China hails US YouTube star, how Signal furore may aid spies: 7 US-China relations reads

SCMP | April 1, 2025, 3 p.m. | Original

YouTube star Darren Jason Watkins Jnr, aka IShowSpeed, is seen streaming live from the Great Wall of China during his visit to Beijing in March 2025. Photo: Youtube/IShowSpeed

We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider .
Image: Brian Wang
Image: Brian Wang

As one of her first acts in office, US President Donald Trump’s new attorney general, Pam Bondi, shut down a years-long operation to combat influence campaigns from China and other countries – an initiative launched under the first Trump administration.

Read the full story here .

2. US says China operates ‘hacker for hire’ network for cyberattacks worldwide

Photo: Shutterstock
Photo: Shutterstock

Beijing was orchestrating a “hacker for hire” ecosystem – involving contract hackers, Chinese tech company employees and government officials – to carry out cyberattacks aimed at stealing data from organisations and governments worldwide, according to a senior US Justice Department official.

Read the full story here .

3. China hails US YouTube star who gets 10 million views in Beijing, Shanghai

Photo: X/iShowSpeedHQ
Photo: X/iShowSpeedHQ

IShowSpeed, a YouTube sensation from the US, is being hailed by Chinese government officials and state media as evidence of a growing desire for mutual understanding between Americans and Chinese amid escalating trade frictions, following his March visit to China.

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