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There is growing political pressure for the US to sever scientific ties with China. Photo: Getty Images

China still targeting US-based researchers for ‘malign’ purposes, lawmakers told

Multiple US government agencies told a House committee that security concerns should not stop efforts to retain foreign-born researchers.

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Why US lawmakers killed a proposal targeting science efforts with China

US-China relations
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China Economy

China cuts US Treasury holdings to lowest level since 2008

The stockpile has now fallen to nearly half its November 2013 peak, financial data shows, as long-term sell-off continues.

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Economy, Trade & Business

TikTok reaches deal on new US venture with American investor group

The deal was signed on Thursday, with the landmark move ending years of legal and political uncertainty.

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Law and Crime

Hong Kong police arrest 5 over stealing HK$1.8 million from eMPF account holders

Scammers impersonate pension account holders to withdraw funds, prompting managing body to suspend digital vertification process.

Science
Researchers said the chips could make AI “more sustainable”. Photo: Shutterstock

Chinese team builds optical chip AI that is 100 times faster than Nvidia’s A100

East Asia

‘Limits’ to hospitality: 10 times Asia overtourism became a problem in 2025

From Japan to Indonesia, excessive tourism has created issues in some of Asia’s travel hubs this year.

Foreign tourists relax on Kuta Beach on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali in November 2023. Photo: AFP
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Science

How China cracked US ‘super code’ that controls most power grids in the world

Breakthrough could shake-up global tech markets with nations able to run their own grids and break away from US dominance.

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Politics

Is Philippines being unfairly named in Australia’s Bondi Beach shooting?

Australian police are looking into a trip the two suspects made to Davao City but Philippine officials say it is unconnected to the shooting.

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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

China reportedly sticking to its soybean deal with US, but worries remain

Beijing secures 7 million tonnes of soybeans, passing halfway mark of its US purchase agreement. However, little has been shipped so far.

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China secures 7 million tonnes of soybeans, passing halfway mark of its US purchase agreement. Photo: The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS

Tech War

US launches review of Nvidia’s H200 chip sales to China: sources

The inter-agency licensing review involves the US departments of Commerce, State, Energy and Defence.

Society

Fallen firefighter honoured in funeral procession as Hongkongers pay tribute

Ho Wai-ho given full honours as hearse travels past site of fire in Tai Po en route to final resting place in Gallant Garden.

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United States & Canada

Suspect in Brown University shooting and MIT professor’s killing found dead

Portuguese national suspect took his own life as investigators reveal a years-old academic connection to a slain MIT scientist.

Images of the suspect Claudio Neves Valente displayed at a press conference announcing he had been found dead. Photo: Reuters

Economics

Philippines struggles to win back Chinese tourists as regional rivals surge

New data shows Chinese arrivals to the Philippines hit 312,000 last year, only 18 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

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Chinese tourists from Beijing enjoying Cambugahay waterfalls in Siquijor, Central Visaya, Philippines. Photo: SCMP / James Wendlinger

Politics

Russia denies citizens are fighting for Cambodia in border war with Thailand

The Russian embassy in Cambodia says the false assertions could jeopardise Moscow-Bangkok ties and its citizens’ safety in Thailand.

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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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Other Sport

China curling duo lose to South Koreans, miss Winter Olympics mixed doubles spot

Newly formed pairing of Ye Zixuan and Yu Sen beaten narrowly by South Korean duo in play-off for place at Games in Milano Cortina.

The Olympic rings over the Curling Olympic Stadium, venue for the events at the Milano Cortina Games in February. Photo: AFP

Diplomacy

Trump signs defence bill restricting investment in Chinese tech, military firms

Key provisions target contracts with Chinese biotech companies and outbound investment in technologies with military applications in China.

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US President Donald Trump signed an extensive defence bill on Thursday that restricts US investment in Chinese technology companies and military firms. Photo: TNS

Business

Rosewood opens French ski resort after sources say hotel brand is not for sale

Luxury hotel group announces Courchevel resort’s opening, just days after sources said the prized brand was not for sale.

Food & Drink

How to use dried pomegranate seeds, or anardana, to give dishes a bold flavour

Dried pomegranate seeds, also known as anardana, offer a deeper, complex flavour that is perfect for stews, spice rubs and more.

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OPINION
Xiaogang Wu

Opinion | Fix housing to help young Hongkongers feel they belong here

Xiaogang Wu
Wenran Jiang

Opinion | Mark 2025. It’s the year China became a peer power to America

Wenran Jiang
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Letters

Letters | Asia is not built for extreme weather. This must change

Letters
SCMP Editorial

Editorial | Hong Kong right to strike a balance on New Year’s events

SCMP Editorial
SCMP Editorial

Editorial | Restoring safety and unity key for Australia in Bondi shooting aftermath

SCMP Editorial
Harry’s View | 19 Dec 2025
December 19, 2025
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Asia

Video | Australian start-up aims to turn algae into green fuel

Algenie says its helical photobioreactor could offer a cost-effective, scalable solution for the algae biotech industry, allowing algae to be grown at industrial scale.
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Racing

Purton hopes Patch Of Stars continues his rise: ‘He’s had a great season’

Law and Crime

Hong Kong police arrest 5 over stealing HK$1.8 million from eMPF account holders

Law and Crime

Hong Kong court orders trial to compensate dancer paralysed in Mirror show

Video | Hong Kong firefighters pay tribute to fallen colleague

Tech War

US launches review of Nvidia’s H200 chip sales to China: sources

MORE LATEST NEWS
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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
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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 War

US launches review of Nvidia’s H200 chip sales to China: sources

The inter-agency licensing review involves the US departments of Commerce, State, Energy and Defence.

Banking & Finance

Sanofi signs with Hong Kong biotech firm Insilico to spur AI drug discovery

French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi will collaborate with Hong Kong-based biotech firm Insilico Medicine in a deal worth up to US$1.2 billion to speed up the drug-discovery process using artificial intelligence.

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China Business

Exclusive | Hong Kong’s Insilico, Aramco to partner on sustainable fuels and materials

AI drug discovery unicorn Insilico Medicine is set to sign a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Aramco and a subsidiary during Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu’s official visit to the country.

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Insilico opened a regional research centre in Abu Dhabi this month. The opening ceremony was attended by Alex Zhavoronkov, Insilico’s co-founder and CEO, Omar Al Olama, the UAE’s Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, Ahmed Baghoum, the acting CEO of Masdar City, and Alex Aliper, Insilico’s co-founder and president. Photo: Handout

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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Illustration: Henry Wong

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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Diplomacy

Why ‘relative stability’ in US-China ties is unlikely to last

The temperature has lowered after a downward spiral since Trump’s return to the White House, but relations may face ‘strong headwinds’ again.

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Military

Why has reference to Taiwan attending Rimpac been removed from US defence bill?

Senators’ bid to ‘strongly encourage’ invitation is removed from compromise bill, raising questions in Taipei.

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Some of the naval ships taking part in the 2024 Rimpac exercises, as seen from the Japanese JS Kunisaki. Photo: Reuters
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