https://www.scmp.com/rss/91/feed All the latest breaking news from Hong Kong, China and around the world en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Edith Lin Edith Lin K-pop boy band BTS will perform at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium for three days in March next year as part of their comeback tour, with tickets priced at up to HK$3,299 (US$420) each. Event organiser Live Nation HK announced on Friday the dates of the boy band’s performances in the city, which is part of the group’s “Arirang” world tour marking their return to the global stage after all seven members recently completed South Korea’s mandatory military service. The band is set to meet members of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3354540/k-pop-stars-bts-hold-3-concerts-hong-kongs-kai-tak-stadium-2027?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3354540/k-pop-stars-bts-hold-3-concerts-hong-kongs-kai-tak-stadium-2027?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 10:15:23 +0000 Johannes Nugroho Johannes Nugroho After three agonising days with no word from his son, Warsono finally saw the face he had been waiting for. The 60-year-old Indonesian from Bandar Lampung in Sumatra spoke by video call on Thursday evening to his son, Andre Prasetyo Nugroho, following the 27-year-old journalist’s release from Israeli detention in Gaza. “To my great relief, I could see he was in one piece, albeit somewhat worse for wear,” he said, adding that his son had bruises on his hands from being tightly zip-tied and,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3354548/freed-indonesian-gaza-flotilla-tells-father-rough-treatment-israeli-officials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3354548/freed-indonesian-gaza-flotilla-tells-father-rough-treatment-israeli-officials?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 10:00:47 +0000 Chao Kong Chao Kong For decades, publishing a paper in Nature was regarded as the ultimate academic achievement in China – a fast track to promotions, research grants, hospital appointments and elite national talent programmes. But a growing wave of academic fraud allegations could be turning that prestige into a liability. Over the past two months, Chinese social media platforms have been flooded with accusations targeting papers published in Nature and its subsidiaries, including Nature Cancer, Nature Cell... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3354318/will-string-science-scandals-ruin-century-old-journal-natures-reputation-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3354318/will-string-science-scandals-ruin-century-old-journal-natures-reputation-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 10:00:08 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan A Chinese woman who has planted trees in the deserts of Inner Mongolia for decades has contacted an American man who donated US$5,000 to her and invited him to visit a forest that came into being because of his funding. Yin Yuzhen, 60, was awarded as a National Model Worker by China’s State Council in 2000 for her long-term anti-desertification efforts. Hailing from a poor family in northwestern Shaanxi province, Yin married a man who lives in Maowusu Desert in Inner Mongolia in the 1980s. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/environment/article/3354182/american-donated-us5000-china-farmer-tree-planting-decades-ago-invited-view-forest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/environment/article/3354182/american-donated-us5000-china-farmer-tree-planting-decades-ago-invited-view-forest?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 10:00:06 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Beijing reaffirmed its opposition to arms sales to Taiwan after the acting secretary of the US Navy said Washington was pausing a US$14 billion weapons purchase by the self-governed island. “China’s firm opposition to US arms sales to China’s Taiwan region is consistent, clear and unwavering,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Friday. On Thursday, acting US Navy head Hung Cao told a congressional hearing that “right now we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354539/us-navy-signals-pause-taiwan-arms-sale-drawing-swift-reaction-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354539/us-navy-signals-pause-taiwan-arms-sale-drawing-swift-reaction-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 09:52:01 +0000 SCMP Plus SCMP Plus This report was translated from Chinese into English using Alibaba’s Qwen3, then checked and tweaked for accuracy by a South China Morning Post journalist. It is for reference only, and is not the official English version of the original Chinese document. Alibaba owns the SCMP. https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354538/chinas-views-achieving-constructive-strategic-and-stable-ties-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354538/chinas-views-achieving-constructive-strategic-and-stable-ties-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 09:51:06 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones The Javan and Sumatran rhinos are down to their last few dozen, just like the Cat Ba langur of Vietnam, while the soala living in Laos’ Annamite mountains may already be gone for good. Southeast Asia’s remarkable biodiversity is under severe threat from the encroachment of cities and farms, deforestation, warming seas and the trafficking of rare wildlife for food, traditional medicines and as pets. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) told This Week in Asia that more than... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3354526/thousands-aseans-endangered-species-face-trafficking-consumption-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3354526/thousands-aseans-endangered-species-face-trafficking-consumption-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 09:16:24 +0000 Karen Tian Karen Tian Funding for China’s artificial-intelligence-related start-ups jumped nearly threefold year on year in the first quarter, as investors poured capital into large language models (LLMs) and embodied AI amid growing optimism over the country’s technology ecosystem. AI-related start-ups secured more than 110 billion yuan (US$16.2 billion) in the first three months of the year, representing a 185 per cent surge from the same period last year, according to data released on Thursday by Beijing-based... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3354502/chinas-ai-start-funding-triples-us16b-first-quarter-amid-bets-llms-robotics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3354502/chinas-ai-start-funding-triples-us16b-first-quarter-amid-bets-llms-robotics?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 09:00:06 +0000 Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow China criticised the United States for filing criminal charges against former Cuban president Raul Castro, as the Trump administration stepped up pressure on the Communist-ruled Caribbean island. “The United States needs to stop wielding the big stick of sanctions and judicial measures against Cuba, and stop threatening Cuba with force at every turn,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Thursday. Russia also said that US actions “cannot be condoned”. The US on Wednesday... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354503/cuba-clash-putin-visits-beijing-xi-may-go-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354503/cuba-clash-putin-visits-beijing-xi-may-go-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 08:56:26 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow Hong Kong film producer and actor Raymond Wong Pak-ming has been found guilty of sharing insider information with his sister to trade shares of an entertainment company he chaired in 2017, bringing her more than HK$1 million (US$127,650) in profit. Magistrate Ko Wai-hung of Eastern Court on Friday found Wong had made “absurd and illogical” explanations for his messages to younger sister Jenny Wong, ruling he had knowingly tipped her to buy shares in Transmit Entertainment, a television series... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3354517/hong-kong-producer-raymond-wong-found-guilty-hk1-million-insider-trading?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3354517/hong-kong-producer-raymond-wong-found-guilty-hk1-million-insider-trading?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 08:50:10 +0000 David Dodwell David Dodwell Perhaps the most fascinating and important aspects of US President Donald Trump’s jolt to the global economy have been its unintended consequences, especially the impact on relations between China and India. Two consistent aspects of Trump’s meandering narrative are to “make America great again” by bringing manufacturing jobs back to the US, and to hobble China as an economic and strategic threat. A decade later, there has been negligible progress on either objective. Instead, the unintended... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3354474/india-and-china-are-cautiously-getting-closer-thanks-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3354474/india-and-china-are-cautiously-getting-closer-thanks-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 08:30:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters Bowing to pressure ⁠from within its ranks, the Democratic National Committee released on Thursday its long-withheld “autopsy” of Kamala Harris’ loss to Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race – only to quickly disavow it. The report found that Democrats have ceded ground to Trump’s Republicans through underfunding of state parties and a “persistent inability or unwillingness to listen to all ‌voters”. In particular, Democrats underperformed among male voters, non-college voters, irregular... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354511/democrats-release-2024-us-election-loss-autopsy-only-disavow-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354511/democrats-release-2024-us-election-loss-autopsy-only-disavow-it?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 08:16:49 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Former Malaysian economy minister Rafizi Ramli’s breakaway gamble is unlikely to bring down Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on its own, analysts say, but it could still wound the ruling coalition by peeling away reformist voters who helped Pakatan Harapan (PH) take power in 2022. Rafizi and former natural resources and environmental sustainability minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad announced on Sunday that they would quit Anwar’s People Justice Party (PKR), vacate their parliamentary seats and take over... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3354510/why-rafizis-party-bigger-threat-malaysias-anwar-opposition-coalition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3354510/why-rafizis-party-bigger-threat-malaysias-anwar-opposition-coalition?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 08:16:18 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Scientists from China and the Netherlands have created a corn protein-based biopolymer with a process inspired by spider silk that could offer a sustainable alternative to plastics based on fossil fuel. “Plant-derived biopolymers may become sustainable alternatives to fossil-based polymers, yet their poor material performance has so far limited their adoption,” the team said in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications on May 11. The scientists, inspired by how spiders... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3354488/chinese-and-dutch-scientists-turn-corn-sustainable-plastic-inspired-spider-silk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3354488/chinese-and-dutch-scientists-turn-corn-sustainable-plastic-inspired-spider-silk?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 08:00:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Brazilian head of a victims’ association for the 2009 crash of Flight 447 from Rio to Paris said that justice has yet to be served in France’s worst aviation crash after a Paris appeals court found Airbus and Air France guilty of manslaughter. Air France and Airbus, two of France’s most emblematic companies, said in separate statements that they would appeal Thursday’s ruling, potentially prolonging the legal battle for years. Brazilian Nelson Faria Marinho, who lost his son in the crash... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3354499/air-france-2009-crash-verdict-sparks-mixed-emotions-among-victims-families?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3354499/air-france-2009-crash-verdict-sparks-mixed-emotions-among-victims-families?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 07:39:14 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele On Cenang Beach, Mohamad Zaki Najmi sells jet ski rides and boat tours in Langkawi’s turquoise water: adventure activities that have powered the Malaysian island’s tourism economy for years. But costs are rising fast on the popular resort island, and the sea sports operator has been forced to pass them on to customers – a last resort for tourism players in Malaysia as competition for international visitors hots up across Southeast Asia. Higher fuel prices, triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3354496/malaysias-tourism-dependent-langkawi-fears-rising-costs-are-deterring-visitors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3354496/malaysias-tourism-dependent-langkawi-fears-rising-costs-are-deterring-visitors?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 07:15:28 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim Financial news outlet Bloomberg harboured “unprecedented” malice in the publication and handling of an article about the purchase of good class bungalows in Singapore, lawyers for two Singaporean cabinet ministers alleged on Friday during closing statements in a defamation lawsuit. Senior counsel Davinder Singh said the case was unprecedented in terms of ill intent and aggravation, seeking damages exceeding those against The Online Citizen chief editor Terry Xu, who was ordered to pay S$574,000... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3354490/bloomberg-accused-unprecedented-malice-singapore-ministers-defamation-trial-ends?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3354490/bloomberg-accused-unprecedented-malice-singapore-ministers-defamation-trial-ends?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 06:58:38 +0000 SCMP SCMP The presidents of the United States and Russia visited Beijing on separate trips in May to meet with President Xi Jinping. The South China Morning Post produced extensive coverage of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s summit meetings in Beijing. Here are some of the highlights of our coverage, taking you behind the headlines and beyond the summit stages to show the politics, symbolism and moments that shaped Xi’s meetings with Trump and Putin. If you would like to see more of our reporting,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354442/selfies-and-symbolism-behind-scenes-xis-summit-trump-and-putin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354442/selfies-and-symbolism-behind-scenes-xis-summit-trump-and-putin?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 06:30:06 +0000 William Yiu William Yiu The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in London can continue its “legitimate activity”, the UK government has said, despite political pressure after a British court found two men linked to the office guilty of spying on activists. But the UK government also said on Thursday that anyone in any organisation found to be helping a foreign state to undermine British security would be brought to justice. The government’s remarks came two weeks after Bill Yuen Chung-biu, the London office’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3354483/hong-kong-trade-office-can-continue-legitimate-activity-uk-official-tells-critical-mps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3354483/hong-kong-trade-office-can-continue-legitimate-activity-uk-official-tells-critical-mps?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 06:18:03 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Commerce Minister Wang Wentao is expected in Brussels for crunch talks with EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic on June 29 and 30, as trade tensions between the sides threaten to reach fever pitch. Wang’s trip – confirmed by people familiar with the planning – will come on the heels of several top-level debates in the Belgian capital about how the bloc should tackle the perceived threat of an industrial shock to its economy attributed to China’s policies. Next week, the European Commission will hold... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354481/chinas-commerce-chief-wang-wentao-expected-brussels-june-29-and-30-sources?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354481/chinas-commerce-chief-wang-wentao-expected-brussels-june-29-and-30-sources?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 06:04:33 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Paul McCartney led an all-star line-up for the final episode of The Late Show as frontman Stephen Colbert bowed out after broadcaster CBS cancelled his show as it courted US President Donald Trump. But one A-lister who eluded the comic to the end was the pope, whom Colbert, a devout Catholic, had long touted as his dream guest. “The pope, who was definitely my guest tonight, has cancelled,” Colbert joked, blaming a dispute over hot dogs before McCartney appeared to rapturous cheers. The show,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354480/stephen-colbert-hosts-late-show-finale-after-controversial-cancellation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354480/stephen-colbert-hosts-late-show-finale-after-controversial-cancellation?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 06:01:44 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has launched a US$10 billion facility to support members affected by conflict in the Middle East, the group announced on Thursday. The Energy, Food Security and Economic Resilience Facility, sitting alongside the bank’s existing financing tools, offers up to US$10 billion over two years to help members tackle urgent needs around energy security, food security and economic resilience, according to a statement published by the Beijing-based... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3354457/aiib-offers-us10-billion-support-members-hit-iran-war-fallout?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3354457/aiib-offers-us10-billion-support-members-hit-iran-war-fallout?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 06:00:12 +0000 Zoey Zhang Zoey Zhang China’s “most devoted fraudster” has returned to public attention after mainland media revisited his case of forging hospital payment slips to keep his wife alive. Liao Dan, a former factory worker in Beijing with only a secondary school education, had been living on the margins of the city with his wife, Du Jinling, and their son after their workplaces shut down. Their hardship worsened in 2007, when Du was diagnosed with severe uraemia and told she needed dialysis three times a week to... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3354243/china-most-devoted-fraudster-fakes-records-give-wife-free-dialysis-reignites-medical-debate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3354243/china-most-devoted-fraudster-fakes-records-give-wife-free-dialysis-reignites-medical-debate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 06:00:07 +0000 Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog has charged a 62-year-old woman with allegedly offering a bribe to a Legal Aid Department clerk in an attempt to secure custody of her grandson. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said on Thursday that Wen Congmei allegedly offered HK$10,000 (US$1,280) to the clerk in September last year. She faces one count of offering an advantage to a public servant and was granted HK$2,000 cash bail at West Kowloon Court on Friday. She was barred from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3354476/hong-kongs-icac-charges-woman-over-alleged-hk10000-bribe-custody-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3354476/hong-kongs-icac-charges-woman-over-alleged-hk10000-bribe-custody-case?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 05:35:23 +0000 SCMP SCMP This article was first published on May 23, 1976. Australia’s long distance swimming heroine, Linda McGill, staggered ashore at crowded Repulse Bay beach yesterday afternoon (May 22, 1976) after completing her round Hong Kong Island swim and said: “I’d do it again – for A$20,000 (HK$883,817 in 2026).” Linda, looking exhausted and close to collapse after just over 17 hours in the water, fell into the arms of her fiance, Dr Bruce Logan, and hundreds of spectators clapped and cheered. With cameras... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3354073/australias-linda-mcgill-makes-first-swim-around-hong-kong-island-1976-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3354073/australias-linda-mcgill-makes-first-swim-around-hong-kong-island-1976-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 05:30:05 +0000 Ambrose Li Ambrose Li Hong Kong’s medical watchdog and Coroner’s Court will look into an incident in which an eight-year-old girl died two years ago after a delayed blood transfusion during surgery at a public hospital. Eddie Chau, the father of the girl, Chau Tin-yu, said on Friday that the Medical Council inquiry would take place from October 27 to 30 and that he would attend as a witness. The Coroner’s Court also notified him that it had decided to open an inquest into Tin-yu’s death, with the date to be announced... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3354468/coroners-court-watchdog-probe-delayed-blood-transfusion-girl-cancer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3354468/coroners-court-watchdog-probe-delayed-blood-transfusion-girl-cancer?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 04:50:45 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Substance for Putin, ‘face’ for Trump as China, Russia deepen strategic alliance Days after US President Donald Trump’s visit framed around managing risks, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3354444/leaders-xi-putin-meet-over-tea-rare-earth-find-northeast-china-scmps-7-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3354444/leaders-xi-putin-meet-over-tea-rare-earth-find-northeast-china-scmps-7-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 04:34:12 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Vietnam auctioned off two Hermes handbags owned by real estate tycoon Truong My Lan, convicted in the nation’s largest fraud case, for 14.21 billion dong (US$539,000) as efforts to claw back billions of dollars in ill-gotten wealth accelerate. The government is auditing assets owned by Lan and her affiliates to recoup billions in losses after courts ordered her to repay US$27 billion in damages. Lan has so far repaid a total of more than 12 trillion dong to about 42,000 bondholders with more... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3354462/vietnam-sells-disgraced-tycoons-hermes-bags-recoup-us27-billion-damages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3354462/vietnam-sells-disgraced-tycoons-hermes-bags-recoup-us27-billion-damages?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 04:11:09 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela A leading Chinese university has given a Russian banker sanctioned by the United States a prestigious honorary academic title, soon after they signed a partnership agreement on innovative development. German (also known as Herman) Gref, CEO and chairman of Russia’s Sberbank, has been given the title of “distinguished visiting professor” by Tsinghua University, according to Russian state news agency Ria on Tuesday, citing a source familiar with the matter. Gref was part of the delegation... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3354420/chinas-tsinghua-university-honours-german-gref-russian-banker-sanctioned-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3354420/chinas-tsinghua-university-honours-german-gref-russian-banker-sanctioned-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 04:00:12 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li China’s landmark Pinglu Canal has entered its final phase of construction and is set to begin trial operations as early as September, with a first shipping route linking the country’s heartlands to the free-trade port of Hainan, according to Chinese state media reports. The Pinglu Canal – China’s most ambitious waterway project in centuries – will stretch 134km (83 miles) from Nanning, capital of the southern Guangxi region, to the Gulf of Tonkin, known as the Beibu Gulf in China. The aim is to... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354380/chinas-vast-new-canal-link-southeast-asia-set-open-earlier-expected?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354380/chinas-vast-new-canal-link-southeast-asia-set-open-earlier-expected?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 03:00:06 +0000 The Star The Star A scam syndicate has been renting a bungalow in an upmarket area in Malaysia’s Johor state and using AI to carry out job scams all the way in Spain. Police uncovered their activities when they arrested a total of 35 Chinese nationals during a raid at the bungalow in Gelang Patah at 11.50pm on May 14. Iskandar Puteri OCPD Assistant Commissioner M. Kumarasan said the suspects, aged between 21 and 39, used artificial intelligence technology and ready-made language templates to communicate with... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3354452/chinese-gang-caught-using-ai-malaysia-bungalow-spanish-job-scam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3354452/chinese-gang-caught-using-ai-malaysia-bungalow-spanish-job-scam?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 02:41:51 +0000 Josephine Ma Josephine Ma Dr Evan Medeiros is the Penner family chair in Asia studies and the Cling family distinguished fellow in US-China studies at Georgetown University. He has served as the National Security Council’s director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia, and later as special assistant to the president and senior director for Asia. Medeiros was former president Barack Obama’s top adviser on the Asia-Pacific and was previously a policy adviser to Hank Paulson when he was Treasury secretary. He has also held senior... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354449/china-us-stability-may-not-last-ex-asia-adviser-obama-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354449/china-us-stability-may-not-last-ex-asia-adviser-obama-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 02:26:26 +0000 Ambrose Li Ambrose Li A Hong Kong resident was killed and four others were injured after a fire broke out late on Thursday in an old building under renovation in Jordan, prompting the evacuation of about 300 people. Police said on Friday that they received a report at 10.49pm the previous day of a fire at a subdivided flat in the 62-year-old Man Yuen Building on Man Wai Street. The Fire Services Department deployed 20 fire engines, 10 ambulances and 106 personnel, and extinguished the blaze at 11.53pm. The department... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3354448/1-dead-4-injured-hong-kong-subdivided-flat-fire-forces-300-be-evacuated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3354448/1-dead-4-injured-hong-kong-subdivided-flat-fire-forces-300-be-evacuated?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 02:14:42 +0000 Fan Hou,Haining Gao Fan Hou,Haining Gao – https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3354445/china-russia-energy-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3354445/china-russia-energy-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 01:37:07 +0000 Tang Meng Kit Tang Meng Kit When Air Force One touched down in Beijing, one of the most photographed passengers was Boeing’s chief executive, Kelly Ortberg, there to close a deal. Washington had come to sell aircraft. Beijing was buying something else. The last time this scene played out in 2017, China signed an agreement for 300 Boeing aircraft. Since then, it has pursued an industrial programme aimed at reducing dependence on precisely such orders. That effort has not failed, but neither has it advanced at the pace... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3354137/boeing-went-china-sell-planes-beijing-buying-something-else?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3354137/boeing-went-china-sell-planes-beijing-buying-something-else?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 01:30:05 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao Former US ambassador to China Max Baucus has described the latest US-China summit as ushering in a new phase of wary “constructive stability”, with both sides focused more on preventing crises rather than building trust or meaningfully resetting their relationship. In an interview on Wednesday, Baucus said last week’s Beijing summit between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump served as a guard rail to prevent breakdown and escalation, while revealing the limits of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354418/we-really-do-not-trust-each-other-former-us-envoy-foresees-wary-new-phase-china-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3354418/we-really-do-not-trust-each-other-former-us-envoy-foresees-wary-new-phase-china-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 01:00:20 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow For years, Liu Wei was synonymous with Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings’ artificial intelligence efforts. A distinguished scientist at the Shenzhen-based company, Liu was also head of its Hunyuan team, the firm’s foundational model development unit for the generative AI era. But in late 2024, Liu’s departure from Tencent after more than eight years sparked immediate speculation as to why he left. Hunyuan was introduced only a year earlier – so why did Liu suddenly quit one of China’s most... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3354394/china-losing-llm-race-it-can-still-win-ai-ex-tencent-ai-lead-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3354394/china-losing-llm-race-it-can-still-win-ai-ex-tencent-ai-lead-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 01:00:14 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A Chinese influencer has turned the flying sword in Chinese xianxia fantasy novels into reality by creating a specially-shaped aerial vehicle. Fan Shisan, from southwestern China’s Sichuan province, recently posted a video of himself riding a sword-shaped aerial vehicle, amassing 3.3 million views and 284,000 likes. Dressed in black and striking a cool pose, Fan looks like a knight in China’s xianxia dramas. Xianxia is a popular genre of Chinese fantasy developed from the wuxia, or martial... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3354207/china-inventor-creates-sword-shaped-aerial-vehicle-bringing-flying-sword-fantasy-novels-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3354207/china-inventor-creates-sword-shaped-aerial-vehicle-bringing-flying-sword-fantasy-novels-life?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 01:00:07 +0000 Vivian Au Vivian Au The new industrial park under the Northern Metropolis megaproject has attracted strong global interest from companies in environmental and AI sectors, its chairman has said, with plans to provide international education and accommodation facilities. Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, the newly appointed chairman of the Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park Company, also aims to have the park operational by July next year, describing it as a “nice gift” for Hong Kong’s 30th anniversary of its return to Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3354359/northern-metropolis-industrial-park-draws-global-interest-ai-green-firms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3354359/northern-metropolis-industrial-park-draws-global-interest-ai-green-firms?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 00:30:06 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim As robots become more advanced to carry out complex tasks, they are set to be at the forefront of the next phase of Singapore’s goal to become a world-class artificial intelligence hub. The city state hopes to position itself as a hub for “physical AI” – robots and autonomous systems that can clean buildings, deliver goods, patrol public spaces and eventually work in factories, hospitals and homes. Singapore’s stable regulatory environment, strong digital infrastructure and experience deploying... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3354423/robots-singapores-ai-zone-clean-patrol-and-deliver-goods?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3354423/robots-singapores-ai-zone-clean-patrol-and-deliver-goods?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters The leader of a Minnesota non-profit group was sentenced to 41 years in prison on Thursday after she was convicted last year of being the ringleader of a US$250 million ‌scheme to defraud a federally funded child nutrition programme. Aimee Bock, 45, was charged in 2022 with using her non-profit group Feeding Our Future to enact what the Justice Department said was the largest known fraud against the US government’s relief programmes during the ⁠Covid-19 pandemic. More than 70 other people have... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354440/woman-jailed-nearly-42-years-over-us250-million-minnesota-fraud-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354440/woman-jailed-nearly-42-years-over-us250-million-minnesota-fraud-case?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 23:50:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse At least 19 people were killed at a palm plantation in northern Honduras, authorities said Thursday, as the Central American nation prepares for a resurgent wave of anti-gang militarisation. The killings took place the previous night in Rigores, in the restive Bajo Aguan region, where rival gangs have fought over control of palm plantations and drug trafficking routes. The attack came shortly after the national legislature approved a series of reforms to confront criminal violence in Honduras,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3354438/16-dead-after-gunmen-open-fire-2-separate-attacks-honduras?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3354438/16-dead-after-gunmen-open-fire-2-separate-attacks-honduras?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 23:29:35 +0000 Cheryl Arcibal Cheryl Arcibal The artificial intelligence boom is partially spurring investment in Asia-Pacific’s data centre properties with a record US$11.6 billion worth of capital poured into the segment in 2025, according to CBRE. In Hong Kong, while AI-related demand is unlikely to be met because of technical limitations, leasing of data centre space was supported by “hyperscale CSPs (cloud service providers), mainland Chinese technology and e-commerce companies and financial institutions”, the property consultancy... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3354407/ai-boom-fuels-us116b-data-centre-investment-asia-pacific-hong-kong-eyes-niche-role?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3354407/ai-boom-fuels-us116b-data-centre-investment-asia-pacific-hong-kong-eyes-niche-role?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 23:00:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump on Thursday said the US would send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, stirring confusion following weeks of changing statements from Trump and his administration about reducing – not increasing – the American military footprint in Europe. The Trump administration has said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and US officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer deploying to Poland. Trump’s social media announcement raises more... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354437/us-send-5000-troops-poland-trump-says-after-earlier-deployment-called?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354437/us-send-5000-troops-poland-trump-says-after-earlier-deployment-called?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 22:57:57 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israel said on Thursday it had deported all the foreign activists seized by its forces from a Gaza-bound flotilla, as the first group arrived in Turkey following global outcry over their treatment in custody. Hundreds of activists from countries around the world were placed in detention in Israel after they were intercepted at sea Monday while making the latest in a string of attempts to break the blockade of the Palestinian territory. Turkish foreign ministry sources said 422 activists,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354436/first-gaza-flotilla-activists-arrive-turkey-after-israel-deportation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354436/first-gaza-flotilla-activists-arrive-turkey-after-israel-deportation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 22:30:01 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng As the war in Iran disrupts global oil and chemical supplies, China’s coal-heavy energy sector is seizing an unprecedented opportunity. Dannie Peng visited the Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture in northern Xinjiang – one of China’s four major bases for large-scale, modern coal-chemical production. In the second of a two-part series, she discovers how China is leveraging coal chemicals to offset oil shocks. It is late April, and northern Xinjiang is already gripped by scorching heat. Salt flats... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3354050/china-replacing-middle-east-oil-xinjiang-coal-what-does-it-mean-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3354050/china-replacing-middle-east-oil-xinjiang-coal-what-does-it-mean-world?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 22:00:05 +0000 Andy Xie Andy Xie The Iran war has baked in stagflation and starvation through big reductions in the supply of oil and fertilisers. This inflationary pressure will only increase. As inflation sucks liquidity out of financial markets and into the real economy, bond yields are being pushed up across the world. If bond yields rise by more than a percentage point, a likely scenario before the year’s end, the liquidity diversion could be big enough to pop the AI bubble. The US-Israeli war on Iran has disrupted the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3353772/not-even-quick-end-iran-war-can-save-ai-stock-bubble-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3353772/not-even-quick-end-iran-war-can-save-ai-stock-bubble-now?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 21:30:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday voiced hope of progress on ending the war with Iran, with mediator Pakistan’s army chief poised for talks in Tehran. The role played by Field Marshal Asim Munir, a powerful figure with a growing role in Pakistan’s foreign relations, has taken on increased significance as US President Donald Trump warned that negotiations to end the war were on the “borderline” between a deal and renewed strikes. “I believe the Pakistanis will be travelling to Tehran... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3354435/us-voices-hope-iran-deal-progress-pakistan-army-chief-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3354435/us-voices-hope-iran-deal-progress-pakistan-army-chief-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 21:24:32 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado One day after the United States brought criminal charges against former Cuban leader Raul Castro over the 1996 shooting down of two civilian aircraft, President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio portrayed Cuba as both a growing national security threat tied to China and Russia and a candidate for a negotiated political transition. The comments came amid renewed friction between Washington and Beijing over Cuba after China criticised the US charges against Castro and accused... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3354434/us-casts-cuba-china-linked-security-threat-while-still-pushing-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3354434/us-casts-cuba-china-linked-security-threat-while-still-pushing-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 21:16:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast has warned US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of “Chinese malign influence” in a bid for a major contract in Argentina, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The April 23 letter concerns an auction for a 25-year contract to dredge and operate Argentina’s Parana River, a vital waterway for most of ‌the country’s agricultural exports, that Argentina estimates will reach US$10 billion in investment. The terms of the tender, which is in its... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354433/us-foreign-affairs-chairman-warns-china-role-argentina-contract-bid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354433/us-foreign-affairs-chairman-warns-china-role-argentina-contract-bid?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 20:36:05 +0000