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The airship was tested in the skies above Sichuan. Photo: Weibo/ 爱信阳

Could flying wind farms be the future of energy generation in China?

The test of an ‘alien-looking’ giant airship in the skies above Sichuan created a buzz on social media.

Can China’s cheap, renewable energy help it outrun the US in the AI race?

Science
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Military

PLA sends drone into airspace near Taiwan-held Pratas Island in South China Sea

Southern Theatre Command cites ‘completely legitimate’ routine flight training, while Taipei calls it ‘provocative and irresponsible’ act.

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Military

Did China, Russia, Iran joint naval drills in South Africa mark Brics shift?

Observers describe high-profile exercise involving economic grouping as largely symbolic rather than step towards military alliance.

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Hong Kong Economy

Hong Kong steps up bid to become global gold trading hub with Shanghai agreement

Two cities set to sign a memorandum of understanding at the 19th Asian Financial Forum next week, paving the way for cross-border gold trade clearing.

Focus
Illustration: Brian Wang

Can China’s cosmetics brands rival K-beauty and refashion global markets?

Economics

Feathered fortunes, sky-high stakes: inside Asia’s richest pigeon race

In eastern Thailand, 5,000 pigeons brave predators and exhaustion in a gruelling sprint for a US$2 million purse.

Pigeons are let fly in Mukdahan, Thailand, at the start of a Pattaya International Pigeon Race. Photo: Rathapon Nanthapreecha
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Business

Hotel conversions gain traction in China’s office market amid high vacancies

In Hangzhou, one office building now houses around 10 hotels, alongside restaurants, photography studios and second-hand luxury stores.

United States & Canada

Trump hits 8 Nato allies with tariffs to force Greenland sale

The duties will start at 10 per cent in February and go up to 25 per cent in June if no deal is reached for the US to buy the island.

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People & Culture

How this year’s Yidan Prize laureates reshape modern literacy and skills worldwide

Mamadou Amadou Ly and Uri Wilensky help transform teaching and learning through multilingual education and computational thinking.

In partnership with:
Yidan Prize Foundation
The 2025 Yidan Prize laureates Professor Uri Wilensky (left) and Mamadou Amadou Ly help remove barriers to education by transforming how learners access and engage with knowledge.

Politics

‘False pride’: Indonesia’s UN rights role clashes with its domestic record

While officials tout a diplomatic win, rights groups ask how a nation that ‘criminalises expression’ can lead the UN Human Rights Council.

A session of the United Nations Human Rights Council held in Geneva in 2024. Photo: AFP

Food & Drink

History of Macau’s iconic pork chop bun and where to eat the authentic classic

Gaining global fame after being spotlighted by Anthony Bourdain, Macau’s pork chop bun is set to become an intangible cultural heritage item.

Europe

‘I’m thinking about where to hide’: Greenlanders plot exit plan amid US threat

‘We can hunt, we can fish, we can live off nature. We are used to living under extreme conditions,’ a Nuuk resident says.

Education

Exclusive | Hong Kong authorities to review schools’ medium of instruction after major study

Industry body urges government to allow more secondary schools to teach in English to better prepare pupils for higher education.

Teaching pupils in English will better prepare them for higher education, a school council says. Photo: Jelly Tse

Hong Kong

Melaku Belachew, Shitaye Eshete claim Hong Kong Marathon crowns - as it happened

Melaku Belachew wins men’s race for second time, while Bahrain’s Shitaye Eshete goes close to breaking women’s mark set in 2019.

Some 74,000 runners took part across the three distances of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. Photo: Eugene Lee

Chinese culture

Year of the Horse 2026 predictions for Tigers, from career to romance

The Year of the Fire Horse will bring Tigers increased wealth, but things could get ugly at work, and medical conditions might worsen.

Health & Wellness

She lost 13kg in 4 months. Now she’s on a mission to help others get fit

After transforming her own health, Karen Chau started Fit2Give, a Hong Kong charity offering free training to church ministers and NGO staff.

United States & Canada

Trump wants nations to pay US$1 billion to stay on his Board of Peace

Critics are worried that the US president is trying to build an alternative – or rival – to the United Nations.

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US President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday. Photo: AP

United States & Canada

US blows past another deadline to field its first hypersonic missile

Despite a trained unit, the missile, which is part of a US$10.4 billion hypersonic programme, won’t be ready until early 2026.

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US soldiers give a capabilities brief on the long-range hypersonic weapons system during a military exercise in Australia last year. Photo: Handout

People

Fears of growing school violence in Japan as bullying clips go viral

Experts cite social media as a key factor contributing to rising bullying cases in schools, warning of cases that go unnoticed.

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Diplomacy

How US actions in Venezuela and beyond could spell opportunity for China

Beijing is trying to present itself as a more responsible power, but analysts say concrete actions will be needed to win over its neighbours.

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OPINION
Chandran Nair

Asian Angle | China has a worthy blueprint to improve the UN. Why is the West ignoring it?

Chandran Nair
Dicky Chow,Jessie Zhang,Curtis Lam

Opinion | This year, Hong Kong must resolve to rewrite the script for retirement

Dicky Chow
Jessie Zhang
Curtis Lam
Letters

Letters | As robots do more work, here is why humans need to play

Letters
SCMP Editorial

Editorial | To walk the pet-friendly path, Hong Kong needs a comprehensive policy

SCMP Editorial
Shaoshan Liu

Opinion | In the tech race, Europe can choose a path that sidesteps US-China rivalry

Shaoshan Liu
Harry’s View | 18 Jan 2026
January 18, 2026
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LATEST

Economics

Feathered fortunes, sky-high stakes: inside Asia’s richest pigeon race

Military

PLA sends drone into airspace near Taiwan-held Pratas Island in South China Sea

Society

Smart money: how Hong Kong charity makes finance lessons fun for pupils

Hong Kong

Runners who missed out on Hong Kong Marathon complete Happy Valley ‘invitational’

Europe

‘I’m thinking about where to hide’: Greenlanders plot exit plan amid US threat

Hong Kong Economy

Hong Kong steps up bid to become global gold trading hub with Shanghai agreement

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SCMP Series
China Inc. goes global
Year of the Horse 2026
Beijing’s recalibration of its Taiwan policy
Revisiting US-China relations
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
SCMP SeriesChina Inc. goes global

The US has played its hand in Latin America. Will China’s firms there cash out?

After the abduction of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, many Chinese entrepreneurs in the region say they are staying put – for now.

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Why overseas residency is a ‘practical advantage’ for Chinese firms going global

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Chinese companies expand globally

Open Questions series

Diplomacy

Open Questions | Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

Political scientist says the Western-led global order remains useful, and the Belt and Road Initiative isn’t a geopolitical project.

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

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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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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Illustration: Henry Wong
China Future Tech
China Future Tech
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Tech War

Zhipu AI breaks US chip reliance with first major model trained on Huawei stack

Zhipu claims GLM-Image achieved industry-leading scores among open-source models for text rendering and Chinese character generation.

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Zhipu said the achievement proved the feasibility of developing powerful multimodal models without US chips. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Policy

Hong Kong bolsters tech hub ambitions as city hosts global AI summit

Hong Kong’s turn to host a summit under WAIC reflects Beijing’s confidence in the city’s strategic development goals.

Big Tech

China dominates global humanoid robot market with over 80% of installations

AgiBot and Unitree help China capture bulk of global deployments in 2025 as market heads for sixfold growth by 2027, report says.

China Economy

A Chinese tech hub eyes 3- to 7-nanometre chip breakthroughs to beat US curbs

Province’s five-year plan backs national push for tech independence – but can it succeed?

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China is world’s largest chip manufacturer, demonstrating the country’s superiority in global supply chain. Photo: Shutterstock

Big Tech

China curbs US AI chips, shuns foreign capital in pursuit of tech self-reliance

These restrictions signify a new phase in the US-China tech war where ‘offensive and defensive roles have shifted’, says an analyst.

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Illustration: Henry Wong

Diplomacy

Counting China’s ‘swing nation’ wins and losses in new era of power rivalry

As US-China race for hi-tech resources heats up across Global South, countries caught in the middle are under pressure to strike a balance.

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China Economy

A Chinese tech hub eyes 3- to 7-nanometre chip breakthroughs to beat US curbs

Province’s five-year plan backs national push for tech independence – but can it succeed?

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Hong Kong Economy

Can new tricks save Hong Kong’s restaurants from ‘irreversible’ Shenzhen trend?

Business models are being overhauled as food and drink sector tackles ‘irreversible’ trend of Hongkongers spending their money elsewhere.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
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