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Ora cars from Great Wall Motor are parked in a parking lot at JadeWeserPort in Germany. Photo: dpa

Chinese electric vehicle makers eye Western markets as trade barriers fall

Canada will drop the 100 per cent punitive tariffs on Chinese-made pure electric cars while setting an annual import quota of 49,000 units.

China’s subsidy change adds to EV makers’ stress, while petrol cars gain

Electric & new energy vehicles
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Big Tech

Tencent seeks cooperation with other AI firms to better serve vulnerable users

Tencent Research Institute looks to build expert data sets for AI models that could broadly benefit the world’s second most populous nation.

Military

PLA sends drone into airspace near Taiwan-held Pratas Island in South China Sea

Southern Theatre Command cites ‘completely legitimate’ routine flight training, while Taipei calls it ‘provocative and irresponsible’ act.

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Hong Kong Economy

Hong Kong crime film exhibition at old Yau Ma Tei police station a hot ticket

Show a ‘surprise’ to visitors, with over 80 per cent of tickets for January sold, says Commissioner for Cultural and Creative Industries Drew Lai.

Focus
Illustration: Brian Wang

Can China’s cosmetics brands rival K-beauty and refashion global markets?

Science

Could flying wind farms be the future of energy generation in China?

The test of an ‘alien-looking’ giant airship in the skies above Sichuan created a buzz on social media.

The airship was tested in the skies above Sichuan. Photo: Weibo/ 爱信阳
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Military

Did China, Russia, Iran joint naval drills in South Africa signal a Brics shift?

Observers describe high-profile exercise involving economic grouping as largely symbolic rather than step towards military alliance.

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Politics

Singapore’s opposition chief debate draws comparisons with Westminster system

The post is vacant after Pritam Singh’s removal, sparking discussions on its non-statutory nature and executive control.

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

Trump hits 8 Nato allies with tariffs to force Greenland sale

The duties will start at 10 per cent in February and go up to 25 per cent in June if no deal is reached for the US to buy the island.

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A boy holds a crossed out map of Greenland topped by a hairpiece symbolizing US President Donald Trump, during a protest against Trump’s policy toward Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, on Saturday. Photo: AP

Politics

‘False pride’: Indonesia’s UN rights role clashes with its domestic record

While officials tout a diplomatic win, rights groups ask how a nation that ‘criminalises expression’ can lead the UN Human Rights Council.

Economics

Feathered fortunes, sky-high stakes: inside Asia’s richest pigeon race

In eastern Thailand, 5,000 pigeons brave predators and exhaustion in a gruelling sprint for a US$2 million purse.

East Asia

Seoul takes aim at North Korea’s leadership bunkers with ‘monster missile’

The missile, capable of carrying a warhead of up to eight tonnes, has been deployed to frontline military units.

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South Korea’s Hyunmoo-5 missile is displayed during a ceremony in Seongnam in 2024. Photo: AFP

Business

Hotel conversions gain traction in China’s office market amid high vacancies

In Hangzhou, one office building now houses around 10 hotels, alongside restaurants, photography studios and second-hand luxury stores.

Hotel operators are seeking lower-cost, well-located space, and office landlords are looking to reduce vacancy, says James Macdonald, head of research for China at Savills. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong Economy

Hong Kong steps up bid to become global gold trading hub with Shanghai agreement

Two cities set to sign a memorandum of understanding at the 19th Asian Financial Forum next week, paving the way for cross-border gold trade clearing.

Food & Drink

History of Macau’s iconic pork chop bun and where to eat the authentic classic

Gaining global fame after being spotlighted by Anthony Bourdain, Macau’s pork chop bun is set to become an intangible cultural heritage item.

Europe

‘I’m thinking about where to hide’: Greenlanders plot exit plan amid US threat

‘We can hunt, we can fish, we can live off nature. We are used to living under extreme conditions,’ a Nuuk resident says.

Residents walk along the main shopping street in Nuuk, Greenland, on Thursday. Photo: AFP

Hong Kong

Melaku Belachew, Shitaye Eshete claim Hong Kong Marathon crowns - as it happened

Melaku Belachew wins men’s race for second time, while Bahrain’s Shitaye Eshete goes close to breaking women’s mark set in 2019.

Some 74,000 runners took part across the three distances of the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. Photo: Eugene Lee

Education

Exclusive | Hong Kong authorities to review schools’ medium of instruction after major study

Industry body urges government to allow more secondary schools to teach in English to better prepare pupils for higher education.

SERIES: Year of the Horse 2026

Year of the Horse 2026 predictions for Tigers, from career to romance

The Year of the Fire Horse will bring Tigers increased wealth, but things could get ugly at work, and medical conditions might worsen.

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OPINION
Chandran Nair

Asian Angle | China has a worthy blueprint to improve the UN. Why is the West ignoring it?

Chandran Nair
Dicky Chow,Jessie Zhang,Curtis Lam

Opinion | This year, Hong Kong must resolve to rewrite the script for retirement

Dicky Chow
Jessie Zhang
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Letters

Letters | As robots do more work, here is why humans need to play

Letters
SCMP Editorial

Editorial | To walk the pet-friendly path, Hong Kong needs a comprehensive policy

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Science

How can China help Uruguay battle beetles threatening to invade South America?

Trending in China

China office workers run to bond with peers, clients, pressured to meet speed targets

East Asia

Seoul takes aim at North Korea’s leadership bunkers with ‘monster missile’

Hong Kong

Wong Tsz-to, Tsang Hiu-tung not getting carried away with 10km wins

Politics

Singapore’s opposition chief debate draws comparisons with Westminster system

Hong Kong Economy

Hong Kong crime film exhibition at old Yau Ma Tei police station a hot ticket

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SCMP Series
China Inc. goes global
Year of the Horse 2026
Beijing’s recalibration of its Taiwan policy
Revisiting US-China relations
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
SCMP SeriesChina 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.

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

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Chinese companies expand globally

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.

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

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.

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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.

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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.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
China Future Tech
China Future Tech
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Live Q&A webinars

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.

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

China Business

Chinese electric vehicle makers eye Western markets as trade barriers fall

Canada will drop the 100 per cent punitive tariffs on Chinese-made pure electric cars while setting an annual import quota of 49,000 units.

Big Tech

Tencent seeks cooperation with other AI firms to better serve vulnerable users

Tencent Research Institute looks to build expert data sets for AI models that could broadly benefit the world’s second most populous nation.

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.

Hong Kong’s Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Sun Dong (fourth from left), joins other dignitaries on Friday, during the city’s inaugural turn as host of a summit under the World Artificial Intelligence Conference at the Hong Kong Science Park. Photo: AFP

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.

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Illustration: Henry Wong

Diplomacy

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

As US-China race for hi-tech resources heats up across Global South, countries caught in the middle are under pressure to strike a balance.

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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?

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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.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
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