Breaking China, Asia, HK News, Opinions and Insights

Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump in Beijing on May 14, during the American leader’s state visit to China. Photo: Kyodo

Why the era of the 3 joint US-China communiques may be ‘completely’ over

‘Unrealistic’ to expect Beijing and Washington to reach comprehensive understanding on Taiwan, prominent mainland analyst says.

5 hours agovideocam

Taipei ‘optimistic’ about arms deal even after US Navy chief says it’s on ice

US-China relations

Diplomacy

Vucic and Xi agree to strengthen China-Serbia ‘ironclad friendship’

Serbian leader makes first official state visit to Beijing, with the two sides signing more than 20 deals covering politics, trade and tech.

4 hours ago

Big Tech

‘Sharif speed’ meets Qwen AI: how Alibaba sealed a sweeping deal with Pakistan

Chairman Joe Tsai uses firm’s mobile AI tool to draft a sweeping tech pact in moments, as ‘frontier technologies’ increasingly enter the global limelight.

3 hours ago

Science

Chip prodigy Da Bo returns to China after his role in TSMC’s 3nm plant in Japan

The acclaimed researcher’s goal is to bring Chinese semiconductor equipment, materials and components up to global standards.

25 May 2026 - 8:01PMvideocam

Tech

Huawei unveils new scaling law and tech that narrows gap with TSMC, Samsung

Global Economy

How China could benefit as US-Iran talks raise hopes of oil sanctions relief

Beijing’s support is seen as critical to peace negotiations – and analysts believe this could push Washington to relax sanctions on Chinese oil buyers.

6 hours agovideocam

Middle East

Trump says Iran deal should include additional countries joining Abraham Accords

The US president pointed to Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia and Turkey to join the agreements aimed at normalising ties with Israel.

48 minutes agovideocam

Hong Kong Economy

Hong Kong’s first astronaut has done city proud but now what else is needed?

Steps needed to turn short-term excitement surrounding Lai’s Shenzhou-23 mission into long-term talent pipeline, academic says.

4 hours agovideocam

International

Global real estate event in Riyadh sees record transactions amid growing influence in sector

Cityscape Global achieves more than US$63 billion as Saudi Arabia positions itself as a major investment hub for urban development.

In partnership with:

Cityscape Global

China Business

US chipmakers in China see revenue rise, defying trade tensions: Hurun list

American semiconductor firms saw a significant boost in sales from the mainland, as a top list shows which are leading the gains amid high-end silicon demand.

3 hours agovideocam

Europe

Estranged husband of ex-Scottish leader pleads guilty to embezzlement from party

Nicola Sturgeon’s ex-partner Peter Murrell admitted taking over US$540,000 from the Scottish National Party to fund a lavish lifestyle.

1 hour ago

China Economy

US investment returning? Chinese data shows double-digit growth in early 2026

Other rapidly growing sources of foreign direct investment included Luxembourg, Switzerland and France, Ministry of Commerce says.

25 May 2026 - 7:32PM

Diplomacy

China lauds Pakistan’s ‘proactive role’ in US-Iran peace talks and vows support

Shehbaz Sharif tells his hosts in Beijing that efforts to mediate between Tehran and Washington ‘moving in the right direction’.

4 hours agovideocam

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing on May 25. Photo: via Reuters

Politics

Are systemic safety failures to blame for China’s deadly mine blast?

Industry insiders say untracked workers, ‘hidden’ coal pits and airflow issues likely contributed to explosion that killed at least 82.

6 hours agovideocam

Rescuers enter a mine shaft on Sunday after a gas explosion at the Liushenyu Coal Mine in China’s Shanxi province on Friday evening. Photo: Xinhua

Military

Taipei ‘optimistic’ about arms deal even after US Navy chief says it’s on ice

Taiwan’s defence minister says Washington has not notified the island of any pause to a US$14 billion weapons package.

6 hours agovideocam

Diplomacy

Major EU countries push for tougher China policy ahead of Brussels debate

Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, France and Lithuania call for more aggressive response to ‘systemic and structural industrial overcapacity’.

25 May 2026 - 12:00PMvideocam

Society

Wang Fuk Court family’s marathon efforts to retrieve belongings one last time

Residents Joe and Annie race against time to pack anything valuable they can find during second and final visit.

3 hours agovideocam

Joe and Annie visit their flat. Photo: Theodora Yu

Africa

African Development Bank meets as shrinking aid, Ebola cast long shadows

The bank is pushing to tap Africa’s own financial resources to plug what it estimates is a US$400 billion annual development financing gap.

5 hours agovideocam

French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenya’s President William Ruto pose for a photo with other African heads of state during the closing ceremony of the ‘Africa Forward’ Summit 2026 at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC), in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 12, 2026. Photo: Reuters

China Business

US$32b worth of Hong Kong assets involved in transborder trade crackdown: Citic

The assets involve a crackdown on Futu, Tiger Brokers and Long Bridge for offering mainland Chinese investors access to unlicensed trading.

25 May 2026 - 7:00PM

Entertainment

10 of the best movies from the 2026 Cannes Film Festival

The 2026 Cannes Film Festival may have lacked its usual blockbusters, but that gave indie films more exposure. Here are 10 of the best.

5 hours agovideocam

LATEST

10 minutes ago

Europe

Heat dome over Europe scorches UK, France, Italy and Spain

1 hour ago

Europe

Estranged husband of ex-Scottish leader pleads guilty to embezzlement from party

2 hours ago

Middle East

Trump says Iran deal should include additional countries joining Abraham Accords

3 hours ago

Southeast Asia

Hun Sen pardons detained Cambodia opposition leader Kem Sokha

3 hours ago

China Business

US chipmakers in China see revenue rise, defying trade tensions: Hurun list

4 hours ago

Diplomacy

Vucic and Xi agree to strengthen China-Serbia ‘ironclad friendship’

4 hours ago

Tech

ByteDance AI films shake up Cannes as TikTok owner challenges Hollywood norms

4 hours ago

Hong Kong Economy

Hong Kong’s first astronaut has done city proud but now what else is needed?

5 hours ago

Diplomacy

Why the era of the 3 joint US-China communiques may be ‘completely’ over

5 hours ago

Football

Son says he is still in form as clouds hang over South Korea’s World Cup hopes

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US President Donald Trump listening to a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping at a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, last week. Photo: Reuters

SCMP Series Trump’s 2026 trip to China

China will buy at least US$17 billion of US farm goods annually, White House says

The agreement was struck at the recent summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to US fact sheet.

3-MIN READ

How will Beijing judge Trump’s take on Taiwan? Look for 1 critical factor

3-MIN READvideocam

How China and the US felt the weight of history behind Trump and Xi’s meeting

2-MIN READvideocam

Open Questions series

Politics

Open Questions | Mainland China’s Wu Yongping on what the Xi-Trump summit means for Taiwan

Regardless of the meeting’s outcome, the trend towards resolution of the Taiwan question won’t change, according to the Tsinghua academic.

12-MIN READ

Politics

Open Questions | Taiwan’s Cheng Li-wun on cross-strait peace, meeting Xi and managing US ties

Kuomintang chairwoman says hostility towards mainland is a product of political engineering that does not reflect reality of Taiwan.

17-MIN READvideocam

China Economy

Open Questions | Bai Chongen on China’s new economic paradigm and closing the US tech gap

Top economist explains how China has less in common with 1990s Japan than many think – and why talk of Chinese overcapacity is often ‘imprecise’.

13-MIN READvideocam

China Economy

Open Questions | Why China’s yuan faces the same ‘illusions’ that stalled the euro: Daniel Gros

Former European economic adviser says Beijing’s bid to build an international currency will hinge on leaders allowing it to fluctuate freely.

10-MIN READvideocam

Key Industries:

Big Tech

China’s booming tech exports give Beijing ‘wind in its sails’ for Trump summit

The role of tech products in April’s trade data reflects how computing-related goods are a ‘new and important growth driver’ for exports.

3-MIN READ

Chinese trade received a significant boost from the technology sector in April. Photo: Shutterstock Images

China Business

US chipmakers in China see revenue rise, defying trade tensions: Hurun list

American semiconductor firms saw a significant boost in sales from the mainland, as a top list shows which are leading the gains amid high-end silicon demand.

2-MIN READvideocam

Tech

ByteDance AI films shake up Cannes as TikTok owner challenges Hollywood norms

A new cinematic tool, Seedance 2.0, can generate feature-length movies for a fraction of traditional costs.

2-MIN READvideocam

Big Tech

Huawei unveils new scaling law and tech that narrows gap with TSMC, Samsung

The Chinese tech giant’s breakthrough is a major milestone in its mission to create a self-reliant semiconductor ecosystem.

3-MIN READvideocam

Global Economy

Putin left China, with no pipeline deal. Why is the valve still closed?

Though this week’s China-Russia summit featured many agreements, none progressed the long-delayed Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline.

5-MIN READvideocam

Science

China swaps Middle East oil for Xinjiang coal. What does it mean for the world?

With the war in Iran choking global oil supplies, China is tapping its 390 billion tonnes of coal reserves to build its own energy source.

7-MIN READvideocam

Science

How a remote patch of Gobi Desert became central to China’s national security

A national energy and chemical hub being built on a 15,500 sq m site in the Gobi Desert is set to modernise coal mining.

6-MIN READvideocam

China Economy

Putin is pushing for a ‘serious’ new energy deal in China. Will he get it?

The Russian leader arrives in China days after Trump in search of an energy deal, with yuan settlements, pricing potentially on the table.

6-MIN READvideocam

Why the era of the 3 joint US-China communiques may be ‘completely’ over

‘Unrealistic’ to expect Beijing and Washington to reach comprehensive understanding on Taiwan, prominent mainland analyst says.

Taipei ‘optimistic’ about arms deal even after US Navy chief says it’s on ice

Vucic and Xi agree to strengthen China-Serbia ‘ironclad friendship’

Serbian leader makes first official state visit to Beijing, with the two sides signing more than 20 deals covering politics, trade and tech.

‘Sharif speed’ meets Qwen AI: how Alibaba sealed a sweeping deal with Pakistan

Chairman Joe Tsai uses firm’s mobile AI tool to draft a sweeping tech pact in moments, as ‘frontier technologies’ increasingly enter the global limelight.

Chip prodigy Da Bo returns to China after his role in TSMC’s 3nm plant in Japan

The acclaimed researcher’s goal is to bring Chinese semiconductor equipment, materials and components up to global standards.

Huawei unveils new scaling law and tech that narrows gap with TSMC, Samsung

How China could benefit as US-Iran talks raise hopes of oil sanctions relief

Beijing’s support is seen as critical to peace negotiations – and analysts believe this could push Washington to relax sanctions on Chinese oil buyers.

Trump says Iran deal should include additional countries joining Abraham Accords

The US president pointed to Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia and Turkey to join the agreements aimed at normalising ties with Israel.

Hong Kong’s first astronaut has done city proud but now what else is needed?

Steps needed to turn short-term excitement surrounding Lai’s Shenzhou-23 mission into long-term talent pipeline, academic says.

.css-12ooj4n{font-family:Roboto Condensed,Roboto Condensed fallback,sans-serif;}Global real estate event in Riyadh sees record transactions amid growing influence in sector

Cityscape Global achieves more than US$63 billion as Saudi Arabia positions itself as a major investment hub for urban development.

US chipmakers in China see revenue rise, defying trade tensions: Hurun list

American semiconductor firms saw a significant boost in sales from the mainland, as a top list shows which are leading the gains amid high-end silicon demand.

Estranged husband of ex-Scottish leader pleads guilty to embezzlement from party

Nicola Sturgeon’s ex-partner Peter Murrell admitted taking over US$540,000 from the Scottish National Party to fund a lavish lifestyle.

US investment returning? Chinese data shows double-digit growth in early 2026

Other rapidly growing sources of foreign direct investment included Luxembourg, Switzerland and France, Ministry of Commerce says.

China lauds Pakistan’s ‘proactive role’ in US-Iran peace talks and vows support

Shehbaz Sharif tells his hosts in Beijing that efforts to mediate between Tehran and Washington ‘moving in the right direction’.

Are systemic safety failures to blame for China’s deadly mine blast?

Industry insiders say untracked workers, ‘hidden’ coal pits and airflow issues likely contributed to explosion that killed at least 82.

Taipei ‘optimistic’ about arms deal even after US Navy chief says it’s on ice

Taiwan’s defence minister says Washington has not notified the island of any pause to a US$14 billion weapons package.

Major EU countries push for tougher China policy ahead of Brussels debate

Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, France and Lithuania call for more aggressive response to ‘systemic and structural industrial overcapacity’.

Wang Fuk Court family’s marathon efforts to retrieve belongings one last time

Residents Joe and Annie race against time to pack anything valuable they can find during second and final visit.

African Development Bank meets as shrinking aid, Ebola cast long shadows

The bank is pushing to tap Africa’s own financial resources to plug what it estimates is a US$400 billion annual development financing gap.

US$32b worth of Hong Kong assets involved in transborder trade crackdown: Citic

The assets involve a crackdown on Futu, Tiger Brokers and Long Bridge for offering mainland Chinese investors access to unlicensed trading.

10 of the best movies from the 2026 Cannes Film Festival

The 2026 Cannes Film Festival may have lacked its usual blockbusters, but that gave indie films more exposure. Here are 10 of the best.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | How the US and China can ensure their board of trade is effective

The View | The 2 main sources of resilience in Asian real estate

My Take | To understand the great Asia-Pacific power struggle, just look at the map

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Letters | Why Hong Kong’s Sharp Island should be a marine park

Opinion | Hong Kong can empower commuters by embracing e-bikes

Heat dome over Europe scorches UK, France, Italy and Spain

Estranged husband of ex-Scottish leader pleads guilty to embezzlement from party

Trump says Iran deal should include additional countries joining Abraham Accords

Hun Sen pardons detained Cambodia opposition leader Kem Sokha

US chipmakers in China see revenue rise, defying trade tensions: Hurun list

Vucic and Xi agree to strengthen China-Serbia ‘ironclad friendship’

ByteDance AI films shake up Cannes as TikTok owner challenges Hollywood norms

Hong Kong’s first astronaut has done city proud but now what else is needed?

Why the era of the 3 joint US-China communiques may be ‘completely’ over

Son says he is still in form as clouds hang over South Korea’s World Cup hopes

China will buy at least US$17 billion of US farm goods annually, White House says

The agreement was struck at the recent summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to US fact sheet.

How will Beijing judge Trump’s take on Taiwan? Look for 1 critical factor

How China and the US felt the weight of history behind Trump and Xi’s meeting

Open Questions | Mainland China’s Wu Yongping on what the Xi-Trump summit means for Taiwan

Regardless of the meeting’s outcome, the trend towards resolution of the Taiwan question won’t change, according to the Tsinghua academic.

Open Questions | Taiwan’s Cheng Li-wun on cross-strait peace, meeting Xi and managing US ties

Kuomintang chairwoman says hostility towards mainland is a product of political engineering that does not reflect reality of Taiwan.

Open Questions | Bai Chongen on China’s new economic paradigm and closing the US tech gap

Top economist explains how China has less in common with 1990s Japan than many think – and why talk of Chinese overcapacity is often ‘imprecise’.

Open Questions | Why China’s yuan faces the same ‘illusions’ that stalled the euro: Daniel Gros

Former European economic adviser says Beijing’s bid to build an international currency will hinge on leaders allowing it to fluctuate freely.

China’s booming tech exports give Beijing ‘wind in its sails’ for Trump summit

The role of tech products in April’s trade data reflects how computing-related goods are a ‘new and important growth driver’ for exports.

US chipmakers in China see revenue rise, defying trade tensions: Hurun list

American semiconductor firms saw a significant boost in sales from the mainland, as a top list shows which are leading the gains amid high-end silicon demand.

ByteDance AI films shake up Cannes as TikTok owner challenges Hollywood norms

A new cinematic tool, Seedance 2.0, can generate feature-length movies for a fraction of traditional costs.

Huawei unveils new scaling law and tech that narrows gap with TSMC, Samsung

The Chinese tech giant’s breakthrough is a major milestone in its mission to create a self-reliant semiconductor ecosystem.

Putin left China, with no pipeline deal. Why is the valve still closed?

Though this week’s China-Russia summit featured many agreements, none progressed the long-delayed Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline.

China swaps Middle East oil for Xinjiang coal. What does it mean for the world?

With the war in Iran choking global oil supplies, China is tapping its 390 billion tonnes of coal reserves to build its own energy source.

How a remote patch of Gobi Desert became central to China’s national security

Global real estate event in Riyadh sees record transactions amid growing influence in sector

Opinion | How the US and China can ensure their board of trade is effective

Letters | Why Hong Kong’s Sharp Island should be a marine park