US says Chinese satellite company is supporting Houthi attacks

Good morning, completely happy Friday and welcome again to FirstFT Asia. In as we speak’s e-newsletter:

• US accuses Chinese language agency of supporting Houthi assaults

• Nvidia’s Jensen Huang visits China

• Jay Powell feels warmth on rates of interest

A Chinese language satellite tv for pc firm linked to the nation’s navy is supplying Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen with imagery to focus on US warships and worldwide vessels within the Crimson Sea, in accordance with American officers.

What the US stated: The Trump administration has repeatedly warned Beijing that Chang Guang Satellite tv for pc Know-how Co Ltd, a industrial group with ties to the Folks’s Liberation Military, is offering the Houthis with the intelligence, in accordance with the US officers. A senior state division official informed the Monetary Occasions that China had “ignored” the considerations. Tammy Bruce, the state division’s spokesperson, confirmed that CGSTL was “immediately supporting Iran-backed Houthi terrorist assaults on US pursuits”.

Beijing’s position within the Crimson Sea: China has expressed concern in regards to the Houthis’ assaults within the important maritime route for world commerce and the US navy. The Biden administration urged Beijing to make use of its leverage with Iran to rein within the Houthis — however officers noticed no proof that Beijing had performed so. Requested in regards to the US claims about CGSTL, the Chinese language embassy in Washington stated it was “not conscious of the related scenario”.

What’s CGSTL?: The Chinese language firm was established in 2014 as a three way partnership between the provincial authorities in Jilin and a department of the Chinese language Academy of Sciences in Changchun, the province’s capital. It has beforehand come below US scrutiny, and was amongst teams hit by sanctions in 2023 for allegedly offering high-resolution satellite tv for pc imagery to Russia’s Wagner Group.

“Chang Guang is one in every of a handful of ‘ostensibly’ industrial Chinese language satellite tv for pc firms which are actually deeply embedded within the military-civil fusion ecosystem, supplying world surveillance capabilities to each civilian and navy clients,” stated James Mulvenon, an knowledgeable on the Chinese language navy and intelligence companies at Pamir Consulting.

Read more about CGSTL’s “close connections” to the Chinese government.

Right here’s what else we’re retaining tabs on as we speak and over the weekend:

• Financial information: Japan studies March inflation information and Malaysia publishes first-quarter GDP.

• US-Iran nuclear talks: US envoy Steve Witkoff is because of maintain a second spherical of talks on Saturday with Iranian international minister Abbas Araghchi, days after calling for Tehran to “eliminate” its nuclear enrichment programme.

How nicely did you retain up with the information this week? Take our quiz.

5 extra prime tales

1. Nvidia chief govt Jensen Huang visited Beijing yesterday after new curbs from Washington on the chipmaker’s China gross sales despatched its shares tumbling. Based on individuals aware of his journey schedule, Huang met the founding father of Chinese language AI start-up DeepSeek in addition to Chinese language vice-premier He Lifeng. Read more about the visit.

2. Trump has stepped up his assaults on Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell, accusing him of failing to chop rates of interest shortly sufficient and claiming he would have the fitting to sack the US’s prime central banker. Earlier yesterday Trump stated on his Reality Social platform that “Powell’s termination can’t come quick sufficient!” Read the full story.

3. Japan’s chief commerce negotiator will go away Washington with out a right away settlement after assembly Trump as a part of efforts to barter the removing of stiff US tariffs. Japanese officers stated the unanticipated personal meeting with the US president was a potential signal of the president’s keenness to hammer out commerce offers.

4. A US federal choose has dominated Google illegally acquired and maintained a monopoly in digital promoting. The court docket’s determination marked the newest antitrust defeat for the know-how big that would lead to it being forced to divest parts of its business.

5. Chinese language tea firm Chagee surged on its Wall Road debut yesterday, defying considerations about weak investor demand for brand new US listings and the intensifying commerce warfare between the world’s two largest economies. Shares within the Shanghai-based chain rose as a lot as 49 per cent on its first day of buying and selling on Nasdaq. Read more about Chagee’s strong debut.

The Large Learn

The greenback, which usually strengthens in occasions of monetary and financial strife, as a substitute nosedived after Trump unveiled his “reciprocal” tariffs this month. Coupled with the administration’s hostility in direction of historic allies, traders have been pressured to confront the likelihood that the currency’s dominance might fade — or even end.

We’re additionally studying . . . 

Chart of the day

Chinese language officers and companies are in search of a rapprochement with the EU to compensate for the lack of the US market amid Donald Trump’s commerce warfare. However a reset in EU-China ties would wish to beat deep differences over China’s huge trade surpluses, the limitations to accessing its personal market and Beijing’s tacit assist for Russia’s warfare in Ukraine.

Take a break from the information

It’s simpler to acknowledge the much less good components of your self while you’re informed they have been pre-determined by the celebrities, writes Jemima Kelly. Observe the FT’s resident contrarian as she tries to make sense of astrology.