As President Emmanuel Macron of France visited China, its leader, Xi Jinping, said his country would play a constructive role in ending the fighting.

Beijing is flexing its military and economic might to show its displeasure with the Japanese leader’s comments about defending Taiwan. But its aggressive approach risks backfiring.

China’s new national drive to embrace artificial intelligence is also giving the authorities new ways to monitor and control its citizens.

Since Beijing announced a new visa to attract young science and technology graduates, a backlash has erupted online, forcing the government to respond.