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Many of RedNote’s more than 3 million active users in Taiwan are young women who rely on the platform for beauty, fashion, travel and lifestyle content. Photo: Shutterstock

Taiwan’s ban on mainland China app RedNote makes it a top download

Many users and opposition politicians accuse Taiwan’s ruling party of overreach and damaging island’s reputation for open internet access.

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Taiwan blocks mainland Chinese platform RedNote citing ‘high fraud risk’

Taiwan
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Politics

‘High-quality democracy’: what does Beijing’s new phrase for Hong Kong mean?

Beijing seeks orderly form of politics with executive-led government working closely with lawmakers not in confrontation with each other, analysts say.

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Science

Chinese team reports way to extract hypersonic weapon fuel boron from seawater

Inspired by ‘novel sustainable technology’ research, the team designs a single, powerful system using solar energy for extraction.

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United States & Canada

Trump gives green light for Nvidia to sell H200 AI chips in China

The move has upset China hawks in Washington, who are concerned that selling more advanced AI chips to Beijing could help boost its military.

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Focus
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Are US, EU and Japan banking on defence spending for an economic boost?

East Asia

30 injured after massive quake in Japan, warning of more stronger tremors

Officials removed all tsunami warnings following the powerful earthquake in northeastern Japan’s Aomori prefecture.

A fire broke out after a massive earthquake in Aomori City, Japan, on Tuesday. Photo: JIJI Press/AFP
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Global Economy

Macron’s trade ultimatum to China goes public: fix surplus or face tariffs

French president says EU could copy American protectionism, warning that a lopsided flow of goods results in China ‘effectively killing their own customers’.

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Lifestyle & Culture

South Korea torn as crime-fighting actor quits over criminal past

Cho Jin-woong has quit acting after a decades-old robbery conviction shattered a public image built playing morally upright heroes.

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.

Economy, Trade & Business

‘A slap in the face’: some US farmers unhappy with Trump’s US$12 billion bailout

US soybean growers, who were hit hardest by tariff disputes, have voiced frustration that overdue funding falls well short of what they need.

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A soybean farmer inspects his harvest at his family’s farm in Maryland in October. US farmers fear that the government’s new US$12 billion farm aid package will not provide enough funding. Photo: AFP

Politics

Chinese court orders Malaysia Airlines to pay families of 8 MH370 victims

The airline must pay over US$410,000 per passenger in China’s first formal compensation ruling on flight that vanished 11 years ago.

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US

US Congress unveils bill with curbs on China tech investment and biotech ties

NDAA package revives stalled measures on US outbound investment and biotech, signalling Capitol Hill’s hardened stance towards Beijing.

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People

Could ICC warrants against Duterte allies alter Philippines’ balance of power?

A former Duterte spokesman claims more of the ex-president’s allies will soon be arrested as part of a plot to ‘destroy the opposition’.

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Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte during a senate inquiry on the so-called war on drugs during his administration at the Philippine Senate in Manila in October 2024. Duterte is currently detained in the Netherlands. Photo: AP

Europe

New mpox strain found in UK after travel to Asia

New recombinant mpox strain raises concerns over global spread and viral evolution.

A colorised electron micrograph shows green mpox particles within a pink and purple infected cell cultured in a lab. Photo: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease/AFP

Diplomacy

German foreign minister calls for end to ‘uncertainty’ on Chinese rare earths, chips

Critical minerals, semiconductors and other commodities dominate talks as Johann Wadephul begins trip to China aimed at addressing trade.

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Europe

European allies back Ukraine’s Zelensky after Trump criticism

Ukrainian president met leaders in London and Brussels, declaring that ceding territory to Russia - a central point of the US proposal - was impossible.

United States & Canada

Federal communications agency may bar Chinese telecoms firms from US networks

The FCC move is the latest in a series of actions Washington has taken against Beijing over efforts to prevent robocalls.

The Federal Communications Commission headquarters in Washington. Photo: Reuters

United States & Canada

Paramount counters Netflix with US$108 billion hostile bid for Warner Bros

Paramount’s offer came days after Netflix won a weeks-long bidding war to acquire Hollywood giant Warner Bros Discovery.

Paramount has launched an offer to acquire Warner Bros Discovery in a challenge to Netflix’s own highly contested deal. Photo: Reuters

Global Economy

China leans on German carmakers to help break Brussels tariff deadlock

Commerce vice-minister urges German industry leaders to leverage their clout to push the European Commission towards a compromise on the anti-subsidy probe.

Military

US defence chief touts ‘flexible realism’ with China ahead of strategy document

Pete Hegseth says US is committed to putting ‘America first’ and avoiding involvement in foreign entanglements.

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OPINION
John Haffner,Jenny Lee,Lisa Sachs

Opinion | How Hong Kong can distinguish itself as a climate finance hub

John Haffner
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Opinion | Why Hong Kong’s youth must be key part of city’s mental health support

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SCMP Editorial

Editorial | New Legco tasked with pushing for better governance of city, deepening reform

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Editorial | Investment body adds to coffers and clarity on Hong Kong’s long-term future

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China Economy

Open Questions | Economist Huang Yiping on why China’s AI push must be ‘job-oriented’

Dean of Peking University’s National School of Development says ‘balance’ needed in AI development to protect employment, ‘human well-being’.

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Diplomacy

Open Questions | Ex-PLA colonel Zhou Bo on Taiwan reunification, lessons from the Ukraine war

Commentator and former senior colonel on Beijing’s row with Japan, lessons from the Ukraine war and why playing global policeman is a trap.

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China Economy

Open Questions | ‘A mistaken view’: US economist Nicholas Lardy on the ‘peak China’ hypothesis

The veteran China watcher talks Beijing’s need for financial reform and how US-China economic convergence could still be on the horizon.

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China Economy

Open Questions | Chinese economist Lu Feng on why the time is ripe for a consumption rebalance

Peking University professor says China’s next five-year plan could provide the necessary momentum to shift more public resources to households.

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Big Tech

China’s DeepSeek challenges Google DeepMind with new AI model

DeepSeek’s V3.2-Speciale equals Google’s Gemini 3 Pro in reasoning capabilities, the Chinese start-up says.

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A shop advertising DeepSeek in Hong Kong. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Tech

AI spending helps save global economy under threat of trade war, IMF director says

AI investment, especially in the US, helped mute the impacts of increased tariffs, Jihad Azour says at Abu Dhabi Finance Week.

Tech Trends

DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng cleans up on chip firm Moore Threads’ IPO

Liang’s quantitative hedge fund, High-Flyer, subscribes to more than 80,000 Moore Threads shares, which saw a stellar trading debut in Shanghai.

Global Economy

China leans on German carmakers to help break Brussels tariff deadlock

Commerce vice-minister urges German industry leaders to leverage their clout to push the European Commission towards a compromise on the anti-subsidy probe.

Labourers work on an assembly line at a factory in Chongqing, China, in May. Beijing has pressed German carmakers to help resolve disputes over the European Union’s anti-subsidy tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Photo: EPA-EFE

China

Boiling point: China’s pre-made meals are testing trust at the table

In a nation with famously high food standards, restaurant goers say they must choose between taste, transparency and industrial efficiency.

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Pre-made meals are taking off in China, but many diners are increasingly incensed about the premium prices and lack of disclosure. Photo: Shutterstock

Diplomacy

Why China may be better placed than US in tussle for rare earths

While Beijing has long engaged with resource-rich nations, Trump’s Washington is seen as more ‘aggressive’ and reactive.

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China Economy

Why China sees Brazil as ‘last untapped blue ocean market’ for investment boom

Chinese investment in Brazil is soaring as firms eye the vast potential growth in South America’s ‘blue ocean market’.

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China Economy

How Chinese lifestyle brands are finding fans abroad with toys, tea and trends

From milk tea to blind boxes, China’s lighter consumer brands are winning worldwide recognition – though time will tell if the craze will last.

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Illustration: Brian Wang
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