Record-breaking cable-laying machine in China, GDP forecast reduced: SCMP daily catch-up

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1. China GDP forecast cut as Trump’s trade worries take hold ahead of new term

Although Donald Trump has not yet taken office, his expected tariff increases have led S&P Global Ratings to cut its growth forecast for China.

2. ‘It’s not that simple’: Why China and the EU face a worst-case scenario with Trump’s return

Cui Hongjian, a leading Chinese researcher in European studies and former diplomat, says Beijing, Brussels and Washington could find themselves in a “triad game.”

3. China builds machine capable of laying underwater cables in Challenger Deep

The Mariana Trench is one of the most inaccessible places on Earth, but China's Haiwei GD11000 cable can now reach these isolated seabeds. Photo: Dalian Maritime University — The Mariana Trench is one of the most inaccessible places on Earth, but China’s Haiwei GD11000 cable can now reach these isolated seabeds. Photo: Dalian Maritime University

China has built the world’s first machine capable of laying underwater cables in the Challenger Deep, the deepest known place on Earth.