Advertisement
Advertisement
ePAPER
SCMP PLUS
Latest
China
Economy
Hong Kong
Asia
Business
Tech
Lifestyle
People & Culture
World
Opinion
Video
Sport
-
Latest
China
Economy
Hong Kong
Asia
Business
Tech
Lifestyle
People & Culture
World
Opinion
Video
Sport
-

Taiwan arrests 2 mainland Chinese after boat slips past defences

Mainland Chinese men in rubber dinghy dismissed as ‘sea clutter’ by coastguard radar operator, raising fresh concerns over island’s security.

A Taiwanese fisherman says this inflatable boat from mainland China sat abandoned on Bali Beach near the Port of Taipei for two days before he alerted police. Photo: Handout

China Economy

China reformed its tax rules in 2018. Why is it now pushing stricter enforcement?

Banking & Finance

What are China’s quantitative trading funds, and why are they so controversial?

Advertisement
Exclusive

HKEX to launch debate over extending trading hours despite pushback, sources say

The discussion paper could pave the way for Hong Kong’s bourse operator to introduce longer opening times, helping it attract global investors.

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) is considering extending trading hours to sharpen the city’s competitiveness as a financial centre. Photo: Jelly Tse
SERIES: PLA 99th Anniversary

In Focus | Beyond the numbers: why China’s carrier force won’t copy the US model

Defence experts say PLA carrier fleet is expected to complement land-based forces and extend reach into the western Pacific and beyond.

18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Politics

China prepares to mark Jiang Zemin centenary with full commemorative honours

A 12-part documentary on the former leader is screening nightly, with President Xi Jinping expected to lead a grand ceremony on Monday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) shakes hands with former leader Jiang Zemin at the 19th party congress in 2017. Photo: Simon Song

Politics

Showdown in Solo: the new front in Indonesia’s Jokowi-Megawati feud

Analysts say the 2029 parliamentary bid will test whether Widodo can convert his personal popularity into lasting family influence.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (right) and Megawati Sukarnoputri in April 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE
Kaesang Pangarep, the youngest son of Indonesia’s former president Joko Widodo. Photo: Instagram / @kaesangp
Puan Maharani is the daughter of Indonesia’s former president Megawati Sukarnoputri. Photo: Facebook

Business

How UOB is turning regional scale into customer relevance

In partnership with:UOB
UOB aims to become the primary bank for all of its customers by providing a single point of contact for financial needs ranging from everyday transactions to wealth planning. Photo: UOB

Big Tech

Why does SK Hynix want to sell its chip facility in southwest China?

The South Korean chipmaker wants to pivot towards the high-margin AI memory sector, but analysts warn any sale would face valuation hurdles.

The SK Hynix logo is displayed at a trade expo in South Korea. The company is reportedly looking to sell one of its Chinese facilities. Photo: AP

Americas

Colombian woman pulled alive from rubble as quake death toll tops 200

The quake also strained parts of the healthcare system, turning the rescue effort into one of Colombia’s largest disaster responses in years.

Firefighters and rescuers carry survivor Daniela Largo out of the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Cali, Colombia, on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
People gather in front of a destroyed house in El Cairo, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Photo: AFP
A man sits near debris in Cali, Colombia. Photo: Reuters
Survivors have diner during a blackout after an earthquake in El Cairo, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Photo: AFP

Diplomacy

US export controls achieving no strategic gain, hurting American firms: survey

US’ export-control licensing regime costs billions in lost exports, with items ‘already available in China’ from variety of other suppliers.

21
The US-China Business Council survey found that “poorly calibrated US export controls weaken American companies in China”, conceding market share to foreign competitors. Photo: Shutterstock, orange background added with Shutterstock AI

US

US lifts TikTok ban on government devices after ByteDance restructuring

Justice Department says the app’s new US joint venture is no longer covered by the 2022 prohibition targeting app’s Chinese parent company.

7
The restructuring saved TikTok from a US ban imposed over concerns about American user data and its ties to China. Photo: AFP

Health & Wellness

He lost 10kg in 10 months: 66-year-old Singaporean’s inspiring fitness journey

Attan bin Talib’s shift work and eating habits saw him hit 90kg and feel constantly fatigued. He realised he needed to transform his life.

Attan bin Talib weighed 90kg before he started training in April 2025. He lost 10kg in 44 weeks to weigh 80kg in February 2026. Photos: Ultimate Performance

Diplomacy

US faults China over vague overseas lending, warns of emerging-market debt risks

US State Department introduces tougher disclosure requirement covering sovereign loans, liabilities and collateral.

9
The US State Department said in its 2026 Fiscal Transparency Report on Tuesday that China had failed to meet its minimum transparency requirements. Photo: Reuters

Society

Court rules Evergrande can recover HK$6b debt after ‘fabricated’ claims rejected

Debt stemmed from March 2021, when Evergrande subsidiary State Hero reached agreement to lend HK$5 billion to Yingjia International.

The court dismissed an injunction application filed by Yingjia International Properties to restrain offshore entity State Hero Holdings from presenting a winding-up petition against it. Photo: Warton Li

United States & Canada

Trump says Secret Service, military insisted on Air Force One decoy in Turkey

The US president confirmed he covertly switched planes upon his departure from Ankara, saying ‘I guess there was a threat out there’.

US President Donald Trump switches planes at an airbase in Suffolk, eastern England, on his way back to Washington from the Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey, last month. Photo: AP

Business

Hong Kong property recovery faces new risk as China widens offshore tax net

Potential taxation of offshore property income could curb mainland demand, while weaker insurance activity hits decentralised office markets.

Testing times could lie ahead for Hong Kong’s property market if Beijing’s crackdown on offshore wealth extends to offshore rental income and capital gains tax, affecting investors. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong

Profile | Call of the ocean: Hong Kong freediver relishes testing human limits with one breath

‘It is a sport that requires both mental and physical strength: a well‑toned body with a tranquil mindset,’ Michael Sung says.

Michael Sung eventually turned freediving into a career at the Blue Sea in Egypt in late 2021. Photo: Michael Sung

Politics

Vietnam’s To Lam eyes trade, defence boost during trip to Australia, New Zealand

China’s actions in the South China Sea will be discussed but unlikely to be explicitly condemned, observers say.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) greets Vietnamese President To Lam at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday. Photo: AAP/dpa
Advertisement
Advertisement
In Focus

Why does Hong Kong need a 5-year plan – and will it curb its free-market economy?

As Hong Kong embraces long-term planning for the first time, economists and officials debate whether strategic state guidance can coexist with its open, market-led economy.

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
Opinion
Alex Lo
Opinion |

Hong Kong is no longer a Western playground – and it’s not looking back

3 hours ago
Alex Lo
Letters |

For better mental health, help students connect and build inclusive empathy

1 hour ago
Winston Mok
Opinion |

If India wants an edge on China, it must study education reform

12 Aug 2026 - 5:30AM
Winston Mok
Editorial |

Hong Kong must act fast to protect workers from heat distress

5 hours ago
Zhou Bo
Opinion |

A strong China is the best hope for the ‘long peace’ to endure

11 Aug 2026 - 8:30PM
Zhou Bo
Alejandro Reyes
Opinion |

China’s economic problems have been diagnosed. Will policymakers act?

11 Aug 2026 - 4:30PM
Alejandro Reyes
Harry’s View | 12 Aug 2026
August 12, 2026
More Opinion
Latest

Asia

Video | Days of heavy rain clogs Manila’s waterways

Americas

Colombian woman pulled alive from rubble as quake death toll tops 200

Travel & Hotels

Review | Upper House Chengdu blends Qing dynasty heritage with modern luxury

Politics

China prepares to mark Jiang Zemin centenary with full commemorative honours

Banking & Finance

Exclusive | HKEX to launch debate over extending trading hours despite pushback, sources say

More Latest News
SCMP Series
US at 250
Confronting cancer in Hong Kong
China-Africa evolving partnership
Hong Kong 29 years after handover
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
SCMP SeriesUS at 250

How America’s 250-year China dream became its greatest strategic challenge

Historians trace how US hopes of trade, reform and friendship gave way to rivalry with the power it once sought to transform.

48

Did Trump’s tariffs paint the US into an economic corner?

24

Politics over progress: how US-China tensions slow scientific advancements

10
Open Questions series-
Global experts discuss US-China ties, the Chinese economy and more.

Open Questions | ‘Surprising’ how fast China’s military is closing US gap: analyst Lyle Goldstein

Beijing’s challenge is to resist temptation to build the PLA into a ‘hammer looking for a nail’, former US Naval War College professor says.

70
Illustration: Brian Wang

Open Questions | China’s military goal is to stand neck and neck with US: ex-PLA colonel Zhou Bo

75

Open Questions | Nobel laureate Simon Johnson on the AI race and China’s ‘over-automation’ risks

19

Open Questions | Citic Capital’s Zhang Yichen on the ABCs of China’s markets: IPOs, M&As and AI

China Future Tech
Key Industries:
EVs
AI
Semiconductors
Aerospace
Robotics
Biomedicine
Live Q&A webinars

Big Tech

What is delaying Chinese AI giants switching from Nvidia to local chips?

High transition costs are keeping AI developers in China reliant on Nvidia chips, industry sources say.

32
Huawei Technologies’ Compute Architecture for Neural Networks requires developers to rewrite and optimise large amounts of code. Photo: Shutterstock

Big Tech

Why does SK Hynix want to sell its chip facility in southwest China?

Big Tech

Alibaba tests paid AI appetite with US$30 annual assistant subscription

China EVs

Tesla faces uphill battle against Beijing’s new standards for self-driving cars

SCMP Shorts
Philippines floods and landslides kill at least 12 people, with 8 missing
Philippines floods and landslides kill at least 12 people, with 8 missing
Typhoon Dolphin continues to wreak havoc in China’s Zhejiang province
Typhoon Dolphin continues to wreak havoc in China’s Zhejiang province
Former Thai MP arrested after shooting leaves an official dead, another person injured
Former Thai MP arrested after shooting leaves an official dead, another person injured
More than 100 people dead in Colombia after magnitude 7.4 earthquake
More than 100 people dead in Colombia after magnitude 7.4 earthquake
Hong Kong labour group calls for warning system review after record-breaking heat
Hong Kong labour group calls for warning system review after record-breaking heat
SCMP Spotlight

China Economy

In Focus | Why foreign workers are still climbing mountains of paperwork for a job in China

Beijing’s rigid visa points system and strict sponsorship rules frustrate young expats, but most are still undeterred in their job search.

Illustration: Kaliz Lee

China Economy

In Focus | ‘Quiet luxury’: why premium Chinese consumers are embracing home-grown brands

13

Military

In Focus | Why China’s military is laser-focused on ‘disruptive’ technologies

20

Military

Why is China’s Communist Party intent on control over the military?

26
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement