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Scramjet engines are among the technologies requiring boron. Chinese scientists say they have developed a method to extract boron from seawater. Photo: Getty Images

Chinese team reports way to extract hypersonic weapon fuel boron from seawater

Inspired by ‘novel sustainable technology’ research, the team designs a single, powerful system using solar energy for extraction.

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PLA fires up world’s first boron ramjet engine that can fly and swim

Science
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Diplomacy

German foreign minister calls for end to ‘uncertainty’ on Chinese rare earths, chips

Critical minerals, semiconductors and other commodities dominate talks as Johann Wadephul begins trip to China aimed at addressing trade.

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Politics

Chinese court orders Malaysia Airlines to pay families of 8 MH370 victims

The airline must pay over US$410,000 per passenger in China’s first formal compensation ruling on flight that vanished 11 years ago.

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Politics

Tackling aftermath of deadly Hong Kong blaze among first tasks for new lawmakers

Election turnout rate of 31.9 per cent slightly higher than in 2021, with city leader saying poll will have profound impact on reforms after Tai Po fire.

Economy
A drone photo taken on December 4 shows a cargo ship loaded with containers departing from Qingdao Port in east China’s Shandong province. Photo: Xinhua

China’s trade surplus tops record US$1 trillion, defying trade war uncertainty

East Asia

Powerful magnitude 7.5 earthquake strikes Japan’s northeast

The earthquake off the coast of Aomori and Hokkaido triggered tsunami warnings which were later downgraded to advisories.

Bookshelves and documents that fell during an earthquake at Kyodo News’ Hakodate bureau in Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan on Monday. Photo: Kyodo / Reuters
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Military

US defence chief touts ‘flexible realism’ with China ahead of strategy document

Pete Hegseth says US is committed to putting ‘America first’ and avoiding involvement in foreign entanglements.

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Global Economy

Macron’s trade ultimatum to China goes public: fix surplus or face tariffs

French president says EU could copy American protectionism, warning that a lopsided flow of goods results in China ‘effectively killing their own customers’.

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Lifestyle

A nation by design: how Singapore’s creative spirit drives its development

As the city state celebrates its 60th anniversary of independence this year, we look at how design has shaped its growth, from building its modern skyline from the ground up to enhancing the quality of life for an ageing population and allowing citizens to live healthier lives

In partnership with:
DesignSingapore Council
Marina Bay, envisioned as a place for people to live, work and play around the clock, is now home to many of Singapore’s iconic landmarks. This centrepiece of the cityscape has continued evolving to support its sustainable development.

Global Economy

China leans on German carmakers to help break Brussels tariff deadlock

Commerce vice-minister urges German industry leaders to leverage their clout to push the European Commission towards a compromise on the anti-subsidy probe.

Labourers work on an assembly line at a factory in Chongqing, China, in May. Beijing has pressed German carmakers to help resolve disputes over the European Union’s anti-subsidy tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Photo: EPA-EFE

China Economy

Chinese minister calls for more opening-up as key planning meeting looms

Commerce Minister Wang Wentao’s remarks echo similar calls by other senior officials ahead of annual central economic work conference.

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Europe

UK PM Starmer launches TikTok account despite government ban

In 2023, TikTok was banned on UK government devices over data security concerns linked to the app’s Chinese parent company ByteDance.

United States & Canada

Paramount counters Netflix with US$108.4 billion bid for Warner Bros

Netflix won a weeks-long bidding war against Paramount and Comcast on Friday, securing a US$72 billion equity deal for Warner Bros.

The Paramount logo is displayed on screen at Caesars Palace at CinemaCon 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada in April. Paramount is countering Netflix with cash bid for Warner Bros. Photo: AFP

Europe

New mpox strain found in UK after travel to Asia

New recombinant mpox strain raises concerns over global spread and viral evolution.

A colorised electron micrograph shows green mpox particles within a pink and purple infected cell cultured in a lab. Photo: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease/AFP

Politics

Hong Kong’s DAB party loses popular support, but retains crown as Legco’s biggest

Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong secures 250,000 fewer votes for directly contested seats compared with 2001.

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United States & Canada

Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another’ leads Golden Globes with 9 nods

Chinese-born filmmaker and Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao is nominated for Best Director for her film Hamnet.

Tech

AI spending helps save global economy under threat of trade war, IMF director says

AI investment, especially in the US, helped mute the impacts of increased tariffs, Jihad Azour says at Abu Dhabi Finance Week.

Jihad Azour, director of IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia Department, speaks during Abu Dhabi Finance Week in the United Arab Emirates on December 8, 2025. Photo: Coco Feng

Politics

Why a leading party in Bangladesh is facing uncertainty as election looms

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s leadership crisis threatens to undermine its advantage ahead of the February election, analysts say.

People carry flags and banners during a rally organised by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on November 7. Photo: EPA

Europe

Louvre trade unions call for strike to demand renovations, better conditions

The move follows news of a major leak in the Paris museum’s Egyptian department and an embarrassing robbery in November.

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Politics

From ‘Ne Zha’ to ‘Queen of Votes’: Christine Fong’s path to Hong Kong Legco win

After five failed attempts, 59-year-old Fong finally clinches Legco seat with 58,828 votes.

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OPINION
Sebastian Contin Trillo-Figueroa

Opinion | In reaching out to China, European states can’t keep acting alone

Sebastian Contin Trillo-Figueroa
Nicholas Spiro

The View | Asia’s housing affordability squeeze shows no signs of slowing

Nicholas Spiro
Michael Tai

Opinion | Despite their strong ties, Russia and China are emotional opposites

Michael Tai
6
Alice Wu

Opinion | After Hong Kong fire, new lawmakers will have to hit the ground running

Alice Wu
SCMP Editorial

Editorial | Persistence of scams targeting students in Hong Kong shows need for vigilance

SCMP Editorial
Harry’s View | 9 Dec 2025
December 9, 2025
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LATEST

Europe

UK PM Starmer launches TikTok account despite government ban

Europe

Louvre trade unions call for strike to demand renovations, better conditions

Big Tech

Ant International signs WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu as brand ambassador

United States & Canada

Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another’ leads Golden Globes with 9 nods

Europe

New mpox strain found in UK after travel to Asia

United States & Canada

Paramount counters Netflix with US$108.4 billion bid for Warner Bros

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SCMP Series
China’s alcohol economy
Chinese scientists return home
How China is telling its own story
Illustration: Henry Wong
SCMP SeriesChina’s alcohol economy

Pursuit of hoppiness: why China’s cash-conscious drinkers have embraced craft beers

As discerning alcohol consumers seek ‘wallet-friendly’ products, premium beers are winning out over higher-end options.

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After peaking, decline of China’s European wine imports worries makers

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China’s liquor capital faces long march to rebirth as ‘liquid gold’ glory wanes

Open Questions series

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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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

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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China Economy

Open Questions | Chinese economist Lu Feng on why the time is ripe for a consumption rebalance

Peking University professor says China’s next five-year plan could provide the necessary momentum to shift more public resources to households.

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Politics

Open Questions | Silkpunk creator Ken Liu takes on AI, modernity and what it means to be American

The sci-fi sensation compares the new technology to the early days of the camera and predicts a long period of transition for the new medium.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China Future Tech
China Future Tech
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EVs
AI
Semiconductors
Aerospace
Robotics
Biomedicine
Live Q&A webinars

Big Tech

China’s DeepSeek challenges Google DeepMind with new AI model

DeepSeek’s V3.2-Speciale equals Google’s Gemini 3 Pro in reasoning capabilities, the Chinese start-up says.

5
A shop advertising DeepSeek in Hong Kong. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Tech

AI spending helps save global economy under threat of trade war, IMF director says

AI investment, especially in the US, helped mute the impacts of increased tariffs, Jihad Azour says at Abu Dhabi Finance Week.

Tech Trends

DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng cleans up on chip firm Moore Threads’ IPO

Liang’s quantitative hedge fund, High-Flyer, subscribes to more than 80,000 Moore Threads shares, which saw a stellar trading debut in Shanghai.

Global Economy

China leans on German carmakers to help break Brussels tariff deadlock

Commerce vice-minister urges German industry leaders to leverage their clout to push the European Commission towards a compromise on the anti-subsidy probe.

Labourers work on an assembly line at a factory in Chongqing, China, in May. Beijing has pressed German carmakers to help resolve disputes over the European Union’s anti-subsidy tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Photo: EPA-EFE

China

Boiling point: China’s pre-made meals are testing trust at the table

In a nation with famously high food standards, restaurant goers say they must choose between taste, transparency and industrial efficiency.

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Pre-made meals are taking off in China, but many diners are increasingly incensed about the premium prices and lack of disclosure. Photo: Shutterstock

Diplomacy

Why China may be better placed than US in tussle for rare earths

While Beijing has long engaged with resource-rich nations, Trump’s Washington is seen as more ‘aggressive’ and reactive.

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China Economy

Why China sees Brazil as ‘last untapped blue ocean market’ for investment boom

Chinese investment in Brazil is soaring as firms eye the vast potential growth in South America’s ‘blue ocean market’.

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China Economy

How Chinese lifestyle brands are finding fans abroad with toys, tea and trends

From milk tea to blind boxes, China’s lighter consumer brands are winning worldwide recognition – though time will tell if the craze will last.

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Illustration: Brian Wang
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