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Sweden

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Sweden. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Stockholm

Head of State

King Carl XVI Gustaf

Head of Government

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson

A “sky garage” in a luxury condominium in Bangkok. Photo: Richmont’s, Christie’s International Real Estate

Malaysia

Southeast Asia’s rich buy sky garages while the middle class lose their homes

As wealthy buyers seek penthouses with living-room supercar parking, struggling families battle banks to keep a roof overhead.

13 Dec 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

Banking & finance

Hong Kong needs to attract global champions to broaden fundraising base: FSDC

12 Dec 2025 - 5:30PM

China trade

Explainer | As China’s companies become industry leaders, where in the world are they going?

11 Dec 2025 - 11:21AMvideocam

China trade

Explainer | From railways to Labubus: how China Inc. went on a 50-year trip abroad

Chinese companies have steadily expanded their global reach over the past half-century, but it has been a winding, often turbulent journey.

11 Dec 2025 - 11:21AMvideocam

A container is unloaded onto a truck at a port in Kenya. The expansion of the port and a connecting railway was undertaken with Chinese support. Photo: Xinhua

North Korea

North Korea unveils new missiles, angles for Russian jets amid Ukraine war deal

Analysts say the event served a dual purpose: grooming Kim’s potential successor and angling for Russian jets as payment for Ukraine war aid.

2 Dec 2025 - 11:27AMvideocam

The Philippines

Why Russia is targeting the Philippines with Ukraine mercenary claims

As Moscow wages an information war far from the battlefields of Ukraine, an improbable front has opened up in Southeast Asia.

1 Dec 2025 - 4:02PM

India

India’s looming BrahMos missile deal with Indonesia challenges US-China binary

New Delhi is emerging as a serious alternative security partner for Southeast Asia, offering hi-tech arms without ‘hegemonic baggage’.

1 Dec 2025 - 3:51PM

A Indian naval officer walks past a BrahMos weapon systems during a rehearsal for a Republic Day parade in New Delhi, India, on January 20. Photo: Reuters

Singapore

Singapore becomes Plan B for Chinese travellers giving Japan a wide berth

Beijing’s call to boycott Japan after Sanae Takaichi’s remarks is benefiting Southeast Asian countries, travel agents say.

30 Nov 2025 - 9:30AM

Malaysia

From Singapore to Malaysia, tech firms double down on AI despite bubble fears

Bubble bursting? Not here. Meet the regional founders who see a potential global AI crash as a ‘healthy’ correction.

28 Nov 2025 - 5:30PM

South Korea

Seoul sanctions Prince Group chairman Chen Zhi in Cambodia crime crackdown

Chen Zhi, the chairman of the Prince Group, is accused of overseeing scam compounds that detained dozens of South Koreans.

27 Nov 2025 - 5:10PMvideocam

Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi. Photo: Prince Holding Group

Fashion

8 viral tote bags: Emily Ratajkowski’s Daunt Books tote and more

Trader Joe’s micro bags have brought totes into the conversation again – here are a few that have taken off and are gaining cult status.

26 Nov 2025 - 2:00PM

Emily Ratajkowski with a Daunt Books tote. Photo: Getty Images

Asean

Widodo hails Southeast Asia’s rise as ‘global force’ in entrepreneurship

Former Indonesian leader says the next unicorn could emerge from Southeast Asia and urges the region to prepare for an ‘intelligent economy’.

21 Nov 2025 - 7:17PMvideocam

Asean

Why Asean’s AI ambition may lead to widening economic and tech divide

While countries such as Singapore and Malaysia are ahead in the AI race, others like Cambodia and Laos risk being left behind, analysts say.

21 Nov 2025 - 5:31PM

United States

Outside In | Trump’s G20 boycott sums up a year of US attacks on multilateralism

Despite the duress, most countries clearly do not prefer Trumpian unilateralism. But while multilateralism is not dead, it is limping badly.

21 Nov 2025 - 9:15PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump speaks to media aboard Air Force One on November 14, while in flight from Washington to West Palm Beach International Airport. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

Singapore

Singapore PM hopes China, Japan ‘find ways to resolve’ Taiwan Strait row

Lawrence Wong cites the example of Southeast Asia and Japan, who have ‘put history aside’ and are moving forward.

20 Nov 2025 - 12:59AMvideocam

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during an event earlier this month. Wong has noted that Japan seems inclined to stabilise ties with China and not escalate matters. Photo: EPA/Singapore’s Ministry of Digital Development and Information

Hong Kong politics

Advisory panel urges US Congress to put Hong Kong on tighter sanctions leash

Report says government’s ongoing crackdown on dissidents ‘has eliminated a once vibrant civil society and created an atmosphere of repression comparable to mainland China’.

18 Nov 2025 - 4:26PM

SCMP Highlights

Malaysia-Singapore crossing brawl, climate crisis in focus: 7 Asia highlights

From a Bangladesh court sentencing Hasina to a Muslim trans woman’s secret, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

18 Nov 2025 - 12:41PM

Asia housing and property

The View | An AI-fuelled data centre bubble in the making? Not in Asia

Asia provides strong reassurance that the AI boom is not the only factor driving development and investment in data centres.

17 Nov 2025 - 4:30PMvideocam

A visitor observes a miniature model of data cabins for an undersea data centre in Lingshui, in south Hainan province, on September 25. Photo: Xinhua

Japan

Japan battles drug crisis as youths get hooked on ‘zombie cigarettes’

The etomidate-laced vapes are spreading via social media, prompting nationwide vigilance and crackdowns on trafficking.

16 Nov 2025 - 3:05PMvideocam

Malaysia

Malaysia’s start-ups shiver through a venture capital deep freeze

Global risk capital has fled Asia, with the region’s entrepreneurs left to fight over a dwindling pool of funds.

15 Nov 2025 - 3:00PM

Nepal

Asian Angle | Nepal found out what Thailand already knew: digital repression is risky

The tactics vary, from Myanmar’s internet blackouts to Indonesia’s subtler control, but the results are the same: resentment and resistance.

15 Nov 2025 - 1:00PMvideocam

Protesters burn tyres in Kathmandu earlier this year. Following the protests over social media bans and government corruption, Nepal lifted its restrictions. Photo: AFP

Climate change

Climate collapse: Southeast Asia’s new normal?

With a 30th year of Cop climate talks under way in Brazil, for many of Asia’s most vulnerable populations, the crisis is already here.

21 Nov 2025 - 6:58AM

Nordic nations

3 killed as Stockholm bus slams into pedestrians

Rescuers were seen crouched under the double-decker vehicle, appearing to help people trapped underneath.

15 Nov 2025 - 6:00AM

Singapore

How Singapore’s green shipping vision is gaining traction, with China’s help

The deal with China will boost maritime decarbonisation and allow Singapore to build a strong supply chain with alternative fuels, analysts say.

14 Nov 2025 - 11:43AM

South Korea

Will Japan and South Korea join Aukus, co-develop nuclear submarines with US?

With US approval for Seoul to develop nuclear submarines, Aukus become a more expansive Indo-Pacific defence network.

13 Nov 2025 - 4:36PM

The nuclear-powered USS Annapolis submarine taking part in an anti-submarine exercise held by South Korea, the US and Japan in international waters off the Korean peninsula in 2023. Photo: AFP/South Korean Defence Ministry

Asean

Opinion | How Asean quietly became China’s buffer against US tariffs

China and Asean now have a lawful way to cushion tariffs by shifting where value is added, how it is recorded and which standards to meet.

12 Nov 2025 - 4:30PMvideocam

China’s Premier Li Qiang (far left) and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (far right), witness the signing ceremony for the Asean-China Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol by China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and Malaysia’s Minister of Investment Abdul Aziz in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Octover 28. Photo: AP

Britain

Chinese ‘super villain’ jailed in UK for US$6.4 billion bitcoin fraud

Qian Zhimin and her assistant Seng Hok Ling are jailed after the largest bitcoin seizure ever by British police.

15 Nov 2025 - 8:05AMvideocam

Singapore

Singapore-based AI start-ups draw most funding in Southeast Asia: report

A total of 495 AI start-ups secured US$1.31 billion in funding in Singapore in the first half of this year.

11 Nov 2025 - 8:10PMvideocam

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Sweden

Southeast Asia’s rich buy sky garages while the middle class lose their homes

As wealthy buyers seek penthouses with living-room supercar parking, struggling families battle banks to keep a roof overhead.

Hong Kong needs to attract global champions to broaden fundraising base: FSDC

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Explainer | As China’s companies become industry leaders, where in the world are they going?

Explainer | From railways to Labubus: how China Inc. went on a 50-year trip abroad

Chinese companies have steadily expanded their global reach over the past half-century, but it has been a winding, often turbulent journey.

North Korea unveils new missiles, angles for Russian jets amid Ukraine war deal

Analysts say the event served a dual purpose: grooming Kim’s potential successor and angling for Russian jets as payment for Ukraine war aid.

Why Russia is targeting the Philippines with Ukraine mercenary claims

As Moscow wages an information war far from the battlefields of Ukraine, an improbable front has opened up in Southeast Asia.

India’s looming BrahMos missile deal with Indonesia challenges US-China binary

New Delhi is emerging as a serious alternative security partner for Southeast Asia, offering hi-tech arms without ‘hegemonic baggage’.

Singapore becomes Plan B for Chinese travellers giving Japan a wide berth

Beijing’s call to boycott Japan after Sanae Takaichi’s remarks is benefiting Southeast Asian countries, travel agents say.

From Singapore to Malaysia, tech firms double down on AI despite bubble fears

Bubble bursting? Not here. Meet the regional founders who see a potential global AI crash as a ‘healthy’ correction.

Seoul sanctions Prince Group chairman Chen Zhi in Cambodia crime crackdown

Chen Zhi, the chairman of the Prince Group, is accused of overseeing scam compounds that detained dozens of South Koreans.

8 viral tote bags: Emily Ratajkowski’s Daunt Books tote and more

Trader Joe’s micro bags have brought totes into the conversation again – here are a few that have taken off and are gaining cult status.

Widodo hails Southeast Asia’s rise as ‘global force’ in entrepreneurship

Former Indonesian leader says the next unicorn could emerge from Southeast Asia and urges the region to prepare for an ‘intelligent economy’.

Why Asean’s AI ambition may lead to widening economic and tech divide

While countries such as Singapore and Malaysia are ahead in the AI race, others like Cambodia and Laos risk being left behind, analysts say.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Outside In | Trump’s G20 boycott sums up a year of US attacks on multilateralism

Despite the duress, most countries clearly do not prefer Trumpian unilateralism. But while multilateralism is not dead, it is limping badly.

Singapore PM hopes China, Japan ‘find ways to resolve’ Taiwan Strait row

Lawrence Wong cites the example of Southeast Asia and Japan, who have ‘put history aside’ and are moving forward.

Advisory panel urges US Congress to put Hong Kong on tighter sanctions leash

Report says government’s ongoing crackdown on dissidents ‘has eliminated a once vibrant civil society and created an atmosphere of repression comparable to mainland China’.

Malaysia-Singapore crossing brawl, climate crisis in focus: 7 Asia highlights

From a Bangladesh court sentencing Hasina to a Muslim trans woman’s secret, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

The View | An AI-fuelled data centre bubble in the making? Not in Asia

Asia provides strong reassurance that the AI boom is not the only factor driving development and investment in data centres.

Japan battles drug crisis as youths get hooked on ‘zombie cigarettes’

The etomidate-laced vapes are spreading via social media, prompting nationwide vigilance and crackdowns on trafficking.

Malaysia’s start-ups shiver through a venture capital deep freeze

Global risk capital has fled Asia, with the region’s entrepreneurs left to fight over a dwindling pool of funds.

Asian Angle | Nepal found out what Thailand already knew: digital repression is risky

The tactics vary, from Myanmar’s internet blackouts to Indonesia’s subtler control, but the results are the same: resentment and resistance.

Climate collapse: Southeast Asia’s new normal?

With a 30th year of Cop climate talks under way in Brazil, for many of Asia’s most vulnerable populations, the crisis is already here.

3 killed as Stockholm bus slams into pedestrians

Rescuers were seen crouched under the double-decker vehicle, appearing to help people trapped underneath.

How Singapore’s green shipping vision is gaining traction, with China’s help

The deal with China will boost maritime decarbonisation and allow Singapore to build a strong supply chain with alternative fuels, analysts say.

Will Japan and South Korea join Aukus, co-develop nuclear submarines with US?

With US approval for Seoul to develop nuclear submarines, Aukus become a more expansive Indo-Pacific defence network.

Opinion | How Asean quietly became China’s buffer against US tariffs

China and Asean now have a lawful way to cushion tariffs by shifting where value is added, how it is recorded and which standards to meet.

Chinese ‘super villain’ jailed in UK for US$6.4 billion bitcoin fraud

Qian Zhimin and her assistant Seng Hok Ling are jailed after the largest bitcoin seizure ever by British police.

Singapore-based AI start-ups draw most funding in Southeast Asia: report

A total of 495 AI start-ups secured US$1.31 billion in funding in Singapore in the first half of this year.

Explainer | As China’s companies become industry leaders, where in the world are they going?

Outside In | Trump’s G20 boycott sums up a year of US attacks on multilateralism