agenda? (00:40)

②As Trump's new tariffs take effect, China hits back with retaliatory measures. How will the trade war escalate in the coming months? (14:05)

③The United States pauses military aid to Ukraine. What's behind this decision, and what are the potential consequences? (24:34)

④Austria has sworn in a new government, ending five months of political deadlock over forming a coalition. (32:19)

⑤Shenzhen has released an action plan to expand the city's AI industry to one trillion yuan, or about 140 billion U.S. dollars, by 2026. (40:42)

①The UK and European leaders are drafting a Ukraine peace plan to present to the US. (00:36)

②Israel halts all aid to Gaza as ceasefire falters. (25:00)

③China's Caixin Manufacturing PMI peaked at 50.8 in February, marking the highest point in three months. (32:31)

④China's Tiangong space station is set to host its first foreign astronaut in the coming years. (43:23)

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have in recent days travelled to the White House with a key message to US President Donald Trump: don’s abandon Europe. Trump’s shift on Ukraine is shaking the transatlantic alliance, causing panic on a continent that has depended on US security assurance for 80 years. Suspicions are deepening that Trump is effectively pulling the plug on decades of US support for Europe.

So, are transatlantic relations over? What are the challenges that Europe must overcome if it wants to pursue strategic autonomy? Host Ding Heng is joined by Kathleen Burk, Professor Emeritus of Modern and Contemporary History, University College London; Professor Doug Guthrie from Thunderbird School of Global Management; Christis Tombazos, Associate Professor at Monash University.

① Chinese FM calls on China, New Zealand to adhere to cooperation, dialogue. (00:49)

② Ukraine approved agreement with U.S. on critical minerals. (14:04)

③ China slams U.S. military aid to Taiwan. (24:49)

④ Apple plans to invest $500 billion in U.S. as tariff era nears. (35:12)

⑤ China’s marine economy achieved a landmark in 2024, driving national growth. (44:25)

① Both Trump and the EU set their sights on Ukraine's mineral resources. (00:50)

② China continues as an attractive investment destination: AmCham South China. (13:06 )

③ Iran and Russia's FMs condemn the unilateral sanctions by the U.S. and the West. (24:17)

④ Syria’s interim president calls for unity and the rebuilding of the fractured nation. (34:00)

⑤ The German economy contracted in the final quarter of 2024. (42:30)

① China and Russia have re-affirmed their relations as a "no limits" partnership. (00:44)

② UN Security Council has adopted a resolution urging a swift end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. (13:45)

③ Six “Little Dragons”: How China’s Hangzhou is leading global tech innovation? (24:16)

④ Goldman Sachs predicts China’s DeepSeek-led AI emergence to draw $200 billion USD into stocks. (33:25)

⑤ Economist Jeffrey Sachs praises China’s economic strength, dismisses crisis claims. (44:15)

① China outlines key tasks to deepen rural reforms, advance rural revitalization. (00:45)

② Three years into Ukraine conflict, how Trump’s return has shifted the dynamics. (13:20)

③ Conservative CDU/CSU leads German federal election: preliminary results. (26:24)

④ Israel delays release of Palestinian prisoners over 'humiliating' hostage handovers. (36:30)

⑤ China's trade promotion agency urges US to lift two-way investment curbs. (45:35)

African leaders have called for slavery reparations from former colonial powers at the 38th AU Summit in Ethiopia.

From the 15th to the 19th century, at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped, forcibly transported by mostly European merchants, and sold into slavery.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in an address to the summit that the bitter fruit of the transatlantic slave trade and colonial exploitation is having a lasting impact on the continent.

How can Africans and people of African descent secure the justice they're calling for? And what forms could reparations for slavery take?

Host Zhao Ying is joined by Dr. He Wenping, Africa expert and Senior Research Fellow at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Adams Bodomo, Chair Professor of African Linguistics and Literatures, University of Vienna; William Worger, Professor Emeritus, Department of History, UCLA.

① US President Donald Trump has warned Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he better quickly negotiate an end to the war with Russia, or risk not having a country to lead. Why has Trump used an extended social media post to lash out at Zelenskyy? (00:49)

② We take a look at China’s 20-point action plan to stabilize foreign investment in 2025. (13:35)

③ A poll shows one in five German voters remains undecided, with only days until the parliamentary elections. We explore the turbulence of Germany’s upcoming elections. (25:03)

④ South Africa is hosting a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Johannesburg, but without the presence of the US. Why is the US under Trump determined to be a bad boy within the G20? (34:49)

⑤ NASA is reportedly losing four key senior officials close to its flagship moon program. We explore the uncertainties that the program is faced with. (44:01)

① Chairing a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, China’s foreign minister said that China supports all Ukraine peace efforts, and that Gaza is not a bargaining chip for political trade-offs. What is China’s approach to resolving hotspots? (00:52)

② Senior US and Russian officials have held their first face-to-face meeting since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. We explore the key signals from the meeting. (12:33)

③ We take a look at DeepSeek’s latest development: revealing its Native Sparse Attention, a new mechanism designed to enhance the efficiency of long-context training and inference in AI models. (24:55)

④ Clean energy contributed 10 percent to China’s GDP in 2024, according to new analysis. What does this number indicate? (34:18)

⑤ The parliament of Vietnam has approved an $8 billion rail link to China. What economic potentials could this project create? (44:15)