US tariffs to stay in place, China graduate jobs dwindle: SCMP daily highlights

SCMP | May 30, 2025, 9:51 a.m. | Original

Quantum tools form a new line of defence, blending China’s massive infrastructure with cutting-edge science to keep the lights on in an era of energy upheaval. Photo: Reuters

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider .

A US federal appeal court has temporarily halted a lower-court ruling against President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” reciprocal tariffs, as well as a separate set of fentanyl-related levies on China, Mexico and Canada, the latest in a string of twists that leave the state of global trade hanging in the balance.

2. China already had a graduate jobs crisis. The trade war is making it worse

China’s youth unemployment rate shot up during the Covid-19 pandemic and has remained high ever since, with the country’s economy – hamstrung by weak consumer demand and a prolonged real estate slump – struggling to create enough high-quality jobs to absorb a ballooning number of graduates.

3. ‘Xenophobic’: US ban on Chinese student visas provokes backlash

The Chinese embassy in Washington has issued a démarche - a routine diplomatic tool that is not usually delivered publicly - registering condemnation of the US decision to revoke Chinese student visas. Photo: AFP
The Chinese embassy in Washington has issued a démarche - a routine diplomatic tool that is not usually delivered publicly - registering condemnation of the US decision to revoke Chinese student visas. Photo: AFP

The Chinese embassy in Washington lodged a “solemn démarche with the US side without delay” on Thursday amid a growing backlash, including accusations of xenophobia, within the United States towards its decision to “aggressively” revoke Chinese student visas.

3 gastroenteritis cases at Hong Kong hospital unrelated, investigation finds US export controls: a delay, but not a grounding, for China’s aircraft engines