Latest news on Hong Kong, China, Asia and the world | South China Morning Post

William Pesek

Opinion | Why Biden won’t beat China by out-Trumping Trump on trade tariffs

20 May 2024 - 8:30PM

Chris Fitzgerald

Opinion | Why China should step up aid to Afghanistan

20 May 2024 - 4:35PM

Alice Wu

Opinion | Hong Kong civil servants should get their pay rises, within limits

20 May 2024 - 10:58AM

David Dodwell

Inside Out | Western concerns about Chinese oversupplies are woefully misplaced

19 May 2024 - 8:30PM

Mike Rowse

Opinion | What kind of hi-tech tourism hub has taxis that can’t take card payments?

19 May 2024 - 3:30PM

Mark Hinnells

Opinion | Hong Kong can take a leaf out of the EU’s book on decarbonising buildings

19 May 2024 - 12:42PM

MULTIMEDIA

Video

What challenges await new Taiwan leader William Lai?

05:06

Video

Beijing says Taiwan’s new leader sent ‘dangerous signals’ at inauguration

01:10

Video

Who will be Iran’s next president?

02:07

Infographics

A visual history of China’s Communist Party

News

Australasia

Australia, New Zealand scramble to evacuate tourists from riot-hit New Caledonia

Six people have been killed and the unrest has left a trail of burnt businesses and cars and looted shops, with road barricades restricting access to medicine and food.

New Caledonia’s main airport remains closed to commercial flights, stranding thousands amid a week of deadly riots
Six people have been killed and the unrest has left a trail of burnt-out cars and shops, with road barricades restricting access to medicine and food

19 minutes agovideocam

Education

University of Hong Kong probes use of fake documents to join business school

21 May 2024 - 1:11PM

China Business

Chinese nuclear power firm starts work on nation’s largest offshore solar farm

33 minutes agovideocam

United States & Canada

Banned China supplier with forced labour ties used to import cars to US: report

A US congressional probe found carmakers BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and Volkswagen had used components from a Chinese supplier banned in the United States over alleged forced labour ties.

42 minutes ago

The Chinese flag behind razor wire at a housing compound in Yangisar, south of Kashgar, in China’s western Xinjiang region.. PhotoL AFP/Badung Police

United States & Canada

Trump social media account shares video mentioning ‘unified reich’

A video posted by Donald Trump’s Truth Social account shows hypothetical headlines speaking of a ‘unified reich’ if he wins the 2024 presidential election.

45 minutes ago

Politics

Hong Kong slams UK group over ‘despicable’ moves to intimidate city officials

Government calls Hong Kong Watch an ‘anti-China organisation’ bent on ‘destabilising’ city and urges public not to be misled by their ‘ulterior motives’.

8 minutes ago

Diplomacy

After talks with China, Benin eases oil export ban against Niger

Meetings with Chinese delegation lead to relief in trade row between African neighbours, signalling Beijing’s growing role as a mediator on the continent, analysts say.

1 hour agovideocam

A pipeline built and funded by a Chinese state-owned petroleum company links an oilfield in landlocked Niger to a port in neighbouring Benin. Photo: X/ @benjimk

Lifestyle & Culture

‘I’m really angry’: Japan’s bonsai growers step up security amid rising thefts

Nurseries and the police suspect the thieves are stealing to order for unscrupulous collectors in China, Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

43 minutes ago

Economic Indicators

China overcapacity at local levels has underpinned economy for decades: analysts

The tsunami of new-energy manufacturing flooding the industry is not the first time a wave of Chinese goods has forced institutional upheavals and left foreign firms with little room to compete.

1 hour ago

United States & Canada

UN Security Council rejects Russia bid to ban weapons in space

US envoy accuses Russia of diplomatic gaslighting after launching a new ‘counterspace weapon’.

2 hours ago

A Soyuz-2.1b rocket carrying spacecrafts for the Russian Defence Ministry launching last week. Photo: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP

Transport

Hong Kong’s leader warns cabbies against targeting Uber with sting operations

City leader John Lee calls for calm amid ‘divergent views’ over regulation of ride-hailing services, says transport authorities to unveil industry study after July.

1 hour ago

Cabbies recently went undercover as Uber passengers in a bid to report suspected illegal ride-hailing services. Photo: May Tse

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong to host ‘1 mega event every 2 days’ as city adds 60 more to line-up

City leader John Lee says this year’s lineup of 210 mega events is expected to bring in about 1.7 million travellers, adding HK$4.3 billion to economy.

2 hours ago

United States & Canada

OpenAI pauses ChatGPT voice ‘eerily similar’ to Scarlett Johansson

Movie star Scarlett Johansson said she was ‘shocked’ by an OpenAI synthetic voice that sounds like her, which was released after she declined to work with the ChatGPT-maker on such a project.

3 hours ago

Explained

Explainer | How Ebrahim Raisi’s death could affect Iran’s leadership and regional ties

Tehran has stressed political continuity, even as analysts caution that a ‘harsh struggle’ is expected in the race to become Iran’s next president.

3 hours agovideocam

Iranians gather in Tehran on Monday to mourn the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Photo: Zuma Press Wire/dpa

Environment

Fears for ‘panda dogs’ in China zoo dyed black and white to look like bears

A pair of dogs in China have had their coats artificially coloured to resemble pandas so that a zoo can attract more visitors, sparking accusations of animal cruelty.

4 hours ago

A zoo in China is facing allegations of animal cruelty for putting dyed dogs on display which look like, but are not, Giant Pandas. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo/163.com

Hong Kong economy

Uber vs Hong Kong taxis: why is the government allowing the quarrel to fester?

Government reluctant to enter fray as vested interests want to protect financial value of taxi licences, economist says, while others argue pool of passengers big enough to keep both types of drivers earning.

2 hours ago

Society

Hong Kong issues amber rainstorm warning on Tuesday amid week of wet weather

Hong Kong Observatory also issues thunderstorm warning at 9.30am that is expected to last until noon.

2 hours ago

Curated collections of our most-read stories, in-depth documentaries and more

Banking & Finance

Xi’s appointments underscore his policy priorities as economy slows

China’s government promoted Yi Huiman, the chairman of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), to head of the securities regulator to help steer the stock market toward an avenue for fundraising.

30 Jan 2019 - 9:54AM

Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, visits a farm in Jiansanjiang in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province on September 25, 2018. Xi was on an inspection tour of the region as China has slapped tariffs on US agricultural imports and looked to increase farming self-sufficiency amid a growing trade war with the United States. Photo: Xinhua

Companies

Son of Hong Kong's ‘Superman’ tycoon reinvests in home town

Analysts say Victor Li, who has been frustrated by his attempts to acquire overseas assets because of protectionism, trade disputes and rising interest rates, has once again started looking at Hong Kong’s property market for reasonable returns on its investments.

3 Apr 2019 - 9:47AM

Companies

Sun Hung Kai pays US$1.43 billion for fourth Kai Tak runway plot

23 Jan 2019 - 11:31PM

Companies

China pharma has a bitter pill to swallow: R&D

Beijing wants cheaper, better drugs. That’s pressuring drug makers to innovate as generics become more competitive.

19 Jan 2019 - 12:40PM

Beijing has moved to cut prices of drugs and improve their efficacy and safety. Here a woman works at the pharmacy of a state-owned hospital in a town in Hebei province, China, in this photo taken in 2008.