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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. Why the growing network of American MQ-9 drones is a challenge for China
America’s increasing use of MQ-9 drones near China poses a challenge to Beijing and makes it more urgent for the People’s Liberation Army to improve counter-reconnaissance, according to military experts.
2. Top neuroscientist Arthur Konnerth leaves Germany for full-time role in China

Arthur Konnerth, a recipient of the prestigious Brain Prize, has joined the Shenzhen Bay Laboratory (SZBL) on a full-time basis, the institute announced on January 29.
3. South Korea’s ex-president Yoon sentenced to life in prison for insurrection

A South Korean court on Thursday found former president Yoon Suk-yeol guilty of insurrection and sentenced him to life in prison over his short-lived martial law decree that plunged the country into its most serious constitutional crisis in decades.
4. With first missile of its kind, China overtakes US in hypersonic defence: report
With the unveiling of the long-range hypersonic CJ-1000 missiles, China has surpassed the United States in the critical race to field practical scramjet propulsion systems, according to a mainland military magazine.
5. China targets foreign tourists for Lunar New Year ‘consumption feast’

China is gearing up to harness the extended Lunar New Year holiday to attract more spending by international tourists, as the country looks to shake off a recent economic slowdown and pivot towards consumption-driven growth.
6. Japan travel warning after Hongkonger beaten with beer bottle in Sapporo
A Hongkonger was beaten on the head with a beer bottle while visiting Sapporo, prompting the Chinese consulate in the Japanese city to again warn against travel to the country amid frayed bilateral ties.
7. Everything we know about China’s mysterious, futuristic Nantianmen Project

China’s Nantianmen Project – translated as Southern Celestial Gate – has captured widespread attention as a blend of science fiction storytelling and hi-tech military speculation.


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SCMP Highlights

US drone presence worries China, top neuroscientist moves to Shenzhen: SCMP’s 7 highlights

The MQ-9 Reaper has been deployed as part of the US military’s surveillance network in the Indo-Pacific. Photo: Reuters

Arthur Konnerth is a leading figure in neuroscience whose work has helped transform the understanding of how the brain processes information. Photo: Handout

A woman walks past a television screen in Seoul broadcasting a news report on Yoon Suk-yeol’s sentencing on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

Tourists from Italy visit the Bund area in Shanghai. China is keen to drive up spending by inbound travellers over the Lunar New Year. Photo: Xinhua

A CCTV report said the “space-sky integrated” fighter jets of the sci-fi Nantianmen Project would one day become reality. Photo: CCTV

Indonesia’s tourist visa, Filipino assaulted in Singaporean mall: 7 Asia highlights

Tourists walk through a shopping area in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. Photo: EPA

A still from a social media video shows the suspect accosting the woman before kicking her as both lose balance and fall to the ground. Photo: Handout

The Batang Toru hydroelectric project in Sumatra, Indonesia, has prompted concerns from environmentalists. Photo: Handout

Filipino call centre workers at a business process outsourcing office in Manila. Photo: AFP

China goes visa-free for UK, Canada; Rubio, Wang Yi in Munich: 5 weekend reads you missed

The Chinatown area of Melbourne, Australia. Photo: Shutterstock

Foreign tourists take in the sights in the Bund area of Shanghai. Photo: Xinhua

In their addresses to the Munich Security Conference, both US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke of the need to carefully manage differences between the two powers. Photo: AFP

Hundreds of passengers queue at Ocean Terminal waiting to board the ship. Photo: Facebook/Longman Lo

A number of psychiatric hospitals in central China have been exposed for luring healthy people to pose as mental patients in a scheme to defraud medical insurance. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo/Douyin

Chinese tourists are projected to visit Australia in increasing numbers over the extended Lunar New Year break, with China Trading Desk expecting a 20 per cent increase over the same period in 2025. Photo: Reuters

Secret nuclear testing claims, military AI race: 7 US-China relations reads

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio holds a press conference during the Critical Minerals Ministerial at the State Department in Washington DC on February 4, 2026. Photo: Reuters

Photo: AP

Photo: Reuters

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Photo: AFP

News

World

From China’s push for foreign Lunar New Year spending to a Hongkonger attacked in Japan, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting


From China’s push for foreign Lunar New Year spending to a Hongkonger attacked in Japan, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.


US drone presence worries China, top neuroscientist moves to Shenzhen: SCMP’s 7 highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From China’s push for foreign Lunar New Year spending to a Hongkonger attacked in Japan, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting

1. Why the growing network of American MQ-9 drones is a challenge for China

From China’s push for foreign Lunar New Year spending to a Hongkonger attacked in Japan, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting