https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/520947/feed en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Daisy Wu Daisy Wu In September, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu unveiled the city’s first five-year plan along with his policy address, highlighting Hong Kong’s strategic role in promoting the greater use of the yuan outside mainland China as a key priority. In the second part of a four-part series on the globalisation of the yuan, Daisy Wu examines Hong Kong’s evolution from an offshore reservoir into a self-sustaining yuan ecosystem. Of the hundreds of thousands of people who cross the border between mainland... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/banking-finance/article/3372292/how-hong-kong-went-yuan-gateway-complete-currency-ecosystem https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/banking-finance/article/3372292/how-hong-kong-went-yuan-gateway-complete-currency-ecosystem Tue, 27 Oct 2026 22:00:15 +0000 Caroline Lin,Eve Qiao Caroline Lin,Eve Qiao German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has begun his state visit to China in the eastern province of Anhui, spotlighting a growing trend among visiting foreign leaders to look well beyond Beijing. Steinmeier arrived in the provincial capital Hefei early on Tuesday to begin a five-day state visit, marking his first trip to China in nearly eight years and confirming an exclusive report by the South China Morning Post earlier this month. When foreign dignitaries bypass Beijing for provincial... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372340/german-leaders-china-visit-latest-sign-foreign-diplomacy-pivot-beyond-beijing https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372340/german-leaders-china-visit-latest-sign-foreign-diplomacy-pivot-beyond-beijing Tue, 27 Oct 2026 14:17:05 +0000 Zoey Zhang Zoey Zhang AI-generated “sob-story boys” have recently taken Chinese short-video platforms by storm, allegedly using emotional manipulation to cheat elderly viewers out of their savings. Known collectively as “Xiaohai”, these digital avatars typically appear as teenage boys in school uniforms or plain white shirts, tearfully describing their poverty-stricken lives on camera. In one video, a Xiaohai avatar holds a steamed bun and laments to viewers, whom he addresses as “aunties and mothers”: “All my... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3372223/ai-boy-avatars-go-viral-china-using-sob-stories-trick-elderly-out-money https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3372223/ai-boy-avatars-go-viral-china-using-sob-stories-trick-elderly-out-money Tue, 27 Oct 2026 02:00:11 +0000 Cao Jiaxuan Cao Jiaxuan Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s re-election preserves Beijing’s most critical foothold in Latin America, while positioning Brasilia to leverage the US-China rivalry over its vast rare earth reserves without picking sides. Lula, 80, secured an unprecedented fourth term on Sunday after winning 51.8 per cent of the run-off vote to defeat right-wing rival Flavio Bolsonaro. The son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro and Trump ally has, however, refused to concede. Beijing... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372207/win-lula-boosts-chinas-foothold-and-gives-brazil-rare-earths-leverage https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372207/win-lula-boosts-chinas-foothold-and-gives-brazil-rare-earths-leverage Mon, 26 Oct 2026 14:36:47 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Europe should work with Beijing to develop shipping through the Arctic rather than trying to advance its transatlantic security alliance by framing China as a threat linked to Russia. That was the assessment of Chinese analysts following the release of the European Union’s Arctic policy on Tuesday. In addition to identifying Russia as its main threat, the policy warns of Beijing’s growing strategic ambitions in the European Arctic through its deepening alignment with Moscow. “With our new... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371670/china-russia-allied-arctic-threat-europe-or-potential-polar-partner https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3371670/china-russia-allied-arctic-threat-europe-or-potential-polar-partner Wed, 21 Oct 2026 13:00:14 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan Beijing-based smartphone and electric vehicle giant Xiaomi announced in mid-October that it would promote 31-year-old Luo Fuli to its highest-level position, once again putting the “AI prodigy” at the centre of heated discussion. The move came 10 months after Luo joined the company as head of its large language model (LLM) unit. Luo attracted significant public attention in late 2024, when Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun said during a live-stream that he hoped to hire her at an annual salary of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3371581/china-ai-researcher-rises-xiaomis-top-level-10-months-talks-work-life-balance https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3371581/china-ai-researcher-rises-xiaomis-top-level-10-months-talks-work-life-balance Wed, 21 Oct 2026 10:00:10 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Cell Press, one of the world’s leading scientific publishers, has launched an investigation after prominent Chinese biologist Rao Yi accused the editor-in-chief of a top medical journal of soliciting bribes from mainland authors. “Several important international academic journals have seen editors, and even editors-in-chief, soliciting and accepting bribes,” said Rao, a tenured chair professor at Peking University who stepped down as president of Capital Medical University last year, in a social... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3371384/cell-publisher-investigates-editor-accused-soliciting-bribes-china https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3371384/cell-publisher-investigates-editor-accused-soliciting-bribes-china Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:00:11 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen As Hong Kong hosts the Apec finance ministers’ meeting on Tuesday, this two-part series examines the summit’s significance and its implications for Beijing on the global stage. In part two, Frank Chen explores how the event could help Beijing pitch its philosophies and urge cooperation in digital infrastructure financing. China’s hosting of this year’s Apec meetings, including a finance ministers’ gathering in Hong Kong, will see a more confident Beijing seek to pitch its economic and financial... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3371287/hong-kongs-apec-meetings-give-beijing-venue-pitch-virtues-its-system https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3371287/hong-kongs-apec-meetings-give-beijing-venue-pitch-virtues-its-system Mon, 19 Oct 2026 01:00:10 +0000 Amber Wang Amber Wang In 2019, President Xi Jinping became the first Chinese leader to publicly call for the exploration of detailed proposals for governing Taiwan after reunification. Seven years later, the first proposals from a handful of the mainland’s leading research institutes have either been finalised or are nearing completion, the South China Morning Post has learned. Rather than setting out a single fixed model, scholars involved in those studies told the SCMP there should be different scenarios based on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3369782/beijings-policy-advisers-map-out-how-post-reunification-taiwan-could-be-governed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3369782/beijings-policy-advisers-map-out-how-post-reunification-taiwan-could-be-governed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 01:30:05 +0000 Eve Qiao Eve Qiao China is ramping up its efforts to bring young Americans to China, and ready to be seen as a country concerned with environmental protection, lifting people out of poverty, protecting minority cultures and building the technology of the future. During his trip to the United States last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country aimed to welcome 100,000 young Americans on exchange or study trips over the next five years. That builds on an earlier target announced in 2023 that set the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369609/if-young-us-people-accept-xis-invitation-china-what-will-beijing-show-them https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3369609/if-young-us-people-accept-xis-invitation-china-what-will-beijing-show-them Fri, 02 Oct 2026 14:00:21 +0000 Chao Kong Chao Kong Large-scale field trials across China show that irrigation water treated with natural minerals radiated by sunlight could dramatically increase the yields of several crops, according to Chinese scientists behind the experiments. The team said the trials, including on rice, wheat, soybeans, peanuts, sweet potatoes, sugar cane and vegetables, improved photosynthetic efficiency. Their study, conducted from Heilongjiang province in northeastern China to Hainan province in the south, recorded yield... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369564/crop-outputs-grew-100-chinas-big-agricultural-experiment-scientists https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3369564/crop-outputs-grew-100-chinas-big-agricultural-experiment-scientists Fri, 02 Oct 2026 09:02:43 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Five public universities in Hong Kong have ranked in the top 100 of a renowned British publication’s latest global league table, as part of a trend described as a “historic realignment” of academic prowess from West to East. The University of Hong Kong remained the city’s highest-ranked tertiary institution, holding onto 33rd place from the previous year, in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, released on Wednesday. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) ranked 42nd,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/education/article/3369243/5-universities-hong-kong-rank-top-100-historic-shift-west-east https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/education/article/3369243/5-universities-hong-kong-rank-top-100-historic-shift-west-east Tue, 29 Sep 2026 23:30:05 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng As AI becomes an increasingly important part of China’s economic transformation, economists and industry leaders are raising concerns about two potential risks: inflated valuations for humanoid robotics companies and the technology widening the wealth gap between rich and poor. Daniel Zhang, managing partner of FirstLight Capital and former chairman and CEO of Alibaba Group Holding, said the sharp fall in some Chinese humanoid robotics stocks reflected expectations that had become... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3368887/chinas-ai-led-transformation-taking-shape-why-are-some-economists-urging-caution https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3368887/chinas-ai-led-transformation-taking-shape-why-are-some-economists-urging-caution Sat, 26 Sep 2026 05:45:04 +0000 Zha Daojiong Zha Daojiong Critical minerals have become a recurring source of friction in international diplomacy, with China’s dominance in the sector and US efforts to build alternative supply chains raising concerns that Southeast Asian countries may be forced to choose between the two powers. But this is a false choice. As important exporters of rare earth elements, Southeast Asian countries have leverage of their own and can use intensifying competition to diversify partnerships and capture more of the value chain... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/opinion/article/3368823/southeast-asia-faces-false-binary-us-china-mineral-trade https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/opinion/article/3368823/southeast-asia-faces-false-binary-us-china-mineral-trade Sat, 26 Sep 2026 04:00:08 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang With the balance of power shifting between the US and China, the success of this week’s summit hinges not on headline-grabbing deals, but on practical, cautious consensus under a new strategic stability framework, according to Chinese researchers. Media outlets in China have given heavy coverage to President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the United States, highlighting its “historic, milestone significance”. It follows US President Donald Trump’s Beijing visit in May. Xi’s arrival in Washington on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368589/big-picture-or-big-deals-what-xi-trump-summit-holds-china-and-us https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368589/big-picture-or-big-deals-what-xi-trump-summit-holds-china-and-us Thu, 24 Sep 2026 03:37:50 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li Beijing should expand central government borrowing and accelerate local debt restructuring, as China’s relatively low price levels offer a rare window for stronger fiscal support to bolster demand, according to some prominent Chinese economists. “With oil shocks pushing up prices, and inflationary pressures spreading globally, China currently has the lowest price levels, while prices elsewhere are significantly higher,” said Yu Yongding, a former member of the People’s Bank of China’s Monetary... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3368259/china-economists-urge-beijing-act-fast-local-level-debt-low-prices-vanish https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3368259/china-economists-urge-beijing-act-fast-local-level-debt-low-prices-vanish Mon, 21 Sep 2026 11:00:10 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Fragments of a long-disappeared ancient giant land mass have been discovered buried deep beneath parts of the modern continents that once formed it, according to an international team led by Chinese scientists. Published this month in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances, the discovery reveals that Gondwana – a land mass that dominated Earth some 500 million years ago – was much larger than previously believed. Crucially, the findings show how geological activity related to Gondwana... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3368102/china-led-study-reveals-greater-gondwana-was-80-earths-crust-500m-years-ago https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3368102/china-led-study-reveals-greater-gondwana-was-80-earths-crust-500m-years-ago Sat, 19 Sep 2026 12:00:11 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang US President Donald Trump’s claim of “permanent” security control over Greenland just days ahead of a state visit by his Chinese counterpart is an effort to boost US leverage, according to analysts. However, they warned of a potential negative impact on the high-stakes talks, citing broader risks to major-power trust and peaceful Arctic development. In a social media post on Friday, Trump said: “I am pleased to announce that the United States of America has entered into an Agreement with The... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368104/trumps-greenland-deal-aims-boost-leverage-xi-summit-midterms-analysts https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368104/trumps-greenland-deal-aims-boost-leverage-xi-summit-midterms-analysts Sat, 19 Sep 2026 10:52:57 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong Chinese researchers have developed a table-top magnetic sensor that operates at room temperature and can spot magnetic signals a billion times fainter than the Earth’s own field. The Levitated Magnet Magnetometer (LeMaMa) functions like a compass with a needle that floats in mid-air with virtually no friction. By tracking the needle’s tiny deflections, the team can measure magnetic fields down to the femtotesla level – an advance that could widen the hunt for elusive dark matter particles or... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3366481/chinese-german-team-builds-ultra-sensitive-floating-compass-hunt-dark-matter https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3366481/chinese-german-team-builds-ultra-sensitive-floating-compass-hunt-dark-matter Sat, 05 Sep 2026 12:00:06 +0000 Jane Cai,Caroline Lin Jane Cai,Caroline Lin In the quiet of a Peking University research room, shelves groan under the weight of 60 thick volumes. Stacked, they stand taller than an average human. Inside their pages lie the details of more than 23,000 ancient Chinese bronze vessels, weapons, chariot fittings and ritual objects that left China’s shores long ago and now sit in museums, private collections and auction houses across nearly 30 countries. Published in April by Shanghai Classics Publishing House, the Collection of Chinese... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3365643/23000-bronzes-14-years-60-volumes-how-china-mapping-lost-heritage-held-abroad https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3365643/23000-bronzes-14-years-60-volumes-how-china-mapping-lost-heritage-held-abroad Sun, 30 Aug 2026 08:00:37 +0000 Minxiao Chang Minxiao Chang Drinks, music, vibes … what else can a bar offer to attract customers? One in China’s capital, Beijing, is betting on unlimited access to artificial intelligence models. The AGI Bar in the Zhongguancun tech hub, known as China’s Silicon Valley, was packed with laptop-using customers on a recent night. One of the first things many did after ordering a drink was to connect to the in-house Wi-fi and configure an AI agent to access the free tokens the bar provides. Manager Yang Yuan said the bar,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3365740/not-token-effort-beer-meets-artificial-intelligence-bar-chinas-capital https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3365740/not-token-effort-beer-meets-artificial-intelligence-bar-chinas-capital Sun, 30 Aug 2026 08:00:09 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A famous Chinese mathematician known for his dishevelled genius image recently began selling workbooks for primary and secondary school students, which were quickly sold out within days. Wei Dongyi, 35, is an associate professor in the Mathematics Department at Peking University. He gained instant fame in 2021 after a vox pop on the Peking University campus. In the video, he appears dressed simply, carrying a 1.5-litre plastic bottle of water and a bag of steamed buns. In the clip, he shared... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3365462/viral-china-maths-genius-new-workbook-sells-26000-copies-4-days-sparking-mixed-reactions https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3365462/viral-china-maths-genius-new-workbook-sells-26000-copies-4-days-sparking-mixed-reactions Thu, 27 Aug 2026 10:00:10 +0000 Chao Kong Chao Kong Next time you spot a vivid orange-yellow crust spreading across a rock in your garden, on a country wall or along a hiking trail, take a closer look – you might be standing on a fortune. A Chinese research team has found that a humble lichen could serve as a visible field indicator of unknown rare earth deposits around the world. The researchers said the lichen’s distinctive colour made it easy to spot on exposed rock, and the discovery could be combined with unmanned aerial vehicles and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3364796/your-backyard-could-hold-rare-earth-fortune-and-orange-lichen-clue https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3364796/your-backyard-could-hold-rare-earth-fortune-and-orange-lichen-clue Sun, 23 Aug 2026 14:00:10 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Solar expansion policies across China have led to a reduction in bird diversity, with wealthier and non-desert regions bearing the brunt of species loss, according to a study led by researchers in China and the US. They found that solar expansion had eaten into birds’ foraging and breeding grounds, and had left what habitat remained more fragmented, pitting China’s carbon reduction policies against biodiversity conservation. “Our findings highlight a critical green dilemma: without meticulous... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3364721/international-study-finds-solar-panels-china-could-be-harming-birds https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3364721/international-study-finds-solar-panels-china-could-be-harming-birds Fri, 21 Aug 2026 03:00:09 +0000 Meredith Chen Meredith Chen For generations, working with ancient Chinese texts has been a painstaking task. Specialists would spend years deciphering unfamiliar characters, copying manuscripts by hand, adding punctuation to texts written without it, comparing different editions and tracing references scattered across thousands of years of records. But artificial intelligence (AI) is now changing that process, not only by helping to preserve fragile manuscripts but also by transforming how ancient texts are recovered,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3363939/how-ai-helping-open-new-chapter-ancient-chinese-literature https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3363939/how-ai-helping-open-new-chapter-ancient-chinese-literature Fri, 14 Aug 2026 04:00:15 +0000 William Yiu,Edith Lin William Yiu,Edith Lin Hong Kong is betting big on the Northern Metropolis with a university town as a core engine. In this third of a five-part series on the city’s first five-year blueprint, we look at the talk of the town. Read part one here and part two here. Hong Kong is a city that has among the highest concentration of top universities with at least eight making it to global and regional rankings and as excitement builds over a new economic hub, a new buzz phrase has emerged in the sector – ‘university... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/education/article/3363956/hong-kongs-university-town-wheres-money-and-what-will-success-look https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/education/article/3363956/hong-kongs-university-town-wheres-money-and-what-will-success-look Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:30:08 +0000 Ambrose Li Ambrose Li Three mainland Chinese scientists have won this year’s Future Science Prize for breakthroughs in molecular mechanisms, porous materials and arithmetic geometry, as China’s first privately funded award recognising scientific achievement returned to Hong Kong for a fourth consecutive year. Hosting the annual event multiple times underscored Hong Kong’s growing role as an international hub for scientific development, according to the organiser and Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3363899/3-mainland-chinese-scholars-honoured-future-science-prize-returns-hong-kong https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3363899/3-mainland-chinese-scholars-honoured-future-science-prize-returns-hong-kong Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:17:19 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong Graphite has long been a workhorse of industry – used in pencils since the 1500s, in steelmaking during the 1800s, and today in battery electrodes. Research from Peking University now suggests it could even play a role in next-generation quantum computers. According to a paper published on July 23 by the peer-reviewed journal Science, the research team has cleared a major obstacle on the road to practical quantum computers and come up with a realistic platform for the production of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3363350/chinese-breakthrough-paves-way-production-graphene-based-quantum-chips https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3363350/chinese-breakthrough-paves-way-production-graphene-based-quantum-chips Fri, 07 Aug 2026 13:01:04 +0000 Chao Kong Chao Kong China plans to expand production capacity of a mine in Bayan Obo in its Inner Mongolia region with an investment of over half a billion yuan (US$74 million). The expansion will raise the mine’s annual output by 50 per cent from 10 million to 15 million tonnes at the world’s largest rare earth deposit. Bayan Obo is a complex polymetallic deposit containing iron, rare earths, fluorite, niobium, scandium and thorium. The project is mainly aimed at increasing iron ore output while rare earths would... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3363230/china-plans-increase-mine-output-worlds-largest-rare-earth-deposit-50 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3363230/china-plans-increase-mine-output-worlds-largest-rare-earth-deposit-50 Fri, 07 Aug 2026 11:00:06 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan A 38-year-old man in China, who was admitted to the prestigious Tsinghua University 18 years ago, recently sat for the national university entrance exam and achieved a remarkable score, allowing him to realise his dream of studying medicine at Peking University. Tsinghua and Peking Universities are two of the most elite institutions in mainland China, admitting students with the highest scores from the rigorous annual national university entrance exam, known as the gaokao in Chinese. Li Long,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3363330/backlash-chinas-tsinghua-graduate-38-wins-medical-school-spot-peking-university https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3363330/backlash-chinas-tsinghua-graduate-38-wins-medical-school-spot-peking-university Fri, 07 Aug 2026 10:29:46 +0000 Mike Chan Mike Chan Defending champions National Chengchi University battled into the final four of the Asian University Basketball League in Hangzhou on Thursday, but they were pushed all the way by their Yonsei University rivals. The Taiwan students eked out a 72-67 victory over their South Korean rivals, in a game that was in the balance until the final minute. Chengchi’s five-point lead at half-time vanished into a four-point deficit, as their opponents started the third quarter with a 17-8 run. The title... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/sport/basketball/article/3363198/defending-aubl-champions-national-chengchi-university-hold-make-final-four https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/sport/basketball/article/3363198/defending-aubl-champions-national-chengchi-university-hold-make-final-four Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:00:06 +0000 Mike Chan Mike Chan The head coach of reigning champions National Chengchi University (NCCU) said the Asian University Basketball League (AUBL) remained the strongest college tournament they had ever taken part in after securing a quarter-final berth on Tuesday. Playing against tournament debutants National University of Mongolia, NCCU from Taiwan dominated almost from the start before cruising to an 83-51 win at Binjiang Gymnasium. They have now won both their group matches, after also beating mainland side... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/sport/basketball/article/3362935/asian-university-basketball-league-toughest-college-event-coach-title-holders-nccu-says https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/sport/basketball/article/3362935/asian-university-basketball-league-toughest-college-event-coach-title-holders-nccu-says Tue, 04 Aug 2026 12:00:08 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu Two teenage siblings from eastern China excelled in this year’s gaokao, leading to their acceptance into the country’s top universities and igniting intense discussions surrounding their exceptional talents and family education. Xu Haotian, 17, and his sister Xu Haolin, 15, achieved scores of 688 and 699 out of a maximum of 750, respectively, in this year’s national university entrance exam. Haolin’s score placed her among the top 100 in Anhui province, and notably, she completed her six-year... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3362744/china-gaokao-wins-sister-skips-2-grades-study-brother-rejects-prodigy-label https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3362744/china-gaokao-wins-sister-skips-2-grades-study-brother-rejects-prodigy-label Mon, 03 Aug 2026 10:00:11 +0000 Mike Chan Mike Chan A team of Hong Kong students crashed into several human walls in a landslide loss on the opening day of the Asian University Basketball League (AUBL) in Hangzhou on Sunday. The Chinese University of Hong Kong were humbled by Peking University in a 101-59 loss, as they failed to deal with the massive difference in their opponents’ height and physique, leaving the players “out of sorts” on the court, according to their head coach. “The entire opposite team was taller and stronger than us; we never... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/sport/basketball/article/3362714/hong-kong-students-humbled-opening-day-asian-university-basketball-league https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/sport/basketball/article/3362714/hong-kong-students-humbled-opening-day-asian-university-basketball-league Sun, 02 Aug 2026 13:30:07 +0000 Meredith Chen Meredith Chen Many young students in China have been inspired by the achievement of Wang Hong, the first Chinese woman to receive the Fields Medal – the world’s most prestigious prize in mathematics. But it is the 35-year-old’s candid remarks about feeling “discouraged” in her early years at an elite Chinese university that appear to have struck the deepest chord. Those comments have set off a broader debate about the country’s education system and whether it provides the support students need to develop... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3362551/discouraged-university-maths-star-wang-hong-spurs-chinese-education-debate https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3362551/discouraged-university-maths-star-wang-hong-spurs-chinese-education-debate Sun, 02 Aug 2026 12:00:18 +0000 Zoey Zhang Zoey Zhang Sixteen years after being rescued from a river as a toddler, a young girl from eastern China earned a spot at the prestigious Peking University and shared this significant milestone with the man who saved her life. Yu Xianguo, 66, from Taizhou in Zhejiang province, is a retired naval serviceman who served five years in the military, according to mainland media outlet Xinhuanghe. In August 2010, two-year-old Zheng Yan was travelling with her grandparents on a three-wheeled vehicle as they... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3362600/china-teen-shares-top-university-acceptance-hero-who-saved-her-river-16-years-ago https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3362600/china-teen-shares-top-university-acceptance-hero-who-saved-her-river-16-years-ago Sat, 01 Aug 2026 01:00:22 +0000 Sylvia Ma,Ji Siqi,Xinyi Wu Sylvia Ma,Ji Siqi,Xinyi Wu Beijing has pledged to step up macro policy support and enhance the resilience of capital markets for the remainder of the year, sending signals to stablise growth amid a recent slowdown in economic activity and rising volatility in global markets. After a meeting of the Communist Party’s 21-member Politburo – a major decision-making body led by President Xi Jinping – that ended on Thursday, the party’s upper echelon vowed to accelerate the pace of fiscal spending and speed up the transition... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/policy/article/3362364/chinas-politburo-pledges-policy-support-spending-counteract-sluggish-growth https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/policy/article/3362364/chinas-politburo-pledges-policy-support-spending-counteract-sluggish-growth Thu, 30 Jul 2026 06:44:47 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik Copies of the official paper of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Committee of the Communist Party of China are not usually a hot commodity. But the Saturday edition of Guangxi Daily became an overnight collector’s item after its front-page story on Wang Hong – who last week received the prestigious Fields Medal alongside her compatriot Deng Yu – went viral online. Wang, who hails from the southern region, took home the highest honour for mathematicians under the age of 40 on July 23. Both... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3362289/scalpers-snap-local-paper-after-profile-fields-winner-wang-hong-goes-viral https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3362289/scalpers-snap-local-paper-after-profile-fields-winner-wang-hong-goes-viral Wed, 29 Jul 2026 13:30:08 +0000 Chao Kong Chao Kong The world’s largest known rare earth deposit in northern China could contain far more resources underground than currently reported, according to a leading Chinese geologist. Containing 100 million tonnes of rare earth reserves, the Bayan Obo mine in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region has served as the backbone of China’s rare earth industry for decades. According to Yang Li, a Peking University geologist, “Bayan Obo’s rare earth resources have been the dominant source of global rare earth... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3362108/chinas-rare-earth-reserves-could-be-much-larger-reported-leading-geologist https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3362108/chinas-rare-earth-reserves-could-be-much-larger-reported-leading-geologist Tue, 28 Jul 2026 08:00:12 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu China’s so-called K-shaped economy has attracted attention in recent months, as official data shows a disparity between the country’s fast-growing hi-tech industries and stagnant consumer sector. But a similar pattern is also taking shape geographically, with regions benefiting unequally from the tech boom. Chinese provinces have now released their growth data for the first half of the year, and the figures show a clear bifurcation between thriving tech hubs and the rest of the country. The... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3361751/chinas-k-shaped-economy-divided-not-just-sector-geography https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3361751/chinas-k-shaped-economy-divided-not-just-sector-geography Mon, 27 Jul 2026 03:00:05 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial That China has talent has long been well-recognised but that two home-grown elites were awarded the Fields Medal, seen as the Nobel Prize for mathematics, proves more than that. The success of Wang Hong and Deng Yu is a tribute to the multiplying benefits of education at home, learning abroad and collaboration across borders. In a world facing complex challenges, this is exactly the kind of intellectual synergy humanity needs more of. For the first time, China has produced two Fields laureates... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/comment/article/3361724/fields-medal-duo-triumph-chinese-education-global-collaboration https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/comment/article/3361724/fields-medal-duo-triumph-chinese-education-global-collaboration Fri, 24 Jul 2026 22:45:05 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong Two Peking University alumni made history by winning the Fields Medal this week, a victory spotlighting a broader wave of young high-achieving Chinese scientists rising to global prominence. The International Congress of Mathematicians announced on Thursday that Wang Hong and Deng Yu, both of whom entered the top Chinese university in 2007, were awarded the highest honour for mathematicians under 40. It is the first time Chinese nationals have received the prestigious award often called the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3361796/fields-medallists-highlight-new-wave-chinese-scientists-leading-global-research https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3361796/fields-medallists-highlight-new-wave-chinese-scientists-leading-global-research Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:00:55 +0000 Shi Huang Shi Huang Zhang Wei, former chairman of the chemistry department at the University of Colorado Boulder, has returned to China to join Great Bay University (GBU) as a full-time faculty member. Zhang, who will be the deputy dean and chair professor of GBU’s physical sciences school, attended a hiring ceremony at the university’s Songshan Lake campus in Dongguan, in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong on July 2. He was presented with the appointment letter by GBU president Tian Gang, who is also a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3360665/award-winning-chemist-zhang-wei-leaves-us-join-chinas-great-bay-university https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3360665/award-winning-chemist-zhang-wei-leaves-us-join-chinas-great-bay-university Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:00:08 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong Chinese researchers have developed a new all-optical interconnect system linking standard electronic chips, boosting AI distributed inference speeds by over 100 times while using just one-ninth of the typical computational resources. AI models are permeating ever more applications, expanding the industry’s appetite for computational power. The conventional response has been to pile on more GPUs and build ever-larger data centres in a seemingly endless race for energy and brute force. But a new... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3360328/chinas-optical-chip-breakthrough-boosts-ai-speed-100-fold-using-fraction-compute-power https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3360328/chinas-optical-chip-breakthrough-boosts-ai-speed-100-fold-using-fraction-compute-power Mon, 13 Jul 2026 06:00:12 +0000 SCMP SCMP Dozens of scientists and experts have left the United States and Britain to pursue their careers in China this year, citing several reasons including insufficient funding and a lack of opportunities for Chinese academics to lead projects in the West. We have put together 10 of them whose stories resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. ‘Impossible for Chinese’: Yale scientist Zhang Kai leaves US for China For Zhang Kai, a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3359883/10-scientists-and-experts-who-have-left-us-and-uk-china-so-far-2026 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3359883/10-scientists-and-experts-who-have-left-us-and-uk-china-so-far-2026 Fri, 10 Jul 2026 07:30:05 +0000 Meredith Chen Meredith Chen China’s reliance on imports for the most sophisticated scientific instruments could hold back the country’s use of AI in science, according to a leading Chinese researcher. Advanced equipment such as mass spectrometers was essential for generating the high-quality experimental data needed to develop, validate and improve advanced scientific models, Weinan E, a professor at Peking University’s mathematical sciences school, said at the “AI for Science” conference in Shanghai last week. “Without... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3359979/ai-science-and-risks-chinas-reliance-imported-precision-equipment https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3359979/ai-science-and-risks-chinas-reliance-imported-precision-equipment Fri, 10 Jul 2026 03:00:07 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, it confronts a new world order dominated by its relationship with China. In this wide-ranging series, we examine the pressure points and possibilities in those ties, from hard tech to soft power. Here, Dannie Peng looks at what is at stake amid the countries’ historic low in scientific collaboration. In late May, Zhang Ning, founder of TopEdit, a Maryland-based company that provides editing services for academic publications,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3359846/us-china-scientific-decoupling-hidden-costs-geopolitical-rivalry https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3359846/us-china-scientific-decoupling-hidden-costs-geopolitical-rivalry Wed, 08 Jul 2026 22:00:23 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A girl from a disadvantaged rural family in central China topped this year’s gaokao, attracting numerous live-streamers eager to finance her education, which she declined. The home of 18-year-old secondary school graduate Han Yaping in a Henan province village was recently bustling with live-streamers. This attention came after Han achieved an impressive score of 699 out of 750 in the gaokao, China’s national college entrance exam. She has received offers from China’s two leading universities,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3359786/low-income-chinese-girl-aces-gaokao-inspires-live-streamers-offering-financial-help https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3359786/low-income-chinese-girl-aces-gaokao-inspires-live-streamers-offering-financial-help Wed, 08 Jul 2026 01:02:04 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik Chinese scientists say they have developed a tiny computer chip capable of modelling complex brain structures in real time. According to its developers, this chip could not only transform diagnostics and treatment for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, but also boost the performance of brain-machine interfaces and assist surgeons. Researchers from Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported the breakthrough in a peer-reviewed study published in Science on Thursday,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3359408/chinese-scientists-brain-mimicking-chip-478-times-faster-nvidia-a100-gpu https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3359408/chinese-scientists-brain-mimicking-chip-478-times-faster-nvidia-a100-gpu Sat, 04 Jul 2026 11:30:06 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen Adaptability and partnerships between local authorities and private capital have fuelled the rapid ascent of China’s electric vehicle (EV) industry, not simply Beijing’s headline-grabbing industrial policy, according to a new study. As private EV makers in the world’s second-largest economy overtake state-owned carmakers and make formidable inroads into overseas markets, including Europe, the research found that Beijing’s industrial policy and subsidies played only a limited role in their... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3358784/chinas-ev-boom-driven-local-governments-not-beijings-industrial-policy-study-finds https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3358784/chinas-ev-boom-driven-local-governments-not-beijings-industrial-policy-study-finds Mon, 29 Jun 2026 23:30:05 +0000