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 subscribing. 1. China fires back after US official takes swipe at aid to Global South Beijing has accused Washington of undermining the welfare of the Global South to serve its own geopolitical interests following remarks by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who described Chinese aid to developing nations as “rapacious deals”. 2. Trump says China’s talks with Vietnam are probably intended to ‘screw’ US China’s efforts to deepen economic ties with Vietnam was likely part of a plan to “screw” the US, American President Donald Trump suggested on Monday while discussing tariffs and possible exemptions for automobiles and auto parts. 3. Questions remain 5 years after death in US of Chinese scientist Nongjian Tao Amid the China Initiative era and pressure on the Chinese research community, a police report concluded Tao died by suicide amid “work-related stress”. 4. Chinese factories in Vietnam see ‘crazy’ surge in orders amid US tariff pause US businesses are putting factories in Vietnam under pressure to front-load as many shipments as possible within the 90-day window. 5. ‘Open door red’ to ‘summer blue’: will second quarter slam China’s GDP again? Recent years have seen China’s economic growth decelerate in the second quarter – a pattern that threatens to continue this summer amid an intensifying trade war. 6. ‘Arginine factories’ turn breast cancer cells aggressive, Chinese team finds A team of Chinese scientists has uncovered a key mechanism behind how breast cancer cells weaponise the amino acid arginine to evade the immune system and multiply. 7. ‘No point in working’ as orders plunge, say China’s chip traders hit by tariffs One of the world’s largest electronics markets, Huaqiangbei shows how fast the supply chain has been upended by the tariff escalation with Washington.