Breaking China, Asia, HK News, Opinions and Insights

As Trump upends US foreign policy, analysts see fresh openings for China

After a turbulent year, experts expect continued disruption to reshape global influence, testing alliances and altering the balance of power.

1 hour agovideocam

Trump gives himself high marks in 2025 report card, with his eyes on 2026 fight

US-China relations

Military

Beijing condemns Washington’s landmark US$11 billion arms sale to Taiwan

US State Department approves massive deal that includes billions in Himars and howitzer equipment, drones and software.

4 hours agovideocam

China Economy

China confirms issuing of first general licences for rare earth exports

Beijing says it is now granting longer permits giving foreign companies easier access to vital minerals, but many details remain unclear.

4 hours ago

Law and Crime

Hong Kong Bar Association backs making bid-rigging a crime after deadly fire

Chairman Jose-Antonio Maurellet also says association will propose that key construction safety guidelines become legally binding.

4 hours ago

Economy

Applicants take part in a campus job fair at the Minhang campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Photo: Xinhua

China’s youth-unemployment rate eases to 16.9% as graduates settle for less

Politics

Philippines to get up to US$3.5 billion defence aid to counter ‘serious threats’

A US senator says the support for Manila and other allies reflects the threats posed by China and its partners in the ‘axis of aggressors’.

4 hours ago

US and Filipino soldiers fire a howitzer during the annual joint “Balikatan” military exercises in Aparri, Cagayan province, Philippines in May. Photo: Reuters

East Asia

Is Japan’s nuclear stance set to change under PM Takaichi?

Source close to PM Takaichi urges Japan to acquire nuclear arms; policy shift from pacifism may spark backlash at home and abroad.

2 hours ago

Science

Why US lawmakers killed a proposal targeting science efforts with China

US researchers and industry experts warn that even the revised version may have unintended consequences.

5 hours agovideocam

Business

The secret ingredient in your daily life: why Malaysian palm oil is used around the world

Found everywhere from food products to biofuel, this vegetable oil is preferred for its versatility, safety and sustainable production.

In partnership with:

MPOC

Palm oil is a versatile ingredient found in a wide range of everyday items, from ice cream and cake to lipstick and biofuel.

United States & Canada

US government admits liability in fatal Washington helicopter-plane crash

US government admits ‘breach of care’ as DOJ cites Army and FAA errors in January crash that killed 67 near Ronald Reagan airport in Washington.

4 hours agovideocam

The wreckage of a commercial airplane that collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter in Washington in January. Photo: United States Coast Guard/EPA-EFE

China Economy

China jails antimony smugglers in tough stance on critical minerals

Dozens convicted of illegally shipping 166 tonnes of the strategic material, marking a major enforcement of Beijing’s export controls.

6 hours agovideocam

United States & Canada

US man who googled how to dispose of body gets life sentence for wife’s murder

Ana Walshe – a mother of three – disappeared nearly three years ago, and her body has never been found.

55 minutes ago

Military

China’s military accuses Japan of raising ‘space arms race’ risk

Diplomatic war of words continues with PLA Daily articles targeting Tokyo’s defence and intelligence plans.

18 Dec 2025 - 7:03PMvideocam

Japan plans to upgrade its Space Operations Group to a full corps. Photo: Handout

Diplomacy

Cambodia and Thailand tell China’s Wang Yi they’re willing to cease fire

Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers brief Chinese counterpart on border conflict, while Beijing vows to ‘serve as a bridge’.

5 hours ago

Civilians flee Srei Snam district in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province on Monday following an attack by Thai military forces. Photo: Agence Kampuchea Presse via Xinhua

United States & Canada

Deaths reported after business jet crashes at North Carolina airport

Footage shows first responders rushing to the runway as flames burned around the wreckage of the Cessna C550.

9 minutes ago

Diplomacy

China FM Wang Yi reaffirms Beijing’s backing for Venezuela as US pressure grows

In a call with his Caracas counterpart, the Chinese foreign minister says mutual trust and support are a tradition of bilateral ties.

18 Dec 2025 - 4:11PMvideocam

Global Economy

Discriminatory and egregious: China blasts EU’s subsidy crackdown

Commerce authorities vow to defend firms such as Nuctech and CRRC, while Beijing continues talks with Brussels over EV tariffs.

5 hours agovideocam

China

China’s youth-unemployment rate, Laos joins durian war: SCMP daily highlights

From EU-China trade ties to Laos securing approval to export durians, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

5 hours ago

China-Europe freight trains preparing to depart from the Manzhouli railway station in Manzhouli, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on December 10, 2025. Photo: Xinhua

Tech Trends

ByteDance AI model usage grows over tenfold on strong demand from Chinese firms

‘AI is being adopted at an unprecedented speed,’ Tan Dai, president at cloud unit Volcano Engine, says.

5 hours ago

Health & Environment

Don’t build on ‘active zones’, experts warn Indonesia as Sumatra recovery begins

Jakarta has pledged US$3.6 billion and a special agency to help restore homes and public facilities destroyed in last month’s cyclone.

18 Dec 2025 - 6:00PMvideocam

OPINION

Michael Edesess

Opinion | Why AI chatbots are unlikely to bring about human extinction

6 hours ago

Nicholas Spiro

Macroscope | Fears of an AI bubble in Asian stock markets are misplaced

18 Dec 2025 - 4:30PM

Phoebe Zhang

Opinion | How young Chinese learned to stop worrying and love themselves

18 Dec 2025 - 9:30AM

Letters

Letters | Tai Po fire tragedy shows importance of disaster risk reduction

18 Dec 2025 - 11:30AM

Victor Dawes

Legal Tales | Despite lapses behind Tai Po fire, Hong Kong’s unity shows in a time of crisis

18 Dec 2025 - 9:30AM

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Americas

Brazil’s Lula vows to veto bill slashing Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison term

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United States & Canada

Deaths reported after business jet crashes at North Carolina airport

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United States & Canada

US man who googled how to dispose of body gets life sentence for wife’s murder

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Celebrity Style

How to Style like the cast of Emily in Paris, from Lily Collins to Ashley Park

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East Asia

Is Japan’s nuclear stance set to change under PM Takaichi?

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Boxing

Paul v Joshua mismatch latest illustration of seismic shift in boxing landscape

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SCMP Series

WWII: 80 years on

China Inc. goes global

Chinese scientists return home

How China is telling its own story

Simon Li, executive director of the Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Centre, with students (from second left) Kavira S. Kazimoto, Gem Peduche and Josue Camarena, at Andrews University’s Hong Kong campus. Photo: Handout

SCMP Series WWII: 80 years on

After The War | Virtual reality and the Nanking massacre: where does historical immersion become trauma?

Amid push in China for museum digitalisation, one educator seeks to help students ‘feel history without being flooded by it’.

14 Dec 2025 - 4:20PM

After The War | How the post-WWII order was formed and why China wants to reshape it

8 Sep 2025 - 4:11PMvideocam

After The War | Chinese scholars slam Western ‘historical nihilism’ on World War II

2 Sep 2025 - 5:16PM

Open Questions series

Science

Open Questions | Sci-fi writer Liu Cixin on why he’ll be happy if AI surpasses humans

Acclaimed author of the Three-Body trilogy also discusses his ‘dark forest’ theory, and the struggle to come up with original ideas.

15 Dec 2025 - 10:05AMvideocam

China Economy

Open Questions | Economist Huang Yiping on why China’s AI push must be ‘job-oriented’

Dean of Peking University’s National School of Development says ‘balance’ needed in AI development to protect employment, ‘human well-being’.

8 Dec 2025 - 10:07AMvideocam

Diplomacy

Open Questions | Ex-PLA colonel Zhou Bo on Taiwan reunification, lessons from the Ukraine war

Commentator and former senior colonel on Beijing’s row with Japan, lessons from the Ukraine war and why playing global policeman is a trap.

1 Dec 2025 - 3:57PMvideocam

China Economy

Open Questions | ‘A mistaken view’: US economist Nicholas Lardy on the ‘peak China’ hypothesis

The veteran China watcher talks Beijing’s need for financial reform and how US-China economic convergence could still be on the horizon.

24 Nov 2025 - 10:09AMvideocam

Key Industries:

Big Tech

China’s DeepSeek challenges Google DeepMind with new AI model

DeepSeek’s V3.2-Speciale equals Google’s Gemini 3 Pro in reasoning capabilities, the Chinese start-up says.

2 Dec 2025 - 4:51PM

A shop advertising DeepSeek in Hong Kong. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Tech Trends

SenseTime pushes open-source AI model to provide a ‘smart brain’ for every robot

The Chinese AI pioneer also releases first robot dog under new venture Ace Robotics.

5 hours ago

Big Tech

CATL marks trailblazing deployment of humanoid robots at scale in China plant

The initiative underscores the growing use of intelligent Chinese-made robots in the country’s manufacturing industry.

5 hours ago

Business

Alibaba deepens ecosystem with Qwen-Amap tie-up for routes, restaurants and more

The integration marks Alibaba’s first full tie-in for Qwen, as the company pushes for more synergy across its sprawling consumer platforms.

6 hours ago

Amap has become the first Alibaba ecosystem service to be fully integrated with its Qwen app. Photo: Handout

Military

Why China’s rapid military build-up is ‘hardly the whole story’

The PLA has been moving fast to modernise its arsenal and warfare strategy, but it’s seen as ‘seriously deficient’ in some areas.

18 Dec 2025 - 6:03AM

China Economy

Surviving the shocks: what China and the US learned from 2025’s trade war

Businesses and officials faced a year of disruption – and in some cases, resilience – as tariffs and export controls roiled global markets.

17 Dec 2025 - 8:07AMvideocam

Diplomacy

Why ‘relative stability’ in US-China ties is unlikely to last

The temperature has lowered after a downward spiral since Trump’s return to the White House, but relations may face ‘strong headwinds’ again.

16 Dec 2025 - 6:18AMvideocam

Military

Why has reference to Taiwan attending Rimpac been removed from US defence bill?

Senators’ bid to ‘strongly encourage’ invitation is removed from compromise bill, raising questions in Taipei.

14 Dec 2025 - 8:40PMvideocam

Some of the naval ships taking part in the 2024 Rimpac exercises, as seen from the Japanese JS Kunisaki. Photo: Reuters

As Trump upends US foreign policy, analysts see fresh openings for China

After a turbulent year, experts expect continued disruption to reshape global influence, testing alliances and altering the balance of power.

Trump gives himself high marks in 2025 report card, with his eyes on 2026 fight

Beijing condemns Washington’s landmark US$11 billion arms sale to Taiwan

US State Department approves massive deal that includes billions in Himars and howitzer equipment, drones and software.

China confirms issuing of first general licences for rare earth exports

Beijing says it is now granting longer permits giving foreign companies easier access to vital minerals, but many details remain unclear.

Hong Kong Bar Association backs making bid-rigging a crime after deadly fire

Chairman Jose-Antonio Maurellet also says association will propose that key construction safety guidelines become legally binding.

China’s youth-unemployment rate eases to 16.9% as graduates settle for less

Philippines to get up to US$3.5 billion defence aid to counter ‘serious threats’

A US senator says the support for Manila and other allies reflects the threats posed by China and its partners in the ‘axis of aggressors’.

Is Japan’s nuclear stance set to change under PM Takaichi?

Source close to PM Takaichi urges Japan to acquire nuclear arms; policy shift from pacifism may spark backlash at home and abroad.

Why US lawmakers killed a proposal targeting science efforts with China

US researchers and industry experts warn that even the revised version may have unintended consequences.

.css-f84qeq{font-family:Roboto Condensed,Roboto Condensed fallback,sans-serif;font-style:italic;}The secret ingredient in your daily life: why Malaysian palm oil is used around the world

Found everywhere from food products to biofuel, this vegetable oil is preferred for its versatility, safety and sustainable production.

US government admits liability in fatal Washington helicopter-plane crash

US government admits ‘breach of care’ as DOJ cites Army and FAA errors in January crash that killed 67 near Ronald Reagan airport in Washington.

China jails antimony smugglers in tough stance on critical minerals

Dozens convicted of illegally shipping 166 tonnes of the strategic material, marking a major enforcement of Beijing’s export controls.

US man who googled how to dispose of body gets life sentence for wife’s murder

Ana Walshe – a mother of three – disappeared nearly three years ago, and her body has never been found.

China’s military accuses Japan of raising ‘space arms race’ risk

Diplomatic war of words continues with PLA Daily articles targeting Tokyo’s defence and intelligence plans.

Cambodia and Thailand tell China’s Wang Yi they’re willing to cease fire

Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers brief Chinese counterpart on border conflict, while Beijing vows to ‘serve as a bridge’.

Deaths reported after business jet crashes at North Carolina airport

Footage shows first responders rushing to the runway as flames burned around the wreckage of the Cessna C550.

China FM Wang Yi reaffirms Beijing’s backing for Venezuela as US pressure grows

In a call with his Caracas counterpart, the Chinese foreign minister says mutual trust and support are a tradition of bilateral ties.

Discriminatory and egregious: China blasts EU’s subsidy crackdown

Commerce authorities vow to defend firms such as Nuctech and CRRC, while Beijing continues talks with Brussels over EV tariffs.

China’s youth-unemployment rate, Laos joins durian war: SCMP daily highlights

From EU-China trade ties to Laos securing approval to export durians, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

ByteDance AI model usage grows over tenfold on strong demand from Chinese firms

‘AI is being adopted at an unprecedented speed,’ Tan Dai, president at cloud unit Volcano Engine, says.

Don’t build on ‘active zones’, experts warn Indonesia as Sumatra recovery begins

Jakarta has pledged US$3.6 billion and a special agency to help restore homes and public facilities destroyed in last month’s cyclone.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | Why AI chatbots are unlikely to bring about human extinction

Macroscope | Fears of an AI bubble in Asian stock markets are misplaced

Opinion | How young Chinese learned to stop worrying and love themselves

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Letters | Tai Po fire tragedy shows importance of disaster risk reduction

Legal Tales | Despite lapses behind Tai Po fire, Hong Kong’s unity shows in a time of crisis

Brazil’s Lula vows to veto bill slashing Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison term

Deaths reported after business jet crashes at North Carolina airport

US man who googled how to dispose of body gets life sentence for wife’s murder

How to Style like the cast of Emily in Paris, from Lily Collins to Ashley Park

Is Japan’s nuclear stance set to change under PM Takaichi?

Paul v Joshua mismatch latest illustration of seismic shift in boxing landscape

After The War | Virtual reality and the Nanking massacre: where does historical immersion become trauma?

Amid push in China for museum digitalisation, one educator seeks to help students ‘feel history without being flooded by it’.

After The War | How the post-WWII order was formed and why China wants to reshape it

After The War | Chinese scholars slam Western ‘historical nihilism’ on World War II

Open Questions | Sci-fi writer Liu Cixin on why he’ll be happy if AI surpasses humans

Acclaimed author of the Three-Body trilogy also discusses his ‘dark forest’ theory, and the struggle to come up with original ideas.

Open Questions | Economist Huang Yiping on why China’s AI push must be ‘job-oriented’

Dean of Peking University’s National School of Development says ‘balance’ needed in AI development to protect employment, ‘human well-being’.

Open Questions | Ex-PLA colonel Zhou Bo on Taiwan reunification, lessons from the Ukraine war

Commentator and former senior colonel on Beijing’s row with Japan, lessons from the Ukraine war and why playing global policeman is a trap.

Open Questions | ‘A mistaken view’: US economist Nicholas Lardy on the ‘peak China’ hypothesis

The veteran China watcher talks Beijing’s need for financial reform and how US-China economic convergence could still be on the horizon.

China’s DeepSeek challenges Google DeepMind with new AI model

DeepSeek’s V3.2-Speciale equals Google’s Gemini 3 Pro in reasoning capabilities, the Chinese start-up says.

SenseTime pushes open-source AI model to provide a ‘smart brain’ for every robot

The Chinese AI pioneer also releases first robot dog under new venture Ace Robotics.

CATL marks trailblazing deployment of humanoid robots at scale in China plant

The initiative underscores the growing use of intelligent Chinese-made robots in the country’s manufacturing industry.

Alibaba deepens ecosystem with Qwen-Amap tie-up for routes, restaurants and more

The integration marks Alibaba’s first full tie-in for Qwen, as the company pushes for more synergy across its sprawling consumer platforms.

Why China’s rapid military build-up is ‘hardly the whole story’

The PLA has been moving fast to modernise its arsenal and warfare strategy, but it’s seen as ‘seriously deficient’ in some areas.

Surviving the shocks: what China and the US learned from 2025’s trade war

Businesses and officials faced a year of disruption – and in some cases, resilience – as tariffs and export controls roiled global markets.

Why ‘relative stability’ in US-China ties is unlikely to last

The temperature has lowered after a downward spiral since Trump’s return to the White House, but relations may face ‘strong headwinds’ again.

Why has reference to Taiwan attending Rimpac been removed from US defence bill?

Senators’ bid to ‘strongly encourage’ invitation is removed from compromise bill, raising questions in Taipei.

The secret ingredient in your daily life: why Malaysian palm oil is used around the world

Opinion | Why AI chatbots are unlikely to bring about human extinction

Letters | Tai Po fire tragedy shows importance of disaster risk reduction