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SCMP

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. China, US begin third round of trade talks in Swedish capital
Top economic officials from China and the United States have begun their third round of trade talks in Stockholm. The delegations – led by Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent – arrived at Rosenbad Monday afternoon.
2. Disgraced head of China’s famed Shaolin Temple defrocked, firms deregistered
Companies linked to Shi Yongxin, the disgraced head of China’s renowned Shaolin Temple, have been deregistered, and his Buddhist credentials revoked – with authorities citing “severe damage” caused to the image of the order.
3. Yuen Yuen Ang on how China can turn ‘polycrisis’ into ‘polytunity’
The Johns Hopkins professor of political economy says Beijing’s ‘directed improvisation’ remains essential at a time when innovation is king.
4. How Chinese scientists fought 74 years for world’s most powerful dam – and won

Beijing has launched the massive Yarlung Tsangpo hydropower project in southern Tibet after decades of scientific research.
5. China’s yuan reshaping global order – but US-backed stablecoins seen as a threat
The yuan’s internationalisation remains on an upwards, if uneven, trajectory and is gradually reshaping the global monetary order, according to a new study released at a high-profile economic forum in Beijing – though some participants warned US efforts to dominate digital finance pose risks.
6. ‘Milestone’: China launches first national childcare subsidies amid birth crisis
China has announced its most significant central-level effort to reverse a deepening demographic crisis since allowing families to have three children, unveiling a long-awaited national childcare subsidy scheme that will provide up to 10,800 yuan (US$1,505) per child under the age of three.
7. Why some Chinese students are skipping elite universities amid job market fears
After underperforming in China’s national college entrance exam in June, Lu Jie was accepted into a computer science and technology programme earlier this month at a lesser-known polytechnic university in central China’s Hunan province.


Chinese coal mine accident, Cathay Pacific flight turbulence: 5 weekend reads you missed

Selfies and symbolism: behind the scenes from Xi’s summit with Trump and Putin

Leaders Xi, Putin meet over tea; rare earth find in northeast China: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Shenzhen’s 24-hour spa, a glimpse of 1970s Hong Kong: 7 Lifestyle highlights

SCMP Highlights

China’s birth crisis subsidies, Shaolin head defrocked: SCMP daily highlights

A nurse takes care of a newborn baby at a hospital in Taizhou, in China’s eastern Jiangsu province. File photo: AFP

The mega dam across the Yarlung Tsangpo River could produce triple the electricity generated by the Three Gorges dam further south of China. Photo: AFP

Shaolin Temple head under investigation, US-China tariff pause: 5 weekend reads you missed

US President Donald Trump points toward reporters as he arrives at the White House on July 13, 2025. Photo: dpa

A Chinese flag flies from a ship at the port of Oakland, California. US concerns over China’s industrial overcapacity are expected to feature in talks when the two sides meet in Stockholm, Sweden. Photo: AP

Shi Yongxin (centre), abbot of the Shaolin Temple in central China, is under joint investigation by multiple departments. Photo: Getty Images 

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Forbidden City in Beijing during Trump’s first state visit to China in November 2017. Photo: AFP

Supporters of Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang party defy the heavy rain to rally against the recall vote, in Taipei on Friday. Photo: AFP

An airport VIP lounge in China faced backlash for requiring proof of assets valued at US$2.8 million for entry. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

Tesla’s bid to regain China market share, BYD outsells BMW in Hong Kong: 7 EV reads

A Tesla Model 3 EV is seen during the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing on July 16, 2025. Photo: AFP

A worker cleans a robotaxi in Shanghai. Photo: AP 

Australian mining giant BHP’s Mount Newman iron ore mine in Western Australia. BHP aims to achieve net-zero operational greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Photo: AFP

A lithium-ion battery pack at Chinese carmaker JAC Motors’ factory in Ciudad Sahagun, Mexico, last month. Photo: Reuters

China reveals superfast maglev, Viagra’s cancer-fighting potential: 7 science highlights

China’s railway authorities gave the public its first glimpse of a superfast maglev train this week in Beijing. The vehicle, which is currently undergoing testing, could cut travel times in half, according to experts. Photo: Handout

China’s Chishui He, also known as the Red River, is regarded by ecologists as the last refuge for rare and endemic fish species in the upper reaches of the Yangtze. Photo: Shutterstock


Tourists take photos of camels in the Badain Jaran Desert in China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Photo: Xinhua

In her career, oncologist and Jilin Cancer Hospital director Cheng Ying received the Chinese Physician Award and named Outstanding Hospital President. Photo: Handout

Analysis of samples from patients with pancreatic, breast and colorectal cancers showed cells that act as the “intelligence agents” of the immune system can become severely depleted as the tumour progresses. Sildenafil is able to reverse the process, the research team says. Photo: Shutterstock

News

China

From the battle for the world’s most powerful dam to Beijing’s fears for China’s birth rate, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage


From the battle for the world’s most powerful dam to Beijing’s fears for China’s birth rate, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.


China’s birth crisis subsidies, Shaolin head defrocked: SCMP daily highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From the battle for the world’s most powerful dam to Beijing’s fears for China’s birth rate, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage

1. China, US begin third round of trade talks in Swedish capital

From the battle for the world’s most powerful dam to Beijing’s fears for China’s birth rate, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage