News - South China Morning Post

China’s flagship sovereign wealth fund has revealed that it opened a representative office in London shortly after Donald Trump’s victory in last year’s US presidential election, a move made amid increased scrutiny of Chinese investments in the United States. The London office was officially registered in December 2024, with the mission of “advancing the company’s overseas investment business” and “promoting cross-border investment cooperation”, China Investment Corporation (CIC) said in its...

The administration of US President Donald Trump plans to order visa-exempt foreign tourists to disclose their social media histories from the last five years before entering the country, according to an official notice. The proposal laid out in a notice published on Tuesday in the Federal Register would apply to visitors from 42 countries, including Britain, France, Australia and Japan, who do not need a visa to enter the United States. Currently, those travellers only need to apply for a waiver...

Hong Kong home prices are likely to see up to a 5 per cent boost in 2026 on the back of mainland Chinese buyers, interest rate cuts and fewer unsold new flats, according to analysts. In addition, the stamp duty adjustment and Hong Kong’s resurgent stock market were also expected to help sustain stability in the city’s residential property market, according to JLL and Cushman & Wakefield. Those factors, JLL analysts said, were projected to help trim Hong Kong developers’ swollen inventory, which...

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 reveals radio clip heard before mid-air stand-off with Japan fighter jets China on Tuesday released more details about Saturday’s mid-air stand-off between Chinese and Japanese fighter jets, as the two sides traded barbs over the radar lock-on incident amid rising tensions. 2. How China pulled off a critical mineral tech revolution in just 10...

Democracies must be prepared to fight for freedom to survive, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado said on Wednesday, in a speech delivered by her daughter during a ceremony Machado could not attend. The Venezuelan opposition leader said that the prize held profound significance, not only for her country but for the world. “It reminds the world that democracy is essential to peace,” she said, via her daughter Ana Corina Sosa Machado. “And the most important lesson Venezuelans can...

Hong Kong’s largest political party has proposed five relief options for those displaced by the Tai Po fire, such as a government buy-back of ruined homes and community redevelopment, after gathering views from more than 1,000 Wang Fuk Court residents. The party’s 20 elected lawmakers and two of its district councillors on Wednesday met the city’s deputy financial secretary to submit the proposals, which the party chief said authorities would consider. “For all the proposed reparation and...

Chinese supercomputer maker Sugon and chip designer Hygon Information Technology have called off a planned mega-merger that had been under discussion for months, in a surprise move that could complicate the country’s tech self-sufficiency efforts in the semiconductor and high-performance computing sectors. The two Shanghai-listed companies late on Tuesday said they cancelled merger talks because “the market environment has changed significantly since the initial planning stages of this...

A former Nasa administrator has warned that America’s plan to return astronauts to the moon is technically unworkable, urging a much simpler approach – similar to China’s – as the only realistic way to stay ahead. Mike Griffin, a 76-year-old aerospace engineer who led Nasa during the George W. Bush administration, told Congress that the Artemis programme “cannot work” because it relies on an overly complex design and many unproven technologies. Under the current plan, the Artemis III mission...

China and the US are “peer powers” in Asia, as Beijing closes the gap in the region with Washington and records the highest diplomatic influence score among countries measured, an Australian think tank’s latest annual gauge indicates. According to the 2025 edition of the Sydney-based Lowy Institute’s Asia Power Index, the United States remains the most powerful nation in the region. However, its comprehensive power score fell to 80.5 out of 100 – the lowest since the rankings began in...

On December 4, India welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin with great pomp for a two-day state visit. The visit, the first since 2021, coincided with a huge India-Russia business forum and embodied the “special and privileged strategic partnership” between New Delhi and Moscow. The two sides discussed exporting US-sanctioned Russian oil and arms to India and agreed to boost trade, connectivity and joint manufacturing. Predictably, the visit upset the West and generated fresh tensions in...

A 2026 calendar issued by a North Korean publisher for Chinese tourists features a new beach resort on the country’s east coast, a copy obtained by Kyodo News showed on Wednesday. The Wonsan Kalma tourist area with hotels and leisure facilities was launched in the summer, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visiting there in July for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Before North Korea shut its borders in early 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many Chinese tourists had...

As Japan continues to battle record numbers of bear attacks, a robot wolf invented to scare the animals away has become a surprise hit, with inquiries for the product tripling in recent months. The faux fur-clad Monster Wolf, developed by Hokkaido-based precision machining company Ohta Seiki, may not look realistic – it was initially mocked for its “foolish” appearance – but has proven its effectiveness since it was first released in 2016, according to Kyodo news agency. When the robot wolf’s...

Alibaba Group Holding named its cloud unit’s technology officer Zhou Jingren, who also leads its artificial intelligence lab Tongyi and the development of its Qwen AI models, as a new member of the group in charge of steering the business empire, according to people briefed about the decision. Alibaba has not updated the information on its official website. The Alibaba Partnership had 17 members before the addition, including co-founders Jack Ma and Joe Tsai as permanent ones. Alibaba did not...

The wife of Chinese AI giant SenseTime’s late co‑founder has established an education and charity foundation in Hong Kong, donating HK$20 million (US$2.57 million) in the name of the couple to set up scholarships at several universities and establish a professorship. Sophie Yang Qiumei, a managing director and adviser to the CEO at the Hong Kong stock exchange and who inherited a stake worth more than US$1 billion in SenseTime from her husband last year, launched the Sophie and Sean Foundation...

At least 22 people were killed late on Tuesday after two buildings collapsed in Fez, one of Morocco’s oldest cities and a key tourist destination, with the state broadcaster saying the blocks had shown signs of cracking. Local authorities in Fez prefecture reported two adjacent four-storey buildings had collapsed overnight, state news agency MAP said. The buildings were inhabited by eight families and were in the Al-Mustaqbal neighbourhood, a densely populated area in the west of the city, it...

About half of the more than 40 artworks created by mentally disabled students in Hong Kong have been sold at an exhibition organised by an eminent charity and leading auction house Christie’s. Hong Chi Association, which serves people with intellectual disabilities, partnered for the first time with art and luxury auction house Christie’s on the four-day show at The Henderson in Central, which runs until Friday. The exhibition, titled “Colours of Community: Art in Motion”, features more than 40...

Hong Kong police have arrested a man suspected of posing as a victim of the city’s deadliest fire in decades and scamming nearly HK$20,000 (US$2,600) in financial aid from several social welfare organisations. The 36-year-old suspect allegedly obtained a copy of another man’s identity card and used it to successfully apply for an “emergency relief chit”, commonly known as a “victim’s certificate”, issued by the Social Welfare Department. The certificate serves as proof of eligibility for fire...

The body of the last Thai national held hostage in Gaza since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel was returned home on Wednesday, Thailand’s foreign ministry said. The remains of Sudthisak Rinthalak arrived at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport from Tel Aviv, ministry official Jeerasak Pomsuwan said more than two years after the attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Sudthisak was 43 and working in agriculture in southern Israel when he was killed on the day of the Hamas attack. His body...

South Korea has rejected Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s renewed claim to disputed islets in the East Sea, setting off the latest round of diplomatic friction over one of the region’s most enduring territorial disputes. A senior official at the presidential office in Seoul said on Tuesday there was no ambiguity about who controlled the rocky outcrops – known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan – describing them as “an integral part of Korean territory historically,...

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto has revived debate over how the country chooses its regional leaders by using a major gathering of his governing coalition to urge political elites to “be brave” and consider scrapping direct elections. Prabowo and his supporters argue that shifting to indirect regional elections would cut wasteful spending and curb vote buying, but analysts and activists warn that abandoning direct polls would undercut democratic accountability and risk reversing hard-won...

French President Emmanuel Macron’s three-day visit to China last week signals a recalibration in how China and Europe engage at a moment when technological competition, trade disputes, climate imperatives and geopolitical fragmentation threaten global stability. Macron met enthusiastic students at Sichuan University; French first lady Brigitte Macron visited the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. The trip fostered economic collaboration between the two countries and deliberately...

Malaysian lawyers have accused Malacca police of acting unlawfully after a skirt-wearing mother and daughter were barred from entering a station to report a car accident, reigniting debate over censorious standards applied to how women dress in government buildings. The pair were involved in a car accident but turned away from a Jasin district police station on Monday as they attempted to make a report. Malacca state police chief Dzulkhairi Mukhtar has defended his officer’s action “due to...

An anonymous collector of Hong Kong art has donated a “transformative” trove of 131 artworks to the Vancouver Art Gallery in Canada in a move that elevates the international profile of Hong Kong art. The collection, titled Art Continuum Hong Kong (ACHK), was assembled over three decades by a Hong Kong-based collector, the museum said on December 8. The works by 78 artists have been added to the gallery’s permanent collection. Diana Freundl, the Vancouver Art Gallery’s senior curator, who helped...

South Korea will require advertisers to label their ads made with AI technologies from next year as it seeks to curb a surge of deceptive promotions featuring fabricated experts or deepfake videos and audio of celebrities endorsing food or pharmaceutical products on social media. Following a policy meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Wednesday, officials said they will ramp up screening and removal of problematic AI-generated ads and impose punitive fines, citing growing risks to...

China is willing to work with Southeast Asian countries to manage maritime disputes in the South China Sea and build a fair and just maritime order, a senior Chinese diplomat has said. Speaking in Sanya on the southern island province of Hainan, Sun Weidong, the vice-minister of foreign affairs, also hit out at the recent remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who suggested last month that an attack on Taiwan by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) might qualify as a...

Nio’s lidar supplier Seyond Holdings debuted on the Hong Kong stock exchange on Wednesday, through a de-SPAC transaction, merging with special purpose acquisition company TechStar Acquisition and raising a total of HK$1.03 billion (US$132.4 million). The Silicon Valley-based company, which designs, develops and produces light detecting and ranging sensors for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), saw its shares – issued at HK$10 each – jump as high as HK$17.30 in morning trading before...

A female bodyguard, assigned by the Chinese government to protect the French first lady during her official visit with her husband to China in early December, went viral on social media for her tough and professional demeanour. Known by her pseudonym, Yan Yuexia is referred to by Chinese internet users as “the most beautiful bodyguard,” although her appearance is one of many strengths, as reported by the news portal The Paper. While Brigitte Macron took part in public events in Beijing and...

A joint patrol by Chinese and Russian nuclear-capable bombers near Japanese airspace is a serious national security concern, the country’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has said. In a social media post on Tuesday, Koizumi wrote that two Russian Tu-95 bombers had rendezvoused with two Chinese H-6 bombers over the East China Sea. These aircraft then conducted a joint flight around Japan from the airspace between Okinawa’s main island and Miyako Island in the Ryukyu chain to the waters off...

Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki has cancelled her concert in Macau next month amid tense diplomatic relations between Beijing and Tokyo, with the decision following the axing of her December show in Shanghai. The singer-songwriter announced the decision on her Instagram page on Tuesday, saying she apologised to everyone hoping to see her perform in the gaming hub. “My entire team and I will no longer be able to bring you the performance,” she said. “I sincerely apologise to everyone who was...

A Hong Kong police officer has been found guilty of unlawfully terminating 10 criminal investigations by using forged statements as proof that the complainants had agreed to withdraw their cases. The District Court on Wednesday convicted Detective Constable Wong Yiu-chung of forgery and misconduct in public office, finding that the 34-year-old had dishonestly obtained his supervisors’ approval to close the inquiries between November 2022 and July 2023. The court rejected the defence’s argument...

In a sign that tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have spilled over to other countries, Thais in South Korea have been warned to avoid areas with large Cambodian communities after a bar brawl that left two men injured. Four Thai men were attacked at a karaoke bar in the Mokpo Daebul district in South Jeolla province when they revealed their nationality to a group of around 15 to 20 Cambodian men, The Nation reported. It is not known when the incident happened. The Cambodians reportedly...

Moore Threads Technology is set to launch its latest graphics processing unit (GPU) architecture next week, fresh from the Chinese artificial intelligence chip designer’s stellar trading debut last Friday in Shanghai. Founder, chairman and CEO Zhang Jianzhong will unveil the Beijing-based firm’s fifth-generation GPU architecture during its inaugural MUSA Developer Conference on December 19 and 20 in the nation’s capital, according to the company’s latest post on WeChat. MUSA refers to the firm’s...

After more than a decade of false starts, India and the European Union appear closer than ever to clinching a free-trade agreement, buoyed by renewed political will and converging economic interests despite lingering tensions over carbon taxes and Russia. Analysts say the breakthrough may be near following a fresh round of high-level talks in New Delhi that injected new urgency into negotiations that have been stuck in procedural drift for years. Both sides are seeking to secure supply chains...

Johnson Wen – the man who grabbed singer-actress Ariana Grande at the Asia premiere of Wicked: For Good in Singapore and was subsequently jailed – was kicked out of Lady Gaga’s concert venue in Brisbane, Australia, on Tuesday. Videos taken by fans at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium show Wen, who also goes by Pyjama Man, being escorted out of the venue before the start of the concert. It is unclear if the 26-year-old Australian citizen had intended to disrupt Lady Gaga’s concert. Wen, however, has a...

There are few truly global hubs in the world. London is one. New York is another. But neither of them connect East and West quite like Hong Kong. I visited the city last week as part of the inaugural UK Investment Conference and saw first-hand the energy and resilience that define this city. That makes the recent tragedy in Tai Po all the more heartbreaking. My message to the people of Hong Kong after this deadly fire is this: we offer our profound sympathy to all those whose lives and...

Flat owners affected by Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades will each receive HK$100,000 (US$12,850) from authorities, a senior government official has said, while announcing that funds raised for survivors have reached HK$3.4 billion. Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing said on Wednesday that many owners had lost rental income when seven out of the eight blocks at Wang Fuk Court were ruined in the fire last month that killed at least 160 people. “During our visits to those affected,...

Hong Kong authorities have received more than 100 permit applications on the first day from mainland Chinese car owners seeking to drive directly into the city’s urban areas after bookings opened under a much-awaited cross-border entry scheme. The applications came from 1,700 winners of a November 23 ballot conducted by the Guangdong authorities, which drew 2,388 registrations, the Transport Department said on Wednesday. After initial reviews by mainland authorities, the applications will be...

A faction of BTS member Jungkook’s fans staged a protest truck demonstration in front of Hybe’s headquarters in Seoul on Wednesday, criticising the singer over recent dating speculation involving Aespa member Winter. According to photos and witness accounts shared online, the truck displayed messages accusing Jungkook of misleading fans and damaging the group’s image. The LED signs included phrases such as “erase the couple tattoo or step back from BTS activities”, “Are you in your right mind...

China’s economy is projected to grow by 5 per cent in 2025 before slowing to 4.5 per cent in 2026, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday, offering a slightly more upbeat outlook underscoring its view of the country’s resilience despite persistent trade frictions. The annual assessment released on Wednesday showed an upwards revision of 0.2 and 0.3 percentage points from the IMF’s October forecast, as the world’s second-largest economy rolled out stimulus measures and faced...

We have put together stories from our coverage on electric and new energy vehicles from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Tesla affirms confidence in Chinese partners, repudiates supplier ban Tesla does not exclude suppliers based on their country of origin as the US electric-vehicle (EV) maker applies unified and rigorous standards in selecting vendors from around the globe, according to a senior...