Breaking China, Asia, HK News, Opinions and Insights

Members of the Confucius Institute at Lancaster University in Bailrigg, England, celebrate the 2025 Dragon Boat Festival. Photo: Handout

Chinese spy? Propagandist? Former Confucius Institute director tells his story

Memoir by former Britain-based academic rebuts accusations that the centres serve as vehicles for Beijing’s state narratives.

3 hours ago

Are China’s social media apps the soft power play to win over the West?

China’s soft power

People

Malaysian court blocks Najib’s bid for house arrest

Monday’s decision keeps the former prime minister behind bars as he awaits the outcome of the far larger 1MDB case on Friday.

3 hours agovideocam

Global Economy

Blackpink for Ayumi? Why China may reward South Korea’s soft stance on Japan row

Beijing is reviving stalled trade talks with Seoul as the Lee administration breaks with Tokyo on Taiwan, and analysts say Chinese market access could be the geopolitical prize.

4 hours agovideocam

Law and Crime

Hong Kong police arrest 15 over ‘meticulously planned’ 1 billion yen robbery

Police still trying to recover cash, with chief inspector calling robbery ‘meticulously planned’, ‘violent’ and marked by high level of professional execution.

2 minutes ago

Open Questions

George Yeo on superpower ‘headaches’ and why the US dollar could crack

World

Mexico’s 50% tariff shock, China warns India over Dalai Lama: 5 weekend reads

From China warning India over Dalai Lama to a Hong Kong civil servant’s apology, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.

2 hours ago

A drone view shows the Manzanillo seaport in Mexico in April. Photo: Reuters

United States & Canada

US Justice Department denies cover-up as Trump photo restored to Epstein files

Officials backtrack on removing an image showing several photos including the US president with women after omission comes under scrutiny.

31 minutes ago

Politics

‘Pax Silica’: America’s new AI inner circle and Asia’s chosen few

Japan, South Korea and Singapore made the cut, leaving key partners like India and Vietnam – and even New Zealand – on the sidelines.

22 Dec 2025 - 8:00AM

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.

China Business

From swoosh to local: Nike stumbles in China as home-grown rivals close the gap

Nike’s sharp drop in China sales underscores intensifying competition from home-grown brands amid changing consumer tastes.

22 Dec 2025 - 8:30AM

Walk on by: changing tastes and the growing allure of home-grown brands mean that sports apparel giants like Nike are struggiing in China. Photo: Reuters

Europe

No Ukraine ceasefire breakthrough despite ‘productive’ talks

Talks in Miami focused on aligning US, European and Ukrainian positions as uncertainty remains if Russia will accept proposed terms.

4 hours ago

China Business

Goldman forecasts continued growth for Chinese stocks in 2026 as risks fade

The US investment bank, having correctly predicted the stock market gains this year, expects the bull run to continue, but at a slower pace.

8 minutes ago

East Asia

Japan’s H3 rocket fails to deploy geolocation satellite after engine cuts out

The Michibiki satellite is the sixth in a seven-orbiter geolocation system aimed at giving Japan highly accurate positioning services.

15 minutes ago

Japan’s H3 rocket carrying the Michibiki No 5 satellite lifts off from the Tanegashima Space Centre on Monday. Photo: Kyodo

China Business

Alibaba, Pop Mart lead Hong Kong stocks higher before Christmas trading break

Hong Kong’s market will close early on Wednesday and remain shut on December 25 and 26.

3 hours ago

Stock market trading will be limited this week due to the Christmas holiday. Photo: Jelly Tse

AI

DeepSeek’s shock rise, China’s robot boot camps: 7 AI breakthroughs in 2025

From DeepSeek sending shock waves through tech market to China’s robot boot camps, here are some of the major AI developments of the year.

10 minutes ago

Society

Hong Kong lawyers give free aid to Tai Po residents at loss over next legal steps

As residents of Wang Fuk Court rebuild their lives, hundreds of lawyers have stepped in to help them understand their legal options.

22 Dec 2025 - 8:30AM

Australasia

Australian PM Albanese booed as Bondi Beach attack victims honoured

Tens of thousands attended Sunday’s memorial. The Sydney event was heavily guarded by police, including snipers on rooftops and police boats.

3 hours agovideocam

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his wife are booed as they arrive at the Light Over Darkness vigil in Sydney, Australia on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

East Asia

Japan clears way for Tepco to restart world’s largest nuclear plant

Tepco, operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant, has been allowed to restart Kashiwazaki-Kariwa 15 years after the disaster.

17 minutes agovideocam

Tepco’s Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant stands along the seaside in Niigata prefecture. Photo: Reuters

China Business

China’s approval for L3 self-driving cars to stimulate slowing mainland market

Chinese carmakers could sell about 270,000 semi-autonomous vehicles next year, representing 1 per cent of the total market, Daiwa says.

22 Dec 2025 - 7:30AMvideocam

Africa

Nigeria secures release of 130 children abducted from Catholic school

Presidential spokesman confirms ‘none left in captivity’ after an operation frees students taken by gunmen in November.

56 minutes ago

OPINION

SCMP Editorial

Editorial | TikTok deal could show way forward for US-China engagement

22 Dec 2025 - 7:15AM

Joseph E. Stiglitz

Opinion | How Trump is hastening the end of American hegemony

21 Dec 2025 - 8:30PM

Letters

Letters | Shenzhen-Hong Kong special zone could better serve national economy

4 hours ago

Ken Ip

Opinion | Hong Kong’s fire victims need empathy, clarity and a plan

6 hours ago

Alice Wu

Opinion | Frenzy around Hong Kong Palace Museum’s Egyptian show offers food for thought

22 Dec 2025 - 6:30AM

Harry’s View | 22 Dec 2025

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1 minute ago

Southeast Asia

16 dead as Indonesian passenger bus hits barrier, rolls on side

8 minutes ago

China Business

Goldman forecasts continued growth for Chinese stocks in 2026 as risks fade

10 minutes ago

AI

DeepSeek’s shock rise, China’s robot boot camps: 7 AI breakthroughs in 2025

16 minutes ago

East Asia

Japan’s H3 rocket fails to deploy geolocation satellite after engine cuts out

37 minutes ago

Society

Hong Kong man who went missing overnight on hike with mother found in Yuen Long

1 hour ago

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China boy addresses bullies in class meeting, earns admiration, tormentor’s apologies

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Why China studies scholars in the West have been left in ‘crisis’ mode

US-China tensions, restricted access and Western-centric thinking seen as key obstacles to gaining ‘full picture of modern China’.

15 Nov 2025 - 7:04AMvideocam

‘Hawkish’ interpretations rise as US, China discourse gets lost in translation

27 Oct 2025 - 11:38PMvideocam

Avoid West’s ‘discourse trap’ when defending China: ex-government adviser

23 Oct 2025 - 10:00AMvideocam

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:

Tech

China’s Qwen and DeepSeek edge out US AI models in Christian values benchmark

US start-up Gloo’s Flourishing AI Christian benchmark tested how the output of AI models ‘help people flourish’, CEO Pat Gelsinger said.

17 Dec 2025 - 7:00AM

The questions in FAI-C were reviewed by a panel of Biblical experts, including theologians, pastors, psychologists and scholars of ethics. Photo: SCMP

AI

DeepSeek’s shock rise, China’s robot boot camps: 7 AI breakthroughs in 2025

From DeepSeek sending shock waves through tech market to China’s robot boot camps, here are some of the major AI developments of the year.

10 minutes ago

China Business

China’s approval for L3 self-driving cars to stimulate slowing mainland market

Chinese carmakers could sell about 270,000 semi-autonomous vehicles next year, representing 1 per cent of the total market, Daiwa says.

22 Dec 2025 - 7:30AMvideocam

Tech

Building a humanoid robot without China? Then you better bring a bigger wallet

China has issued five times the number of patents related to humanoid robots than the US, says Morgan Stanley.

21 Dec 2025 - 7:30AM

A technician teaches a humanoid robot to use a wrench to tighten a bolt at a data collection pre-training center for humanoid robots in Hefei, east China’s Anhui Province. Photo: Xinhua

Politics

Are Trump loyalists struggling in US rural heartland ready to say ‘enough’?

Hammered by crippling costs and precious revenue lost to China, Midwest farmers’ loyalty to the US president will be tested in 2026 midterms.

21 Dec 2025 - 7:35AMvideocam

China Business

Are Chinese biotechs what the doctor ordered as Big Pharma faces ‘patent cliff’?

US drug makers are racing to plug looming ‘patent cliff’ revenue gaps – and increasingly they are turning to China biotechs.

20 Dec 2025 - 8:57AM

Diplomacy

China urged to win ‘hearts and minds’ to fill leadership void as US retreats

Experts pushing Beijing’s vision for a new world order say nation can offer an ‘important alternative’ but it needs to improve its messaging.

19 Dec 2025 - 10:00AMvideocam

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

Chinese spy? Propagandist? Former Confucius Institute director tells his story

Memoir by former Britain-based academic rebuts accusations that the centres serve as vehicles for Beijing’s state narratives.

Are China’s social media apps the soft power play to win over the West?

Malaysian court blocks Najib’s bid for house arrest

Monday’s decision keeps the former prime minister behind bars as he awaits the outcome of the far larger 1MDB case on Friday.

Blackpink for Ayumi? Why China may reward South Korea’s soft stance on Japan row

Beijing is reviving stalled trade talks with Seoul as the Lee administration breaks with Tokyo on Taiwan, and analysts say Chinese market access could be the geopolitical prize.

Hong Kong police arrest 15 over ‘meticulously planned’ 1 billion yen robbery

Police still trying to recover cash, with chief inspector calling robbery ‘meticulously planned’, ‘violent’ and marked by high level of professional execution.

George Yeo on superpower ‘headaches’ and why the US dollar could crack

Mexico’s 50% tariff shock, China warns India over Dalai Lama: 5 weekend reads

From China warning India over Dalai Lama to a Hong Kong civil servant’s apology, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.

US Justice Department denies cover-up as Trump photo restored to Epstein files

Officials backtrack on removing an image showing several photos including the US president with women after omission comes under scrutiny.

‘Pax Silica’: America’s new AI inner circle and Asia’s chosen few

Japan, South Korea and Singapore made the cut, leaving key partners like India and Vietnam – and even New Zealand – on the sidelines.

.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.

From swoosh to local: Nike stumbles in China as home-grown rivals close the gap

Nike’s sharp drop in China sales underscores intensifying competition from home-grown brands amid changing consumer tastes.

No Ukraine ceasefire breakthrough despite ‘productive’ talks

Talks in Miami focused on aligning US, European and Ukrainian positions as uncertainty remains if Russia will accept proposed terms.

Goldman forecasts continued growth for Chinese stocks in 2026 as risks fade

The US investment bank, having correctly predicted the stock market gains this year, expects the bull run to continue, but at a slower pace.

Japan’s H3 rocket fails to deploy geolocation satellite after engine cuts out

The Michibiki satellite is the sixth in a seven-orbiter geolocation system aimed at giving Japan highly accurate positioning services.

Alibaba, Pop Mart lead Hong Kong stocks higher before Christmas trading break

Hong Kong’s market will close early on Wednesday and remain shut on December 25 and 26.

DeepSeek’s shock rise, China’s robot boot camps: 7 AI breakthroughs in 2025

From DeepSeek sending shock waves through tech market to China’s robot boot camps, here are some of the major AI developments of the year.

Hong Kong lawyers give free aid to Tai Po residents at loss over next legal steps

As residents of Wang Fuk Court rebuild their lives, hundreds of lawyers have stepped in to help them understand their legal options.

Australian PM Albanese booed as Bondi Beach attack victims honoured

Tens of thousands attended Sunday’s memorial. The Sydney event was heavily guarded by police, including snipers on rooftops and police boats.

Japan clears way for Tepco to restart world’s largest nuclear plant

Tepco, operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant, has been allowed to restart Kashiwazaki-Kariwa 15 years after the disaster.

China’s approval for L3 self-driving cars to stimulate slowing mainland market

Chinese carmakers could sell about 270,000 semi-autonomous vehicles next year, representing 1 per cent of the total market, Daiwa says.

Nigeria secures release of 130 children abducted from Catholic school

Presidential spokesman confirms ‘none left in captivity’ after an operation frees students taken by gunmen in November.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Editorial | TikTok deal could show way forward for US-China engagement

Opinion | How Trump is hastening the end of American hegemony

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Letters | Shenzhen-Hong Kong special zone could better serve national economy

Opinion | Hong Kong’s fire victims need empathy, clarity and a plan

Opinion | Frenzy around Hong Kong Palace Museum’s Egyptian show offers food for thought

16 dead as Indonesian passenger bus hits barrier, rolls on side

Goldman forecasts continued growth for Chinese stocks in 2026 as risks fade

DeepSeek’s shock rise, China’s robot boot camps: 7 AI breakthroughs in 2025

Japan’s H3 rocket fails to deploy geolocation satellite after engine cuts out

Hong Kong man who went missing overnight on hike with mother found in Yuen Long

China boy addresses bullies in class meeting, earns admiration, tormentor’s apologies

Why China studies scholars in the West have been left in ‘crisis’ mode

US-China tensions, restricted access and Western-centric thinking seen as key obstacles to gaining ‘full picture of modern China’.

‘Hawkish’ interpretations rise as US, China discourse gets lost in translation

Avoid West’s ‘discourse trap’ when defending China: ex-government adviser

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 Qwen and DeepSeek edge out US AI models in Christian values benchmark

US start-up Gloo’s Flourishing AI Christian benchmark tested how the output of AI models ‘help people flourish’, CEO Pat Gelsinger said.

DeepSeek’s shock rise, China’s robot boot camps: 7 AI breakthroughs in 2025

From DeepSeek sending shock waves through tech market to China’s robot boot camps, here are some of the major AI developments of the year.

China’s approval for L3 self-driving cars to stimulate slowing mainland market

Chinese carmakers could sell about 270,000 semi-autonomous vehicles next year, representing 1 per cent of the total market, Daiwa says.

Building a humanoid robot without China? Then you better bring a bigger wallet

China has issued five times the number of patents related to humanoid robots than the US, says Morgan Stanley.

Are Trump loyalists struggling in US rural heartland ready to say ‘enough’?

Hammered by crippling costs and precious revenue lost to China, Midwest farmers’ loyalty to the US president will be tested in 2026 midterms.

Are Chinese biotechs what the doctor ordered as Big Pharma faces ‘patent cliff’?

US drug makers are racing to plug looming ‘patent cliff’ revenue gaps – and increasingly they are turning to China biotechs.

China urged to win ‘hearts and minds’ to fill leadership void as US retreats

Experts pushing Beijing’s vision for a new world order say nation can offer an ‘important alternative’ but it needs to improve its messaging.

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.

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

Editorial | TikTok deal could show way forward for US-China engagement

Letters | Shenzhen-Hong Kong special zone could better serve national economy