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Latest
China
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Hong Kong
Asia
Business
Tech
Lifestyle
People & Culture
World
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Will US Indo-Pacific allied deterrence strategy trigger deeper division and rivalry?

Washington may be ‘toning down’ its China rhetoric and seeking deterrence via allied capacity, but observers warn of deeper polarisation.

Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby has recently concluded a tour of Southeast Asia. Photo: AP

Diplomacy

Beijing issues ecological report to solidify South China Sea claims amid US row

Global Economy

US immersion schools expand across country for early-age Chinese language study

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Society

Hong Kong stages first counterterrorism drill at redeveloped Huanggang crossing

5,000 civil servants take part in exercise at the revamped border crossing building.

Police officers take part in Saturday’s counterterrorism exercise. Photo: Handout
Another exercise tested the response to a simulated serious traffic accident. Photo: Security Bureau
The revamped Huanggang crossing could open as early as next month, according to sources. Photo: Edmond So
The exercise also simulated a scenario in which extremists launched an attack and caused mass casualties. Photo: Handout

Diplomacy

Why Chinese youth are turning to an 84-year-old Cambridge professor for support

To some of his 2.4 million followers, he is Grandpa Cute. Meet Alan Macfarlane, the gentle academic soothing China’s anxious generation.

The national higher education entrance examination is just one of many pressures for young people in China. Photo: AP

Diplomacy

China slams Japanese officials’ visit to Yasukuni Shrine on WWII anniversary

Chinese ministries denounce Japan as defence chief visits controversial shrine and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sends ritual offering.

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Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (centre) visits the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on August 15. Photo: Kyodo
A group of Japanese lawmakers follows a Shinto priest during a visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on August 15. Photo: AFP

Tech Trends

Honor of Kings great ‘Cat’ reflects on his past and future in esports

Chen Zhengzheng, legendary competitor in Tencent’s top mobile game, looks back and forward as he transitions to coaching at 28.

Esport player Chen Zhengzheng, better known as Cat. Photo: QQ.com

Lifestyle

What drives 4 Shaw Prize laureates in pursuit of scientific discovery

In partnership with:The Shaw Prize
Four of this year’s Shaw Prize laureates: (from left) Ken’ichi Nomoto, Stanford Woosley, Camillo De Lellis and Emmanuel Candes.

Business

Reclusive Chinese billionaire strikes US$33m deal to take over Shanghai hotel

Online gaming billionaire Chen Tianqiao acquired the Mia Hotel at a discount, as investors bet on a recovery in China’s prime real estate market.

Tech billionaire Chen Tianqiao. Photo: Handout
Exclusive

Chinese officials rattled by White House chaos weeks ahead of Xi-Trump summit

Sources say little progress has been made on deliverables for Xi Jinping’s first state visit to the US since 2015.

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US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrive during a state dinner at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14. File photo: AP

Transport

What can Hong Kong travellers expect from the revamped Huanggang border crossing?

From transport routes and parking restrictions to immigration procedures, the SCMP looks at what users need to know ahead of the crossing opening.

Hong Kong’s revamped Huanggang Port is set to become the city’s second round-the-clock passenger checkpoint, with new transport links and a joint immigration clearance system. Photo: Edmond So

Politics

Russia’s role in Middle East politics endures, shifts to being ‘secondary power’

Two Russian military bases will remain in Syria as the region continues to recalibrate its relations with major powers amid the Iran war.

A Syrian rebel fighter stands at an inspection checkpoint for incoming vehicles before a Russian flag and Russian soldiers behind manning the entrance of the Russian-leased Syrian military base of Hmeimim in Latakia province in Syria in 2024. Photo: TNS
A view of Berth No 4, which was handed over by Russian forces to the Syrian government at the port of Tartus in Syria on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
The entrance to the Port of Tartus in Tartous, Syria. Photo: Reuters

China EVs

Karaoke in the car? China’s new wave of gadget-laden electric vehicles

China’s carmakers are competing to turn their vehicles into digital entertainment hubs, offering everything from film projectors to VR features.

BYD, China’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer, is integrating karaoke systems into its new premium models. Photo: Xinhua

Science

Chinese sensor feat may help smart watch detect submarine 500 metres deep

Compact chip containing Hall-effect sensor can pick up faint magnetic fields by generating a tiny voltage without increasing noise output.

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Chinese scientists have created a Hall‑effect magnetic sensor so sensitive that it could detect a submarine from 500 metres away. Photo: Shutterstock

Society

Extreme caution urged as data privacy complaints jump 62% in AI era

Commissioner urges public to be careful about sharing personal data during online shopping and membership sign-ups, saying such details are marketable.

Data privacy complaints jumped more than 60 per cent year on year in the first half of 2026. Photo: Getty Images
Doxxing-related complaints in the first half of the year stood at 144, a sharp drop from several thousand cases in 2021. Photo: Getty Images
The public are urged to think twice before handing over their own or their families’ personal information. Photo: Getty Images

Middle East

US readies Iran penalties as Trump downplays midterms impact

Iran’s economy has taken a major hit but the Islamic Republic has weathered waves of sanctions that have failed to force it to bend.

Supporters cheer as US President Donald Trump arrives to make a speech in Garden City, Nassau County, on Long Island, New York, on Friday. Photo: EPA

Trending in China

Evidence of earliest silkworm farming outside China found, upending Silk Road timeline

4,000-year-old cocoons found in Uzbekistan likely made their way to the region 2,000 years before the Silk Road even existed.

Archaeological discoveries reveal the earliest evidence of silkworm cultivation outside China, challenging long-held beliefs that silkworms were solely disseminated via the Silk Road. Photo: SCMP composite/archaeology.org/Shutterstock

Motoring

In China, self-driving cars can park, change lanes and drive like humans

Autonomous cars in China can navigate chaotic city traffic with human-like precision, even parking themselves when the occupants have gone.

Self-driving cars can do ever more, as a trip in a Mercedes CLA on the streets of Beijing, in China, showed recently. Photo: Mercedes-Benz AG/dpa

Education

Struggling families urge return of student grant after textbook prices jump

Prices range from HK$4,000 to HK$6,000 for set of books for 2026-27 school year, the highest since pandemic in 2020, according to Education Bureau.

A shopper purchases textbooks at a store in Jordan. Photo: Elson Li
People browse textbooks for the coming school year at a book store in Jordan. Photo: Elson Li
People browse textbooks for the coming school year at a book store in Jordan. Photo: Elson Li
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US-China relations

From TikTok to war weariness, a new generation of Americans’ view of China

On US college campuses, a generation shaped by China’s rise is challenging the assumptions behind Washington’s approach to Beijing.

Students on US university campuses are increasingly questioning the long-held assumptions behind Washington’s China policy, according to their professors. Photo: TNS
Opinion
David Lampton
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Zhu Rongji’s death a reminder of what US-China relations have lost

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Anthony Rowley
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Why are global leaders asleep to risks of uncritical AI adoption?

5 hours ago
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Ken Chu
Opinion |

Hong Kong’s night economy must focus on after-dark vibes, not events

15 Aug 2026 - 9:30AM
Ken Chu
Nguyen Khac Giang
Opinion |

How Vietnam’s ‘streamlining revolution’ may lead to uneven success

15 Aug 2026 - 12:00PM
Nguyen Khac Giang
Alex Lo
Opinion |

Was the late Zhu Rongji responsible for the original ‘China shock’?

15 Aug 2026 - 5:30AM
Alex Lo
Wee Kek Koon
Opinion |

How Chinese society’s resilient moral framework has lasted nearly 3,000 years

15 Aug 2026 - 8:15AM
Wee Kek Koon
Harry’s View | 15 Aug 2026
August 15, 2026
More Opinion
Latest

Society

Hong Kong stages first counterterrorism drill at redeveloped Huanggang crossing

Transport

What can Hong Kong travellers expect from the revamped Huanggang border crossing?

China Opinion

Opinion | Zhu Rongji’s death a reminder of what US-China relations have lost

Diplomacy

Will US Indo-Pacific allied deterrence strategy trigger deeper division and rivalry?

Diplomacy

Beijing issues ecological report to solidify South China Sea claims amid US row

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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 | Historian Wang Gungwu on why Xi thinks ‘only the party can save China’

The 95-year-old sinologist gives his take on the superpower rivalry, the US advantage and Taiwan, and explains why the past is so important.

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Illustration: Henry Wong

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

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

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

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Tech Trends

China’s YMTC breaks into top 3 flash-memory suppliers with 14% market share

The chipmaker captured a larger proportion of bit shipments, but still ranks fifth by revenue due to heavier exposure to lower-value products.

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The Wuhan-based chipmaker captured 14 per cent of global NAND bit shipments in the second quarter. Photo: Shutterstock

China EVs

Karaoke in the car? China’s new wave of gadget-laden electric vehicles

Global Economy

US-China AI trade decoupling ‘manageable’ – but tech curbs a ‘wild card’: Citi

4

Business

Patience needed before human gene therapy trials, Stanford expert says

SCMP Shorts
Deadly magnitude 7.7 earthquake hits eastern Indonesia, prompting evacuation and rescue
Deadly magnitude 7.7 earthquake hits eastern Indonesia, prompting evacuation and rescue
Japan protests against Russia’s Vladimir Putin’s visit to disputed Kuril Islands
Japan protests against Russia’s Vladimir Putin’s visit to disputed Kuril Islands
Record rainfall in Japan leaves 8 dead and thousands stranded at airport
Record rainfall in Japan leaves 8 dead and thousands stranded at airport
Millions witness Europe’s first solar eclipse in 27 years
Millions witness Europe’s first solar eclipse in 27 years
Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji dies at age 97
Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji dies at age 97
SCMP Spotlight

Hong Kong Economy

In Focus | What comes next for Hong Kong as a global financial hub?

Hong Kong needs more yuan products, commodity trading infrastructure and fintech innovation, market participants say.

Illustration: Henry Wong

China Economy

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

4

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

23
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