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Amid a diplomatic row, widespread flight cancellations between China and Japan will occur during the New Year public holiday in China. Photo: AFP

Holiday travellers hit amid China-Japan tension; flights cancelled on 46 routes

All cancelled flights are operated by Chinese carriers and involve most of the country’s major airlines.

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Chinese tourist arrivals to Japan lose momentum amid tensions: official data

China-Japan relations
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Politics

China’s PLA Daily accuses Japan of showing ‘no respect for history’

Island nation’s right-wing forces are systematically whitewashing past atrocities as the world celebrates win over fascism, commentary adds.

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Economic Indicators

China’s rare earth magnet exports to EU jump nearly 60% as approvals take effect

Shipments of permanent magnets to Europe saw a large increase in November, as Beijing begins granting general licences for rare earth exports.

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Transport

Dangerous driving, near misses along Hong Kong’s new Central Kowloon Bypass

Viral clips show trucks taking wrong entrance, while other footage shows private vehicle nearly hitting taxi as it crosses double white lines.

Open Questions
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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

Science

Well-preserved section of China’s 2,200-year-old four-lane highway discovered

Stretch of Qin Straight Road reveals sophisticated construction techniques including rammed-earth slope reinforcements and filled valleys.

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A previously identified section of the road. Archaelogists are slowly piecing togther the whole route. Photo: Handout
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China Economy

China eyes childcare overhaul with a law to boost births, fix demographic crisis

Proposed legislation seeks to lower child-rearing costs and standardise services, especially for children under three, to ease the burden on parents.

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Politics

Malaysia: Cambodia, Thailand set for Christmas Eve truce talks after Asean push

Sides agree to discuss truce on December 24, as Malaysia warns ‘security shock’ of border conflict threatens regional stability.

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Travel & Leisure

The journey ahead: AI paves the way for tourism business of the future

AI travel technology company Dida’s innovative solutions aim to bridge the gap between the industry and travellers.

In partnership with:
Dida
Dida is collaborating with the tourism industry to respond to the challenges and opportunities that AI is bringing to the sector.

Politics

China praises joint effort with US in drug-related money laundering case

Following tip-off from US, Chinese police contacted 2,000 people and obtained more than 10 million trading records: state media.

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A court in Shenyang has sentenced two people to prison and fines for “illegal trading of foreign exchange and disrupting the financial market order”, according to Chinese state media. Photo: dpa

Europe

‘Respect our integrity’: Denmark summons US ambassador over Greenland envoy

Denmark warns US to respect its borders after Trump names Jeff Landry envoy to Greenland, asserting the mineral-rich island is not for sale.

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Hong Kong Economy

Hong Kong restaurants eye Lunar New Year boost after weak winter solstice sales

Slump in sales for traditional dinner gatherings tied to Tai Po fire tragedy, with restaurants looking to February for turnaround.

Big Tech

Huawei’s HarmonyOS crosses ‘survival line’ as user base hits 27 million

HarmonyOS 6, the latest iteration, was initially made available to developers in June and released to Chinese consumers in October.

Huawei’s HarmonyOS 6 operating system. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong Economy

Hong Kong’s famed Peak Tram to increase standard fares by up to 40%

Return tickets for adults will cost HK$116 from next Monday, while fares for children and the elderly will jump to HK$75.

The Peak Tram is a popular tourist attraction. Photo: Sam Tsang

Politics

Chinese spy? Propagandist? Former Confucius Institute director tells his story

Memoir by former Britain-based academic rebuts accusations that the centres serve as vehicles for Beijing’s state narratives.

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People

Malaysian court blocks Najib’s bid for house arrest

Monday’s decision keeps the former prime minister behind bars as he awaits the outcome of the far larger 1MDB case on Friday.

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Global Economy

Blackpink for Ayumi? Why China may reward South Korea’s soft stance on Japan row

Beijing is reviving stalled trade talks with Seoul as the Lee administration breaks with Tokyo on Taiwan, and analysts say Chinese market access could be the geopolitical prize.

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Members of Blackpink perform at a 2023 concert in California. Photo: Getty Images for Coachella

Law and Crime

Hong Kong police arrest 15 over ‘meticulously planned’ 1 billion yen robbery

Police still trying to recover cash, saying robbery was ‘meticulously planned’, ‘violent’ and marked by high level of professional execution.

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A police officer searches and collects evidence from a car on Jervois Street, Sheung Wan, believed to be linked to the robbery. Photo: Edmond So

Tech Trends

China bans e-commerce platforms from forcing lowest prices or abusing algorithms

Beijing moves to protect consumers and merchants, with new 29-article regulation tightening oversight of the fast-growing digital economy.

Politics

‘Pax Silica’: America’s new AI inner circle and Asia’s chosen few

Japan, South Korea and Singapore made the cut, leaving key partners like India and Vietnam – and even New Zealand – on the sidelines.

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OPINION
Nicholas Spiro

The View | Rebound in Hong Kong’s Central office market could be turning point

Nicholas Spiro
SCMP Editorial

Editorial | TikTok deal could show way forward for US-China engagement

SCMP Editorial
Joseph E. Stiglitz

Opinion | How Trump is hastening the end of American hegemony

Joseph E. Stiglitz
Letters

Letters | Shenzhen-Hong Kong special zone could better serve national economy

Letters
Ken Ip

Opinion | Hong Kong’s fire victims need empathy, clarity and a plan

Ken Ip
Harry’s View | 22 Dec 2025
December 22, 2025
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Gold takes centre stage as Hong Kong builds commodities ecosystem

Video | China’s first AI generated animated film hits the big screen

Directed by Ma Teng, the film was co-produced by China Media Group (CMG), Beijing New Film Union Films and other companies.
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Big Tech

Huawei’s HarmonyOS crosses ‘survival line’ as user base hits 27 million

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Illustration: Henry Wong
SCMP SeriesHow China is telling its own story

Why China studies scholars in the West have been left in ‘crisis’ mode

US-China tensions, restricted access and Western-centric thinking seen as key obstacles to gaining ‘full picture of modern China’.

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‘Hawkish’ interpretations rise as US, China discourse gets lost in translation

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Avoid West’s ‘discourse trap’ when defending China: ex-government adviser

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Open Questions series

Science

Open Questions | Sci-fi writer Liu Cixin on why he’ll be happy if AI surpasses humans

Acclaimed author of the Three-Body trilogy also discusses his ‘dark forest’ theory, and the struggle to come up with original ideas.

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Illustration: Davies Christian

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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5

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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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

Unitree G1 humanoids go viral with synchronised frontflip and Musk endorsement

China continues to dominate in humanoid robotics, and its lead over the US is accelerating, according to a recent Morgan Stanley report.

AI

DeepSeek’s shock rise, China’s robot boot camps: 7 AI breakthroughs in 2025

From DeepSeek sending shock waves through tech market to China’s robot boot camps, here are some of the major AI developments of the year.

China Business

China’s approval for L3 self-driving cars to stimulate slowing mainland market

Chinese carmakers could sell about 270,000 semi-autonomous vehicles next year, representing 1 per cent of the total market, Daiwa says.

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Semi-autonomous cars with L3 technology are likely to spur sales on the mainland next year. Photo: Reuters

Politics

Are Trump loyalists struggling in US rural heartland ready to say ‘enough’?

Hammered by crippling costs and precious revenue lost to China, Midwest farmers’ loyalty to the US president will be tested in 2026 midterms.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

China Business

Are Chinese biotechs what the doctor ordered as Big Pharma faces ‘patent cliff’?

US drug makers are racing to plug looming ‘patent cliff’ revenue gaps – and increasingly they are turning to China biotechs.

Diplomacy

China urged to win ‘hearts and minds’ to fill leadership void as US retreats

Experts pushing Beijing’s vision for a new world order say nation can offer an ‘important alternative’ but it needs to improve its messaging.

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11

Military

Why China’s rapid military build-up is ‘hardly the whole story’

The PLA has been moving fast to modernise its arsenal and warfare strategy, but it’s seen as ‘seriously deficient’ in some areas.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
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