Advertisement
Advertisement
Latest

China Economy

Is China’s global economic influence bigger than it looks? New study says yes

Standard metrics understate China’s physical investment gap with the US and its wider economic influence, researchers say.

A clerk counts Chinese currency notes at a bank branch in Huaibei in central China’s Anhui province. Photo: AP

Football

‘Passion’ of US helped change mindset of Hong Kong footballer who refused to quit

Marco Wong rewarded for patience and hard work at FA Cup winners Tai Po after period in cold led to fears over career.

Xinhua (20260530) : On May 30, Tai Po FC player Marco Wong Hin-sum (below) and Eastern District FC player Yoong Ka-hei compete for a header during the match FC Cup final in Mong Kok Stadium. 新华社照片，香港，2026年5月30日
 5月30日，大埔队球员王显琛（下）与东区队球员翁嘉禧在比赛中争顶。
 5月30日，在香港旺角大球场举行的2025-2026年度香港足总杯决赛中，大埔队2比1战胜东区队，获得冠军。
 新华社发（卢炳辉摄）

Diplomacy

Exclusive | ‘Seasoned China hand’ to lead National Committee on US-China Relations: sources

Sarah Beran, a former deputy chief of mission at US embassy in Beijing, will succeed non-profit group’s long-time president, Stephen Orlins.

videocam
Sarah Beran served in the US Department of State’s foreign service as a diplomat for 23 years. Photo: Handout

Southeast Asia

Rescuers dig for bodies after Myanmar explosives blast kills at least 38

The incident has cast a spotlight on Myanmar’s largely unregulated mineral industry and Chinese investment in the country’s extractive industries.

videocam
A damaged building after a blast at an explosives depot in Kaung Tat village, Namkham, northern Shan State, Myanmar on Sunday. Photo: EPA

Economics

Oil prices rally on Hormuz talks but will Asia’s energy woes ease?

Analysts say recovery ‘will take a far longer time’, with ship backlogs and damaged facilities weighing on Asia’s energy importers.

A worker fills up a motorcycle at a petrol station in Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, in March. Photo: Reuters
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Banking & Finance

Closure of boutique hotel linked to student-housing trend in Hong Kong

Move comes as hotel-to-dormitory conversions gather pace, even as some owners wait for asset values to rebound, property consultant says.

The 162-room Casa Hotel occupies a 14-storey commercial-residential building at 487-489 Nathan Road. Photo: Google Maps

Society

Helper injured, 2 cats die in Hong Kong fire linked to pet water dispenser

Investigators suspect blaze was triggered by electrical fault – such as a short circuit or overheating – linked to pet water dispenser or its charger.

Firefighters try to revive the cats. Photo: Handout

Africa

Young Kenyans protest Ebola quarantine centre for US citizens

Health Minister Aden Duale has said the quarantine centre was for ‘everyone’ and not exclusively for US nationals.

A protester holds up a sign during a rally on Monday against a proposed Ebola quarantine centre to be established by the United States at Laikipia Air Base in Kenya. Photo: AP

China Economy

No need for ‘AI Iron Curtain’, China’s Communist Party mouthpiece says

People’s Daily says China and US should work together to advance the development and governance of artificial intelligence.

videocam
Humanoid robots manufactured by Unitree Robotics dance on the opening day of Asia’s first embodied intelligence experience store in Shanghai on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Politics

Can Taiwanese opposition leader pull off balancing act during US trip?

KMT chair Cheng Li-wun’s visit follows a recent meeting with Xi Jinping but she has a tough task selling her cross-strait vision in America.

videocam
Cheng Li-wun meets Xi Jinping in Beijing on April 10, the first meeting between the heads of the Kuomintang and Communist Party in a decade. Photo: Xinhua
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

China Business

Akeso lung cancer drug trial raises hopes in US$20b market

Ivonescimab phase three trials reduce death risk by 34 per cent, as analysts predict it could transform non-small cell lung cancer therapy.

Illustration of a healthy lung and a smoker's lung. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong Opinion

The View | Green shoots in Hong Kong, mainland China property markets deserve attention

Geopolitical forces, policy support, attractive rents and lower interest rates have combined to improve the outlook for both markets.

videocam
People walk amid office towers in Central on January 26. Average rents for grade A offices in the Central business district grew nearly 6 per cent on a quarterly basis last quarter, while rents for premium buildings in the district surged 12 per cent, the fastest rate since the third quarter of 2010. Photo: Jelly Tse

Lifestyle

It’s not a toy, it’s art, says Hong Kong yo-yo champion

Leo Chan Matsumoto, a Hong Kong yo-yo pro blending technical skill with performance, wants to redefine yo-yoing as an art form.

videocam
Chan describes yo-yo as “skill-based.” “The possibility of what a yo-yo can do now is pretty insane.”

Society

Hong Kong tribunal judge questions power to postpone Wang Fuk Court owners’ meeting

Judge acknowledges challenges faced by government-appointed administrator, but stresses limits of court’s powers to extend 45-day deadline.

Hop On Management Company’s senior counsel, Hectar Pun Hei, left, urged the tribunal to consider the firm’s difficulties in verifying homeowners’ signatures and securing a venue capable of accommodating at least 1,000 people. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Celebrities

Meet Backrooms actor Robert Bobroczkyi, who’s 7ft 7 inches tall

It may be summer, but horror films are all the craze right now, the latest being Backrooms starring Chiwetel Ejiofor – but who is the actor playing Pirate Clark?

Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kane Parsons and Robert Bobroczkyi of Backrooms. Photos: AP, Getty Images
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Racing

The HK Racing Postscript: who’s hot, who’s not and the best win and ride of May

Zac Purton and Joao Moreira had big months, while Caspar Fownes and Cody Mo were the best of the trainers.

Jockey Joao Moreira and trainer Cody Mo were two of the top performers in May. Photos: Kenneth Chan

People & Culture

Chinese PhD dropout turned whistle-blower exposes data faking by renowned scholars

Son of migrant worker from poor rural background uses AI to check academic research papers; pushes for reform to stamp out dishonesty.

A Chinese PhD dropout turned whistleblower has exposed data fabrication by renowned scholars. Photo: Shutterstock

Middle East

Netanyahu orders strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, clouding Iran mediation

Order came a day after Israeli ground forces seized a historic castle, reaching their deepest point in Lebanon in 26 years.

Traffic clogs an exit route as residents flee the southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Asia

Video | New flooding in Laos cave threatens rescue of remaining villagers

Rescuers say the conditions will complicate the mission to save two remaining villagers after they successfully freed five men trapped in the cave system.

Rescuers work to save trapped people in a cave in Xaisomboun Province, Laos, May 29, 2026. METTA THAM KALASIN RESCUE /Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY VERIFICATION LINES Location confirmed from the shape of the rocks and rescue gear which matched previous visuals cleared by Reuters showing same scene Facial features of men in the photos matched corroborating footage of members of the rescue team Date not confirmed but rescue operations continued on May 29 No older versions before May 29
03:04

Society

Cyclist seriously injured after being hit by double-decker bus in Hong Kong

Man, 60, trapped under bus and had to be freed by firefighters and paramedics.

The accident occurred at around 2.50pm on Monday. Photo: Facebook/hkroad
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Southeast Asia

Philippine lawmaker charged with corruption to surrender

Senator Jinggoy Estrada has strongly denied allegations that he received more than 570 million pesos (US$9.3 million) in kickbacks.

videocam
Philippine Senator Jinggoy Estrada (right) is escorted by Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla (left), as Estrada leaves the Senate to surrender to police authorities, in Metro Manila on Monday. Photo: EPA

Big Tech

Unitree clears Shanghai IPO hurdle as China’s humanoid robot wave gathers pace

Listing plan highlights Unitree’s push to invest more in robot ‘brains’ as it joins competitors in China’s humanoid rush.

A Unitree robot works in a hardware store in Pocking, Germany. The robot operates in supervised mode and its goal, according to the store operator, is to support employees, not replace them. Photo: EPA

China Economy

Why China is tightening tech investment rules amid rising global disputes

A new regulation will also grant Beijing the authority to counter foreign entities it views as harming its interests.

videocam
The State Council Information Office holding a press conference in April in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua

Politics

‘We are a small country’: why Malaysia is resisting US defence spending call

Malaysia faces a dilemma in modernising an ageing military without overwhelming public finances or appearing to choose sides, analysts say.

videocam
6
Malaysia’s Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Big Tech

Meituan reports third consecutive quarterly loss amid rivalry in food delivery

CEO Wang Xing says Keeta food delivery business achieved ‘meaningful efficiency gains’ in both Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia in the quarter.

Meituan delivery riders wait for orders at an intersection in Shenzhen, March 24, 2026. Photo: Getty Images
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Asia

Video | Deadly blast in Myanmar village kills at least 45

The village in Namhkam township is under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, an ethnic armed group opposed to the ruling military junta.

A massive blast at a mining explosives warehouse in Myanmar’s Namhkam township on Sunday has killed at least 45 people
01:06

Diplomacy

How ‘strategic ambiguity’ made Turkey a winner in the Iran war

However, experts caution that the country’s economic instability and enduring regional rivalries have capped its gains.

videocam
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reiterated his country’s support for peace talks. Turkey can be a “natural release valve” for companies trying to deal with the instability caused by the Iran war, an expert has said. Photo: AFP

Military

Hegseth tones down China rhetoric on return to Asia

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth adopted a noticeably less hostile tone towards China in his address at this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Photo: EPA

China Business

China index reshuffle to entrench tech trades and boost AI rally: brokerages

Shanghai exchange revamp lifts tech weighting and adds chipmakers, signalling policy support and investor confidence.

The shake-up is projected to spur US$3.1 billion of inflows into tech hardware and semiconductor makers, according to Goldman Sachs. Photo: Reuters

Politics

India rolls out welcome mat for Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing

The military leader’s first presidential trip to New Delhi signals pragmatic engagement as India moves to counter rising Chinese influence.

Indian Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi (right) shakes hands with Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing before their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, on Monday. Photo: EPA