appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

SCMP

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. China turns mega-project failure into defining moment in modern engineering

China has pulled off a daring underground feat, using a multimillion-dollar tunnel boring machine (TBM) to recover its stranded twin beneath the country’s largest river.
2. System failure at Malaysia-Singapore border leaves thousands stranded

Tens of thousands of travellers were left stranded at Malaysia’s two main land checkpoints with Singapore on Saturday after a major system failure shut down most automated immigration gates, causing hours-long queues at one of the world’s busiest border crossings.
3. China calls on US to form united front against Japanese militarism

China has called on the US to work together to prevent a resurgence of militarism in Japan, with Beijing signalling that more sanctions could be in the pipeline for Tokyo’s defence industry.
4. How the US raid in Venezuela has triggered Brazilian fury and a Chinese opening

Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy is seeking a “delicate balance” between US President Donald Trump’s ambitions and boosting ties with China, its top trading partner.
5. US government abandons plan to blacklist Chinese-made drones

The US Commerce Department has revoked a plan to slap restrictions on Chinese drones, originally proposed to address national security concerns, the latest example of the Donald Trump administration avoiding actions that might fuel tensions ahead of a planned summit between Trump and President Xi Jinping this spring.


Shanghai’s changing expats, Hong Kong trail sign fallout: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Exhibition on gardens of China, Europe; art director’s top spots: 7 Lifestyle highlights

China builds world’s first ‘coal battery’, war on Alzheimer’s: 7 science highlights

UAE’s Opec exit, why Japan shared Mogami warship design with India: 7 Asia highlights

SCMP Highlights

China’s daring engineering feat, Malaysia border chaos: 5 weekend reads you missed

China and the US should work together to thwart any plot to revive the spectre of militarism in Japan, according to a Chinese embassy official in Washington. Photo: Japan Ground Self-Defense Force

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

The team of engineers deployed a second shield tunnelling machine to excavate from the opposite direction underneath the Yangtze for a mid-river docking. Photo: Handout

An image circulated on social media on Saturday shows a crowd of travellers waiting to pass through automated immigration gates at the Malaysia-Singapore border. Photo: Facebook

Illustration: Brian Wang

A US farmer uses a DJI drone to put crop cover on his farm in Hickory, North Carolina. The Trump administration has dropped a plan to impose restrictions on Chinese-made drones. Photo: AP

AI scientist leaves US for China; domestic helpers in Asia: 5 weekend reads you missed

Domestic helpers gather in Hong Kong’s Central to relax and socialise on their Sunday day off. Photo: Karma Lo

Venezuelans celebrate in Santiago, Chile on January 3, 2026, after US President Donald Trump announced that President Nicolas Maduro had been captured and flown out of Venezuela. Photo: AP

Illustration: Henry Wong

Ling Haibin is a former Empire Innovation Professor at Stony Brook University in New York and IEEE Fellow. Photo: Handout

Filipino domestic workers gather on a street in Hong Kong. Indonesia and the Philippines have provided millions of helpers to the rest of Asia over the decades. Photo: Dickson Lee

Li Xinze, a nine-year-old girl, skated with 16-year-old Li Mingda, creating a dramatic visual contrast on the ice. Photo: Bilibili

As India overtakes Japan in economic size, prosperity lags far behind

Shoppers walk along a street illuminated with decorative lights ahead of New Year celebrations in Bengaluru, India, last month. Photo: AFP

Bicycles are seen mounted on a milk vendor’s truck in Varanasi, India. Photo: AFP

People shop at a weekend market in Bengaluru last month. Despite its recent economic milestone, India’s per capita GDP is still roughly 12 times lower than Japan’s. Photo: AFP

Farmers sow seeds at a paddy field on the outskirts of Chennai last month. Agriculture remains India’s largest source of employment. Photo: AFP

Indian students form the shape of 2026 with their bodies to welcome the new year at a school in Ahmedabad on January 1. Photo: AP

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

 Illustration by Henry Wong

Small shareholders attend Hang Seng Bank’s shareholders’ meeting at Hopewell Hotel on Thursday. Photo: Edmond So

Hang Seng Bank started life as Hang Seng Ngan Ho in 1933. Photo: Jelly Tse

General view of Hang Seng Bank Headquarters in Central. Photo: Jelly Tse

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

Several Chinese firms have applied to the International Telecommunication Union to put internet satellites in space as China and the US in a race to build megaconstellations. Illustration: Shutterstock

How China’s global investment model is changing – and what it means for the yuan

The logo of China’s Huawei Technologies Co is displayed on the middle of city road in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: EPA-EFE

News

World

From China’s underground engineering triumph to calls to curb Japan militarism, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend


From China’s underground engineering triumph to calls to curb Japan militarism, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.


China’s daring engineering feat, Malaysia border chaos: 5 weekend reads you missed

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From China’s underground engineering triumph to calls to curb Japan militarism, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend

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

From China’s underground engineering triumph to calls to curb Japan militarism, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend