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The first coal-to-plastics plant opened in Baotou in 2010. Photo: Handout

China planning dozens of plants that use coal instead of oil to make plastics

Beijing has approved more than 30 projects to make vital raw materials in an effort to reduce its reliance on imported oil.

As Trump taps coal to power AI, China moves on to clothe the world with it

Science
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Diplomacy

China’s US embassy decries ‘coercion’ after Trump’s Iran tariff move

China’s embassy opposes Washington’s ‘long-arm jurisdiction’ after Trump announces a 25 per cent tariff on countries doing business with Iran.

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Politics

Japan PM seeks unity with South Korea’s Lee as China tensions persist

Takaichi aims to bolster ties with Seoul by avoiding ‘divisive’ issues as Tokyo grapples with Beijing’s economic retaliation.

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Law and Crime

Online shopping scams cost Hongkongers HK$14 million in first week of 2026

Police urge caution among consumers and sellers after receiving 276 reports of online shopping fraud last week.

Focus
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Expansion to defence’: China firms strategise in Latin America after Venezuela

Politics

How Beijing’s clean air success left China’s rural farmers in the cold

In neighbouring Hebei province, rural residents say they cannot afford to heat their homes enough after switch from coal.

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Beijing has recorded its best air quality performance since data started being collected more than a decade ago. Photo: AFP
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Health & Environment

Fury erupts over ‘mound of death’ in South Korea’s worst air disaster

Opposition MPs accuse officials of trying to bury a report that blames a known design flaw for the nation’s deadliest crash.

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China Business

China’s weight-loss drug war: prices slashed up to 80% as obesity crisis worsens

Foreign, local firms fight for market share as number of overweight or obese adults could top 630 million by 2050, from 400 million in 2021.

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.

Asia

Matricide in Indonesia, Philippine Airlines’ viral video: 7 Asia highlights

From India becoming the world’s fourth largest economy to Philippine Airlines’ viral safety video, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Screenshot from Philippine Airlines’ new soap opera-styled safety video. Photo: Philippine Airlines

Banking & Finance

Chipmaker GigaDevice leaps 45% in Hong Kong debut amid China self-reliance push

GigaDevice shares jump as investors chase Beijing’s self-sufficiency theme, with retail demand oversubscribed more than 540 times.

China Business

Novartis, China firm sign US$1.7 billion deal to develop Alzheimer’s drugs

SciNeuro’s anti-amyloid programme is one of the firm’s key strategic research and development priorities to target the brain disease.

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Middle East

Exiled shah’s son emerges as a rallying figure as Iranians protest

After decades in the US, Reza Pahlavi’s prominence in Iran’s latest protests has surprised some observers.

A person holds a picture of Reza Pahlavi at protest in Paris, France, on January 11. Photo: Reuters

Health & Fitness

Standard Chartered Taipei Charity Marathon hands out medals with glaring typo

Runners who completed the race received medals with ‘marathon’ spelled as ‘marathan’, sparking derision online.

Finishers at the Standard Chartered Taipei Charity Marathon spotted a glaring typo on their medals. Photo: handout

Hong Kong Economy

More cross-border tours, visitors expected on expanded Hong Kong high-speed rail

Tourism association chief says ‘game-changing’ addition of 16 destinations to network will also meet peak travel demand of Lunar New Year holiday.

Health & Environment

Why 4 million foreigners in Japan fear the next disaster amid rising bias

Rising xenophobia, ‘vigilante’ patrols and memories of 1923 have rights advocates concerned that history could repeat itself.

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Travel & Leisure

3 underrated ski resorts that should be on your radar this winter

Ski in sight of Italy’s Mont Blanc, go from piste to onsen in Niigata and Nagano in Japan, or hit the snow at Quebec’s Club Med in Canada.

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Mont-Tremblant, in Quebec, Canada, is a less-visited destination for winter sports, but offers world-class skiing. Photo: Shutterstock
SERIES: Year of the Horse 2026

Why the Year of the Horse 2026 will be lucrative and romantic for Roosters

Lucky stars in the Year of the Fire Horse mean Roosters will prosper at work and could meet their ideal partner. But healthy living is key.

In the Year of the Horse 2026, Roosters will enjoy good luck in terms of career prospects and windfalls, romance and health. But it is crucial to use caution when entering into business agreements and to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Health & Environment

‘Who can we trust?’: Nestle formula recall rattles Malaysian parents

Despite assurances that local stocks are safe, wary parents are scouring ingredient lists and doing their own ‘due diligence’.

Military

Chinese state media repositions sci-fi space, air combat aircraft as tech target

Military analyst on CCTV says frontier technologies reflect ‘expectations for future aerospace and space superiority’.

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OPINION
Fu Fengshan

Opinion | The US wants to block China’s peaceful reunification. It won’t work

Fu Fengshan
Chow Chung-yan

Opinion | Forget Venezuela and Greenland – here is the real trillion-dollar question

Chow Chung-yan
7
Letters

Letters | Hong Kong airport has recovered well from the pandemic

Letters
Chan Young Bang

Opinion | Why China now needs North Korea’s denuclearisation

Chan Young Bang
SCMP Editorial

Editorial | Amid Back to the Past’s success, Hong Kong cinema should look to the future

SCMP Editorial
Harry’s View | 13 Jan 2026
January 13, 2026
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Hong Kong

‘Mr and Mrs Ho’ in Hong Kong court unrepresented as assault case draws crowds

Middle East

Exiled shah’s son emerges as a rallying figure as Iranians protest

China Business

Novartis, China firm sign US$1.7 billion deal to develop Alzheimer’s drugs

Entertainment

How Back to the Past is fuelling nostalgia for 2000s Hong Kong

Health & Fitness

Standard Chartered Taipei Charity Marathon hands out medals with glaring typo

Asia

Matricide in Indonesia, Philippine Airlines’ viral video: 7 Asia highlights

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

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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Live Q&A webinars

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

China Business

Novartis, China firm sign US$1.7 billion deal to develop Alzheimer’s drugs

SciNeuro’s anti-amyloid programme is one of the firm’s key strategic research and development priorities to target the brain disease.

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Banking & Finance

Chipmaker GigaDevice leaps 45% in Hong Kong debut amid China self-reliance push

GigaDevice shares jump as investors chase Beijing’s self-sufficiency theme, with retail demand oversubscribed more than 540 times.

China Business

China’s weight-loss drug war: prices slashed up to 80% as obesity crisis worsens

Foreign, local firms fight for market share as number of overweight or obese adults could top 630 million by 2050, from 400 million in 2021.

There were more than 400 million overweight or obese adults in China in 2021, according to a study. Photo: Getty Images

Diplomacy

How the US raid in Venezuela has triggered Brazilian fury and a Chinese opening

Latin America’s largest economy seeks ‘delicate balance’ between Trump’s ambitions and boosting ties with Beijing, its top trading partner.

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Illustration: Brian Wang

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.

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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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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Shanghai has unveiled a slew of new investments in hi-tech industries worth more than US$10 billion. Photo: AFP
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