Advertisement
Advertisement
SCMP PLUS
Latest
China
Economy
Hong Kong
Asia
Business
Tech
Lifestyle
People & Culture
World
Opinion
Video
Sport
-
Latest
China
Economy
Hong Kong
Asia
Business
Tech
Lifestyle
People & Culture
World
Opinion
Video
Sport
-
Advertisement
Beijing has grown bolder since playing its rare earths card in October and is now less worried about tariffs, according to sources. Photo: Reuters

Exclusive | Buoyed by rare earths, China approaches Trump summit with fresh confidence

Sources say Beijing believes it has the ability to retaliate if Washington steps up the trade pressure.

videocam

Trump heads to China weakened as Xi gains leverage ahead of summit

2026 Xi-Trump summit
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Military

Underwater anti-mine technology takes centre stage at Chinese defence show

The Chengdu Defence Technology Industry Expo showcases advanced equipment, including submarine-launched drones.

Diplomacy

Why war on Iran may be ‘accelerating end of US hegemony’ and damaging Stargate

Washington is fighting the ‘wrong war’ and Tehran is able to undermine the US president’s key AI strategy, an event in Beijing told.

videocam
11

Society

Hong Kong villagers accuse authorities of rushed Northern Metropolis evictions

One elderly villager says she fears her family may be separated due to rehousing arrangements.

2026 Xi-Trump summit
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Trump heads to China weakened as Xi gains leverage ahead of summit

China Economy

China’s Comac looking to boost C919’s overhead luggage capacity: source

Aircraft maker reviewing new designs to challenge Boeing and Airbus and take better advantage of plane’s slightly wider fuselage.

11
A flight attendant welcomes passengers on board a China Eastern Airlines C919 at Hong Kong International Airport last year. Photo: Nora Tam
Advertisement

Tech Trends

Alibaba brings chat-style shopping to Taobao, Qwen amid AI gateway push: source

E-commerce giant is integrating Qwen with Taobao and Tmall, enabling shoppers to use natural-language commands instead of keyword searches.

Tech Trends

How Chinese developers bypass restrictions to access top US AI models

One high-volume seller on Xianyu advertises ‘low-latency, no-VPN’ access to the full Claude 3.5 suite.

8

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
Cityscape Global 2026 is expected to build on last year’s record-breaking success.

Middle East

Qatari tanker crosses Strait of Hormuz as Trump awaits Tehran response

Washington has been awaiting Tehran’s response to a new proposal for a deal to end the war, reopen the strait to shipping and roll back Iran’s nuclear programme.

videocam
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz in Musandam, Oman, on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Science

China’s ‘super catalyst’ turns waste water into fertiliser building block

Researchers transform nitrate pollution into ammonia, used to create plant food, which could strengthen China’s fertiliser supply chain.

videocam

Health & Wellness

Why tai chi and qigong are great for health, and English classes in Hong Kong

The Chinese ‘internal’ arts of tai chi and qigong offer a host of health benefits and are slowly becoming more accessible to English speakers.

South Asia

Pakistani Taliban splinter group claims suicide attack, 14 police dead

A suicide bomber and several gunmen detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near a police station in Bannu, a district bordering Afghanistan.

videocam
A destroyed police armoured at the site of a suicide attack in Bannu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua

Tech Trends

China scrambles to close AI cyber gap as Anthropic, OpenAI surge with new models

IDC projects that China’s AI cybersecurity industry will be valued at US$8.7 billion by 2030, a more than 37-fold increase from 2025.

5
AI is shifting the global balance between cyber attackers and defenders. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Middle East

Spanish, Brazilian flotilla activists released after detention in Israel

Israel deported two activists it detained near Greece for leading an aid flotilla attempting to break the naval blockade on Gaza.

China

Fifa officials head to China to discuss bargain broadcasting deal for World Cup

Football’s global governing body is reportedly offering to slash the price and talks will also cover a package for 2026 and 2030 editions.

Politics

Vietnam joins rush for India’s battle-tested ‘strong, non-Western’ BrahMos

As a joint Indo-Russian venture, BrahMos offers a supersonic, non-Western alternative to US hardware with no Nato-linked conditions.

videocam
A man waves India’s national flag in front of a replica of the BrahMos missile system in Ahmedabad last year. Photo: AFP

China Economy

China’s AI drive seen widening wealth gap, testing ‘common prosperity’ push

With Beijing’s ‘AI-plus’ plan looking to grow the nation’s digital economy, experts warn that hubs could further outpace rural regions, fuelling inequality.

videocam
Chinese students interact with an AI-powered assistant during a class in Zhejiang province last month. Photo: Xinhua

Asia

Video | Asia’s new crime wave is emerging from behind bars

Armed with a smartphone, a new breed of remote criminal operates from Southeast Asia’s prisons.

Europe

Hantavirus-hit cruise passengers evacuate from Spanish port with WHO aid

About 150 people will be flown home as the MV Hondius arrived near the port of Granadilla in Tenerife.

Advertisement
Advertisement
OPINION
Sophie Wushuang Yi

Opinion | China shouldn’t view a tired US as signifying a Europe ready to pivot

Sophie Wushuang Yi
Tony Zhao

Opinion | Can China engineer a price recovery that doesn’t make people feel poorer?

Tony Zhao
Ian Storey

Asian Angle | 3 reasons Marcos’ South China Sea energy gambit won’t work

Ian Storey
Letters

Letters | It’s OK to open up to an AI bot – just don’t stop there

Letters
Christine Loh

Opinion | Rise of China complicates ‘authoritarian’ vs ‘democratic’ binary

Christine Loh
5
Harry’s View | 10 May 2026
May 10, 2026
MORE COMMENT
LATEST

Health & Environment

AI app to detect drunk drivers through Cantonese speech analysis in the works

Diplomacy

Exclusive | Buoyed by rare earths, China approaches Trump summit with fresh confidence

Law and Crime

Hong Kong police arrest 2 drivers over alleged truck racing viral video

China Opinion

Opinion | China shouldn’t view a tired US as signifying a Europe ready to pivot

Business

Rental yields, redevelopment gains drive home sales in Hong Kong’s To Kwa Wan

Military

Underwater anti-mine technology takes centre stage at Chinese defence show

Society

Hong Kong villagers accuse authorities of rushed Northern Metropolis evictions

Society

Hong Kong Mother’s Day dining shifts from traditional banquets to casual meals

China

Fifa officials head to China to discuss bargain broadcasting deal for World Cup

Entertainment

Daniel Dae Kim spotlights Korean culture in new travel show K-Everything

MORE LATEST NEWS
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
SCMP Series
Trump’s 2026 trip to China
China takes stock as world frets over Mythos
US-Israel war on Iran
AI's impact on Hong Kong
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
SCMP SeriesTrump’s 2026 trip to China

Trump heads to China weakened as Xi gains leverage ahead of summit

Iran war, tariff setbacks and sliding US poll numbers reshape the balance going into next week’s high-stakes talks.

videocam

Xi-Trump summit: why the Iran war could become fresh point of friction

videocam

Latest US-China rivalry combines undersea dominance with a race to riches

videocam
Open Questions series

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’.

videocam
10
Illustration: Henry Wong

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.

videocam
13

Diplomacy

Open Questions | ‘Saying you’re a geopolitical actor doesn’t make it so’: Sven Biscop on Europe

The Belgian political scientist on what the Iran war and the transatlantic collision reveal about Europe’s place in a fast-changing world.

videocam
5

Science

Open Questions | What an ancient Chinese map reveals about global history: Sheng-Wei Wang

Kunyu Wanguo Quantu and maritime artefacts prove China explored the world earlier than Eurocentric accounts suggest, scholar argues.

videocam
17
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China Future Tech
China Future Tech
Key Industries:
EVs
AI
Semiconductors
Aerospace
Robotics
Biomedicine
Live Q&A webinars

China EVs

From Beijing to Berlin: Chinese EVs turn heads as brands eye European markets

BYD, Geely and Xpeng showcase eye-catching EVs at Beijing auto show as they build momentum in Europe and target more discerning buyers.

A humanoid robot poses at a BYD booth beside an electric vehicle at the Beijing auto show. Photo: Kyodo

Tech Trends

Alibaba brings chat-style shopping to Taobao, Qwen amid AI gateway push: source

E-commerce giant is integrating Qwen with Taobao and Tmall, enabling shoppers to use natural-language commands instead of keyword searches.

China Economy

China’s Comac looking to boost C919’s overhead luggage capacity: source

Aircraft maker reviewing new designs to challenge Boeing and Airbus and take better advantage of plane’s slightly wider fuselage.

11

Tech Trends

How Chinese developers bypass restrictions to access top US AI models

One high-volume seller on Xianyu advertises ‘low-latency, no-VPN’ access to the full Claude 3.5 suite.

8
A photo taken on May 7, 2026 shows the letters AI for artificial intelligence on a screen next to the Claude logo. Photo: AFP

Diplomacy

Latest US-China rivalry combines undersea dominance with a race to riches

Ahead of leaders’ summit in Beijing next week, experts point to a high-stakes competition that features military and mining technologies.

videocam
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

China Economy

Why US commercial stakes are ‘too high for Trump to ignore’ on China visit

After the US$37 billion, 300-plane deal from Trump’s last visit stalled, industry observers say the next one could be more flexible.

videocam
9

Diplomacy

Will warming Arctic trigger further chill in US-China relations?

The prospect of opening up new sea lanes presents both challenges and opportunities for the rival powers, analysts say.

videocam

Society

Will Hong Kong’s lending clampdown wean helpers off debt – and save their dreams?

NGOs say regulations should not be so strict that they deny domestic helpers access to loans since they may have legitimate needs such as family emergencies.

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement