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Illustration: Henry Wong

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.

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China pledges green-energy push with Global South, signals wider market opening

China energy security
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Diplomacy

US government approves Nvidia H200 chip exports to China

Trump administration on Tuesday gave the green light to China-bound sales of Nvidia’s second most powerful AI chips.

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Diplomacy

Not ‘Trump-compatible’? China expert Rudd exits Australia’s US ambassador role

Kevin ‌Rudd left his post a year ‍earlier than planned following criticism from US President Donald Trump at White House meeting in October.

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Education

Exclusive | Registered births in Hong Kong hit record low in 2025, ending 2-year uptick

31,714 registered births is 14 per cent fewer than 2024 and 3 per cent below previous record low in 2022.

Year of the Horse
Will the Year of the Horse 2026 be a lucky one for Dogs? Fortune-teller Tong Pik-ha shares her predictions for wealth, relationships and health. Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Year of the Horse 2026 predictions for Dogs, from success at work to love

Politics

China warns of covert mapping by foreign forces to steal sensitive geodata

Counter-espionage agency says ‘anti-China’ actors are gathering information on natural resources, energy facilities and terrain in key areas.

China has warned that the improper storage and transmission of classified mapping data could endanger national security. Photo: Shutterstock
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Middle East

Trump urges on protesters in Iran as crackdown death toll hits 2,000

As Tehran accuses the US of inciting violence, Trump warns of ‘very strong action’ if Iran begins hanging demonstrators.

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People

Japan’s ‘love hotel’ mayor stages comeback, shattering political taboos

Akira Ogawa’s return suggests voters are finally judging women in Japanese politics by the same imperfect standards as men.

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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.

East Asia

South Korean prosecutors demand death penalty for ex-leader Yoon

Prosecutors seek death for Yoon Suk-yeol over martial law decree that plunged the country into chaos. Experts expect a life term as executions are rare.

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South Korea’s ousted former president Yoon Suk-yeol arrives to attend his trial at Seoul Central District Court in May 2025. Photo: AP

Diplomacy

Why China may not act in Iran even if it has ‘more to lose’ than in Venezuela

Beijing is likely to see the current anti-government protests as an ‘urgent’ situation, but analysts do not expect it to intervene directly.

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China Business

Chinese solar firms eye price hikes amid silver surge, scrapping of tax rebate

China exported 206 gigawatts of photovoltaic modules in the first nine months of 2025, up 10 per cent from a year earlier.

United States & Canada

ICE shooting: prosecutors quit over handling of probe into US woman’s death

The resignations follow growing tensions over a decision by the Trump administration to block the state out of the investigation.

US congresswomen Ilhan Omar (right) and Delia Ramirez stand beside a portrait of Renee Nicole Good at a press conference in Washington on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

China

Chinese student numbers at Harvard rise despite Trump visa crackdown

Enrolment from mainland China grew 4.5% in 2025 even as Washington tightened vetting and revoked thousands of student visas.

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Harvard is continuing its fight against the Trump administration with two legal challenges over funding cuts and foreign student enrolment restrictions. Photo: Getty Images

China Economy

Will Trump’s Iran tariffs send China searching for new oil sources?

Analysts urge China to protect strategic interests abroad after unexpected announcement, which is likely to push up oil import costs.

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China Economy

Fears over China’s trade surplus misplaced as West also driving trend: analysts

China’s global manufacturing dominance is a tale of two halves; reliant on home-grown industrial growth and Western consumption, experts say.

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Health & Environment

Most Hong Kong residents support more smoking control measures, study finds

Raising tobacco tax progressively could cut the city’s smoking rate significantly within a decade, separate study estimates.

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The fixed penalty for smoking offences has doubled to HK$3,000. Photo: Jelly Tse

Europe

Greenland says ‘we choose Denmark’, as talks with Trump officials loom

The island would rather remain Danish than be taken over by the US, its leader says, despite ongoing discussions about independence.

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A “Nu det NUUK!” cap with a “Make America Go Away” slogan is displayed in a clothing store in Copenhagen on Monday. Photo: AFP

Big Tech

Alibaba reaffirms open-source AI commitment as it hails successes

‘Building with the community’ is crucial to the success of the Qwen family of large language models, company says.

Military

Taiwan, US launch joint production of 155mm artillery shells amid blockade fears

Island’s defence ministry says Ukraine war underscores urgency of securing sustained ammunition supply in event of armed conflict.

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OPINION
SCMP Editorial

Editorial | Review of Meta-Manus deal a reminder of what’s at stake in US-China rivalry

SCMP Editorial
Gaurav Kumar

Opinion | Is India fuelling an arms race in Asia or closing a deterrence gap?

Gaurav Kumar
SCMP Editorial

Editorial | Hong Kong’s biodiversity strategy must be clear and comprehensive

SCMP Editorial
Andrew Leung

Opinion | Trump’s audacious imperialism will only propel China’s rise

Andrew Leung
5
Hao Nan

Opinion | EU-China ties are stuck between interdependence and rivalry

Hao Nan
Harry’s View | 14 Jan 2026
January 14, 2026
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China warns of covert mapping by foreign forces to steal sensitive geodata

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East Asia

Japan PM, South Korean president rock out to K-pop in surprise drum duet

Education

Exclusive | Registered births in Hong Kong hit record low in 2025, ending 2-year uptick

Other Sport

Olympics golden three-peat still possible for Kim despite shoulder tear

People

Japan’s ‘love hotel’ mayor stages comeback, shattering political taboos

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SCMP Series
Beijing’s recalibration of its Taiwan policy
Year of the Horse 2026
China Inc. goes global
Revisiting US-China relations
Illustration: Henry Wong
SCMP SeriesBeijing’s recalibration of its Taiwan policy

Why has Beijing turned down the heat in the Taiwan Strait in the second half of 2025?

PLA warplanes and ships have been less active around the island in the second half of the year, Taiwanese data shows.

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Beijing is pinning hopes for Taiwan reunification on KMT – but not all of them

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‘Urgent’: has mainland China changed tone for Taiwan peaceful reunification?

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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

China’s Qwen and DeepSeek edge out US AI models in Christian values benchmark

US start-up Gloo’s Flourishing AI Christian benchmark tested how the output of AI models ‘help people flourish’, CEO Pat Gelsinger said.

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The questions in FAI-C were reviewed by a panel of Biblical experts, including theologians, pastors, psychologists and scholars of ethics. Photo: SCMP

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.

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4

Big Tech

Alibaba reaffirms open-source AI commitment as it hails successes

‘Building with the community’ is crucial to the success of the Qwen family of large language models, company says.

Markets

Chinese rocket shares slump after warnings on ‘irrational’ rally

Long-term prospects for sector are ‘very promising’, but market in the short term is ‘mainly driven by speculative sentiment’, analyst says.

A rocket sits in the factory of Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Technology, a private rocket developer, in Wenchang, in south China’s Hainan province on December 30, 2025. Photo: Xinhua

Global Economy

‘Expansion to defence’: China firms strategise in Latin America after Venezuela

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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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Diplomacy

How the US raid in Venezuela has triggered Brazilian fury and a Chinese opening

Latin America’s largest economy seeks ‘delicate balance’ between Trump’s ambitions and boosting ties with Beijing, its top trading partner.

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Banking & Finance

What does HSBC’s buyout of Hang Seng Bank mean for its future and investors?

HSBC’s historic US$13.6 billion buyout of Hang Seng Bank aims to cut costs, tackle bad debts and fuel growth, but challenges abound.

Military

China’s role in Korean peninsula stability tested amid nuclear submarine moves

Seoul’s calls for Chinese mediation seen to underscore Beijing’s central role in preserving stability between two Koreas.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
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