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SCMP

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. Hong Kong budget – all property curbs scrapped to boost market
During his budget speech, Hong Kong finance chief Paul Chan Mo-po said the city would remove all restrictions on property transactions as part of his solutions for the sluggish economy and shrinking fiscal reserves in what some analysts called the most difficult budget blueprint ever.
2. Philippine lawmaker wants probe on Taylor Swift’s Singapore-only concert deal

A Philippine lawmaker has called on his government to question Singapore over the city state’s decision to offer American pop star Taylor Swift a significant monetary grant, supposedly to prevent her from performing anywhere else in Southeast Asia.
3. Chinese floating barrier at South China Sea flashpoint was ‘necessary’, Beijing says
China on Monday said it was “necessary” to set up a floating barrier at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, where it has had frequent flare-ups with Philippine forces.
4. Smells like victory: countries vie to be China’s durian king as crop flourishes

Competition between exporters is expected to intensify in China, the world’s largest durian market, as the global crop has been projected to grow as much as 10 per cent by 2030 and voracious consumers are on the hunt for greater variety and better bargains.
5. Former Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang resigns from country’s legislature
China’s former foreign minister Qin Gang, who has been missing from public view since June last year, has resigned as a member of the national legislature ahead of a key political set piece event, according to an official statement.
6. Young China makeup guru’s transformation business amasses 5.5 million followers

A makeup artist in China who uses her exceptional skills to dramatically improve the appearance of her clients – in some cases make them appear many years younger – has become a major hit on mainland social media.
7. What’s riding an overnight train in China like? A 36-hour journey to Chengdu
Travel writer Ian Lloyd Neubauer takes two overnight trains from Lhasa in Tibet to Chengdu to find out what sleeping, eating and socialising is like on the world’s busiest rail network.


Xi on North Korean military ties; US blacklists Chinese tech firms: SCMP’s 7 highlights

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

SCMP Highlights

Hong Kong property curbs scrapped, Taylor Swift deal questioned, China’s durian king: SCMP’s 7 highlights of the week

View of residential buildings at the Mid-Levels. Photo: May Tse

Singer Taylor Swift performs on stage during a concert as part of her Eras World Tour in Sydney, on February 23. Photo: TNS

China’s appetite for the spiky, pungent durian fruit is only set to grow as the global market expands. Photo: Xinhua

The transformation of 57-year-old actor Tang Jianjun was such that his wife did not recognise him. Photo: Xiaohongshu

China’s stealth military device, Singapore’s grant for Taylor Swift, Hong Kong talent scheme earners: SCMP’s 7 highlights of the week

Singer Taylor Swift performs at her concert for the international “The Eras Tour” in Tokyo on February 7. Photo: Reuters

Game-changing technology could make stealth aircraft virtually invisible on enemy radar. Photo: Weibo

Illustration: Davies Christian Surya

Recent studies are pointing to statins’ positive impact on brain health. Photo: Shutterstock

Next generation of rich Asians, Marcos ‘rebranding’ family name, hunting in Japan: 6 weekend reads you may have missed

Mamee snacks. Photo: Shutterstock

Illustration: SCMP

Singapore’s central business district. Places with favourable tax rules like the city state have seen a boom in family offices over recent years. Photo: Bloomberg

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr during an event in Manila on February 20. Photo: EPA-EFE

Allied soldiers captured by the Japanese during the Battle of Java in World War II. Photo: Getty Images

Pierre Pang became group chief executive officer of Mamee in 2022. Photo: Handout

A new trend has emerged in rural Japan, with young urbanites and local clan members heading into the mountains to catch and cull their own food. Photo: Manami Okazaki

American filmmaker Sarah Morris talks to the Post about her unique artistic language, and giving a fresh perspective on Hong Kong in her latest film, ETC. Photo: Sarah Morris

Hong Kong’s love affair with instant noodles, China’s railways and landscapes captured: 5 weekend reads you may have missed

A freight train crosses a bridge near Liupanshui, Guizhou province, China. Photo: Wang Lu

A freight train rolls through the Qianxinan Buyei and Miao autonomous prefecture in Guizhou province, China. Photo: Wang Lu

Hong Kong’s love of instant noodles has surpassed even Japan, where the snack was first invented. Photo: Tory Ho

Merlion Park with Marina Bay Sands in the background in Singapore. Photo: EPA-EFE

A service member from the Philippine Navy keeps watch in the South China Sea. Photo: Handout via AFP

In his book, a journalist details his quest to understand his mother’s past. Photo: Blacksmith Books

US’ show of strength to China, what to expect from Prabowo, PLA marriage in spotlight: SCMP’s 7 highlights of the week

The USS Carl Vinson and USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike groups in formation during the Multi-Large Deck Event in the Philippine Sea in January. Photo: US Navy

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies during a US congressional hearing in Washington on January 31. Photo: AP

President-elect Prabowo Subianto on February 14, 2024. Photo: AFP

Mary Jane is one of several large retail cannabis stores operated by OG Canna in popular tourist destinations in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: Todd Ruiz

A court in China has jailed a man for 10 months after he admitted to having slept and cohabited with the wife of a soldier currently serving in the People’s Liberation Army. Photo: SCMP composite/Sohu

Singapore’s birth rates, China warns the Philippines, Year of the Dragon vs Loong: 5 weekend reads you may have missed

People pass the God of Fortune statue and dragon sculpture in Singapore. Photo: Reuters

A child poses with a dragon-shaped balloon at a market for Lunar New Year in Singapore. Photo: Xinhua

Delhi police barriers block the entrance to the demolition site in the Mehrauli area following the demolition of the 600-year-old mosque by the DDA. Photo: Kaisar Andrabi

A Philippine Air Force Black Hawk helicopter lands in Mavulis Island, Batanes, Philippines on June 30, 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE

Every rickshaw is decorated, from the collapsible bonnet to the seats, backs and handlebars. Photo: Armin Hossen

Lunar New Year decorations light up the city wall of Xian in Shaanxi province earlier this month. Photo: Xinhua

News

Hong Kong

China

Asia

From property curbs in Hong Kong being scrapped to the intensifying durian market in China, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting


From property curbs in Hong Kong being scrapped to the intensifying durian market in China, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.


Hong Kong budget 2024-25

Taylor Swift

Qin Gang

South China Sea

Hong Kong property curbs scrapped, Taylor Swift deal questioned, China’s durian king: SCMP’s 7 highlights of the week

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}From property curbs in Hong Kong being scrapped to the intensifying durian market in China, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting

1. Hong Kong budget – all property curbs scrapped to boost market

From property curbs in Hong Kong being scrapped to the intensifying durian market in China, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting