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An Iran-flagged tugboat sails off Bandar Abbas on Monday. Photo: AFP

US

US’ Bessent urges China to help open Strait of Hormuz

Treasury chief says Beijing’s energy buys fund ‘top sponsor of terrorism’, urges action as US asserts ‘absolute control’ over waterway.

5 minutes ago

Fatal 2022 China Eastern Airlines plane crash points to deliberate fuel cut-off

1 hour ago

Iran war could give Xi the upper hand in meeting with Trump: US experts

1 hour agovideocam

China

‘Golden Dome’ defence, new space rivals: 7 US-China relations reads

From a bloated UN to ‘red carpet’ visas for Chinese spies, here are highlights from our correspondents in the second half of April 2026.

2 hours ago

Posters for the proposed Golden Dome for America missile defense shield are displayed before an event with US President Donald Trump in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in May 2025. Photo: AP

Diplomacy

Strait of Hormuz woes, US-Nato ‘crisis’: 7 global relations reads

From a possible Trump-Iran joint venture to Russia-China talks, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in April 2026.

4 hours ago

Politics

What’s behind the KMT’s internal splits over Taiwanese defence spending?

The opposition party can’t agree on what spending package to back despite warnings it could hurt its prospects in this year’s elections.

4 May 2026 - 8:00PMvideocam

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Diplomacy

Two worlds collide: the regulatory battlefield hanging over EU-China ties

One side crafts regulation out of fear that the other side’s rules may expose its vulnerabilities.

4 May 2026 - 6:30PMvideocam

Jens Eskelund, chair of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, says ambiguous regulations make it difficult for companies to understand what they must comply with. Photo: dpa

Diplomacy

China says to ignore US sanctions even as Trump visit nears

Beijing issued an unprecedented order to ignore US sanctions just ahead of presidential summit in Beijing.

4 May 2026 - 5:32PM

Diplomacy

How lost Yiddish songs from a Ukrainian ghetto revive links to Shanghai’s past

The city, once home to thousands of Jewish refugees, will be one of the first places in East Asia where the songs are brought back to life.

4 May 2026 - 4:45PMvideocam

Diplomacy

Why African leaders value seamless transcontinental links over US-China rivalry

Economic ambitions are the priority, says official with project that Washington has framed as de-risking mineral supply chains from Beijing.

4 May 2026 - 5:11PMvideocam

The China-backed Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority stretches 1,860km from Kapiri Mposhi in central Zambia to Dar es Salaam on Tanzania’s eastern coast. Photo: Shutterstock

Politics

AI helped Shenzhen judges handle cases 50% faster. Is this the future for China?

Pilot system driven by artificial intelligence technology will now be rolled out in the courts of dozens more Chinese cities.

4 May 2026 - 12:00PMvideocam

The vice-president of the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court said the trial had “provided a practical answer” to the question of whether AI could be used in judicial adjudication. Photo: Handout

Politics

Why more mainland Chinese families are betting on Hong Kong universities

The city has overtaken the US to become the second most popular study-abroad destination for mainland students in 2026, a report finds.

4 May 2026 - 10:02AM

Diplomacy

Glimmer of hope in Hormuz Strait, fragile ceasefire holds: what happened overnight

US President Donald Trump has offered some help to commercial shipping and competing plans for peace are said to be on the table.

4 May 2026 - 10:28AMvideocam

Military

Why a 5-year defence pact between North Korea and Russia could make China uneasy

Rare cooperation plan with Moscow could accelerate Pyongyang’s military modernisation on multiple fronts, analysts say.

3 May 2026 - 10:00PMvideocam

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks with Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov (seated left) and Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin in Pyongyang on April 26. Photo: KCNA via Reuters

Diplomacy

The US sanctioned Chinese oil refineries. Now China is really pushing back

Beijing has wheeled out its ‘Blocking Rules’ for the first time, ordering non-compliance with the American action.

3 May 2026 - 9:00PMvideocam

Hengli Petrochemical in Dalian, Liaoning province, has been accused by the United States of links to the Iran oil trade. Photo: Reuters

Diplomacy

How can China best profit from Trump’s latest rift with traditional US allies?

The US president’s decision to pull troops out of Germany and threats to do the same to Spain and Italy are the latest rift within Nato.

3 May 2026 - 8:00PMvideocam

Diplomacy

How 2 Iranian brothers in China use ancient music as a bridge through wartime

Amid deep geopolitical uncertainty, the Beijing workshop of Majid and Massoud Shamaeezadah preserves and shares Persian culture.

3 May 2026 - 7:23PMvideocam

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Science

Will China’s mathematicians join a global effort to boycott the United States?

Question hovers as world’s premier mathematics conference faces revolt over American visa rules and foreign policies.

26 Apr 2026 - 6:00AMvideocam

Illustration: Henry Wong

Diplomacy

From apps to autos: China’s data reach sparks US espionage and sabotage concerns

Washington accused of not doing enough to counter Beijing’s harvesting of key American data and weaponising it as a strategic asset.

1 May 2026 - 6:16AMvideocam

Science

UN climate body presses on after US quits, while China leads with renewables

As global temperatures near key threshold, the IPCC is focusing on adaptation and carbon dioxide removal, chair says.

1 May 2026 - 10:00AMvideocam

Science

Are US agents around Trump armed with Chinese red dot sights?

Apparent Holosun optic on security agent’s pistol in photo from correspondents’ dinner prompts US commenters to question Chinese link.

29 Apr 2026 - 10:28PMvideocam

Security officials react as a shooter opens fire at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, in Washington on April 25. Online commenters showed interest in the female agent’s drawn Glock pistol and what appeared to be a Holosun sight. Photo: Reuters

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LATEST China Science NEWS

Could Chinese mathematicians tip the balance in a US conference boycott?

1 May 2026 - 7:30PM

Organisers of a petition to boycott this year's “World Cup of mathematics” which is being held in Philadelphia, are urging Chinese academics and societies to get involved. Photo: Shutterstock

UN climate body presses on after US quits, while China leads with renewables

1 May 2026 - 10:00AMvideocam

Jim Skea, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, says carbon dioxide removal is “the only way in which you can actually cool the planet again” if global temperatures surpass a key benchmark. Photo: Anadolu via Getty Images

China’s Tiangong space station to double in size as Nasa phases out ISS

30 Apr 2026 - 9:00PMvideocam

The Tiangong space station will eventually comprised six modules. Photo: CMSA

Xi urges ‘disruptive innovation’ to boost China amid US tech race

30 Apr 2026 - 8:11PMvideocam

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at a symposium on strengthening the country’s basic research, in Shanghai on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua

Oxford AI star Song Yuhang returns to China, but why did he leave chip start-up?

30 Apr 2026 - 10:04AMvideocam

AI pioneer Song Yuhang has joined Nanjing University’s School of Artificial Intelligence. Photo: Handout

MORE China Science NEWS

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Hangzhou’s ‘robocops’ direct tourist traffic

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Man sprays train crowd in China with suspected pepper spray

Passengers on Guangzhou Metro Line 3 describe inhaling ‘something spicy’ according to local media.

Cleaner, cheaper EV trucks gain traction in China

This picture taken on April 23, 2026 shows a driver returning the charging gun after charging his electric truck at a station in Beijing. At a dusty lot an hour outside Beijing, a steady stream of vehicles come and go for a quick battery charge -- just one node in China’s rapidly expanding network of electric trucks. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP) / To go with AFP story China-tech-logistics-auto-show, FOCUS by Peter CATTERALL

Floods submerge Guangxi cities after record rainfall

Severe weather has battered southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, triggering widespread urban flooding. In the coastal city of Qinzhou, hourly rainfall hit a peak of 143.3mm (5.6in), inundating streets and forcing school closures.

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TRENDING TOPICS

US-China relations

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