Breaking China, Asia, HK News, Opinions and Insights

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday in St Petersburg. Photo: AP

Trump and Iran trade red lines as Putin enters the diplomatic crossfire

Message via Pakistan outlines terms on nuclear work and Strait of Hormuz, as Moscow signals support and Washington considers next move.

17 minutes agovideocam

Iran’s foreign minister returns to Pakistan after Trump cancels envoys’ trip

US-Israel war on Iran

Middle East

Hezbollah disarmament ‘must happen’, Lebanese minister tells US think tank

Haneen Sayed said in Washington that the process would take time, as the group was a ‘community’, not merely a militant organisation.

3 hours agovideocam

Diplomacy

Why tougher US visa rules for skilled foreign workers may end in ‘brain drain’

Trump administration is targeting several visa categories, including popular H-1B pathway, with bias towards fewer numbers and more revenue.

27 Apr 2026 - 11:03PMvideocam

Diplomacy

2 months into the Iran war, who holds the upper hand?

Analysts are divided on who has the most to lose as the conflict drags on.

27 Apr 2026 - 10:08PMvideocam

Economy

A crane lifts a container at a port this month in China’s Jiangsu province, which has been threatening to end Guangdong’s uninterrupted reign as the nation’s largest provincial economy since the late 1980s. Photo: China Daily via Reuters

Guangdong’s rule as China’s GDP king faces an unprecedented threat to the crown

Military

PLA showcases YJ-20 anti-ship missiles as US-Japan-Philippines test war moves

Video of PLA Navy strike tests emerges as US, allies take part in Balikatan 2026, marking Japan’s first-ever operational role in the drills.

27 Apr 2026 - 9:21PMvideocam

China’s YJ-20 hypersonic anti-ship missile system has a range of 1,000 to 1,500km, a cruising speed of around Mach 6 and a terminal dive speed reaching Mach 10. Photo: Handout

Big Tech

China blocks Meta’s Manus deal after months-long probe, thwarting purchase

Economic planner asks both parties to withdraw from deal for AI firm, in move with wider implications for other start-ups operating overseas.

27 Apr 2026 - 7:35PMvideocam

United States & Canada

‘Looming’ risk of nuclear arms race, UN proliferation meeting hears

With atomic powers at loggerheads over safeguards, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned trust is wearing thin.

3 minutes ago

Tech

How AI technology supports conservation of endangered species

Huawei Technologies’ monitoring systems speed up real-time identification of China’s primates, coastal coral, and Norwegian salmon.

In partnership with:

Huawei

Society

Fire risks not spotted due to old inspection guidelines, Tai Po blaze inquiry told

Government surveyors were following outdated guidelines that didn’t require them to examine renovation works in person at Wang Fuk Court, committee hears.

5 hours agovideocam

A block at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. The residential complex was undergoing renovation when the fire broke out last November. Photo: Jelly Tse

China Business

China’s CATL touts landmark energy-storage order for sodium-ion batteries

Deal for massive grid storage system shows that CATL has ‘overcome all the challenges in mass-producing sodium-ion batteries’, company says.

27 Apr 2026 - 9:52PMvideocam

United States & Canada

Suspect in Washington dinner shooting charged with trying to assassinate Trump

Cole Tomas Allen, who has referred to himself as the ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ could face a life sentence if convicted.

1 hour agovideocam

China Economy

China outlines new labour protection plan for nation’s 200 million gig workers

The 12-point document pledges stronger protections for gig-economy workforce, which has rapidly grown amid China’s economic slowdown.

27 Apr 2026 - 8:00PMvideocam

A group of delivery riders for the Chinese online platform Meituan takes a break in Chongqing, southwest China. Photo: Getty Images

Europe

Pope meets first female Archbishop of Canterbury in symbolic Vatican encounter

Sarah Mullally, the first woman to serve as spiritual leader of the Church of England, and the pope exchanged gifts and prayed together.

4 hours agovideocam

Pope Leo meets Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally at The Vatican on Monday. Photo: Simone Risoluti / Vatican media / AFP

United States & Canada

Trump demands immediate sacking of TV host Jimmy Kimmel over ‘despicable’ joke

Trump joined his wife Melania in calling for ABC to fire Kimmel after the comedian said the first lady had a ‘glow like an expectant widow’.

3 hours agovideocam

United States & Canada

King Charles arrives in US for trip overshadowed by Iran quarrel and shooting

The state visit, the most consequential of Charles’ reign, marks 250 years since the US declaration of independence from British rule.

1 hour agovideocam

Science

Chinese supercomputers help crack mystery of Yellowstone volcanic plumbing

Scientists who started research in the US make breakthrough after returning to China and gaining access to domestic computing power.

27 Apr 2026 - 10:21PMvideocam

The Steamboat Geyser erupts in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Chinese scientists say Yellowstone’s magma channels were not blasted open by magma forcing its way upward, as long believed. Photo: Reuters

SERIES: China takes stock as world frets over Mythos

From scepticism to concern: Mythos panic is slowly starting to reach China

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said on its influential social media account that Mythos showed ‘unprecedented cyberattack capabilities’.

27 Apr 2026 - 10:00AM

Anthropic’s strong anti-China stance has increased the possibility that the US could use Mythos-type models to conduct cyberattacks against China, according to a cybersecurity expert. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images

Europe

Archaeologists at Pompeii use AI to reveal the face of one of the victims

A digital portrait represents a man who was among 2 victims discovered as they attempted to flee the city during the AD 79 volcanic eruption.

5 hours ago

United States & Canada

Bruised by Trump, Nato alliance considers end to annual summits

Trump’s administration has engaged repeatedly in scathing criticism of many of the US-led defence alliance’s 31 other members.

5 hours agovideocam

OPINION

Sophie Wushuang Yi

Opinion | Without diplomacy, deterrence in Asia is a path to escalation

14 minutes ago

Ram Manikkalingam

Opinion | Reopen Strait of Hormuz by reframing Iran’s tolls as reconstruction

27 Apr 2026 - 8:30PM

Nicholas Spiro

The View | Asian private wealth an emerging force in property investment

27 Apr 2026 - 4:30PM

Letters

Letters | In US-China AI race, Southeast Asia is no side act

27 Apr 2026 - 2:26PM

Alice Wu

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27 Apr 2026 - 9:30AM

Harry’s View | 28 Apr 2026

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SCMP Series

China takes stock as world frets over Mythos

US-Israel war on Iran

AI's impact on Hong Kong

SCMP Series China takes stock as world frets over Mythos

From scepticism to concern: Mythos panic is slowly starting to reach China

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said on its influential social media account that Mythos showed ‘unprecedented cyberattack capabilities’.

3-MIN READ

Why Anthropic’s Mythos has energised China’s cybersecurity industry

3-MIN READ

Anthropic’s Mythos is stoking cybersecurity fears. What does it mean for China?

3-MIN READ

Open Questions series

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.

10-MIN READvideocam

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.

15-MIN READvideocam

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.

16-MIN READvideocam

China Economy

Open Questions | Andrew Tilton on China’s economic trajectory in wake of Iran war

Goldman Sachs’ chief Asia-Pacific economist says worst is over in terms of property slump’s impact on China’s economic growth.

9-MIN READvideocam

Key Industries:

Big Tech

As DJI duels Insta360, China sharpens global hardware edge amid US scrutiny

Western competitors like GoPro face shrinking footprints as strategic shifts of Chinese firms disrupt the status quo while navigating FCC-led national security bans.

7-MIN READvideocam

Tech Trends

Chinese optical chipmaker’s profit soars 1,153% on strong AI demand

Yuanjie Semiconductor Technology’s profit gain matches its elevenfold share price increase over the past year.

2-MIN READ

Tech Trends

Chinese robotaxi firms accelerate global roll-outs as cost edge drives expansion

Pony AI and WeRide harness China’s supply chain strength to cut costs, boost efficiency and scale robotaxi fleets worldwide.

2-MIN READ

China Business

China’s CATL touts landmark energy-storage order for sodium-ion batteries

Deal for massive grid storage system shows that CATL has ‘overcome all the challenges in mass-producing sodium-ion batteries’, company says.

2-MIN READvideocam

Electricity arcs in a cold-environment demonstration of CATL’s sodium-ion battery technology during Auto China 2026 in Beijing on April 25, 2026. Photo: AP Photo

Science

Will China’s mathematicians join a global effort to boycott the United States?

Question hovers as world’s premier mathematics conference faces revolt over American visa rules and foreign policies.

5-MIN READvideocam

Big Tech

As DJI duels Insta360, China sharpens global hardware edge amid US scrutiny

Western competitors like GoPro face shrinking footprints as strategic shifts of Chinese firms disrupt the status quo while navigating FCC-led national security bans.

7-MIN READvideocam

Tech

Prognosis positive: how AI could help China bridge the medical resources gap

Hospitals, medical professionals and patients stand to benefit as country pushes to integrate AI into healthcare sector.

5-MIN READvideocam

Hong Kong

How fire safety failures worsened Hong Kong’s deadly inferno

The second round of hearings from April 8 to April 17 exposed a series of failures that allowed the fire equipment and alarm system in Wang Fuk Court to be deactivated for months, and eventually contributed to the heavy death toll.

1-MIN READ

How fire safety failures worsened Hong Kong’s deadly inferno

Trump and Iran trade red lines as Putin enters the diplomatic crossfire

Message via Pakistan outlines terms on nuclear work and Strait of Hormuz, as Moscow signals support and Washington considers next move.

Iran’s foreign minister returns to Pakistan after Trump cancels envoys’ trip

Hezbollah disarmament ‘must happen’, Lebanese minister tells US think tank

Haneen Sayed said in Washington that the process would take time, as the group was a ‘community’, not merely a militant organisation.

Why tougher US visa rules for skilled foreign workers may end in ‘brain drain’

Trump administration is targeting several visa categories, including popular H-1B pathway, with bias towards fewer numbers and more revenue.

2 months into the Iran war, who holds the upper hand?

Analysts are divided on who has the most to lose as the conflict drags on.

Guangdong’s rule as China’s GDP king faces an unprecedented threat to the crown

PLA showcases YJ-20 anti-ship missiles as US-Japan-Philippines test war moves

Video of PLA Navy strike tests emerges as US, allies take part in Balikatan 2026, marking Japan’s first-ever operational role in the drills.

China blocks Meta’s Manus deal after months-long probe, thwarting purchase

Economic planner asks both parties to withdraw from deal for AI firm, in move with wider implications for other start-ups operating overseas.

‘Looming’ risk of nuclear arms race, UN proliferation meeting hears

With atomic powers at loggerheads over safeguards, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned trust is wearing thin.

.css-12ooj4n{font-family:Roboto Condensed,Roboto Condensed fallback,sans-serif;}How AI technology supports conservation of endangered species

Huawei Technologies’ monitoring systems speed up real-time identification of China’s primates, coastal coral, and Norwegian salmon.

Fire risks not spotted due to old inspection guidelines, Tai Po blaze inquiry told

Government surveyors were following outdated guidelines that didn’t require them to examine renovation works in person at Wang Fuk Court, committee hears.

China’s CATL touts landmark energy-storage order for sodium-ion batteries

Deal for massive grid storage system shows that CATL has ‘overcome all the challenges in mass-producing sodium-ion batteries’, company says.

Suspect in Washington dinner shooting charged with trying to assassinate Trump

Cole Tomas Allen, who has referred to himself as the ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’ could face a life sentence if convicted.

China outlines new labour protection plan for nation’s 200 million gig workers

The 12-point document pledges stronger protections for gig-economy workforce, which has rapidly grown amid China’s economic slowdown.

Pope meets first female Archbishop of Canterbury in symbolic Vatican encounter

Sarah Mullally, the first woman to serve as spiritual leader of the Church of England, and the pope exchanged gifts and prayed together.

Trump demands immediate sacking of TV host Jimmy Kimmel over ‘despicable’ joke

Trump joined his wife Melania in calling for ABC to fire Kimmel after the comedian said the first lady had a ‘glow like an expectant widow’.

King Charles arrives in US for trip overshadowed by Iran quarrel and shooting

The state visit, the most consequential of Charles’ reign, marks 250 years since the US declaration of independence from British rule.

Chinese supercomputers help crack mystery of Yellowstone volcanic plumbing

Scientists who started research in the US make breakthrough after returning to China and gaining access to domestic computing power.

From scepticism to concern: Mythos panic is slowly starting to reach China

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said on its influential social media account that Mythos showed ‘unprecedented cyberattack capabilities’.

Archaeologists at Pompeii use AI to reveal the face of one of the victims

A digital portrait represents a man who was among 2 victims discovered as they attempted to flee the city during the AD 79 volcanic eruption.

Bruised by Trump, Nato alliance considers end to annual summits

Trump’s administration has engaged repeatedly in scathing criticism of many of the US-led defence alliance’s 31 other members.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | Without diplomacy, deterrence in Asia is a path to escalation

Opinion | Reopen Strait of Hormuz by reframing Iran’s tolls as reconstruction

The View | Asian private wealth an emerging force in property investment

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Letters | In US-China AI race, Southeast Asia is no side act

Opinion | Hong Kong’s civil service accountability system will end buck-passing mentality

‘Looming’ risk of nuclear arms race, UN proliferation meeting hears

Opinion | Without diplomacy, deterrence in Asia is a path to escalation

Suspect in Washington dinner shooting charged with trying to assassinate Trump

Man pleads guilty in the 2002 killing of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay

King Charles arrives in US for trip overshadowed by Iran quarrel and shooting

Hezbollah disarmament ‘must happen’, Lebanese minister tells US think tank

Trump demands immediate sacking of TV host Jimmy Kimmel over ‘despicable’ joke

4 killed and dozens injured in train crash outside Jakarta

Pope meets first female Archbishop of Canterbury in symbolic Vatican encounter

Trump and Iran trade red lines as Putin enters the diplomatic crossfire

From scepticism to concern: Mythos panic is slowly starting to reach China

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said on its influential social media account that Mythos showed ‘unprecedented cyberattack capabilities’.

Why Anthropic’s Mythos has energised China’s cybersecurity industry

Anthropic’s Mythos is stoking cybersecurity fears. What does it mean for China?

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.

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.

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.

Open Questions | Andrew Tilton on China’s economic trajectory in wake of Iran war

Goldman Sachs’ chief Asia-Pacific economist says worst is over in terms of property slump’s impact on China’s economic growth.

As DJI duels Insta360, China sharpens global hardware edge amid US scrutiny

Western competitors like GoPro face shrinking footprints as strategic shifts of Chinese firms disrupt the status quo while navigating FCC-led national security bans.

Chinese optical chipmaker’s profit soars 1,153% on strong AI demand

Yuanjie Semiconductor Technology’s profit gain matches its elevenfold share price increase over the past year.

Chinese robotaxi firms accelerate global roll-outs as cost edge drives expansion

Pony AI and WeRide harness China’s supply chain strength to cut costs, boost efficiency and scale robotaxi fleets worldwide.

China’s CATL touts landmark energy-storage order for sodium-ion batteries

Deal for massive grid storage system shows that CATL has ‘overcome all the challenges in mass-producing sodium-ion batteries’, company says.

Will China’s mathematicians join a global effort to boycott the United States?

Question hovers as world’s premier mathematics conference faces revolt over American visa rules and foreign policies.

As DJI duels Insta360, China sharpens global hardware edge amid US scrutiny

Western competitors like GoPro face shrinking footprints as strategic shifts of Chinese firms disrupt the status quo while navigating FCC-led national security bans.

Prognosis positive: how AI could help China bridge the medical resources gap

How AI technology supports conservation of endangered species

Opinion | Without diplomacy, deterrence in Asia is a path to escalation

Letters | In US-China AI race, Southeast Asia is no side act