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China’s Xi Urges Progress in His ‘City of the Future’ Project

Chinese President Xi Jinping talks with students in a classroom at a high school, during an inspection tour of Xiongan New Area in Hebei province, China March 23, 2026. (cnsphoto via Reuters)
Chinese President Xi Jinping talks with students in a classroom at a high school, during an inspection tour of Xiongan New Area in Hebei province, China March 23, 2026. (cnsphoto via Reuters)
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China’s Xi Urges Progress in His ‘City of the Future’ Project

Chinese President Xi Jinping talks with students in a classroom at a high school, during an inspection tour of Xiongan New Area in Hebei province, China March 23, 2026. (cnsphoto via Reuters)
Chinese President Xi Jinping talks with students in a classroom at a high school, during an inspection tour of Xiongan New Area in Hebei province, China March 23, 2026. (cnsphoto via Reuters)

Chinese President Xi Jinping made a rare visit to the ambitious Xiongan project still under construction near Beijing, calling on officials to "throw themselves" into completing a task on which he has staked his name and legacy.

Located about 100 km (60 miles) southwest of the capital in the province of Hebei, the Xiongan New Area ranks among three special zones "of national significance", along with the tech and financial hubs of coastal Shenzhen and Shanghai Pudong.

"The Xiongan New Area should take reform ‌and innovation ‌as the driving force to promote the deep integration ‌of technological ⁠innovation and industrial ⁠innovation," Xi said during Monday's visit, according to official news agency Xinhua.

Xi is looking to relocate state-owned enterprises, universities, sci-tech firms and financial institutions to Xiongan, roughly comparable in size to Greater London, to alleviate overcrowding and congestion in Beijing.

Sinochem and China Satellite Network Group are among at least eight state-owned enterprises moving their headquarters to Xiongan, state media said, with some up ⁠and running, but others still being built.

Nearly a decade ‌since ground was broken in 2017, ‌central Xiongan remains sparsely populated, though the city is targeted for basic completion in 2035.

Officials ‌should "be bold in taking responsibility, throw themselves into the work of ‌implementation, and strive to deliver satisfactory results to the Party and the people," Xi urged during his inspection tour, Xinhua said.

China's top leadership tends to keep a distance from specific projects, but Xi has tied his own name to Xiongan ‌as he cemented his position as paramount leader of the ruling Chinese Communist Party and the People's Republic.

Official documents ⁠and state ⁠media hail the decision to build the city as one of lasting importance for the coming millennium, emphasizing Xi's personal role in planning, making decisions and driving forward the project.

Xi first visited the site in 2017, the year he got a second term as general secretary of the Communist Party, followed by a 2019 visit after a historic constitutional amendment the previous year paved the way for a third leadership term.

Monday's tour of the newly built headquarters of state-owned power generator China Huaneng Group and a high school was Xi's fourth since an inspection in May 2023.

Officials should "promote the early implementation of innovative policies in fields including sci-tech and finance" in Xiongan, Xi said, as China pursues breakthroughs in key technologies.

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World

Iran Can Go up to Two Months without Oil Exports Before Cutting Output, Analysts Say

A man rides past a large billboard referring to the Strait of Hormuz in Tehran's Vanak Square on April 15, 2026. (AFP)
A man rides past a large billboard referring to the Strait of Hormuz in Tehran's Vanak Square on April 15, 2026. (AFP)
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Iran Can Go up to Two Months without Oil Exports Before Cutting Output, Analysts Say

A man rides past a large billboard referring to the Strait of Hormuz in Tehran's Vanak Square on April 15, 2026. (AFP)
A man rides past a large billboard referring to the Strait of Hormuz in Tehran's Vanak Square on April 15, 2026. (AFP)

Iran can withstand a complete halt in oil exports of up to two months before being forced to curb production, analysts said, after the US began blocking shipping in and out of the country's ports on April 13.

The blockade could prevent roughly 2 million barrels per day (bpd) of Iranian crude from reaching its main buyer China.

Any Iranian production shutdowns would add to more than 12 million bpd of supply already disrupted by the regional war, tightening markets further and ‌lifting oil ‌prices.

With its exports blocked, Iran faces having to ‌divert ⁠crude into onshore storage ⁠tanks. Once those tanks are filled, the OPEC member would be required to curb upstream output.

Consultancy FGE NextantECA estimates Iran has about 90 million barrels of available onshore crude storage capacity, out of total capacity of roughly 122 million barrels.

"Iran can sustain current production of around 3.5 million bpd for roughly two months without exports, extendable to around three months with a modest ⁠500,000 bpd production cut," FGE NextantECA said in a ‌note.

Iranian domestic refineries process about 2 million ‌bpd of oil, they added.

The relevant Iranian authorities were not immediately available for comment.

Energy ‌Aspects assumes significantly lower available onshore storage of about 30 million barrels, ‌based on data from Kayrros.

Under that scenario, Iran could maintain current export levels for about 16 days before storage capacity runs out, based on export levels of 1.8 million bpd.

"The blockade may not have a significant impact on Iranian production in ‌April, but if it continues into May then output would need to be reduced substantially," said Richard ⁠Bronze, co-founder of Energy ⁠Aspects.

He said the consultancy assumes Iran cannot utilize its full nameplate storage capacity, adding that historic data show stocks peaked at 92 million barrels in May 2020, which likely marks a realistic ceiling.

Bronze also said Iran will likely deploy available oil tankers in ports as floating storage, delaying production cuts.

The US military said more vessels were being turned back under the blockade, including the Chinese-owned tanker Rich Starry, which is under US sanctions and which was seen heading back through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday.

Eight Iran-linked oil tankers have been intercepted since the blockade began on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported. A US destroyer stopped two tankers attempting to leave Iran's Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday, a US official said.

World

World Bank Announces Water Security Plan for One Billion People

A girl carries jerrycans on a wheelbarrow after collecting water from a well at a mosque in Deh Mazang, Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP)
A girl carries jerrycans on a wheelbarrow after collecting water from a well at a mosque in Deh Mazang, Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP)
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World Bank Announces Water Security Plan for One Billion People

A girl carries jerrycans on a wheelbarrow after collecting water from a well at a mosque in Deh Mazang, Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP)
A girl carries jerrycans on a wheelbarrow after collecting water from a well at a mosque in Deh Mazang, Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP)

The World Bank announced a plan Wednesday that aims to improve secure water access for a billion people within the next four years.

The new "Water Forward" program aims to "expand reliable water services and strengthen systems against droughts and floods."

The Bank said its own funds and technical advice would help improve water supplies to some 400 million people by 2030, with the balance coming from partners.

Regional development banks, OPEC's development fund, and the BRICS-aligned New Development Bank are among institutions that will participate, the World Bank said.

The global lender did not specify how much capital it would commit to the initiative.

Some four billion people -- half the world's population -- face water scarcity, due in part to "unclear policies, weak regulations, and financially unsustainable utilities that have slowed progress and deterred investment," the Bank said.

The global lender said that 14 countries had already voluntarily committed to reform and strengthen their water sectors under the new program.

The focus on governance issues -- not simply physical water infrastructure -- is promising, David Michel, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said.

"In many countries, the water sector fails to fully deploy the funds already allocated to it."

However, the Bank's initiative "faces a long and difficult road ahead," he warned.

The issue of access to safe drinking water, in particular, has been highlighted during the war in the Middle East, with desalination plants in Iran and across the region damaged in bombardments.

Beyond conflicts and immediate drinking water needs, the World Bank said that better water security was needed to grow the global economy.

"Strong water systems are foundational to healthy economies that can attract private investment and create jobs," the Bank said.

World

China FM Tells Iran Beijing Supports ‘Momentum of Peace Talks’

Members of the media raise hands to ask questions as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds a press conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress (NPC), in Beijing, China, March 8, 2026. (Reuters)
Members of the media raise hands to ask questions as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds a press conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress (NPC), in Beijing, China, March 8, 2026. (Reuters)
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China FM Tells Iran Beijing Supports ‘Momentum of Peace Talks’

Members of the media raise hands to ask questions as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds a press conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress (NPC), in Beijing, China, March 8, 2026. (Reuters)
Members of the media raise hands to ask questions as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds a press conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress (NPC), in Beijing, China, March 8, 2026. (Reuters)

China's top diplomat told his Iranian counterpart that Beijing "supports maintaining the momentum of the ceasefire and peace talks" in a phone call on Wednesday, as negotiators from Pakistan landed in Tehran to discuss a second round of US-Iran talks.

Peace talks are "in the fundamental interests of the Iranian people and are also the shared hope of regional countries and the international community," Wang Yi said, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.

He said China was willing to continue to play a "constructive role" towards peace in the Middle East after a first round of Iran-US talks in Islamabad at the weekend failed to reach an agreement.