appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

SCMP

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. China rejects Trump claims of tariff phone call with Xi Jinping
China has rejected US President Donald Trump’s claims that he received a phone call from Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said: “I would like to reiterate that China and the US have not engaged in consultations or negotiations regarding tariff issues.”
2. Absence of Chinese general from Politburo event raises questions
One of China’s most senior generals, He Weidong, missed another top political gathering on Friday, adding to speculation about his whereabouts over the past few weeks.
3. More Chinese leave the knot untied as marriage registrations drop

As marriage registrations in China continued to decline in the first quarter of the year, local governments have dangled cash rewards as high as 40,000 yuan (US$5,487) in front of young couples in a bid to rekindle the will to wed and stave off the worst of a demographic crisis.
4. China and Philippines clash over disputed Sandy Cay in the Spratly Islands
China and the Philippines have clashed over Sandy Cay in the South China Sea as the two countries strengthen efforts to assert sovereignty over the disputed reef.
5. China moves to protect economy from trade war, vows to hit 5% growth target
China announced a series of measures to protect its economy and workers from the impact of an intensifying trade war with the United States on Monday, as officials said they remained “fully confident” of hitting the country’s annual economic growth target of about 5 per cent.
6. Taiwan tests civil defence readiness as foreign observers look on

Civil defence groups from across Taiwan gathered over the weekend for a two-day joint training exercise in disaster preparedness, an event closely watched by a number of overseas observers.
7. Military spending on the rise in East Asia as China upgrades its armed forces
Defence spending is on the rise in East Asia as China’s military build-up raises concerns among its neighbours, according to a report by Swedish think tank the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.


Tokyo Sézanne’s missing stars; Hongkonger shed 32kg in 8 months: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Chinese carmakers race Tesla on humanoid robots; BYD launches ‘God’s Eye’: 7 EV reads

Philippines’ deadly quake, India’s rise in critical minerals: 7 Asia highlights

China turns African port into tourist spot, students rethink Hong Kong: 5 weekend reads

SCMP Highlights

China rejects Trump’s Xi trade talk claims, Chinese marriages drop: SCMP daily highlights

US President Donald Trump claims that he received a phone call from Chinese President Xi Jinping over his trade war, but China has denied that the call took place. Photo: AP

A couple poses for wedding photos outside the Forbidden City in Beijing in February 2025. Photo: AFP

More than 100 members of civil defence self-training groups from across Taiwan gathered over the weekend for a two-day joint training session aimed at strengthening disaster response capabilities Photo: CNA

Taiwan tariff blow, Bangladesh’s new leader, sex therapy: 5 weekend reads you missed

Questions are being raised over whether Taiwan’s strategic value to the United States is being judged primarily by what the island can deliver economically and militarily. Photo: AFP

Boxes of products imported from Taiwan wait to be stocked on shelves at a market in Los Angeles, California, USA. Photo: EPA-EFE

Illustration: Henry Wong

Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus. Illustration: Huy Truong

Tourists queue up at the Louis Vuitton boutique in Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, in January. Photo: Jelly Tse

Deciding to talk about a less-than-satisfactory sex life, to stop pretending everything’s fine, is a powerful step to fixing it, experts say. Photo: Shutterstock

From a RoboCop x Russ Meyer story to Shu Qi as sexy avenger, Hong Kong exploitation films

Actress Shu Qi in a sceneSex and Zen II. Photo: Wong Jing’s Workshop Ltd

Hsu Hsiao-dan (centre) and Amy Yip (right) in a still from Robotrix, a 1991 exploitation film made in Hong Kong and described by the Post’s critic as “like a Chinese RoboCop invested with the spirit of Russ Meyer”. Photo: Online

Fan Mei-sheng (left) and William Ho Ka-kui in a still from Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky. Photo: Fortune Star Media

Louis Fan in a still from Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky. Photo: Fortune Star Media Limited

Louis Fan (centre) in a still from Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky. Photo: Fortune Star Media

Chikako Aoyama in a still from Robotrix.

Shu Qi in a still from Sex and Zen II (1996). Photo: Wong Jing’s Workshop

Boy swallows gold bar, China’s ‘miracle girl’, husband’s affair filmed: 5 trending stories

A Chinese woman who filmed her husband’s affair and then shared video footage of it online has been sued by the mistress for compensation. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

A Chinese boy’s distended abdomen prompted a visit to the doctor, who found that he had ingested a gold bar. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin

A Chinese woman who paid her late boyfriend’s US$82,000 debt and continued to care for his parents after she married another man has been widely praised on social media. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

A teenage boy in China suffers the loss of an arm and nearly loses vision in one eye due to an explosion during a science experiment at home. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin

A girl in northern China miraculously survived a fall from the 25th floor of her building. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin

Tesla halts US-made models in China, Xpeng eyes Europe sales for MPV: 7 EV reads

Tesla’s Model 3 on display at a showroom in Beijing. Photo: EPA-EFE

Xpeng aims to start selling the new X9 in Europe from the second half of this year. Photo: Sun Yeung

A sign of battery manufacturer CATL is pictured at its booth at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing on April 25, 2024. Photo: Reuters

An assembly line inside an electric vehicle (EV) factory owned by Li Auto in Changzhou in eastern Jiangsu province. Photo: Xinhua

CEO He Xiaopeng will unveil Xpeng’s 2025 X9 at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Photo: Sun Yeung

News

China

Economy

World

From Beijing dismissing Trump’s claims of trade war talks to rising military spending in East Asia, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage


From Beijing dismissing Trump’s claims of trade war talks to rising military spending in East Asia, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.


China rejects Trump’s Xi trade talk claims, Chinese marriages drop: SCMP daily highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From Beijing dismissing Trump’s claims of trade war talks to rising military spending in East Asia, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage

1. China rejects Trump claims of tariff phone call with Xi Jinping

From Beijing dismissing Trump’s claims of trade war talks to rising military spending in East Asia, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage