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The Ministry of Commerce says it will work with other Chinese regulators to assess whether Meta’s acquisition of Manus complies with the country’s export controls and technology transfer rules. Photo: Shutterstock

Review of Meta-Manus deal underscores China’s tightening grip on AI exports

AI agent start-up may face half a year of regulatory checks on data security, dual-use technologies and overseas investment rules: analysts.

Meta-Manus probe shows risks to China’s AI boom

Artificial intelligence
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Military

How PLA could use ‘decapitation’ strike to counter Taiwan’s ‘porcupine’ strategy

Mainland Chinese military magazine warns of ‘threat’ posed by island’s asymmetric warfare plan and calls for multipronged response.

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Banking & Finance

What does HSBC’s buyout of Hang Seng Bank mean for its future and investors?

HSBC’s historic US$13.6 billion buyout of Hang Seng Bank aims to cut costs, tackle bad debts and fuel growth, but challenges abound.

Diplomacy

US government abandons plan to blacklist Chinese-made drones

Commerce Department, FCC make U-turn after barring imports of new Chinese drone models in December to address national security concerns.

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Lifestyle
Those born in the Year of the Horse can expect a turbulent Year of the Horse, with good wealth prospects mixed with less luck predicted in the areas of health and romance. Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Why the Year of the Horse will be a profitable but turbulent one for Horses

Science

China-led team replicates human embryo ‘invasion’ of the womb for the first time

Scientists create a ‘mini-womb’ 3D model on a microfluidic chip which could lead to treatments for women affected by infertility.

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A China-led team has created the world’s first mini-womb 3D model on a microfluidic chip which could help women struggling with fertility to get pregnant. Photo: Getty Images
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Diplomacy

Trump-Xi diplomacy put to test thanks to contentious tit-for-tat Covid lawsuits

Unpaid billions of dollars in judgments against China sucks US State Department into escalating legal dispute, but Beijing remains defiant.

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Lifestyle & Culture

‘No taste’: Malaysia’s Life of Pi and Squid Game artists warn against AI rush

After viewers slammed AI-enhanced films for looking ‘cheap’, local experts warn that algorithms serve profit, not storytelling.

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Business

The secret ingredient in your daily life: why Malaysian palm oil is used around the world

Found everywhere from food products to biofuel, this vegetable oil is preferred for its versatility, safety and sustainable production.

In partnership with:
MPOC
Palm oil is a versatile ingredient found in a wide range of everyday items, from ice cream and cake to lipstick and biofuel.

Economics

India overtakes Japan in economic size – while prosperity trails far behind

Becoming the No 4 economy is a source of pride. Now, the race is on to turn statistical success into 8 million new jobs a year.

Shoppers walk along a street illuminated with decorative lights ahead of New Year celebrations in Bengaluru, India, last month. Photo: AFP

Big Tech

The great chip leap: China’s semiconductor equipment self-reliance beats targets

Domestic suppliers capture 35 per cent share as China accelerates push for semiconductor self-sufficiency.

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Americas

Greenland parliament tells US: ‘We do not want to be Americans’

In a joint statement, the island’s political parties condemned the US’ ‘disdain’ – as Trump says he’s prepared to do things ‘the hard way’.

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Politics

North Korea revives drone claims in rebuff to Seoul’s outreach

Analysts dismiss the ‘implausible’ breach involving low-tech devices as a ploy, backing Seoul’s denial that its military was involved.

An image released by North Korean state media that claims to show one of the drones Pyongyang’s military said it had intercepted from South Korea. Photo: KCNA/Handout

Lifestyle & Culture

Meow arriving: Japan railway’s newest cat stationmaster clocks in

Yontama is the third cat to become stationmaster on the Kishigawa Line in Wakayama prefecture after the death of her predecessor last year.

Newly appointed cat stationmaster Yontama is held by Wakayama Electric Railway President Mitsunobu Kojima on Wednesday, in Kinokawa, Wakayama prefecture, Japan. Photo: Kyodo

United States & Canada

Video shot by ICE agent as he killed Minnesota woman emerges, raising tensions

State officials are conducting their own investigation after the FBI refused to cooperate and share evidence.

Diplomacy

How far is China willing to help Cuba in face of increasing US pressure?

The Trump administration has turned the spotlight onto Havana after the abduction of former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

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United States & Canada

Trump ‘cancelled’ second Venezuela attack after prisoner release

Trump made the comments as he prepared to meet major oil corporations that he said will invest at least US$100 billion in Venezuela.

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US President Donald Trump gestures as he addresses House Republicans in Washington on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Europe

Will X be banned in the UK? Elon Musk hits back at shutdown warnings

Despite an outcry over AI abuse images, Musk called the warnings ‘censorship’ and reposted threats to sanction Britain if X is blocked.

Elon Musk’s website X faces the threat of being shut down in Britain over deepfake pornography and child abuse images. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS

Science

US House lawmakers abandon bid to bring back controversial China Initiative

Advocacy groups hail decision to remove provision aiming to reinstate programme accused of unfairly targeting Chinese-American researchers.

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Middle East

Trump says protest-hit Iran in ‘big trouble’, again threatens military strike

The US president warned that ‘we’ll start shooting too’, if the authorities kill demonstrators.

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OPINION
Chenfei Zhu

Being Chinese | Where do lonely hearts in China go now? Late-night live streams

Chenfei Zhu
Letters

Letters | 5 years on, digital banks are taking root in Hong Kong

Letters
Wee Kek Koon

Reflections | How ancient Chinese dental practices were often similar to those used today

Wee Kek Koon
Ian Brownlee

Opinion | Northern Metropolis can combine best of central planning and free market

Ian Brownlee
Alex Lo

As I see it | Welcome, world, to the American jungle

Alex Lo
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Harry’s View | 10 Jan 2026
January 10, 2026
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Americas

Greenland parliament tells US: ‘We do not want to be Americans’

Entertainment

Netflix Japanese drama Gimbap and Onigiri serves up romance one meal at a time

Lifestyle & Culture

‘No taste’: Malaysia’s Life of Pi and Squid Game artists warn against AI rush

Big Tech

Review of Meta-Manus deal underscores China’s tightening grip on AI exports

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SCMP Series
Beijing’s recalibration of its Taiwan policy
Revisiting US-China relations
Year of the Horse 2026
China Inc. goes global
Illustration: Henry Wong
SCMP SeriesBeijing’s recalibration of its Taiwan policy

Why has Beijing turned down the heat in the Taiwan Strait in the second half of 2025?

PLA warplanes and ships have been less active around the island in the second half of the year, Taiwanese data shows.

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Beijing is pinning hopes for Taiwan reunification on KMT – but not all of them

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‘Urgent’: has mainland China changed tone for Taiwan peaceful reunification?

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Open Questions series

Global Economy

Open Questions | ‘Embrace the moment’: on China, Daniel Kritenbrink puts pragmatism first

Former US ambassador to Vietnam says a return to the past for US-China relations is unrealistic, but both economic powers benefit from ties.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Diplomacy

Open Questions | How new C100 chief plans to foster ties between Chinese-Americans and China

The Committee of 100’s president Paul Cheung has high hopes for Chinese-Americans’ relationship with China in these uncertain times.

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Diplomacy

Open Questions | Political scientist Ivan Krastev on European vertigo in a post-American world

While melancholy Europe frets that the US and China will shape the future, middle powers are jostling for a place at the big table.

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Diplomacy

Open Questions | George Yeo on superpower ‘headaches’ and why the US dollar could crack

Singapore’s former foreign minister also discusses Trump, the latest China-Japan dust-up, and rivalry between Hong Kong and the city state.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
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Tech

China’s Qwen and DeepSeek edge out US AI models in Christian values benchmark

US start-up Gloo’s Flourishing AI Christian benchmark tested how the output of AI models ‘help people flourish’, CEO Pat Gelsinger said.

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The questions in FAI-C were reviewed by a panel of Biblical experts, including theologians, pastors, psychologists and scholars of ethics. Photo: SCMP

Tech Trends

Chinese smart eyewear makers shine at CES with focus on challenging Meta

‘The rise of smart glasses is riding directly on advances in AI,’ LLVision founder and CEO Wu Fei says.

Tech Trends

Chinese firms, led by AgiBot, outpace US rivals in 2025 humanoid robot shipments

‘Chinese vendors are setting benchmarks in large-scale production,’ Omdia analyst Lian Jye Su says.

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Tech Trends

MiniMax and Zhipu’s stellar Hong Kong IPOs supercharge China’s AI ambitions

Zhipu’s coding assistant is wooing subscribers with a monthly fee of about US$3, a fraction of what Anthropic charges for Claude.

MiniMax became a darling of investors with its gain of 80 per cent when the stock debuted on Friday. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Military

China’s role in Korean peninsula stability tested amid nuclear submarine moves

Seoul’s calls for Chinese mediation seen to underscore Beijing’s central role in preserving stability between two Koreas.

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Illustration: Henry Wong

China Economy

Shanghai unveils US$10 billion investment spree as US-China tech race heats up

Shanghai announces 50 new projects across an array of hi-tech industries as China’s cities heed Beijing’s call to double down on innovation.

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Military

‘Real and accelerating’: China-Japan military tensions surge amid missile race

Analysts hold out little hope that security pressures will ease, given US insistence that regional allies boost first island chain defences.

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Diplomacy

Why China is turning down the nationalist heat in its row with Japan

With economic stakes high, Beijing seen as ‘more cautious in handling external frictions’, avoiding fanning of ‘uncontrollable’ nationalism.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
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