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Leading mRNA immunologist Hu Haitao has joined the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Microbiology in Beijing. Photo: Handout

Exclusive | ‘No need to explain’: leading mRNA vaccine expert Hu Haitao leaves US for China

China is catching up fast in mRNA-related fundamental research and technological development, Hu says.

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‘Resilient balance’: why China-US ties are likely to stay stable under Trump

Science
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Military

J-16s vs Rafales: Chinese air force puts jets to the war-game test

State broadcaster offers a look at a PLA exercise simulating an air combat scenario between Chinese and foreign forces.

China’s cabinet clears path for VAT law to take effect next month

State Council approves draft regulations to implement the new law, which aims to govern China’s biggest source of tax revenue.

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Society

Filipino helper killed in Hong Kong fire hailed as heroine on repatriation

Filipino official says Maryan Pascual Esteban’s body arrives in country while Hong Kong authorities vow long-term support for affected residents.

Politics
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

From Labubu to blockbuster films, was 2025 the year of China’s soft power?

Politics

China’s top court sends message to employers on sexual harassment

Supreme People’s Court highlights ruling that a restaurant did not have to pay compensation to a worker dismissed for harassing colleague.

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The Supreme People’s Court highlighted five cases as examples of “promoting core socialist values”. Photo: Shutterstock Images
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Tech Trends

Moore Threads unveils new AI chips to challenge Nvidia

The Shanghai-listed chipmaker launched the Huashan chip for AI and the Lushan chip for gaming, promising superior performance for both.

Politics

Bondi Beach attack sparks global misinformation crisis, and AI-driven hate

A leading counterterrorism expert warns that ‘agentic AI’ and political point-scoring are fuelling a toxic symbiosis between extremists.

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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.

United States & Canada

Massive San Francisco power outage leaves thousands in the dark

The blackout in the US city forced many businesses to close for the day at the height of the holiday shopping period.

Fog and power outages darken the skyline as traffic moves in San Francisco on Saturday. Photo: AP

China Economy

China eases visa rules for India, tapping into US$21.6 billion travel market

Indian nationals will now be able to apply for Chinese visas online as Beijing and New Delhi gradually move to normalise economic ties.

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Southeast Asia

Cambodia: Thai border clashes displace half a million ahead of peace talks

The renewed fighting this month, including with tanks, drones and artillery, has killed at least 22 people in Thailand and 19 in Cambodia.

Economics

Why India to Europe trade corridor is stalling even as talks continue

A key hurdle hampering the progress of the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor is the lingering uncertainty over Gaza.

Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi (left) and then US President Joe Biden attend the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment and India-Europe-Middle East Corridor meeting on September 9, 2023. Photo: Indian Press Information Bureau/EPA-EFE

Science

China speeds up armour steel production by 30%, US Conshohocken plant folds

Chinese military supplier solves tech snag to boost manufacturing levels, while American counterpart ceases operations due to financial loss.

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Tanks drive past Tiananmen Square during the military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Photo: Dpa

Americas

Venezuela slams ‘international piracy’ after US seizes another vessel

Trump has ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers in and out of the area, but the ship is reportedly not one of those blacklisted.

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United States & Canada

At least 16 files gone from Epstein release site, including 1 with Trump photo

The missing documents were originally available but no longer accessible a day later, with no reason given.

Other Sport

Fake snow shortage for Winter Olympics? Ski chief urges organisers to hurry

Italy government has not released funding, skiing boss says as he calls situation ‘unexplainable’ with less than 50 days until Games.

There have been problems over producing artificial snow for the Winter Olympics’ skiing and snowboarding venues. Photo: Reuters

Lifestyle & Culture

How Singapore’s unforgiving food scene can go hot and cold on brands

Over 3,000 eateries shut their doors last year, the highest since 2005, in one of the world’s most competitive dining markets.

The opening of Chick-fil-A’s first outlet in Singapore on December 11 drew a long queue. Photo: YouTube/Chick-fil-A

Africa

South African gun violence kills 9, wounds 10 in pub shooting

With almost 26,000 homicides in 2024, or more than 70 per day on average, South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world.

Hong Kong Economy

New bypass and transport links to boost Hong Kong’s competitiveness: Paul Chan

Finance chief also says city’s planned major road and rail expansion will drive deeper Greater Bay Area integration.

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OPINION
Christine Loh

Opinion | Arguing about China’s overcapacity overlooks its drive for clean energy

Christine Loh
Letters

Letters | Medical volunteers’ joint effort on Tai Po fire relief made a difference

Letters
Cui Jianchun

Opinion | West must face the facts of Jimmy Lai’s trial and conviction

Cui Jianchun
5
SCMP Editorial

Editorial | Less hostility towards China in new US security strategy is welcome

SCMP Editorial
Michael Han

Opinion | China’s property market isn’t so much collapsing as being reconfigured

Michael Han
Harry’s View | 21 Dec 2025
December 21, 2025
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Southeast Asia

Cambodia: Thai border clashes displace half a million ahead of peace talks

Entertainment

7 of the best TV shows from 2025, from Adolescence to The Pitt

Health & Environment

Hong Kong to integrate Chinese and Western medicine in pain management, recovery

Military

J-16s vs Rafales: Chinese air force puts jets to the war-game test

China Personalities

Chinese food vlogger banned after vinegar-soaked chewing gum videos go viral

Celebrities

Who is Oona Chaplin, who plays Varang in Avatar: Fire and Ash?

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SCMP Series
WWII: 80 years on
China Inc. goes global
Chinese scientists return home
How China is telling its own story
Simon Li, executive director of the Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Centre, with students (from second left) Kavira S. Kazimoto, Gem Peduche and Josue Camarena, at Andrews University’s Hong Kong campus. Photo: Handout
SCMP SeriesWWII: 80 years on

After The War | Virtual reality and the Nanking massacre: where does historical immersion become trauma?

Amid push in China for museum digitalisation, one educator seeks to help students ‘feel history without being flooded by it’.

After The War | How the post-WWII order was formed and why China wants to reshape it

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After The War | Chinese scholars slam Western ‘historical nihilism’ on World War II

Open Questions series

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

China Economy

Open Questions | Economist Huang Yiping on why China’s AI push must be ‘job-oriented’

Dean of Peking University’s National School of Development says ‘balance’ needed in AI development to protect employment, ‘human well-being’.

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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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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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Illustration: Henry Wong
China Future Tech
China Future Tech
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Tech Trends

China’s open-source AI models rival US giants, making engagement urgent: report

The report calls on US actors to engage with Chinese firms as the AI landscape continues to evolve.

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Chinese AI developers are largely pursuing an open-source approach, releasing the weights of their models for end-users to freely deploy and modify. Photo: Shutterstock

Tech

Building a humanoid robot without China? Then you better bring a bigger wallet

China has issued five times the number of patents related to humanoid robots than the US, says Morgan Stanley.

China Economy

China’s ‘black flying’ drone dilemma: when tech clashes with aviation safety

Videos posted online have shown drones climbing above 8,000 metres, dangerously close to passenger aircraft.

Tech

ByteDance raises pay, boosts bonuses to retain staff amid AI talent war

The TikTok owner has announced higher bonuses, wider pay bands and faster equity payouts as it seeks to stay competitive in the global talent race.

ByteDance said its total bonus pool would increase by 35 per cent from a year earlier, while spending on compensation adjustments would rise 1.5 times. Photo: Shutterstock

China Business

Are Chinese biotechs what the doctor ordered as Big Pharma faces ‘patent cliff’?

US drug makers are racing to plug looming ‘patent cliff’ revenue gaps – and increasingly they are turning to China biotechs.

US drugmakers are increasingly looking to Chinese biotechs as an answer to the revenue gaps left by the looming ‘patent cliff’. Illustration by Henry Wong

Diplomacy

China urged to win ‘hearts and minds’ to fill leadership void as US retreats

Experts pushing Beijing’s vision for a new world order say nation can offer an ‘important alternative’ but it needs to improve its messaging.

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Military

Why China’s rapid military build-up is ‘hardly the whole story’

The PLA has been moving fast to modernise its arsenal and warfare strategy, but it’s seen as ‘seriously deficient’ in some areas.

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China Economy

Surviving the shocks: what China and the US learned from 2025’s trade war

Businesses and officials faced a year of disruption – and in some cases, resilience – as tariffs and export controls roiled global markets.

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Illustration: Davies Christian
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