Breaking China, Asia, HK News, Opinions and Insights

Representations of the bitcoin cryptocurrency. Illustration: Reuters

Scam, corruption cases spark Chinese debate about future of virtual money

The Chen Zhi arrest might push bitcoin prices down temporarily, but analysts said other factors will have greater sway in the long term.

19 minutes ago

How China is upgrading its digital yuan for the stablecoin era

Banking & finance

Science

CO2 + H2O = cleaner recycling of dead lithium batteries?

Chinese team says their process can recover most of the lithium without the need for harsh and polluting chemicals.

3 hours ago

Politics

Visa suspension tests US priorities in Southeast Asia

The move reflects an ‘America first’ policy approach and treats certain allies in the region as ‘strategically insignificant’, analysts say.

1 hour agovideocam

Politics

Exclusive | Several Hong Kong lawmakers omit unpaid directorships in Legco declarations

Ronick Chan, House Committee chairman, calls on lawmakers to be more rigorous and register all directorships to avoid controversy.

58 minutes ago

Focus

Counting China’s ‘swing nation’ wins and losses in new era of power rivalry

Big Tech

China curbs US AI chips, shuns foreign capital in pursuit of tech self-reliance

These restrictions signify a new phase in the US-China tech war where ‘offensive and defensive roles have shifted’, says an analyst.

5 hours ago

Society

Exclusive | Tai Po fire relief fund to earn interest from fixed deposits: Hong Kong minister

Home affairs chief Alice Mak says government ‘not that foolish’ to leave funds idle after some economists suggest investing money.

6 hours ago

Politics

Testing the waters: is Brics evolving into a security alliance?

The first naval exercises under the ‘Brics plus’ banner saw Brazil, Egypt, China, Russia and South Africa take part. India did not.

3 hours ago

People & Culture

How this year’s Yidan Prize laureates reshape modern literacy and skills worldwide

Mamadou Amadou Ly and Uri Wilensky help transform teaching and learning through multilingual education and computational thinking.

In partnership with:

Yidan Prize Foundation

The 2025 Yidan Prize laureates Professor Uri Wilensky (left) and Mamadou Amadou Ly help remove barriers to education by transforming how learners access and engage with knowledge.

Global Economy

China dumps more US debt, buys other assets as Trump targets Powell

Beijing’s Treasury holdings hit a September 2008 low, and analysts point to fears over Fed independence and debt sustainability, while gold’s appeal rises.

16 Jan 2026 - 9:00PMvideocam

China trimmed its holdings of US Treasuries in November to the lowest level since 2008. Image: Shutterstock

Economics

In Japan, fears of China’s antibiotics dominance spur calls for self-sufficiency

China has reportedly imposed curbs on rare earth shipments to Japan, and there are concerns that these could be extended to medical products.

6 hours agovideocam

Society

Hongkonger reported missing in Iran amid internet shutdown, protests

Immigration Department says it is in touch with Chinese consulate in Bandar Abbas and family of missing traveller known as ‘Bing’.

5 hours ago

Americas

Machado says Venezuela will be free with support of Trump

The opposition leader earlier presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump in a bid to win over the US president.

17 Jan 2026 - 3:58AMvideocam

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado speaks at the Heritage Foundation in Washington on Friday. Photo: AFP

Diplomacy

Trump shrugs off concerns over Canada-China EV deal, calls it a ‘good thing’

Despite Trump’s support for landmark accord, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Ottawa may regret its decision ‘in the long run’.

17 Jan 2026 - 7:27AMvideocam

While US President Donald Trump said on Friday it’s a “good thing” that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has signed a trade deal with China, his trade chief cautioned that Canada could regret the decision. Photo: AP

Commodities

Chinese banks lure investors with gold-linked deposits amid soaring prices

Such products may offer better returns than fixed deposits, but these investments are not without risks, analyst says.

6 hours ago

Diplomacy

China’s charm offensive: Beijing bypasses Brussels to soften EU trade push

From aircraft orders in France to reopened beef and pork markets for Ireland and Spain, mainland officials are leaning hard into diplomacy.

3 hours agovideocam

Politics

Philippines enters its ‘hour of danger’ in Marcos vs Duterte clash

Analysts warn of a ‘very messy year’ ahead as coup fears swirl, the economy falters and political warfare rages out in the open.

6 hours agovideocam

Effigies of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr (left) and Vice-President Sara Duterte are seen at a protest march in Manila. Photo: AFP

East Asia

BTS’ comeback concert sparks Dynamite price hikes in South Korea’s Busan

The K-pop group’s show in Busan is months away but already room prices have soared beyond the 1 million mark.

4 hours ago

K-pop megastar group BTS performs onstage during the Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. Photo: AFP

Trending in China

China woman seeks online help to slaughter pigs, attracting 1,000 volunteers to farm

On day of event, local public security bureau dispatches staff to maintain order, ensuring a smooth experience for all attendees.

1 hour ago

Americas

US’ FAA warns airlines to ‘potential risks’ in Mexican, South American airspace

The warnings come a month after a JetBlue passenger jet almost collided with a US Air Force tanker plane near Venezuela ‌.

3 hours agovideocam

OPINION

Letters

Letters | South Asians have a unique place in Hong Kong

4 hours ago

Alex Lo

As I see it | Thank you, David Webb, you made Hong Kong a better place

6 hours ago

Wee Kek Koon

Reflections | What a Chinese hero’s fatal love of raw fish warns us about uncooked food

17 Jan 2026 - 8:15AM

Marco Kamiya

Asian Angle | To win the future, Southeast Asia must rewrite its industrial rule book

5 hours ago

Christine Loh

Opinion | Hong Kong needs to ask the hard questions about its net-zero challenge

17 Jan 2026 - 5:30AM

Harry’s View | 17 Jan 2026

MORE COMMENT

LATEST

19 minutes ago

China Economy

Scam, corruption cases spark Chinese debate about future of virtual money

47 minutes ago

Racing

Who wins at Sha Tin? In-form Emblazon can make the leap to Class Three

56 minutes ago

Today in Photos

Gallery | Pictures of the week: Wildfires in Argentina, Cirque du Soleil rehearsal

1 hour ago

Politics

Visa suspension tests US priorities in Southeast Asia

1 hour ago

Travel & Hotels

Looking for a luxury Vietnamese escape with Spanish flair? We know a place

1 hour ago

Trending in China

China woman seeks online help to slaughter pigs, attracting 1,000 volunteers to farm

MORE LATEST NEWS

SCMP Series

China Inc. goes global

Year of the Horse 2026

Beijing’s recalibration of its Taiwan policy

Revisiting US-China relations

SCMP Series China Inc. goes global

The US has played its hand in Latin America. Will China’s firms there cash out?

After the abduction of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, many Chinese entrepreneurs in the region say they are staying put – for now.

13 Jan 2026 - 9:55AMvideocam

Why overseas residency is a ‘practical advantage’ for Chinese firms going global

12 Jan 2026 - 11:19AMvideocam

Chinese companies expand globally

12 Dec 2025 - 12:42PM

Open Questions series

Diplomacy

Open Questions | Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

Political scientist says the Western-led global order remains useful, and the Belt and Road Initiative isn’t a geopolitical project.

12 Jan 2026 - 10:06AMvideocam

Global Economy

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

Former US ambassador to Vietnam says a return to the past for US-China relations is unrealistic, but both economic powers benefit from ties.

5 Jan 2026 - 9:11AMvideocam

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.

9 Jan 2026 - 12:37PMvideocam

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.

29 Dec 2025 - 9:04AMvideocam

Key Industries:

Tech War

Zhipu AI breaks US chip reliance with first major model trained on Huawei stack

Zhipu claims GLM-Image achieved industry-leading scores among open-source models for text rendering and Chinese character generation.

14 Jan 2026 - 8:00PM

Zhipu said the achievement proved the feasibility of developing powerful multimodal models without US chips. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Policy

Hong Kong bolsters tech hub ambitions as city hosts global AI summit

Hong Kong’s turn to host a summit under WAIC reflects Beijing’s confidence in the city’s strategic development goals.

16 Jan 2026 - 9:15PM

Big Tech

China dominates global humanoid robot market with over 80% of installations

AgiBot and Unitree help China capture bulk of global deployments in 2025 as market heads for sixfold growth by 2027, report says.

16 Jan 2026 - 5:00PM

China Economy

A Chinese tech hub eyes 3- to 7-nanometre chip breakthroughs to beat US curbs

Province’s five-year plan backs national push for tech independence – but can it succeed?

16 Jan 2026 - 11:14AMvideocam

China is world’s largest chip manufacturer, demonstrating the country’s superiority in global supply chain. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong Economy

Can new tricks save Hong Kong’s restaurants from ‘irreversible’ Shenzhen trend?

Business models are being overhauled as food and drink sector tackles ‘irreversible’ trend of Hongkongers spending their money elsewhere.

16 Jan 2026 - 10:06AMvideocam

China Economy

A Chinese tech hub eyes 3- to 7-nanometre chip breakthroughs to beat US curbs

Province’s five-year plan backs national push for tech independence – but can it succeed?

16 Jan 2026 - 11:14AMvideocam

Diplomacy

Why China fears Trump’s Nvidia H200 deal is a sophisticated Trojan horse

Can Washington bind Chinese rivals to American technologies or will access to the AI chips hasten Beijing’s challenge to US dominance?

15 Jan 2026 - 9:05AMvideocam

China Economy

Can China’s cheap, renewable energy help it outrun the US in the AI race?

China’s energy buildout means cheap, green and reliable electricity fuels its manufacturing and tech industries, giving it an edge over rivals.

14 Jan 2026 - 9:14AMvideocam

Scam, corruption cases spark Chinese debate about future of virtual money

The Chen Zhi arrest might push bitcoin prices down temporarily, but analysts said other factors will have greater sway in the long term.

How China is upgrading its digital yuan for the stablecoin era

CO2 + H2O = cleaner recycling of dead lithium batteries?

Chinese team says their process can recover most of the lithium without the need for harsh and polluting chemicals.

Visa suspension tests US priorities in Southeast Asia

The move reflects an ‘America first’ policy approach and treats certain allies in the region as ‘strategically insignificant’, analysts say.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Exclusive | Several Hong Kong lawmakers omit unpaid directorships in Legco declarations

Ronick Chan, House Committee chairman, calls on lawmakers to be more rigorous and register all directorships to avoid controversy.

Counting China’s ‘swing nation’ wins and losses in new era of power rivalry

China curbs US AI chips, shuns foreign capital in pursuit of tech self-reliance

These restrictions signify a new phase in the US-China tech war where ‘offensive and defensive roles have shifted’, says an analyst.

Exclusive | Tai Po fire relief fund to earn interest from fixed deposits: Hong Kong minister

Home affairs chief Alice Mak says government ‘not that foolish’ to leave funds idle after some economists suggest investing money.

Testing the waters: is Brics evolving into a security alliance?

The first naval exercises under the ‘Brics plus’ banner saw Brazil, Egypt, China, Russia and South Africa take part. India did not.

.css-f84qeq{font-family:Roboto Condensed,Roboto Condensed fallback,sans-serif;font-style:italic;}How this year’s Yidan Prize laureates reshape modern literacy and skills worldwide

Mamadou Amadou Ly and Uri Wilensky help transform teaching and learning through multilingual education and computational thinking.

China dumps more US debt, buys other assets as Trump targets Powell

Beijing’s Treasury holdings hit a September 2008 low, and analysts point to fears over Fed independence and debt sustainability, while gold’s appeal rises.

In Japan, fears of China’s antibiotics dominance spur calls for self-sufficiency

China has reportedly imposed curbs on rare earth shipments to Japan, and there are concerns that these could be extended to medical products.

Hongkonger reported missing in Iran amid internet shutdown, protests

Immigration Department says it is in touch with Chinese consulate in Bandar Abbas and family of missing traveller known as ‘Bing’.

Machado says Venezuela will be free with support of Trump

The opposition leader earlier presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump in a bid to win over the US president.

Trump shrugs off concerns over Canada-China EV deal, calls it a ‘good thing’

Despite Trump’s support for landmark accord, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Ottawa may regret its decision ‘in the long run’.

Chinese banks lure investors with gold-linked deposits amid soaring prices

Such products may offer better returns than fixed deposits, but these investments are not without risks, analyst says.

China’s charm offensive: Beijing bypasses Brussels to soften EU trade push

From aircraft orders in France to reopened beef and pork markets for Ireland and Spain, mainland officials are leaning hard into diplomacy.

Philippines enters its ‘hour of danger’ in Marcos vs Duterte clash

Analysts warn of a ‘very messy year’ ahead as coup fears swirl, the economy falters and political warfare rages out in the open.

BTS’ comeback concert sparks Dynamite price hikes in South Korea’s Busan

The K-pop group’s show in Busan is months away but already room prices have soared beyond the 1 million mark.

China woman seeks online help to slaughter pigs, attracting 1,000 volunteers to farm

On day of event, local public security bureau dispatches staff to maintain order, ensuring a smooth experience for all attendees.

US’ FAA warns airlines to ‘potential risks’ in Mexican, South American airspace

The warnings come a month after a JetBlue passenger jet almost collided with a US Air Force tanker plane near Venezuela ‌.

Letters | South Asians have a unique place in Hong Kong

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}As I see it | Thank you, David Webb, you made Hong Kong a better place

Reflections | What a Chinese hero’s fatal love of raw fish warns us about uncooked food

Asian Angle | To win the future, Southeast Asia must rewrite its industrial rule book

Opinion | Hong Kong needs to ask the hard questions about its net-zero challenge

Scam, corruption cases spark Chinese debate about future of virtual money

Who wins at Sha Tin? In-form Emblazon can make the leap to Class Three

Gallery | Pictures of the week: Wildfires in Argentina, Cirque du Soleil rehearsal

Visa suspension tests US priorities in Southeast Asia

Looking for a luxury Vietnamese escape with Spanish flair? We know a place

China woman seeks online help to slaughter pigs, attracting 1,000 volunteers to farm

The US has played its hand in Latin America. Will China’s firms there cash out?

After the abduction of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, many Chinese entrepreneurs in the region say they are staying put – for now.

Why overseas residency is a ‘practical advantage’ for Chinese firms going global

Chinese companies expand globally

Open Questions | Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

Political scientist says the Western-led global order remains useful, and the Belt and Road Initiative isn’t a geopolitical project.

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

Former US ambassador to Vietnam says a return to the past for US-China relations is unrealistic, but both economic powers benefit from ties.

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.

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.

Zhipu AI breaks US chip reliance with first major model trained on Huawei stack

Zhipu claims GLM-Image achieved industry-leading scores among open-source models for text rendering and Chinese character generation.

Hong Kong bolsters tech hub ambitions as city hosts global AI summit

Hong Kong’s turn to host a summit under WAIC reflects Beijing’s confidence in the city’s strategic development goals.

China dominates global humanoid robot market with over 80% of installations

AgiBot and Unitree help China capture bulk of global deployments in 2025 as market heads for sixfold growth by 2027, report says.

A Chinese tech hub eyes 3- to 7-nanometre chip breakthroughs to beat US curbs

Province’s five-year plan backs national push for tech independence – but can it succeed?

Can new tricks save Hong Kong’s restaurants from ‘irreversible’ Shenzhen trend?

Business models are being overhauled as food and drink sector tackles ‘irreversible’ trend of Hongkongers spending their money elsewhere.

A Chinese tech hub eyes 3- to 7-nanometre chip breakthroughs to beat US curbs

Province’s five-year plan backs national push for tech independence – but can it succeed?

Why China fears Trump’s Nvidia H200 deal is a sophisticated Trojan horse

Can Washington bind Chinese rivals to American technologies or will access to the AI chips hasten Beijing’s challenge to US dominance?

Can China’s cheap, renewable energy help it outrun the US in the AI race?

China’s energy buildout means cheap, green and reliable electricity fuels its manufacturing and tech industries, giving it an edge over rivals.

Exclusive | Several Hong Kong lawmakers omit unpaid directorships in Legco declarations

How this year’s Yidan Prize laureates reshape modern literacy and skills worldwide

As I see it | Thank you, David Webb, you made Hong Kong a better place