Breaking China, Asia, HK News, Opinions and Insights

On January 5, Nicolas Maduro is escorted towards the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan after being abducted from Caracas by US forces. Analysts ask whether China has the capacity to carry out a similar opertion. Photo: Reuters

Could China execute special forces operation like US precision Maduro abduction?

The Pentagon sees China’s 20,000-30,000 special operation personnel as limited by logistics support and fragmented command structure.

4 hours agovideocam

How PLA could use ‘decapitation’ strike to counter Taiwan’s ‘porcupine’ strategy

US-Venezuela conflict

Science

China applies to put up 200,000 satellites after calling Starlink a crash risk

US Federal Communications Commission says it approved SpaceX to launch 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites.

5 hours agovideocam

Military

China set to supercharge radar, engine and AI in fifth-gen J-20 stealth fighter

Analyst tells state media Mighty Dragon’s airborne weapons are expected to have a longer range and stronger anti-interference capabilities.

4 hours agovideocam

Society

31% of scam victims calling Hong Kong helpline had possible suicidal tendencies

Caritas Family Crisis Support Centre says its hotline service handled 3,983 debt-related cases in 2025.

4 hours ago

Science

The 6.4km (4-mile) Jiangyin-Jingjiang Yangtze River Tunnel is a major infrastructure project in China’s eastern Jiangsu province. Photo: Handout

China turns mega-project failure into defining moment in modern engineering

Diplomacy

China urges Tanzania to back multilateralism, will ‘stand together’ with Africa

Top diplomat Wang Yi also reaffirms support for Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

6 hours agovideocam

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (second from left) poses with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan (second from right), Tanzanian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo (right) and China’s ambassador to Tanzania Chen Mingjian (left) at the State House in Dar es Salaam on Saturday. Photo: AFP / State House Tanzania

Americas

Cuba defiant after Trump says island to receive no more Venezuelan oil or money

‘No one tells us what to do,’ said Cuba’s President Diaz-Canel after Trump ‘strongly suggested’ they make a deal before it is ‘too late’.

1 hour agovideocam

China

‘Strictly forbidden’: China warns hikers off Aotai Line after 3 die on trail

Group reportedly switched phones to flight mode while in restricted area, hampering emergency contact and rescuers’ attempts to find them.

5 hours agovideocam

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.

South Asia

India’s Modi to host German leader to bolster trade, defence ties

Merz’s visit is his first to an Asian country since he took office, ahead of a planned EU-India summit and as they work on a free-trade agreement.

3 hours ago

A poster featuring German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (right) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Ahmedabad, India, on Sunday. Photo: EPA-EFE

China Economy

China’s outbound travel set to soar by 10 million trips – but halve in Japan

Chinese tourist flows to Japan could plunge to as low as 4.8 million this year from 9.3 million in 2025 amid political dispute, survey finds.

11 Jan 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

Politics

US strips moral framing from foreign aid in ‘America first’ pivot

US funding for the Asia-Pacific now ties aid to business and security wins, a move analysts condemn as a ‘corrosive’ shift.

11 Jan 2026 - 4:00PM

Science

China offers full-time job to top European immunologist Andrew Macpherson

Distinguished professor leaves Switzerland to take up role in China, attracted by its reputation for cutting-edge biomedical research.

11 Jan 2026 - 2:00PMvideocam

On January 1, 2026, Andrew Macpherson (left), a professor at Switzerland’s University of Bern and its university hospital, joined the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) on a full-time basis. Photo: handout

Europe

Germany to pitch Arctic Nato mission as Greenland, EU brace for Trump

Germany’s vice chancellor called on the US to respect Greenland’s sovereignty and international law before an upcoming trip to Washington.

4 hours ago

US Activists gather in Pasadena, California to protest against President Donald Trump’s recent action in Venezuela on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Southeast Asia

Malaysia suspends Grok access amid global backlash on Musk’s AI

The regulating commission deemed the platform’s safeguards inadequate, adding that access would resume only after the required changes are verified.

5 hours ago

Diplomacy

Can Peru keep both China and US onside in an increasingly volatile environment?

Its mineral resources make it a focus for superpower rivalry, but analysts say the country is in a very different situation to Venezuela.

11 Jan 2026 - 4:03PMvideocam

Business

Changing tastes: China’s new affluent consumers seek quality not extravagance

Rise of upper middle class reshapes China’s retail market, driving demand for quality goods and creating a battleground for global brands.

11 Jan 2026 - 11:30AM

The success of US retailer Sam’s Club in China is attributed to its “premium-value” offering sought by upper-middle-income consumers. Photo: Eugene Lee

Law and Crime

How a legal loophole is failing Hong Kong survivors of long-term sexual abuse

Victim recalls years of unprosecutable abuse as advocates urge closure of loophole tying prosecutors’ hands and law review to prove patterns over specifics.

11 Jan 2026 - 7:10PM

Under a 1999 Court of Final Appeal precedent, each accusation must correspond to a distinct identifiable act of rape with sufficient detail to constitute an offence. Photo: Getty Images

Middle East

Gaza clings to Medecins Sans Frontieres following Israeli aid ban

Israel announced it would ban 37 aid groups, including MSF, from operating in Gaza from for failing to provide information on Palestinian staff.

11 Jan 2026 - 5:58PM

Economics

Singapore businesses list rising costs and tariffs as their biggest challenges

A new survey shows supply chain difficulties, unfamiliarity with new markets, and lack of funding are also key hurdles for local firms.

11 Jan 2026 - 2:30PM

OPINION

Alex Lo

My Take | The days of EU and Nato may be numbered under von der Leyen and Kallas

4 hours ago

Mike Rowse

Opinion | Hong Kong returning to surplus no excuse for splashing budget cash

5 hours ago

Terry Su

Opinion | How Trump’s ‘Donroe Doctrine’ is escalating US-China rivalry

5 hours ago

SCMP Editorial

Editorial | What happens next in Venezuela should be of international concern

11 Jan 2026 - 7:15AM

Sunika Joshi

Opinion | Hong Kong’s ageing population needs purpose, not just medical care

11 Jan 2026 - 10:38AM

Harry’s View | 12 Jan 2026

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2 minutes ago

Middle East

Hamas says it will dissolve its Gaza government when Palestinian body takes over

1 hour ago

Americas

Cuba defiant after Trump says island to receive no more Venezuelan oil or money

3 hours ago

South Asia

India’s Modi to host German leader to bolster trade, defence ties

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Opinion

My Take | The days of EU and Nato may be numbered under von der Leyen and Kallas

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Military

Could China execute special forces operation like US precision Maduro abduction?

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Europe

Germany to pitch Arctic Nato mission as Greenland, EU brace for Trump

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SCMP Series

Beijing’s recalibration of its Taiwan policy

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SCMP Series Beijing’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.

25 Dec 2025 - 9:58AMvideocam

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

24 Dec 2025 - 9:53PMvideocam

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

23 Dec 2025 - 3:43PMvideocam

Open Questions series

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

Diplomacy

Open Questions | George Yeo on superpower ‘headaches’ and why the US dollar could crack

Singapore’s former foreign minister also discusses Trump, the latest China-Japan dust-up, and rivalry between Hong Kong and the city state.

22 Dec 2025 - 10:02AMvideocam

Key Industries:

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.

17 Dec 2025 - 7:00AM

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

Tech Trends

Chinese smart eyewear makers shine at CES with focus on challenging Meta

‘The rise of smart glasses is riding directly on advances in AI,’ LLVision founder and CEO Wu Fei says.

11 Jan 2026 - 8:04AM

Tech Trends

Chinese firms, led by AgiBot, outpace US rivals in 2025 humanoid robot shipments

‘Chinese vendors are setting benchmarks in large-scale production,’ Omdia analyst Lian Jye Su says.

9 Jan 2026 - 8:00PMvideocam

Tech Trends

MiniMax and Zhipu’s stellar Hong Kong IPOs supercharge China’s AI ambitions

Zhipu’s coding assistant is wooing subscribers with a monthly fee of about US$3, a fraction of what Anthropic charges for Claude.

9 Jan 2026 - 5:00PM

MiniMax became a darling of investors with its gain of 80 per cent when the stock debuted on Friday. Photo: Shutterstock Images

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.

10 Jan 2026 - 10:00AM

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.

8 Jan 2026 - 11:04AMvideocam

China Economy

Shanghai unveils US$10 billion investment spree as US-China tech race heats up

Shanghai announces 50 new projects across an array of hi-tech industries as China’s cities heed Beijing’s call to double down on innovation.

7 Jan 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

Military

‘Real and accelerating’: China-Japan military tensions surge amid missile race

Analysts hold out little hope that security pressures will ease, given US insistence that regional allies boost first island chain defences.

8 Jan 2026 - 8:34AMvideocam

Could China execute special forces operation like US precision Maduro abduction?

The Pentagon sees China’s 20,000-30,000 special operation personnel as limited by logistics support and fragmented command structure.

How PLA could use ‘decapitation’ strike to counter Taiwan’s ‘porcupine’ strategy

China applies to put up 200,000 satellites after calling Starlink a crash risk

US Federal Communications Commission says it approved SpaceX to launch 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites.

China set to supercharge radar, engine and AI in fifth-gen J-20 stealth fighter

Analyst tells state media Mighty Dragon’s airborne weapons are expected to have a longer range and stronger anti-interference capabilities.

31% of scam victims calling Hong Kong helpline had possible suicidal tendencies

Caritas Family Crisis Support Centre says its hotline service handled 3,983 debt-related cases in 2025.

China turns mega-project failure into defining moment in modern engineering

China urges Tanzania to back multilateralism, will ‘stand together’ with Africa

Top diplomat Wang Yi also reaffirms support for Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Cuba defiant after Trump says island to receive no more Venezuelan oil or money

‘No one tells us what to do,’ said Cuba’s President Diaz-Canel after Trump ‘strongly suggested’ they make a deal before it is ‘too late’.

‘Strictly forbidden’: China warns hikers off Aotai Line after 3 die on trail

Group reportedly switched phones to flight mode while in restricted area, hampering emergency contact and rescuers’ attempts to find them.

.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.

India’s Modi to host German leader to bolster trade, defence ties

Merz’s visit is his first to an Asian country since he took office, ahead of a planned EU-India summit and as they work on a free-trade agreement.

China’s outbound travel set to soar by 10 million trips – but halve in Japan

Chinese tourist flows to Japan could plunge to as low as 4.8 million this year from 9.3 million in 2025 amid political dispute, survey finds.

US strips moral framing from foreign aid in ‘America first’ pivot

US funding for the Asia-Pacific now ties aid to business and security wins, a move analysts condemn as a ‘corrosive’ shift.

China offers full-time job to top European immunologist Andrew Macpherson

Distinguished professor leaves Switzerland to take up role in China, attracted by its reputation for cutting-edge biomedical research.

Germany to pitch Arctic Nato mission as Greenland, EU brace for Trump

Germany’s vice chancellor called on the US to respect Greenland’s sovereignty and international law before an upcoming trip to Washington.

Malaysia suspends Grok access amid global backlash on Musk’s AI

The regulating commission deemed the platform’s safeguards inadequate, adding that access would resume only after the required changes are verified.

Can Peru keep both China and US onside in an increasingly volatile environment?

Its mineral resources make it a focus for superpower rivalry, but analysts say the country is in a very different situation to Venezuela.

Changing tastes: China’s new affluent consumers seek quality not extravagance

Rise of upper middle class reshapes China’s retail market, driving demand for quality goods and creating a battleground for global brands.

How a legal loophole is failing Hong Kong survivors of long-term sexual abuse

Victim recalls years of unprosecutable abuse as advocates urge closure of loophole tying prosecutors’ hands and law review to prove patterns over specifics.

Gaza clings to Medecins Sans Frontieres following Israeli aid ban

Israel announced it would ban 37 aid groups, including MSF, from operating in Gaza from for failing to provide information on Palestinian staff.

Singapore businesses list rising costs and tariffs as their biggest challenges

A new survey shows supply chain difficulties, unfamiliarity with new markets, and lack of funding are also key hurdles for local firms.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}My Take | The days of EU and Nato may be numbered under von der Leyen and Kallas

Opinion | Hong Kong returning to surplus no excuse for splashing budget cash

Opinion | How Trump’s ‘Donroe Doctrine’ is escalating US-China rivalry

Editorial | What happens next in Venezuela should be of international concern

Opinion | Hong Kong’s ageing population needs purpose, not just medical care

Hamas says it will dissolve its Gaza government when Palestinian body takes over

Cuba defiant after Trump says island to receive no more Venezuelan oil or money

India’s Modi to host German leader to bolster trade, defence ties

My Take | The days of EU and Nato may be numbered under von der Leyen and Kallas

Could China execute special forces operation like US precision Maduro abduction?

Germany to pitch Arctic Nato mission as Greenland, EU brace for Trump

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.

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

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

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}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.

Open Questions | George Yeo on superpower ‘headaches’ and why the US dollar could crack

Singapore’s former foreign minister also discusses Trump, the latest China-Japan dust-up, and rivalry between Hong Kong and the city state.

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.

Chinese smart eyewear makers shine at CES with focus on challenging Meta

‘The rise of smart glasses is riding directly on advances in AI,’ LLVision founder and CEO Wu Fei says.

Chinese firms, led by AgiBot, outpace US rivals in 2025 humanoid robot shipments

‘Chinese vendors are setting benchmarks in large-scale production,’ Omdia analyst Lian Jye Su says.

MiniMax and Zhipu’s stellar Hong Kong IPOs supercharge China’s AI ambitions

Zhipu’s coding assistant is wooing subscribers with a monthly fee of about US$3, a fraction of what Anthropic charges for Claude.

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.

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.

Shanghai unveils US$10 billion investment spree as US-China tech race heats up

Shanghai announces 50 new projects across an array of hi-tech industries as China’s cities heed Beijing’s call to double down on innovation.

‘Real and accelerating’: China-Japan military tensions surge amid missile race

Analysts hold out little hope that security pressures will ease, given US insistence that regional allies boost first island chain defences.

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

My Take | The days of EU and Nato may be numbered under von der Leyen and Kallas

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