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China
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Asia
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A rehearsal for China Central Television’s Spring Festival Gala 2026. Photo: Handout

Robot variety show: tech brands to take part in China’s most-watched broadcast

ByteDance, Unitree, RedNote, Bilibili and Kuaishou among the firms involved in the unparalleled nationwide marketing opportunity.

Beijing warns tech giants to curb ‘involution’ amid AI giveaway war

Artificial intelligence
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Diplomacy

In Munich, US urges ‘collective strength’ among allies to deter China

Washington and its Indo-Pacific and European allies emphasise need for cooperation to counter Beijing’s military build-up.

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Society

Exclusive | Epstein funded AI pioneer, helped get him Hong Kong government grants

US government documents show financier’s funding support for Ben Goertzel, who once led AI and robotics projects in city.

Banking & Finance

Can Hong Kong’s MPF members repeat record gains in Year of the Horse?

Volatility looms in the Year of the Horse, analysts forecast, after the Year of the Snake delivered estimated earnings of US$32 billion.

Diplomacy
A J-35 stealth fighter prepares for take-off from the flight deck of the Fujian, China’s third and most advanced aircraft carrier. Photo: Xinhua

Why Chinese navy still trails the US in high-stakes game of underwater recovery

Diplomacy

China allows visa-free entry to British, Canadian nationals

Move leaves US citizens as the only ones from the Five Eyes alliance who still cannot enter China without a visa.

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Foreign tourists take in the sights in the Bund area of Shanghai. Photo: Xinhua
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Diplomacy

Could the US unlock China’s rare earths grip with AI and quantum computing?

Technologies for synthesising substitutes or alloys could cut time required to secure critical materials to just a few years.

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Politics

Why Indonesia’s US$1.67 billion China-backed dam is in limbo

Even energy regulators were kept in the dark about the abrupt crackdown that has spooked renewables investors.

Education

Academic innovation can help budding entrepreneurs overcome future challenges

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s 20-year evolution ensures it meets world’s fast-changing technological, industrial and societal needs.

In partnership with:
Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, in eastern China, helps its students develop an entrepreneurial mindset to prepare them for a dynamic, technology-driven world.

Diplomacy

As transatlantic divorce plays out in Munich, China enjoys the silence

For long, China was a magnet for America’s rhetorical aggression. Now, it is the Europeans who are under fire.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi addresses a session of the Munich Security Conference on February 14. Photo: Reuters

Hong Kong Economy

Hong Kong visitor arrivals off to strong start in 2026, up 9.6% to 7.23 million

Financial Secretary Paul Chan says 1.43 million mainland Chinese visitors expected during Lunar New Year holiday, up 6 per cent from last year.

United States & Canada

US forces board another tanker in Indian Ocean after tracking it from Caribbean

The Veronica III, which sails under the Panamanian flag, is subject to US sanctions related to Iran, the US says.

United States & Canada

Epstein donated to Harvard student group for years after sex conviction

From 2013 until his death, the sex offender donated at least US$375,000 to the Hasty Pudding Institute, Department of Justice files show.

An undated photo of Jeffrey Epstein. Photo: US Department of Justice via AFP

Basketball

Meet the Chinese teenager already being compared to NBA star Victor Wembanyama

Cao Xichen, 14, is a towering 7ft 2in tall and has been raising eyebrows with her performances despite only taking up the game 3 months ago.

Cao Xichen (left) and former China national team player Jiao Jian (centre). Photo: Handout

Big Tech

ByteDance ‘strengthening safeguards’ after Seedance AI video controversy

Pledge comes after Hollywood, governments speak out against tool amid deluge of video clips featuring celebrities, copyrighted characters.

Tech

Why cooling is the new chips: China pivots to AI’s heat challenge

Chinese manufacturers are moving aggressively into liquid-cooling technologies as hyperscalers expand data-centre infrastructure.

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China Business

Korean investors pour US$92.5 million into Hong Kong AI, tech stocks

Return to mainland equities bends towards start-ups and ETFs, versus earlier focus on bellwether, large-cap names.

Bull statues stand near screens showing the Hang Seng Index at Exchange Square in Hong Kong, home of the city’s bourse operator, on February 3, 2026. Photo: Reuters
SERIES: Year of the Horse 2026

Feng shui advice for Oxen for love, health and money in the Year of the Horse

Feng shui master Andrew Kwan shares where Oxen can put lucky coloured items at home and work for good fortune in the Year of the Fire Horse.

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How can those born in the Year of the Ox use feng shui to improve their luck in love, money and health this coming year? Feng shui practitioner Andrew Kwan shares advice. Photo: Shutterstock

Europe

Pelicot says mindsets need to change in fight against sexual violence

Gisele Pelicot, who was repeatedly drugged by her then husband and offered to strangers for rape, is releasing a book about her experiences.

South Asia

High tension in India as banks, utilities resist solar shift

India’s efforts to nearly double clean energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030 are being met with reluctance from banks and state utilities.

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OPINION
Sophie Wushuang Yi

Opinion | Can Manila’s South China Sea strategy of defiance and diplomacy hold?

Sophie Wushuang Yi
Alex Lo

My Take | China and the UN are not the problem in Ukraine and Palestine – the West is

Alex Lo
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Alice Wu

Opinion | Government must reflect on its failures as we enter Year of the Horse

Alice Wu
SCMP Editorial

Editorial | Hong Kong will approach Year of the Horse with optimism and resilience

SCMP Editorial
James David Spellman

Opinion | Why Asia’s sovereign wealth funds are rethinking US Treasuries

James David Spellman
Harry’s View | 16 Feb 2026
February 16, 2026
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LATEST

East Asia

Average South Korean YouTuber earnings jump 25% in 4 years to US$49,000 annually

Society

Power restored after 4-hour outage plunges 760 Hong Kong flats into darkness

Health & Environment

Hong Kong set for warmest Lunar New Year’s Eve on record at 28 degrees

Beauty News

Style Edit: Lane Crawford’s beauty rewards are gifts you’ll actually want

Jewellery

Style Edit: 4 reimagined historic necklaces celebrate Boucheron’s founder

Watches

Style Edit: Audemars Piguet’s contrasting watch releases

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SCMP Series
Year of the Horse 2026
Challenges and pathways in the South China Sea
Beijing’s recalibration of its Taiwan policy
China Inc. goes global
People browse stalls at the Lunar New Year flower market in Victoria Park on February 12. Photo: Elson Li
SCMP SeriesYear of the Horse 2026

Editorial | Hong Kong will approach Year of the Horse with optimism and resilience

As the city marks the Lunar New Year, it can rest assured that the economy seems to be in good shape and the focus is on opportunities ahead.

Feng shui advice for Oxen for love, health and money in the Year of the Horse

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Why is Harry Potter enemy Draco Malfoy trending ahead of the Year of the Horse?

Open Questions series

Global Economy

Open Questions | Why Trump’s April trip to China may not deliver ‘grand bargain’: James Zimmerman

The American Chamber of Commerce in China chairman says this year’s expected Trump-Xi meetings can put countries on a ‘visionary’ path.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Diplomacy

Open Questions | Trump’s ‘imperial’ agenda and the end of the old world order: Luuk van Middelaar

Political theorist says rapid acceleration of the US president’s ‘offensive, almost imperial’ agenda has left Europe disoriented.

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Diplomacy

Open Questions | Lawrence Lau on why China must ‘work smarter’ and how it can invent from scratch

China must shift from quantity to quality by focusing on 12-year schooling, more basic research and GBA integration, renowned economist says.

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China

Open Questions | How China’s 15-fold rise in Latin America dents US influence: Francisco Urdinez

A leading scholar says US action in Venezuela shows how Beijing’s economic ties now face rising geopolitical pushback.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China Future Tech
China Future Tech
Key Industries:
EVs
AI
Semiconductors
Aerospace
Robotics
Biomedicine
Live Q&A webinars

China’s AI arms race sees sector brace for major flagship model launch week

A ‘stealth’ model has emerged, while advancements by Alibaba’s Qwen-3.5 and Zhipu’s GLM-5 aim to spur domestic competition following releases by US heavyweights.

China’s AI sector is bracing for a monumental week, with a flurry of anticipated model releases. Photo: Shutterstock

Big Tech

Robot variety show: tech brands to take part in China’s most-watched broadcast

ByteDance, Unitree, RedNote, Bilibili and Kuaishou among the firms involved in the unparalleled nationwide marketing opportunity.

Big Tech

ByteDance ‘strengthening safeguards’ after Seedance AI video controversy

Pledge comes after Hollywood, governments speak out against tool amid deluge of video clips featuring celebrities, copyrighted characters.

Tech

The AI future is now, and markets are reacting differently in the US and China

Investor jitters grow in the US as AI reshapes expectations, but China’s markets have so far reacted with caution rather than panic.

Software-as-a-service (SaaS) stocks came under pressure this week amid concerns their business models could be undermined in an AI-driven economy. Photo: AFP

Military

Will China’s state-backed thriller spill details of little-known spy cases?

‘Scare Out’ depicts leak of PLA jet secrets, and some speculate the plot could be based on true story involving stealth fighter tech.

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“Scare Out”, directed by Zhang Yimou, will debut in mainland China cinemas on February 17. Photo: Weibo

Companies

Pop Mart balances boom and bust: can Labubu’s leap match Molly’s momentum?

As Labubu’s meteoric rise cools, Molly’s longevity highlights the challenge Pop Mart faces in turning hype into stable intellectual property.

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Diplomacy

How Manila’s ‘naming and shaming’ challenges Beijing’s South China Sea stance

Analysts say the Philippines’ approach of ‘assertive transparency’ may be wearing thin at home and in the region.

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Diplomacy

The Philippines wants to seal South China Sea code of conduct. Can it deliver?

As 2026 Asean chair, Manila has highlighted its push to finalise within its term a code of conduct covering the contested waters.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
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