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A pro-government, armed civilian in Caracas, Venezuela, attends a protest demanding the release of President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores, after US forces captured and flew them to the United States. Photo: AP

China is likely to thread the needle after US attack on Venezuela

A wait-and-see strategy is wise, analysts said, given the uncertainty surrounding Venezuela at the moment.

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Will Beijing look to US capture of Nicolas Maduro for lessons on Taiwan?

US-Venezuela conflict
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Law and Crime

Police to deepen Asean ties as Hong Kong set to host first top Interpol meeting

Police chief Joe Chow says Hong Kong’s high standing will help foster ties as city looks to host 196 member country representatives in November.

Diplomacy

Venezuela crisis underscores China’s challenges in Latin America

Washington making an example of Maduro as a ‘warning shot’ would create a ‘chilling effect’ across Latin America, observer says.

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Diplomacy

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung lands in Beijing with 200-strong delegation

State visit unfolds amid turbulent global landscape where South Korea must delicately navigate US-China rivalry and China-Japan tensions.

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Open Questions
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Embrace the moment’: on China, Daniel Kritenbrink puts pragmatism first

Tech Trends

China’s humanoid robot makers, Hong Kong start-ups set to dazzle CES 2026

Nearly a dozen Chinese humanoid robot makers are expected at the trade show, while Hong Kong sends its largest-ever delegation.

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Chinese humanoid robot maker AgiBot is expected to bring its full product portfolio at CES 2026. Photo: AgiBot
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Diplomacy

Trump warns Venezuela’s interim leader to cooperate, or else

US President Donald Trump said Delcy Rodríguez could pay ‘a very big price’ if she defies Washington.

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Politics

‘Not very high’ bar: Philippines inherits Thailand-Cambodia border crisis

Given Asean’s policy of non-interference, the Philippines may be better off leaving peace negotiations to the US and China, experts say.

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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.

Diplomacy

US scrambles geopolitics with stark attack on Venezuela

The US attack reverses a vow US President Donald Trump made when campaigning for his second term that Washington would stop, not start, wars.

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US President Donald Trump and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John D. Caine at a news conference on Saturday about the US attack on Venezuela. Photo: EPA

Military

Will Beijing look to US capture of Nicolas Maduro for lessons on Taiwan?

Analysts say US operation should serve as warning to separatist forces in Taiwan following PLA drills targeting the island’s leadership.

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East Asia

North Korea links Sunday’s missile launch to ‘recent geopolitical crisis’

Kim Jong-un, who denounced the US capture of Venezuela’s Maduro, said achievements have been made in preparing forces ‘for an actual war’.

China Economy

Maduro capture: is the US trying to grab control of the global oil market?

Removal of Venezuelan leader could be part of US effort to regain global pricing power as petrodollar system comes under strain: analysts.

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In a photo released by the White House, US President Donald Trump monitors American military strikes on Venezuela from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on June 3. Photo: AP

Banking & Finance

Exclusive | HKMA teams up with SFC, Insurance Authority to promote fintech over next 5 years

The HKMA is expanding the city’s generative AI sandbox to include other industries, chief executive Eddie Yue Wai-man says.

Hong Kong Monetary Authority chief executive Eddie Yue Wai-man. Photo: SCMP

East Asia

South Korean ‘nation’s actor’ Ahn Sung-ki dies at 74

Ahn collected over 40 major movie awards in his lifetime, including winning the Grand Bell Awards for best actor five times.

Chinese culture

How Peking opera actors pull off such impressive balancing moves

Peking opera actress Zhang Wanting, currently appearing in The Masked Heroine, started training in the art form in her childhood.

Southeast Asia

New ‘command economy’? Indonesia seizes land the size of Switzerland

Prabowo Subianto’s government has taken over 4 million hectares of plantations and mines since last January.

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A truck loaded with oil palm drives on an unpaved road at a plantation in Langsa, Aceh province. Photo: AFP

Cryptocurrency

Digital finance in 2026: what to expect as pilots move into real-world adoption

While digital money experiments promise greater efficiency, they also risk deeper fragmentation and regulatory pitfalls, experts warn.

Blockchain and Web3 technology are “inherently global”, but real-world applications must be “embedded in regulation and local use cases”, expert says. Photo: Shutterstock

Europe

Powers to seize mobile phones over Channel migrant crossings come into force

From Monday, UK authorities will take electronic devices from migrants to download data in a bid to gather intelligence on people smugglers.

Europe

Swiss grieve as all 40 bar fire victims identified - many of them under 18

Hundreds march in silence to honour victims of the New Year’s Swiss bar fire who were as young as 14.

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OPINION
Alice Wu

Opinion | Starry Lee or Ronick Chan? Lawmakers’ choice will reveal their priorities

Alice Wu
Wang Xiangwei

Opinion | Why China is still struggling to ‘invest in people’

Wang Xiangwei
SCMP Editorial

Editorial | Mainland Chinese drivers need to be aware of and respect Hong Kong laws

SCMP Editorial
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Editorial | Hong Kong’s anti-scam service a prudent way to make banking more secure

SCMP Editorial
Alex Lo

My Take | The United States returns to gunboat diplomacy, 21st-century style

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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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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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Paul Cheung, the new president of the Committee of 100, is hoping his organisation can provide context and nuance to the fractious US-China relationship for Chinese-Americans. Photo: Handout

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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Diplomacy

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

Singapore’s former foreign minister also discusses Trump, the latest China-Japan dust-up, and rivalry between Hong Kong and the city state.

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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
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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

Banking & Finance

The ‘biology winter’ thaws: why investors are buying Hong Kong’s biotech IPOs

A wave of China out-licensing deals is feeding a biotech comeback in Hong Kong, where IPOs and follow-on placements are surging.

Tech Trends

China’s humanoid robot makers, Hong Kong start-ups set to dazzle CES 2026

Nearly a dozen Chinese humanoid robot makers are expected at the trade show, while Hong Kong sends its largest-ever delegation.

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China Economy

What are China’s hottest jobs as AI reshapes the labour market?

The structural shift in China’s labour market will make digital skills mandatory as new opportunities emerge and traditional work tapers off.

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Artificial intelligence will shape the future of job creation in China as demand for AI product managers surges by 178 per cent and digital skills will be mandatory in the new employment landscape. Photo: Shutterstock

Diplomacy

Why China is turning down the nationalist heat in its row with Japan

With economic stakes high, Beijing seen as ‘more cautious in handling external frictions’, avoiding fanning of ‘uncontrollable’ nationalism.

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Illustration: Henry Wong

Law and Crime

Hong Kong’s sex offence laws are to be overhauled. What needs to be updated?

Consent and gender issues are key areas the government will look at when it starts the review process.

Military

Just how close did a PLA drone come to the heart of Taipei during drill?

Footage shared by a mainland military social media account shows Taipei 101 but it’s not clear when it was taken.

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China Economy

How the ‘world’s supermarket’ rode out Trump’s tariffs – and grew even stronger

Yiwu, one of China’s biggest export hubs, was expected to take a hit from US tariffs. Instead, it has seen trade surge.

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Vendors work at the Yiwu International Trade Market, a vast emporium for wholesale goods often dubbed the “world’s supermarket”, in Yiwu, Zhejiang province. The city has recorded strong growth in exports this year despite the US-China trade war. Photo: AFP
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